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new year

Looking for the Little Moments

January 7, 2020 by Guest Writer

the little moments of homeschooling
You’ve got a stack of homeschool textbooks on your hip and your tepid coffee in your hand. You’re tossing dirty clothes into the washing machine with the other hand while telling the four-year-old for the hundredth time that, no, she cannot watch her show—not until TV time this evening.

You realize that your nine-year-old has been running the water in the bathroom for a very long time, much longer than necessary for brushing teeth. For a second you see red dollar signs flashing before your eyes in anticipation of this month’s water bill. And then the baby yells imperiously from the crib, and you feel like crawling back into bed and just not adulting today. Or tomorrow. OK, for a whole month.

We’ve all been there. We’ve been swamped, overwhelmed by the onrushing tide of our children’s needs—educational, physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Prayer helps. Scripture helps. Asking for help from friends and family is important too. But there’s one more way to manage that exhaustion, especially as you begin the new year.

Look for the little moments.

Here’s an example. Let’s say that while you’re doing the laundry, you find a couple of tadpoles in your daughter’s pocket. Or maybe a dead lizard or a beetle.  Once you get past the “ew” factor, remind yourself how wonderful it is that she’s interested in living things. And then find a moment, maybe right before bed, when you can talk to her about her affinity for biology. Sure, you can ask that she empty her pockets before putting her clothes in the laundry—but if you focus on the good, you’ll come away from the interaction more grateful than frustrated.

My kids argue over the silliest things sometimes. But yesterday my son put his arm around his little sister’s shoulders, and my heart melted. When you see a moment like that, relish it. Draw encouragement from it.

One night, I passed my son’s room long after he was supposed to have turned out his lamp, and I noticed light gleaming under the door. As I went in, ready to chide him, he looked up from his book, cheeks flushed with excitement, eyes bright. I recognized that look because I’ve read past my own bedtime many a night. Biting off the words I was going to say, I let him read for ten more minutes—because sleep is important, but becoming a lifelong reader is even more important. I will never forget that little moment we shared, not as mother and son but as readers.

As a homeschool parent, you get to see the magical instant when a concept “clicks” for your child. You get to be there when your fourth-grader comes to you with a new discovery, or when your gangly teen sits patiently while your youngest stumbles through her first easy reader.

Look for the little moments. Hold them in your mind, or write them down so you can read them and remember and rejoice in what you, by God’s grace, have accomplished so far. Who knows what beautiful moments will come your way in this new year?

• • • • •

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.

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: homeschool, little moments, new year

Time to Refresh Your Homeschool?

January 1, 2019 by Jenna

use computer to refresh your homeschool
The holidays have just finished, and you’re probably about to get back into the same old same old. But how did it go those last few days of homeschooling before the holiday break? If you left off feeling worn out and tired, you may not be so eager to dive back in. If that’s the case, now may be the perfect time to refresh your homeschool. Here are a few ideas for adding excitement and energy into your routine.

Add in Field Trips

If you weren’t able to include many field trips last year, take a few moments to plan out some places you might like to visit this year. Or you can leave room for some spontaneous field trips. Field trips are great opportunities to solidify what your children have learned, but they also present new learning opportunities as well. If you visit a zoo, your children may be able to see live examples of different habitats and how animals live together, but they will also get to see many other aspects of life science that may not be covered in their textbooks.

For example, I recently had an opportunity to visit the South Carolina Aquarium, located in Charleston Harbor. In addition to its wide range of aquatic habitats, the South Carolina Aquarium is also home to the Sea Turtle Care Center, which gives visitors an up close and personal look into the veterinary care of sea turtles. They even had some of their instruments on display. History museums, science museums, art galleries, zoos, and aquariums are all full of opportunities to get your children excited about learning!

Focus on Hands-on Activities

Sometimes, it’s easy to let hands-on activities go by the wayside. You don’t always have all the supplies, and maybe your children already have a good grasp of the material. But hands-on activities have a way of bringing even the most ordinary lessons to life. Many of the activities suggested in BJU Press textbooks straddle the line between play and learning. Your children may be learning about the moon and how its surface was formed, but they’re also getting to make their own play dough and getting to shape the dough themselves. And hands-on activities aren’t just limited to science and art. There are many ways to incorporate hands-on experiences into history and math. Such activities are also great for getting kinesthetic and visual learners engaged in learning.

Reorganize

Nothing says “fresh start” like a newly cleaned space. Before the books start flying again, take a moment to assess your homeschool space, clean it, and maybe reorganize it. If you have a spare room, you could set up your own dedicated homeschool space. Or, if you’ve been using a dedicated homeschool space for a while and it’s starting to feel too much like a brick and mortar school, you can relocate your lessons to the kitchen table instead. Regardless of your set up, you can learn from some of the tips other homeschool moms have found useful. Feeling more adventurous? Here are some other ideas on how to add life to your homeschool space!

We hope your new year of homeschooling goes well! Do you have any ideas for refreshing your homeschool this year? Please share yours in the comments!

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: field trips, hands-on activities, new year, organize, refresh homeschool, simplified homeschool

3 Ways to Grow in the New Year

December 29, 2016 by Meredith

How do you prepare for the new year? Whether you celebrate the first day of the year with a party or treat it like any other day, now is a good time to think about the challenges (and blessings) of the past year and to set goals for the brand-new year.

But we can’t make assumptions about changing for the better without some prior preparation (Proverbs 21:31). Make the choice now to grow. A large part of growing is making an evaluation and setting a goal to change. God delights when we actively pursue changes that develop Christlikeness because it honors Him and reflects His grace to others. Take inspiration from the following practical ways to grow in the year ahead.

(Image use) WP 01/2017

Grow as a Mother

Bring on the New Year’s Resolutions! Find a tip for making each of your goals attainable.

5 New Year’s Resolutions Moms Will Want to Keep can deepen the relationship between you and your spouse as well as with your children. Which one will you focus on?

Grow as a Teacher

10 Tips for Your Homeschool Year offers ideas for refocusing after the holiday season. Choose one of these tips to apply to your homeschooling.

How Do You Plan Your Homeschool Year? Sometimes schedule changes take place in the middle of a school year. Be inspired with these resources.

Grow as a Homemaker

Use meal planning ideas from $5 Dinners on Pinterest! There are tons of yummy recipes to choose from, including meals for those in your family who have dietary restrictions and food allergies.

Household Management Forms can help guide you on the path from chaos to order. Download these printables that include cleaning lists, daily chore charts, and meal planning worksheets to get started.

How to Embrace (and Love) a Cleaning Routine keeps things simple by setting aside different days of the week for specific tasks. Learn how to develop a cleaning routine that works for you and your family!

Whatever goals the Lord lays on your heart for this new year, create your plan for growth so that it is laid out one simple step after another. Then share your plan as well as your goals with someone else. This action might be the hardest of all, but we all need motivation and encouragement along the way in this journey. Here’s to a blessed year of seeing God’s grace and strength at work in you!

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: goals, growth, mom, new year, teacher, tips

Bring on the New Year’s Resolutions!

January 6, 2014 by David

WP-new-years-resolutions-1-2014

It’s a new year, which means a fresh start, new opportunities, and . . . New Year’s resolutions. Have you made any resolutions yet?

Maybe this year you’re determined to exercise more, spend more time with your family, or start a new hobby. Wanting to do those things is wonderful, and I encourage you to stick with them! But have you ever noticed that a lot of people end up not sticking with their resolutions?

As a homeschool parent, maybe you’ve thought of making New Year’s resolutions for your homeschooling. It’s the start of a new semester and a great time to set some new goals. But I’d like to share a thought that will hopefully help you set attainable goals. 

The Key to Stick-To-Itiveness

The reason many people abandon their New Year’s resolutions is that instead of setting small goals for a short period of time, they set big goals for a long period of time (like a year). Is it any wonder that they don’t stick with those goals? It’s hard to keep your momentum going for an entire year.

But what if you thought in terms of a month, week, or day. Take those big yearlong goals and chop them up into tinier ones. Imagine how much more manageable and attainable your goals would look.

So this year, I encourage you not to think of it as a year. Rather look at a single day or month and see how much of your goals you want to accomplish then. And by this time next year, you’ll have accomplished your New Year’s resolutions.

What helps you stick with your resolutions or goals?

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: Christian school, classroom management, new year, teaching strategies

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