Home school – EAST WILLOW PLACE

How to Find New Hope in Homeschooling Your Child

I Was Ready to Quit Homeschooling – Then I Read This Book

“I want to quit.” I said to my husband, grimly blinking back tears. “I hate homeschooling.”

Shoulders hunched in defeat, brow furrowed with frustration, heart full of self-reproach, I was not only on the struggle-bus, I was driving it. Off a cliff.

Homeschooling a slew of kids (I have eight – at the time of this story, my youngest was an infant, my oldest was ten) while also managing a busy home with a baby and two toddlers was slowly but surely burying me under a crushing load of my own expectations, along with all the dirty laundry, dishes, diapers, and dinners.

We had always wanted to homeschool – before we even had kids we had planned to homeschool.

We always had homeschooled, from when my tribe only consisted of two tiny girls who were excited by reading lessons and practicing writing letters and numbers, all the way through growing from those two kids to eight altogether.

But now?

I wept in utter discouragement and exhaustion to my husband at night: “I just don’t think I’m doing this right. I don’t think I know how to do this. I can’t keep up. I think I’m not teaching them enough. I’m not doing enough. I don’t think I’m good enough to be their teacher. I can’t even keep up with the laundry!”

He quietly listened, held me, and then, a couple days later, he gave me an incredible gift: Homeschool Bravely, by Jamie Erickson, herself a former elementary teacher, and a homeschool mama of five.

I had never heard of it.

I read through the chapters carefully, slowly, often with tears of relief and comfort at the encouragement, understanding, and gentle wisdom I found.

This woman understood the struggle I was in. She addressed so many of the situations and questions I struggled with while giving so much grace for each family’s unique situation and personality.

I read and reread parts when I was gritty with frustration and discouragement, each time finding hope and courage to keep going.

The best part?

I was reminded of why I was doing this in the first place – It refreshed my heart and renewed my purpose. And I was set free from the guilt and burden of my own heavy expectations that were not something I should have picked up in the first place.

Most of all, Jamie’s book reminded me of who I was – beloved and precious in the sight of my Father God – and that my status with Him is not dependent on how I homeschool. My feelings of failure, discouragement and defeat in homeschooling did not reflect my worth or my identity as a child of God.

If you are in the need of some real in-the-trenches help and hope from a mom who’s been there and writes honestly and lovingly, I think this is one book every homeschool mom should read.

Find your courage, refresh your heart, restore your confidence as you teach your precious kids at home. Homeschool Bravely helps you do all three.

You can do this, whether it’s for a short season or for a long haul.

You have a community of encouraging, wise, and heart-filling homeschooling mamas walking this road too.

I will always be grateful that one of them took the time to write this book for the rest of us.

(Thank you, Jamie! Your words poured strength, courage, and hope back into my heart when I needed it most. I will always be deeply grateful.)

_{I wrote this post out of a genuine desire to help other mamas find the hope and help they need in homeschooling their kids and did not in any way receive any compensation, monetary or otherwise, from Jamie Erickson. Just sayin’.}

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_{As always, if you’d like to have these posts delivered easily and simply to your inbox, drop your email and they will begin to appear there for your reading pleasure and edification without any effort on your part (like magic, but better).}

Surprise! How to Look at Teaching Anything in Life

Have you ever noticed how sometimes you think you know something, but then you have to explain it or teach it to someone else, and as you do, that’s when you realize that it is suddenly clear to you for truly the first time?

For me it’s like a shot of excitement and even adrenaline as I experience the joy of learning. My kids sometimes just stare at me as I get enthusiastic and start waving my arms around, coming up with all kinds of (sometimes kooky) metaphors and analogies to get them as excited as I am.
(I guess I’m making it clear that I am a total nerd. Often.)

The act of teaching it to someone else helped me learn! I’ve read that this is a common experience.

I think this is why God often allows our life to hold other people who need to learn something from us. Whether it’s our children, our younger siblings, our colleagues, or our clients, He’s graciously giving us the opportunity to learn something well by needing to teach it to others.

In my life I am constantly humbled by how little I know – but because I am constantly parenting my kids, I am (usually) thrilled to find I have the opportunity to learn things alongside my kids each day!

For me I find these learning moments often come during our family devotional or Scripture-reading times, or when I’m expounding on some theological truth to my children – and I’m overcome with tears because an aspect of God’s goodness or beauty suddenly became clarified to me.

These are moments of God’s grace. This experience is like a little love-note from my Father, who never gives up on me and who knows exactly what I need, every single day.

I’ve decided, in fact, that pretty much every time my family has a devotional or reads the Bible together, it seems that God is more interested in changing my heart and helping me learn something from His Word than about me making sure my children understand each theological nuance.

And maybe that’s what’s important.
Teaching may really be about learning.

I’m going to be in a better place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually if I’m staying humble and listening to MY Father. I appear to teach better – in no matter what sphere of influence – when I’m also an eager and listening student.

So what are the places in your life where you have been given the role of teacher? And have you found, too, that often those are the areas where you can be startled by discovering your own learning growth, even as you teach?

I challenge you to ask God for a humble, learning heart. Give Him the permission to surprise you with a fresh discovery and brilliant illumination in a place in life or a topic you already thought you knew with your eyes closed.

The revelations come like a sting of joy. And it’s worth every ounce of the humble courage it takes to receive them with open hands and gratitude.

I’m so excited for us both as we continue to grow and learn and delight in fresh discoveries!

What’s something you learned recently that was surprising and unexpected in a good way?

Send me your response and let me know! Also, if you haven’t yet, sign up for your free set of 5 Parenting Reminder Cards printable and I’ll get those sent to you ASAP!

– Cheering you on in this!

Maria

How to Make Writing for K-3rd Grade Painless & Efficient!

I totally just requisitioned the little whiteboards someone gave my kids and use them for school days. Yep, shameless. But efficient. They can have them back when I’m done, OK?

So here’s the thing.

I have a lot of kids. And not a lot of space.

There are currently six children in varying grades homeschooling here, not counting the two toddlers who are doing their own thing. (Mostly flooding the bathroom or dumping out beads or decorating the window sills with markers they unlawfully swiped, or teasing each other till they both scream. But I digress.)

So we do most of our homeschool on the kitchen table, all clumped together, because it’s the best place with a flat surface that’s moderately clean. The toddlers often join us, with coloring books and crayons.

Although, as I write this, it occurs to me that actually the majority of my true teaching time is spent next to a child on the floor… hmm.

Anyway.

Because of these two things (lots of kids, not lots of space), the most streamlined and efficient way for me to teach is to try to get the most kids I can learning from the same textbook AT THE SAME TIME, and adjust the lesson as needed for varying ages/grades/abilities.

Sort of like a one-room schoolhouse approach. Or “Clump and Conquer”, as I like to think. (It’s the large-family better half of divide and conquer!)

Here’s how it works for writing in my house:

I take this wonderful writing workbook by Susan Wise Bauer:

and I use it as a source text for several different kids at the same time, because it’s so easily adaptable! It can be found on Amazon for a little over $25 dollars new, or less if you purchase used (see here for Amazon purchasing options).

Each week is broken up into only four different work days, alternating copy work and narration. This is great if you need a break day, or if you need a day to catch up.

For copy work days, I first copy out the two sentences given in the workbook on a small whiteboard. We briefly go over the point of the lesson for that day – for example, capitalizing proper nouns – and then I have the kids tell me where examples of those are in the sentences.

Once it’s clear that each child grasps the concept taught that day, they copy one or both of the sentences in a notebook (I use the composition-type notebooks). I check for letter form and spelling, encouraging or correcting as needed, and then they’re done for the day.

Narration days include reading a short selection in the workbook, usually from a classic children’s book, and then I ask a series of questions (also in the workbook), to train the children to listen carefully and thoughtfully. They must answer in complete sentences (there are example answers given in the workbook), and then at the end, they each answer the question, “What is something you remember from the passage?” I write down the (complete sentence) answer from each child on the white board. Each child can copy their own sentence (or everyone’s, if they want!).

It’s amazing how much more fun and interesting writing can be if you’re writing down your own created sentence! My kids surprise me often by how interesting, long, and varied their sentences are. Then they cheerily write them down in their notebooks.

Quick side note: My older children write in cursive, my youngers in print.I provide handwriting/penmanship workbooks to each of my children to supplement their schooling. I think training them in cursive is a great discipline for hand-eye coordination as well as helping increase patience, control, dexterity, and memory/increased retention in learning. For more info, check out this article here.

The lessons are simple, short, and completely achievable, usually less than 15 minutes.

The reading selections are usually quite interesting and have stimulated my children’s curiosity and interest in many other books (requiring more trips to the library, or great birthday/Christmas gift ideas!).

I love that they are getting a dose of Language Arts, grammar, penmanship, spelling, reading comprehension, and exposure to great classic literature all at the same time, across varying grade levels, while all together at the table.

This model is so simple that after using the workbook (it is designed for use by one child, with blank lined spaces for the writing corresponding to each lesson in the back, but I obviously put my own spin on it based on my family’s needs), you could easily design your own simple daily “writing class” using material taken from your family’s favorite stories and classic books.

Efficient, comprehensive, painless – just how I wish all the rest of homeschooling was more often!

Did you enjoy writing as a child? What about now?

You’re doing an amazing work in teaching your children, and you should be proud of yourself!

Cheering you on!

– Maria

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How to Change When You Hijack Your Own Progress

If only they would always sit this still… I love cuddles!

Shoulders hunched, discouragement and defeat on his face, teary eyes lifted sadly, my little son told me he wanted to quit.

It was just too hard for him, and he couldn’t do it, he said. His math book was just too difficult and he needed to go back a grade level.

Then he cried.

I looked at him, too astonished to speak for a moment. This is a child who is precocious, intelligent, and studies eagerly. He had achieved the level he was in by his own efforts, not because of my expectations or any pushing.

For him to suddenly collapse with defeat was startling, especially when he had been doing really well!

What had happened?

Then I discovered that he had been flipping through his book to the sections near the end, when his current lessons are still in the first third of the book. When he had seen problems and difficult questions he was unable to answer or even understand yet, he had collapsed in overwhelm, discouragement, and defeat. He told himself he just wasn’t able to do it – he wasn’t smart enough. And then he believed it.

But he was nowhere near ready to take those problems on yet – he had a lot of lessons in between where he was now and what he would need to know by then!

And then it hit me:

How many times am I like that? How about you?

I can look ahead and see in the future the outline of a difficult problem or situation, and I freeze in fear. I have no idea of how to solve that problem! I don’t even know the first thing to do to cope with it!

And depression, discouragement, insecurity, and overwhelm set in. I listen to the story that I will never be able to overcome the challenge, or that when it comes I will drown in writhing defeat.

What if looking that far ahead in my current perspective was actually a major detriment to my progress?

Like my son, I am self-sabotaging my own success by comparing my abilities NOW with what I will need THEN – without factoring in my own significant change in the process.

He who began a good work in me is FAITHFUL to complete it (Phil 1:6). He will unceasingly work in my heart and life (so far as I allow Him to have the authority), and He will not allow me to skip any lesson that He knows I will need for success later on!

My task for RIGHT NOW is just the next lesson. That’s it.

What is God teaching me in THIS moment, THIS day, THIS season?

That alone is all I need to work on for now.

He is the most patient and best of Teachers, the most thorough and kind of all Guides and Counselors. His loving wisdom to know exactly what I need when and in what timing is something I can absolutely trust in.

And so can you.

I encourage you to look ahead – it’s what gives us inspiration and excitement! And carefully plan and excitedly dream and hopefully purpose.

But bring your wise and loving Teacher along with you in these moments. When you’re tempted to flip ahead too far and what you see overwhelms and scares you rather than inspires you, shut that flipping book.

Grab your Father’s comforting hand, climb up and listen to His heart, and trustingly ask Him what it is He wants you to learn NOW.

Ask for the faith to believe He will teach you in the way you learn best.

And ask for the teachable, soft heart to learn it well!

Then ask the same thing each day, for the rest of your life.

And I think by the time we each get to the thing that looked so scary, we will have an entire assortment of experiences and lessons and understanding that will give us a more solid foundation for facing the challenge well.

And so we can hold onto hope!

Our God is filled with tender love, kindness and patience. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out (Matthew 12:20).

And I am certain that the next lesson He gives us is one that is one that He knows we are ready for. We can wholeheartedly look in His face and smile, trusting Him to walk us through it well.

I hope you are well, my lovely friend. I will be praying that whatever lesson you and I face in this time finds us both with soft and teachable hearts, open hands, and trusting and uplifted outlooks.

Take a moment right now to tell God you trust Him. Ask for that teachable, soft heart. And thank Him for being such a patient and wise Teacher to help you learn what you need for today.

I’m so excited for us! Best school day ever.

– Maria

If this has been encouraging and helpful to you, please share it on your social media platforms! (Thank you!)

Remember to get your lovely printable list of 21 Favorite Books for Reading Aloud (see the side bar or at the bottom of this article at www.eastwillowplace.com)!

HOW TO MAKE SPACE FOR READING WITH YOUR KIDS

1. Plan for reading time – and protect it.

One of the best ways I have found to stir up interest and excitement in reading in my home is to take 10-15 minutes a day and read a great story out loud to my kids. If the chapters are long, I simply watch for a good stopping point somewhere in my time frame.

I pick an interesting story that will catch their interest, and then guard my reading time with them as I would an important appointment.

2. Be creative with when and how you read!

One time we often read is at lunch or breakfast while my kids are eating. (I eat quickly beforehand.) Or we read at the beginning of our school day, after our initial prayer-and-morning-huddle time. This reading is the fun, adventurous chapter-book kind of story.

I also read a short devotional book most nights – I think it’s important to help my children have something that will help turn their thoughts toward God before sleep (a family favorite is “Stories to Share“, by Patricia St. John – full of interesting short stories that create opportunity for thoughtful, deep, and precious conversations!).

Another way to keep reading time is to turn on an audio book during coloring or art time – we have listened through several of the Chronicles of Narnia books in this way when I was dealing with a bad cold and my voice was too hoarse for reading aloud.

One of my dear friends used to read to her older children while she was nursing the baby. She was sitting down and unable to move for that amount of time anyway, and her children loved getting some of mama’s love and attention during those days when the baby took a lot of energy!

3. Intentionally create space for books and comfy places to read.

Clear out toys that are lesser-used or outgrown, and place a sturdy yet pretty basket or bin for books from the library. Designate a corner as “the Reading Corner” and collect floor cushions, a small bean bag, a cozy blanket, and a short bookshelf or two! (Make sure there’s enough light!)

One of my husband’s fondest memories as a child was one of his elementary teacher’s classroom: It had a large bathtub filled with pillows, and was dubbed “The Reading Tub”. Students who earned enough points won the privilege of “Time in the Tub” – and it was a greatly coveted activity!

(What a brilliant teacher, right?)

What can you do in your home and life to make reading fun, exciting, and easily accomplished? You don’t have to put a tub in your living room (unless you really want to!), but any cozy place that feels quiet and safe, designated for reading and books, will be appreciated and used.

4. Have your children make a list

My kids create “wish lists” of topics they are interested in, then I search online at our library for books on those topics. When the books come in, all the kids are so excited to go with me to pick them up at the curbside delivery at our local library! It’s like receiving a happy package in the mail!

Be observant. Listen and watch your kids as you read other books, as you watch films, as you listen to conversations.

What interests them? What creates questions that they ask? That is likely a great place to start with book ideas. A section on Japan in my son’s history book created an interest in ninjas. Another chapter triggered much research on Charlemagne – all additional reading which was not part of his assigned school work. But because he was interested – it was fun!

5. Encourage reading through example!

Excitement about learning is more often caught than taught. Your young child will naturally imitate what they see most modeled by you. So if you want them to love books and reading and learning… guess what you need to show them is important to you?

Children will hear what you say but will more likely copy what you do. To create space for reading in your home, you as a parent need to first create space for reading in your own life.

Set a timer and read for 10 minutes a day for yourself. Or start with just 5! You will be amazed at how many books you can get through in a year. And you will be feeding your own heart and mind with new ideas, interesting information, and great thoughts.

And a quick little bonus point:

LIMIT SCREEN TIME.

The more that your children are in front of a screen with moving pictures, the less reading they will actually do. And the screen will also limit how much they feel like reading. (This is true for you too, my friend.)

So I set a limited time for screens in our home – because there is an incredibly interesting connection that happens between increase of screentime and increase of bad attitudes, whining, bickering, boredom, and disobedience. But maybe that’s just my punks.

Which of the ideas above are you going to choose to start putting into practice in your home and family? I’d love to hear which one struck you most!

And if this post was helpful or encouraging to you, would you please share it on your social media pages? Thank you so much!

– Maria

– Next up: How I Homeschool: Writing for K-3rd Grade

How to Think About Reading in Homeschooling Your K-3rd Child

This kid loves books. It makes me so happy. Except when he can’t hear me calling to clean up because he’s buried in a book. Then I just get frustrated. Go figure.

Are you ready?

Let’s talk about READING for your K – 3rd Grade peeps! Woot!

I have written about my simple, hassle-free method of teaching reading to my kids, so if you’re working on that in your home, check out my article here!

(Want good suggestions on where to start for titles of great books to consider for your kids? Click the link in the sidebar to get a lovely, printable list of 21 of my favorite books for reading aloud with your kids!)

There are 4 things that come with a love of reading:

1. A lifetime-long love of learning

2. Self-teaching in a wide variety of subjects

3. Creating a heart after things that are noble, true, and godly

4. You make a lasting, meaningful impact on your child’s life

1. LIFELONG LOVE OF LEARNING:

I passionately believe that helping your child learn to love reading is helping your child learn to love learning.

Once a child discovers how magical the printed word can be, creating new worlds in their imagination, or leading them into truths and ideas that blow their minds with wonder and awe, they will develop a lasting sense of the pleasure and adventure in reading.

And a child that loves learning only needs to be gently nudged in the direction of their studies, since they will eagerly move forward in their own motivated energy, rather than be dragged along by parents, miserably resisting all the way.

Did you catch that?

It means: Your job of “teaching” your child just became a lot easier, because you become more like a “learning coach”, while your child is the one who charges forward, excited to pursue knowledge. It means your child becomes their own teacher. Which is an incredible life skill.

2. SELF-TEACHING IN A WIDE VARIETY OF SUBJECTS

If your child loves reading, they will effectively absorb a large amount of information ACROSS MULTIPLE SUBJECTS (such as history, geography, language, philosophy, science, social studies, language arts, civics, and classic literature) without you needing to do more than direct what they read by choosing good books and provide help in processing and understanding it through conversation/discussion!

Getting to discuss varying aspects of the Pacific Theater during WWII, comparing and contrasting the size of the Persian Empire with Alexander the Great’s conquered territory, hearing my younger child correctly describe whether a specific muscle movement is voluntary or involuntary, being told the average speed of lahars (when I didn’t know what a lahar was before)…

Um, hello stimulating and fun home school day!

3. CREATING A HEART AFTER THINGS THAT ARE NOBLE, TRUE, AND GODLY

Books provide ideas and information on any subject imaginable. Good, wholesome books help form moral values of courage, heroism, truth, honesty, persistence, self-control, careful thought, and many other virtues.

It takes intention and thought to stimulate your child’s inner appetite for these nobler things – it will not usually happen by chance. You as a parent are deeply crucial in this aspect by what you encourage and allow your child to absorb during these developmental years – whether through books, social media/online, television and film, or through peers.

To help create in your child an understanding of the beauty in things that are beautiful, true, and godly is to help them see the beauty of God. It helps create a desire in them to encourage and add to this beauty – His beauty – in the world.

The parent who achieves this has done good work in preparing the fertile, rich soil for the seeds God will plant in their child’s life.

4. YOU MAKE A LASTING, MEANINGFUL IMPACT ON YOUR CHILD’S LIFE

The hours may seem to drag some days, but ask any older parent: Time is precious and it flies.

These days spent at home with your littles are valuable opportunities to pour into their hearts and lives. Your children love you and cherish time with you above anyone else.

You, as a parent, are the most impactful person in their lives in these young years. Don’t waste your impact. Don’t later wish you had lived differently during this season of life. Know that your daily input is foundational and critical for your child. Spending time reading with your child is an enormous gift with incredible benefit for the rest of their lives.

Reading out loud (even just ten minutes each day!) from great, inspiring stories or fascinating historical or scientific books is only going to increase your connection with your child, stimulate their curiosity about the world, and deepen their intellect.

What book will you start reading with your kids? When do you plan to set that 10-minute commitment to read with them that works best for you? Don’t forget to click the link in the sidebar to get a lovely free printable list of 21 of my favorite read-aloud books!

I am excited for you to see your children’s eyes and imagination light up as you pursue this reading adventure!

– Maria

Next up: How to Make Space for Reading Time in Your Home

How I Home School K-3rd Grade Now: Simple MATHEMATICS

Barefoot, in the kitchen, on the floor, teaching my son 1st Grade Math. What this picture doesn’t show is the dishes in the sink, the piled laundry waiting to be folded, and the toddler wailing in the background while she clomps around the hall in my shoes. Welcome to my home school life.

(PART 2)

In my last article (found here:), I wrote about keeping the focus big and bright on only four basics:

Mathematics, Reading, Writing, and Character Development.

Let’s talk Math!

At this early age, Math is pretty straightforward. (Even if Math scares you a little, like it does for me.) I try to keep it as one of the first subjects we do each day so that their minds are fresh and ready to tackle it well!

Depending on your child’s learning style, there are many options that could work.

I tend to keep it pretty simple and use A Beka workbooks. They are repetitive but very thorough, so I know my child will be solidly grounded in the math facts by the end of the grade. They usually cost around $22-25, and are widely available.

I also don’t get the answer keys since the math is so basic I figure I don’t need them at this level. (Don’t tell A Beka.)

I have a small bin of plastic “counting bears” as a visual aid for addition and subtraction for my earliest learners, and to explain lower-level multiplication/division. Anything small will work – buttons, beans, toy cars, crayons, Cheerios… (just don’t be surprised if the Cheerios start disappearing mysteriously).

Other moms I know have kids who do better with other math curriculum, like Math-U-See or Singapore Math. It really comes down to how your child learns best.

Try not to get too bogged down in research before you just start. It can become so overwhelming that decision-paralysis sets in.

If your child is genuinely struggling, pray about it first. The God who created your child’s mind and heart will help bring you the wisdom and resources you need. It’s remarkable how suddenly the connections and information you’re looking for will gently become clear in the upcoming days. It’s another way God shows His loving care and concern for every aspect of our lives.

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psalm 37:23, NLT

Sometimes He’ll bring along another mom with a kid who learns remarkably similarly to yours, and you can get help and advice along with friendly support!

You know your child.

Trust your gut and trust that you are the best person to figure out how to help them learn in the way that most fits them.

If your child is a slow and deliberate math student (I have at least one of these), it might be a good idea to set a timer, and take a break from whatever else you are doing to sit with them and patiently explain and help. Kind voice, no judgement, just pretend you’re a tutor with nothing else to do but patiently help this child have a pleasant interaction with math for a brief time.

Start with 15 mins (or less), if they’re struggling. Then slowly work up to 30 mins. When the timer rings, math is done for the day. Even if they’ve only got through half a page. Or less. At the start it should be more about teaching consistency and familiarity with concepts. And avoiding tears. (For them and you!)

Then, as they get a bit older and more confident, another helpful idea is to plan something fun or different that they enjoy immediately following math (if math is more of a challenge for them). Have a coloring or LEGO-time for 20 mins afterwards, or a fun snack, or let them run outside and blow bubbles or build a fort in the living room, or have a read-aloud time with an enjoyable book, cuddling together.

If your child is more like a streak of light able to rush and get through math quickly (I’ve got a few of these), require a minimum amount per day – for me it’s one lesson (2 pages), and I check in often to make sure they understand what they’re doing.

But for the most part, these lightning-learners only need my help with explaining a new concept – and then they’re off again. Sometimes I have to slow them down and encourage them to breathe – my young daughter flew through seven lessons without stopping the other morning, and I wanted to make sure she was grasping the new material.

Home school is wonderful in that if your child wants to fly and feels confident shooting through the material in a subject, they can!

They are not being held back by the lowest common denominator, but can move quickly on to something that actually challenges them more, even if it is beyond their peer-group grade level.

Home school is phenomenal in that if your child needs extra time and nurturing in a subject so that they achieve mastery before moving on, they have that opportunity!

They are able to receive the attention and tailored approach they need to thrive and learn. This relieves the stress, fear, and the feelings of inadequacy and insecurity that can easily develop in a forced group-learning style when something is more of a challenge for them.

One day I sat at the table and helped one child with two things: how to write a number eight (my child was stumped) and what the ten’s place value was. For thirty minutes we did nothing else except practice swooping 8’s, and discussing and practicing place value.

Guess what? While we did not get through even a fraction of the workbook that day, by the end there was an encouraged smile in place of tears, a new pride in the smoothly-written 8’s on the page, and a secure grasp of place value for two-digit numbers.

This was serious math success because of the way my child had experienced math in a positive, confident way. This is when home schooling seriously rocks!

What a precious gift this kind of learning can be – for their heart and yours.

So take a deep breath, mama. You got this! I’m cheering you on.

– Maria

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Next up! Part 3- How I Home School K-3rd Grade Now: READING! Woohoo! (Can you tell I’m excited?)

How I Homeschool My Kindergarten – 3rd Graders Now – Keep it Simple!

With my crew of eight littles ages 11 through 2 years, each day is always very interesting.

Time doesn’t seem to flow around here – it moves in blurbs and dashes, sometimes with a big splotch for emphasis, like Morse Code mixed with a Jackson Pollack.

Which leaves me often desperate for some kind of analyst to tell me what’s really going on here, to interpret the big picture, because I can easily lose focus and forget what the main point is.

What am I talking about again? Oh, right. Home schooling.

I believe that home school can be satisfying, fulfilling, and (gasp) even enjoyable – for you and your kids.

I want to underwhelm you by sharing what I do in home schooling so that you get excited about the privilege and joyful position you’ve been given to teach your children, rather than stressed and overwhelmed with pressure and performance anxiety.

Here is the main point for my home schooling of my Kindergarten – 3rd Grade kids:

RIGHT NOW, in this season of life, I need to focus on the basics. That’s it.

What are the basics, you ask? Glad you asked!

For me right now, here’s the (short) list:

Mathematics
Reading
Writing
Character Development (the most important, hence the last one)

There we have it, folks. Otherwise known as “The Three ‘R’s” (apparently people couldn’t spell well back in the day, probably because they didn’t have Google or spell check) combined with intentional, godly parenting.

I feel like sighing with relief every time I remember this list.

It makes me glad I home school.

Because educating your kids at home shouldn’t be a heavy, oppressive burden. It’s just easy to make it that way. We have a choice to make it better – for ourselves and our kids.

Also, think about the things that might be on your “required” list for homeschooling which may not be a true requirement.

Guilt or comparison or tradition are terrible reasons for any scholastic pursuit, even if it seems fun or “educational” or “encourages creativity” or is guaranteed to assure your child a spot in an swanky university in ten years.

Be honest. If something is starting to feel like you’re including it in your school day without a good reason, I’d suggest taking a hard look at why it’s there.

If it’s draining you or your child and creating a time-vacuum that wreaks havoc on the rest of your day, or if your other children and responsibilities are suffering, drop that sucker like a hot potato.

(Which reminds me, what’s for dinner? Potatoes?)

For me, a lot of extra subjects, big projects, and in-depth studies for my kids at their young age is only going stress me and them out, create a lot of mess in my home very full of little humans, and stress me out. (I get stressed twice when the occasion calls for it.)

Home school should really be about a healthy way of incorporating education into the home life you have, not enforcing a rigid school-at-home.

In an upcoming post I will elaborate on each of these “Basics” and what I actually do to include them in my (home school) day. In the meantime, take heart:

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. -(2 Peter 1:3)

This includes raising and teaching your kids. So take a moment to thank Him for this incredible gift!

You got this. I’m here cheering you on!

– Maria

How I’m Raising Eager Readers: Part Three

I want my kids to love reading and to have good feelings about it! Pushing through when they’re having a hard time or are feeling poorly is a sure-fire way to create resentment and frustration, not to mention significant weepiness. (And that’s not even talking about my kid’s reaction.)

When Reading Runs Amuck: How I Combat Some Reading-Time Challenges

Sometimes reading time slants sideways even before the book is opened.

Yes, even for my family of book-lovers, these times come too. The whining and complaining starts, and bargaining for a really short lesson or a different activity begins. Thirst, hunger, exhaustion and mental fatigue strike with astonishing speed, and the chores that earlier seemed so tedious and unimportant suddenly appear fascinating and urgent. Kids who can intently focus on a game or something else they enjoy suddenly can’t seem to hold still or concentrate for more than three seconds.

Here’s the list of questions I run through to figure out how to triage the reading blues:

1. Is there a physical need or problem my child is facing?

Are they tired, hungry, or cranky? Are they dealing with a cold or another ailment? If any of these things are a yes, I will try to cut the lesson shorter, or just shelve it till we have resolved the problem. Otherwise it’s just not worth the emotional struggle.

2. Is there a natural personality or behavioral trait at work, or is this abnormal behavior?

Are they naturally more energetic and wiggly, finding sitting still a challenge?

If it’s squirminess within that particular child’s normal range, I try to work with it instead of fighting it, especially at a young age. As they grow older and gain more self control, sitting or standing still can be worked on with less resistance and greater ease.

Some people have a natural tendency to concentrate better while they’re moving – even as adults. Instead of fighting this and making everyone miserable, I figure, why not be creative and plan to accommodate the wiggle? Reading becomes so much more pleasant and successful!

I have had one son, my earliest reader, stand next to me while I sat on the floor with the reading book. He squirmed, waved his arms, hugged himself, kicked his legs, and bounced around me the whole time – but he was actively reading the sounds. He did an amazing job – but I had to be willing to adjust to his unorthodox, squirmy method of learning with patience and grace. I now have fond memories of these reading lessons, since I saw the rapid progress he made when he was free to physically move as he needed.

I do try my best to gauge whether it is a natural energetic movement where the child is still able to focus and concentrate well on the reading, or if the wiggles are just a sign of boredom or resistance to facing a challenge. If I’m finding that my child is distracted and unable to read while wiggling, then I do encourage more deliberately quiet positioning, but perhaps after a timed period of short exercise like five laps around the back yard or twenty burpees as fast as possible!

3. Is this a learning area that they have been finding an ongoing challenge or is this new?

Some kids just naturally take to reading. While they may have some rocky patches and off-days, in general the path from letters to sounds to words and sentences is generally straight and mostly smooth.

Other children’s experience can be more challenging – like they suddenly were thrown off a safe, high cliff into deep and murky waters where every vowel sound changes ominously and compound sounds lurk like sharks. (At least, that’s the impression I get from reading with them!)

Some kids really do need more time and help with reading. One of mine requires extra patience and persistence, since it seems that almost every lesson something previously learned is forgotten and we’ve lost some ground. We have been making good progress in spite of the setbacks, however, and it’s important for me to remember to look back and see how far we’ve come, and the overall general success we’ve already achieved!

Any learning challenge can potentially be very draining, discouraging, and exasperating for both parent and child. It’s important to hold on and just keep going in short, cheery bursts as often as possible, celebrating small victories with a big smile and sincere excitement (and maybe a small treat or a fun activity.)

Consistence with persistence… and get assistance if you need it! There is so much more information and help available nowadays for parents who are helping children through dyslexia and other learning issues, and sometimes the best way to teach your child to read is to let someone else help you do it if you’re struggling, with no guilt or shame about it.

Here’s to raising eager readers!

How I’m Raising Eager Readers (Part Two)

My Method in the Madness

In a large family with so many littles, I’ve had to streamline and simplify how I teach reading.

I use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (by Siegfied Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox & Elaine Bruner, Touchstone Publishing) with a significant twist!

This battered copy has been through six children so far… starting the seventh sometime later this year!

If you are at all familiar with this book, you know that the sounds and words to be taught are in a large, bold font. After the first introductory lessons which do not have stories, each lesson has a simple picture with a “story” (some of only a sentence or two, others much longer) for the child to read which practices the sounds and words they learned. (Some of these stories are a hoot, and my children grew to anticipate whatever funny story they would read that day!)

This book uses a special orthographic (how words are spelled) font so that children become familiar with the sounds certain letters make without being confused by sound rules.

Each lesson also comes with a carefully detailed script – both for the parent to say/teach (in pink print) and an expected response from the child for each lesson. They also give writing exercises, rhyming activities, picture comprehension questions, and multiple questions/answers throughout each lesson.

Confession time: I only focus on the bold print when I teach my children reading from this book.

Yep, I brazenly ignore all the fine print, writing exercises, rhyming, and multiple admonishments for repeated readings. (I know, shocking!)

This way there is a lot less drag and irritation from the slow progress, and my kids and I can zip through the first several lessons without even breaking a sweat. Because the book starts very simply, teaching only two sounds in the first lesson, then slowly building each time, I often find that my child can easily cover multiple lessons in the early days, then as the reading increases and the stories at the end become a little longer, we “slow down” to about two or so for each reading session. (One of my children was so excited by her progress that she insisted on covering about four to five lessons each time we worked on her reading!)

Here’s my method in the madness, broken down:

1. I use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, but teach using only the bold text without following the script.

I use it as a resource, not a mandated method. My kids react with irritation if I try to slowly go through all fine-print script, slowing us all down and increasing frustration. When I let it go, they start to fly through the lessons with increasing enthusiasm and excitement. It is an easy choice.

2. I use the actual lessons as a general guide, but go at the pace my child sets, rather than insisting he/she completes a set number of lessons or pages.

If we are struggling through one lesson and don’t even finish and ten minutes is up, I often say cheerily, “OK, let’s get to the end of this line (or to the bottom of this page) and then let’s stop for the day! Great work so far!” because then my child knows the end is in sight and is encouraged to keep going for just a little longer.

I try to generally aim for about ten minutes at least for “reading time” with me, in addition to whatever books they read to themselves or each other before bedtime or during quiet time.

Once in a while, I know my child is just being a punk and decided that he/she doesn’t feel like doing the work of reading that day. So then I will tell them that they need to complete a page (or a lesson) before moving on to another activity (like playing), and if they refuse, they will lose that other activity. As the mom of my kids, I can tell when it’s totally an attitude thing versus a real problem like an illness or exhaustion or low blood sugar.

Even though I want reading to be enjoyable, sometimes getting to that point will be work. And teaching my child that work is part of life is never a bad thing.

3. I often fit “reading time” in with normal life. This means that after we get through the initial lessons and my child is more confident in reading, I often have a child sitting (or lying!) on a mat on the kitchen floor next to me or sitting on the couch, reading aloud, while I clean up breakfast dishes, fold laundry, or cook dinner. I stay close and keep an eye on their book and can usually direct them easily if they make an error or need a reminder about a certain sound, or can chat with them about the picture and discuss the story.

This way I can get through about two or three children’s reading lessons (usually the most I have in this learning stage is three kids at a time) while still getting through the regular household things that I need to accomplish for our family.

4. I never insist that we finish the book!

I have experienced now with several children that by the time they reach around lesson 75 (three-quarters of the way through the book), they have enough confidence and reading skills that they have already begun reading other books that they themselves have chosen, on topics they find interesting. THIS IS SUCCESS.

Some of my kids never go back to 100 Easy Lessons because they self-teach new words and sounds through other materials. (Often later they go back and read the fun stories at the end of each lesson, merely as an entertainment rather than a scholastic endeavor.)

And I cheerily put it back on the shelf to wait for the next upcoming reader, knowing it has successfully completed its mission of helping me teach reading to my child.

Booyah! Victory.

There you have it, the basic way I teach reading in my home. Up next: Part Three: How I cope with specific challenges like wiggly kids, meltdown-days, and learning difficulties.