Homeschooling in November is Hard

It’s November. Traditionally a month of homeschool burnout. Because it looks sad outside. Because it’s dark. Because we are being bombarded with images of Christmas cheer and screaming deals and so many things we want but can’t afford. Because we feel like we have to create an awesome Advent and Christmas and that is just around the corner and we’re losing focus on homeschooling because our heads and hearts are being pulled in 1,000 different directions and we must absolutely be failing our kids because they’re surly and unfocused and, quite frankly, so are we.

Yuck. 

If you want to quit right now, just know you’re not alone. 

It’s time to take a deep breath, refocus, recenter, and remember why you’re doing this in the first place.

There’s only one reason to homeschool. There are infinite benefits of homeschooling, but there is only one reason to do it. The only reason to homeschool is because God is asking you to homeschool. And if God is asking you to homeschool, He will equip you to homeschool according to His will. 

St. Francis de Sales, a Saint of unbounding good sense and practicality frequently discusses the rough patches that come in faithfully living our vocations. He has this to say about the temptation to quit (emphasis mine):

Stay strong, sisters. We are not alone in this walk. We have each other. We have the Saints. And as one of my favorite priests likes to say, we have three divine persons and the mother of one of them on our side.

“… having implored the light of the Holy Spirit, applied our consideration to the seeking of his good-pleasure, taken the counsel of our director, and if appropriate, of two or three other spiritual persons, we must resolve and determine in the name of God, and not afterwards revoke or doubt our choice, but devoutly, peacefully, and firmly pursue and keep to it. And although the difficulties, temptations and the various circumstances which occur in the course of executing our design, might cause us some doubt as to whether we had made a good choice, we must remain firm, and not regard such things, but consider that if we had made another choice we might have been a hundred times worse; to say nothing of our not knowing whether it be God’s will that we should be exercised in consolation or desolation, in peace or war. Once the resolution has been holily taken, we must never doubt of the holiness of carrying it out; for unless we fail it cannot fail. To act in another manner is a mark of great self-love, or of childishness, weakness and silliness of spirit.”

There’s more of St. Francis’s teaching on discerning God’s Will here.  And I highly recommend this little book for a small daily dose of St. Francis’s spiritual direction. (That’s not an affiliate link.)

Morning Basket: Family Learning Time for Homeschoolers

What a fabulous workshop we had last week! Thank you to everyone who came out to make it a fruitful time of learning and support. While there's no substitute for the in-person camaraderie and exchange of ideas (not to mention the tea and cake!), I wanted to offer a little taste of what you missed if you weren't able to join us.

Hard Work and Hospitatlity

Sadly, I was too busy to take pictures of the lovely ladies and the lovely spread. But, as I mentioned, there was tea and cake - on real dishes! And fresh lavender in a vase. And I turned off the nasty fluorescent lights and just used the can lights in the room. I made it feel as much like my living room as I could. My workshops feel way more "mom's night in" than "lecture in a library." They're cozy. You should come.

workshopteaset

The workshops are also productive. The ladies who came left with a whole list of ideas of things to put in their Morning Baskets, and the star students even left with a Morning Time Agenda they can put into place with their kids on Monday Morning. I don't just throw a bunch of ideas at you, I give you time to figure out how to put them into practice in your own home.

Morning Basket How To's 

Just to show you I love you even if you weren't able to make it this time, I want to share a few of the treats I shared with the ladies who were there.

First, if you're not already familiar with the Morning Basket idea, I think one of the best places to start dipping your toes in is at Morning Time Moms. There's a series of posts there that will gently introduce you to the idea of having a family learning time in your homeschool. That link will take you right to it.

If you're already familiar with Morning Basket, check out Pam Barnhill's website and podcast, Your Morning Basket. Each podcast is an interview with an often well-known homeschooling mom about how they use Morning Time in their home. There's lots of good stuff there.

But you don't have to do a lot of research to get started with Morning Time in your home. You can (and should!) just throw some things in a basket and bust it out when your kids are all gathered for breakfast. Or if that doesn't happen at your house, do it at lunch time. Or institute a special afternoon cookie time and do it then. You don't have to have food at Morning Time, but it does help get people to the party.

Free Goodies!

To help you figure out what to put in your morning basket, I have two free printables for you.

First, this page will help you brainstorm what you already have in your house that you can put in your Morning Basket.

After you fill out that page, pick 4-5 things from your brainstorm list and go put them in a basket. Or a box. Or even a grocery bag. Just get them all together. You can buy a pretty basket later.

Now, fill out this Morning Time Agenda. Start with a prayer or a song. Then list the 4-5 things you chose in the order you want to use them.

Great! You're ready to start Morning Time with your family!

One last goodie. This list of Morning Time Rules. This is to remind you that Morning Time is supposed to bring peace and joy to your homeschool. If what you're doing isn't bringing Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, stop it.

Don't Miss Out!

The next workshop will be October 18 from 6-8pm. We'll be talking about Learning Through Play. I'm super excited about it and I can't wait to see you there! You can get registered for it here.

 

Teaching the Catholic Faith in Our Homeschool

These are my favorite resources for teaching the Catholic faith to my kiddos.

Catechisms

 

St. Patrick’s Summer: A Children’s Adventure Catechism 

(Marigold Hunt)

A fun approach to the Catechism in storybook format. The children in the story are visited by Saints who deliver catechism lessons and tell exciting stories from the history of the Church. A great read aloud for those preparing to receive the sacraments.

An Illustrated Catechism (Inos Biffi and Franco Vignazia)

Richly illustrated in a style reminiscent of medieval illuminations, this beautiful book is organized according to the outline of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, with a section corresponding to each of its four main parts: The Creed, The Sacraments, The Commandments, and Prayer.

The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism

Originally published in 1963, this more traditional catechism is presented in question and answer format. The topics of creation, the fall, redemption, and sacramental life are all presented in an orderly manner, with accompanying full color pictures. This is a very thorough presentation of the faith at a level young children can grasp.

Jesus and the Saints

A Life of Our Lord for Children by Marigold Hunt 

By the same author as St. Patrick’s Summer, this lovely book tells the story of the gospels in a way that is engaging and accessible to children. No dumbing down here. Hunt takes nothing away from the gospel and adds only enough to help children understand the context of the time and place.

The First Christians by Marigold Hunt 

Another one by Marigold Hunt, this tells the story of the Acts of the Apostles in her signature engaging style.

Saints and Angels: Popular Stories of Familiar Saints by Claire Llewellyn 

Stories of some of our favorite “Super Saints” and the Archangels accompanied by absolutely gorgeous illustrations.

First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion

Receiving Holy Communion
(Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.)

Pretty “old school” in it’s style and tone, this book offers a beautiful, straightforward explanation of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It includes an explanation of the origin of the Mass; prayers for before, during, and after Mass; as well as conditions for receiving communion and a simple examination of conscience.

Going to Confession (Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.)

An excellent companion to the above book, this one explains the origin and meaning of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and takes kids through the logistics of the sacrament. It also contains a thorough examination of conscience based on the Ten Commandments. This is an excellent, gentle explanation of the sacrament that focuses on Jesus’s mercy and love for us.

A Picture Book of the Mass: Illustrated by the Masters (Lacy Rabideau)

This is a missal for young children from the creator of Catholic Icing. It provides the responses for Mass and is current for the new translation. Each page is illustrated with a gorgeous, classical painting to help children (or adults!) meditate on what is happening in the Mass. Helps young children to follow along and understand the Mass.

Jesus in my Heart (Sr. Immaculata Vertolli, OSB)

This book, written and illustrated by a Benedictine nun of the Abbey of St. Walburga, is part workbook, part textbook, and part keepsake. It was written to provide a hands-on curriculum for sacramental preparation that would engage a child’s senses and imagination.  The highlight of the book is the 3-D  card with fold-out “gates” and pocket inside representing a tabernacle. The child is invited to visit the Blessed Sacrament and insert the prayers he writes to Jesus into this card.

The Weight of a Mass
(Josephine Nobissio and Katalin Szegedi)

This beautifully illustrated and gentle tale celebrates the power of the Mass. A shabby, penniless old woman enters the baker’s shop as he is preparing luscious creations for the king’s wedding. When the baker refuses to give the old woman even a crust of stale bread, she offers to say a Mass for him, in exchange for food. Scoffing, he writes “One Mass” on a tiny piece of paper, places it on his scale, and tries to overbalance it with heaps of his finest pastries, but to no avail. The Mass outweighs them all.

The Mass Explained to Children (Maria Montessori)

While this book is written about the old rite of the Mass, it is an excellent, detailed, and understandable explanation of all aspects of the Mass from the prayers to the vessels to the vestments. Truly a treasure.

Confirmation

My Path to Heaven
(Geoffrey Bliss, S.J. and Caryll Houselander)
*Age 10 and up

Based on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises this “retreat in a book” provides detailed illustrations to guide your child’s meditation on such  essentials of the Faith as God’s will, angels, Heaven and Hell, the Fall of man, the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the Nativity, the Passion, salvation, the sacraments, faith, hope, love, and contrition, and it teaches children the relevance of these truths in their lives and in the decisions they make. Best for kids a bit older as some of the imagery might be scary to younger or more sensitive children. Also excellent for adults.

Archdiocesan Curriculum to be available ?

There is remarkably little available to prepare young children for Confirmation. Most material is geared toward teenagers. As our Archdiocese shifts to conferring the sacrament on 8-year-olds, parents will be challenged to find appropriate materials. The Archdiocese has indicated its plan to release a curriculum which will be made available in May of this year.

 

How to Choose Curriculum: Brown Bag Dinner Workshop

Whether you're brand new to homeschooling or you've been at it for years, chances are you're looking to buy some curriculum for next year. Maybe you are considering a full grade level package. Maybe you're just looking to fill in a few gaps - perhaps a spelling program or a foreign language curriculum.

 

Where do you start? Google "homeschool spelling curriculum" and you'll be overwhelmed with possibilities. Ask four different friends and you'll get four different opinions about the best option available. And, of course, each of the curriculum providers' websites makes their program sound like the perfect solution to your needs. How do you know what to choose?

 

Most homeschoolers take a trial-and-error approach to finding the best curriculum fit for their family. But might there be a better way? Is there some way to know that a curriculum will be a good fit for your family before you waste your money - not to mention time spent in tears and frustration - on a good curriculum that just isn't a good fit for your family? You want what's best for your children. How do you know which curriculum is the best???

 

The best curriculum is the one that best suits you and your children. There's nothing magical about any curriculum or approach to teaching any subject. It's about finding the right fit between your family and the curriculum. 

 

This workshop will walk you through a process that will maximize the chances of you finding the right fit the first time. It will help you get really clear about what you need, what you want, and what you will actually look forward to using with your children. It will help you identify the materials that will maximize the joy you feel while teaching and that your children feel while learning. 

 

You'll leave this workshop with a clear idea of the characteristics you need in a curriculum and a tool to use to evaluate curricula and programs against the criteria that make a curriculum ideal for your family. It will save you tons of time and money and help to ensure that next year is your best homeschooling year yet.

Memorize the Beatitudes – More Helpful Hints!

Are you having a hard time memorizing the Beatitudes? We find that getting them in order is a real challenge. So we came up with a mnemonic device to help us. And we want to share it with you! And just to help you out, I turned it into a free printable.  Because I'm awesome like that. 

Remember back in elementary school when we learned about the order of the planets and we all learned that "My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas?" Apparently these days the very intelligent mother serves nachos because Pluto isn't a real planet anymore. But whatever. The point is, we memorized that sentence and - BAM! - we knew the order of the planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

So we came up with a couple of sentences to help us get the beatitudes in order. Helen, in typical Helen fashion, offered up a sentence about monsters and mopping up poop. I rejected that one, but you should feel free to make up your own sentence if mine is too boring for you. 

Because there are so many beatitudes, we have three sentences. Or two sentences and a sentence fragment if you want to get technical about it. Here they are:

Please make me ham and mashed potatoes. Pretty please? I prefer eating red raspberry pie. 

The printable below shows you how these sentences match up to the beatitudes. 

This little ditty, along with the slides I posted before, are really helping us with our goal of memorizing the Beatitudes. Our goal is to master them by the end of the Easter season. 

Click the image below to get the newest free printable!

Your Best Summer Yet – Workshop and Mini-Retreat



Saturday, May 14 from 10 am to 2 pm

We made it! Let's get together and celebrate the end of another great year.  And while we're at it,  let's plan for our best summer yet!  We'll take a look at what's working for us now that we want to keep going this summer. We'll dream and set goals and create a summer bucket list. We'll sketch out some daily and weekly routines to keep our summers running smoothly with lots of opportunity for grand adventures and rest and relaxation.  We'll learn from and inspire each other while we create a plan that is perfectly tailored to our own families. 

Register Here

When: Saturday, May 14 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Who: Anyone who will be home all day with kids this summer - feel free to invite your schooling friends!

Where: Jessica’s House – register at the link above for address

Agenda

10:00 – 10:30      Settle in, grab some food, and visit with old and new friends

10:30 – 10:45      Opening Remarks and Outline of the Day

10:45 – 11:45      Small Group Discussion – Painting the Big Picture: Goals and Dreams for the Best Summer Ever

11:45 – 12:30      Lunch Break - Eat more yummy food (provided) and continue conversations

12:45 – 1:45        Small Group Discussion – Making it Happen: Daily and Weekly Routines for the Best Summer Ever

1:45 - 2:00          Wrap-up, door prizes, evaluations, exchange contact info with your new friends

Cost: $20 helps cover the cost of food and materials

Register Here

 

7 Things To Do While Waiting for Labor

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I just read a super annoying blog post about 7 things to do while waiting for labor. I won’t link to it because I don’t want to disparage anyone, but there was reference to a “patience hat.” Seriously?

I’m snuggled in bed with my 5 day old. My sister and a friend of mine are due any minute. I can tell you, you can only tell a woman waiting for labor to “put on her patience hat” from the safety of your computer screen over the internet. Say that to her face and you better guard yours.

Those days before going into labor are excruciating. I don’t care if it’s your 1st or your 4th. I imagine it’s the same even if it’s your 10th, but I can only speak from personal experience for the first 4.

A friend of mine described it as the worst anticipation of her life, and I would agree. That first contraction could start at any moment. It could be with the next breath – or, God help you, it could be another week or more. How in the world does anyone survive it?

So here’s my list of 7 Things to do While Waiting for Labor. I promise not to tell you to just be patient. I promise.

Find a Project
I was super on top of things this time around. My freezer was stocked, my house was ready, the baby clothes were washed, my hospital bag was packed, the laundry was caught up for crying out loud.

Stupid.

I told my husband, “I finished nesting too early. I need a project.” I wasn’t feeling any particular surge of energy, I didn’t want to do anything super physical. I looked around and decided I would finally finish the tiny details on the bathroom makeover I started almost a year ago. It involved decoupaging some pictures (I have an unnatural love of Mod Podge, at least according to my husband) and hemming a shower curtain.

I did it in small steps over a couple of days. It was perfect. I finished 6 hours before the baby was born.

Keep Making Plans
Whatever your normal routine is, just keep doing it. Whatever you do, don’t stop your life and just sit home waiting to go into labor. My sister is due in one week. I just heard from my mom that mom is babysitting so my sister could go to the DMV to get tags on her car. We had a lot of work done on our cars in the weeks before this baby was born. The day before the baby was born, I made plans to get together for a playdate the day after the baby was born. Obviously, those plans got cancelled, but having them gave me something to look forward to had I not gone into labor when I did.
Of course, if you would really rather just stay home and take a nap, for heaven’s sake do that! If you feel tired and snuggly, then rest. But if you feel antsy and restless, keep making plans.

Serve Someone Else
Stay with me a moment here. It’s not a lecture, I promise. It’s just a way to take your mind off of yourself for a bit. One of my favorite mysteries of the Rosary is “The Visitation.” It’s where we reflect on the fact that just after Mary was told she was going to be the Mother of God, she heads off to help her cousin Elizabeth through the final trimester of her pregnancy.

I remember the first time I really thought about this. I remember thinking, “Wow. This woman just found out she’s going to be the freakin’ Mother of God. And she’s pregnant – with the King of the Universe – and she’s humbly trotting off to serve her cousin.”

Because my natural instinct is to be all “I’ve got some big stuff going on here myself, so, um, yeah, I’d like to help, but I’m over here in my first trimester with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, so maybe you could ask somebody else?”

So when I’m making an effort, I try to do something nice for someone else, even when I’ve got my own stuff going on. Nothing big. But the day before I had this baby, I did make an effort to deliver one of the meals I’d frozen to a friend who’d just had a baby. It made me feel good and it took my mind off of the imminence of labor for about 15 minutes. Oh, and it gave me a chance to bitch a little to someone else about how much the end of pregnancy sucks.

Make a Date with a Friend
This is not one of those “you won’t be able to do this after the baby comes” recommendations. This is simply acknowledging that hanging with a good girl friend is a nice way to pass the time. If you have other kids and you can ditch them, great. But even if it’s a playdate in the park where you can let your kids run off while you enjoy an unseasonably warm afternoon sitting at a picnic table gabbing with a friend (thanks, Andrea!), spend some time with people who love you and whom you love. It will distract you and remind you that you have friends. This will be important for you to remember once you do finally have that baby.

Do Something you Want to Do
Again, not because all your fun is about to come to an end, but because it’s an enjoyable way to pass the time. Get a massage. Go to a movie. Go to a yoga class. Go to one of those “Sip and Paint” classes. Whatever. Spend a little time doing something fun and frivolous. Because there’s nothing worse than just waiting.

Remember You Truly Won’t be Pregnant Forever
I don’t say that flippantly. This time around there was a good part of my brain that truly believed that this was all a cruel joke. That I wasn’t actually pregnant but rather had just contracted some strange medical condition with no known cure. The miracle of life is really hard to wrap your mind around, and I think it’s possible for even sane and rational people like myself (ahem.) to start to believe that it is possible to be pregnant forever. Just because it’s never happened before doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen now. There’s a first time for everything.

If any part of that previous paragraph sounds rational to you, don’t worry. It means you’re really, really close.

Go Ahead and Bitch a Little
One of the 7 things to do in the above referenced blog post was to stop complaining. (I told you it was an annoying post!) Bollocks. The end of pregnancy is HARD. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. Even under the best of circumstances, it’s still this huge thing that’s happening and some of it sucks. Yes, it’s beautiful and spiritual and miraculous. But it’s not really . . . fun. So go ahead and share some of those thoughts and feelings with that friend you’re hanging out with. Especially if she’s been there before. Don’t dwell on it, but really, it’s okay to say, “you know what? This really sucks.” And if she tells you to put on your patience hat, punch her in the nose.

 

 

Sandbox Scientist: Real Science Activities for Little Kids {Book Review}

If you’ve been following my posts on scheduling, you may have noticed that Thomas and Henry have a block called “Science Box Time.” This is a time of open ended science exploration facilitated by the handy little book Sandbox Scientist: Real Science Activities for Little Kids.

sandbox scientist

I first discovered this book when I randomly checked it out from the library. I loved it, returned it, and forgot the name of it. A bit later I despaired when  I couldn’t recall the name of it. All of my vague descriptions to the nice librarian and her creative searches yielded nothing. Then one day the title just came to me and I immediately jumped on Amazon and ordered my own copy of it.

This book is very nearly perfect for teaching science to young children. And by young, I mean anywhere from age 2 up to middle school.

In the early years, science is not about learning scientific facts. It is about the formation of scientific habits. It’s learning to think like a scientist. Science is learning to ask questions and to look for the answers through exploration and observation. Raising a scientist involves nurturing curiosity, and encouraging creativity. It means empowering children to discover, learn, and prove things for themselves rather than just accepting what they’re told.

Science asks “Why? Really? What happens if I. . . ? How do you know? Show me. Let me see. Let me try. Prove it.” Science sounds an awful lot like an impudent teenager.

Sandbox Scientist provides a list of science boxes you can assemble yourself that encourage children to ask these questions and to seek the answers for themselves through exploration and observation. The boxes work perfectly in a home environment because the materials they call for are cheap and easy to find.

I am using the book to plan out six weeks worth of boxes at a time. For our first six weeks I went through and pulled boxes calling for water. This is not because I’m doing a water theme (though you could certainly use the book that way), but rather because I want to take advantage of the warm weather while we’ve got it. By assembling six weeks worth of boxes at a time, I can make one trip to the hardware store and/or dollar store to get what we need and put everything together at one time. My boxes are now ready to go when I need them.

Yesterday my kids played with the Ice Box. One of the best things about the ideas in this book is that they are suitable for my 3 year old and my 9 year old. They approach the material in different ways, and they learn from each other in the process.

The Ice Box contained large blocks of ice made from yogurt tubs and 1/2 gallon milk cartons, spoons, forks, knives, paint brushes, watercolor paint, and squirt bottles of warm water. I put it all out in a couple of large aluminum trays on a sheet in the back yard and invited the kids out to play.

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The children had a blast observing the different properties of the ice. “This block is clear!” “This one is cloudy!” “Hey look, this one has holes in it?” “Let’s make the hole bigger.”

They also enjoyed painting the ice and watching the patterns of the swirls as the painted ice melted. They observed the effects of spraying a stream of water on the ice blocks versus spraying a mist of ice onto them. They enjoyed chipping and chiseling the ice into smaller pieces to make them melt faster.

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The boys did not happen to discover that they could melt the ice more quickly by using the magnifying glasses to focus the sun’s heat onto the ice. I think a small suggestion from me on using the magnifying glasses in this way could have extended the exploration a bit. As it was, they worked with the science box for a good 20 minutes before it devolved into a squirt bottle fight in the back yard. All in all, I thought our first science box was a success.

 

 

Homeschooling with Preschoolers: Plan for 2014-2015

I’m trying something new this year. I’ll have a 4th grader that I’m starting more formal work with, a 1st grader who will be doing very light school, a preschooler who is just along for the ride, and halfway through the year I’ll have a newborn. And possibly a nervous breakdown. I’ll keep you posted.

One of my challenges in thinking about this year was to figure out what to do with my preschooler while trying to teach my 1st and 4th graders. 

IMAG0290

I have always been a very relaxed schooler, but as I’m looking at meeting the needs of all my children at their different levels, I’m trying something new this year. I’m trying more structure, more routine, and more curriculum. I have spent the summer praying and planning and have come up with a plan that I am praying will work. I have felt God’s hand guiding me through this process and putting resources in my path that have helped me to get really clear about what we need to do this year. 

The two books that have most informed my thinking this summer are Managers of Their Homes by Steven and Teri Maxwell and Teaching From Rest by Sarah Mackenzie (note, there are no affiliate links in this post, I get no kick back if you buy any of this stuff).

Managers of Their Homes walks you through a detailed and prayerful process of creating a schedule for your family and your home school, and Teaching From Rest reminds you that anxiety has no place in the home school. The two books complement and balance each other nicely, and together helped me get clear about how to create routine and structure without becoming a slave to a schedule and the clock. 

I never intended to create such a detailed schedule for my kids. But I’ve noticed how they thrive on the schedule at their weekly enrichment program, and how much more smoothly the more routine parts of our days go. So I made a schedule. 

The Plan

This is what the schedule looks like for my 3 1/2 year old.

7:15 – 8:15 Morning chores

This is simple for my 3 1/2 year old – just getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and eating breakfast. He loves to help me make breakfast.
8:15 – 9:15 Group school
This is school for all my kids together. We’re using Book Shark for history and science so this time will be mostly read alouds. We’ll also do some math with Life of Fred. The preschooler will be free to play quietly in the room with us with blocks or legos or trains or drawing or whatever.  If he can’t be quiet, he will be asked to play in his room. I expect this to take practice and discipline, but I’m hoping once it’s routine, it will be easier. He generally likes to listens to stories, so I’m hopeful this will go okay.
9:15 – 9:45 Outside time
This is 30 minutes in the backyard with the other two kiddos while I do some morning chores.
9:45 – 10:15 Preschool with mom
I am typically anti-curriculum for preschoolers, but I wanted him to have some intentional attention from me early in the day. I’m going to try Flowering Baby. I chose this because it looks flexible, not too focused on academics, and very doable. I don’t intend to follow it to the letter but rather to use it as a handy guide so I don’t have to be terribly creative in planning this time with him. The activities look like things I do with him anyway, but saves me the hassle of having to think too hard about things.
10:15 – 10:45 Morning School 
This is my nod to Morning Basket Time as described by Jennifer Mackintosh at Wildflowers and Marbles. Jennifer describes her original conception of this time as ” a basket of inspiration that could be ageless in its offerings, that spanned abilities, that spoke to beauty and loveliness, and gave the day an inspiring start.” I plan to use this time to share art, music, hymns, and our faith with the children.
10:45 – 11:15 Science Box Time
This will be Thomas’s special time with Henry, my oldest. I’m using the book Sandbox Scientist to put together some free exploration boxes that should be able to keep the boys busy together for 30 minutes while I work one-on-one with Helen. The secret to making this successful will be 1) planning ahead and making sure I have everything ready to go and 2) teaching expectations for this time. The science boxes in this book are super cool, hands-on, and totally open ended, so I’m hopeful this will be a great time for both of the boys.
11: 15 – 12:15 Sensory Time with Helen
This will be some sort of play dough, or very simple open ended craft, or sensory bin activity. I like the creative invitations at the Tinker Lab site for this because they are simple and fun. I am also planning to rely heavily on Pinterest for this time. I’ll be pinning stuff here.
 
Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 Screen time
He’ll be able to play on the Kindle or play Starfall, or watch a show on the laptop. This is my prayer and reflection time, so we’ll likely be in my bed or on the sofa together. So this will also be some mama time for him.
1:30 – 2:00 Rest
He really should still nap, but he doesn’t. He desperately needs this midday rest. I have little hope that he’ll take to this idea easily, so this is also my rest time and we’ll lay down together. The screen will be put away, but he’ll be allowed to look at books or listen to music or audio books.
2:00 – 2:30 Time with Mom
 This will be one-on-one time for us to play whatever he wants. We’ll probably be building train tracks.
2:30 – 3:00 Play alone in office
The “office” is where his favorite toys are and all of the messy supplies. During this time Helen gets her alone time with me and Henry gets his computer time. Thomas likes to watch Henry play on the computer, so he can also do that during this time. I’m hoping this will work because he’s just had an hour and a half of time with me just prior to this. This is perhaps the most critical time for him to leave me alone because my poor middle child really needs some one-on-one mama time.
3:00 – 4:00 Outside time
This is Helen’s outside time too. It’s my phone call and reading time which I plan to do from a chair outside so I can keep an eye on them
while they ride bikes and such, and so they don’t feel abandoned. I won’t be playing with them though.
4:00 – 4:30 Screen time
Each of my kids gets 3 blocks of 30 minutes for screen time. This is Thomas’s second block. It’s scheduled so there’s no fighting about who gets to pick the show or use the computer.
4:30 – 5:00 Afternoon chores
This is helping with a general whole house pick-up as well as tidying his room and possibly another small, “real” chore like collecting eggs. Once he’s done with whatever it is, he can go back outside.
5:00 until 6:00 or Dinner Time
As long as the weather is nice and it’s not dark too early the kids will usually play outside with the neighbor kids until dinner time at 6:00. I will also hopefully have a mother’s helper once a week or so which should take the edge off when the weather is bad or it’s getting dark early and the kids need to play inside. Thomas can also choose to have his last block of screen time at 6:00.
If looking at this overwhelms you, keep in mind that I created this after a whole lot of prayer and reflection. It’s based on the very specific needs and interests of my family. The plan you have for your family should look different because your family is different. What I hope you take away from this post is the idea that some careful thought to the needs of your preschooler and a little bit of advanced planning can help you fit him into your home schooling day.

In the face of tragedy

Another senseless tragedy in our country has everyone reeling again. I don’t consume news media. All of my information comes from Facebook. Maybe that’s pathetic, but I manage to hear about most things anyway.

I don’t need to know the details. The outline is horrific enough.

What I don’t understand is the shock and disbelief evident in so many reactions to this tragedy. Terrible, horrible, sickening, unthinkable things happen in this world every day. Every single day. And they have happened every single day from the beginning of human beings. This is not news. Every single day some horrible monster does something terrible to an innocent child somewhere. Every single day people are murdered. We only hear about the big ones. And not even all the big ones, but just the big ones that happen in our own back yard.

I suppose I should find it heartening that people are still surprised when news like this breaks. I don’t consider myself particularly jaded or despairing, but I am aware that this beautiful life, and the unspeakably precious gift of my children, could be taken from me at any moment in any one of an infinite number of terrible ways. But I try not to let it keep me up at night. Most nights I succeed. When I feel scared, when I the fear of losing my family grips my throat and knots my stomach, I thank God for all that I’ve been given that I do not deserve. One smile from one of my sweet children is more joy than I could dare to hope to experience in this life. I have so very much to be grateful for.

And speaking of God. Everyone wants to know how God could allow such evil to exist. But evil doesn’t exist. Evil is nothing. Just like darkness does not exist, but is merely the absence of light. As cold does not exist, but is merely the absence of heat. Evil is the absence of good. The Good. If you want to rid the world of evil you have to flood it with Good.

And you have to do it every single day. Not just when news of tragedy reaches you. Not just when the big ones are staring you in the face. You have to do good when your child wants your attention while you’re surfing facebook. You have to do good when that jackass cuts you off in traffic. You have to do good when you’re in a hurry at the grocery store.

We aren’t helpless. But it’s not easy either. Now is not the time for hand wringing. Nor is it the time for taking up arms. Now is the time for Love. Every single day. With every single person you encounter. How different this world would be if we all remembered this all the time.

“You say, the times are troublesome, the times are burdensome, the times are miserable. Live rightly and you will change the times.

The times have never hurt anyone. Those who are hurt are human beings; those by whom they are hurt are also human beings. So, change human beings and the times will be changed.”
-Saint Augustine, Sermon 311, 8

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