Revamping the Homeschool Plans

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Remember back in January I felt so on top of the game? I'd spent weeks pulling together a 10 week lesson plan for the boys with a CRAZY insane amount of photocopying and sorting and this amazing file folder system? 

Well, I'm happy to say  - I LOVE my system and the lessons worked out astonishingly well! But you might notice that it's June. We are finally on our week 10 plan. Somehow, we didn't quite accomplish the plans in 10 weeks. It's been 6 months. (Oops?). 

That's ok. We're homeschooling. We're flexible. J was off longer than expected this past winter because the snow hung on and we had a new baby to adjust to. Rounds of colds and illness have been plaguing us. That pushed our homeschooling activities back a bit. I'm so thankful that kids learn even when we don't have a set plan, because I'm not sure where we'd be if we HAD to teach them according to a schedule. 

While the rest of our public schooled friends, and many of our homeschooling ones too, are wrapping it up for the season, here we are - mixing things up and getting ready to really get into the meat of our school year. 

So, here I stand, at the brink of the end of all the work I'd put together thinking of what we are going to do next. Do I look back into the Ontario curriculum plans and then pull together another 10 weeks of lessons and worksheets and activities? Or do we go ahead with something else? 

This past week or 2 ago, I stumbled onto a new-to-me (and fairly new to the online world) website written by a missionary mom that has a completely free, online curriculum for all grade levels - using games, videos, activities, and books that are all online and accessible to everyone. It's called Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool. 

At first, I thought - meh. But then I started to really go through all the lesson plans in detail and check out the resources that she's used. The English and reading sections are very classical style, and not my thing or interest at all. But, the other subjects have caught my interest. Now I'm actually REALLY excited about the idea. I think we're going to give a big chunk of it a whirl, starting with her Year 1 outline that focuses on ancient history and biology. I can see the boys (and me!) getting totally excited by these subjects. 

She has planned the lessons in a 4 year rotation, so that you can revisit the same subjects again when you hit the next age category which offers a more in depth look at the same study. 

We will use this program for history, science, some English, music, art, health/p.e, Bible, and computers. For Math, we will continue to use our MathSmart and JUMP math series at whatever pace the boys are chipping away at. We will continue to use the Smart Series for our English and reading as well as a few miscellaneous workbooks that I have for other things like handwriting and spelling, etc. 

After we finish up our last week here of my lessons, we'll hope straight into learning with Easy Peasy and see how it goes. 

Fellow Homeschoolers, what are you up to? Taking a break for the summer or learning right through? Are you all set for the fall or whatever season you get back to business? What are you using? 

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The Art of Balance: How I do it all.

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I am a wife. I am a mother of 4 kids. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend. I am a homeschooler. I am a blogger. I am a leader in my community. I am an advocate and a support system. I help people with their blogs. I have a house and yard to maintain. 

Somehow, I have to try and balance all of that. 

I actually hear on a regular basis: "I have no idea how you do all that." Frankly, I don't. I don't balance all these things well at all. All you have to do to see the evidence of that is walk into my house. It's a mess. Almost always. 

Today, the house is completely upside-down. The kids are running wild while the baby keeps waking up screaming and wanting to be held. School has be a bare minimum and very distracted. We haven't been outside nearly as much as we probably should be, and the garden needs watering/weeding. My blog is behind, again, and I've missed a few posts here and there. You should see my desk - oy. I almost can't find my computer. 

But still - I try to balance. 

Here's how I do my day. 

I usually end up out of bed sometime between 5 am and 6am - mostly because my boys are early risers. After I get up, I either drink hot chocolate or some water while I turn my computer on, check my emails and other social media. While the boys watch TV or play DSs or craft away with must more zest than I'm able to muster first thing in the morning, I make sure that my post of the day has actually posted and then share it across the board. I check in with some of blogging groups for the various tasks of the day, read a bunch of blog posts that catch my eye, and then realize I've used up far too much time online. 

This is where we start doing "real life" stuff - like housework and chores and all our schooling for the day. Typically, we're done by lunch time. The boys have their rotating computer times throughout the afternoon - 1 hour each - which allows me to have 3 hours of time on the computer to get things done. I end up wasting far too much of that time blabbing all over Facebook or following random rabbit trails or starting a project that really should be a backburner idea instead of a currently-in-progress one. Some days, I have work to do on other people's blogs - which is both invigorating and mentally stimulating, but a real drawback to my own blogging endeavours. Once in a while, I actually do type like crazy and get some posts knocked out. Those are the days I feel successful. 

Once computer time is over, we do miscellaneous other activities, like heading outside or playing games or reading or whathaveyou. This quickly morphs into supper time and bed routines and time spent with hubby playing online games, talking, and/or watching TV before crashing into my pillow to nap before it starts all over again the next day. 

Once in a while, I will give the kids the day off and let them have full-out screen days, where they can keep themselves entertained and I can sit down to work hardcore. They love those days. I love those days. (Well, other than the Mommy guilt that sets in.)

If you want to know the secrets of the days I am successful, here they are: 

1. Plan. Plan. Plan. Plan. Plan. Plan everything. What blog posts you want to write. What you are having for supper. What chores you are going to accomplish. What you are teaching the kids, etc. I've found so much more success with my blog planner, meal planner, and chore list than any winging it days I've done. 

2. Type fast. Staying on task and churning out blog posts is ridiculously satisfying....

And there you have it. 

If you are thinking of being a blogger, and you have other commitments in your life (you know, kids, a spouse, a job, etc.), be prepared to have at least one thing you are juggling fall. For me, it's housework. 

But, if *I* can do it.... so can you. 

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Summer Reading for Boys

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Big has told me many times that he loves reading because he can read some great and fun things. But, I rarely find him curled up with a book - he would rather play a video game. This is something we're trying to work on because he's slowly learning that books can have bigger adventures than a video game. This summer, my hope is that we can get him reading more. 

Middle is still an early reader - although he's starting to be more eager and excited when he's reading. We're going to spend our summer reading early readers together and see how far he can get! Little is an emerging reader. We're moving slowly, with no pressure, through some basic reading and then we're going to move onto more advanced stuff. 

But I wanted to share with you, my fellow boy moms - 5 tips on how to get boys reading this summer. 

1. Let them read whatever they want. (within reason, of course). I've found that I can get boys looking at books a lot more if they are excited about said book. The books *I* choose, thinking they will like, are usually not as appealing for some reason. It's like dragging them through mud to get them reading. If they WANT to read it - they will. Don't be afraid of the genre, either. 

• Comics offer storylines with graphics to hold attention as well.
• Video game walkthroughs use their natural interests in the game with information on how to make it better.
• Choose-your-own adventure novels make reading it over and over to find different endings fun.
• Books based on tv shows and movies. etc. - such as Ninjago or TMNT or superheroes. If they love it, let them read it. 
• Magazines can offer short stories and articles that focus on an area of interest without stressing out readers. 

2. Look for the "boy-appeal" stories. There are definitely some things that are more appealing to boys than to girls. I'm pretty sure, for example, that I would never have picked up and read the Captain Underpants series as a kid. Although I don't think that these kinds of books are actually QUALITY - they do get boys reading, and that's a great place to start. Use books that have high "boy" appeal - like body and potty humour. Find books that have high-action adventure, focus on battle and becoming a man, fantasy - dragons, knights, and elves with arrows, or that allow them to be silly while reading. These are all bound to be a good place to start. 

3. Read with them. For some reason, I've found that if I sit down and read a book with my boys they are much more likely to stay there for longer than if I send them off to read by themselves. 

• Read books aloud. One of our favourite things to do used to be having me read while the kids ate their lunches. We were whizzing through the Magic Tree House series! Unfortunately, we fell out of the habit and stopped - BUT this is going to start happening again very soon. The boys loved it, I loved it, it kept them from getting silly at lunch hour and we took some great adventures! Reading out loud is a unique way for everyone to take that journey together.
• Read together. One good idea is to read alternating pages. That encourages your boys to read without the overwhelming thought of reading it all. Plus, it brings you in on the action. Use your voice to read enthusiastically; Be exciting and vivacious. 

4. Let them read with someone else. (like Grandma). I don't know why, but my kids will always choose to read with Grandma instead of me. I just go with it. When the boys go to the grandparent's place in the summer, they will read voraciously with Grandma. If there is someone other than you that your boy will read with - use it to your advantage and encourage the reading!

5. Model. Show your kids that reading is awesome. Read for yourself. Enjoy the art of a good book. Talk to your kids about what you are reading in simplified form (if it's appropriate) and share your excitement. 

[Bonus] Take away the screens. Computers, video game systems, and TV are both my favourite things and my biggest enemy. They distract the kids so much from the amazing other things they could be doing or reading or experiencing. When these things are off - it's amazing how their interests change...

If you are looking for some good recommendations of books to read with your boys (and I'm excited to build this list for my own boys...) be sure to check out today's Blog Cruise with TOS : Summer Reading For Boys

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100 Verses in 2013: #48

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100 Verses in 2013: #47

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Wordless Wednesday: Generation Gap

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This is a special picture. It's J's Grandma, who turns 101 next month with the youngest great-grandbaby - our Jr at 9 weeks old. This happened this past weekend. 

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Christianity Cove: Lessons in Service and Bullying {Crew Review}

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Disclosure: I received copies of these products in exchange for my review, however this in no way influenced my evaluation. All opinions expressed are completely honest and 100% my own. 

What is it? I reviewed two of the many resources available at Christianity Cove, a Sunday School lesson site: 

• 100 Simple Service Projects
• Bullying and the Bible

Who is it for? Designed for kids ages 5+ 

How much does it cost? Service Projects: $19.95 at time of post / Bullying: $27

Where do I find it?: Christianity Cove

Tell Me More:  

One disappointment I've struggled with while trying to come up with ideas of how to build a sense of community and service is that there are really limited opportunities to volunteer with children. How can you teach kids this idea if you can't DO anything? 

I was excited to see the suggestions in this book as a starting point to move forward. The book breaks the ideas into five main sections - each intending to encourage moving onto the next: 

• family
• neighbours
• community
• charities
• own design

One of the most valued lessons in serving at home is that a child realizes he is a “vested” family member, meaning that his family functions best when he is doing his share of giving.

I admit it, I'm guilty of not including the boys in more housework and home responsibility jobs. It's easier if I just do it myself - but what am I teaching them by doing this? The book asks me to pause and reflect on what values I hope to instill in my kids and then helps by starting small and working up from there.

I love that this book encourages leaders to allow kids to think of ideas themselves - how they can help and what would sincerely be appreciated. From chores to big jobs - home is a great place to start.
Once you set your sights on areas of service outside the home, there are some really interesting and fun suggestions: from helping your neighbour shovel the driveway, to hat&mitt drives, to making dog treats, to putting out water dishes for birds. There's so many ideas that I actually hadn't thought of before. 

The last few sections are focused on charities and how to get involved as a family and youth, and even about the idea of your child starting their own campaign for charity. Examples such as Alex's Lemonade Stand are given to inspire kids to excellence. 

While we are no where near ready to be setting up our own charity plans at this point in our lives, we have really loved doing acts of kindness and service throughout the last few years at Christmas. This book is a terrific way to build on that - not just at Christmas but throughout the year. 

We took some of the ideas and started working on them during our review period - although not nearly as many as I would have liked (darned that whole new baby/little sleep/sick kids thing.) Things like helping more with chores and how to help grandparents - things are in motion. We talked a lot about how we can serve others and some plans for the summer when we can help our neighbours and community: picking up garbage and mowing their grass, etc. 

We will continue to use the suggestions in this book over the rest of the year, hopefully working our way to some of the bigger ideas and participating with a charity that we really want to support.

Excellent resource! 

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I'm not sure if bullying is more prevelant than it's ever been, or if the media has drawn our attention to it more, or what, but I've heard that bullying buzzword so much lately! 

I was bullied as a kid and it was horrible. I hated it. It really drains you to be bullied.

What scares me is watching how Middle treats little - a full example of prime bullying at play. I've tried to nip it in the bud and hopefully it's mostly just sibling rivalry kind of stuff, but I'm always on the lookout for programs and lessons that teach about the effects of bullying and how to stand up against it. So, this definitely caught my eye. 

This is a 6 lesson series: 

Shield of Faith and Wand of Forgiveness

• Identifying Bullying Behaviour
• Handling Bullies and Meanies
• How to Help the Victim
• How to Safely Warn Bullies
• If You Are a Victim
• If You Are a Bully

Combining lessons with props, games, and crafts, each subject is covered with detail and discussion. I really love the action-based definition of bullying and that the lessons are so visual / hands-on / interactive for kids to really get the concepts. 

These lessons are actually intended for a group such as a Sunday School class - with several kids. Seeing as I only have 3 school-aged kids, I found it really hard to adapt some of the lessons into a small group idea. I think it might have made the lesson a little less effective than if it had been presented in a larger group. We had one other small issue, completely only related to my boys and their current state of behaviour. The early lessons provide examples to help teach the difference between someone being a bully and someone being mean. Unfortunately, it involved some silly sentences that my boys just latched right onto and became the conversation for the next few days. 

I did like how it covered just about every topic for this subject though - including a lesson for people who have been bullies. This area is often overlooked and I think it needs to be addressed more. 

Christianity Cove has a huge collection of lessons that you can use - these are just two of them. Subjects like Bible Science Experiments, devotions for kids, learning the 10 Commandments, etc. Lots of great topics. 

To read more reviews about the various lesson plans that Christianity Cove offers, check out what my fellow Crewmates had to say:

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