Modern Homeschool Today

I must say I'm much more relaxed about my third child officially beginning homeschooling than I was with the others. I've observed in my other kids an amazing ability to learn through play and in the freedom of exploration that homeschooling offers. Therefore, I trust that he will continue to learn in the same way so no need for a formal curriculum just yet. Reading DS5 showed readiness to read when he was 3 when he learnt the alphabet while we were doing an alphabet puzzle together and knew all his letters from that day forward! I then set him up with a reading eggs account and purchased some simple readers and we were off. I advocate watching for signs of  children's readiness to read before introducing reading. I was in no rush to teach my children to read but found that my firstborn actually taught himself to read with very little prompting - I just provided some books and alphabet games! It made me realise that some kids WANT to learn to read when they are ...

The other morning my day began in tears, my tears. I awoke to the sound of high pitched squeals, aggressive voices and unkind words. Like most parents, I don't like when my children fight. I'm not a morning person at the best of times but that day, I lost it. I lost my marbles, my cool, my common decency.. I was overwhelmed. See, justified or not, I take misbehavior personally. I see my own inadequacies and failings when I observe undesirable behavior in my own children. I don't expect perfection and misbehavior is always an opportunity for character development but I take the task of raising children very seriously. Why? Because I know that my children are a gift from God and that he has given me the task of 'training' them. As long as I rely on him, he gives me the strength to rise to the challenge but I have to keep my eyes fixed on him and remember why he has given my children in the first place. God's design for parents = Training "Do not ex...

It's a new year! If you're thinking, wow it's only January 8th - are you crazy? let me fill you in. We homeschool all year round. This doesn't mean we homeschool every day of the year. It simply means we don't take long breaks so we can afford to take little breaks during the year for holidays, special occasions, my work commitments or even just a mental health day (week). I have a full on work schedule for term 1 so the next few weeks are a homeschooling intensive to account for the fact life will be a little hectic for 11 weeks or so. The good news however, is that I have made a big decision about my work / homeschool / life balance or lack thereof and will be working MUCH less from term 2 onwards. It is such a relief just writing that! So here are my little cherubs (?). I can't believe he's in year 3 this year! This boy is an absolute JOY to homeschool! DS4 will actually be going to 2 days of sessional kindergarten this year. The ol...

    Lego is a huge part of my boy's lives and their love for it continues to change and grow in complexity as they get older. My kids loves the free play of the normal Lego blocks but are also developing an interest in the assemble kits. "Mum, Can I please get the Lego star wars deathstar? It's only $400...."   I've always known that Lego is 'good' for kids, for their developing creativity, problem solving and more. These reasons are more than enough motivation to encourage the use of Lego in our homeschool.   Why Use Lego In Home Education?     1. Kids love Lego, it's fun and motivating!   As delight-directed homeschoolers, I love using my children's interests and passions to impart different skills and knowledge. Lego is something I have used many a time to teach mathematical concepts, physics, engineering and even literacy. When a child is interested in a topic they have a motivation, a desire to learn a...

We don't watch TV much these days but we did happen to see this segment on unschooling on the project where it was described as "stupid" and "irresponsible" by panel members. I don't identify as an unschooler but I respect the diversity that exists in the homeschooling community and embrace many natural learning approaches in the way we home educate. I've seen the merits of unschooling in my own boys through what they create in their 'free' time. I see their passion and enthusiasm when they pursue something that interests them rather than something I've told them to learn and it takes learning to a whole new level - a much higher level. In defence of unschooling is "stupid".......... To be fair, an unschooler saying they let their children do what ever they want does at first, sound crazy. However, what others imagine this to look like is usually incorrect. Unschooling doesn't mean letting kids do whatever they want ...

When I first looked into homeschooling I was confused by 'styles'. What did they mean style? Wasn't homeschooling just well, homeschooling? When we were considering home education as an option, mentally I found the fact there wasn't a "This is exactly how you do this" guide to be a challenge. It was difficult to know where to start and easy to be anxious that I was going to get it wrong! Now, I realise this is one of the benefits of homeschooling. We don't have to teach our children the same way and we certainly don't have to replicate the mainstream school environment at home. Most homeschoolers teach children essentially the same things but in a way that flows from individual value systems, family life and children's learning styles.  We often follow our children's lead. What difference does it make if a child learns about the butterfly life cycle when they are 4 or 10? As long as they learn this at some point in their education ...

This is my family as pictured in an article on homeschooling in the Adelaide Advertiser. We look happy don't we? Laughing with joy as we learn together. It's true. We are happy. In fact, very happy to have the opportunity to be homeschooling. However, this recent article pointed out that the current rise in home education is not due to parents recognising homeschooling as a valid way to educate a child but because so many troubled children are being kicked out of school. Apparently, there are hoards of unhappy parents being forced to homeschool their children because the department of education no longer wants them in their system. My response is this: I've met lots of homeschoolers and interact with many online and I have never once encountered one who homeschools because the department kicked their child out of school - not even one. I'm not denying these families exist but they are clearly the minority. Many troubled children display troubled behaviors b...

We are rel atively new to the hom e edu cation or homeschooling world . This s e ries on why we LOVE homeschooling is i nspired by all the questions I get asked about why we homeschool .  When people ask I usually reply with a different answer depending on what benefit of homeschooling I am enjoying most at that time. I also normally choose an answer that the person asking will understand or relate to in some way. I LOVE homeschooling! In fact, I sometimes feel I have discovered some sort of amazing secret that most people don't know about......and it is so liberating!     Homeschooling = Freedom from the rush of daily life Homeschooling affords us freedom from the rush of daily life. Although our days are (mostly) structured and sometimes busy we don't feel tied down. We are doing life on our own terms. I hate to admit it as some of my friends honestly believe I started homeschooling for this reason but I LOVE not doing the school run! I love ...

While travelling in the Northern Territory we visited the Alice Springs Reptile Center. DS1 told me we HAD to see a crocodile while we were in the Northern Territory because otherwise the trip would be pointless! So, off we went. It was a fantastic opportunity for the boys to see and learn more about reptiles. It inspired many questions and opportunities for discussion as they were able to not only see snakes and lizards but also touch them. The reptile show was a good introduction to the world of reptiles and the kids were given the opportunity to hold a snake. It's not a large center so we took our time reading the information provided then finished our morning by visiting what we had all been waiting for - Terry the crocodile. The reptile center has an underground viewing area so you can see the crocodile up close and personal. It was fascinating. We stood for quite a while as he (she?) slowly moved through the water watching us very intentl...

I love the period between Christmas and the new year. I love reflecting on all that has happened in the past year with a thankful heart and I love making plans for a new beginning. In reflection, this was the year we began homeschooling - a socially unpopular decision but a choice that we knew was right for our family. It was the beginning of an amazing journey and one that continues to surprise me. In looking ahead, I am excited about a new year! We are making some changes to the way we home educate in our household. I'll admit that at the end of this year I got a little tired and slack and we weren't spending enough time at home. I lost my motivation and was throwing together lessons at the last minute and then wondering why the kids seemed disinterested. So, what changes are we making to the way we homeschool? 1. My planning and organisation My goal is to GET MORE ORGANISED! I'm going to plan a term in advance as a 10 week block and with the exception of...

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? ...

In preparation for homeschooling I created these morning boards. These are to help DS6 and DS4 get organised for the day and settled into a routine. The idea comes from the site homeschool creations . I printed the pictures from k-3 resources . This is an Australian site that has loads of printables and helpful information. It's only $22.95 a year for membership. Then I whipped out the laminator. I love laminating! Does that make me a nerd? The one above was made for DS4. It's fairly basic as you can see. This is the one I created for DS6. It includes a list of morning chores as well as a yearly calendar. Finally, here is a picture of them up on the wall above the boy's homeschool craft table.  Simple, but effective. I plan to update these morning organisation boards as needed to provide new challenges!