Making home school fun for the bored child

This time of year homeschoolers are already turning their thoughts toward the fall and the new school year. All sorts of questions arise from those of you who are new homeschoolers. A day does not go by that I am not asked a question about homeschooling from some mother who is trying to do her very best but is new to the scene or feels she lacks the skills to handle the job.

Today I was asked how to make schooling at home fun for a seven year old. I'm pretty much a curriculum person having first been a private school teacher before homeschooling. I just like the structure that a curriculum gives. I also like that you end up with a quantitative measure of the work done. This is especially helpful if you have a husband who is not totally on board with the homeschool thing or inlaws who think their grandkids are getting the short end of the stick!

There's nothing like presenting the doubting relative with actual worksheets and books completed to prove that you have been doing "school". But you know what? Lets be real here. Textbooks can get boring! Online schools get boring! My advice to any of you who have children who are bored and unmotivated is to get them involved in outside classes.

Find a co-op that you can join where your child has a chance to learn with other children. I know home schoolers hate that word socialization so I wont use it, but let me just say that our kids do need to get out and play and learn with other children their ages. God made us that way. He made us to want to socialize,it's a healthy thing. Children raised in large families have a huge advantage in that there is usually someone that will want to play what they are playing. You can even have teams when you play games in the back yard. But if you have only one or two or three kids its a little trickier to keep them from getting bored with the whole routine.

When children reach about 12 years old they start desiring to be with friends. Most children are already feeling the God given urge for a little independence. That shouldn't threaten us. Its a healthy thing. If the preteen or teenager did not feel this then there would be something to worry about. God made our kids to want to play with others and attend events with others. This is part of His overall plan; it's the beginning of the separation from the parent and is a forerunner to the independent adult.

Now I know there are home schooling mamas that disagree with me on that. That's okay. I'm no stranger to opposition. I can say that by my age opposing views just do not matter to me. But then again it is every parents right to school in the way they deem best. I just want to caution new homeschoolers though to not try to do it all in your home five days a week. As a rule children will do better if they get out at least for an afternoon. It also helps for them to know that there are other kids out there learning at home.

Children can get inspired from projects other kids are doing. They can get excited about reading a book if a friend is reading the book. Children feed off of each other. A parent who is aware of this can use this to her advantage by finding other homeschool friends for her kids that will be positive influences in their lives.

So now as you plan your new year let me encourage you to plan to join a local co-op or community sports or a book group; something that will make schooling more than meeting with mom at the table for several hours of study.

I have not yet found the child that doesn't look forward to his weekly activity with other friends. Incorporate this into your school week and you will find that it will also help you! You will be able to bounce ideas off of other homeschool moms and they will be women who will understand the day to day schedule and demands of home schooling. You will come home feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the job ahead.

My Homeschool Philosophy

I found a quote over at Toad Haven that exactly fits the philosophy I have for my homeschool. I guess I didn't realize I had a real honest to goodness philosophy but it appears that I do! Here is the quote I found.

Homeschooling is not about sitting at the kitchen table with a pile of textbooks all day, recreating school in the isolation of the home. (Unless, for some reason, you want it to be.) For many--maybe most--families, homeschooling is about getting out and about. It is about opening to possibilities, about finding learning opportunities around every corner, and about having the 'luxury' of making the kinds of community connections that are sustaining and enjoyable. It is about exploring the world with open eyes and minds, trying new things, going new places, meeting new people. It is a veritable kaleidoscope of experiences that provide a unique educational path for every child--and parent. You can find or create anything you want, and have a blast doing it." -Shay Seaborne

That's exactly us! We do work through textbooks, after all I was a school teacher before I became a home school mom, but we do not sit and do this in the home all day every day. If you have read my blog for very long you know that we are an on the go home school family.

There is so much to learn outside our four walls. There are so many opportunities for the kids in classes I cant offer them. We also travel and camp a lot which affords other new opportunities. If you are interested in some of our vacations you can click on my vacation label on the side bar. We are in the process of planning a road trip to Washington DC, taking in some things along the way such as, Mt Rushmore, and Yellowstone. Once we get to DC their will be too many things to do all in one trip.

We did this trip with Wendy when she was Tinks age and we loved it. We toured the White House and the Capitol. We went to the Smithsonian Institute. We saw the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania and hoards of other things. Now its time to take the younger two.

This year the kids are signed up for classes to stretch their minds again. Peter is taking a class called History Fun and is going to pick up the viola and see if its something he wants to pursue. Tink is also taking her violin class again but this time she is playing first violin and she's so excited. She's also taking a volley ball class.

Both kids are taking a Science class called Inquiring Minds. In this class the kids enter the world of a scientist. They ask the questions, and set up the experiments. Its class that is much in demand and I was quite pleased that the kids got it!

We love our outside classes. We are an active family and this kind of schooling is perfect for us. I love then finding something like the statement above that just sums up our home school experience in one tidy nutshell.

Over on Homeschool 101 is a list of 10 things you need to know about homeschooling. Number 9 is this:

You do not have to starve or live in a tent to homeschool your children. Thousands of homeschooling families are able to make the money they need and homeschool their children at the same time. While you create a family business or dream job, or restructure your current job, your children will learn the most important skill of all- how to create the life of their dreams.

Now doesn't that just go along with my post on cottage industries? That's what I love about tutoring. It's perfect for a homeschooling mother like myself.

I'm excited for the new home school year. A lot of stuff has to happen between now and then but it doesn't stop me from feeling that rush of adrenalin at the thought of school in the fall!

Our Day In Pics

We only have three more days of Academy classes so in memory of this past year I took these pics. I wanted a representation of each class for a keepsake for the kids. I thought that since I write about these classes so much that I would give you a peek into what these classes look like.

On Mondays Peter has clay class while Tink takes Orchestra. In the afternoon both children have Tao Kwon Do. So here my dear readers is what Mondays have looked like for us this past term.Tink is the second girl from the right in the brown and pink shirt.

Tuesday mornings we are at the Academy at 8:30 for Tinks clay class which I do not have a pic of. While she is in class Peter and I go upstairs to the school library and he does his schoolwork. This is the library where I often sit and type my posts. I'm sure you've read about it here cause I'm so in love with it.At 10 am Tink is done with Clay and it is time for Peter to go to PE. While he is in PE Tink does her school work. Parents have to stay with their kids in class if they are 3rd grade or under. So I pack up my stuff and move to the gym. Tink studies sprawled out on the stage.I sit on the gym floor just under Tink so I can help her with her work. If you notice Tinks coat and book on the stage you can get the real feel of the above pic and this one together. And yes, I can talk on my cell and work on the laptop at the same time! Note the ugly commuter mug of coffee Now do you see why I want another one? This thing goes with me everywhere.And yes, I know this is a bad pic of me but its all Ive got. Tink took it and I guess I'll blame it on her.After Peter is done we gather everything up from the gym and off we go down the hall to Computer Tech. Both kids are enrolled in this class. This is my favorite of their classes because I can just plug in the laptop at a table there and do research while I sit in with them.Tech lets out at 12 noon. We quickly gather our things and run for the car. We have to be five miles across town to the Christian Academy by 12:10. The kids brown bag their lunch on Tuesdays and eat it in the car. I drop them off at the Christian Academy at 12:10 and I am free at last. Did I really say that? Well, yeah, I have to admit it. I am free until 2:00 pm. The kids have choir and PE at the Academy; yes Peter has two PE classes on Tuesdays. Thus ends Tuesday.

On Wednesday we are out of the house by 9 for Peters cooking class. Peter has cooking from 9:30 to 10:00. I got into the cooking class after the smoothies and pizzas were made so this is the only pic I got.
At 10:00 Tink has orchestra class again.Then its home to study and have lunch. At 2pm we leave for Mad Science which I don't have a pic of. After Mad Science is another Tae Kwon Do class. Thus ends Wednesday.

Thursdays there is nothing until 1 pm and the kids act like its the weekend! Its so hard to get them motivated to do their school work. At 1:00 there is PE at the Christian Academy. At 3:30 its time to leave for Tinks violin lesson. At 6:00 its off to Awana.

Friday is homeschool at home all the live long day! Yeaahhhh!

And that is our school week in pics! Tonight was the awards ceremony for Awana. Its over for the year. Next week we do our Monday through Wednesday classes and its over for the year! I'm giving the kids a short break through Memorial Day and then on Tuesday the 26th we will pick up our home schooling again and finish our books by the 16th of July. Hows that for a neat wrap up of the year?

And yes, in case you are wondering this schedule has almost driven me insane! There I said it for you!