Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Apr. 18, 2018

How to Boost Your Own Health Through Homeschooling

By Sarita

Homeschooling can definitely improve children's health. They often get more sleep, more active play, healthier food, and are exposed to far fewer germs. I also think homeschooling can be great for your health as a parent. Much of that comes from the flexibility homeschooling gives you to craft the lifestyle you want. Here are some ideas to make the most of that flexibility and boost your own health.

Intentional Eating

I think many moms, if home alone, will just scrounge and find whatever is easy to eat for a meal. Ever eaten a bowl of chips and called it good? But when you're with your kids all day, you're more likely to be more intentional about food for their sake. If you're preparing them a healthy lunch each day (or providing ingredients for them to make it on their own), chances are you'll eat a real lunch, too. And with your children watching, you're more likely to choose an apple with peanut butter for your afternoon snack instead of that candy bar.

Adequate Sleep

We know that homeschooled children get significantly more sleep on average than their public school peers. This helps them face the day's academic and emotional challenges.

But it's not just children who need sleep. The fact that they're getting good sleep helps you get good sleep, too! You don't have to get up early to pack lunches and get groggy kids to the school bus. You don't have to stay up late with them working through frustrating homework assignments. Instead, you can find the amount of sleep that is ideal for you and then try to guard that. You'll be better able to serve your family throughout the day if you give your body the rest it needs.

Your Own Healthy Schedule

It's true that homeschooling adds a layer of stress to your life. But you also get to skip many other stressors you'd face if you put them in school. So since you have the freedom, find a schedule that works for you.

Do you need to add a morning walk or afternoon run with your kids?
Or institute a post-lunch nap/quiet hour?
Would it help if you started your days later or earlier?
What if you switched around the order in which you tackled each academic subject?

As with everything in homeschooling, figure out a schedule that works for you and go with it. Less stress usually equals more health.

Lower Germ Exposure

Chances are your children will get sick less often at home than if they were in school. And that probably means you'll get sick less often as well. Fortify that benefit by some simple steps when you do go into a germ-laden area. When you get home from the library or playground, for example, simply have everyone wash his or her hands. Eating healthy and staying hydrated can also boost your immunity.

More Time Outside

Don't have time for regular workouts right now? Try to find ways to stay active alongside your kids during the day. Lots of moms will enjoy an riding bikes with their children, jumping on the trampoline, or playing a game of kickball. If the weather is lousy, put on some music and have a dance party instead. Check out Homeschool Family Fitness for more ideas. And don't forget to count it all as Physical Education!

You give so much time and energy to your children as you help them be healthy in every sense of the word. As you serve them, I'd encourage you to pay attention to your own health as well. Do any of the ideas above resonate with you? Is there one small change you could make to further enjoy the health benefits of homeschooling?

Tagged benefits, health, Homeschooling | Leave a comment

Apr. 16, 2018

5 Ways Homeschool Families Can Support Missionaries

By Gina Munsey

5 Ways Homeschool Families Can Support Missionary Families Overseas

Of all the reasons I love our Sonlight education—

learning through real-world books, not rewritten sources,
developing (rather than simply reciting) a worldview, and
connecting geography, history, and culture through human stories

—perhaps my favorite reason is how Sonlight also includes wider, global perspectives. After all, how many other homeschool publishers allocate an entire year to non-Western civilizations, as Sonlight does with History / Bible / Literature F’s survey of the Eastern Hemisphere?

And of course, I love the missions-minded focus, too. As a young adult and former missionary kid, I was convinced I’d end up back on the mission field (my heroes were women like Amy Carmichael, Isobel Kuhn, and Gladys Aylward.) Instead, God called me to stay in America, and subsequently to homeschool. So a missions-focused company like Sonlight just makes sense to me.

In fact, did you know that one of the ways homeschool families can support missionaries is simply by placing a Sonlight order?

1. Support Missionary Families by Purchasing from Sonlight

Over fifty percent of Sonlight profits goes to missions and charity. Did you realize that? Fifty percent! When you’re purchasing your History / Bible / Literature sets and choosing your math curriculum, you’re also giving to the work of missionaries around the world. That’s something to consider next time you’re weighing the pros and cons of hunting down used books versus ordering a full package directly from Sonlight.

And Sonlight hasn’t chosen the missions organizations haphazardly. If you’ve spent any time in your big blue binder, you’ll recognize the acronym THUMB:

Tribal
Hindu
Unreached / Unreligious Chinese
Muslim,
Buddhist.

Sonlight’s carefully selected reputable charities—like the Far East Broadcasting Company and the Seed Company —to receive fifty percent of the company’s profits. And Sonlight often partners with other ministries for special missions projects, too.

The cost of your school books this year is fueling the gospel in the far ends of the earth, while you’re laboring in the trenches at home. How incredible is that?

2. Support Missionary Families by Developing a Global Perspective

As Christians, we serve and pray to a global God. It only makes sense that this world-encompassing perspective should extend to our homeschool journeys as well. Embrace the joy of learning about countries and cultures other than the one you’re in right now! A Sonlight education helps us see that every part of the world holds a human story.

We’re currently working our way through Window on the World as a part of History / Bible / Literature C. This book is such a wonderfully holistic way to present geography in context of the people who live in the ninety or so most unreached areas of the world map.

Approach cultural geography with a sense of wonder. Don’t simply learn the stories of missionaries, but also dive into the incredible diversity of the people and culture in which they serve. Then pray for them.

3. Support Missionary Families by Writing Personal Letters

As a missionary kid, few things were more thrilling than a handwritten letter from America.

“Letters are awesome!” agrees Marie B., who currently works with abandoned children in Romania and has two children of her own. “Even something as simple as a sheet of stickers for each kid—and always include a family photo of yourself.”

Try to imagine what it must be like to send out countless newsletters and emails chronicling every last detail of your ministry and life, and hear very little in response. Just as you want to be connected to the missionaries you support, missionaries in turn want to be connect to you. “Respond to their newsletters,” suggests Leona O., a physician and mother who served overseas with a global medical mission organization, “[and] share about your own life.”

The buoying encouragement of those letters makes more of a difference than you know. And when you hear back from missionaries, really listen to what they have to say.

4. Support Missionary Families by Allowing for Cultural Differences

Maintain a global perspective. At times, you may encounter missionaries who run their ministries in a way which seems foreign to us, but is completely customary where they live. Remember that the Americanized Western way, while more familiar to most of us, is not the only way.

And understand that missionaries—kids and parents alike—often are caught in an impossible place between two cultures. As Marie, raising America-born kids in Eastern Europe says, “Don’t ask us if we miss America. It’s a no win question.” Instead, do all you can to encourage those who’ve given up everything familiar and comfortable to serve faithfully abroad.

5. Support Missionary Families by Sending Packages (But Ask What’s Needed)

The items missionaries really miss from home are uniquely individual to both the missionary family and the area in which they serve. Ask directly. And if the response surprises you, don’t override their requests, even if they seem odd or insignificant. (My favorite care package memory from my missionary kid childhood? Brand new American underwear!)

Leona, who lived in Nepal, echoes this. “Ask what things they need or want,” she says. “Perhaps peanut butter is actually widely available where they live!” Marie adds, “If you have the money to send a care package, just take the surprise out of it and just ask what they need. Getting a package that cost fifty dollars to ship filled with things we can get at the store here is a tad disappointing.”

And support missionary families monetarily, too! Overseas cost of living can be very expensive, and medical bills, furlough travel, visa costs, and other expenses take a toll.

Integrate Missions into Your Homeschool Day

As homeschool families, our flexible schedules and time at home gives us the ability to real pour time into supporting missionary families overseas. Instead of another essay, have your child write a letter to a missionary kid. Assign encouraging Scripture copywork, embellish it with color and design, then mail it to a missionary family. Allow kids to earn extra chore money that’ll go to supporting a missionary family. Set up a pen pal relationship for a cultural exchange. Add missionaries to your daily prayer list.

And with your kids, research the missions organizations you’re supporting with your Sonlight purchase—

The Seed Company
Mission India
Far East Broadcasting Company
Frontiers

—and find out what a difference you’re making...as you’re Sonlighting!

Take advantage of our 100% guarantee. No other homeschooling company can match our Love to Learn, Love to Teach™ promise. You can order with confidence that either you will have a great year, or you will get a full refund.

Tagged global, heart for the world, Homeschooling, missions | Leave a comment

Apr. 13, 2018

Raising College Ready Students with a Literature-Rich Curriculum

By Amber Smith

A quote from David Coleman, president of the College Board and designer of the SAT and AP tests, caught my attention: “The single most important predictor of student success in college is the ability to read a range of complex texts with understanding.”

Reading is the first of many skills we are blessed to teach our children in our homeschool. It is the key to unlocking all that literature has to offer, but it is so much more. Reading is a tool to access to opportunities in higher education and the key to unlock future goals. Reading makes kids college ready.

Is My Homeschool Student College Ready?

That quote from David Coleman jumped out at me because we had just spent the last few weeks on the edge of our seats, waiting for our college-bound student’s final ACT scores. For us this score was was not only going to determine if our son earned a significant scholarship, but it was also an assessment of the accumulated years around tables and on couches, reading and learning as a family. While no test could ever capture the vast spectrum of materials we have covered in all of our years of homeschooling, we hoped our son’s scores would show he was well prepared for the next stage of life as a college student.

If we had one goal for our homeschool, it was that our kids would excel at reading. As a homeschooling parent, there are few times that you can get a clear assessment that your thehard work is paying off. Our son’s scores did arrive, and his scholarship is secured, but the best part for me, was looking at the physical measurement of the very thing we had hoped to instill.

As a Sonlight student his whole life, can you guess what area he scored the highest? Yes! Reading. As we reviewed the result breakdown, we saw that our son showed high proficiency in the ability to understand complex texts. Victory! We achieved our goal.

How Do We Raise Strong Readers to Be College Ready?

Raising readers is more difficult than it appears. According to the SAT’s own report, critical reading scores are at an all time low, with a 3% decline in one year alone. Yet, the YA section of our local library is growing by the shelfful. Kids are reading more books, but according to the Renaissance Learning Group, the average reading level of the top 25 books chosen by high school students is 5.3 on the Lexile Scale. This is barely over the fifth grade level or in the 700-799 range, whereas an eleventh grade student, reading at grade level, would be at 1050-1300, which is considered to be college ready.

Building a great relationship with books is central. We started early—reading books that were challenging, as well as engaging. Layering variety and familiarity with increasingly difficult texts was the bridge to getting our children to read at a higher grade-level index. This does not mean that all of their reading material needs to be at college level, but introducing higher index books as a regular part of their reading diet is a must if they are going to reach this goal.

For ourselves that meant finding a curriculum that offered a mix of classic reading, biographies, and read-alouds. (Children can comprehend books more complicated books when they are read aloud by a parent.) This is what first led us to Sonlight Curriculum; this literature-based curriculum satisfied our need for high level reading and high engagement.

We used our Instructor's Guide, filled with vocabulary words and discussion questions to develop critical thinking skills in our students. The emphasis on current events had our students searching news and journal articles, which tend to have a higher reading index than most books. The end result of this learning method is strong readers, ready for whatever career avenue they might choose.

Does Literature-Based Learning Create Strong Readers?

Could it be the result of using Sonlight or just a fluke? Our three recent graduates have diverse skill sets.

One is a prolific writer, with underdeveloped math skills.
Another a math whiz with embarrassing English marks.
The third scored highest in reading and science.

But all three were college ready, demonstrating a high proficiency in the understanding of complex texts. All three of them received warm college acceptance letters with academic scholarships to boot. I don’t think it is a fluke; it is a result you can count on. Strong readers excel in academics, even when they have academic trouble spots.

Trust Your Homeschool Library

As I read through the list of the top 25 books students are reading at grade twelve, I noted one curious detail. Every book rated over the average reading level (7.2) was a book we have on our shelf as a part of our Sonlight library. Authors like Orwell with 1984, Shelly’s Frankenstein, Fitzgerald with The Great Gatsby and Huxley’s Brave New World, all of these have been a part of our homeschool reading.

If you are looking for a way to help your children excel at reading while they learn to delight in great books, you can’t go wrong with a literature-based curriculum. By using Sonlight as our guide, we have raised not only college ready kids, but young adults who are prepared for so much more.

To find out more about Sonlight's unmatched Read-Alouds, and our complete book-based homeschool programs, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.

Tagged college, college bound, college prep, curriculum, high school, homeschool, literature-based, reading, Sonlight | Leave a comment

Apr. 11, 2018

How to Throw an End-of-the-Year Homeschool Showcase

By Deana Wood

When we began homeschooling, one of my concerns was that there would not be many opportunities for my children to show what they’ve learned. In public school, it seems that there are plenty of chances to proudly display your work for the world to see. While that’s certainly not a requirement for a well-rounded education, there is a sense of accomplishment when others see the hard work that went into a school year.

So, I set out to think of ways that my children could show their work from the year, and finally, I came up with what turned out to be one of my grandest ideas: an End-of-the-Year Homeschool Showcase.

There were just three requirements:

It had to be simple or it would only serve to add stress to my already full plate.
It also had to be celebratory. After all, a whole year of hard work is something to celebrate, right?
Finally, it had to include the important people in our lives.

So, without further ado, here is my recipe for an End-of-the-Year Homeschool Showcase.

Display Great Work at Your End-of-the-Year Homeschool Showcase

First, go through your child’s papers from the year or, if they are old enough, have them choose the best samples of work. Hang them on the wall. You can do as much or as little as you wish. I like to group work samples together by child, so each of my children has a showcase space. Try to pull out pieces from the beginning of the year as well as the end so everyone can see progress.

boy smiling while showing his end of the year homeschool showcase

Display All the Books at Your End of the Year Homeschool Showcase

This is probably my favorite part. Each child pulls neatly arranges all the books he or she read that year in their designated showcase space.

Then, I pull all the Read-Alouds, Science titles, and History books that we studied together and display those as well. It is pretty amazing to see just how much reading took place over the course of a year. Our Sonlight bookstacks are impressive!

boy showing his grandma his end of the year showcase work

Serve Simple Snacks for the End of the Year Homeschool Showcase

Simple is the key here for me. You might be a baker extraordinaire. If you are, feel free to make a spread. Good food is always appropriate! However, if you’re like me, head to the store to pick up some cheese squares, pretzel sticks, and a tray of cookies. If I’m really feeling fancy, I’ll take the cookies out of the plastic container and arrange them on a platter!

a display of schoolwork and snacks for end of the year homeschool showcase

Prep Your Kids Before the End of the Year Homeschool Showcase

Talk to your children beforehand about your expectations for them.

Would you like them to greet the guests?
Will they be speaking with their guests about their work?
Would you like for them to recite memory work or make some sort of presentation?

Take a few minutes every day for a week or so to practice good conversation.

How to Throw an End of the Year Homeschool Showcase

Invite Your Guests to Your End of the Year Homeschool Showcase

When we first began, we started out small by only inviting our grandparents, but then the kids wanted to invite our neighbor who we had been visiting. Then they wanted to invite their homeschool buddies. As you can imagine, it grew from there. Now, we have quite a crowd every year, and we love it! It’s one of the events that my kids look forward to the most.

It’s so funny. Every year when I’m preparing for our End-of-Year Showcase, I think to myself, “This year might be sparse. I don’t think we’ve done much.” But when I start pulling out their work and hanging it up, I see just how much we accomplished this year. It has quickly become one of my favorite events, too, giving me a boost at the end of the year to see all that my kids and I have done throughout the year. This tangible display of all we've done is great medicine for homeschool burnout, and it’s fun for everyone!

Sometimes, I’ll get everything ready while my kids are gone for the day or the evening before so that it will be a surprise when they see it. Their faces light up when they see their work so carefully displayed for everyone to see. It’s a moment that we all cherish and anticipate. Great work and progress is worth celebrating, and this has proven to be a great way for my family to celebrate! How do you celebrate the end of the year?

When you use Sonlight, you end the year with a collection of great books on your shelves. To find out more about Sonlight's unmatched Read-Alouds, and our complete book-based homeschool programs, order a complimentary copy of your catalog today.

Tagged end of year, homeschool, open house, showcase | 1 Comment

Apr. 9, 2018

8 Reasons I Love My Sonlight Instructor’s Guide

By Gina Munsey

In a Sonlight education, books enjoy the widest swath of the spotlight. It’s a literature-based education, so this makes sense. But what about that big blue binder? The Instructor’s Guide is a tidy compendium of

schedules,
notes,
memory work,
maps,
vocabulary, and
discussion questions.

In short, it’s a homeschool mom’s command central.

1. The Instructor’s Guide Allows Me to Teach When Tired

Let’s be real. The ability to teach when tired is a real perk! Some days it takes a whole lot of brain power to remember what chapter is next and which lesson we last completed. I love how the Instructor’s Guide lets me flip open to this week’s tab and immediately see what’s on tap for the day. I don’t have to look through a stack of school books to figure out where I am. And on days when I don’t feel like doing school, the Instructor’s Guide keeps me going.

2. The Instructor’s Guide Shows Me How Much I’ve Accomplished

The Instructor’s Guide allows me to see progress. On the left of the three-ring binder, I can see how many pages we’ve already completed, and on the right, I know exactly how far I have left to go. In a role which sometimes feels like I’m a hamster in a wheel leaving no visible progress in my wake, this is beautiful. It’s easy to forget just how much ground we’ve actually covered. But glancing down at the tabbed Instructor’s Guide—and looking at that towering stack of Sonlight books—I can see our progress. How empowering!

3. The Instructor’s Guide Provides a Solid and Steady Framework and Rhythm

In the days before electricity, the human experience shared a collective rhythm. Now, work stretches from pre-dawn to post-dusk, and we no longer operate in sync with the natural rhymns of sunlight. Yet deep down, we still crave a certain semblance of structure. And we crave ways to transform daily tasks into truly meaningful experiences, too, rather than simply completing mundane tasks by rote. I view my Instructor’s Guide this way. The steady daily rhythm of

a Scripture song,
memory work,
poetry,
history,
readers, and
read-alouds

anchors our days with tangible and purposeful milestones, and provides a solid framework, amidst long and sometimes hectic hours.

And there’s still more to love about my Instructor’s Guide, even beyond the structure designed to keep me on track. The Instructor’s Guide enables me to integrate

vocabulary,
geography,
cultural literacy, and
navigate controversial topics, too.

4. The Instructor’s Guide Offers Me Easy Access to Vocabulary Words and Definitions

I love dictionaries more than the average person—I have a small collection—but I also love simplicity. When we’re reading a Sonlight book and encounter an unusual word, being able to flip a few pages in the Instructor’s Guide and immediately have the definition at my fingertips is so, so wonderful.

5. The Instructor’s Guide Shows Me the World through Mapping

Would I map as consistently if Sonlight didn’t make geography so simple? In all honesty, probably not. But the Sonlight team has already gone through all the books and made note of each important geographical location mentioned, prompting me with a globe icon (and coordinates) to mark the location on the Markable Map or the reader activity sheets. I really haven’t found an easier way to integrate geography, history, and literature.

6. The Instructor’s Guide Provides Context for Dates in History

If I were to tackle it on my own, creating and maintaining a timeline would be substantial extra project to take on. But with all the notable figures and events already marked in my Instructor’s Guide, tracking people and eras in the Timeline Book is not a burden. Even when we forget to work on it daily and play catch up (let’s call it review), Sonlight makes it easy, with a wide selection of timeline figures already provided in History / Literature / Bible bundles A-H.

7. The Instructor’s Guide Notes Paint a Rich Backdrop for each Book

We enjoy the wide variety of books included in a Sonlight education, but the notes in the Instructor’s Guide provide context to give the stories an even bigger impact. Through the notes, we learn the Pagano family’s attitude toward exploring the cave in Red Sails to Capri accurately reflects historical beliefs during that time. We also realize the feud between the Boyer and Slater families in Strawberry Girl actually reveals a larger cultural truth about early immigration in the southern United States. And when Brother Like mentions matins or terce in Door in the Wall, we can refer to the chart in the Instructor’s Guide to realize he means midnight and nine in the morning. Without referring to the guide, we’d still enjoy the cadence of the stories, but we wouldn’t have the information to fully appreciate the cultural and historical significance of each.

8. The Instructor’s Guide Helps Me to Tackle Controversial Issues

Since a Sonlight education is built around real books, kids and parents tackle real issues together. And sometimes, individual families might want to address these topics in individual ways. At various points throughout a school year, my Instructor’s Guide alerts me to upcoming content—like the birds and the bees, or a creation vs. evolution mention— and prepares me for the discussion which will follow. I love how Sonlight encourages me to have deep, authentic, and meaningful conversations with my daughter.

As I help my daughter navigate this big world, I’m so thankful for resources like my Instructor’s Guide and our Sonlight books. Combined with prayer, these are such invaluable tools in guiding her through learning discernment and critical thinking necessary to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)—which, after all, is the ultimate goal.

See for yourself all the reasons to love a Sonlight Instructor's Guide. Try three weeks of any IG for free. Click here to get one for any level, preschool through twelfth grade.

https://www.sonlight.com/homeschool/ig/a-look-inside/

Tagged Homeschooling, Instructor's Guide, Sonlight | Leave a comment

Apr. 6, 2018

Five Myths About "Good Homeschool Moms"

By Sarita

As homeschool moms*, we usually know somewhere in our heads that we are our children's best teacher. But getting our hearts to believe that can be another story. When we're honest, many of us face a nagging fear that we just don't measure up. We fall prey to myths about "good homeschool moms."

It can be easy (and quite discouraging) to look around and assume other moms have it all together ... that we're the only ones who ever struggle.

As someone who has been there, done that, and made it to a new stage of parenting (where I get to enjoy my grandkids and interact with my self-sufficient adult children), let me encourage you here. Let's debunk a few discouraging myths that just aren't true.

Myth #1: All "good homeschool moms" have children who perform above average.

If your child is ready for college-level work at age 14, that's great. But far more of us have children who are "average" or struggling. And that's okay, too. Really. Some children learn to read at age 3. Some learn to read at age 8 or later. Neither scenario makes that child more or less loved and valuable in your eyes or God's.

Just as students in a school system range widely in their abilities, so too in our homes. Even with that variation, homeschoolers' scores on standardized tests still average significantly higher than non-homeschoolers. Plus, homeschoolers consistently receive personalized instruction from a teacher who cares greatly about their well-being and success. So wherever your students are academically, rest assured, you are serving your children exceedingly well.

If your children are "ahead" in some subjects and "behind" in others, or on target in everything, or behind in everything, you're in good company. Many Sonlight moms teach children who need extra guidance or a slower pace academically. And many Sonlight moms teach children with special needs or learning challenges.

One of my favorite benefits of homeschooling: We can meet our children wherever they are. We can focus on their unique needs.

Myth #2: "Good homeschool moms" never struggle.

While some moms make it look easy to gracefully manage their home and homeschool, we all struggle at times. As mother, teacher and manager of our household, each role includes a broad range of tasks. So give yourself some credit: you love your children and are striving (albeit imperfectly) to follow God during this unique season. That is a praiseworthy thing indeed.

Myth #3: "Good homeschool moms" always have complete mastery of the material their kids are learning.

Ever find yourself learning something new as you homeschool? Me too! I think that's great. In fact, this is another joy of homeschooling: we get to learn alongside our children and continue in a lifetime of growth and learning.

And remember that once kids get into high school, many homeschool moms become more of a learning coach instead of the primary instructor. If you'd rather not teach Chemistry and Algebra, you can still coach your children as they use quality self-teaching programs. They get to learn upper-level skills and valuable self-motivation at the same time.

Myth #4: "Good homeschool moms" love every minute of their homeschool.

I believe homeschooling is a worthy and delightful calling. But who loves every minute of anything? As with all endeavors, homeschooling comes with good days and bad days. Good seasons and more difficult seasons. Even if you strive for a positive attitude and continually thank the Lord for his blessings, there will probably be days when you dream of just sipping lemonade at a quiet, solitary beach.

Let me encourage you with what I wrote awhile ago, that life will not always be as it is now. Though Satan tries to trick us into despair, he does not know the future, so we choose to trust God instead. I pray that gives you some hope when you face struggles.

That said, I don't believe it's helpful to indulge in daydreams of a time when the kids and life are perfect. I appreciate the honesty and wisdom of a phrase used by a Sonlight mom on her signature: "It is counterproductive for me to dream of days that belong in a season other than the one I'm in."

Myth #5: "Good homeschool moms" should pour every last ounce of energy into their children.

Do you feel guilty for seeking out 30 minutes of solitude? Perhaps that solitude is the best thing you can do for your children. We all recharge in different ways, so find out what works for you and make it a priority.

Whether that is making time to exercise (don't underestimate the value of endorphins!), spending quiet time in prayer and Bible study, or making sure that you and your husband get to sit down and have real conversation together, I'd encourage you to be a good steward of yourself.

May God bless you and your family abundantly right now. May He remind you that He is always with you and His love for you never changes … no matter how good of a homeschool mom you feel like today.

*I should clarify that the Sonlight community includes more than just great homeschool moms. We have great homeschool dads as well! If you're a dad, thank you for the work you do, and please pardon me as I speak directly to moms here. I do hope that you, too, can relate to much of what I share above.

Tagged Encouragement, homeschool moms, Homeschooling, myths | 1 Comment

Mar. 28, 2018

Help! I've Lost My Homeschool Groove! Here's How to Find It Again

By Amber Smith

Lately, my kids and I were having a hard time feeling motivated to get back in the swing of homeschooling after a break. We had family visits and a couple bouts with sickness—the usual things that can derail us from our homeschool routine. After a few weeks of false starts, we still weren’t getting into our routine like we should have been. I felt as if I'd lost my homeschool groove.

Instead of getting frustrated and trying harder, I decided to spend some time thinking about what drew me to homeschooling and what I loved about learning at home. Then I made time to intentionally connect our school day with those values at the core of my mission. Here are three central values I identified.

1. The Capacity to Be Creative

Hours spent leading story time at a local book store proved to me that children are naturally creative. Every week, a dozen or so four-year-old children would come play. They were bright and creative. If I handed them a piece of clay, they handed me back a story, full of detail. I remember feeling inspired to try to hold this childlike enthusiasm for creativity forever, if possible. I want our homeschool to continually feed creativity.

2. The Ability to Get Lost in A Great Story

Great stories establish our sense of wonder. In the day-to-day ticking off of tasks, wonder was far too often taking a seat on the sidelines. Because we use Sonlight, reading aloud has always been a central activity to our school day, but with the business of the our break and with kids being sick, reading was getting pushed aside so we could accomplish our daily Table Subjects™.

It is all too easy to create a habit of pushing aside Couch Subjects™. Math and Language Arts pages can feel like more pressing subjects, but my oldest three graduates continue to tell me that they gained more from our reading times than from any other subject. The books we read aloud are teaching our kids from many levels, all at the same time. I want our children to experience the sense of sweet wonder that comes from listening to stories much larger than themselves.

3. The Closeness of Family

A great gift of homeschooling is the fact that the children are not sent away from one another to learn every day. This daily proximity leads to stronger family bonds. This year, with many different ages and abilities, we have been doing more separate age level work. We weren’t coming together as a whole family for reading as often as we once had. I missed that feeling of togetherness. School can be done with everyone on the couch, tucked under a blanket, listening to a great tale. I want our kids to remember the sweetness of family as a part of their everyday lives.

How We Got Our Homeschool Groove Back

Now that I'd identified my key values—what I love about homeschooling—I had to reconnect them to my day so that I could find my lost homeschool groove.

Here is what I did for my family. Since we are in the middle of History / Bible Literature G World History, I created a small unit study of all things Greek, especially Greek mythology, one of my favorite topics. To inspire wonder, I did quite a bit of reading from the stories that I love, adding all the flourishes and details I could remember.

We got back to making reading central and fun. To add regular opportunities for creativity, the kids are taking notes in an inexpensive, blank journal. My first group of homeschoolers, years ago, loved keeping a Monster Journal as we read Greek myths aloud. This group of younger siblings are now doing the same. The journals are a place to draw monsters, keep a timeline, note names, and draw anything they pick up from the reading.

Their creativity is refreshing to observe. We have a sharing time after we read so they can show each other what they have drawn. We normally work with two IG’s, but we made sure both groups were doing world history at the same time so that much of our reading can be combined through the year. Doing these reading activities together as one group is helping us feel closer as a family.

In a few weeks, we will wrap up our Greek mini-unit. I know that I’ll feel ready to fall right back into our IG schedule. The best part is that the books we’re reading are pulled right out of the World History G selections, so we aren’t even missing a beat in our school year.

I encourage you to identify your homeschool values. Then when you lose your groove, use those core values to help you find it again.

Tagged Encouragement, GROOVE, Homeschooling, motivation, tips | Leave a comment