If you are traveling during the Christmas holidays, it is our prayer that you will be kept safe. If you are fellowshipping with family and friends, may you continue to remember Jesus and honour Him. For those that are struggling, are hurting or are alone – we hope that you will reach out to someone and share your need, allowing others to help and support you. We continue to keep the forums open today for those that are hurting or alone at this time.

We hope and pray that Christmas Day will be a time of celebration – for the birth of Jesus is a part of the whole story of God. And that, is truly something to celebrate. To learn more about the historic record of the birth of Christ you can read Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20.

Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence. He is God, the Son—Creator of the universe. The eternal, the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator came to earth in the flesh that we might know Him – this is the awesomeness of the birth of Christ – Christmas.

Why would God do such a thing? Why would he come as a baby, instead of appearing in power and majesty? Why make himself a true man and live among us, when he knew full well how terribly he would be treated?

It was LOVE!

It is our desire that each member would come to see the birth of Jesus personally, for For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. The soft little hands with delicate fingers were fashioned in Mary’s womb so that nails would one day be driven through them. The baby’s head that Joseph undoubtedly kissed many times was born so that it would one day wear a crown of thorns. Jesus came to earth, He was born to die. Christmas is more than a feel-good nativity scene. It is God coming to earth, it is His plan of salvation for you and me.

The baby was only the beginning.

Home Schooling through the High School years is a thought typically framed with fear and anxiety. We have 18 homeschooling mothers who have grouped together in order to lift the veil on homeschooling through the high school years, in order to equip and encourage you. You are more than able to home school your children all the way through to graduation. We invite you to mark your diary and follow along.

Home School High School Topics
Over the next seven months we will be sharing some insights into the following aspects of home educating through the high school years

• 24 June – Planning for High School {How and When,ways to/how we’re planning to earn college credit while still in high school, Meeting High School Requirements, how to assign credit when there aren’t tests, What records do you keep? How do you present them? What influences your method, your emphasis in certain areas?}
• 29 July – Electives {Following Passions, following interests, fitting a job in with school, and Being intentional in Preparing for what comes after high school, Life skills.}
• 26 August – Math, Science, Biology, History {What do you use ? Why do you use … ? What influences your choices/selection? }
• 30 September – Language Arts {Poetry, Literature, Composition, writing, What influenced your choices/selection?}
• 28 October – “How am I going to teach High School …?” {Addressing the fear factor of teaching subjects we struggle with or know nothing about, How to achieve credit in subjects your student *hates*}
• 25 November – How do you fit it all in ? {homeschooling high school alongside homeschooling the others, Fostering Independence, Do you generalise or specialise? Schedules,}
• 30 December – Graduation { Fostering Independence, How do you know when they are done ?}

Introducing your Home School High School Hosts

•  Chareen from Every Bed of Roses – Introducing the 2015 Homeschool High School Blog Hop
• Jennifer from A Glimpse of Our Life – Meet The Bloggers of The Homeschooling High School Blog Hop
• Meg from Adventures with Jude – Hints for Homeschooling High School
•  Cristi from Through the Calm and Through the Storm – Some Homeschooling High School Friends
• Debra from Footprints in the Butter – My Three (Homeschooled High School) Sons
  Leah from As We Walk Along the Road – Are You Really Homeschooling Through High School?! The Homeschool High School Blog Hop
• Michele from Family, Faith and Fridays – Homeschooling High School Blog Hop
• Lisa from Golden Grasses – You Can Do It! Homeschooling through High School Blog Hop
• Wendy from Life at Rossmont – Introducing High School Homeschooling … {A Monthly Blog Hop}
• Gena from I Choose Joy! – Homeschooling High School monthly blog hop- Introduction
• Kym from Homeschool Coffee Break – Meet the Homeschooling High School Bloggers!
• Debbie from Debbie’s Homeschool Corner – Homeschooling High School
• Carol from Home Sweet Life – Homeschooling High School ~ What is it REALLY like?
• April from ElCloud Homeschool – Introducing Homeshooling High School
•  Erica from Be The One – Homeschooling High School
• Laura from Day by Day in Our World – Homeschooling High School ~ A New Monthly Series of Posts
• Tess from Circling Through This Life – Introducing the Homeschool High School Blog Hop!
• Dawn from Double O Farms – Tapping into Great Resources for Homeschooling High School

We pray that you will be encouraged and inspired to home school your children through the high school years.

Blessings
Chareen

AussieHomeschool
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Kylie over at Our Worldwide Class Room has a FREE Printable ANZAC unit for Young Learners.

Suzie shares two great posts for ANZAC day over at Suzie’s Home Education Ideas

10 Ways to help Children Understand ANZAC Day

Learning about ANZAC Day

Chareen over at Every Bed of Roses shares

ANZAC Day an Ode to the Fallen a list of Resources for you

Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood

Erin from over at Seven Little Australians shares her pic of 10 Books for World War 1

AussieHomeschool AussieHomeschool - Classifieds, Forums & More!

Better late than never is the old adage!  Today I bring to you a round up of posts from Australian Homeschool Bloggers for April.

Stacey from A Moment in our World shares 8 Awesome Experiments to do OUTSIDE and Montessori – Phases of the Moon – Friday Freebie.

Jolene from over at Yummy Inspirations shares Our Homeschooling Routine and Lunch Box ABC’s.

Cathy from over at Too Many Flower’s Travels shares their resources for an Australian Space Odyssey and Glimpses of Greek.

Anastasia from over at Montessori Nature shares her Top 10 Inspirational Montessori Video’s Online.

Waldorf Homeschooling Mama of two shares Autumn: Wet-On-Wet Painting over at Waldorf/Steiner Homeschooling Two Boys.

Mairi from over at Not Your Average Home Schooler shares her thoughts on Thinking Outside the Box!

Kate shares about how to Keep an Ideas Book over at An Everyday Story {child-led homeschooling}.

Ever wondered what it would cost to live on a Boat ?  Wonder no more Read about it over at Homeschool Ahoy.

Over at Gluten-Free Mum you can read about Modern Maths to do with your Primary Schoolers: Fractals and some thoughts on Macabre History.

Chareen over at Every Bed of Roses shares some FREE resources for Homeschooling and a photo essay of the Blood Moon in Melbourne.

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Meet our next Australian Homeschool Mum. Today we are interviewing Suzie who blogs over at Suzie’s Home Education Ideas.

Tell us a little about yourself and/or your family. Does your family have an interest, hobby or passion?

My family enjoy being outdoors. We enjoy going camping, nature walks, bike riding, swimming, tennis, dirt bike riding and just being in each other’s company.

How long have you been homeschooling?

We have been homeschooling for just over three years now.

Were you homeschooled? Tell us about your school experience?

I was not homeschooled although my young sister and youngest brother were homeschooled for a short amount of time.

Were you always going to homeschool, even before you got married?

I never really thought about homeschooling before my husband and I got married. It was while I was at university that the idea of homeschooling come to me and my husband and I began discussing it.

Would you like to share about how you started homeschooling?

We have always been home educating our children since they were born as our children never went to childcare. We listened to some bad advice and sent our son to preschool for a few short months and then to kindergarten before we removed him a few months later and continued to home educate him. We knew our son wasn’t ready for school and we also knew that the school environment would not suit his learning style or his personality but felt outside pressure to put him into the school system.

Tell us a little about your children

We have three beautiful children. Our son Master M is 8 years old and loves science and maths. Our daughter, Miss L, is 4 years old and is very much a self-directed learner and is very bright.  And our youngest daughter, my not-so-little baby, is almost 3 years old and loves having stories read to her and enjoys playing with play dough.

Where do you do most of your homeschooling?

We have a nice balance of our learning occurring outside where my children can play and learn naturally as well as doing more structured learning inside our home in our learning space.

Tell us about your typical day. Do you follow a routine?

We live in the top end of Australia where the weather is HOT! So we spend the early mornings outside playing, exercising, learning and just enjoying the nature around us. We then take shelter inside our cool home during the hot part of the day. While we are inside we start with reading stories together for my son will read to my daughters and I. This is usually followed by some spelling and word activates and possibility some letter, postcard or birthday card writing. We stop for some morning tea and continue with math which is followed by science, geography, history, visual arts or whatever else my children are interested in at that time.

What’s the first thing you do every morning to get ready for the day?

Coffee is always a good start!! On a more serious note, making sure my children are all fed, some housework has been done (a load of washing, dishwasher packed etc) and my children have all had a cuddle and kiss and told that they are loved.

What would you ask for as a homeschooling parent if you could have anything you wanted?

I would ask for more time in my day. I seem to get to the end of my day and still have so many things that still need doing and just run out of time.

What is the hardest time of day for you, as a homeschool parent?

Getting dinner ready is definitely the hardest part of the day. My little one is tired, I am tired and still good food needs to be made and family needs to be fed.

What is the best and/or easiest time of day for you?

The mornings and evenings are definitely the best part of my day. We get to leisurely we up and start our day without the rushing, stress and hassle that school brings. This is the best time of day to connect with my children too. I also love the evenings when my little girls are in bed and my son and I get to share a book together or build a lego master piece while we talk together.

When was your defining moment of deciding to homeschool your children?

My defining moment came when I had been watching that spark and joy slowly dwindle from my sons eye, watching him become more anxious and stressed (he was 5 years old too!!) and then he burst into tears one morning begging me not to send him to school. I never sent him back and applied to homeschool that same day.

Do you ever feel like you haven’t accomplished a thing at the end of your homeschooling day?

There are days when I feel like that but by reflecting on my day, I can see how in many ways, even if no structured learning had taken place, learning was still occurring in incidentals moments throughout the day.

Describe your educational approach.

I think the best label that would fit us is an eclectic approach to home education. Almost all of our learning is child-led learning in that our children follow their interest and we support their learning in whatever they are interested in. We also use parts of the Montessori way of learning in that we keep learning hands on and support and guide our children’s learning rather than teach them. We also use the Charlotte Mason approach in that we use living books (books without twaddle) to learn from when it comes to science, nature, history and other stories.

What is your favourite subject to teach?

Funny thing is that I never really liked science or maths as a student and these are the subject areas that my son loves. So while I have been supporting his learning, my love for these subjects have blossomed which has surprised me.

What’s your least favourite subject to teach?

I don’t have a least favourite subject as whatever my children are interested in, then I am more than happy to support their learning and encourage them where I can.

Do you plan to homeschool through high school, are you homeschooling a high schooler?

We plan to homeschool for as long as it works, as long as our children are happy and learning and if that means through highschool then so be it!

What has been the biggest challenge along your homeschool journey?

When we first started home educating, my biggest challenge was juggling a newborn baby, a toddler as well as a five year old who was learning. Now, my challenges are slightly different as now I have three young people who are learning and keeping up with their learning and their interests is diffidently my biggest challenge as of late.

Do you use a curriculum and if so which one ?

We have two curriculums that we use. The first one is the Targeting Maths curriculum and we use this mainly as a guide as we extend learning beyond the student book and into real life situations. We also use All About Spelling as my son has struggled with spelling as asked for lessons to help him. The rest of the subject areas are directed by child-led interests and filled in by charlotte mason suggested literature.

Are you qualified to teach your children?

Yes I am. I know my children better than anyone else so I know what they like, how they learn and what suits them best. I have been supporting their learning since birth and I intend to continue to do so as they grow.

What is the one “chore” you, personally, would rather avoid?

Cleaning the floors is almost a daily job as we learning in our home but thankfully I have a supportive husband who helps me with the floor and other house work.

What do you do to relax?

Believe it or not I blog for relaxation. In many ways blogging helps clear my head of all the learning my children have been doing and it helps me reflect on what they have learnt and how far they have come. I also enjoy going for a quiet walk by myself and getting some quiet time to think.

What is the hardest thing about homeschooling for you?

Finding “me” time is always hard as there is always house work to be done, food to cook, children to care for and learning to prepare but in many ways, my life is full and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What do you love most about homeschooling?

Watching my children learn is the absolutely BEST thing about homeschooling. You know that moment when they finally get something and that spark in their eye lights up and off they go….I just love watching that! I love that I am daily building a relationship with my children and making memories that will last a life time. I love that I am able to support them to LOVE learning as this will benefit them for the rest of their life.

What is a favourite Bible story and why?

The story of Hannah and Samuel, without a doubt is my favourite bible story. Having experienced infertility for many years together with pregnancy loss, the story of Hannah and the faith that she had that God would one day give her a baby, gave me incredible strength and hope during those times in my life when all I could see was darkness.

What is your favourite verse in the Bible?

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, t those who are called according to His purpose Romans 8:28

What is your favourite homeschooling book?

At the moment, I have two books that are my “go-to” books and they are Project-Based homeschooling: Mentoring Self-direct Learners by Lori Pickert, and How to Raise and Amazing Child: The Montessori way to bring up caring, confident children by Tim Seldin.

What are you reading at the moment?

Lots of different homeschool blogs!

What is your idea of a perfect day?

Every day that we home educate our children is as perfect as it gets! Of course we have loads of house work, and toys and mess here and there but my children are healthy and happy and get along together, most of the time. So to me that is a perfect day.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new homeschooler, what would it be?

Ignore those that don’t support you, do what works for you and just take each day at a time until you find your groove.

Who would you say has been your biggest influence and inspiration?

MY biggest inspiration comes from my son. I saw such a positive change in my son when we finally took him out of school, not just in his learning but also in his behaviour. I am inspired daily to continue working hard to support my children in their learning.  And in return I am learning so much about myself as a mum and as an educator.

Do you have a homeschool mentor?

no

Who inspires you?

My husband inspires me. He never liked school and did not do very well so he dropped out halfway through high school. Yet, he has followed his interest, put himself through tafe and then university, and now earns a very nice living working in a field  that he love.

–oo0oo—

Thank you Suzie for sharing a little about yourself and your family.  Be sure to pop on over to Suzie’s Blog Suzie’s Home Education Ideas.  You can also connect with Suzie on Instagram, Pinterest , Twitter, Google+ and Facebook

AussieHomeschool AussieHomeschool - Classifieds, Forums & More!

Over at Willy Wam Whimsy you can get a step by step tutorial for Making an Easter Tree.

Stacey from over at A Moment in Our World shares 16 Easter Activities for you.

Kylie from over at Our World Wide Classroom shares

Fun Australian Easter Printables

8 Easter Tot Trays

The Bilbies First Easter Activities list.

Montessori Mama shares over at Montessori Nature

Montessori Inspired Easter Shelves

FREE Easter Colouring Pages to foster creative thinking and imagination

Montessori Inspired Easter Traditions Around the World

Collette from over at The Art of Being Mama shares A Children’s Easter Bible Study.

 Chareen over at Every Bed of Roses shares

5 Books to read at Easter

Egglo glow in the dark eggs

A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays

Jesus Tree 40 Days with Jesus

Ideas for Lent from Pinterest

Erin from over at Seven Little Australians shares 28 books for Lent/Easter

 May you be blessed as you share the depth of His love with your families this Easter.

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Meet our next Aussie Homeschool Mum. Today we are interviewing Sarah who blogs over at We Live, We Learn

Tell us a little about yourself and/or your family. Does your family have an interest, hobby or passion?

I am a homeschool Mum and a photographer. I run a boutique (meaning I only do a very limited number of weddings and sessions ) photography business and homeschool my 7 and (almost) 5 year olds, sometimes my two passions can keep me really busy but I love both too much to give one up!

How long have you been homeschooling?

We began to homeschool at the beginning of 2013, so this is our second year.

Were you homeschooled?

No, I wish I was!

Would you like to share about how you started homeschooling? Tell us a little about your children.

We started our homeschool life after our son completed 1 year in the mainstream system (he did PREP). We discovered that it held him back in some areas so that he was bored, and pushed too hard in other areas so that he hated learning and thought he was a failure… The day that my 5 year old said “Mum I think I am a failure” was simply heartbreaking and he never went back to “school” again. There were a number of factors
in our decision but that moment was a real eye opener.
Will is 7 and he is a chatterbox, a maths and science nut and a devoted friend. He loves having friends over to play and swim, he watches lots of documentaries and likes to build and make things. He is not too excited about reading and writing but still does it when he has to!
Sage is 4 (almost 5) and she takes her time to get to know people, loves music and art and is a loyal friend. Her most asked question is “can we go out today?”, she listens to music all day and likes to play imaginary games. She thinks she can do anything as long as she puts the words “I want to learn” in front of it — such as “I want to learn to eat chocolate” or “I want to learn to climb over the house” etc

Where do you do most of your homeschooling?

Everywhere. We are Natural Learners so we do our best to turn everyday activities into learning experiences.

Tell us about your typical day. Do you follow a routine?

No routine. We often have play dates, co-op or other learning activities booked during the week so we try and make sure to do some sort of fun learning activity on days we are home. My father also has one of the kids each Friday so I can have one on one time with one of them (we alternate who goes each week) and they also get to learn cool and crazy things from their granddad! Win win.

What’s the first thing you do every morning to get ready for the day?

If it is warm, a swim. If it is cold, cuddle a cat and read. Or the kids do reading eggs.

What would you ask for as a homeschooling parent if you could have anything you wanted?

That my husband could work from home more, having said that he is really involved so we are really very lucky.

What is the hardest time of day for you, as a homeschool parent?

Late afternoon when we need to get the house in order and prepare dinner.

What is the best and/or easiest time of day for you?

Mornings… we can get moving at our own pace. If one of the kids sleep in it is no problem.

When was your defining moment of deciding to homeschool your children?

As I mentioned earlier when my son said “Mum I think I am a failure” because he was not able to complete a piece of work in time. Another HUGE part of our decision was an incident when William had spent the entire weekend making a science experiment with his granddad. He took it to school so full of excitement, he could hardly contain himself as he asked if he could show his class. She said yes although when the time came to show the class William we too crazily excited to be able to sit still and was sent out of the room… he missed the teacher showing the class his experiment. He was devastated.

Do you ever feel like you haven’t accomplished a thing at the end of your homeschooling day?

Of course!

Describe your educational approach.

Natural Learners or Unschoolers which basically means that we follow the lead of the children, if they are interested in a certain subject or activity we try to squeeze as many learning experiences into it as possible!

What is your favourite subject to teach?

Whatever the kids are most excited about on that day. It is so much fun to watch them being enthusiastic and loving to learn!

What’s your least favourite subject to teach?

With William it is reading. He isn’t a huge reader and get frustrated at himself when he can’t do something. He is no where near as bad at it as he thinks he is… but he can’t see that. Sage is still so little that she looses interest in most things long before I am ready for her too! I try and think up ways to keep her interest but she is tricky!

Do you plan to homeschool through high school, are you homeschooling a high schooler?

We have always said to the kids that we will homeschool as long as they want to do it. If they decide to go to school that is their choice.

What has been the biggest challenge along your homeschool journey? Do you use a curriculum and if so which one ?

Letting go. We started our journey trying to do school at home, although we knew that we wanted something completely different we were to indoctrinated to let go of the system. It took us a few months of watching the children really blossom when we did let go and let them learn their way to see that that is what was really going to work for us. No we don not use a curriculum.

Are you qualified to teach your children?

Every parent is. If you don’t know something learn it with them. Although I did do a couple of years at university to become a primary school teacher I don’t think that has been what has helped me. I think knowing my children and being interested has been the best “qualification”

What is the one “chore” you, personally, would rather avoid?

All of the household stuff!!! Vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, you name it I want to avoid it!

What do you do to relax?

Photography, gardening and getting out of the house. If I am feeling the pressure we pack a picnic, grab a magnifying glass, pens and paper and head out to nature.

What is the hardest thing about homeschooling for you?

Balancing work and life — my brain gets too full to separate all that I am doing. Reporting — well actually keeping track of learning experiences so we can report!

–ooOoo–

Thank you Sarah for taking the time to share about yourself and your family.  You can connect with Sarah over at her blog: We Live, We Learn, and on Facebook

AussieHomeschool AussieHomeschool - Classifieds, Forums & More!

Recently the Australian Homeschool Bloggers have formed a group and decided to join forces to share their knowledge and insight with you.  Welcome to the first Aussie Homeschool Blog Post Round Up for 2014.

Kylie over at Our World Wide Classroom shares some great ideas for learning about Continents & Oceans along with a FREE Printable for you.

Sarah from over at We Live We Learn addresses the topic So What is Homeschooling Anyway ? The family also did a Recycled Paper activity and shared a full tutorial on how to make your own Recycled Paper.

Stacey from over at A Moment in Our World has a tutorial on How to Make your own Chalkboard Paint.

For those of you looking for a visual way to teach Greater Than / Less than and Equals be sure to see this hands on approach with a FREE printable for you.

With Easter being just around the corner you can find a great FREEBIE to download and print about The Easter Story.

For those of you looking for hands on activities be sure to have a look at Suzie’s Home Education Ideas.

Suzy shares 10+ ways to play with Fractions along with tutorials and links to FREE printables.

For those of you studying Australian Geography be sure to get your FREE Australia Map Printable. Suzy has made Australian State/Territory Name Cards, City cards and State/Territory Flag cards, Australian Animal Fact Templates, Australia State / Territory Information Sheets.

Have you heard about the Visual Periodic Table ?  To see a review and get some insight on how this table can enrich your homeschool visit Visual Periodic Table.

This month I share a Unit Study based on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with links to YouTube clips, information to enrich your reading from across the WWW and printalbes.

AussieHomeschool AussieHomeschool - Classifieds, Forums & More!

Welcome to our new series Meet an Australian Homeschooler. Over the next few months on a Saturday we will be introducing an Australian home educating family. Today we will be interviewing Chareen an Australian home educator living in Victoria.

I was born in South Africa where I met and married my best Friend Paul. We were blessed with our first two children there {Mr T and Miss J} as well as managed a game farm for a citrus estate.

We emigrated to New Zealand in 1997 and were blessed with Sir N as well as began our homeschooling journey in Christchurch. In 2006 we migrated to Melbourne Australia.

I am passionate about supporting and encouraging homeschoolers,homeschooling, finding information, books and encouraging fellowship. My latest addiction passion is Pinterest.

How long have you been a member of AussieHOMEschool and AussieHomeschool Classifieds?

I joined in May 2009. I have not been as active on this platform as I would like. I have found that since both of my children are on L plates I do not have enough hours in my day to meet more on the forums. These days I tend to lurk more. This year I was invited to be an admin/moderator on the AussieHomeschool Facebook Page which I have enjoyed immensely.

My latest endevour in the Aussie Homeschool platform is Pinterest. In the next month or so I hope to have pinned a few ideas to help and support the community on this platform.

Tell us a little about yourself and/or your family. Does your family have an interest, hobby or passion?

Paulis passionate about all things natural and is currently working for Zoo’s Victoria as a Zoo Keeper. He is an avid bird watcher and an enthusiastic fisherman who is still trying to talk me into joining him on his many adventures with a fishing rod.

How long have you been homeschooling?

I have been on this journey for 15 years now.

Were you homeschooled? Tell us about your school experience?

I was not homeschooled. I went to a number of schools growing up as my Dad was in the Defense Force. I went to two English primary schools, one Afrikaans primary school, one Afrikaans high school, one English high school and one dual medium high school (in this school I did some of my subjects in the English language and some in my second language Afrikaans).

Were you always going to homes school, even before you got married?

No. I did not even know homeschooling existed until we moved to New Zealand.

Would you like to share about how you started homeschooling?

My journey started after we had emigrated to New Zealand and had made a few new friends in our church. We were getting ready to rent our first home and I started asking my friends about schools in the areas they lived in. Nearly all of them could not answer me as they all home schooled their children. I was a little amazed that it was even possible. I started researching the idea and the rest as they say is history.

Tell us a little about your children.

This is my first born Mr T who is 20. He was born in Hoedspruit South Africa.

He is 6’4″ tall and likes to let me know I am short! (…I am 6′)

He is great at computer IT and can make a PC do things that makes my head spin. He finished school with me a year ago and is currently exploring the greater world to find the right path for himself.

This is my second rose Miss J. Miss J is South African born and is 18 years old. Miss J has not been to school.

Miss J did 11 years of homeschooling with me and last year attended Carrick Institute where she graduated with a Cert III in Children’s Services.

Last year she also started her first job and became an adept Barista and attained her Cert III in Retail.

This is Sir N whose current passion is fishing with Dad. Sir N is the natural kiwi in the family. He was born in Christchurch New Zealand and is seven years old.

Sir N started official homeschool last year with me and features in my blog Every Bed of Roses quite often.

He likes green and gold and his favourite book this year has been The Box Car Children.

He likes learning about drawing, making snow globes, and building / making things with Dad.

Where do you do most of your homeschooling?

80% of our learning takes place within our open plan living area. Our learning spaces are not limited to home as we enjoy taking trips and using what’s freely available in our local community.

Tell us about your typical day. Do you follow a routine?

In my heart I really enjoy using a routine as I find I accomplish far more but in practice this does not always work out as I am in the season of having teen’s who do not have their own transport and are currently trying to get enough driving experience to obtain their licences. So no two days ever look the same in our home. Paul works an odd roster which means that we do not have a normal Monday to Friday week in our home either.

What’s the first thing you do every morning to get ready for the day?

Try to convince myself the morning has not arrived especially when I went to bed late! I use Sonlight as my main spine so all my planning is already done for me so in practice I do very little prep work.

What would you ask for as a homeschooling parent if you could have anything you wanted?

May I cheat and ask for two ? I would ask for a curriculum to teach non readers a second language (french). Something like RosettaStone for non readers. Secondly I would love for someone to come and do my ironing each week.

What is the hardest time of day for you, as a homeschool parent?

4.30pm when I ought to be preparing dinner but I’m in the car fetching Paul from work as we are a single vehicle family.

What is the best and/or easiest time of day for you?

When I get up in the morning before my family providing I have gone to bed early enough.

When was your defining moment of deciding to homeschool your children?

We never really had a watershed moment. It was a gradual paradigm shift for us and became a way of life.

Do you ever feel like you haven’t accomplished a thing at the end of your homeschooling day?

Some weeks I can feel that way daily especially if we have spent a lot of time in the car. I think the biggest issue is I try to put too many things on my day to day list and need to learn to say no more often.

Describe your educational approach

I started out as a Sonlight purist but now I’m a mix of Charlotte Mason, Sonlight and the Well Trained Mind. My journey has been influenced by a number of people and books. You can read more about it on my blog.

What is your favourite subject to teach?

History, not the dates but the stories of history.

What’s your least favourite subject to teach?

Maths, when my student has decided it’s too hard and they don’t want to try! Then the only thing for it is to put away the books and eat some ice cream!

Do you plan to homeschool through high school, are you homeschooling a high schooler?

Yes I am planning to homeschool through the high school years. I homeschooled T & J through those years and am looking forward to those years with N. The experience has not been a bed of roses (hence the name of my blog) and has certainly not panned out the way I initially envisioned it but I still feel this is the right choice for our family. If I had my time over with Mr T and Miss J I would certainly do a few things differently.

What has been the biggest challenge along your homeschool journey?

Learning to be true to myself and not follow the latest trend or craze in the homeshool community.

Do you use a curriculum and if so which one?

I use a multitude of things but at the moment my main spine is Sonlight.

Are you qualified to teach your children?

I have no official teaching diploma to teach but I have 14 years of experience and plenty of friends from whom I can glean what I need.

What is the one “chore” you, personally, would rather avoid?

Laundry. I hate laundry. Mount Washmore and Ironmore seem to always be encroaching in my home. Sigh

What do you do to relax?

These days it is reading and blogging. Before I started blogging I used to do scrapbooking, card making and cross stitch. My second hobby is sharing information in The Homeschool Mothers Journal which comes out weekly on Fridays.

What is the hardest thing about homeschooling for you?

In Australia it has been forming a network of homeschoolers. I have found with the advent of the Internet that more and more woman are forming online relationships rather than real life ones.

What do you love most about homeschooling?

Time with my children and being there for their Ah-ha moments.

What is the strangest or funniest thing someone has said to you about homeschooling?

Do you do school in your p-j’s ?

What is a favourite Bible story and why?

Since going to the Beautiful Woman Conference my favourite characters are Sarah and Ruth and Naomi. I feel inspired and encouraged by these strong woman who walked and lived their faith and shared with us the realness of their struggles.

What is your favourite verse in the Bible?

Proverbs.

What is your favourite homeschooling book?

A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola.

What are you reading at the moment?

I am busy poking around in Teaching the Trivium and reading Certain Lives by Margaret Reeson. I have just completed the Hugh de Singleton Chronicles by Mel Star.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

One that goes according to schedule!

If you could give one piece of advice to a new homeschooler, what would it be?

Do not let the latest craze or what your friends are doing distract you from your path. Stick to what is working.

Who would you say has been your biggest influence and inspiration?

The first five years of my homeschooling journey has definitely shaped me in many ways. I would say it was the Homeschool group I was a part of in Christchurch.

Do you have a homeschool mentor?

I used to but not anymore. These days I tend to dip into my Charlotte Mason Companion and surf the Internet for encouragement on blogs.

Who inspires you?

I have attended three seminars hosted by Diana Waring and have been inspired and encouraged by her sense of humour and practical heart. She has encouraged and equipped me in many ways. I always recommend her books What we wish we had known and Beyond Survival to new Homeschoolers as they are full of wisdom and practical tools.

Karen Andreola is my second inspiration. I love the tone of her book A Charlotte Mason Companion and really wish that she lived in my area to be a mentor. Whenever I need encouragement I dip into her book and always come away inspired and encouraged.

Thank you for the opportunity to share and think about these things. I have really enjoyed answering your questions.

Chareen

Blogging at Every Bed of Roses happily collecting pins on Pinterest and sharing information on Aussie Homeschool Facebook.

You can connect with me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram

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Have you heard of The Bush Boys? If you have, you would know Greg and Bernie, Peter and John. They like nothing better than to go camping in the Wild Bush Mountains. Not only do they explore the beauties of the Australian bush, they also find themselves right in the centre of the most exciting adventures!

The Bush Boys by Father James Tierney are real living books. As you read, you will discover so many facts about the bush with all its unique flora and fauna. You will pick up tips on how to survive in the bush. Soon you will be ready to go on your own Bush Boys camping adventure!

You can see more about The Bush Boys on their website, along with some other fabulous downloads to go along with your reading. The Bush Boys are living books and will be enjoyed by the whole family! They are funny, entertaining and filled with adventure but you’ll learn heaps about the Aussie bush, camping, flora/fauna, first-aid and more. We read these books as family read alouds – and loved them!

The Giveaway!

A fellow Australian homeschooler is giving away two Bush Boy books. Both books contain two full length Bush Boys stories which were originally published as two separate books: Bush Boys and Cuthbert Joins the Bush Boys. The books are real paperback versions and Sue is willing to post them anywhere in the world. So please share this post and spread the word.

See here for giveaway details: Free Giveaway Bush Boys at Sue Elvis Writes.

Giveaway will be drawn on December 1st, 2013.

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A few of my friends have made comments, even slightly ridiculed us, when they see my teenage kids and myself talking to each other on Facebook.  For some reason they assume we should not have a connection on Facebook.  I think this is a dangerous position for parents to take and are very happy that my kids have me in their Facebook life.

Facebook has taken this generation by storm, and I don’t know if it will last, morph into something else, or be completely dropped but I do know that it is a part of my kids’ lives now.  Initially, when my kids first opened a Facebook account I required that I was their friend – and because of the strong relationship we have (in real life) this was not a problem to them.  Being their ‘friend’ on Facebook was twofold.  One, for safety issues, I wanted to know what they were exposed to and I wanted to be there to help them process the good, bad and ugly.  Secondly, I wanted to be there because this was a part of their life, this was going to be like a book they read, a movie the saw, a conversation they had – and I wanted to be a part of this part of their life.

This could sound like helicopter parenting – hovering, protecting, restricting.  But no.  Like I said, initially it was for safety, now as they have grown older there remains an element of accountability (and that is good for us all, regardless of our age) and the stronger reason we connect online is simply an extension of a real life relationship.

Connecting on Facebook, in our family, is an extension of conversations that go on in the home.  It hasn’t replaced them, but in some ways it has expanded them.  Facebook, for all it’s weaknesses, is an exposure to ideas so we discuss these things – the serious, the important, the silly and the ridiculous.  Cutting myself off from those things that my kids see would be cutting my nose off to spite my face!  We discuss the social quandaries that online relationships raise; we discuss issues of discernment and wisdom, of leaving a digital footprint.   We discuss stuff around the table, in the hallway, in the car – much like we discuss the books they’ve read, the movies they’ve seen, the ideas they’ve either thought about or talked about with others.

photo credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net

Another aspect I enjoy is using Facebook much like mums of days gone would pop a note in a lunch box.  I’ve been able to share a Bible verse that to the world looks just like a Bible verse, but because of the conversations we’ve been having my son or daughter knows the encouragement it is supposed to bring.  I can share inspiring quotes to confirm ideas my kids have been talking about, I can share recipes, craft ideas, organisational or thrifty tips or for my son – quirky philosophical thoughts  – all sorts of things that my kids are interested in.  And as I do, I have an opportunity to say to them, I know you, I love you and accept your interests in life.

Then there is another side to why I like talking to my kids on Facebook – people see us having a relationship.  This is a good thing.  We don’t see enough of healthy parent/teen relationships in real life, let alone online.  People see us having a real relationship when we are down the street, when we are at community functions, when we are at church or at a friend’s place.  My kids and I are great friends (age appropriately) and it shows as we interact with each other and others.  Facebook is just one other sphere of friends, or one other location or activity we get involved in and because we are both there – we are going to act like friends, we are going to share some of life together.

I hope our friendship will encourage others to consider being involved in their teens’ lives online (if their kids are online).

Any conversation about Facebook needs to have a postscript added to encourage the reader consider context.  Just because I see some positives in using Facebook, there are also the negatives.  Just because my kids have a Facebook account, doesn’t mean there aren’t any boundaries.  The other thing to remember when reading this is the ages of my kids – Josh is 20, Jess 19, Nomi 16, Daniel 14.  Josh and Jess have different freedoms than Nomi and Daniel.  Daniel doesn’t actually have a Facebook account even though he is of a ‘legal’ age to do so.  Every family needs to consider Facebook, its benefits and its concerns, with an open and yet informed mind.  What works in one family won’t work in another, what works with one child, won’t be appropriate for another.  I have shared this aspect of Facebook in our family to add to the discussions that you may be having, or need to have, as your grow with your family.

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I love scrapbooking – and it has found its way into our homeschool experience.  Before all you who think you don’t have time or don’t have an arty bone in your body disappear just hear my definition of a scrapbook page:  a photo, a title, some words.  It is the same definition I have for a notebook page: a graphic, a title, some words.   Scrapbooking doesn’t have to be fancy, mind you, neither do our notebook pages.

Several years ago when Daniel was struggling to write – there was a combination of poor fine motor skills, plus a delay in his reading/writing skills, plus a general lack of desire to improve.  I connected his interest in photography with my desire to have him write just a little more.   Each day I would send him out with his camera and he would take a photo of his everyday – toys, flowers, the road, birds, the dog etc and come back inside to write one sentence about it.  We never finished the project because he started writing of his own free will and we didn’t have the time for the scrapbooking project.  But it achieved its purpose.

In the scrapbooking world there is a genre of scrapping that has you take one photo a day, sometimes on a predetermined theme.  Just Google “Photo of the Day (POTD) challenge” and you’ll find all sorts of lists to help you or your child see different things in your day to photograph and/or write about.  If your child is into technology then there are apps that will support this idea.  I use Photo 365 which reminds me to take a photo, inserts the photo into a calendar and gives me room to write about the photo.  Instagram is another very popular photo sharing tool though I am sure there are many others.

Digital cameras have made it so easy to use photography with little kids – it doesn’t cost anything (other than buying the camera!).  But if your child isn’t interested in photography then find images online on a subject they are interested in: animals, sport, solar system.  They could easily create a scrapbook using someone else’s images (giving due credit of course).

No doubt you’ll start off with sentences like “This is my dog.”  Well, that is a true sentence so it passes.  But then you can start introducing your language arts lessons – little bit by little bit – but let them feel comfortable with one skill before you move onto something else, for example:

• Adding nouns and proper nouns:  “This is my dog, Domino.”    Talk about punctuation.
• You can then ask them a who-what-when-where-why-how question and get them to write down one of their answers in their daily writing.  “This is my dog, Domino.  She likes to run.”
• Then add adjectives and adverbs – describing words – “This is my dog, Domino.  She likes to run fast.”

You get the picture.  Little by little we can expand our kids writing.

photo credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net

There are other prompts around our everyday life that can encourage their writing too

• Recipes. If they spend some time in the kitchen get them to take a photo of their cooking (or the mess in the kitchen, or the family enjoying the meal) and copywrite the recipe
• Lists.  Shopping lists – if  they want you to buy something for a project, get them to write out the list and then take a photo of you shopping together, or the finished project.
• Letters/emails.  Keep them short – maybe a ‘note’ is a better word – a note to Grandma and Grandad, and keep a copy for their scrapbook along with a photo of Grandma and Grandad(or a photo of whoever they wrote to)
• Book review – copy of the cover of a book they’ve read and their thoughts about it (remember to keep it simple, and honestly at where they are at)
• Bible story – my kids often drew about the Bible story we were reading – write one sentence (and slowly increase with ability) what the story was about or what they can learn from the story
• Copywrite a Bible memory verse – find a picture to illustrate
• Take a copy of a text screen (after a text conversation) and translate it in full and proper English – with a photo of their friend, parent, sibling – whomever you were texting

Do you remember playing around with different fancy handwriting for titles on our projects and stories.  My favourite was Bubble writing.  The equivalent to that today, in this technological age, is fonts.  Kids love fancy fonts.  Let them play.  Let them use colour.  Let them embellish.  This is of course the scrapbooking part.    Whether they use coloured paper, stickers and textas/markers or whether they use pixels (digital) let them enjoy presenting their work in a creative way.

Just as you and I have a different response to creative expressions so too will our kids.  Our Joshua didn’t like creativity – it was all about the words for him – but he was not a reluctant writer.  Neither was Jess though she liked to illustrate and present her words creatively, the words were (and still are) her focus.  Nomi and Daniel though were reluctant – Nomi because drawing was so much more fun than writing and Daniel because of learning delays.  Creativity was a significant hook for me to use with Naomi and Daniel.   You need to know your children and be as simple or decorative as they like.  The creativity is just the hook, the purpose is to think and communicate your thoughts (writing).  Had Joshua, with no desire to be creative, been a reluctant writer what would have I done?  I would have expected a photo, a title and a few words.  If he didn’t want to decorate the page that is okay but the basics needed to be there.

One thing that often stops us from letting this happen is how much time it takes.  Unless we see value in the creative side, we will simply rush them past this and get on with something else.  I see value from two perspectives:

1. While they are working on that page, they are – even if they don’t know it – engaging with the information on that page.  As my kids got older I expected their embellishments to be connected with their subject which helps with their thinking broader on the subject at hand.  But even before that, I believe the kids ponder as they create.
2. As children place a photo on a page they are making design decisions – do I put it here, or here?  Does it look best straight or on an angle?  Does this colour match, or would this pattern clash?    One definition I have of ‘art’ is to ‘communicate creatively’ – so as they learn to use colour, shape, space to communicate their ideas, they are increasing in art skills.

There really isn’t much difference between scrapbooking and notebooking – except if your child has become jaded with notebooking, or sees scrapbooking as fun, maybe it will be worth a switch.  They needn’t know mum has the same goals, just using a different tool!

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Are we there yet? Is it time yet? That’s how I feel about now. Winter is nearly over but not quite. There’s still a few cold days ahead before we see the warmer days. We’ve been stuck inside the house, we’ve been cold, we might have been ill with snuffles and body aches.

This often seems to be the hardest time of year for seasoned homeschoolers. But this is not just a homeschool syndrome. Even public school teachers and parents feel it. So do many children.

I’m going to offer a few ideas to help you make it through to the warmer months when we can easily and enjoyably go outside and fill up on fresh air and sunshine. Use these ideas as a springboard, let them stimulate your own creative juices as you work how suitable ideas for your family.

1. Plan for a day off during the week and do something fun or enjoyable as a family.
2. Take a week or month off regular schooling and do a family unit study instead. Poll the family members to decide what to learn. This will not interfere with their learning. In fact you might find yourself very surprised at what they learn and how they go about it!
3. Give yourself and your children a pedicure/manicure.
4. Let the children take a break from English and/or Maths and have them choose an area that they want to learn about. If not for a few weeks, maybe do it for one day of the week.
5. Throw off schedules lessons and do a different Unit Study each week! A unit study on chocolate makes for a great winter study.
6. Learn a new hobby. Start a new appreciation. Now is a great time to undertake Music Appreciation or Art Appreciation, knitting, painting, cooking, etc.
7. Exercise together!
8. Plan and prepare the garden for planting.
9. Play board games regularly. Play Twister and other fun games together.
10. Play X-Box or Wii with the kids.
11. Undertake service activities at your local church or volunteer with a community service.
12. Put some music on and dance every day. Even if the children get outside into the cold, it’s quite likely that we don’t. But we need exercise.
13. Pamper yourself and have your child a manicure and pedicure on you! It teaches them the act of service and gives you some good bonding time. Plus it’s just really nice.
14. Ask your husband for his opinion on how things are going with the homeschool. Our husbands often have great insight without being as emotionally tangled as we are. Their perspective allows them to offer unique ideas and suggestions.
15. Pray and worship. Remember, you are not alone.This is a great time to spend in the Word and in prayer.
16. Ring a friend on a weekly basis. If we can’t always get out and about during the colder months, a phone call can do wonders!
17. Focus on nutrition – get plenty of protein and lots of veggies. If you don’t get outside in the cooler months, consider a Vit D3 supplement. Do you need a vitamin/mineral supplement?
18. Try, try, try to get some time outside in the sun and the fresh air. Sunshine affects our metabolism and our moods.
19. Drink water, water, water… especially if you use a heater. Try a cup of Green tea or White Tea which is chock a block full of anti oxidants and super healthy.
20. Have a Movie Day once a week. Rent a good movie, make popcorn and drink yummy hot chocolate.
21. Enjoy your time together. Make the most of it by laughing together a lot. Play together and pray together.

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Collaboration is a very big word in education these days.  Collaboration is working with others on a joint project.  Now, when you look at the family, this isn’t a particularly new concept:  we work together on many things, homeschooling or not.  But at some stage we need to teach our kids to work together with other people – people who may not think like they think, people who may not understand them so well.

In our homeschooling lifestyle there are many different ways we can work collaboratively:

• Siblings – this is a first step.  Working with siblings gives our children the opportunities to define a project, communicate ideas, be flexible, work to a deadline, recognise skills in other people etc.
• Extended family – The old tradition of cousins putting on a play at Christmas time, or cleaning up Grandma’s yard are opportunities for family to work together.
• Another homeschool family –Recently we worked on a multi-media project  and built a fish-ladder model with other homeschool families – both projects gave the kids opportunities to share their own abilities but also learn from people with different skill sets and passions.
• A homeschool co-op – A homeschool co-op can have many functions and structures but it is a great opportunity to learn to work together with other people towards the same end.
• Sports teams – being a team is collaborative – when playing sport your end goal is to win the game.  Sport often brings the extra challenge of intense emotions!
• Volunteering groups – Jessica has been involved in the Mainly Music committee since she was 13years old;  kids can get involved in Church committees like the music team or missions group, volunteer projects, sporting teams or community events.

Many of these opportunities are more than likely already happening in your homeschool life – but the question is – are we using those opportunities to teach our kids to work collaboratively?

To work collaboratively you need to:

• Know the objective – what is the end project you are working towards
• What time do you have available and what due date are you working towards, how often will you meet together
• Be able to brainstorm, listening to other people’s ideas – (Bono’s 6 Hats is a good tool to help our kids look at things from a different perspective)
• Recognise the strengths (and weaknesses) in the team – work with and be gracious towards people
• Break down tasks, delegate someone to be responsible for each task, set completion dates for set tasks
• Communication – to be able to communicate ideas, as well as communicate struggles or personal conflicts
• Ability to resolve conflicts and move on
• Understanding the chain of command – someone has to take ultimate responsibility (in a work situation this would be the employer, the supervisor, or the client)  Often a ‘chair’ may be necessary as well.

In “Do Hard Things”, the authors Brett and Alex Harris encouraged teens in three areas:  character, competency and collaboration.  We need to be intentional in teaching our kids these skills, and home life, homeschool life, gives us plenty of opportunity.

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photo credit: stockphotos and www.freedigitalphotos.net

One of the silly questions people ask homeschoolers is:  Do you do any homework?  Homework is defined as school work assigned to be done outside the classroom (distinguished from classwork).  Culturally we understand homework to be school work done at home.  So on the face of it, we probably don’t do homework.

Though many parents I know struggle with how much homework is sent home there are benefits:

1. Parents can be aware of what the children are learning
2. Children learn responsibility by managing their time and assignment due dates
3. Children learn to study on their own
4. Teachers can see how much the children really understand

Benefits aside, if I was a school parent, I would struggle if I saw homework as busy work and if it took up the time we could be using as a family after school hours. But since I’m writing to homeschoolers I wanted to think about homework and the homeschooler … maybe we should be doing homework.

One of the things that I established early on in my homeschooling journey is that I don’t need to replicate what the schools do.  I have a different situation, and therefore the benefit of different choices.  So I am not suggesting, at all, that we gather our children at 4.00pm and sit them down to do homework.  It is the benefits of homework that I want us to focus on.

• Are our children learning to manage their time with various assignments?
• Do they work towards a due date?
• Can they study (research, question and record) on their own?

I have two students who have already graduated from homeschooling.  As I look back on their experiences I can see that though they studied well on their own, they didn’t work to any due dates.  Joshua, who has gone on to university studies, where there are due dates and time restrictions has learnt quickly and well.  He had the character and ability, just didn’t have the practice.  As I have two others still in homeschool/highschool I am learning from our past efforts.

My challenge is to find ways to give them the due dates or time for the assignments without taking away the benefits of working with their weaknesses and strengths, and allowing for life to happen.  As I said of Joshua – he had the character to be able to learn to work with due dates very quickly once he was in a different situation, this is because we had worked on time frames in other areas of his life – like chores and responsibilities around the home.  So these skills are transferable.   But I would like to find some way to apply this to their studies, and I have come to think this is more important as they get into the upper highschool years. This is what we are working with to teach these skills:

• A study routine – this gives them time to study, regularly.
• Using a student diary – this is for their whole of life so it includes their chores, projects, commitments and studies
• Set time for independent work.  Our kids generally study their discipline studies (any subject that needs daily drill/practice) by themselves:  math, typing, music, language arts, handwriting, drawing etc (different for each student, and different at different seasons of life)
• Time to record what they have learnt.  This is done in terms of notebooking, creative, hands on or digital projects.
• Set some projects with due dates, and though I have provided some time to work on these projects, I expect the kids to plan how much work needs to be done, and if they are running out of time, I expect them to use their productive free time to make sure it gets finished on time.

Project for term 1 was to complete a media project for Australian History.  For Naomi this has been a collaborative project so she’s worked with another homeschool student (for Daniel it has been an independent project, though he has asked his friends to help out with one aspect).

Project for term 2 will be to update personal blogs once a week.

So homework may not look the same as our school-going counterparts – but it has been worth thinking about.  Here are some other issues that school-parents have to deal with – are there lessons for us to pick up from this list as well?

• Handing on notes from school to mum
• Emptying back pack, dealing with lunch boxes
• Putting shoes away
• Knowing your uniform, PE gear, project etc is ready for the next day
• Keeping tab of library books

Please don’t take this as a homeschool vs school debate.  I’m simply looking at the skills that kids at school have to develop – and making a switch in my thinking – are my kids learning these things too?  My kids take both business and personal phone messages, do they pass them on?  When the kids were little they took a backpack wherever we went, these days they take a bag of their choice and so often it gets dumped on the dining table when we walk in the door – we are working on this!  They are responsible for having all they need when we go somewhere – hats, waterbottle, book, shoes etc or whatever is appropriate for our activity.  They are responsible for knowing where their library books are – there is a library book shelf to help them with this.

Teaching these skills to our kids are important – whether we homeschool or send them to school.  The key for any parent is to be intentional:  to know what you are aiming for, and to have a plan of action.  We need to be actively working on it, not hoping for the best!

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One of the things that I am very aware of as a parent is that my kids are watching me – they not only watch me, they copy me as well.

I remember deciding that it was time to teach Josh to dry the dishes.  He would have been about 2-3 years old.  I brought him to the sink, stood him on a chair and explained the process.  We practiced it together and he had picked it up pretty quick so I gave him the opportunity to do it without me there.  (Big boy responsibility!)  I went to do something else but before long Josh was there with me saying he had finished.  I came back to the kitchen to see what kind of job he had done because he had finished way quicker than I anticipated.  And what I saw pulled me up in my tracks.  He had simply laid the tea-towel over the dishes.  He had never seen me dry the dishes (except for my little lesson), instead he had always seen me wash the dishes, and leave them to dry with a tea-towel over the top.  He was following my example – not my lesson!

This is the same for whatever we want to teach our kids – be it life skills (like drying the dishes, making your bed and spending money wisely), to moral choices (like telling your kids to say you are not at home – when you are!), to our emotional responses (how you handle someone disappointing you), and certainly to our attitude towards learning.

I am sure most parents know that their kids copy them but I don’t know that many think about it in the intellectual arena.  We subconsciously divide our life up and the whole learning issue is a part of childhood.  Or if we do learn, it is for our qualifications and employment.  And yet we say we want our kids to be lifelong learners.

Wikipedia defines lifelong learning as:  lifelong, voluntary, and self-motivated.

• Lifelong – you are never too old to learn something new, there is always something to learn
• Voluntary – no-one is telling you to do this, it comes from within you – a desire to learn something
• Self-motivated – no one is pushing you or keeping tabs on you and yet you learn

Are you are lifelong learner?

If you want your children to be lifelong learners, you need to be modelling this today. We need to model the following:

• Curiosity – though curiosity killed the cat, it is actually the instigator in all true learning.  If you aren’t interested, if you don’t want to know, then you won’t learn, not really learn.   What are you curious about?  What interests you?
• Asking good questions – One way of learning is to sit in a class and just absorb what we are being told or simply listen to what is being read.  Alternatively we can get involved and ask a question – asking questions will set us on a path of deep and real learning.
• Research – An aspect of asking good questions is knowing who to ask.   Do we know an expert?  Do we go to Google and find something on the internet?  Go to the library and find a book.  Do we have to investigate and experiment ourselves and observe the results?  Research is another name for ‘finding answers’.    Do you look for answers?
• Trying something new.  We cannot learn something unless we move on from what we already know or can do.  Curiosity and adventure go together.
• Handling failure.  It is bound to happen – we will try something and we will not succeed.  What will be our response?  Will we only do the things we are good at?  These attitudes will be passed onto our kids for sure.
• Using technology.  Our kids world is going to include digital technology and I am a strong believer that we, as parents, need to experience at least some of the digital tools so that we can model using it safely, wisely and for God’s glory.
• Do something.  Knowledge that just sits there, unutilised goes to waste and eventually disappears.  Find some way to use what you are learning – write about it, talk about it, or make something.

I believe that if we have this attitude towards life, towards learning, then our kids will have a head start on learning themselves.

I wonder what you have been learning about lately?

I guess I should be the first to answer that question.  Yes, I have been learning new things:

I’ve been learning about:

• scrapbooking in a non-chronological way
• using technology in the classroom

What about you? What are you learning about?

Photo Credit – Stuart Miles and www.freedigitalphotos.net

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Easter is a time to remember, to reflect on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This part in God’s story is the centrality of the Christian faith. If it were not for the resurrection of Jesus, Christianity is no more than the Greek myths or old Roman legends. Our entire hope depends upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Maybe you’re tired, weary, feeling burned out or don’t know which way to turn. The resurrection is the greatest reminder that victory can come from defeat. If we look back to the time when Jesus walked the earth, we know that the Jewish people were anxiously awaiting God’s promise of a deliverer. They wanted the Saviour, the Messiah that God promised would come and overthrow their tormentors (the Romans). Some Jews did believe that Jesus was The Messiah. Then, he died. He died in a manner which was a humiliating- death on a Roman cross. Now many people had been killed this way, but this man was different. How so? Because Jesus was the Lamb of God, whose blood did not contain the taint of sin carried by the lineage of Adam. He was truly the Lamb of God. Spotless, without any blemish. No doubt some of the Jews were disappointed, crushed…no doubt some felt hopeless.

But the story doesn’t end there.

He rose again! The stone was rolled away! He conquered death! Through His death and resurrection, salvation from sin and reconciliation with God is available to all who turn to Him. The humiliating death upon a cross, which seemed like utter defeat, became the greatest victory in the history of the world. God, Creator of the universe, acknowledged that the payment for our sin was acceptable. Nothing else was able to redeem us from the just curse of God’s Law. We were not bought with silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ.

Just as the greatest victory was birthed through something which looked like defeat, we can look to God and trust that He will work all things  for our good. He will lead us through any and all times of testing and He will deliver us. We may not always recongise it as deliverance, but deliver us He will. We can have true peace. Believe.

As you go through this time of remembrance, think about the cold and lifeless body in a dusty tomb over two thousand years ago. Then think about the sound of blood rushing through the heart and body of the risen Christ. Think about the groaning of rock as the stone was rolled away.

He is risen! Hallelujah!

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Do you/your children do grades? How do you determine what grade they are in?

Selected responses from our discussion forum where parents are asked a question and can respond in any manner they choose. Please note that forum posts are used with permission. Also note that forum responses are usually informal and conversational.

No, not really… I use grades as a rough guide as to where to start in finding the correct curriculum for each child.

But we don’t use them in a rigid way. I like the old school system – like the McGuffey readers – where you go up when you know the material. So its quite possible for a 12 year old to be learning calculus, etc.
~Daughter of Eve

No I just keep moving them along with the skill subjects (Maths and English) as they master the concepts, sometimes they’re fast or slow, mostly average. The other subjects we group as much as possible, but expect more from the older ones.
~Kerrilyn

We don’t give grades but we do do Maths and spelling tests occasionally which obviously have scores. Like above, our kids always redo things until they get them right. My boys particularly like the challenge of getting as many right as possible the first time…partly for the challenge and partly so they don’t have to do it again . I don’t like grades when they seek to compare children to other children (which is what they do at school). I just don’t like the idea that a child can do their very best and someone can come along and say it was only worth a “C” because other people did better. Yes, I know they will have to come to terms with this cultural system later on in life, but not while they are young.

I am in two minds about grades for older children. I was always a “good” student at school and received good grades, and often the knowledge something was going to be graded really motivated me – I loved the challenge. But sometimes I think I was more motivated by the competitive side of the grade rather than the learning and because I generally did very well, it set me up for great disappointment at times. The focus can become the extrinsic reward of the grade rather than the intrinsic pleasure of knowing your have done your best and enjoyed the learning experience.
~BlueSkies

My usual reply is that ‘officially’ they are in Years 4, 6 & 8, but … it depends on the subject etc. In Maths they are roughly in their ‘grade level’ but all other subjects don’t have grade levels … we just work our way through concepts at their pace … fast, slow, whatever they need.
~Liz

Grades as in marks for work … no, my children are only 5 and 6! Though I sometimes write 100% on their page if it’s true, and they like that! I can’t see myself grading their work in future, except in my own mind as a way of assessing whether the work I assign is at the appropriate level. I’m more interested in their own reflections about their efforts and achievement …

Grades as in equivalent school years … I gave up on that last year, as I just couldn’t decide which school year fitted them! About a six year range depending upon the subject (this is probably true for most children). It will only be relevant if we decide to put them in school, and we’ll cross that bridge if we ever come to it. When people ask what grade they are in, I give a composite answer based on their age (eg. K/1 for Mr 6) … this is enough for most curious people.
~Bookworm

I have grades that swap around as I need them. If my child has to be in grade X,Y,Z to do that, then he is in XYZ if I want him to be. We are flexible. We have done the University tests in grades according to their age.

~Michelle

My children are in whatever grade that coincides with their age. Like others though, the actual material they are working through has nothing to do with grades, and everything to do with where my children are at individually, what their interests and needs are. My children like this too, as it gives them something definite to tell people as well (they really did not like being asked this question).
~Amy Marigold

My children are all different grades. Usually they have always been above their ‘grade level’ in English/Language Arts and slightly ‘below grade level’ in Maths.

A few years ago I had my sons do the placement tests for ACE Paces. They were two grade levels ahead in English and 1 grade level below (below the grade level they’d be in if at school) in Maths. This was a handy exercise to do as it helped me identify the areas which we needed to focus on.

As a rule, I don’t like grades. In the adult world they may have a place… and in some instances they are a part of life. I’m not scared of grades nor am I against them. I simply believe they are over rated and not a true indication of learning or education.
~HomeGrownKids

How about you? Do you use grade or year levels in your homeschool?

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There seems to be a lot of public holidays in the first half of the year and as a homeschooling family we need to know what we are going to do with them.

We can ignore them

For many years we did just that.  My husband’s work doesn’t take public holidays into account so they weren’t days we could be together as a family so we just kept on with what needed to happen.  Our family doesn’t study on family birthdays so it kind of evened out a bit.

Learn something about our country

Most of our holidays give us an opportunity to learn something – either of values or history.  On the holidays that I did want to teach into I made sure I set some prep time a month or so ahead – this gave me time to find online resources as well as borrow books from the library and some time to learn before the actual significant day.

Get involved in the community

Many of our holidays are celebrated as a community and there are many events that the family can get involved in.

Take a break and just have fun

We can use a public holiday as a marker in our calendar to simply have an extra family fun day.

Work on a family project weekend

Having a long weekend is a good opportunity to get a slightly larger family project happening.  You may even get it completed – especially if you start Friday afternoon!

As we start our new homeschool year, it is a good time to glance over our calendars and mark down when those public holidays are happening in your State.  What are you going to do with them this year?  It is easy to let these days simply slip away and miss an opportunity, or we can be intentional and forward thinking and make the most of them.

Belinda

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Draw, paint, create! Presented by artist Kirsty Shadiac, Artventure is full of step-by-step video art lessons for kids!

Artventure is offering Home School families the opportunity to sign up at the ‘classroom rate’ of $12 per child (normally $99 per household).

About Artventure

Presented by artist Kirsty Shadiac, there are over 60 videos on Artventure: art lessons (step-by-step) and extras which include tips (using various art materials). You can search and sort in whatever way you’d like: difficulty, year level, curriculum subject, or latest release. From people, rocket ships, the weather and dragons, to pets, pirate maps, trucks and boats … It’s all there and more! Plus, all artworks are linked to the Australian National Curriculum (for subjects released at the time Artventure was first published. Further links will be made as more subjects are released by ACARA). Artventure has hundreds of artworks for you to see in the gallery too! You can scroll through Kirsty’s pieces to find inspiration; you can admire what other kids have created, and even display your own artwork in the gallery!

This offer is only valid from 4th-18th of March 2013, so hurry!

Try a few sample lessons

Visit Artventure to try and few video lessons for free! Click here > Artventure Try It Now page!

Get in Quick

This offer is only valid from 4th-18th of March 2013, so hurry! This offer is limited. The absolute last day for this super special is

How to get the special discount?

Simply visit the AussieHomeschool Forum ArtVenture post for details, including the code. Note: You must be a member of AussieHomeschool community in order to view the code.

Get the code!

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Prodigal Planet  is a place for the Christian parent who is struggling with their teen. Sometimes, homeschooled or not, our teens face issues which we’d rather they didn’t. Sometimes, our teens make choices and decisions that are completely opposite to the dreams we had for them. If you have a teen who struggles or is involved in any way with drugs, sex, alcohol, self harm or similar then you’ll know that it can be hard to find a place where we can fit in and not feel judged or criticised. Often we can’t even get that from our pastor or our church.

Parenting the broken from the broken,

because we’re all prodigals.

Prodigal Planet is the vision of Dawn (from The Momma Knows). She has established a team of writers and encouragers who have ‘been there, doing that‘. Prodigal Planet is not about a team of experts, nor is it about criticising already hurting and confused parents. Rather it is a ministry borne from a need, even necessary in the Christian homeschooling world.

Launching on March, 1st… in a few hours.

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Selected responses from our discussion forum where parents are asked a question and can respond in any manner they choose.

What is homeschooling or home education?

Homeschooling is a lifestyle. Ideally, we define it, it shouldn’t define us. It’s like a blob of play dough. You’re constantly picking it up, looking at it, shaping it, changing bits of it, and trying to make it into something beautiful! It’s just our family and how we live and learn. It’s like life – it has seasons (good and bad!), it requires hard work, it gives us joy -and pain!

~Melanie

Homeschooling is basically taking control and responsibility for your own child/children’s education. It can be done in various ways, using various methods and even in various levels (using a mixture of a traditional school alongside home based education) as well.

Motives for homeschooling can be varied, some parents are academically driven, others are belief based and motivated, some have specific need based reasons. Most homeschoolers have a desire to be intrinsically involved with their children’s emotional, intellectual, physical, spiritual and academic development and believe they are qualified to do so.

Homeschoolers have a responsibility to teach their children basic educational standards that usually need to comply with the general population. The way that people Homeschool is totally personal and can vary immensely according to personal styles and convictions. There are numerous ways and methods which people use to Homeschool, as well as many varied resources and institutions that help and encourage people in their efforts. There is a plethora of support groups and networks that support parents who do decide to Homeschool.

Homeschooling does require significant work and commitment, but most parents readily accept the challenge and relish the opportunity to impact their children’s development and education.
~Cathy

Homeschooling is…
Monotonous. Complicated. Draining. Being loved. Discipline. Curriculum. Open. Hard. Honest. Real. Brutal.

And

Homeschooling is… Life. Meaningful traditions. Radical. Loving. Relationships. Caring. Simplicity. Books. Teaching. Learning. Nurturing. Friendship. Observing. Mentoring. Freedom. Sharing. Memories. Reading. Fun. Cooking… and Eating. Purpose. Spontaneous. Grassroots. Community. Delightful. Energising. Interests. Discipleship. Beautiful. Privilege. Legal. Responsibility. Laughing. Love. Family.

~Susan Priolo

What does homeschooling mean to you?

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Free Homeschool Curriculum

Ambleside Online – This is a free Charlotte Mason-style curriculum, with a complete schedule for grades K through 12. Also contains the complete text of Charlotte Mason’s original homeschooling series, along with a library of free online books and a complimentary support group. You'll find here a directory of free homeschool curricula, literature and text books ... This curriculum is built largely, but not completely, on public domain texts.

An Old Fashioned Education – A free homeschool curriculum that utilises a combination of public domain textbooks and living books. Contains a complete 40-week schedule for Bible, math, science, social studies, language arts, literature and history for grades K through 12.

Baltimore Curriculum Project - BCP's Core Knowledge lessons are organised by grade level, month, and discipline. Be aware that it is not Australian based. You can download and print the lesson plans but note that all lessons are in draft form. At this time the draft lessons on this web site do not have accompanying graphics, such as maps or cut-out patterns.

Bitesize - is a British website offering free interactive lessons in math and reading. I didn't find it the easiest site to navigate but there are some very useful lessons. Be aware that it is UK based so grade levels are completely different.

Core Knowledge - This free homeschool resource is not a curriculum in a box. However it is a useful resource, especially the Free Teacher Guides, Downloads & Forms. Core Knowledge offers suggested content to be taught and presented at various grade levels.

Easy Peasy All in One – currently offers 1st, 4th and 6th grade curriculum for Reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, math, history/social studies, science, geography, Bible, art, music, PE/health, computers and logic using free resources on the Internet. Se our related post about EasyPeasy.

Free-Ed - is a site that I didn't find easy to navigate but that might just be me. It is probably more suited toward upper years/high school years of homeschooling.

Head of the Class - provides access to free curriculum based content for K-8 students and teachers.  It is organised by grade-level, you will find instruction, activities, and multimedia on reading, math, spelling, writing, art, history, music, geography, science, and more.

Lesson Pathways - is a free K-5 curriculum and teaching resources contains 36 full-week lessons for science, math, history, phonics and reading. There is a homeschool and an afterschool schedule. This schedule aims to provide a multi sensory experience by using a variety of materials, activities, videos and games. This program might be suitable as enrichment or reinforcement material.

Mater Amabilis - is a free homeschooling curriculum for Catholics. It is based on the Charlotte Mason method. Contains math, reading, writing, English, literature, history, geography, science, foreign language and music studies for grades K through 12.

NeoK12 - offers online videos, lessons and games to help homeschool students learn about a wide variety of topics. Lessons can be found for English, math, science, social studies, geography, history, music lessons, sports lessons and arts and crafts. I debated about including this NeoK12 on this list as it isn't really a complete curriculum but it might suit some for a subject.  This site would be useful to use as revision and reinforcement or enrichment along with your main curriculum.

Open Education Source – Is a free service to homeschooling parents which provides comprehensive curriculum links for every subject from K to 12. Each link provides a full, comprehensive body of work for the subject for a year, not unit studies. You will find the best sites for teaching each subject on the subject pages, and a selection of grade appropriate resources on the grade pages.

The Puritan's Homeschool Curriculum - is a home school curriculum consistent with the historic reformed Biblical faith as it is excellently summarized in the original Westminster Standards. Documents are in pdf format.

  Caution - It's free but is it valuable?

Here are some questions to ask to determine if free homeschool curriculum is of any value to you.

• Is it age/development appropriate for your child?
• Is it laid out clearly?
• Will your child be able to follow the schedule? Is the amount of teacher/mum preparation involved suited to your needs?
• Is the subject a part of the plan for your child? If not, is it os special interest? What is your justification for including it in your homeschool schedule?
• Are the objectives of the material clear? Will it be able to meet those objectives for your child?
• Is any information presented accurate and unbiased?
• Is it complete? If there are questions, are there answers?
• Do you have any other materials, supplies, tools, or instruments that are required for the curriculum?

2012 is nearing its end and it’s time for evaluation and reflection before we head into another chapter – the story of 2013.

As homeschooling mothers we often use this time to review, to reflect upon various aspects of our family and our lives. Throughout 2012 I have taught manners, English, Maths and Science. I’ve taught life skills, domestic skills, health, fitness and Bible study. The children have grown spiritually, physically and academically. As I reflect upon our maturing brood I can see a common denominator which doesn’t change with our circumstances. Our years have been filled with ups and downs, with hurts, disappointments and with overwhelming joy. We’ve been in different states, different houses with different age groups and using different curriculum.We’ve shared good food and some so-so food. We’ve watched movies, taken photos, played together and fought together. We’ve shared many things together.

John 21:15-19 as an evaluation tool

Do You Love Me?

But have I shared my greatest passion with my family? What is my passion?  Is my greatest passion truly Christ? Do I love Him before all else?

Feed My Lambs

Have I fed the lambs that God has entrusted to my care? Have I fed them Christ Himself? Have I opened up God’s word and shown them Christ… have I taught them to love God, to trust Him and to do His will by way of a living example?

Feed the lambs… tend the sheep. Have I loved the children with a shepherd’s love? Love, protection, guidance and provision of needs is very important but they also need Soul-Food … the pure word of God.

Evaluation, assessments, outcomes all look for fruit but the truest form of learning in the life of a believer is to follow Christ. Knowledge, even of spiritual matters, may have some value but it does not attain for us that much needed salvation. The outcome of seeing and knowing is living and doing.

Follow Me

All year I have seen Jesus through the gospels. I’ve read His words. Now I need to follow Him. The events of the past year cannot be changed. Whether or not the years was a good one or a hard slog, the important thing is to put one foot in front of the other… walk the road, one step at a time. Keeping eyes on the path ahead. Don’t walk backwards in life. The only reason for looking backwards is to learn from mistakes- but regrets are a waste of time and energy.

As this year closes and a new one will begin there is only one way for 2013 to be better – and that is by following Christ more closely – to go where He leads, without questioning or rationalising. I don’t know what 2013 will bring for me or our family. With grandchildren on the way it will undoubtedly be a time of great joy but with it I know that there may also be times of trial, of tiredness, of financial hardship. Those things are not within my control. Much of what happens in 2013 will not be mine to question. Rather my only duty is to obey and follow Him.

~Susan

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