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Archive for the ‘Homeschooling’ Category

For the Love of Learning

Posted in Homeschooling, Life on February 2, 2012 | 5 Comments »

One thing that I’ve really gained through homeschooling is a love of learning. I wasted time in school and wanted to be anywhere else, but while homeschooling, I came to appreciate the opportunity to grow and learn, to explore the wonders of the world around us and to delve into the intricacies of our own bodies through the study of human anatomy.

I didn’t realize what a wonderful education I myself would receive through homeschooling. It has become one of the great pleasures of my life. Finally, the rules of grammar are beginning to make sense to me! I am more comfortable with math concepts than the day I graduated, and I absolutely love studying world history chronologically with my children as we tie in as many historical novels as possible.

I had considered taking some distance courses for myself over the years, but I didn’t feel like I would have the time to devote to studies. Recently though, I heard of a doula course (a doula is a labour assistant. More about that in another post.) It could be completed in 4-6 months at 10 hrs a week or up to 3 years if needed. I love pregnancy and childbirth and this course seemed like something that could fit into my life. Well, I jumped at the opportunity and enrolled in the course.

My love of learning has served me well and I’ve been delighting in the opportunity to delve so intensively into a topic that I find so interesting. Because of my intense interest, I found that I was able to complete the course (except for attending two births) in only two months and I’m not ready to be done. So, just last night I registered for an online 30 month midwifery course! I don’t know if I will ever be able to be a midwife here. The regulations are complicated in Canada, but studying this topic can only help me to be a better doula and I am so thankful to be able to continue to study and learn. Learning is a privilege, one I do not want to take for granted.

So now you know why my blog has been suffering over the past couple months! Balance is needed as I try to prioritize my life. I’m working on it. ;)

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Now That’s Cold!

Posted in Homeschooling, tagged , , , , on January 18, 2012 | 8 Comments »

We’ve had some pretty cold temperatures this week and it was down to -32 C last night (that’s about -25 F for those of you south of the border.) At -30 or lower you can throw a cup of boiling water into the air and it will explode into snow. I videotaped this so you can see for yourselves and be thankful that most of you live in warmer climes. :)

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Of Ambulances and Fire Trucks

Posted in Family, Homeschooling, tagged , , , , , on December 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

It has been an exciting year for us as we’ve had opportunities to become involved with other homeschooling families. We did our first field trip in the spring and we’ve been able to attend a weekly homeschool skate this school year.

I’m still very independent in my homeschooling style and I’ve still chosen to register my children for schooling instead of distance enrolling them (which gives us considerably more freedom and considerably less funding!) but it has been a growing experience for all of us to be able to interact and grow with other families.

Yesterday, we went on our second field trip with a homeschooling group, a tour of both the Fire Hall and  the Ambulance Station. The tours together took 2 hours and were very informative. The kids loved going in a real fire truck and got a real kick out of constructing their cardboard ambulances. I’ve heard that if a child ever needs to go in an ambulance, that having a tour of this sort before hand can alleviate much of the fear of the unknown.

I’ve been reminded of the importance of making sure the children know their street name and house number, as many children don’t know this information off hand (guilty part here!) And apparently good parents :) post this information on their fridges, so their children don’t have to try and remember under stress. Paramedics appreciate it if you kennel your dog before their arrival, and flashing your porch light on and off can help them find your house more quickly. (See, I was listening!)

Something that I found especially interesting was that a cell phone that is disabled can still contact 911. This creates a real problem for the 911 dispatchers, because they must try to pinpoint where the call originated using satellites and find out if the call was an emergency. So…. we were told to PLEASE remove the cell phone battery before giving a cell phone to a child as a toy, and do not put 911 as a speed dial number because of the risk of accidentally dialling it.

About 40 people (including parents) came for the tours which seemed like a pretty amazing turnout for such a small community. A big thank you to all who did the organizing and led the tours!

I’ll leave you with a few pictures of the event. :)

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No, it Ain’t Easy

Posted in Homeschooling, Life, tagged , , on September 23, 2011 | 7 Comments »

No doubt about it: being a homeschooling mom is hard work! What can make the job even harder is the fact that much of society is trivializing the role of mothering. Few people today value the position. Mothers are told that they are wasting their talents, suffocating their personalities, and forfeiting their futures. But is this really true?

I won’t try to speak for others, but in my own life the opposite is true. My talents are being used to bless the lives of the people that I love most: those of my husband, children, family and friends. My personality is tempered and realized fully as I have ample opportunities to die to myself and find true joy in living for others. Instead of forfeiting my future, I am investing in it, with the love poured out into the present. I am raising children intentionally, realizing that their lives will affect the lives of others for many years to come, and that they are in fact eternal.

Though I know all these things to be true, I still face times of doubt, fatigue and frustration. One thing that I find tremendously encouraging is the fact that I have dear friends who have homeschooled many years, whose children’s lives testify to the fact that homeschooling can have awesome results. I also try to read books, magazines and blogs that uphold the value of mothering and homeschooling. But I think the most important thing is the need for a vision.

It seems to me that most things that are really worth doing in this life are wrought with trials and difficulties, and the reason why people persevere is because of the belief that what they are doing is of eternal value and will have far-reaching consequences. The same holds true for raising and homeschooling children: knowing what my vision is can help me to see beyond and live above the daily trials and challenges I face. Having a vision can enable me to face the most difficult obstacles with joy, knowing that the outcome is more than worth the effort.

My vision is to raise up children who will be a light in the darkness, who will see the value of putting others first and caring for the needy. It is to raise children who have an unquenchable thirst for learning and discovery, and are equipped with the ability to find the answers that they seek. I want them to have the courage to stand for what is right and even to take risks when risks are called for. I want them to be diligent, purposeful and decisive. I want them to be wise in the face of adversity. And when it is time to send them out into the world, I hope that they will change it for the better as they interact with those around them, like ripples on a pond. That is my vision.

At times I marvel at the years of preparation needed to climb Mt. Everest: the training, the risk, the unbelievable hardships and trials and even suffering involved in reaching the goal. If others can overcome such obstacles to reach the top of a mountain, then, with God’s help, I can overcome the daily trials of raising children to impact the world for generations to come!

This post was originally a guest post on the Hip Homeschool Moms website.

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Review Time and Amazon Gift Certificate Giveaway

Posted in Giveaways, Homeschooling, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 1, 2011 | 203 Comments »

Many homeschoolers do their work year round. We’ve tried schooling through the summer with a few subjects, but when September arrived and we started everything again, the children were grumpy and there was no enthusiasm. We’ve found that taking a break really works best for our family, but review is important over the summer as well. I hate to think of them forgetting much of what was learned the previous year!

There are two requirements for summer learning in our home: it must be different from our regular schooling and it must be fun! The three things that we focus on are: reading, family learning games and computer learning games.

Reading

I read to our family every night. Being read to aloud helps to build comprehension and an appreciation for great literature. I try to read many books over the summer about the historical period that we will be studying the following year.

It is also important that the children read books on their own each day. I have them choose a read aloud book that they read for 8 min per day. I also have them choose another book for reading to themselves. New readers should choose a book that they can easily read by themselves, but I have the older children (grades 3 and up) find something that is quite challenging. The idea is to keep pushing their comprehension level forward.

They read 15 min a day from this book and then they must narrate it back to me, which is simply telling it back to me in their own words. This helps me to see that they are comprehending what they are reading, but it also helps them to read actively and attentively. Besides these two books I encourage them to read whatever they want on their own.

Family Learning Games

My children love it when we play games as a family. I try to play one game each day. We made a game that reviews the facts that we learned studying human anatomy last school year. I have another series of games that teaches and reviews math concepts from addition and subtraction through simplifying and multiplying fractions. Other games that we choose from are memory games and various trivia games.

Computer Learning Games

I have downloaded a few free games that help my children review their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. My children’s favourite is Timez Attack. It probably isn’t for everyone as it is a full blown video game that you move to the next level by attacking the enemy with the answer to multiplication or division questions. It systematically builds confidence and knowledge of the tables up to 12 x 12 and happens to be a lot fun too. The free version comes with 2 levels that can be used again and again and does cover all of the facts. If you want more variety, you can pay for the rest of the levels. They will be releasing an addition and subtraction version of the game later this year.

We also have a very basic facts review game that simply states the fact and then you choose the answer. It can be downloaded here.

There are many, many websites that have tons of great learning games. I haven’t explored them too much because we do pay for the amount of time we are on the internet. One website that I have found and that we do enjoy though is Sheppard Software.

And now for some giveaway fun…

Giveaway Day I have been planning to do a giveaway for a few months now and here it is! I won one recently and was so thrilled that I wanted to pass on the joy.

I will be giving away a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com or Amazon.ca (your choice). Much of our curriculum is purchased from Amazon as their prices are quite good and I love the free shipping on orders over $25.

This giveaway is open to everyone and all you must do to enter is leave a comment on this post. Additional enteries may be obtained by:

-subscribing to my blog. And if you are already subscribed you receive two entries when you comment. (Let me know in your comment if you are a subscriber.)
-post about this giveaway on facebook. (Please mention in your comment.)
-tweet about this giveaway on twitter. (Let me know in your comment.)
-mention this giveaway on your blog. (And let me know you did in a comment!)

Each person can receive a total of 5 entries. The deadline in August 16th and the draw will be August 17th. Have fun and enjoy the rest of the summer!

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Interview at Scott School

Posted in Homeschooling, Life, tagged , , , on June 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Sarah from Scott School recently interviewed me and posted it to her blog this morning. I have never been interviewed before and it was a whole lot of fun! You can read it here- Meet Rachel!

Believe it or not, Sarah lives in the same town as me, we both blog and homeschool and are even part of the same homeschooling group, and yet we’ve never met!

Sarah has a beautiful blog with oodles of great craft ideas and fun activities for children. She journals about homeschooling her little ones and life on their farm. Some of my favourites posts are:

Nature Study-Bracelet Tutorial
Why Homeschool?
Nature Journal Tutorial

Please take a few moments to visit Sarah’s blog and leave her a comment if you’ve been inspired by her creativity and joy.

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The First Field Trip

Posted in Homeschooling, tagged , , , , on June 3, 2011 | 5 Comments »

I know it sounds a little late in the game for a first field trip, but my children have always been homeschooled. We’ve gone on plenty of family outings, but last week we got to experience the real deal.

I recently joined a local homeschooling group, and our first outing was a trip to the Fort St. James Historical Park. About seven families came with oodles of children, ages 10 months to 15 years, many of whom I was meeting for the first time.

I ended up leading the oldest group of kids: 8 & up. There were 7 stations with activities at each stop. Our group started out with throwing spears. You don’t get to throw spears every day! I cheered on the group, and tried not to jump up and down and yell “Me!” when the coordinator asked if any of the parents wanted a turn. (By the way, the kids are way better at throwing spears than I am.)



Our next stop was the trading shop. The children were asked to identify a variety of furs which they were amazing at. The man overseeing that activity was astonished at how well the kids did. They then had a chance to practice their trading skills at the store, by making up a story about where they got their fur and of what type of quality it was.

This just shows how much of a kid I am, but my favourite station was the historic games. I can walk on stilts! Now I don’t have any pictures to prove it, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. I think I’ll have to get a pair of those. They might come in handy considering I’m somewhat vertically challenged.

We finished up with some teamwork; piecing together a small building, and then a picnic in the grass. I’m thankful for friends new and old, and for the adventures ahead. :)



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A Little Out of the Ordinary

Posted in Family, Homeschooling, Life, tagged , , on January 17, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Every once and a while, I’ll get a glimpse of my life through someone else’s eyes and it always gives me a good laugh. Just today I was visiting with a woman. I noticed a look of shock on her face and then she broke into laughter. I turned and saw one of my 6 year old boys dragging William by his feet. William looked perfectly peaceful as his head wheeled around the carpet. Amazingly the kid has a full head of hair! Now this isn’t a daily occurrence, but I normally wouldn’t bat an eye at it. A casual, “Please don’t drag the baby by his heels,” would suffice. I realize though, that this scenario is a little out of the ordinary for most!

I have received many shakes of the head over the years. I am perfectly aware that many if not most of our family and friends think we are nuts to have so many children! Once as I stood in a store with a 4 year-old on one side of me, a 2 year-old on the other side and a 4 month old baby in each arm, a man approached me. “Please tell me that those aren’t all your children,” he said. I just laughed and said, “They’re all mine.” He walked away shaking his head.

I think that the reason people find it so hard to relate to my situation, is that it out of their realm of experience. They can’t imagine what it would be like to home school five children. They can’t imagine why I would want to. As for difficulty, I don’t believe for a moment that I work harder, or have a more difficult job, than a teacher of 30 students that comes home to prepare meals and help her own children with their homework. I’m biased here, and the teacher might have a completely different view, but I can’t imagine the said teacher to be any more satisfied than me either. What can be more exciting than opening your own child’s mind to the almost infinite world of the written word, or of contributing to his or her love of learning?

One of the reasons I am sharing snippets of my life here, is that I would like to demystify full-time motherhood a little. As for my own experience, it isn’t a drudgery in the least and it can be a lot of fun!

Some of you may be aware of the fact that we had misplaced our science book. It seems that we had looked everywhere. I was seriously beginning to suspect that someone had taken it, maybe accidentally, perhaps as a joke, or maybe I had talked a little too much about our incredible science curriculum and it was swiped! (Okay, I didn’t really think any of my friends stole the book.) I resorted to offering an incentive; five candies to the child that found the book and three for everyone else. Believe me, they looked, we all did.

On Friday I came to the conclusion that I would need to buy another book. I was going to order one that night. I was doing some photocopying and I removed the cover to make it easier. Something caught my eye, “Could it be the missing book?” I wondered. It was! We started science that very night, at bedtime!

We’ve been making up lost time and spent all day Saturday on science. We are studying human anatomy and my response is, WOW. The first chapter was on the cell. I don’t know why I didn’t learn anything in school, but it all seems brand new to me. The children drew a diagram of a cell while I read to them. Then we got to make an ‘edible cell’ with jello and lots of candy. My incredibly wonderful husband went to 2 stores and spent over an hour looking for all the ingredients. (Kevin told me to put that in :) )

The jello was the cytoplasm, m&m peanuts were the mitochondria, skittles were the lysosomes. Three smarties made up a Golgi body. We cut a fruit roll up to make the endoplasmic reticulum and studded some of them with round cake sprinkles to represent the ribosomes. We used tubular sprinkles for centrioles and to top it all off, a Lindt chocolate truffle for the nucleus. Those who know me well, won’t be surprised to hear that I made an edible cell too and enjoyed every bite! Kevin wasn’t interested in making one and even gave me his chocolate truffle. I really don’t think learning gets any better. Tonight we watched a digital animation of the RNA making a copy of the DNA and the chains of protein being formed. Melanie keeps shaking her head at how amazing the ‘simple’ cell is.

Well it’s late. I’d best be getting to bed, after all, tomorrow is another day! I’ll leave you with a picture of one of the “cells.”

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