BJU Press Blog

Guest Writer

Encouraging the Weary Homeschool Mom

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tea cup with tea bag and dustpan in the background

On a faraway mission field in a land of hardened hearts, my mother labored day after day to teach my siblings and me all the things we would need to know for a successful, Christ-focused life. Through bitterly cold autumns and long, frozen winters, she pressed on, certain of her mission. Now and then there was a desperate note in her voice during morning prayer and a heavy sigh or two as she balanced housework with lesson plans. Notes, calls, or visits from friends always lifted her spirits, giving her the boost she needed to keep going.

Somewhere near you, there’s a homeschool mom with that hint of desperation in her eyes, that weary slump to her shoulders. There’s a worn-out young mother who has only just begun to teach her babies the ABC’s. With encouraging words, a simple gift, or a few hours of your time, you can be the hand of God to your homeschooling sisters in Christ, helping them through a time in their lives that is as exhausting as it is joyful.

1. Offer Your Help

When your friend who homeschools gets that weary look in her eye, get creative with offers of help. Maybe you can take that stack of books back to the library for her, and while you are there, pick up some new books that suit the family’s reading philosophy and fit the reading levels of the children. After assuring her that her house and yard look amazing, you may tactfully offer to pitch in with bathroom cleaning, vacuuming, weeding, raking, or anything else that she needs.

2. Give Her a Treat

Like many other moms, I wake up to tiny hands pulling at my legs, constant demands for explanations and help from the older child, and a house that seems to grow ever-deepening piles of laundry and stacks of dishes. Amid all the things that I do for everyone else, I often forget to care for myself. The same is true of young moms and homeschool moms the world over. A visit from a friend, who comes bearing a cup of specialty coffee or a box of soothing herbal tea, may make the difference between a bad day and a blessed one. If your budget allows, offer your friend a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure or a full spa day.

3. Schedule a Field Trip

If the two of you are close friends, offer to take her children out for the day on an educational field trip. If you both homeschool, the setting should be one that works for both sets of children, given their ages and any special needs. The zoo, a local farm, a museum, or a nature preserve are all excellent options. While you and the munchkins are out, your friend can clean and organize the house─or stay in her pajamas in bed with a good book, enjoying a much-needed day off.

4. Combine Classes

If a field trip is not an option because of weather, location, or other factors, consider combining your families for a joint homeschool class. For something new, try the one-room-schoolhouse style with everyone in the same room, from the tiny learners to the older ones. Special topics and hands-on learning games make the experience even more fun. It may not be relaxing, but the change of pace will refresh you and your homeschooling friend and give you the opportunity to understand each other’s burdens a little better.

5. Support Her with Words

Tell her that you believe in what she’s doing. Whether your family chose to homeschool or not, tell her that you support her God-given passion to educate her little ones at home. Tell her again, in different words. Tell her in writing. Tell her with a homeschool mom mug, and then with a tote bag, and then with an e-card that simply says, “I’m praying for you today.” She needs to hear it often from those she loves and trusts.

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Make It a Moon Day!

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American Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon by NASA/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

On July 20, 1969, one man took a small step, and mankind leaped over another hurdle in its exploration of what lies beyond Earth. When Neil Armstrong set his foot on the moon’s surface, he became the first human being to ever stand on another celestial body besides our world. With some hands-on activities and interesting facts, you can make the moon landing more real and more amazing to your kids this July.

Fantastic Facts

Younger kids like my preschool-aged son appreciate the story aspect of the moon landing, while older children enjoy hearing fascinating facts. For example, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin gathered 47.5 pounds of moon objects, including rocks and other material, to bring back for scientists to study. Another key fact is that the Apollo 11 mission marked the end of the space race between the United States and Russia. Also, the mission’s command module, the Columbia, was named after the science fiction spacecraft in Jules Verne’s 1865 novel, From the Earth to the Moon.

The Unsung Hero

One astronaut on the mission never got to step onto the moon’s surface. His name was Michael Collins, and he was the pilot of the command craft orbiting the moon. He faithfully stayed at his post and waited for Aldrin and Armstrong to come back so that he could take everyone safely home. This Moon Day, let’s take a few moments to talk to our kids about Collins’s job. What was interesting and important about it? Although he didn’t get the opportunity to walk on the moon, he does have the distinction of being one of just twenty-four people who have flown to the moon.

Moon Modeling

Now it’s time to cement the facts into those young minds with a little hands-on fun! Try a moon model craft. (You’ll find a step-by-step example in the BJU Press Science 4 textbook, page 147.) For this activity, kids create their own model of the moon out of clay. Shape the clay into a ball if you want to make the entire moon, or lay it out flat if you plan to model one section of the moon’s surface. Do an online search to find a close-up of the moon. Fingers, bottle caps, and pencils are great tools for creating the pits, dents, and ridges of the moonscape. If the kids have a tiny space shuttle, astronaut figure, or US flag, they can add it to their clay moon surface.

Moon Day Snack Time

Moon pies are the perfect snack on Moon Day. With a simple recipe, you can make the cookies the day before and then let your kids help you add the creamy white filling on Moon Day. If you have no time to make moon pies, substitute round creme-filled cookies or wheat crackers and spread out a chart of the moon’s phases on the table. Your kids will have fun taking smaller and larger bites to make their round crackers or cookies match the moon’s shape in each phase.

Moon Watch

In the evening, if the night is clear, your whole family can spread out blankets in the backyard for some good old-fashioned moon-watching. Powerful binoculars or a telescope make this activity much more interesting since the children will be able to see the night sky in more detail. As our kids identify the current phase of the moon, let’s remind them of its importance to our world, reflecting the sunlight at nighttime and moving the tides back and forth as God ordained.

Moon Movie Night

If the night is cloudy or rainy and you cannot spend time moon-gazing together, consider treating your little ones to an age-appropriate, moon-themed movie that fits your family’s entertainment guidelines. Gathering around the computer and watching a video of the moon landing helps children of any age understand the event more clearly. A quick clip of President John F. Kennedy making his moon landing promise to the American people helps children understand how important the event was for that generation of Americans. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle are two classic children’s books whose gentle tone, vivid illustrations, and simple storytelling make them ideal choices to close out a wonderful Moon Day.

As we tell our kids about the moon landing, the wonder in their eyes reminds us of one reason why we homeschool─to share these special moments with them.

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Summer Fun Meets Summer Reading

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JourneyForth youth titles on a bookshelf

What’s the best way to keep your children learning during the summer? You guessed it─a nonstop parade of good books. With the strong pull of technology and outdoor fun, it may seem impossible for us to get our kids to sit still long enough to focus on a book. Regular library visits, a reward system, and some fun role-play after the summer reading session are just a few ways I recommend engaging your active brood in that most vital skill─reading.

Library Day

Scheduling a library day, either weekly or biweekly, sets aside a defined time for books and reading. If my kids have finished with their books, we return them on library day and get new ones. If a child is still enjoying a book, we renew it or bring it along to read while at the library. Make sure that the children know your family’s reading philosophy and guidelines; then set them free to wander among the shelves. They may come back with a random assortment of treasures─a pop-up book, a book about robots, a volume of fairy tales, and a historical novel─but if they’re excited about what they found, it’s a win-win.

Picture This!

Tiny preschoolers and early readers enjoy having plenty of pictures to go along with the story, like the beautiful illustrations in A King for Brass Cobweb. The images help their minds engage in the action, stimulating their imaginations. Eventually, the child’s imagination is mature enough to go off on its own, automatically creating the scenes and characters found in books without pictures. One way to help your little one’s imagination grow is to help him or her draw a new illustration for part of the story.

Chapter by Chapter

Once children pass the picture book phase, chapter books like Mice of the Herring Bone transition them to stories that last beyond a single reading session. They have a sense of accomplishment as each chapter ends, blended with anticipation for the next phase of the story. Read to them, and encourage them to read to you as well. Some parents of reluctant readers like to reward completion of chapters or whole books with a sticker, a treat, a trip to the playground, or a little time with the tablet or TV.

Girl Time

For moms of girls, starting a mother-daughter book club or girls’ reading time yields a closer bond and plenty of precious memories. My sister and I vividly recall curling up in our bunk bed each night, listening to my mother read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. When I was older, I read the The Journeyman by Elizabeth Yates aloud to my mom while she cooked dinner every evening. To pique your daughter’s interest, find books that address current issues, such as Capturing Jasmina, with its thoughtful yet dramatic depiction of child labor and trafficking. Or look to the past and imagine what life must have been like in Old Testament times with the book Where I Belong.

For the Guys

Boys typically love action-packed stories. They also appreciate strategy, cleverness, and a fight for survival. Wartime struggles or wild westerns are perfect for teenage boys. If elementary-aged boys have trouble settling down to read, promise to act out the story with them after they read a chapter or two. For example, after reading part of Brave the Wild Trail, you might set up a cowboy camp in the backyard. Following a chapter of Jericho Ride, a father and son could create an obstacle course and make horses from branches or sturdy cardboard.

With boys and girls alike, associating imaginative play and outdoor fun with a great book brings them that much closer to a lifelong love of reading.

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Five Great Goodbye Gifts for Your Class

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crayons in a yellow bucket with colored pencils, candy, and balls

Endings are almost always bittersweet. As you wave goodbye to each precious life that sat in your classroom this year, you may feel a mix of elation and sadness. Before they go, give each child something that shows your care and appreciation. It doesn’t need to be dramatic, expensive, or even super-creative. A tiny, simple gift can have a huge impact on a little one’s heart.

1. Buckets of Fun

For younger students, stuff a small plastic bucket with some treats and treasures that they can enjoy over the summer. Items such as pencils and erasers, crayons, and sidewalk chalk invite students to keep writing, drawing, and expressing themselves during the summer months. Lollipops, sticks of gum, fruit snacks, or nut-free chocolates appeal to every child’s sweet tooth. To encourage math skills, drop in a few pennies as well. Top the bucket handle with a ribbon. Then, write a note to the student expressing your appreciation and telling him or her to check with a parent before using the items in the bucket.

2. Game Time

Give your elementary students a reason to step away from video games, tablets, and computers this summer. Pick up inexpensive card games or board games for them, or purchase sets of small tennis-style rackets and balls. Inject a little extra fun and encourage outdoor play by offering each student a water gun as an end-of-year gift. Many of these items are inexpensive and available at your local dollar store.

3. A Thankful Heart

To thank the parents who have volunteered in your classroom or lent their brainpower to help with homework, have each student draw a picture or write a few sentences about the many ways that parents help children. Scan those pictures and messages, copy them, and assemble them into simple memory books that the children can take home to Mom and Dad.

4. Write Back at You!

If you want to stay in touch with your students, give each one a beautiful postcard, already stamped and addressed to you. Tell your students that if they write on that postcard and send it to you over the summer, you’ll send them a letter. The idea of getting their own mail should spur at least a few of them to exercise their postcard-writing skills.

5. The Reading Cycle

Summer reading shouldn’t be a chore─it should be an adventure. Pick up some pre-loved fiction books from your favorite used book shop and hand them out to your students. Keep the books high on fun and short on the page count. At the end of each book, tape a brand-new bookmark, along with a note that says, “For your next reading adventure.”

Use your imagination as you think about end-of-year gifts for your students. Whether it’s slapping a “You’re a Smart Cookie” label on a pack of mini OREO® Cookies or handing out pocket-size bottles of scented hand sanitizer, your students will love the gesture. Children can never have too many people to care about them. Let your students know that you will stand behind them, cheering them on through the summer and beyond.

OREO is a registered trademark of Mondelēz International group.

What end of the year gifts do you give your students?

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

A Mother-Daughter Reading Club

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Christy was not a reader. Neither was Karen, her mother. So they weren’t excited about the idea of a Homeschool Mother-Daughter Book Club—until they tried it. The dry run, which took place at their home, was so successful that the two decided to take part in several other club meetings!

The elements included in their reading club included four or five girls of similar ages, their mothers (age is not an issue here!), a book that they all agreed on, and a pair of hostesses with adventuresome spirits. Once the members had committed to reading a specific book by the day of the club meeting, the mother-daughter teams made their own reading schedules.

mother and daughter sitting on a porch reading from a tablet

 

What Mother Daughter Book Club Looked Like

Karen and Christy chose to set aside reading times through the week. Most days they tried to read on their own. But when Christy got bogged down, Karen would read to her. As the club meeting time drew closer, Christy often read aloud while Mom did the ironing. The other reading teams plugged along too, some making better progress than others, but everyone still keeping her eye on the goal—reading the whole book by the meeting time.

Activities to do at the club meeting evolved as Christy and her mom talked about the novel. They decided to start the meeting with a quiz to see who could match the characters with quotations from the book. Christy also searched for foods mentioned in the novel and then typed out the sections, including page numbers, where she found each one. She and Mom had to use some imagination, but those sections from the book determined what they served for refreshments at the meeting. Typed in a special font and printed on colored paper, the quotations made classy looking labels for the different foods. They brainstormed for other ideas and came up with a funny song from the novel’s time period and a game that families of that era used to play.

Excitement was high on the evening of that first Homeschool Mother-Daughter Book Club meeting. Even the few who hadn’t quite finished the book liked getting together, talking about the characters, and comparing favorite parts of the book. Of course, the snacks were a hit too. The meeting ended with another mother-daughter team claiming hostess duty for the next event.

If you’d like to start your own Homeschool Mother-Daughter Book Club, here’s a list of suggested titles to get you started.

Suggested Titles by Grade Level

Grades 2–3

Find adventure as Carolina Putnam’s family moves by covered wagon to the plains of Nebraska.

Jenny, an orphan, learns to trust God and people who love her.

When Danae’s family goes on furlough, she has a difficult time “finding roses” in America.

Rigel, the smallest bee in the hive, works to be dependable.

Grades 4–6

Captured by a Cheyenne raiding party, Carrie learns to depend on God.

Feather is terrified when vicious raiders kidnap her and take her far from her village.

A biography of Mary Slessor a missionary to Africa

Connie better understands her family as she solves the mystery of the golden cowrie shell.

Elizabeth Ann’s life is turned upside-down when she goes for an extended visit to the Putneys.

Grades 7–12

Miss Ellanor Fitzhugh finds herself in the middle of a dangerous political game as she enters society.

As a wilderness tour guide, Jacy can get along with almost anyone until she meets two new hikers.

An orphaned Jewish teenager, Mala meets Jesus of Nazareth, who changes her life.

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Written by Gail Y.