F-Words to Include in Homeschooling

In my previous post – F-Words to Avoid in Homeschooling, I shared my thoughts about some of the negative attitudes and approaches to homeschooling that I struggled with during my years of teaching my daughters from preschool to high school graduation.

This week, I would like to encourage some positive F-word attitudes and practices that will create a wonderful homeschooling experience for you and your children.

• FAITH – It takes faith to believe that you can homeschool your children. It requires faith to work through the struggles, doubts and fears. I prayed often for each of my children. I needed God’s word and leading and wisdom in my approach. We prayed together each day, especially when the children were young.
• FLEXIBLE – Being inflexible will always lead to unmet expectations, disappointments, stress and exhaustion. Life happens. Your family is unique and your plans will not always work out. Stay flexible and learn to find your rhythm. It is fairly easy to catch up if children were too tired or were sick. In the grand scheme of things, when real life is “interrupting” your plans, real learning and character formation happen when we learn to adjust and adapt.

• FULL – Offer your children a “full” education. Include a wide range of subjects, projects, activities and approaches as well as the basics. I used daily themes to include all the “extra” subjects such as Fine Arts, art lessons, music appreciation, poetry, Shakespeare, Latin, Current Events, and Nature Study. Of course, I don’t advise over-full days! Beware of taking on too many extramural activities, too many sports trips and outings each week. Give your children free time at home to have hobbies, to play, to read, to be bored. These are the moments your children will discover their passions and interests.

Creative free time – my daughters sewing, making jewellery, doing arts and crafts – selling their products in markets and giving them as gifts.

• FEAST – Your children’s education should be like a wonderful buffet table full of options, opportunities and choices. Offer your children different hands-on activities, give them an opportunity to dig in deep when a topic sparks a flame of interest. Follow them on these rabbit trails and encourage reading, videos and meeting real people in these areas of interest. May I say that this is an essential benefit of homeschooling? You’re not like a school teacher, limited to a specific number of days on a topic in the curriculum — you can tailor-make your child’s learning to meet their passions and interests.

My youngest daughter’s interest in calligraphy

• FRESH – Keep things fresh by changing their learning environment for each new theme and topic. Display new posters, and have new library books open and on display. Hang mobiles and place objects of interest on the bookshelf. Regularly change your children’s own art and projects displays. Use different options for narrations instead of asking them to simply tell back what they learnt. I have over 100 narration ideas in this eBook that will equip you with fun, new and fresh ideas.

1. FUN – Remember to have fun! Play fun music, sing songs and move together. Regularly go outside and spend time together in nature, have picnics in the garden, on the trampoline, at the pool, under a tree. Read aloud in a tent, in a fort, even under a table. Dress up and play-act the story, do puppet shows, eat foods described in the story. Watch suitable movies relating to the read alouds or themes. Young children especially need short lessons interspersed with physical release activities and they love action songs. These are the moments that make a day feel good and, guess what, these are the moments that your children will never forget!

• FAMILY – Remember that homeschool is a family journey. It is important that you include dad in the day. Encourage family participation — go on family outings, read aloud at the dinner table, include grandparents in show-and-tell and at graduations. Your family is unique in its vision and therefore your homeschooling will look and feel different to another family using an identical curriculum.
• FAN – Be your child’s fan! Be their support, their encourager, their cheerleader. Be their facilitator and find ways to support and stimulate their interests and passions. Never underestimate the power of your positive input, even in their hobbies. Let them overhear your good reports. Build them up. Look for their positives and recognise their hard work as well as their achievements.
• FLOW – Find your daily rhythm and flow. Adjust your schedule to suit your family’s most focussed and attentive times in the day. Avoid disruptions, distractions and interruptions for yourself = put your cellphone away! Keep your lessons short and sweet so that the work flows quickly and effectively. Then take your time with read alouds and projects. Also, note, some days will flow better than other days. In my many years of experience, I discovered that there are usually only 2 days in a week that flow effortlessly, but in those days, we covered more work and completed activities with joy and simplicity.
• FINISH – There is much to be said for perseverance! Commit to finishing what you start in your homeschooling. Stay the course. Of course, there will be times when you want to give up, but there is such a blessing in holding on, keeping on going and making it through to the success at the end. You will need encouragement to turn frowns upside down. There will be many mornings where you will need prayer and faith to motivate yourself. You will need to address issues and encourage your children to press on, keep trying and give their very best. Finishing does not need to be dogmatic and fundamental, especially when your homeschooling does not fit and when relationships suffer because of the struggles. That is when you should stop and reassess and figure out the best way forward. There are times when it is important to put an unsuitable book or awkward curriculum aside that doesn’t gel. I am suggesting that in order to finish what you are committed to, you will need to be resolute about your family vision in order to see it come to fruition.

May these F-words encourage and motivate you in your homeschooling journey. Please encourage others and share your experiences with us in the comments.

Blessings, Nadene

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Jesse Tree and Advent Activities

Over all our years of homeschooling, we have celebrated advent with a variety of Christmas Jesse Tree and Advent activities. As December approaches, why don’t you include this beautiful daily reflection of Christ revealed from Genesis to Revelation with your own Jesse Tree devotional? Here is a list of suggested activities and links ~

• We constructed our own chicken wire Jesse Tree curved to form a tall narrow cone and decorated it with free downloads from around the Internet. Or you could make a simple cardboard cut-out Homemade Jesse Tree by This Simple Home, or simply decorate your own Christmas tree with these meaningful symbols.
• We created small Jesse Tree discs made with baker’s clay & painted them. Another year we used cardstock and illustrated and painted our discs and covered them with clear packaging tape to protect them.  Then my daughter sewed all the discs together by running them through the sewing machine to join them into a lovely long bunting.  We draped this bunting around the tree. Some moms sewed their Jesse Tree discs using felt (see link below).

• We painted the Names of Jesus Ornaments downloaded free from Bible Story Printables.com with bright, bold colours.  (You can print out the coloured version, but I wanted to save on printing ink.)  These discs are larger than the small Jesse Tree discs and fill in much of the wire tree space.
• We made Names of Jesus strips which my youngest stapled into paper rings and interlinked them to make a lovely paper chain to decorate our Advent table.
• I downloaded our Jesse Tree ornaments from Ann Voskamp’s Unwrapping the Greatest Gift download.  We coloured some elements of each picture in with silver and gold pens and protected the pictures with clear tape.  We used thin florist wire pieces to twist through a tiny hole pierced in our decorations and hooked them simply over the tree’s wires as we follow our Jesse Tree Advent story. 

Here are free Jesse Tree ideas and Advent resources ~

1. Easy Fun School has a lovely free advent devotional and Jesse Tree unit study lesson plan, and here’s an expanded version. 
2. Beautiful felt Jesse Tree Ornaments from Mandy Pelton’s blog Everything Beautiful
3. Teachers Pay Teachers.com (log in required) – Advent Liturgy Jesse Tree 
4. Simple Jesse Tree Ornaments Tutorial  at Keeping Life Creative.com
5. Jesse Tree Advent Study by Confessions of a Homeschooler
6. Jesse Tree ornaments free for Life Your Way readers from Printables Your Way.net
7. Jesse Tree Ornaments from Grand Story Ornaments 

Hope this inspires you if you are looking for Jesse Tree and Advent activities.

Blessings, Nadene

Ending The Year Well

This year is fast rushing to a close … Christmas goodies are already filling the shops and December summer holidays seem just around the corner.

It is also the time of the year when we conclude and congratulate ourselves for the work we have covered during our school year.

As I revisit this post from my archives, may I offer some ideas to finish your year well?

We don’t always actually “finish” the curriculum each year because we stretch our curriculum over 2 years.  When we declare official school work closed for the year, it is good to find closure and create some fun activities to enjoy during their holidays.

Here are some of our end-of-year activities:
(not in any particular order … just some of the many ideas that sprang to mind …)

• Finish any year-long hands-on projects.
• Go on outings or field trips.
• Catch up and finish any read alouds.
• Do all outstanding Science experiments.
• Prepare an exhibition of their work and invite family or close friends to see their work.  Children love to explain what they did or present their projects and art work!
• Join other homeschool families or co-ops for an end-of-year party or activity.
• Hold a ‘graduation’ party.  Young children, even teens, love to receive a certificate!  Sonlight builds this aspect into their curriculums.
• We love to make Christmas gifts.
• Listen to the year’s music highlights on a special playlist.
• Watch a historical movie covering the time of your studies.
• Create and act out a play or puppet show for a real audience.

Some administrative activities:

• Rearrange, refresh and decorate the schoolroom.

• My youngest loves to hang mobiles!
• Prepare their new notebook files and stationary.
• Refresh the Theme of the Day poster.
• File away the year’s work and store art and craft projects.
• Review and look through the whole year’s work.  I ask my children to comment, select, highlight and rejoice over work they have done and accomplished.  I ask these basic questions:
  1. What was your favourite activity/ theme/ or topic?  Why?
  2. Show me your top 5 favourite books – read alouds or readers.
  3. What did you least enjoy?  Why?
• I spend these weeks planning, printing and preparing the children’s school work for the new year.  (It is an exciting time , yet slightly scary time for me.  Every. Year.  Even after  +18 years of homeschooling, I’m not always sure what will work, how long it will take and if we will enjoy it.)

Remember that homeschooling is a long journey, and just as travellers love to show their photos and review their trips, an end-of-year program is a wonderful way to rejoice in all the accomplishments and ease into the new year with enthusiasm and motivation.

Blessings in your homeschooling journey!

May you find much grace and rest in this festive season, Nadene

The Power of a Reset

Everyone has their bad days and everyone feels overwhelmed at times. It could be frustration with too much mess, too much noise, demands, difficulties, moods, sibling issues, struggles with skills, uncertainty, interruptions, urgent problems, breakdowns, bad weather, power outages, falling behind schedule, distractions … but there is a wonderful way to save the day — Press your RESET! I wrote about it before – Practical Tip – Reset

How to reset?

1. Pause – call a break. Take a deep breath.
2. Switch – to another subject or start a new activity.
3. Move – do something fun! Move, dance, jump on the mini-trampoline, run around the garden, skip.
4. Regroup ~ food, touch, talk, laugh, music

Here some ways to reset the moment:

In our home, when someone was in tears, or my voice was rising in frustration, I may have said, “Kids, we need a moment to reset and try again. Can we all take a moment and …”

• Fresh Air –
  • It is amazing how quickly we can regain our perspective when we go outdoors.
  • Get outside.
  • Go for a walk.
  • Let the children play, skip, run.
  • A nature walk is a wonderful outdoor activity.
  • Even a cup of tea sitting on the porch or on the back steps to the garden is more refreshing.
• Fun activity –
  • Play Scrabble, or Bananagrams
  • add variety to school subjects
  • YouTube videos on the topic are a wonderful moment of relief and reset.
• Sing – Geography songs, Bible songs, Action songs, rap and pop songs (that are suitable)
• Music – An upbeat song or soundtrack changes everyone’s mood. We have “clean house” soundtracks. Nowadays it is so easy with Spotify, but back in the day when my kids were teens, they made compilation CDs to play while we cleaned house.
• Clean up & pack away – Physically clear the space to reset the next activity and let it be fun, positive saying, “Yes! Of course, we can do art/ …. Let’s quickly pack away all the books and papers while I mix the paint.” Often, while my young kids played outside or ate a snack, I scooped the toys into the drawers or baskets and cleared the floor for the next activity. Most moms feel better when the clutter is under control, so stop for a reset when you start to feel overwhelmed.
• Change rooms or places –
  • Do a lesson outdoors, read aloud under the tree or do narrations in a sunny spot.
  • Some kids feel better lying down, cuddled up, in soft lighting, in cool air.
  • A different venue often resets attitudes and moods.
• Routines – Meal times, bath time, bedtime are all regular rhythms in our day. Focus on the next routine and build better habits and prompts. Keep things simple and avoid too many extra-mural activities.
• Timer – It is amazing how much we can do in 10 minutes! Set a timer and encourage everyone to do their best for that time. Often, when the problem is too big, it is best to break it into smaller, more manageable tasks. Charlotte Mason encouraged short, sweet lessons. Use an app on your phones and computers to visually and audibly time activities.
• Regroup – Build loving relationships with the 5 love languages =
  • Spend some quality time together listening & talking
  • Do an act of service for a family member
  • Make some simple but thoughtful gift for each other.
  • Make a favourite meal, bake a treat, celebrate the moment with a special table setting, candles, flowers and music.
  • Reaffirm with words of affection and encouragement and specific praise.
  • Physical affection, tickle or wrestle your children, cuddle them, even those cool and aloof teens!
  • Tell jokes and remember silly moments and laugh together.

“I think it is extremely important in building a foundation for your homeschool and relationship with your child. We are all sinners and there are just going to be bad days full of short tempers, bad attitudes, and frustration. Instead of throwing up our hands and quitting – choose to teach your kids how to resolve conflict, how to listen, and how to communicate with love!”

Lauren ~ The Simple Homeschooler

As a wife, mother and woman of confidence, reset your days and nights with healthy activities that start and end your days. To begin, focus on ending well and set up the next day before you go to bed. Reset your home with a tidy lounge, a clean kitchen, a prepared school plan and study area, a menu plan will make the new day flow with simplicity and ease. Nothing is worse than starting the new day already overwhelmed with mess and clutter from the day before!

Reset your attitude with prayer, gratitude and journaling, stretching. Ask the Lord for grace and wisdom, strength and courage, faith and forgiveness. Pray blessings over the people, the problem and the purpose. Ask for a simple strategy and a way of understanding, a shifted perspective, a simple word of truth. Journal and find your help in the ways that the Lord gives you.

Check if you have unrealistic expectations. Make allowances for age & stage issues, immaturity, illness, fatigue, changes, crisis, etc. Remember that most of this is small and temporary and all this will eventually fade and pass. Avoid having a fatalistic mindset and please don’t make big decisions in this mode.

Begin again in hope.  Just start small, work slowly and keep moving towards your expectations.  Don’t give up! Life is full of fresh beginnings and new, clean slates. The Lord is so gracious and meets us with fresh mercy and grace each morning! 

Please comment and share how you reset your days.

Blessings and much grace, Nadene

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Easter Pictures & Hands-on Activities

Here are some Easter hands-on activities inspiration ideas “resurrected” from deep in my 2014 archives!  I wanted to involve my daughter fully in our Easter Bible readings.  She LOVES reading her comic-style Illustrated Bible Story New Testament book.  It is very visual and makes the stories “come alive”.  I wanted to add loads of hands-on activities.

Young children learn best when they use all their five senses – hearing, seeing, smell, taste and touch. 

I created an Easter Flags 16-page download, suitable for junior primary children, which includes Scriptures and parallel verses, activity ideas and story summaries for each Easter theme. As you read the Easter Scriptures, encourage your children to use all their senses as they learn about Easter and Jesus’ crucifixion. Children may enjoy touching and feeling real objects hidden in a “feely” bag. Cut out each flag. Children can colour in the images. Fold the top edge of the flag over and staple or glue to a ribbon to hang as Easter bunting. These simple images may also be used for material applique on fabric flags. Be sensitive and adapt your lessons to suit your child’s age and temperament.

Here is your free download ~ Easter Flags

For older children I also created some Easter Picture Collages.  

These are similar hands-on activities using all 5 senses, but this is more suited for older children as the images are more graphic, and some of the activities may not be suitable for young children.

I wanted my daughter to use all her senses and physically act out as many of the scriptures of Easter as we could. Instead of me preparing the lesson activities, I printed out the collage images, gathered all the objects we needed and asked my child to create the activities with me for each lesson. This is child-led education — which is a joy to behold!

These are the items we collected for each theme:

• palm leaf – we were both surprised how huge the branch was!
• perfume – perfume essence & spraying alcohol mixed in a bottle with cork and candles to seal the bottle
• coins – in a little bag
• wine & bread – for Last Supper and communion.  Matzos is unleavened, pierced bread.
• bowl, water & towel – to wash feet
• cock’s feather and sound recording of cock crowing
• thorns twisted into a crown – rather painful job!
• whip – a cat-of-nine tails with leather strips
• purple cloak – purple cloth and sticks to make lots
• hammer & nails – hammer into thick plank of wood
• vinegar & sponge – taste the bitter vinegar
• stone & cave – sealed with some clay

Here is your free download ~ Easter Picture Collages

Here is a summary of some of the activities, thoughts and experiences of our Easter:

Some of our first activities were lovely.  Waving a long (taller than her very tall brother) beautiful palm branch and singing praise songs was wonderful.  

Making perfume and sealing the bottle with melted candle wax was soothing and it smelt delightful.  We acted out Mary’s act of worship; anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair.  Very intimate. 

We tasted the bread and wine.  The matzos bread is pierced and striped, just like Jesus’ whipped and pierced body.  The red wine reminded us of His blood.  Reverence and deep gratitude filled our hearts. 

We washed one another’s feet. Just like Jesus did to His disciples. Humbling and so lovely. 

Then things became tough.  Count out 30 pieces of silver, which was the price of a slave. Judas was mean.  While Mary broke the seal and poured out anointing oils worth a man’s whole years wages, Judas snatched up 30 silver coins. Worship breaks open and pours out, selfishness takes for itself. 

We went to our chicken coop and found a lovely long rooster feather.  The rooster strutted about with his hens.  Did we hear him crow?  Could we also betray our Lord?  Would we cry bitter tears?  Somber reflection. 

And then the scenes with Jesus’ scourging.  Painful.  See the thorns in the leather?  A cat-of-nine has bone or stones tied to the leather strips to inflict greatest pain and injury.  Our minds reel.  Hear the whip as it snaps in the air … 39 times!  Exhausting.  How could Jesus survive?  

Thorns pricked us as we made the crown and really hurt!  

Hammering in nails into wood it a tough job.  Bang! Bang!  Imagine nailing through hands and feet?  How awful!  Our hearts ached. 

We cast lots for the robe with our sticks.  If you win, you take the piece of cloth and feel its rich texture.  When I win, it is all mine. It is so easy to be callous and greedy, and all the while our Lord hangs suffering, dying. 

Now Jesus cries out and someone gives Him vinegar.  Yech!  It tastes bitter.  No one can drink that stuff! 

Finally we made a small tomb using a rock that had a cave-like shape.  We found a flat stone to fit in front.  Pressing some clay around the flat stone, we sealed the tomb. It is dark inside. Closed.  It is finished. 

May the Lord blessing you and your family in this Easter season,

In grace, Nadene

Painted School Room

Earlier this year I shared our fresh-look schoolroom.  I had pinned study decor ideas and hoped to paint my desk and all the bookshelves before the end of the year, and I did!

Here’s the before: Lara helped me move all the books and craft suitcases to the guest room.

During:My friend Mindy, an amazing artist and expert chalk-painter, helped me paint my desk.   She’s even making me customized glass drawer knobs to match my color-scheme!

I ran out of store-bought chalk paint and so I followed the DIY chalk paint recipes I found on the Internet and made my own using white grout.  It was rougher than the bought chalk paint, but worked just as well.  I painted the bookshelf backs in a lovely dusty blue.  Waxed and buffed, it was all done in 2 days.

And here’s the after:While my kids were away, I sorted and repacked the books.  Despite my hubby’s initial comments that everything looked too white while I was still painting, the completed schoolroom looks delightfully fresh and light!

Painting with chalk paint is as easy as all the online tutorials say it is.  Quick and delightfully textured, the results were lovely!  I love it!

Blessings,

 

Fresh Schoolroom

Here’s a peep into our fresh-look schoolroom for 2015 ~

We do most our homeschooling in our study-come-craft room. Squeezed into a small enclosed back stoep, we have all our bookshelves and our round table, my desk, the computer desk and sewing cabinet.

When the kids were young, we used a small plastic table and suitably sized plastic chairs. Once they were a little older, we all sat at our round table, the littlest one sitting high enough on booster cushions.

Now, teaching teens who are often busy  with individual creative artistic activities, we brought in one more table so that each person can spread out their things and work undisturbed.

I gave my youngest 12-year-old daughter her own more “mature” work space.

 

• She has all her school books, notebooks, ring binder, and personal stationary in a new storage box.  (Previously, we used chair bags or a space on a bookshelf next to the desk.)
• The whiteboard is a good place for temporary displays, where our prestik doesn’t leave any residue.
• Maps, our Theme of the Day and posters hang from hooks on the whiteboard.
• Our display board clipboards were given a fresh coat of paint to match our new upholstery fabric.
• The hook above her table is ideal to hang mobiles for our themes.

Every year I sort, rearrange and pack our books.  Colored stickers help us keep books in curriculum or age-appropriate order on our bookshelves. 

• My high schooler chose to work at the round table.
• She has a storage box on the shelf for all her school books and equipment.
• I arranged our Science kits, reference books and nature study stuff together in storage boxes on an accessible part of the bookshelf.
• All our maths games and kits, spelling games and other educational games or equipment are stored in labelled ice-cream boxes.
• We store all our arts and crafts materials are stored in drawers and small plastic suitcases.
• My 15-year-old has her own special art supplies and equipment in a plastic drawer system.

We have enjoyed the new layout and working arrangement! The kids love all the space and I love the organized freshness!

Blessings,

 

One Word Display

Every year I wait on the Lord for His word for me.

This year I received the word ~

Grace

As part of my study-schoolroom-craft room upgrade (which I will reveal … soon),  I created this simple embroidery hoop display ~

 So simple and easy to make.  Easy to change the background fabric and the word … maybe for seasons and special days …

Some ideas of at JaneVille‘s One Word for 2015 , What is your One Word for 2015 and  more word lists.  Here are some lovely embroidery hoop ideas on Pinterest.

Blessings,

 

Handwriting Tips

Teaching and practicing handwriting can be simple, free and quick using my laminated charts.  

Pop over to my Handwriting Free Pages for all handwriting lessons, tips and charts, and Copywork for  your copywork pages.

Purchase these helpful handwriting products available on my Packages page:

• Handwriting Tips Booklet
• Teaching Print Step-by-Step
• Teaching Cursive step-by-step

Helpful Hints ~

When my children start learning their letter formation, they trace over the letter with a whiteboard marker. Later, when they practice handwriting, they use the chart for reference while they are copying.  They prop the chart up in a paper holder, which is very helpful in saving space on the table while we all work.)

My 9-year-old has already learnt her print and has recently mastered her cursive chart.  She now practices her cursive handwriting daily on copywork pages I have made. She uses famous quotes from the history time period we are studying, or she writes the Bible memory verses for that week.  All dictation work  is an opportunity to practice handwriting skills.

The children first used pencil for all written work, but after their confidence grew, they received  their “pen licence“. I have found the best results when my children use mechanical pencils.  These pencils usually have lovely soft plastic grips and their points never become dull and blunt, causing fat, smudgy writing.  My youngest child uses a very light hand pressure and so she needs to work with a soft 2B pencil lead.  My middle child presses harder and so she works best with normal HB pencil leads.

I recommend that children only use pens once they very seldom make mistakes as they all hate using Tipex.  My kids try very hard not to make mistakes, but if there is too much stress over mistakes, I recommend they continue with pencil work.  It is quite acceptable in homeschool, and with a little more practice, it will ease the transition.  Each child has their favourite pen.  One enjoys gel pens that flow smoothly, while the other prefers a light, very thin blue line and favors a specific brand ball point pen. I allow the older girls use glitter pens for copywork if they want to make it look special.

Children sometimes find purchased handwriting programs very boring and repetitive (endless rows of lines, curves or letters), but with copywork, they are writing “real writing“.  They enjoy recognizing excerpts from their read alouds, or quotations from their core readers.  Copying memory verses is an excellent way to learn the scripture verse.

To do Copywork, children need to know both the upper and lower case forms of each letter. This is handwriting practice in context.  First practice lower case, then upper case, and then the paired letters on the next chart.

You can use your own fonts and make your own charts.

Hope that these tips help you and your children enjoy short, sweet handwriting lessons!

Blessings, Nadene

Alternatives

Not every homeschool day works well.  Some days are just blah, other days are bad.  There are stresses and struggles. And even when you have good days, they can become predictable and boring.

It helps to have some alternatives.

Switch subjects

We usually start with the basics; Bible, Maths, Spelling & Dictation, Language Arts, but sometimes we start with Core instead, or sit together for Read Aloud time, or start our Theme of the Day activity we normally do after lunch before the rest.  Beginning with a “fun” subject or activity can defuse any difficulty.  I often ask my youngest what subject she would like to start.  I give her a choice in leading her own homeschool day and so she doesn’t feel that I am dragging her through the motions.  She leads and feels motivated.

Sit somewhere new

Move outside, inside, under a tree, on the carpet, in the sunshine, in the shade, on the couch, in bed, outdoors, rearrange the study. By simply changing the learning environment, the whole atmosphere and one’s attitude changes.  And moms need this change as much as the kids!

When I was a senior primary school teacher I use to rearrange my classroom and seating for each new theme.  I created a coral island, a police academy, a courtroom, a puppet theater.  The buzz outside my classroom before the kids came in was electric!  I didn’t need to do much more to motive my kids!

Start a new read aloud

I have stated that reading aloud is the glue that holds homeschool together.  Sometimes, it may be the only homeschool we do when someone is sick, or when visitors stay, when the schedule is disrupted or when someone simply wants to give up.  If the current book doesn’t sparkle, gently lay it aside and go find a wonderful book that grips hearts and minds and takes you and your kids on a journey!

Get physical

Do something active!  A nature walk revives a weary spirit.  A good run, skipping with a rope, or jumping on a trampoline helps rev up the metabolism and energizes one.  Science experiments or hands on activities are stimulating and exciting. I often plan several alternative activities for each theme so that I can inspire fresh enthusiasm with a fun activity.  It’s amazing what a child can learn when creating a mobile or making a model.

Sing or do Fine Arts

Learning with catchy songs and music is fun and it sticks!  Our Geography Songs CD are a lifelong legacy!  Singing connects the group and music lifts the spirit.  Fine Arts (art, music, poetry etc.) inspire us, ease the soul and minister to our hearts.  Sometimes our Friday Fine Arts day is the only day that we love.

Don’t get stuck in a rut.  Switch things about a little and discover a new zeal and enthusiasm!

What alternatives worked for you?  Please share ideas in the comments.

Blessings,