The Best Laid Plans...

This week I have opened up my calendar and have begun the process of seeking a vision for our school year. I have already chosen my core curriculum so now it is time to sit down and think about how I will implement my year. Ironically, Pinterest has been a real help for me as I try and figure it all out.

Homeschool Board

One of the first things I wanted to do was envision the "end product." What do I hope to accomplish with my children? Our family is entering a new phase. I am 50% done educating my children! Can I get a Woo Hoo? I know that I will never achieve perfection but I do find myself pondering what I could have done better with the older two. This is also my second and even third go-around teaching some of these subjects. That is a strange feeling. When I first started out, I quickly realized how little I knew and invested a tremendous amount of time myself reading, researching, and just enjoying the journey. So here I sit ready to enter this new phase.

As I go through this week, I will be preparing lesson plans, but more importantly I will praying for vision, revisiting my goals for my children, and yes getting organized!

So what's on my board? Well...

• Teaching Natures through the Sciences - This one came to me through A Holy Experience. What appealed to me was the idea of my 3rd grader making his own nature calendar. A thought I have is to find some kind of collection-shelf-thingy (and yes that is the technical term for it) hung on his wall and post the original next to it. Then he can display his treasures for the month.
• Sketchbooks - Each year I end up using these more and more. I love the idea of each child creating their own "textbook" for different subjects. I have done this in the past and have loved the outcome. This year my high schooler will be making a Book of Centuries, but we will be using the Century chart as our timeline.
• I would also like to use a sketchbook to make a biology notebook for my 9th grader. A few years back I dabbled with this idea with my 2nd child. There is definitely a learning curve. Things I liked about it was the ownership of carefully recreating drawings and labeling items. We chose a couple of different spines to help us stay on course and never really loved any of our choices.
• Biology 101 DVD by Wes Olsen  - We are going to try a different approach for our spine and will be adding this to my ever growing arsenal of biology curriculum. I will have to get back to you on my opinions. ;-)
• A Commonplace book - This idea has intrigued me for a very long time. As I look over my own bookshelf I realize that I have several of these and honestly, isn't blogging a virtual form of a Commonplace book? With that said, I would like to introduce the idea to my two remaining students. For now, it will be simple. Mostly just about creating a habit and hopefully this will evolve as our school year progresses. On a side note, child #2 started a Commonplace book without any nudging or introduction from me. She didn't have a name for it but when sharing with me one day I realized that yes indeed that is what she had started.
• The Well-Planned Day and The Well-Guided High Schooler - What can I say about my favorite planners that I already haven't said before? They truly are a blessing at helping me keep our home and school organized. I love the articles. I love the perforated shopping list, I love the meal planner, and I love the scriptures & catechism questions but mostly I love that it is all neatly bound up and looks so pretty I just can't wait to open it and work in it. (yes I am an organizing nerd)
• School pictures - This is an area that I am neglectful. At the end of each year, I do collect the best photos of the year and digitally scrapbook our family. I even take the time to journal our year in review. In previous years, I scrapbooked yearbooks for my older children so that they would have tangible memories. This was a compromise since we would not have yearbooks. I like the idea of taking the photo and adding fun facts about the child on the photo itself. This will be a fun challenge but I do plan to start.

Back to Basics...

Today I have the privilege of speaking to some local moms about spelling and the early years. I am always humbled as I begin preparing for things like this, feeling completely unworthy of such opportunities. I don't have any special credentials or fancy titles. I am just a mom passionate about educating her children.

I am thankful for the journey I am taking. There is no doubt that I have been stretched beyond my comfort zone, doing things I did not think I was capable of. I think that is the point though. We are stretched beyond ourselves because it is not ourselves that are doing it. I am thankful for the strength and sovereignty of God. When we first began this adventure (back when I was a refugee), I knew the basic elements of education we wanted to instill in our children.

• a life-long love of learning
• strong readers
• strong communicators, both orally and written
• math skills (that included finances)

This has been the cornerstone of our school. Ironically when I find myself dissatisfied with our schooling, I can trace it back to the fact that we have strayed from those elements. I have let the "latest thing" grab my attention and have lost sight of that which was instilled in me from the beginning of our schooling career. Identifying my educational philosophy has helped me navigate through the waters of vast curriculum. It has also helped me to grow my skills as an educator and make difficult decisions during challenging times. I love taking the summer to reacquaint myself with the basics.

Organized Simplicity...Writing the Purpose Statement

As you may have previously read, I am enjoying reading through Organized Simplicity. I find myself working through drawers and closets a little bit at a time and feeling like with each effort I am working towards my goal of simple living.

Recently I added myself to my husband's work schedule and booked us a staycation getaway. Tucked away in my suitcase was my book. One of my goals was to just sit and talk with him and work through a family purpose statement. Over a leisurely breakfast in the hotel lobby, we sat and discussed our family. I listened as he shared his thoughts and opinions...he was a patient man to do this with me. As he spoke I wrote down what he said and have spent the past few days mulling over our conversation.

Our family is entering a new season as one more prepares to leave the nest but two still remain. I have been deeply challenged by this task. As I put our conversation in to a simple timeless purpose statement I find words like intentional, service, and love surrounding the goals and ideals we are raising our family in. I am pondering, at least for a while, putting our statement in a framed chalkboard to rest on our kitchen table. This is the place where we school, where we eat, where we build relationships. It seems only fitting.

Organized Simplicity...the home

ReDesign Concepts

As I mentioned previously we are reading Organized Simplicity and as I continue to digest this topic I have been struck by the notion of the simple home.

When we were newly married, we were stationed in California. I sold my car so that I could be a stay-at-home mom and we made adjustments to being a one car family. The kids were young and we walked everywhere we needed to get to. Fridays were set aside to clean the house and catch up on laundry which I could have finished before school got out. Our weekends were also simple. Long leisurely nights sitting on the back porch swinging, looking out over the fields and talking into the wee hours.

Often my husband and I comment how much simpler life was back then. The house was less cluttered, our commitments were not so scattered.I think I have always had a desire to live as simplistically as possible, but life tends to happen. Children are born, we collect more things, we make more commitments and before we know it we are tired and worn out. I certainly recognize that life is full of seasons and as I am currently leaving one and entering a new season, I can not help but ponder the simple home.

What does it look like now?

First of all I would like to say that God has blessed me with some incredible women in my life and I glean from them all. First my mother. I describe her as June Cleaver. She made our house a home. Her housework was never displayed as a burden. She took great joy in being a homemaker, wife, and mother. The atmosphere in our home was welcoming and filled with happiness.

Then there is my sister. I describe her as the ReDesign Fairy. She is so talented and just an all-round wonderful person. A few years back she took what little I had and made both my husband and I fall in love with our home. She set the wheels in motion. Paint, a few pictures, and creative decorating made our home something we loved. Before long she has transformed our home in to a place where we could school, put it all away and enjoy dinner by candlelight. I am thankful for that gift. The decorating was the icing on the cake but the real joy came from the atmosphere she helped me create for my home.

When my husband is not travelling we try very hard (stress the word, try) to have the main living area cleaned up before he comes home from work. For me this is a simple act of love telling him that we appreciate all his hard work and long hours to provide for us. I don't want him to feel the stress of housework or schoolwork when he walks through the front door. Making sure that everything has a home is important to me. Clean up should be simple and can be beautiful as well. It's all about the atmosphere you create in your home. Having homes for our things and putting all together with fabrics and textures and paint help create the right atmosphere.

Purpose Statement...

I have really been enjoying Organized Simplicity. I think this has been a topic near and dear to my heart for quite some time. I am currently on the topic of creating a family purpose statement. As I read, this got me to thinking about my educational philosophy for my family when we first started. I remember stating clearly what my desires were for their education and how this has helped guide me in my decision making. So now this week I am faced with the challenge of asking my husband and I to define our purpose as a family. I am looking forward to some quiet hours, time with God, and time with my husband as we search for this.

What would your educational purpose be? What about your family purpose? Could you put it in to a simple, timeless statement?

School Musings...

I must be insane! Today we are concluding the first semester of the school year, Christmas is fast approaching and I am already looking ahead and trying to figure out how to make it better. It's a sickness I tell you. I truly love being a child-shuttling, home-schooling, stay-at-home mom. So with that said, I thought I would jot down my thoughts here and maybe make some sense out of all of it.
Handwriting
Ironically this one has evaded me. Cursive? Print? Neatness? Copywork? Workbook? Each child has done it differently and I am plain stumped. The youngest's handwriting is awful. The youngest is also a boy. Does poor handwriting and the male gender go hand in hand? Recently I went back and visited Donna Young and liked her posts on copywork. She suggested using a composition book and writing a sentence for the child to copy down x amount of times on the right hand side of the paper. On the left glue a sample of the handwriting using either the cursive or print font found on her website. The left hand side is also used for practicing problem letters. This sounds fairly simple and yet focused.

Grammar
I am not opposed to a workbook in certain circumstances. Let's face it, there are days where saying, "Turn to page so-and-so" is just what the doctor ordered if you intend to keep your sanity. However I do not want this to be my primary teaching tool. We have been doing oral dictation using the Bible verses and quotes from my favorite planner and that has been going fairly well. The youngest is required to sit beside me so that I can keep an eye on his work and we have tweaked the process a bit from the example I participated in at the Childlight conference. We have added the step of silently raising a finger if there is a word they are unsure how to spell. Then I use fingerspelling (from Spell to Write & Read) of the word and allow them to copy the work correctly in their book. At the end of the dictation one child reads the whole passage and then I ask for punctuation. This is a gentle way to introduce grammar. They are getting better and finding the natural breaks in a sentence so we will see what fruit this particular seed bears. Finally we may take a moment to talk about the passage. I don't do this all the time because I fear it will become too forced and that is not my intention. If they are expressing an interest or asking questions we may pause and discuss.

Science
I will be frank here and share that I am not a lover of the sciences as I should be. Every year I try to get excited but honestly I struggle. I enjoy sitting outside on my deck or having my quiet time on a bench but this has yet to translate in to my school time. This is where I look for a wonderful co-op or friend to help me. :-) So how do I tackle this subject in a non-literary way and still capture the necessary foundations? I am thinking about trying our hand at journaling the second half of Apologia Physical Science. I just need to be more organized when it comes to the science experiments and more diligent in my prep-work....**big sigh**

Literature
This is a subject I think I need to tone down. Being a lover of language I find myself overwhelmed with all the books I hope to share with my children. I am really clinging to the "do not exasperate your child" philosophy and find myself saddened by the books being left along the wayside. I just remember seeing my father sitting in his chair reading. This was a powerful teacher for me and I am praying that my children will remember my love for books with similar fondness.

History
We are still building our century charts and have to admit that I am thoroughly enjoying this new tool. My hope is to build a Book of Centuries with this format as we begin our new history cycle next year. I do think my youngest is not quite ready for it though. He is not as patient with his drawing and this is something I would like to work in with great intention and purpose. He and I are still enjoying building his history book. We recently added two lapbook pages on World War II and it about wore me out. We did add a narration of the war after all our readings and that was enjoyable.

I think for now I will place these thoughts aside...to the best of my ability that is...and put my teaching hat aside. Next week we will be baking, singing Christmas carols, and enjoying some family traditions. Soon enough school will start back up and hopefully I will be prepared! Thanks for listening...

A Silver Lining...

As our school year winds down, this often turns to a time of reflection for me. What were our successes? challenges? struggles? highlights? Have I learned something new that I should be prayerfully implementing? This year continues to be filled with new challenges as we try to navigate the waters of chronic illness. I sometimes find myself feeling defeated as my best laid plans becomes distant thoughts in the past. We all know about "the best laid plans" don't we?

Seven years ago as we made the decision to homeschool, I knew very little except what I wanted the end game to be. I wanted strong readers and communicators (both orally and verbally) and basic math sense so they could run a household and make strong financial decisions. Today as I contemplate how our school year ended and those plans I found a new voice encouraging me to look at those final "schooling" goals and reminding me that despite stops and starts, despite the pain of watching my daughter suffer and be strong for her friends and family, despite the little ones typical struggles, despite all the challenges God has honored that desire in my heart!

Psalm 37:4-5 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD,Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

This is not to say that we are finished. This is merely to say that I am encouraged...renewed as we continue writing the pages of our story. Be encouraged today as you look for the silver lining in your struggles.

So Now What?

I can remember being a little girl and going to my dad's office. He had a large desk cluttered with papers and behind him was a vast bookshelf filled with books. One summer, I am sure in an effort to keep me busy, he assigned me the job of stamping his books on the inside cover. From the library of Ben F. Ward, Jr. He even had the pockets for me to put on the inside back cover just like the public libraries. His collection was filled with classics and non-fiction. My mother shared years later that he read every book in his library. Today I have some of his collection in my own library now. It is truly special to pull out one of his books for a school reading assignment or just for pleasure. I always share with the kids that this was their grandfather's book and they should take extra special care of it. I can not think of a better legacy to leave your children than a love for books.

Just a snapshot of my summer reading ambitions.

• Redeeming Love as recommended by my 16 yr old
• Seven Men Who Ruled from the Grave
• Towards a Philosophy of Education in Modern English Volume 6 of Charlotte Mason
• First Start French - Previewing for school next year

Virtual Conferencing...

Virtual Conferencing Continues!



Our Virtual Conference Booth opened the first of May, and has been going strong. To our delight, hundreds of folks are downloading and benefiting from our two Tapestry Teacher's Training sessions – "Out of the Shrink-wrap" and "Lesson Planning 101." These helpful audio-visual presentations, hosted by Marcia Somerville, are like workshops that you'd expect to see given at state conventions, and we hope that, over the summer, you'll collect all eight sessions.

 Tapestry Teacher Training Sessions in June


Our Tapestry Teacher Training will continue in June with two great new webinars. They are again hosted by Marcia, and are entitled "Gaining Vision for Teaching High School" and "Teaching Grammar and Dialectic Students." These sessions are scheduled to be launched in early June, and are both priced at $7.

Looking back...

I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. -Abraham Lincoln

As the school year progresses slowly towards its end I become more reflective of what we have accomplished and learned. I separate the two because honestly what we don't accomplish can be just as important.

Mom's Lessons

• I am reminded once again of the grace and goodness of God...even when I am struggling He is in control of everything.
• I am reminded that children, no matter what the age, need their mother's love and encouragement.
• I became more aware that I am the thermometer of the house and directly influence the atmosphere of our home.
• I am reminded that more than anything I desire to create a safe and loving home where my children can laugh, learn, and grow.
• I am reminded that life is filled with seasons...some longer than others, some joyful, some painful but still it is just for a season.

School Lessons

• I learned that I love the flexibility of virtual co-ops and the opportunities it provides.
• I learned that when all else fails, read read read.
• I enjoyed notebooking and narrations this year and love seeing the fruits of our labor.
• I am reminded that proper planning makes a happy homeschool.
• I enjoyed discussing history and current events with the children and planting seeds along the way.
• I am still trying to find my niche for writing but we plugged along in spite of my weakness.
• I enjoyed reading living books to my children and creating our Book of Centuries.

Practical Lessons

• I am  in love with my new planners! I have already ordered by 2010-2011 teacher planner.
• I love our box system with my elementary student. Planning has become simple.
•  Audiobooks have been helpful as I try to juggle three levels of literature.

Ambitious Goals Retold...

It is true. Yesterday my imagination overtook my brain and I created a long and tiring to-do list. But I thought I would share some humorous highlights from the day.

• After announcing to the kids itwas time to work in the garden, I came outside to notice my 7 yr. old in his yellow hard hat and tool belt (all tools accounted for) bent over the garden pulling weeds. Maybe my instructions were unclear...build a garden?weed a garden? :-)
• Busily pruning our crape myrtle tree I noticed how beautiful and silent it was so I paused to look around and discovered I had been abandoned to work alone! Good help is so hard to find.
• We found an old wasp's nest on a tree branch I pruned. The two youngest were discussing whether or not we should keep it when the 7 yr. old matter-of-factly replied, "It's nature. We should keep it."
• I moved to the gardenia bush next. This has been my garden nemesis as disease has tried to take this sweet smelling joy away from me. While deep in the pruning process I turned my head and (gross alert) poked the pupil of my eye with a stick. Swollen and red it was quite a sight to see. Thankfully it is sore but much better today!
• While all this was going on I marinated pork spare ribs with fresh rosemary and sage. When my husband came home from work he threw them on the grill and we dined divinely. I looked like a one-eyed pirate but we were making memories! haha

I am sure there are many life lessons from yesterday. We did more home than schooling but still it was an enoyable day.

Post-It Planning

For those that haven't figured it out yet, I am a bit of an organizing nerd! I often tease that there is peace in perfection. Yes I am the one who can't sit down to watch a movie unless dishes are done, kids are bathed and things are put away. This can be quite vexing for my spontaneous husband. For our second child, graduation is fast approaching and instead of panicking at the last minute about what our transcripts are going to look like I called a good friend and we spent an afternoon building her transcript...Post-It style. We began to use TOG during my daughter's freshman year but like anything new, we were just getting our feet wet. As each year has progressed and I have grown to better understand what fits the needs of our family, I wanted to make sure we were also meeting the college admissions needs. After we were done I took a picture to share with you.

• First we listed each class that was completed individually on the same color post-it. I also listed the final grade.
• Then we listed each class that is currently being taken in a new color.
• After that, we listed the classes still needed in a third color.
• Using the kitchen table, we began organizing the post-its by subject matter. This helped me to see clearly if we were meeting graduation/admission requirements.
• Finally I pulled up my transcript template and began plugging in the information.

For me this was a very visual way to see if we were on track. I would even suggest doing this over the summer prior to making class commitments. This may help keep the focus on what is needed as well as show opportunities to add to your schedule.

Exams...with a twist

This past week, my 11th grader and I have been preparing for exam week. She has been reviewing the quarter and I have been busy preparing the exams. This year, with the help of virtual co-oping, we have really been able to flesh out topics and create the much needed atmosphere of discussion. One of my goals is to teach my children to communicate (both written and verbal) eloquently their ideas and beliefs.

Here is a peek at her Literature exam

• Using the novel, Pride & Prejudice explain how the author catches and holds the reader's attention.
• Reflecting on the various poets you have studied explain how one poets artistry spoke to you.

Over the past few weeks these questions have been part of our ongoing discussions. These questions were not meant to be a surprise for her but rather an opportunity to show layers of knowledge she has regarding the two topics. My goal was not to see if she could "guess" random facts about the material read but rather to build life long relationships with them. We never tire of the Bennett family and we never stop learning from them. They are familiar. They are comfortable. These relationships are not forced or contrived. For me, it is far better to intimately know the characters than to make a 100% on a shallow reading comprehension test.

Step by Step You'll Lead Me...

Recently I have been contemplating "the quiet home" and what that means. I have this image of obedient children, soft-spoken words, dinner at six, bedtime stories, and constant laughter. Ideally we strive for such peaceful, loving homes and in my case still come up short.

This month, our book club, is reading Stepping Heavenward. What a lovely portrait of a young girl who strives continuously toward Christ. It is filled with mundane activity, sorrow, joy, suffering, friendships, and great blessings. Of course, for Katy, this journey is filled with the realization that alone she can not accomplish this. This has given me great pause in my own life. Am I stopping to find the joy in an afternoon of imagination instead of chores? Am I embracing struggles as times to show God's goodness?

These thoughts have lingered as I read. Then on Monday, I listened to a homeschool webinar (FREE...love that!) on "Tips for Teaching a Houseful" and there was that same idea...the quiet house...facing me once again. This has caused me to start examining our activities and discerning which will allow my children to grow and which will ultimately invade upon the peaceful atmosphere I am striving for. This has caused me to consider my teaching style and examine where I can improve. Prayfully, I am seeking what the rhythm of my new school year will be like. Last year was more like a jazz piece filled with excitement, activity, and transition. This year I am longing for something more simple and inviting. I will not always achieve perfection. In fact most days I am sure I will come up short. But I am beginning to understand that it is as much about the steps taken as it is about the final destination. Each serve a purpose. Each have the opportunity for growth. I pray my steps are heavenward as my destination is there with Christ.

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned...

Earlier this year I stumbled upon a reward system for my 6 year old, Ben. A while back, Ben was given limited priviledges on his brother's X-Box. My concern was that this would snowball and Ben would constantly be on the X-Box. As I contemplated this castrophe, a little light bulb went off over my head. OK not literally but still it was a creative idea for me.

Simply put, Ben earns pennies and "cashes them in" for game time. Each penny is the equivilent of 10 minutes. At first we were trying to model good behavior during school time so he earned pennies for displaying those character qualities. As he began to understand what was expected of him, I adjusted how he earned pennies. For example, when we began the penny system he received pennies for completing his work without excessive complaining. As he improved in this area he could then earn pennies for completing his work in a specified amount of time. I'm sure you get the idea!

This summer, we have put together a list of activities that are worth a penny. The vary from doing certain chores to reviewing school material. The other day we decided to weed the garden. I spent time going over how to properly weed and we enjoyed the afternoon getting lost in the garden. I continued to praise him for his patience and his hard work. When he was done, I surprised him by telling him he had earned several pennies for working without being told. He was so proud of himself.

In our house, pennies are like gold!

The End Justifies the Means...

As I reflect on last year and prepare for our upcoming school year, I am always faced with thinking on the new year's goals. Now to some that may sound like a scary thing but to me I find great comfort in this. I think too often we start things and don't really know where we are heading. If this is the case, how will we know when we have arrived?

• Yearly Lesson Plans - I take time to go through each book or curricula I intend to use, decide how many days I will be teaching from it per week and how many weeks total I will be using this. Then I begin breaking down the book or curricula into bite-size pieces.
• Daily Schedule - This one is a work-in-progress. It takes a while to observe the natural rhythm of our days but once that is done I begin reflecting on the best way to order subjects and make sure that I have time to spend with each child, plug in any co-op or classes we may be participating in. First I just make a list of everything, then I begin plugging it in. Once I have done I try to imagine the flow of the day as I have set it up on my schedule. I do this periodically throughout the summer and the beginning of the school year. Then I make adjustments. Being flexible is key!
• Allowing your children to be accountable - Each Monday, I meet with my children individually and give them their weekly assignments. Depending on their age, they are accountable to write the assignments into a blank agenda. A great resource for weekly assignment sheets is www.donnayoung.org . I allow my 10th grader to work independently based on the assignments given. Then we meet again on Accountability Thursdays. We discuss history and literature topics and look over the assignments she's been working on. Then she is ready to turn in her work on Friday...and I am not hit with any "surprises."

If we are to run the race, then there must be an end. If we do not clearly define the end we will not know that we have achieved anything. In the case of preparing and planning your homeschool, grace and goals are key. Without a goal, we will not know how to complete the year. Without grace, we will not be able to forgive ourselves when things occur beyond our control.