Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Dec. 7, 2018

3 Simple Phrases that Infuse My Homeschool with a Growth Mindset

Not knowing what to say when your child is having academic trouble is the worst. It’s so hard to maintain a positive attitude when deep inside you are questioning if it is your fault. After all, you are homeschooling, which makes you both the parent and the teacher.

Never is this more true than when I’m homeschooling my very own perfectionist. This child is an amazing, wonderful, bright little person. Many things come easily. When they don’t, this sweet kid struggles—a lot. The results are tears and phrases like “I can’t do this!” or “I’m too stupid!” It’s heartbreaking!

In front of me is this amazing child who can do all kinds of things, but who doesn’t know what to do when facing a challenge. There is a strong desire to avoid it any situation that challenges. More accurately, there is refusal to attempt the task. There is also lots of drama. This attitude hurts our homeschooling, but more importantly it also risks damaging our relationship.

Sometimes, I honestly can’t tell the difference between refusing to do something out of rebellion and not being able to complete the work.

Is it that they really don’t understand?
Have they tuned me out?
Do they simply not want to work hard enough to get it right?

This situation is frustrating for both of us.

When Kids Resist Hard Work Out of Fear of Failure

While searching for answers and strategies, I came across a fantastic Sonlight blog post called 10 Brilliant Tips for Homeschooling Young Perfectionists. Among the great advice is the recommendation to cultivate a growth mindset. This approach encourages the child and the parent to focus more on the effort and the process as opposed to the end product.

Utilizing a growth mindset is working so well for my little perfectionist that I wanted to share a three key phrases that are doing wonders to help re-frame our homeschool approach:

“Mistakes are how we learn.”
“This is hard, and you can do hard things.”
“What should we do?”

Using these phrases seems to unfreeze my child from concentrating too hard on the end goal. They help us slow down and rework mistakes without it a perception of failure.

I admit that these phrases aren’t a no-fail cure-all, but they give me something to say when my child’s composure starts to crumple. They have been said enough in our house now that my kids often repeat them to themselves and to each other.

Growth Mindset Phrase 1. “Mistakes are how we learn.”

I use this phrase often when I point out mistakes I make as well as my children's mistakes. I bring this up during times that are not emotionally turbulent. Then when a mistake occurs I gently remind the kids that mistakes happen, and it’s okay. In fact, it’s how we learn.

I don’t stop there. In order to learn from our mistakes we have to do our best to correct that mistake. This refocuses us from merely recognizing that a mistake was made to problem solving a solution.

Growth Mindset Phrase 2. “This is hard, and you can do hard things.”

Historically, I tried to acknowledge that some of what my child was trying to do was hard. It wasn’t enough. I was missing a key component. My kids also needed to know that they could do hard things. Now, if something is hard ,we don’t just acknowledge that it is a difficult task, but we also recognize we might need to make more of an effort to get it done. But achieving it is possible. Giving up isn’t necessary because it can be done. It just may take more work.

Growth Mindset Phrase 3. “What should we do?”

Giving my child choices about how to address mistakes has been a game changer. For instance, if my child has mistakenly written a d instead of a b, I can offer several options:

Would you like to try to correct this answer on your own, or would you like some help? If my child chooses to do it on their own, I tell them to let me know if they change their mind.
Would you like to use the eraser and rewrite your answer?
Would you like to write the correct answer next to your first attempt? Sometimes my child likes to keep the original answer and then write the preferred answer next to it for later review.

As a bonus, these phrases don’t work only for perfectionists! I have another child who is more than happy to stop with mediocre work. Reminding this child that mistakes are for learning helps reinforce that we don’t just leave a mistake. Acknowledging that doing hard things is possible encourages renewed effort.

Moms benefit from fostering a growth mindset, too.

Sure you’ll make mistakes when homeschooling; it’s how you learn.
Yes, homeschooling is hard, but you can do it!

I highly recommend investing time and effort to foster a growth mindset in your homeschool. Let these phrases, and others like them, transform your family into one that faces challenges with confidence and mistakes with perseverance!

To find out more about Sonlight's book-based homeschool programs, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.

Tagged growth mindset, Homeschooling, parenting, perfectionism, perfectionists, talking | Leave a comment

Dec. 5, 2018

Does Beauty Even Matter in Homeschooling? (Yes! Here's Why)

By Gina Munsey

As home educators, we shoulder the responsibility of ensuring our children learn to read, calculate figures and sums, and transcribe thoughts to paper. In the pursuit of these essential three Rs—reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic—where do truth and beauty fit in? Is it worth spending time focusing on these so-called intangibles?

Few Christians, of course, would argue against the importance of teaching truth. “I am the truth,” Jesus reminds us in John chapter fourteen, verse six. “Thy word is truth,” He echoes in prayer to God a few chapters later. Truth is integral to the believer.

But what about beauty? It’s not definable, explainable, or logical. Why does it matter? Aren’t there more practical endeavors, and other hefty educational topics more deserving of our time and attention?

God Invented Beauty

God could have created this life to be a pragmatic and adequately functional existence, but he didn’t. He chose to create beauty, in all its seemingly-unnecessary splendor. It’s hard, sometimes, to remember in the midst of this broken and flawed world, but it’s true. God is the author of all that’s good, beautiful, and true. Genesis’ repeated refrain “and God saw that it was good” uses the Hebrew word טוֹב, which can be translated beautiful and delightful.

Have you ever thought about the passage in this way before: God saw, and it was beautiful? God saw, and it was delightful? It brings about a rather awe-inspiring, marvelous perspective, isn’t it?

I play at being creative here and there, but in reality, my personality is rather rigid. I see justice in terms of black and white, and my thoughts tend to slide toward the “all or nothing” end of the fallacy spectrum. And yet I’ve grown convinced of beauty’s absolute necessity.

God Commands Beauty

If we’ve ever felt the temptation to dismiss beauty for beauty’s sake as worldly or secular, Francis Schaeffer’s book Art and the Bible shouts to our dulled senses. In this brief but influential book, Schaeffer calls our attention to the sixth verse of second Chronicles chapter three in which Solomon, following God’s temple construction commands, “garnished the house with precious stones for beauty” [emphasis mine]. While our American sensibilities tend to shy away from such an idea, the Old Testament temple certainly doesn’t. Schaeffer expounds,

“There was no pragmatic reason for the precious stones.
They had no utilitarian purpose.
God simply wanted beauty in the temple.
God is interested in beauty.”

Isn’t this a profound realization?

We Ache for Beauty Because it’s a Whisper of What Eden Was and What Heaven is

On a long-forgotten album from the early 1990s, the late Rich Mullins sang, “There's so much beauty around us / for just two eyes to see.” I’ve always loved this lyric. It reminds me of how much we can not yet see because we’re, as Paul says “see[ing] through a glass, darkly.” And it also reminds me of how much there is yet to see, waiting for us just beyond the veil.

We ache for beauty because it’s a whisper of what Eden was, and what heaven is. All the earthly beauty we see around us—the crimson and indigo sky, the ethereal curl of a blush-tinged petal—all this is a reflection of the One who created “all things bright and beautiful,” as the old hymn says.

Beauty matters because beauty reflects God.

It matters because it points us heavenward and reminds us to fasten our eyes on the eternal.

Our longing for beauty will never be complete until we find ourselves face to face with Him whose hands crafted this all. As the great C.S. Lewis wrote, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Sonlight is a true and meaningful education

Beauty is Naturally Integrated into Life

You can read all seven Sonlight book requirements here, but would it surprise you to learn beauty is actually on the list of criteria? Point six of the seven-part test reads, “[The books must be] verbally beautiful. The writing must be superb and allow for fluent reading—silently or aloud.”

It’s a fascinating point to note, don’t you think? Not only does beauty matter in the trenches of homeschooling, it’s a non-negotiable point. Beauty isn’t merely a superfluous accessory to learning, but an essential element. And this integration reflects, life, doesn’t it? Beauty is not to be relegated only to the study of arts. Worship is not meant to be segmented out into a ninety-minute chunk of Sunday morning time. Rather, when we open our eyes to the overwhelming beauty in

all of nature,
the lyrical rise and fall of the written word,
the mouth-watering aroma of dinner simmering on the stove, and
everyday moments,

we can praise God with every breath.

We are Free to Enjoy Beauty

Friend, does your heart, too, desire beauty? Don’t condemn yourself when longing for beauty swells up inside you, when your heart thrills for a basket of blooms or a metallic-rimmed mug or the sparkling sight of the evening sky beyond a just-cleaned window.

Certainly we are warned against covetousness, but we are created for beauty. As Francis Schaeffer so plainly said, “God is interested in beauty.” It’s okay if you’re interested, too! This longing is God-given, and we can honor him as we remember His realm is the opposite of chaotic darkness. (And we can wage war against discontent, too, when we intentionally seek out the hidden beauty which awaits us around unexpected corners.)

I find my heart is lifted when I embrace the freedom God granted to look around and marvel, “It is טוֹב—it is beautiful, delightful, lovely, good.” If I am tempted to focus on how much has gone wrong, my heart is prompted to praise Him when I instead turn my eyes on how much is good. (And we can train our hearts to look for the glimmer of light in the darkness when we take the time to sit down and read poetry and fiction together, too. Reading teaches us to see beauty in unexpected places.)

Won’t you join me in actively seeking the beauty around you?

To find out more about Sonlight's beautiful book-based homeschool programs, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.

Tagged beauty, books, christian, family culture, God, Homeschooling, Sonlight | Leave a comment

Dec. 3, 2018

Homeschooling Pre-teen Boys: 8 Guidelines That Bring Peace

By Heather Mills Schwarzen

It’s happening before my very eyes: my charming, compliant adolescent son is being replaced by a slightly less appealing version—a version that bristles at instruction and grits his teeth at disliked tasks. To be blunt, homeschooling my pre-teen boy is not not terribly fun at this point.

The change is physical, as well. Logan's soft, rounded cheeks and my ability to lean down and kiss his forehead are disappearing at a frightening rate. I know what comes next: soon enough, he will inch above my own 5'9" and begin sporting wisps of (gasp!) scraggly chin hair.

The first time this happened, I was dumbfounded and, if I'm truly honest, a little scared. But I’ve been here twice already with other boys who have morphed into men. This time, I know my job is to:

keep a strong connection with my son
help him navigate the waters of puberty
educate him without losing my cool

Pre-teen Sons Need Autonomy in Their Homeschooling

We struggled in the first weeks of this school year. Many days felt like a wash, with me frustrated at my son’s lack of willingness to go the extra mile and his clearly growing inability to hold in check whatever was eating at him. It didn't dawn on me all at once, but as I began pondering his educational goals for this season, I realized that much of what was getting under my pre-teen’s skin was simply this: he had outgrown my style of mothering him. Somewhere along the line, he had outpaced me. I was offering him the same level of guidance and oversight he had always had... and he just didn't need it anymore.

Armed with this realization, I started consciously weighing our interactions, both negative and positive. Sure enough, my theory held up. If I offered my usual dose of "Hey, let me give you some tips here" mothering, I would be rewarded with slightly raised shoulders and a boy who took little delight in the task. But if I handed this budding young man a job and essentially walked away, I almost always saw straighter back and saw him hunker down happily to the challenge.

Pre-teen Boys Need a Different Flavor of Mothering

It’s a difficult transition. Mothers always see their own children as slightly less hardy than they truly are, and our desire to be their umbrella from failure is huge. We know from the time our children are toddling that we cannot and should not fill that role forever. Yet it still catches us off guard when the time actually comes to back off and let them fall.

Pre-teen boys are capable. (Except, of course, when they’re not.) Moreover, they desire to stretch their wings.

My 8 Guidelines for Homeschooling a Pre-teen Son

My previous experiences with homeschooling pre-teen boys led me to embrace some guidelines. I even went so far to put them in writing so that when Logan's ire begins to stir at my overbearing mothering, I can recall the formula for our changing mother/son dynamic.

1. Give Him Power to Make Decisions

My pre-teen has taken on an ever-increasing share in what goes on his homeschool plate and how he goes about getting it done. For instance, he asked for a typing program when he realized that his hunt and peck method was holding him back. Had I asked him to take up keyboard instruction, I am pretty sure he would have groaned. Since it was his idea, he has been flying through the course.

2. Give Him Ownership

You know why guys don't ask for directions? Because they would rather try to figure it out on their own and be wrong than have you hand it to them on a silver platter and get it right. It's all about the ownership and the act of conquering. The same goes for young men. They would rather try and fall flat than have their mommas hold their hand to sure victory.

3. Offer Meaningful Work

We hand over several household chores (like changing light bulbs and doing small fix-it jobs) as our kids mature, and this slowly expands the scope of the projects they can handle on their own.

What does this have to do with homeschooling? Everything. A holistic approach to education acknowledges that math can be applied in a variety of ways, and books read give us the background that we build on for life.

4. Expect More

The flip side of greater privilege should always be greater responsibility. Making sure we both understood this parallel helped ease the transition.

5. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Just like their fully grown counterparts, young men need to feel like they are valued and that they measure up. I need to check my tone and word choices to make sure that they convey the same amount of respect that I expect in return.

6. Build Him Up For Future Success

All of that groundwork isn't in vain. My pre-teen son shows every sign of making good choices, following God's call on his life, and being able to handle life's curve-balls. I build him up by saying things like "I know you've got this under control." When I remind him of past labor that resulted in success, it shows I have faith in his abilities. That kind of trust in his character makes him grow two inches taller with confidence.

7. Don't Cushion Natural Consequences

Let the chips fall where they may. Books not finished by Friday afternoon may mean missing family movie night, math assignments prolonged due to dawdling might result in not being able to partake in the communal lunch. That’s life, and learning to accept natural consequences is a vital part of growing up.

8. Be Available

While my pre-teen no longer needs me for the physical stuff, I find that adolescents need even more of my emotional energy. I find that they require more time and support even than preschoolers. Making sure he knows that I am interested, invested, and praying for him daily is vital.

These tactics produce amazing growth in homeschooled boys as they blossom into young men. Is my sweet little guy back? No. He's gone for good. In his place, though, I am now witnessing the unfolding of a kind, responsible young man, learning his way in the world. It's a trade I'm happy to make.

Sonlight has homeschool consultants available to talk to you about the next step of your pre-teen's homeschool journey. Click here to schedule an appointment.

Tagged adolescents, boys, high school, Homeschooling, middle school, parenting, pre-teen, sons, teens | 1 Comment

Nov. 30, 2018

Homeschooling with Sonlight Q&A

By Deana Wood

Homeschooling with Sonlight: a Q&A of FAQs

The Sonlight approach to homeschooling is unique, so it's natural for a newcomer to this curriculum to have a lot of questions. To paint a picture of homeschooling with Sonlight, here are seven common questions with answers—plus more to read if you want to dig even deeper. If your question isn't here, look at the bottom of the article for ways to get answers to anything that may be puzzling you about homeschooling with Sonlight.

Q. How much time does Sonlight take each day?

A. In the early years, a solid Sonlight day is from 1.5-3 hours. As your child gets older, that will increase. High school students may spend around 6-8 hours a day, depending on how deeply they want to to tackle subjects.

Q. How much time will I need to spend reading aloud each day?

A. Families have all kinds of methods for tackling reading with Sonlight. I love to read aloud, so I usually read aloud as many books as I possibly can. Some days, I’ll spend about three hours all together reading aloud. Of course, keep in mind that I have four children spread across two History / Bible / Literature (HBL) levels. With only one HBL, you’ll need to read aloud much less.

Many moms find that audio books checked out from the library are a lifesaver! There are plenty of Sonlight books available on audio book at most local libraries. Some libraries also offer apps for audio files as well. I have found that as much as I love reading aloud, as my older kids have reached more challenging material, I’ve had to hand over some of the reading to them. I now find that hearing about books from them is equally enjoyable, and it gives me a new perspective on the literature seeing it through their eyes.

Q. How can I have meaningful conversations with my older kids when I have littles afoot?

A. Deep, meaningful conversations can be hard to come by when you are knee deep in the toddler years. I have realized that as children grow, particularly in adolescence, a whole new window of time opens up in the late evenings for great discussion. If you can’t block out a time during the day to be relatively uninterrupted, you might try including some book discussions in the bedtime routine. You may even begin to look forward to the evening ritual.

With Sonlight’s new four-day program, I can take one whole day each week to focus on my big kids. For example, this year, my older boys are working through their homeschool assignments mostly independently, and I’ll mark the items on the schedule that I’d like to do together or discuss. On Friday, our “day off,” we will get together and work through those activities, experiments, and discussions without the added stress of keeping younger children going on schoolwork.

Q. How do I tailor Sonlight to my children’s individual interests and learning styles?

A. I have four children, and they all have their very own unique sets of interests and preferences for learning. Many times, figuring it all out is a process of trial and error. For example, my oldest son hates writing. When we first started Sonlight, I planned on his completing the Science worksheets each week. But, after the first week, I quickly realized it was not working. He was getting bogged down with the writing, and we weren’t getting anywhere with the science because of it. So, I began doing the worksheet orally with him each week. He loved science after that, and I enjoyed it much more as well.

My daughter, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoys completing the science sheet each week, so I allow her to do just that. Homeschooling is about finding what works for your child. Some of my kids prefer to complete a project after or during a book reading. Some would much rather do a book report or a discussion. So I simply monitor and adjust as needed.

Q. How do you keep from getting overwhelmed as your children get older and their books get longer?

A. You hand over more independent reading assignments to your children, and you rely more and more on your Instructor’s Guide. It’s completely possible to hold an in-depth discussion on a book you haven’t read as long as you are armed with your Instructor’s Guide. It provides discussion starters as well as enough information to get a pretty good idea of what the book is about.

Also, remember that it is okay to skip a book here and there. At the beginning of the year, I set a number of books, slightly less than the total, that I want my older kids to read from the HBL. If they need to skip a couple, it’s not a big deal because I’ve already planned for it. Keep the extra books for summer reading.

Q. I’m either too rigid or too relaxed. How do I find a balance?

A. There are two keys to a successful balance in homeschooling, setting expectations and consistency. At the beginning of the year, think through your expectations for them. Do you expect them to start their work on their own? Will they need to set their own pace or will you give them a list each day? Once you have set your expectations, consistently keep them.

At some point or another in your homeschooling career, you will find that you have been either too rigid or too relaxed in one area or another. No need to worry. Simply decide what needs to change, possibly asking your child for input, and have a family meeting. At the family meeting, set the new expectations and be consistent in implementing them. As you go, you’ll eventually figure out the balance. Don’t be too hard on yourself. This process of finding balance teaches your children to adjust to situations and find balance in their own lives.

Q. How do I keep up with grading when I have multiple children?

A. Papers can pile up faster than the speed of light in a homeschool family with multiple children. My best tip is to keep a pen or highlighter with you at all times. As you work with your kids, give them immediate feedback on their work. This is especially important in the early years. You want to correct errors before they memorize the mistake. As they work or soon after they finish, glance over their paper and circle anything they need to look at. Have them immediately correct their mistake. They won’t learn from the mistake unless they correct it themselves.

Staying on top of homeschool work becomes more challenging as your child gets older. For older students, I recommend going over their work at the end of each day. Sit down with your answer guide and your child, and go through the day's assignments. Mark anything they need to look at, and have them correct their mistakes as soon as possible. There are many laws concerning keeping homeschool grades across the states, so always check your local laws for what is required in terms of grading and record keeping.

In my state, we aren’t required to keep any grades although I choose to record grades anyway. I do, however, simplify my grading. I only keep test grades in math. Daily work simply goes in the portfolio without recording it as part of the final grade. For reading, I keep a record of the books read and I’ll note the score on the comprehension questions in the Instructor’s Guide. I’ll also record the occasional book report or book project grade. For writing, I only record scores for the writing pieces, not the weekly language arts score. Once a paper has been graded or checked and corrected, it goes in a file for that child. At the end of the year, we will spend a day putting together our portfolios. Not recording every grade and not worrying about the portfolio every day prevents any feeling of being overwhelmed.

4 Ways to Use the Simple Tool of Talking in Your Homeschool

By Erika Evans

Do your kids talk a lot? Mine too! On more than one occasion I have prayed for an off button. I have one who can go on endlessly about Greek mythology and another who could set fire to my ears with his talk of cars. Another is a storyteller, and the baby, well let’s just say he’s perfected the pterodactyl scream for attention.

They come by it honestly. The whole family is full of big talkers—myself included. The house is never quiet. Any moment of silence, no matter how short, is cause for celebration!

Fortunately, all that time we spend listening to our kids is worth it! Language is more than just a way to communicate; it is how we think. Working together, we share ideas through speaking. Even as we complete independent tasks, there is an internal dialogue.

How Talking is Learning

As homeschoolers, we have an awesome opportunity to harness the power of talk to enhance our children’s education. We aren’t in a classroom where children are constantly being shushed. Thus we don’t have to do the majority of the talking or limit ourselves to yes and no questions. Instead we can help our children move beyond just hearing words to using them.

Homeschooling is an opportunity to immerse our children in active conversation and debate. We can help them

develop ownership over discipline-specific vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
learn to apply rhetorical conventions and devices that are typical for a content area
move beyond basic listening comprehension to discernment and reflection

We do this by engaging our kids in discussions where they are using academic language, asking questions, and safely voicing skepticism. When a student uses academic language as their own and pairs it with their unique perspective and expression, they are truly learning.

1. Encourage the Use of Discipline or Content Specific Language

When discussing a topic, use the appropriate language and pronounce it correctly. Model this yourself by looking up the appropriate pronunciation of a name or place when necessary! I look up the name of a Greek god or goddess at least twice a week. It’s worth it to have my kids feel secure in using the language. If this is a real struggle, as it is for me with names of the Greek deities, audio books can be a game changer!

2. Request Narration

Rather than asking questions that can be answered with incomplete sentences, ask for a synopsis that requires more elaborate narration:

What do you remember about Isaac Newton?
Describe how water gets to the faucet in our home.

This kind of talk encourages our kids to take ownership of content-specific words. Based on what they say, we know if they are grasping the material or not. Your Sonlight Instructor's Guides offer discussion starters for talking about the books that are scheduled each week.

The easiest way to expand vocabulary is to talk to, and read with, your children.

3. Encourage Two-way Discussion

Share your own thoughts and experiences on a subject with your kids. Ask for theirs. Find out how they feel about a topic, not just what they know.

Encouraging kids to express themselves about topics they feel strongly about can spur incredible (and at times heated ) conversations. These are fabulous learning opportunities!

4. Seek Conversations with Experts and Hobbyists

Giving our kids a chance to talk with experts and hobbyists can help cement the correct usage of words. A twenty minute conversation with a dairy farmer talking about mastitis is probably one of the most beneficial talks my kids have ever experienced. They got to listen to the issue, hear the farmer’s words, and ask questions using their newly gained terminology. The conversation offered proper pronunciation and context, but also gave the kids a chance to really recognize the usefulness of their new words.

Having four children learning out loud in my home has certainly taught me the value of silence. Yet, I also recognize that all their talking is helping them move beyond language comprehension into developing thinking. For that I’m eternally grateful.

Get our free guide A Beginner’s Blueprint to Language Arts: The No-stress Guide to Teaching Language Arts with Purpose. Download it here at no cost.

Tagged conversation, discussion, homeschool, Homeschooling, narration, talking, vocabulary, words | Leave a comment

Nov. 23, 2018

Extension Activities for Winnie the Pooh

By Veronica Soto

Winnie the Pooh is one of the Read-Alouds from History / Bible / Literature A Intro to the World: Cultures. But it's more than that to me. It's a childhood favorite and one that I love introducing to my children each time one of them reaches that level. It's a classic for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it can be appreciated on so multiple levels—enjoyed by a six-year-old and simultaneously enjoyed by an adult on yet another deeper level.

The stories can be a bit of a tongue-twister at times, and there are a lot of characters to keep straight, but when you can push through, you are rewarded with an incredibly fun story about the most precious of characters.

While reading and discussing is always plenty when it comes to a great book of fiction, sometimes a family wants more! We like to add extra activities inspired by our Read-Alouds, and here are the ones we did, chapter by chapter, through Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. I hope they inspire you to your own enrichment activities as you enjoy this classic.

In Which We are Introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh, and Some Bees, and the Stories Begin

One interesting aspect of this novel is that it is a story within a story, told to Christopher Robin about his stuffed animals.

Your children might have their own menagerie of stuffed animals and dolls they play with on a regular basis. My two youngest girls certainly do! So after reading this chapter, we held a tea party for their stuffed friends.

We feasted upon Italian bread with peanut butter, and in honor of Pooh’s adventures, fresh honey alongside our juice. I blew up two balloons and tied them to the handle of the pitcher with festive yarn. During tea, we took turns making up stories about my girls’ own animal friends.

When my older son enjoyed Winnie the Pooh, we modified the tea party idea. We called the event elevenses and invited his favorite cars to snack with us.

In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Into a Tight Place

Pooh is delightfully enjoying his honey in this chapter, and my two girls were so excited about the tea party from the day before, that we decided to have another one. We had leftover bread with honey, toasting the bread this time.

During tea we had a talk about table manners:

the correct way to invite oneself over to a friend’s house (call and ask first)
what to do if one is hungry while out visiting (take small portions, wait before asking for seconds, not eating too much, and eating more at home if they are still hungry)
proper table manners that we might be more relaxed about at home
sitting up straight
the correct way to decline food they don’t like

In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting and Nearly Catch a Woozle

In this chapter, Piglet and Pooh are following tracks, hoping to see what type of creature could be at the other end. We tried tracking of our own. I hand drew four different shaped tracks and made about 20 or so of each track type.

I then took a safety pin and pinned one track shape to four different stuffed animals. I then hid the animals and used the remaining tracks to create trails leading to each animal. Once they followed the various tracks and found the animals, I hid them again in different areas, and had them try to guess which animal would be on the other end based on the track shape. They spent the next hour or so hiding the animals again and again, and then helping the other to track them down.

In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One

Since Eeyore is a donkey, we played the party classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Also in this chapter, Owl finds a scrap of cloth which he uses as a bell-rope. I quickly grabbed a few items around the house: a hanger, a shower curtain ring, a long thin strip of cloth, and a small cardboard box without a cover. I asked my girls if they could come up with different ways to use each item. I got a lot of very silly answers, a few interesting answers, and a couple of extremely creative but workable answers, as they practiced using their brain power to think of ways to repurpose various items.

In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump

It appears Pooh never does find out exactly what a heffalump is or what one looks like, and sadly, neither do we. My girls really wanted to know what one would look like, so for this chapter's craft, we created our own heffalumps. We finished by hanging our heffalump art and having another snack of bread with honey.

In Which Eeyore Has a Birthday and Gets Two Presents

Pooh and Piglet didn’t have much time to prepare for Eeyore’s birthday and yet managed, as good friends should, to come up with two heartfelt gifts on short notice. I had my girls quickly look around the house and come up with a present to give their father before he came home. I left all the choices up to them, only stipulating that I wasn’t going to buy anything. We really had no reason to celebrate, but it’s always fun to show someone you appreciate them. One of my girls found some scraps of cloth and cut out shapes and glued them to cardstock to make a card. My other girl found a box, put two of her small toys in the box, and wrapped it up.

In Which Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest and Piglet Has a Bath

For this chapter we made fabric pockets for pretend Kanga and Roo play. Using some large fabric scraps, the girls drew a large pocket and cut out two shapes. Lining them up, I stitched along three edges, and flipped the pocket inside out. Then, I helped the girls hand sew straps to the pocket to make apron-type strings. Tying the pockets around their waists, they used the pouches to carry their "babies," pretending they were Kanga carrying Roo.

History / Bible / Literature A

In Which Christopher Robin Leads an Expedition to the North Pole

This chapter begs for a nature walk, so that’s what we did, in search of our own North Pole. About 20 minutes into our walk, we found a pole which my girls insisted was the same pole Pooh had found. Happily, we propped it into a standing position and left it there for others to find. We hiked a ways longer, had a short snack, and began the return trip home, waving at our pole as we passed.

In Which Piglet is Entirely Surrounded by Water

I was kind of stuck for ideas on this chapter, and asked my older children to help come up with some. My one son was no help. He suggested we try flooding the house, and I wasn’t quite willing to do that for a craft project. Instead we decided to once again get out our large tub, fill it with water, and practice finding things that a small toy could float to safety on. I gave each girl a LEGO figure and had them try various items to see which items would help them float the best.

In Which Christopher Robin Gives Pooh a Party, and We Say Good-bye

We finished up our study of the life of Pooh by having our own tea party, which was remarkably similar to our tea party of the week before. We had more bread with honey with banana and dried fruit slices, in honor of Pooh, with milk. We talked about the things we liked in the book, and then sat back and watched the movie.

After the Book

Winnie the Pooh has been produced in several audio versions you can listen to, including one endorsed by the original Christopher Robin. There are also several different movies and cartoons you may want to enjoy.

We went on to read The House at Pooh Corner, and then we will delve into the poetry of A. A. Milne in When We Were Very Young and Now We are Six by the same author, having loved them from our first few times through.

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Tagged activities, crafts, extensions, hands on, HBL A, kindergarten, literature, reading, winnie the pooh | Leave a comment

Nov. 21, 2018

Homeschooling with a Toddler in the Mix

By Bethany Weathersby

Over the years I’ve had many people ask how I manage to homeschool when we have a baby in the family. That’s a breeze, as far as I’m concerned. Babies sleep a lot, are held a lot, and stay in one spot when you put them down. Getting homeschool done is a cinch with a baby in the house!

Toddlers, on the other hand, are awake a lot, move a lot, and talk a lot. Needless to say, they can wreak havoc on our best laid homeschool plans. Here are four things our family has done to ensure both a productive school day and a happy toddler.

1. Make the Most of Nap Time to Homeschool

Whichever parts of homeschooling work best with the least amount of distraction are the ones you should do while your toddler naps.

Which subjects require your most focused attention?
If you have at least two school-aged kids, which student needs the most help from you?

Perhaps that means nap time looks the same every day—a predictable routine that guarantees everyone’s work gets done. Or maybe it means taking it day by day, using that uninterrupted time for whichever need is greatest at the moment.

Nap times will decrease in frequency and length over time, so make the most of this opportunity for uninterrupted productivity while you can. It teaches your older kids how to focus on a task when there’s limited time to get things done and gives you the freedom to interact with your toddler later in the day.

2. Enlist Siblings to Help

A sibling doesn’t have to be much older than the toddler to be helpful in keeping the youngest family member entertained. When our third and fourth kids were little, we’d assign the two and three older kids specific time slots to play with the toddler. The time of day and length of time we chose for each pairing was strategic, doing our best to set everyone up for success. The older sibling’s job was simply to keep the toddler occupied with something safe, fun, and quiet enough to not be a huge distraction to the kids doing school work. Depending on the age spread and how the day was going, sometimes I told them how to spend their time and other times I let them figure it out on their own.

I love how this approach gave me a chance to work with one kid at a time, allowed various sibling pairs to nurture their relationships, and presented opportunities for the older kids to make a positive difference in the flow of our days.

3. Include the Toddler When You Can

It’s not always realistic to get everything done with your toddler out of the way, so look for ways to do school with the little one in tow. One great option is to read a Read-Aloud at breakfast or lunch when they’re happily restrained in a high chair.

Another option is to have the toddler snuggle on the couch while you read to an older sibling. Just give your toddler a stack of picture books, letting them know they can quietly look through their own books while you read a chapter book to the older kids. If the schoolwork requires only a little bit of your attention, then let the toddler hang out with you and just answer questions from your students as needed.

There’s a time for being solely focused on school work, which necessitates minimizing of distractions from a toddler, but it’s equally important to include them whenever possible. That’s how they learn not to be disruptive. As a bonus, their siblings learn to focus amid distractions, and you get to soak up time with all your kids at once.

4. Exclude the Toddler at Times

At some point in family life, a child has to learn to entertain themselves, something which may need to happen sooner in a homeschooling family in order for school work to actually get done. There’s no one right way to go about this, as there are countless factors to consider that vary from one household to the next. But the point is simply to teach your young child to keep themselves busy doing something appropriate while you teach your other kids.

Whether you get five minutes a day or an hour, a solid chunk of time or little snippets, this gentle toddler training will be helpful for your whole family. It’s easy for the youngest kid in the house to assume they’ll constantly be entertained by other family members, so it’s good for them to learn how to be content with solitude.

The Caveat of Homeschooling with a Toddler in the Family

Although I’ve spent time explaining how to work around toddlers, it’s also really important to make them just as much of a priority in your day as your older kids. Read books, sing songs, and play with toys. Go for walks, give bubble baths, and laugh together. Those toddler years can be hectic, which is why you have to be proactive in choosing how to manage your school responsibilities. But toddler years are equally precious and short-lived. Don’t get so caught up in minimizing the negatives that you fail to maximize the abundant positives.

Curious to see what this type of family-inclusive education might look like for you? Go to SmoothCourse to explore your options.

Tagged family, Homeschooling, scheduling, Time Management, toddler | Leave a comment