Steady Mom

the unexpected lessons

My to-do list for this autumn didn't have "recover from a broken rib" on it.

The unexpected--it slams into us (uh, literally in this case) and we're left trying to cope...and in pain with three little people in the house all day.

As I told the kids after the dust cleared, "Our homeschooling lifestyle means we fully go through the happy times together (like going on vacation when everyone else goes back to school). But it also means we fully go through the challenges together as well."

There's not much segregation to our days, not much black and white between school time and home time, kid time and parent time--for better or for worse, it's all one glorious (& often messy) blob of US.

And that's where the lessons come in.

With Daddy's busy travel schedule and Mommy not able to do as much, I have watched my kids completely step up to the plate.

The laundry done, the dinner made, the cleaning taken over while I sit on the couch.

All done to kid standards, mind you, but I think one of my unexpected lessons this season is the lowering of standards in general.

I've had my eyes tear up over heartfelt words of prayer coming from my little boy.

The curriculum I had planned for October might not get accomplished the exact way I had imagined--but perhaps the unexpected lessons matter more in life--for all of us.

Instead of trying to push pain away, which often leads to further injury, why not let it in? Then the healing begins and the lessons transform.

“Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

teaching baking to kids: the results

Last autumn I shared in detail about how and why I started formal baking lessons as part of our homeschool.

If you missed the post, here's a brief recap: Each child over the age of eight in our family receives an "invitation" to study with me and learn how to bake. If they choose to enroll in the class, I present them with a binder and a syllabus of ten recipes we'll learn to make together.

When the student can make all ten items independently, they "graduate." Their graduation celebration (and final exam, I guess) is to host a party for friends where they bake all the goodies themselves.

 

Head here to read the rest of this post at Simple Homeschool.

how to homeschool without actually homeschooling

From my post today on Simple Homeschool:

 

"At the start of the new year many of you completed a survey for those of us who blog under the Simple Living Media umbrella. I admit to being rather surprised when I found out that a significant percentage of those who read Simple Homeschool regularly are not actually homeschoolers.

Let me say it once and for all: Homeschooling or not, you are welcome here!

At its core, homeschooling is a lifestyle of intentionality when it comes to our kids' educations. Being intentional doesn't mean sending our kids to the school around the corner just because it's around the corner. Being intentional also doesn't mean homeschooling just because all your friends homeschool.

Intentionality means taking the time and effort necessary to give thought to what is best--for your children, yourself, and your family.

Maybe you went through that intentional process. Maybe the concept of homeschooling even intrigued you, but you ultimately decided it isn't for your family at the present moment. Yet you're always looking for ways to cultivate an atmosphere and a love of learning at home.

Did you know a new word has been invented to describe what you're doing?

It's called afterschooling. Here's how to do it well."

 

Click here to read the rest!

 

free educational resources

Once upon a time I believed that education, done well, required a significant financial investment. Private schools and the amount spent by the government on each public school student certainly suggest that education comes at a high price.

After a couple of years, however, I began to notice that my kids needed less and less in order to learn. A library card, favorite book titles purchased for our home collection, a stack of blank paper, and a few well-chosen resources here and there have done the job quite nicely thus far.

Have you made the same discovery? If you're interested in saving your pennies while still helping those little minds grow, here are a few free and inexpensive educational resources you might not have heard of.

Read the rest of this post over at Simple Homeschool.