Modern Homeschool Today

I was recently caught up in a conversation with a young woman who at age 25 admitted that she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. She couldn't hold down a job because she got bored easily and when I asked about study she exclaimed emphatically "I could NEVER got to University - it would be too hard!". During the conversation I uncovered that the house she lived in had been bought for her by her parents at the tender age of 18 to supposedly encourage her to develop some independence. Her car had also been bought for her by her parents. Her mother came around once a week to clean for her and do her washing and she admitted that she never bothered to learn how to cook because she would often just go back home for meals. After this conversation I realised what was holding this beautiful young girl back from finding not just a job, but a purpose for her life. She had never been taught how to do anything for herself. Clearly her mother wanted to pro...

I'm not the most patient of people. I have a short fuse. I'm easily frustrated. So, what does God challenge me to do? Homeschool of course!   I always knew that this part of my temperament would be a struggle for me throughout my life. In fact, I actually remember hearing my first sermon by my school principal when I was four years old. It was about the power of the tongue and I remember him saying "Tara. Listen. This is the most important lesson you will ever learn". Oh, was he right! Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18: 21 Just this week I was stressed out. Big time. My baby wasn't sleeping and I was getting around 3 hours of broken sleep a night. My husband travels for work so he wasn't around to help and I felt overwhelmed by all the things I had to do. I had friends popping out babies left right and center and wanted time to make them some meals as well as visit them an...

Photo from http://dishingitoutkandfirst.blogspot.com.au My boys ask lots of questions. Here's one from the weekend. DS6: What are windscreens made out of? MUM: A type of glass I think. DS6: Who makes the glass? MUM: Um, the people in the car factory. DS6: What is glass made from? MUM: mmmm.....great question. I'm not sure (meaning I have absolutely NO idea!). I have to be honest and say I don't always know the answers to my kid's questions. I also sometimes raise my eyebrows at the seeming randomness of when these questions pop out. A question about the moon now? In the middle of piano practice? Really? How... A friend of mine who is a great source of wisdom (and also a school teacher) suggested we create a "wonderwall" which can be anything from a blank piece of paper stuck on a wall to a fancy laminated poster. For us, we had one of those big chalkboard wall stickers which we turned into DS6's wonderwall. So, what is a wonderwall? ...