Leaving the School Mindset

Most of us have been trained to conform to the school mindset. From the time we were little kids, we were taught to line up in single file lines, respond to bells, raise our hands, etc. We had strict timeframes to learn information within (grading periods, semesters, etc.), we had anxiety when we had to perform well on papers and exams, we cheered when we got all A’s on our report cards. School - it is a construct that gave us security or anxiety - it made us feel good about ourselves, or bad about ourselves. It was a fact of life.

Now that we are forging a different path for our children, it is important for us to leave behind the school mindset. Why do we need to make our children conform? Why do we need to cause our children stress with exams and quizzes... what is the value of grades?

Learning has no boundaries... It's Limitless!

We do not need to create or maintain learning boundaries. We are free to create the learning atmosphere that is appropriate for the needs of our children.

Learning is part of the raising of our children... It’s not to be compartmentalized. It should be integrated into our everyday lives.

T.E.A. 2018

How many hours do you homeschool?

When we started homeschooling our 2nd and 1st graders, we pretty much spent two hours a day doing school work. This really worked well for us, we were able to get through our basic subjects in this time. My children’s attention spans would start to wear thin once we hit the two hour mark. After a break, we would do supplemental activities, read books together, go to gym class, do art projects, or just play.

As my children are getting older, their attention spans are getting longer. We now can spend three hours straight working on school. Some days, we take a break after three hours and return for an extra two. Some days, we go to the library or do an art project. I also assign independent computer work from education.com, khanacademy.org, code kingdoms, or Scratch for them to work on once we are done with “official” schooling. They also have time to read their books - normally at least a chapter a day, or watch an educational show like Popular Mechanics on Amazon Prime.

Making Slime as an After School Activity

I spend time with my two year old working on puzzles and songs. She loves painting, and will paint on any day. I normally spend about 15-20 minutes with her one on one. Again, after about 20 minutes of puzzles or me trying to teach her letters and numbers, she’s ready to do whatever she wants.

This is how many hours we homeschool. I set time as a goal only because of attention spans. I find it to be a waste of time and energy if my children aren’t present mentally for school. When their minds are fresh, they can learn and retain things so much easily than when they are tired and unfocused.

Feel free to write in the comments how many hours do you homeschool, and why!

T.E.A. 2018

Homeschooling to Keep our Children Safe!

One of the most compelling reasons to homeschool is to keep our children safe.

My children and I went to a brick and mortar school to drop off paperwork last year. My children were scared. Why were there metal detectors? I told my children that they help to keep students safe. They are used to make sure kids and visitors don’t bring in weapons. Weapons???

My children were happy to get out from that environment as fast as they could!

It’s very disheartening to hear the constant reports on violence and bullying in schools. Kids are so fragile emotionally, and it’s very sad seeing reports of bullied children even committing suicide. The New York Times reports that on average, there are about five school shootings per month! This statistic is small when compared to the number of schools in the U.S., but it is totally random where these tragedies strike! In addition, sexual harassment/immorality is constantly in the news. There have been two recent reports of teachers essentially grooming and kidnapping their students. Student on student sexual harassment and peer pressure is also a concern.

As the number of families impacted by violence in schools increase, we risk being desensitized by this epidemic. I realized that metal detectors in schools are abnormal because my children thought they were out of place. Sure, to get on a plane you'd expect a search, but to enter a school? Should it be a common scene for a school district police car to be parked in front, and for police dogs to be on stand by?

How do we protect our children? Is a “lock down” environment where doors are locked to prevent predators from coming in, and metal detectors and random back pack checks are done by police officers at the door, a place that fosters our children’s learning? Or does the safety and comfort of their home, gently learning with people who love and support them seem like a better option?

Children flourish when they feel safe. It is our duty to protect our children. I think that more and more people are ready to take this duty out of the hands of school superintendents and paid security guards... If you feel like things have gotten out of control, if you are concerned with the state of security in school, it may be time to withdraw your child and begin the homeschool journey.

T.E.A. 2018

Why I Homeschool Year Round

Summer Learning - Wetlands Ecosystem

We took a traditional "summer break" the first year we homeschooled. Honestly.... it was a break for ME as well! I was tired out. I wanted to have a summer off too. And, it was lovely,... until....

Summer Learning

We started back in August. Ugh!!! What do you mean you don’t remember how to borrow and carry? What do you mean you don’t know what an adverb is? What do you mean you don’t remember the names of continents? Etc...

I didn't like repeating myself! I wanted my children to remember what we had worked so hard to learn! I wanted them to actually KNOW this stuff. Teachers actually get paid to repeat themselves (the same material) year after year. I, on the other hand, wasn't getting paid. LOL! We had to figure out how to keep their minds sharp! My children also didn't like "relearning" the same material..

Spring Learning - Maple Tree Tapping

So, as you can see, I learned a lesson. My children needed to keep their minds sharp. Three whole months of utter fun (a quarter of the year, by the way) was way too much time for them to be away from the books. Even if we had done some review work here and there over the summer, they would not have forgotten so much information.

Fall Learning - The Pumpkin Patch and Apple Picking

We should never stop learning. Small breaks here and there work for our family. We take breaks when we have things going on, sicknesses, feast day celebrations, etc. We normally have long weekends. In the summer months, we only do one to two days of school per week. The goal is to keep their minds stimulated. We also find fun camps for them to do - nature camps, science camps, sports camps, and music camps. These workshops and camps help them explore their interests and the world around them, and utilize the extra time we have for constructive activities rather than pure fun and entertainment.

Winter Learning - Decorating our Classroom

Every season of the year presents a unique opportunity for children to learn. It doesn't have to be relegated to a classroom, and to fall, winter, and spring. It can be adaptive to the change in weather and vegetation, adaptive to the lifestyle that we live! This is why we homeschool year round. We find the beauty in learning each season and embrace it to the fullest!

Never Stop Learning!

T.E.A. 2018

Welcome to our Classroom

After a year of homeschooling in our dining room, my husband suggested that we needed to have a dedicated space. I wasn’t excited about the suggestion. I really loved the idea of school being an integral part of our home life. Our dining room was the perfect place to ingest and digest physical, spiritual, and mental food! It is in the center of our home, and was the perfect place for us to do school. It seemed like casting it off to a separate room would make it more institutional rather than fluid in our lifestyle. However, the lugging books upstairs every weekend, the clutter in my dining room... and the baby growing up and needing space to play all made having a classroom more convenient.

We converted our attic bedroom into a classroom. And, one and a half years later, I now need a bigger classroom! LOL! The more space you have, the more stuff you collect...

Our classroom reminds me of the old fashioned one room school house. The concept of the one room school house makes me happy inside. It has two desks for my older children, a toddler table for the babies, and a preschool corner. The front of the classroom has the cursive script letters banner going across (along with Hebrew letters) and the back of the classroom has print letters.

Preschool Early Learning Corner

We also have a 6 foot long table and two benches for crafts, projects, one on one learning, legos, etc.

Teacher's Corner (Ary pushes her preschool table close to me)

A highlight of our classroom is our pencil station. I get so irritated when my students say they don’t have a pencil, or they lost their pencil mid school day, or they broke their pencil... WHATEVER the pencil excuse is, I have a hopefully neverending stash of sharpened pencils fo my children. The pencil sharpener is also at the pencil station, along with extra erasers. This takes so much stress off of me. I keep other office supplies at our pencil station - there is post it notes, note cards, glue, tape, rulers, and a stapler. When any of these things are needed, they are quickly at our disposal. The only problem is that my 2 year old thinks these things are out so that she can get to them!

Educational Video Time

Even though we have a classroom, we still school in other areas of our house. I find that it is very useful to have a set apart space to keep down on school clutter in other areas of my house. It is also a good transition to my children’s morning routine... they eat breakfast and then “go to school”. It works for us so far! The only drawback is that I now have another room in my house to clean!

Pencil Sharpener Station

If you have an extra room in your home, or space that can be converted into a classroom, and if you think it will work out for your family - give it a try!

Classroom Checklist:
1. Long Table for Crafts and Activities
2. Desks
3. Toddler Table
4. Whiteboard or Chalk Board
5. Bookcases
6. Bins for each child’s books
7. TV for documentaries and educational videos
8. Toddler Corner: Floor Mat, Easily accessible Toddler Books and Puzzles, Felt Boand
9. Pencil Sharpener Corner: Pencil Sharpener, Plenty of pencils and erasers, Glue, Scissors, commonly used supplies
10. Printer (Especially if your classroom is far from your home office.
11. Student Artwork
12. A Calendar to mark upcoming events
13. Organizing Cabinets for supplies
14. A cork bulletin board
15. Oil Diffuser

-T.E.A. 2018

Losing Track of Grade Levels... The beginning of Educational Freedom

When we withdrew our children from school, we knew exactly what "grades" they were in. Because I was extremely new to the homeschool scene and wanted to do it "right", I bought a boxed curriculum for each child. My daughter's first grade box and my son's second grade box came in the mail, and I was set to go!

I soon made changes to the boxed curriculum... The reading curriculum wasn't working for my daughter, my son zoomed at record speed through his math book... We started branching out for history using our local library. My children were developing their interests, and wanted to spend more time focusing on things they wanted to learn about. We began to become more eclectic in our geography lessons - my children wanted to learn about different places and cultures. Our journey to LEARNING had begun! And freedom came with it!!

Now, if you ask my son what grade he is in, he will say something like, "I'm supposed to be in fourth grade." I first heard him say this to an adult a few weeks ago. The adult was perplexed... and, of course, the question soon followed: "What do you mean by saying you're supposed to be in fourth grade." He explained that some subjects he works on at the fourth grade level, but that he also does some things at different grade levels. He's losing track of identifying with one grade in particular, and instead he's focusing on what he is actually learning.

For example, we went to a college level electronics class at our local library last week. It was interesting that my "third and fourth graders" easily fit in with an adult class. I worked on the breadboard with my daughter, but she was answering questions in the class, and called the teacher over when she lost confidence in my skills. My son, on the other hand, worked on his own breadboard, and was very confident about his own ability to work by himself! They learned how to wire a flashlight using Ohm's Law in "elementary school"!

Categorization works extremely well when you need to organize a group of individuals and assess them. It is excellent for schools and universities. However, it can hinder independent learners. It is important to remember that the inventors, mathematicians, scientists, philosophers, writers, artists, musicians, etc over time who have made important contributions have thought outside all boxes and categorization!

It wasn't a goal to lose track of grade levels in our homeschool journey. However, now that we have, I am very excited. It's another tether that we have broken. And my children can now focus on learning on their own levels rather than being constrained to learning from a box (literally, a box). The box has an undeniable security to it... However, when we break free from the box, and don't measure ourselves based on the box, it is then that I believe we have begun the journey of educational freedom and deliverance. And, I'm excited to see what will come from it!

T.E.A. 2018  

Help! Should I care about what my children WOULD learn in Public School?

I am asked all the time for advice on what children “should learn and when”. I am also asked if children should learn the same things that they would learn in school and if they should follow common core standards in education. Hopefully this article will help those asking these questions.

What Children “Should” Learn and When?

The response will vary per family and even per student.

If you are a traditional homeschooler, with grade levels, then your child will learn standard things at standard times. For example, a third grader will follow a “third grade” curriculum for math that would include multiplication and division facts. If you are an unschooled, your child will learn things that line up with their interests. For example, your “third grade” child might learn a lot about astronomy if that’s their interest, and focus very little on third grade level math and grammar.

It’s important to recognize that as a homeschool family, you have freedom to navigate what your children learn in ways that are not traditional. For example, my children learn eclectic history that is often at a college level. We gather loads of library books and watch plenty of documentaries and videos. Their geography is likewise eclectic and involves them drawing the world and different regions on the map, as opposed to only learning latitude and longitude. I also make sure that for math they learn the subject matter before moving on from the subject material. So, my fourth grader is still working on multiplication facts from “second grade”, however he is also doing some fourth grade math material at the same time. His grammar is on the “fourth grade” level, however his spelling is at the “Sixth grade” level. See how the education levels have become blurred, and are more focused on his ability and strengths, and at the same time his weaknesses.

If you are interested in knowing what your children “should” learn at different grade levels, here are some suggestions:

1. Go to the library and check out books such as Home Learning Year By Year by Rebecca Rupp. This book in particular is an excellent resource. I used it when I first started homeschooling. It is definitely an advanced l earner curriculum. 
2. Do a simple google search on the subject. You can break it down to find out what spelling words your third grader should know, for example.
3. Buy curriculum and work books that have grade levels on them. This is the easiest way to make sure your child is working on material that is appropriate for their grade level! It is simple to find these type of resources on christianbook.com. I can’t say enough for this website! They have reasonable prices, reviews, and sizeable samples to help you make decisions!
4. Website curriculums such as k12reader.com, education.com, khanacademy.org, etc actually have free curriculum that you can use BY GRADE LEVEL. These are excellent ways to ensure that your child is working on material at their grade level.
5. Standardized tests can help you compare your children to other children in their grade levels that attend public/private schools. It is important to remember that if you are following a nonstandard education for your children, that you are comparing them with standard educated children on these exams!

Why Is It Important for Some Homeschoolers to Know What Kids Are Learning In School?

It may be important to actually care about what school kids are learning if you plan to put them back in school, or are unsure if you may put them back in school. Obviously, it would be stressful for a child to be put into school not on par with the other children. For example, no one would care if your child can wire a house, or have extensive programming knowledge, or are expert pianists if they can’t write a sixth grade level essay for their sixth grade English class!

T.E.A. 2018