Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Sep. 22, 2017

Homeschooling with Morning Sickness

I have some amazing news: I’m going to have a baby! I also have some less exciting news: I’ve been overwhelmed with morning sickness for the past three months.

Homeschooling in the everyday can be challenging enough, but when you don’t feel well, the task can seem insurmountable. My ordinary, non-pregnant self loves reading aloud, playing outside with the kids, and planning homeschool lessons. My pregnant version (at least the first trimester model) mostly wants to stay in bed with the covers pulled over her head.

My second and third pregnancies were spent changing diapers, making meals, reading books, and orchestrating lots of free play in the backyard. While I’m still doing a lot of those activities this pregnancy, I’m also homeschooling a preschooler and a kindergartener. In many ways having younger kids while pregnant can be fabulous; the school work isn’t overly demanding and a list of daily must-dos are largely unnecessary. If I miss a day or a week, the year isn’t a total loss.

On the other hand, having young kids also means that there is little opportunity for independent work. Sure, they are great at coloring or doing puzzles for small periods of time, largely unassisted, but they need me to actively oversee most activities—homeschooling and otherwise.

The majority of their day is still spent in direct interaction with me while they learn to master reading and writing, which will take their studies to a more independent level in a few years.

Here's what I'm doing to make this challenging season of pregnancy and morning sickness more rewarding for the whole family.

1. Setting Realistic Expectations

The human body is amazing. It is truly a miracle that I am growing inside me a living human being who will soon be gathered around our table. Yet pregnancy and having a newborn have taught me that I have to recognize and respect my physical limits.

When I push myself too hard, we all suffer. Worn out, tired Mom is simply not the best for homeschooling or anything else.

Expecting another baby is emotionally stimulating not only for me; it’s also a time of transition for my kids and husband, too. While my little ones are happy about having a new sibling, they also still desire their own time with Momma. Fortunately, reading aloud is a favorite family activity that covers both bases of homeschooling and family bonding.

My husband works hard away from home, and still willingly pitches in with housework and errands. I’ve come to realize, though, that when my sweet hubby is already cleaning litter boxes, running last minute errands for foods I think I can stomach, and redoing the budget to ensure we can still afford mortgage payments and hospital bills, asking him to step up and assume additional homeschool responsibilities may be overwhelming. Sometimes for all our sakes, I simply need to step back, slow down, and cross a big chunk of tasks off the list.

I tell myself that it's okay to change my expectations during this short season of pregnancy when my children are so little. If it takes us two or even three weeks to make it through five days of our Sonlight Instructor's Guide, that's okay. We just do the next thing and keep moving forward however slowly it may be.

2. Making Self-Care a Priority

As a family, we cooperate to make sure that my health and that of our baby is a top priority. Every pregnancy is different, and I’ve had my fair share of associated risks. Finding ways that the kids and husband can help take care of me and the baby has been a learning experience for all of us.

I get enough rest.

The kids stay in their rooms until a specified time each morning— when a green light on a click signals that it's okay to get up for the day.

I stay hydrated and eat well.

My kids love getting water out of our refrigerator, so they are in charge of making sure Mommy’s glass stays full. Sure, there are occasional puddles on the kitchen floor, but we have a well placed towel that gets checked routinely for just this reason.

Eating balanced meals and small snacks help with nausea and indigestion, and my kids are great reminders for this. They are all about having snacks during read alouds and love healthy foods like apple slices and nuts.

I exercise.

The kids and I walk, dance to videos, and even have tried some pregnancy yoga together.

I have enjoyable downtime.

Even if it’s just for a few minutes everyday, I take the time to relax with a book, a favorite television program, or a few minutes of bird watching. I have to remember to take advantage of times when the kids are engaged in unstructured play, running around outside or being looked after by my husband or mother. It can be tempting to do just a little more planning or wash a few more clothes during those moments, but my emotional well-being is important, too, so I invest in it.

3. Making Sure Homeschool Happens

Even as I cut back significantly and reduce the family’s overall academic workload, there are still plenty of chances to sneak in some learning for my preKer and Kindergartener even while bearing up under morning sickness. Here are things that seem to work well for me.

Try being still. Lie down in bed or on the couch while reading and discussing Read-Alouds.
Get outside. Fresh air can help abate nausea and give younger kids time to run off excess energy.
Incorporate snacks. Reading aloud can be more fun for them and more tolerable for Mom when no one has an empty stomach.
Change up the schedule. Do the more intense subjects during times of the day when morning sickness symptoms are slightest.
Share some of the responsibility. Dad may also have a lot on his plate, but he and other friends and relatives may be excellent substitutes.
Most importantly, give grace to yourself, to your kids, and to your husband.

Remember, Momma, this is only for a short season, even if it lasts all nine months. The experience the kids will get from watching another life form, grow, and be born can’t be covered in a book.

Tagged homeschool, Homeschooling, pregnancy, sick, tips | 2 Comments

Sep. 20, 2017

Three Reasons to Immerse Your Children in a Foreign Language Now

By Sonlight

Discover why your children can benefit from studying a foreign language and get tips on which foreign language may be the best for your child's educational path.

Continue reading →

Tagged foreign language, Homeschooling, immersion approach, Rosetta Stone | 1 Comment

Sep. 18, 2017

Homeschooling Away From Home During Crisis or Displacement

By Amber Smith

For months we had been fine tuning our plan to repair our basement and then move downstairs so the renovation crew could work on the upper portion of our house. Just minutes into our final meeting, the crew laid their news on us: “We think you need to move out for the duration of the renovation.”

I could hardly comprehend the words coming out of the mouth of our contractor. The project was slated to take more than six months, and we were scheduled to start in two weeks.

Homeschooling Away From Home

As the meeting ended, we had accepted that it was better for us to move but had no idea how it would work out. I remember being so overwhelmed by having to leave everything behind on such short notice, packing only what was essential.

Maybe you've faced a crisis of your own:

a natural disaster
sickness or intensive medical treatment
political upheaval or visa troubles if you live abroad
a huge remodeling project like my example

Whatever circumstances may cause the disruption to your school year, I think the principles I learned during the six-month displacement from my home will help you cope as you wait for repairs, hope for waters to recede, or await the green light from your doctor.

Finding My Way Beyond the Obstacles

We ended up finding an unoccupied house in the next city. Unfortunately it was forty-miles from my husband's work and our construction site. The good news was it was awaiting foreclosure and the price was right—free.

We were able to store our belongings by renting a semi trailer which was unceremoniously dropped into our front yard, and we packed everything we owned in a week's time.

With a suitcase of clothes, our current school books, and the basics to outfit a kitchen, we walked into an adventure.

Helping Our Kids Respond to Crisis

Our relocation home was far from ideal. We had never lived in a neighborhood before, so moving ten country kids into the city was challenging for everyone involved. To compensate for the stress, I made self-care a higher priority. Finding spaces of quiet time helped me feel less trapped. I started walking the dog in the evenings to wind down and have thinking time.

Over the six months, we struggled with many of the same problems you have faced if you've lived through a crisis that displaced you from your home:

Dad had to be away for extended periods of time.
Nothing worked in the temporary home where we were staying.
Our dwelling had the tiniest fridge I have ever seen; we could keep only two to three meals' worth of food in it.
There were so many forms, questions, and appointments during our time of transition.
There were things we should have packed but didn't. And we didn't use other things that we did bring along.

While we were stretched and pulled, we also grew and flexed. We learned many ways to cope with an unfavorable situation.

Making Displacement a Family Adventure

As parents, we have a huge part in shaping the attitude our kids develop toward any situation. Trust me when I say, moving was not a happy shift in circumstances. It was a terrible inconvenience and cost, but we had no choice. If we wanted the repairs done to our home, we had to move out.

We decided to speak to the kids as if there were a great adventure. Adventures are sometimes hard and require cooperation with everyone acting as a team to do their part. This mindset helped us cope:

when the shower overflowed
when the washer stopped working
when the white kitchen tiles met mulberry season and 20 purple feet

Through it all, I reminded myself I was on an adventure. This perspective helped me cope with one of the most challenging years I have ever faced.

Using Season Passes to Get out of the (Temporary) House

One of the first things we did was get a family season pass to our local science center, zoo, and history museum.

Although I was thankful for a house to live in, it was small and had virtually no furniture. We brought our curriculum to keep our homeschool routine, but we had none of our toys or games and could bear to watch only so much television.

A season pass to fun and educational venues was a great way to get out of the house whenever we needed a break. Plus, I could build on the experiences for Science and History lessons!

It was a large expense up front, but after the initial payment, we appreciated the ability to go for a quick visit anytime we needed a break. Living away from the comforts of home made us cranky at times, so short visits were a better choice for our large family. The pass made it painless to leave when we felt done and visit when it fit our day or mood.

If you know a homeschooler who is displaced and are wondering what you can do for them, event passes, movie tickets, memberships to a local attraction are meaningful gifts which go a long way to give a family a few hours of relief from their day to day stress.

Finding a New Hobby or Creative Activity

Getting out of the house with a bunch of kids is a daunting task. Trying to do it when you are in a strange city, alone, a little depressed, and feeling overwhelmed is nothing short of intimidating. I knew we would need a motivator to keep us from staying inside and relying on television. We took up geocaching to give us something fun to look forward to outside.

Geocaching is totally free. All you need to do is download one of the most popular apps and choose the map location you want to explore. We used it as a way to explore our new town during our frequent errands related to the home renovations. Stopping to make a couple of geocache searches helped the kids be more enthusiastic about trips to the hardware store. All it cost me was a handful of garage sale trinkets to trade in the cache boxes we found. (We could take one item and leave behind another to make an exchange.)

Organizing with a Crate System

Back at home we had yards and yards of book shelves. Everyone had a place for their school items and books. In our temporary home we had nothing of the sort. To remedy the lack of organization, I bought large crates and pencil boxes for each child to store his books and supplies. With these crates, we added a little bit of order to our chaotic lives.

Our situation of remodeling and rebuilding called for a lot of contractor meetings and hardware store runs. Our crates made it easier to salvage our “on the road” school days because the crates were easy to grab and load into the van. I was so thankful for the Sonlight Instructor's Guides that kept me on track day by day. I didn't have to plan homeschool lessons. We simply did the next thing.

My advice to someone going through a displacement is this: If you need to scrap school for a day or a week, don't hesitate to do it. The beauty of homeschooling is that we aren't bound to a certain schedule.

A long displacement might be the best time for a visit to distant family or for the kids to go stay at the grandparents for a longer visit than you might have chosen otherwise. Through your displacement, I pray that you know and carry the peace that only Christ can give you in times of distress and chaos. It sustained me through that difficult school year indeed!

Simplify your homeschool and reduce the burden of daily decision making. Try three weeks of any Sonlight Instructor's Guide for free. Click here to get one for any level, preschool through twelfth grade.

Tagged crisis, displacement, Homeschooling, relocation, tragedy | 2 Comments

Sep. 15, 2017

7 Ways to Cultivate a Positive Math Culture in Your Homeschool

By Gina Munsey

More than likely, you are a family of book lovers. You probably have stacks in every room, tucked away in baskets or neat piles because you have run out of shelf space for all the novels and reference volumes in your collection. You value reading, and developing a family culture of literacy comes naturally. But what about math?

Does your home give equal footing to math when it comes to your family's values? How can you generate (or boost) a positive math culture in your homeschool?

1. Stop Saying “Math is hard.”

Culturally, we have a tendency to frame both mathematics (theory) and arithmetic (calculation) as difficult, and only meant to be truly understood by a select few. Can you imagine the damage we’d cause if we had this attitude toward reading and literacy? It would have a profoundly negative affect, not just on our individual students, but on our culture as a whole. Yet, we continue to perpetuate the “math is hard” idea, presenting it as something we just need to struggle through.

Consider Singapore, a country whose students consistently rank at the top of global math scores. Culturally, Singapore has refreshingly positive outlook about everyone’s math potential. A recent report from the United Kingdom’s National Numeracy organization supports the idea that mindset matters, saying, “Negative attitudes, rather than a lack of innate talent, are at the root of our numeracy crisis.”

A shift in our attitudes is crucial. How can we rectify this? However we might feel about math, we must be careful not to pass on negativity to our children. Instead, we can encourage, we can empower, and we can employ little tricks to avoid abandoning our kids to hours of tears over an endless worksheet. The idea is to cultivate a positive math culture in our home.

2. Incorporate Math-Themed Books

Believe it or not, many libraries have an incredible selection of math-themed books. And these aren’t just drill books or compilations of problem sets. Math-themed books run the gamut from delightfully illustrated stories to more complex solve-it-yourself mysteries, and even include longer literature selections centered around a mathematical theme. The key here, of course, is not to assign these books just during math lessons, but to scatter them throughout everyday life, making math a normal part of your household culture.

3. Allow Colored Pens and Markers

Admit it—doesn’t the chore list in your planner seem a lot more fun once you’ve written it out in with a set of colored pens? We encourage creativity in other areas, yet we relegate math to the realm of sterile, monochromatic graphite. But consider this: mathematicians demonstrate an extraordinary amount of creativity in their thinking. A little glitter ink is not going to hurt anything. (Now glitter alone...that’s a different story.)

4. Use Number Stamps

Have a little one whose capacity to understand mathematical concepts and calculate arithmetic exceeds his or her writing stamina? Instead of requiring writing, let the child utilize a set of 0-9 number stamps and a stamp pad. This is enjoyable, requires much less dexterity, and will speed the process along. This can be fun for older kids, too.

5. Ignore (or Encourage!) Doodles

As long as the work is getting done and the answers are still legible, I don’t mark down for doodles, drawings, and notes. Maybe there are a dozen rockets around the margin—every single day.

Maybe the circles inside the 0s and 8s turn into faces, with a different expression every time. Some children—just like some adults—need to trail the pencil around the page while thinking. But is the doodling taking over, and nothing’s getting done at all?

6. Act as Your Child’s Scribe

For Language Arts and Science, Sonlight often recommends letting your child orally dictate answers to you as you jot them down on the activity sheets. But I’ve found this works extraordinarily well for Math, too. I can’t tell you how many times the dawdling hour has been transformed into record-speed math, just by my picking up a pencil and saying, “Why don’t I sit next to you and jot down what you tell me to write?”

This trick even works for multi-step calculations where the student needs to show work. Allowing your child to dictate empowers him or her to explain each step, increases understanding, heightens the ability to recall math facts, and sharpens mental math skills.

7. Talk about Math

Most of us, I think, incorporate literacy and pre-literacy themes into conversation without giving it much extra thought. With small children, we emphasize beginning sounds. As our children grow, we point out examples of alliteration, rhyming, homophones, and more. Yet for whatever reason, we’re often less likely to work numeracy topics into our everyday chatter. I’m not advising you turn every situation into a teachable moment (that’s a fast-track to burning out), but simply to be aware of the endless opportunities to weave in how math relates to real-world circumstances. At the very least, this will build a working familiarity with math vocabulary, so when things like place value or polynomials finally pop up in your student’s math curriculum, it won’t be the first time he or she’s ever heard the term. Talk about math demystifies it, gives context for it, boosts a child’s confidence, and breaks down the wall we’ve created culturally between math class and the rest of the world.

Make Math as integral as Reading in your homeschool. See all the Math options available to you here.

Tagged homeschool, math, teaching | Leave a comment

Sep. 13, 2017

Pursuing Passions and Sharing the Best Parts of You

By Amber Smith

I was nine when I recognized I had the ability to draw. The kids at school made comments about my work, encouraging me to create more. At one point, I commented to my mother, “I wonder where I got my artistic ability.”

She walked me out to our stuffed, sweltering garage. We filed past the bikes and storage totes to the neglected dark corner. After a minute, Mama pulled out three oil paintings— two of fluffy Himalayan cats and one of an African savanna. I could almost feel their fur and cold noses as their blue eyes stared out softly from the canvas. The sun was setting over the savanna, and there was a lazy lion who looked as if he was going to take another 24-hour rest before hunting again.

That day in the garage, I saw a side of my mother I had never seen before, and I was completely inspired.

Being Intentional with Displaying Your Talents

At nine years old, I decided one thing. I did not want to be an artist who stopped creating art. I would do my best to keep my talents out of the garage. When I became a parent, I discovered how difficult that vow was to keep. There are many years when my watercolors dried out or my camera waited for repairs because diapers were the priority.

Parenthood can be all consuming, but I have always strived to share the best of me. I create. It is what I do. In the lean years, my canvas was cardboard. I made some pretty cool suits of armor for 5-year-old boys.

I urge you to find your passion again. It doesn’t have to be big or honed to perfection. It doesn’t have to even be a concrete skill; wonder, pause, observation, and rest are my favorite skills. I have made sure to share them with my kids. We notice minute details when we walk. We stop for bugs on the trail. Because our pockets always have a few rocks in them, I know they have learned to look for beauty in the small things.

My husband is a chef who loves to cook. His world is smells, textures, salt, and pinches of herbs. When he cooks, everyone tends to gather around to talk and taste. We allow meal making to be the event within the event. This is one of the ways he shares his gifts with the kids. They may never learn to cook much more than mac and cheese, but they will take away the fact that Dad has a talent he uses to serve others. We have cultivated our passions, even in small, family-sized ways. We are sharing our gifts.

What is your passion? Don’t let your proverbial paints dry out.

Three Ways to Make Room for Exploration and Sharing

The greatest gift of the homeschooling lifestyle is the ability to shape your day and choose your priorities. As parents, we need to show our kids how we, too, continue to grow and be passionate about the things we love.

For example, I love to learn through reading. My kids see me do that in my free time, but it has also become a part of their schooling time as well.

It was not always easy. convenient, or neat to help them find their interests. Making room for creativity and extra courses that fall out of the core three Rs is something we struggle to keep a priority every year, but I am thankful we have.

1. Keep the School Day Short

One of the greatest advantages of our homeschooling life is that we are not bound to an 8-hour work day. Our school hours are from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Although projects or in depth research may extend beyond that that a bit, the bulk of homeschooling is completed within those four hours each day. Over the thirteen years we have homeschooled, we’ve found that if everyone works diligently for those hours, we will have our work completed. The children still have plenty of time to get outside, explore, and create on their own without a ton of structure.

2. Give School Credit for Pursuing Passions

What does your student love to do in life? Make it a credit-able. You could make it the center of your curriculum if you are so inclined. My son loves computers and games, so he has CompuScholar and is learning coding. My daughter is a writer, so one year I joined NanoWriMo with her, and we challenged ourselves to write 50,000 words in 30 days. My younger daughters are obsessed with YouTube videos that create props for their American Girl dolls, so I signed them up for a challenge online. It is a short 4-week class where they will learn to sew easy outfits for their dolls. They are all learning in an informal interest-led way as I make way for them to embrace their interests and develop life skills.

3. Make Learning a Visible Priority in Your Life

It is easy to take a class online at night when the kids are sleeping or get up early and write (like I do) and never mention it to the kids. You may even feel a little protective of your hobby. But I think we need to communicate our interests to our kids. They need to see mom as a person outside of her role as mother and homeschool teacher. And knowing that mom has personal interests makes them more open to dialog about their passions as well.

Part of the reason I began writing and blogging was to show my children you can pursue your passions no matter what your household looks like. I often share with my teens how my learning is going. I want them to see that learning is a part of pursuing your passions, and it lasts a lifetime if you do it right.

Take Time for Pursuing Passions Again

If your talent is tucked into a box in the garage or attic, unpack it. If you feel untalented, explore things you used to like until you find something that reignites your interests. Most of the skills I have learned as an adult came from a library book or an online class.

What have you always wanted to do? Get inspired and begin in any way you can. I started watercolor painting again after I bought a simple watercolor kit for under $20. It doesn’t need to cost much at all. Your kids are watching you learn. Show them it never stops.

Choose a new interest for you or your children. See our options for homeschool electives.

Tagged extracurricular, interests, passions | Leave a comment

Sep. 11, 2017

Homeschool Bloggers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers to Follow

By Sonlight

If you are looking for homeschool bloggers, Instagrammers, and YouTubers to follow, here are suggestions* of a few Sonlighters we have encountered online. This list is by no means intended to be exhaustive, but it's a start for finding resources which give a boost to your homeschool day.

Continue reading →

Tagged bloggers, instagram #sonlightstories, Sonlight, youtube | 5 Comments

Sep. 8, 2017

Homeschooling Is Hard and Worthy Work

By Sarita

Every year around this time, I see cartoons in which moms celebrate the yellow bus coming around the corner and shout, “Take my kids, please!”

Those comments usually make me sad, because I really loved being with my kids and count our homeschooling years as such sweet time together. I want all of us parents to be able to enjoy our kids and grow closer as we learn together. That’s one of my aims in offering Sonlight.

But let’s also be ruthlessly honest here.

I talk a lot about the benefits of homeschooling and even the aspects of homeschooling that make life easier, but not everything about homeschooling is picture perfect. I want you to know you’re not alone if, when the bus rolls right by, you feel a little chaos within and you start to ask yourself, “Why am I doing this again?”

That is just the right question to ask. The key step in purposeful homeschooling is to remember your “why.” Holding fast to why you chose to homeschool in the first place will you help you navigate the ups and the downs of the journey.

You Don't Homeschool Because it's Easy

Whatever your why, you are deliberately making this choice not because it is easy, but because you feel it is best for your children and you are willing to make the investment, to dig in deep—even when discomfort comes—to live life according to what matters to you most.

Every powerful story has conflict. So it is with many good things in life, whether that is homeschooling, relationships or work.

Let me encourage you not only to remember your why, but also to embrace the challenge of homeschooling. Everything worth doing takes time. A fulfilling life does not always mean the easiest life possible. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” As a homeschooling parent, you are investing your life in purposeful work.

I can reassure you that your homeschooling journey is likely to be filled with lots of delightful moments, warm memories, snuggles and cuddles and probably lots of days when your kids are having so much fun they won’t even realize they are doing school. But what about the days when it’s not smooth sailing:

shaping character and discipline
pushing through a subject that has sticking points
ironing out relationships that need to be addressed
coordinating the rhythms of your family

You Homeschool Because It's Worth It

These are not easy tasks, but they are worthy work. Your investment in your family, in doing the hard work of relational healing and pursuit of growth and the discipline to learn new things, has so many benefits.

When we read missionary stories of those who go through hard things for the cause of Christ, or ordinary people who change the world, we can see that it is not a life of ease, but a life of purpose that is most meaningful.

As a homeschooling parent, you are investing your life in purposeful work. What a privilege. May you press on with courage and joy in this great task, through the easy times and through the challenges, knowing you are being shaped and formed and accomplishing great things.

P.S. Whether you have children in public or private school, homeschool, or some combination of all, your work as a parent is worthy, important, and you are doing hard and good things. I just wanted to focus today on the parent who may be wondering if they have the inner strength to meet the challenges of homeschooling and say "You can do this! And it is worth it!"

Tagged difficult, Encouragement, Homeschooling, work | Leave a comment