Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Jun. 3, 2019

Is It Okay to Have a Hobby Other Than Homeschooling?

"Is it okay that I want a hobby outside of homeschooling? My four boys are 7, 5, 3, and 1. For the past eight years, my hobbies have included breastfeeding, potty training, laundry, feeding people, and researching homeschool curriculum. I'm longing for something that I can invest my time and energy into. I'm with my children all day long, and I’m grateful for that. But I know I would be a better mama, teacher, and wife if I had an outlet outside of those roles." -Amy, a homeschool mom

Approximately 200 homeschool moms responded to Amy when she posted this question in a Facebook group. It obviously hit a nerve! If you are struggling with this longing or finding it hard to carve out time for a hobby, you are not alone!

Many of them said, “I’m in the same situation. I wish I could develop a hobby of my own."

Many others answered with a resounding, “Yes! It’s good and healthy to develop a hobby beyond homeschooling! Your family will be profoundly blessed when you are healthy, strong, and inspired.”

What Do Other Homeschool Moms Do For Personal Enrichment?

Check out this eclectic list of potential hobbies enjoyed by other homeschool moms. Maybe you will discover one you’d like to develop. Don’t be afraid to try something new; you may surprise yourself!

Stamp collecting
Breeding and showing rabbits
Reading
Playing Pokémon Go
Joining a book club
Attending MOPS
Cooking
Blogging
Working out at the gym
Crafting
Coloring
Doing ministry for church
Going to a nice restaurant
Getting a pedicure
Participating in a Bible study
Thrift store shopping
Writing
Crocheting
Knitting
Volunteering at a local museum
Playing the piano
Embroidering
Starting a small business
Blessing other young moms with babysitting
Practicing Taekwondo
Attending local lectures and concerts
Painting
Dancing
Taking local classes
Doing Jazzercise
Swimming

How Homeschool Moms Make Time for Personal Enrichment

In that original discussion launched by Amy's question, plenty of moms chimed in with how they make self-care and hobbies a priority. Here's a recap of some of the ideas they shared:

I’m one of those people who likes to wake up early. That’s when I exercise and enjoy a hobby like reading or crafting.
Even though my kids don’t nap any more, we’ve kept an hour-long quiet time in the afternoon. Each child is in a room quietly resting or reading. That’s when I enjoy my hobby.
I schedule it into the homeschool day. For example, when my children do their devotions, I do mine. When my children do their quiet reading, I do mine. When they work on an art project, I work on one, too. When they play outside, I go out with them and garden.
My hobby is important enough to me that I use screen-time to make it happen. I allow the kids to watch a 30 - 60 minute show each afternoon while I work on it.
I have to be ready to take the opportunity when it comes. If I want to read more, I carry a book in my purse, in the car, and keep one in the kitchen. If I want to knit, I do the same thing with my knitting project.
I hire a sitter for 2 hours every week and use that time for self-care. It’s that important!
Once a month, my husband takes care of the kids from dinner until bedtime. I go out for a quiet dinner and enjoy the free time however I’d like.
My husband puts the children to bed every night. I use that personal time to relax or enjoy a hobby.
I intentionally pursue hobbies that help my family like using medicinal herbs, cooking, photography, and fostering animals. Then, we are all invested in the hobby and I feel personally enriched.

This week, pray about and plan a way that you can continue to grow as an individual. Remember that your family will be blessed by your strength, well-being, and rich inner life. Let us know your plan so we can cheer you on! Leave a comment below or join us in the Sonlight Connections group.

Tagged Encouragement, hobbies, homeschool moms, moms, self-care, tips | 3 Comments

May. 31, 2019

Being a Homeschool Curriculum Junkie—How & Why to Just Say No

By Heather Mills Schwarzen

Do any of these descriptors apply to you in relation to homeschool curriculum?

You sell curriculum and still have shelves brimming with books and resources?
You frequently loan your not-in-use curriculum to friends?
You often switch curriculum? And then switch again?
You have a reputation of having tried every program under the sun?
You sometimes mistakenly buy items you already own?

If so, you might be a homeschool curriculum junkie.

The Curriculum Junkie in Her Native Habitat

A curriculum junkie is a homeschool parent whose main hobby seems to be researching and collecting curriculum. Her shelves are lined with books, CDs, supplies, and manipulatives—much of it barely used. She will offer to loan you books to peruse, and sometimes will even admit that she has multiple copies.

This is the person who has already heard of the next new thing or can easily rattle off the pros and cons of all twelve math programs she has used over the past three years. She knows when every used sale in that area takes places, too, usually because she’s both a buyer and a seller. She’s a treasure trove of information and an unabashedly enthusiastic homeschooler.

The Pitfalls of Being a Curriculum Junkie

While some consider it a badge of honor to be a curriculum junkie, there are some decided downsides:

1. Expense

Buying curriculum is an expensive hobby. Even the cheapest resources add up when you are constantly on the hunt. Buying things that are a deal isn’t saving you any money if you already have something at home on the shelves that can get the same job done.

2. Inconsistency

There is no consistency or flow for children whose parents routinely revamp their methodology. Students who stop and start new curriculum throughout the year may never find a rhythm with their learning. Both of these are important parts of the learning process. Predictability can be bad, but more often than not, it’s actually quite good. Settling comfortably into a familiarity with how information is being presented lets kids focus on the content instead of the structure.

3. Energy Drain

All of the work of researching and hunting down curriculum diverts precious time and energy. As a homeschooling mom, you have a limited amount of your greatest resource: YOU! You probably have a hundred plates you have to keep spinning; it's no wonder you end up feeling pressured, pulled, and burned out. Why add another plate of curriculum hopping when the thing you’re pursuing is just another version of something you already have?

How to Say No to Homeschool Curriculum Overload

So how do you steer clear of the trap? How do you find what you need and stay on top of options, but not become the curator of your own curriculum museum?

1. Look to Trusted Sources

Ask for recommendations from friends whose learning styles are similar or whose homeschooling bent is aligned with yours. Consult the websites and catalogs of companies whose offerings have resonated with you in the past.

2. Don't Curriculum Shop as Recreation

Making a habit of perusing used sales pages or picking up odds and ends whenever the mood strikes doesn’t make financial sense. Find other ways to have a good time that will replenish your soul or improve your homeschool.

3. Recognize the Signs of Curriculum Distress

There are definitely times when you need to steer the homeschool curriculum ship in a new direction. But don’t fix what isn’t broken.

If your child is content and growing with the current science curriculum, don’t waste your time looking for something bigger, better, or newer. Be content with what you have! Look for the signs that things need to change as your cue to shop, not your own restlessness.

4. Allow Time for Curriculum to Work

One of the major pitfalls of being a curriculum junkie is the cycle of inconsistency it sets up for students. Bringing in a new piece of curriculum automatically comes with an adjustment period. Deciding a few weeks into a new program that it won’t work short circuits that normalization time. Don't reset the clock when it’s possible that the first one would have eventually worked out with a bit of patience.

5. Have a Long Range Homeschool Plan

Knowing your long-term goals helps you plot your course effectively. If you know that your son will cover chemistry in tenth grade, then there’s no reason to collect three other chemistry programs designed for middle schoolers when he’s in seventh grade. Avoiding senseless purchases isn’t just frugal, it’s good stewardship of your resources, your family, and your homeschool.

TRY SONLIGHT FREE

If you tend to curriculum hop or piece together programs from a wide variety of sources and are exhausted by the constant change, try Sonlight. It's complete and fully planned so you can stop the curriculum habit and settle on the one program that works.

Tagged choosing, curriculum, homeschool | 1 Comment

May. 29, 2019

The Ultimate Summer Bucket List of Life Skills for Homeschoolers

By Veronica Soto

Parents needs summer vacation as much as their children! It's a time to relax and recover. But summer days are also a great time to squeeze in topics that might be neglected during the homeschool year—like life skills!

Homeschoolers joke about having a life skills day when they put aside the books to clean house or prepare for a big move. But there are plenty of life skills outside of cleaning and downsizing that often get overlooked in the favor of grammar, geography, and geology.

Try these out this summer! Each skill can be adjusted to give the children the amount of information and practice they need for their age.

Home Economics Life Skills for Kids

There are several areas included in home economics, any of which would make for fun summer learning.

Cooking and Baking Being adept in the kitchen is a great skill to prepare your children for adulthood, but it has the added benefit of being helpful to the whole family right now. Teach your child how to make meals and snacks this summer so they can take some of the meal preparation tasks off your to do list in the fall.
Nutrition Teaching your children about macro nutrients, vitamins, and the body's insulin response will empower children to take better care of themselves with healthy food choices.
Child Development Knowing how to feed, change, and entertain small children can help your students prepare for life as parents or find jobs in childcare such as babysitting.
Home Management Let kids peek behind the scenes of what it takes to manage a home: paying taxes, basic upkeep, deep cleaning skills, and household repairs are all necessary skills for future homeowners.
Sewing From making clothes for themselves or for their dolls, to replacing buttons and hemming pants, sewing is a life skill that lengthens the life of your clothes.

Auto Repair Life Skills for Kids

Basic automotive repairs are skills every driver should be aware of. By the age of 12 (sometimes sooner), children can start to do basic car maintenance.

Emergency Skills Teach your kids how to change a tire, how to safely jump-start a vehicle with a dead battery, how to contact AAA for roadside assistance, what to do in an accident, etc.
Basic Car Maintenance Children should be able to check tire pressure, add air to tires, check the oil levels, and refill the wiper fluid.
Emergency Preparedness Skills Children should know about car insurance and how to contact emergency services. They can learn how to stock and check an emergency kit, check the spare tire to make sure it’s in good working condition, and regularly check to make sure emergency equipment (jack, jumper cables, etc) are in good working condition.
Vehicle Safety Teach your children what to do if their car starts smoking, steering stops working, or the engine stops while they are driving. Teach them how to respond if they get pulled over by a police officer and the need to always carry their license with them. Cell phone safety, dealing with friends who want to drive under the influence, what to do during a flood or blizzard, and road rage are all important to discuss.

Financial Life Skills for Kids

All children should learn how to handle money at some point. Saving money is a hard skill for some people to master, and budgeting confuses plenty of adults.

Budgeting Have your children help you with the household budget. Let them see how much you spend on different categories, and help them find ways to reduce costs in your household. Show them daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly expenses and how you keep track of when each needs to be paid.
Balancing a Bank Account Show them how to keep track of what’s being spent and deducted. While balancing a checkbook might no longer be a needed skill, it is important to keep track of how much money is in your accounts to watch for mistakes and catch when accounts have been hacked.
Taxes From property taxes to sales taxes, the amount that goes to taxes is usually stunning to teens. Help them see how sales tax is calculated, when it applies, and the other types of taxes they may encounter as an adult.
Giving/Tithing Explain how your family gives money, how you decide who to give it to, and how much to give.
Gifting From birthday and Christmas funds to general generosity to strangers on the street, go over the importance of giving money as well as spending it.
Saving There are two categories to teach when it comes to saving money. The first is how to save money on expenses by comparison shopping and cutting costs through frugal choices. The second is putting money aside for emergencies or for special projects.
Credit Children need to be taught to use credit responsibly, to keep credit under control, and not to spend more than they can afford to repay. The younger they learn this skill, the better the chances they will have fewer credit issues as an adult. Teach them how a credit score is calculated and start working on building their own credit score when they are older teens.

Computer Life Skills for Kids

Children grow up as digital natives today, but that doesn't mean they know all these practical computer skills! For those who like to limit electronics, teaching these topics over the summer keeps screentime from being a distraction to their regular studies.

Typing Most children can learn to type in a few short weeks, making this a great skill to learn over the summer. A fun typing program can help whittle away the hottest hours of the summer and give them a skill to help them with their writing assignments over the rest of the year.
Creating Digital Documents Writing a paper, creating a poster, or making a spreadsheet are all simple yet valuable skills to teach.
Programming Many children love learning to code and program and will happily spend many hours teaching themselves with a few resources.
Research Teach your child how to safely and accurately research. Sonlight includes tips on how to research each time they assign a research writing assignment in their Language Arts programs, but good research can always be improved. Teach them how to use keywords to search up information, how to evaluate the quality of a site, how to compile research, and how to structure a bibliography.
Internet Safety Show your children how to protect themselves online, how to restrict information they put online, and how to identify sites and people who may be misrepresenting themselves.

Safety Life Skills for Kids

In addition to the forms of online safety mentioned above, there are many other aspects of personal safety that are easy to teach but important to know.

Identification Safety Teach your child to memorize their full name, their parents' full names, address, and phone number.
Vehicle Safety Know car seat and seat belt rules.
Water Safety Cover swimming and lifesaving skills; avoid running near water. Touch on boat safety.
Fire Safety Hold simple fire drills. Teach your children to keep low, stop drop and roll, and alternate exit routes.
Kitchen Safety Train your children how to use knives, how to put out kitchen fires, and how to use a fire extinguisher.
Stranger Safety Make sure your kinds know what to do if they get lost. Teach them some basic self-defense tactics and what to do if someone asks them to do something they shouldn’t.
Body Safety Discuss good touch/bad touch and what to do if they ever feel uncomfortable about a touching situation.
Tornado Safety Teach your children how to identify the sound of a tornado siren and how to find a safe area.
Hurricane Safety Go over the difference between warnings and watches. Discuss your family’s evacuation plan.
Allergy Safety Make sure kids know how to read food labels, how to use an EpiPen (epinephrine auto-injector), and when to call 911.
Physical Safety Teach basic first aid.
Survival Safety Go outdoors to learn how to build a fire, catch food, establish a clean water supply, and build a shelter.
Firearm Safety Instill in your children both the dangers of firearms and, as appropriate for your family and local culture, how to use firearms safely.
Secret Safety Discuss what secrets are okay to keep and which are not. Make sure children know when to tell parents secrets.

Many life skills can be taught in a short time period. Some need as little as twenty minutes, and others can be covered in a couple of days or a few weeks. Consider adding in a few life skills over the summer to help round out your child’s education and give your children confidence in their ability to take care of themselves and meet any life challenges they face.

When looking for life skills resources, start with Sonlight Electives. They are carefully curated so you can trust they are the cream of the crop.

SEE ALL ELECTIVES

Tagged electives, Homeschooling, life experience, life skills, summer | 1 Comment

May. 24, 2019

3 Ways To Give Your Summer Structure

By Heather Mills Schwarzen

Summer promises freedom. And, oh, do we crave that freedom—freedom from the obligation of daily assignments, the to and fro of weekly practices, and the hectic pace of co-op schedules.

But then, sometime around the five-week mark of an extended school break, things begin to shift the slightest bit. That lack of structure begins to feel like a lack of purpose.

You’re working harder to get kids motivated to do much more than scroll a screen, stream another episode of their favorite show, or follow you around the house reminding you that they’re bored. Those grand plans for outdoor fun have played out, you’ve lost all interest in making yet another Pinterest craft, and you can’t spend every day at the pool without it, too, losing its luster.

What’s a mom to do?

1. When in Doubt, Read

The easiest way to inject structure into a summer that’s starting to fizzle is to create a loose, low-pressure reading list. Any Readers or Read-Alouds that didn’t get covered during the school year can be tackled in the hotter months, as can extra books that don’t fit elsewhere but you don’t want to miss.

Sonlight’s Summer Readers are also a fabulous, no-stress way to gain some balance in your days. From early readers to high school, adding some daily reading time anchors the day and gives it some shape—and offers some creative conversation points, too. My family maintains a daily reading time after lunch year-round. That little bit of predictability is often enough to ward off the summer crazies.

2. Field Trips That Won’t Leave You All Wet

Visiting your neighborhood pool is great. Trekking to the beach is fabulous. Dipping in the lake is wonderful. Even outings to local splash pads and fountains are fun. But eventually, the crowds and the heat will get to you… and you’ll crave something of the beaten path.

Summer is the perfect time for off-season field trips. Gather with a group of friends, or just journey as a family to find indoor and outdoor educational pursuits that will get you out of the there’s-nothing-to-do rut:

picking produce at a local farm
attending free workshops at big chain hobby stores
taking advantage of discount movie days
bowling
touring the printing press of your local newspaper
holding an ice cream crawl
roller skating

3. Did You Say School?

But what if what you really want is a little taste of, well… normalcy? Maybe the kind of structure you need to help your days is school. Before you panic or picture your kids mid-mutiny, consider: a super light schedule of just three math lessons per week might get your children's brains engaged, and help them enjoy (and appreciate!) that leisurely afternoon building a tent village in their own backyard.

School might feel like a dirty word between June and August, but it might very well be the answer to helping ward off boredom, cut down on bickering, and ultimately extending the joy of those long weeks of summer.

An interest-led unit study, or lessons in something you don’t get to during the normal school year (baking? sewing?) are educational, fun, and often just enough to help you and your children feel like their summer was an oasis of respite instead of a waste.

Tagged homeschool tips, routines, scheduling, summer | Leave a comment

May. 20, 2019

Six No-Fuss Ideas to Encourage Summer Reading

By Sarita

Wondering how to encourage your reluctant reader? Discover these six ways to help them fall in love with reading!

Continue reading →

Tagged enrichment, reading, summer, summer reading | 2 Comments

May. 10, 2019

8 Ways to Wrap Up Your Homeschool Curriculum in Time for Summer

By Laura Booz

Are you on track to finish your homeschool curriculum by your end-of-the-year target date? Or are you further behind than you had planned? If the latter, you could probably use some tricks for wrapping up your homeschool curriculum in time for summer.

As I write this, we are on Week 28 of History / Bible / Literature E and Sonlight 100. I keep counting the weeks on the calendar just to make sure we’ll be finished by the second week in June to the day. For this box-checking Type A Mom, that’s cutting it close! In the past, we’ve finished our 36-week Sonlight curriculum by the end of May, but this year we took some weeks off when we welcomed a new baby in December. I’m motivated to finish by June 14th so we can

fully embrace a summer rest
enjoy summer activities
get our homeschool portfolios together
meet with our homeschool evaluator
submit our report to the school district by the end of June

(Just writing that list makes my heart race!)

I need to remind myself regularly that I don’t have to check every box.

Sonlight Curriculum is less a law to be followed and more a country to be explored. It intentionally provides much more than we could ever tackle in one year so that we are immersed by goodness, truth, and beauty on every side.

My children and I have the freedom to read, learn, and explore at a pace that benefits us and suits our circumstances. That’s why I love Sonlight!

It’s okay if we don’t neatly check off Week 36 by 5 p.m. on June 14th. At the same time, we have a couple of strategies that could help us to finish the curriculum in a timely fashion or be at peace with what we have accomplished during the school year. We can choose from among many tried-and-true options when we come to June with leftover curriculum.

Option #1: Fulfill Your State’s Homeschool Requirements and Enjoy Your Summer Vacation

Did you know that we don’t have to complete the 36-week curriculum in 36 weeks? Actually, we don’t have to complete the curriculum at all. Of course, most of us want to complete each HBL because they are packed with fascinating books, projects, discussion questions, and lessons. The truth is that we don’t have to check all of the boxes.

We do need to adhere to our state’s homeschool requirements though. Here in Pennsylvania where I live, we must log 180 days or 990 hours of school work. The home educator decides what constitutes a full homeschool day’s work. If my child has logged the required number of days in earnest work, we’ve successfully completed a homeschool year. At that point, I am legally free to close the books right where we are and put my feet up for a couple of months. (If you have questions about your state’s homeschool requirements, consult your state’s homeschool law.)

Option #2: Keep Going Until You Have Finished the Entire Curriculum

Some families just keep going with the HBL until it is complete even if that means going into the summer months. They say that there is still plenty of summer fun, and they feel good about getting as much as possible out of the curriculum.

Option #3: Double Up

If you want your child to complete the 36-week curriculum, but don’t have enough weeks in the school year, consider doubling up some of the subjects. For example, each day read two days' worth of History, Bible, and Literature and finish in half the time. Or double up math lessons, doing one in the morning and one in the evening. Instead of doing science twice a week, do it every afternoon.

Option #4: Add Saturday Mornings as School Days

In a few hours on Saturday mornings, you may be able to read several days’ worth of history, do an extra math lesson, or read through an entire week’s worth of Bible. Adding Saturdays is a simple way to get ahead in plenty of time to wrap up your homeschool curriculum for the summer!

Option #5: Use Audio Books

While you are reading aloud the current week’s assignments, begin listening to the next reader on audio book. Then you’ll have extra time to double-up on lessons or read ahead in another book.

Option #6: Stop Where You Are and Pick Up Again In the Fall

Just because you wrap up the school year doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the unfinished curriculum. When the new school year rolls around, simply pick up where you ended in June. Begin the next Sonlight HBL whenever you are ready. Many families report completing two HBL’s every three years. Others intentionally take twice the amount of time to work through one HBL over two years. Feel free to make the curriculum work for your child and your family’s situation.

Option #7: Save the Read-Alouds for Summer Reading

Consider skipping the Read-Alouds for now and focusing the remaining school year on finishing the math, history, language arts, and Bible portions of the curriculum. Make time in the summer to double-back and enjoy those Read-Alouds at a more leisurely pace.

Option #8: Fit in Extra Work Throughout the Summer

Speaking of summer, consider portioning the incomplete curriculum items throughout the summer.

Use a Read-Aloud as a bedtime story.
Read the Bible lessons over breakfast.
Listen to an audio book on your vacation.
Do a few science experiments when it’s too hot to go outside.
Assign a packet for the summer with three journal prompts, three math pages per week, and three Readers. Kids get the packets on the last day of school and do them at their leisure throughout the summer.

Tagged behind, curriculum, scheduling, summer, tips | Leave a comment

May. 8, 2019

An Easy Way to Celebrate Growth in Your Homeschool

By Sarita

Some homeschool milestones feel huge. There's nothing quite like the joy of watching a child learn to read. But most milestones are a bit quieter than that. And they often go unnoticed.

As you go along day by day faithfully raising and educating your children, I suggest you take a step back and periodically look at some of those quieter forms of growth. They can be so encouraging, especially when you wonder if you're falling behind.

You may find this a great year-end activity, or a way to shore up your motivation as you plod along. Looking back can also be a huge testament to God's work in our lives.

Think back to the beginning of this school year and what your children were like then. Where were they academically, socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically? Now think about how they've grown and changed this year. Take a sheet of paper and complete the following sentences at least five times for each child.

Let's say you have a child named Sam:

"At the beginning of the school year, Sam ______________. Now, Sam ______________."

Keep writing until you are rejoicing in how Sam has grown this year.

Perhaps he learned to ride a bike or how to share with his sister.
Maybe he finally grasped long division.

You could think about specific subjects, character issues, major accomplishments, relational growth, etc.

If you captured photos of your child’s first day, be sure to take one on the last day of school, too. Then you can compare the physical changes that have taken place as well. (They grow so fast, don’t they?)

Use this paper as a keepsake to review in the years to follow. In addition, a Sonlight Memory Book is a great tool to document your children’s growth throughout the year. After you have captured how much your children have grown, why not celebrate your own growth as well? Sometimes it may feel as if our struggles never bring change, but as we follow Christ, he does work in our hearts.

Taking the long view can be a true act of praise to see how God has grown us over the past decade. Try to write ten statements like this:

"Ten years ago, I _________________. Now, I ________________."

Keep it positive, and thank God for the ways he has grown you into someone a little more loving, a little more mature, a little more Christ-like. Although everything from academic growth to spiritual growth can seem painfully slow sometimes, when we take a longer view we can see that we are in fact growing up.

To paraphrase John Newton, may we all say, "I am not the person I ought to be, I am not the person I wish to be, and I am not the person I hope to be. But I am not the person I used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am."

Praise the Lord for that!

Blessings to you and yours,
Sarita

Tagged academics, celebration, end of year, growing, maturity, progress | 1 Comment