Where to begin? A beginning. A starting over. Just fragments. Just brainstorms. Begin: to start, to come into being, to complete the first part of something. What if we are always beginning, and in that way, are never beginning? These are the kinds of things that roll through me this evening, when it is dark and quiet and a thunderstorm is coming softly. The fan in my room is circling its small space, affecting the whole room with soothing wind…
An acrostic poem is the kind of poem that looks like this: Piecing words together On paper like this Emits a certain Memory Well, that’s just the first thing that came to mind. Do you get what it is now, though? Acrostic is not often used as high literature, but it is a fun way to help kids write poetry. We use The Good and the Beautiful language arts, level 2. It’s good. It’s beautiful. It’s free. It’s absolutely sufficient…
Mornings are hard. I know I’ve written about this before. I’m not complaining (though, admittedly, I have complained about it in the past.) I’m simply stating it out of recognition. There is a difference between complaining and recognizing. Complaining says “Oh man, I am upset about the way this morning is going, and I’m going to choose to stay upset about it.” Recognizing says, “Mornings are hard.” Then, maybe, “How might they get better?” One way to make a hard thing…
I had forgotten I drafted this post. Maybe it’s been a month. Then I wrote another because this thought lingers. So, though similar to my very last post, here is another attempt, a continuing exploration. … I’m still having trouble saying the word. I say it slowly, syllable by syllable. So-do-ku. It’s been years since the puzzles entered my life. Though I’ve never been an avid player, I’ve completed enough to know what they are. I should know how to…
Homeschooling is so strange. And as I write that sentence, I am caught with what may look like simple self-doubt. Surely, there is plenty of that in life without taking on the task of homeschool, and homeschool adds its own level of questioning. Because I homeschool, I am not only mother but teacher. Thankfully, my children are mostly willing and my husband is always helpful and encouraging. My children are learning to not only choose obedience but to love the learning…
Dear Son, I don’t know what I’m doing. There, I’ve said it. Now I will write more words until I come to an end. This fall you will begin your first grade year. That is to say that if you were in public school, you would be in first grade because that is the grade your age relates to. To is a preposition and you’re not supposed to end sentences with it. (I should have said, “…because that is the grade…
Lately, the reality of home school has set in for me. And before we go any further, let me remind you that my oldest child is only just now in kindergarten. We are using Saxon Math along with Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool (Getting Ready and Math 1). We are taking a relaxed approach because we have two younger children in the mix and, while my kindergartner could probably do math and reading all day long, I can’t keep the younger two engaged…
First of all, a while ago I wrote this post called Why You Will Not Find Tutorials Here, and I stand by it. Yet I also think I have some insight on helping kids love books. It’s so easy today to let kids do anything but read books, but I hope you will shower your children with books so that they will learn to love reading! I thought about doing a bunch of research so I could give you statistics about…
When it comes to teaching small children, I think the key is finding something you love, something that they love, something that is fun and also full of learning opportunities. Enter, Scrabble! It’s not easy, but Scrabble offers so much for children: word building counting adding the concept of double and triple the respect for rules and taking turns the ability to wait celebrating each other’s victories the art of observation (you have to pay attention to double/triple word/letter) Tips…
It’s hard to cook dinner. The kids are running, I’m frazzled from being the only adult with 3 kids, and my morning coffee mug needs a refresher. Over here, 3:30 is generally when it starts. This is a difficult time for me. It’s after nap time. I want to spend time with my kids, and they are anxious to spend time with me, but I can’t usually watch them dropkick the soccer ball or help them sort out their puzzle pieces…