Zone Cleaning - Your New Best Friend

     When my children were younger, I dreamed of a time when I would have the entire day to clean and organize my home while the kids were at school.  I would have quiet time to update our family calendar, fold laundry, make doctor appointments, pay bills, file paperwork, organize and clean out drawers, etc.  The kids would come home to freshly baked cookies and a meticulously tidy home.  The meal that I had ample time to prepare earlier that day would be baking in the oven as we enjoyed the afternoon together.  

     When we made the decision to homeschool the kids, I had to readjust my vision of what our "school days" would look like.  I quickly realized that home management must be a family affair. If we were ever going to maintain any semblance of order, we were going to have to work together!  

     The problem was that getting my kids to work together was sometimes more difficult than doing it myself!  Have you ever heard the following phrases?  "That's not my mess!"  "I didn't do it!"  "He/She put that in my room!"  "That's not fair!"  It was enough to make me crazy.  I felt defeated before I even began most days.  

     Fortunately for me, my husband, an entrepreneur and small business owner, has written the book on delegation and management.  He came up with a system that has worked wonders in our home and saved me from many a nervous breakdown.

The solution:

Zone Cleaning

The idea of zone cleaning is that in addition to their own rooms, each child gets a "zone" or specified area of the house to be in charge of for the week.  This can be tailored to each individual home.  To give you an example I will share our current zones.  

• Kitchen zone: Includes kitchen, family room, and dining area.  Responsibilities include; unloading and loading the dishwasher, cleaning up clutter,  and keeping the floor swept.  
• Office zone: Includes our office, entry way, piano room, coat closet, and master bedroom (keeping kid items out of our room).  Responsibilities include keeping these areas tidied and floors swept if needed.  
• Gameroom zone:  Includes our gameroom, landing, hallway, and upstairs bathroom.  Responsibilites include keeping these areas clutter free and putting away toys. 

*We tidy the zones during the week and scour on the weekend.  On Saturday, each child is responsible for the deep cleaning chores in his zone such as; vacuuming, organizing, dusting, and cleaning bathrooms.

     We divided up the areas of our home in a way that we felt was doable.  Some zones are harder than others but we felt that it was okay for a child to have to work harder some weeks than others.  We have a motto at our house, "There is nothing fair about house work."  This is a bit tongue in cheek but we like to teach the kids that housework (and life) is not always fair and sometimes you may have to pull more weight than another person and that is okay.  

The magic of zone cleaning is in the rules!  Here is how it works. 

• If it is in your zone, you clean it.  This keeps the blaming and excuses at bay.  The only exception to this rule is for things that belong in a person's bedroom.  It is acceptable to gather up the items in a laundry basket or other container and place it (throw it) in that person's room.  This seems to be an acceptable revenge on siblings who put all of their stuff in your zone.  (Isn't parenting fun)!

• You aren't finished with your zone until you have been checked out by a parent. This is crucial to the success of zone cleaning.  You will be tempted to skip this step from time to time.  DON'T!  Set your standard high and keep it there.  If there is any give in the quality of the work that is expected, the kids will sniff you out and take advantage.  After a child has shown that they are responsible and have been consistent in the check out process, they get to skip the check out process. At this point, they have earned the right to be trusted at their word.
• Zone Violation:  If you are caught putting things in someone's zone you will have to clean theirs too.  This will keep the kids from cleaning out their zones and throwing it another zone.  

Tips:

• Make it Fun:  We play music every time we do zone cleaning.  We dance and laugh while we clean.  I think the kids actually enjoy it although they would never admit it.  
• Be Consistent:  It will take a few weeks or even a couple of months of training before the kids get the hang of it.  Once they do, you will be able to rely on them on days that you are under the weather.  
• Be patient and try to stay emotionally neutral:  This one is very hard.  My husband has a knack for requiring hard work without showing frustration or disapproval to the kids.  It is an art to require a job well done without being mean and getting angry but it can be done.
• Treat zone cleaning as a daily habit and not a chore:   When kids understand that this is not a chore or checklist but rather part of their responsibility and contribution to the family, they can take pride in their work.  

Give it a try and tell me how it goes!  Do you have a home management tip to share?  Share your ideas on Facebook hashtag #homemanagement.   

What You DON'T Need to Homeschool

Once upon a time, I was eagerly preparing for my first born child. I had the meager income of a college student, but I was determined to prepare in every way for his arrival. I read all the baby books and magazines to find out what we would need to care for a baby. With the help of generous family members we amassed a collection of baby gadgets and carriers and outfits and pillows and feeding supplies and more that nearly burst our one room apartment. There was barely room in our house for us, but now, I was ready for baby.

Five kids later I have learned that a mountain of baby supplies is handy, but totally unnecessary for raising baby. Give me some diapers, wipes, onesies and receiving blankets and I can raise a healthy happy baby.

I learned a similar lesson the expensive way about homeschool. In my anxiety to prepare to be a successful homeschooler I collected anything “educational” I could get my hands on. I was worried that I would not be a good teacher, but I thought if I had all the right stuff it would make up for my inabilities. Well, I have a LOT of school supplies and they haven’t helped me be a better teacher yet. I have learned how to organize piles of supplies, though...

So what do I use to teach my kids?

Not this. Although I am sort of pinterest proud of it.

And not all of this...

And not all of this school stuff.

Or this, really.

Or this closet full of school stuff.

We use this, beat up cardboard box with a handle.

This little bucket goes to any room we are in. We can snuggle on any couch, go out on the porch, or take it on the road. With this bucket and a library card we are ready to take on the world! So if you are new to homeschooling, save your pennies and don’t be a school supply hoarder like me. You don’t need all that stuff. Less is more! Get yourself a sturdy cardboard box, some sharp pencils, notebooks, a few favorite books, and that's it. You have fully stocked a successful homeschool. The world is yours.

Hands on Reading

     Yes, you read that correctly. This post is about hands on reading. It is possible! I love to read and a great way to help inspire your children to enjoy reading is by making it totally awesome. 

     The Wizard of Oz

"Because if you do not wear glasses the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would blind you." He opened a box filled with green tinted glasses of all sizes and shapes. He fitted them all with a pair; even Toto. -Wizard of Oz

   As we were reading Wizard of Oz I was doing my usual 'print out a picture of the characters for J to color as we read' routine when I came across this. It was a light bulb moment for me. I can make reading hands on? Wow.....

         I came across this and thought it would be great. Visual plus hands on!  What a fantastic way to retell stories! Now we use the 'Yellow Brick Road Method' after all our stories. 

There are tons of different ways to do this if 'Yellow Brick Road' is not for you or if, like us, you thrive on variety.  Here are some other ideas:

Hands on reading ideas galore!

Instead write questions like: Who was your favorite character and why? Are you like him/her? How? What is the setting? Would you like to be in this story for real? Describe the villain. What do you think will happen next? How does _________ make you feel? 

You may also like this.

I saw this recent post that focused on emotions. Click to view. 

What I would do with a retelling rope is have a pre-knotted rope like you see above. Have children draw pictures to represent the knots. For example, draw or color a printed picture of a forest and then tape it to that area of the knot. You could use ribbon and Velcro if that's what you have on hand. 

James and the Giant Peach

     For this book I chose to focus on each character. As you can see we wrote about each one as they were introduced in the book. Then I printed out pictures via google search. Then I drew some and J drew some and she colored them in. It was easy. 

     I have a friend who lets her kids pick out one 'topic' to listen for and highlight as they have family scripture study. One son chose food. Every time food is mentioned as they read he highlights it in green. Another chose animals. Any time an animal is talked about, it's highlighted in orange. Older children may choose harder concepts like service or miracles. 

You may be surprised to find how often books talk about food. This is a great way to incorporate hands on learning in reading! Plus after you have made it, let the kids eat while you read. I find that's one of the best times to read to kids. 

Host a Reading Fair

I am actually throwing one of these shin digs for my home school group at the end of the summer to encourage summer reading.

Check your local library to reserve free rooms for your event.

 Let me know if you do it!

Follow this link to help you get started. 

As always, I leave you with a quote:

Stay tuned for next week when I will be sharing our latest and greatest reading adventure!

Happy Reading!

I Gave Up

    By: Molly Elmer

      To know me, is to realize that I am a bit shy at first meeting.  I have a hard time functioning in a cluttered space and I may lean towards exhibiting OCD tendencies with my organization.  In a nutshell, I am type A.  The funny thing is I was blessed with three rambunctious boys who don’t quite fit in my nutshell, not matter how hard I try.

     The moment I opened up the topic of homeschooling to my husband, I hit the ground running.  I jumped in cannon ball style and researched, researched, researched!  That’s my M.O.  If I want to know something, buy something or learn something, I hit up my trusty Mac Book Pro and pal around with my friend Google.

     I sort of fooled myself into believing I could research everything I needed to know in order to be prepared for our first year of this whirlwind journey.  I expected smooth sailing overall, with minor waves and winds here and there.  I knew I would need to tweak this and change up that but I didn’t know I would need to give up.  

     I went to public school, grades k-12 and had the mentality to prove it.  I’ll let you take a guess how the first week went down.  Go ahead and laugh, I still do.

     I had our neat little schedule, typed up, size 14 Font, and proudly displayed it in our schoolroom.  We had a calendar, said the pledge and talked about the weather.  I went through the motions even though something felt off.  I researched all about curriculum but I suppose I never really thought about how I would implement all the subjects.  I did realize my boys are each their own individual and learn best in different ways but the gravity of that realization hadn’t hit.  The “ah-hah!” light bulb moment that I had the potential to unlock a world of education and learning, tailored fit just for them had not shifted into place.

     It wasn't until my five and a half year old, kindergarten aged, never been to public school boy did not want to learn to read.  It just didn't click.  And that’s when I gave up.  I gave up all the beliefs I had about what he needed to learn and by what age and tossed them out the window.  I gave up my way of learning and teaching and instead relaxed and focused on what made him tick.  And then I waited until he was ready.  Such an easy concept, so why is that so hard to do?

     I don’t ever ask my friends anymore what their children are learning in school.  I don’t compare.  My goal with homeschooling never was to follow the timeline of a public education.  My goal was and still is to foster an environment that inspires the love of learning and encourages confidence and independence.  I want my boys to be more than book smart.

     When I gave it all up, I found my passion as to why I’m okay when my house is in a state of chaos and I don’t remember what quiet sounds like.  It fuels me through the exhausting days and lights the fire to always be learning right along side them.  It was in the giving up that I gained so much more. 

Runaway Days

by Michele Bolton

Originally published in July of 2005 in the Sentinel

"Some days are like that. Even in Australia."

     Have you ever felt like poor Alexander in Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No- Good, Very-Bad Day? You know the kind of day I'm talking about: A previous night's-worth of insufficient sleep, accompanied by bags under the eyes that seem to stretch your whole body down to your knees? The kind of day that finds some perfumed, painted and pompadoured neighbor/friend/Relief Society sister (pick one, I've had 'em all) at your door while you stand in your holey jeans and two- day-old t-shirt with wet hair (hey, I give you credit, at least you're clean) surrounded by your darlin' little monkeys in various stages of mood and dress? The kind where your bed isn't made and all the rooms are declared National Disaster Areas, where one child won't do his math while another won't stop following you around the house asking "Why?" and the baby is sitting on the dining table cheerfully consuming an open jar of peanut butter whilst wearing a diaper you're sure no HAZMAT team would touch? Where your mother calls "just to let you know" how Dad is so worried your kids will be backwards troglodytes in Plato's cave because you don't put them in public school? You feel flat as a pancake without baking powder, life seems a bleak, barren desert of unending chores filled with restless little natives who make "Mom!" sound like a swear word, and no end in sight.

     So what's a rational woman to do? I don't know. Rational is the last word I'd use to describe me, even on my most "with it" days. This mad woman, after clonking her head against the wall a couple of times to clear out the fog, stands up straight, and in her most decisive tone possible declares, "Runaway Day!"

     Now, you say, responsible people don't run away. They stick it out, come what may. (Ooh, a cute little rhyme!) But, when you're at the end of your rope on your very last nerve, something has to happen. And our solution is to...run away.

     I am not saying, "throw in the towel, chuck it all," well, at least, not forever. Just for a day, or two. We work hard, really, most of the time, sitting down and doing our "lessons" (we hate to say "school") so I think it's okay to say "We've had enough. Let's take a break." It gives us permission to step back, take the load off for a while and regroup. It doesn't tell my kids to be lazy or quitters or to not face their problems. It says that a strategic retreat every once in a while can actually help win a war.

     Our first runaway day was in the late spring, early summer of our first year in a new home, new area, having moved further from family and friends. Boy was slogging along at his lessons, baby Girl was glued to my leg. I was lonely, depressed and feeling a little housebound. Inspiration struck, we packed up and headed to the lake where I sat and watched my kids play in the sand and test the waters (we even spotted a fish!). We went home tired, sandy and altogether satisfied. Hubby asked, "What did you do today?" My response? "We ran away for the day." He shrugged his shoulders, being by-now accustomed to my weird ideas and dialog, totally trusting in me as a wife and mother to keep everyone safe and happy.

     And you know what? We were. The next day we still had to face mathematics and dirty dishes and the awesome task of carving a niche in a new land, but we'd had a break, and were stronger now to face what had to be done, lessons, housework, et. al. Call it escapism, call it what you will, running away now and then is good for the soul.

Latter Day Learning Family School Review

Word is spreading about The Family School, an all inclusive LDS curriculum for homeschoolers distributed by Latter Day Learning. And I am excited to share what I have experienced the past year using this curriculum.  I am usually hesitant to recommend curriculum because every family is so different, but I dare say that this curriculum could open the doors to homeschool success for countless LDS families. (Disclaimer: I don’t work for them or know anyone who does. I don’t get any compensation for my review -although if they want to send me year two free I won’t refuse! I share solely on what I have experienced. LDS-NHA does not recommend or sponsor any specific curriculum or philosophy.)

I put mine in little binders. This is the whole set minus Geography- it was in use at the time! The colored notebooks to the right are the workbooks. They are color coded by subject for ease of use.

First, a little background on my curriculum search. I got a degree in education and have always been interested in how kids learn, so I have studied and read widely on the subject. When I began looking into homeschool I was disappointed at the curriculum I was finding. Either it was fun, but academically anemic or it was academically rich, but didn’t employ the good teaching practices I had studied in college. I liked the idea of a religious curriculum but I didn’t want it sooo religious that ‘Nephi’ and ‘Abinadi’ were our spelling words, nor did I want to spend time altering mainstream Christian materials to mesh with my beliefs.

Frustrated that I couldn’t find a curriculum that bridged what I knew about “education” and what I loved about “homeschool”, I began creating my own Hands-on, LDS-friendly, Classically-Infused, Nature-rich, Unit-studying, Standards-approved, One-Room-School-House, Homeschool curriculum for all Learning Styles. My dream curriculum was based on all of the favorite things I had found from each curriculum I studied. Needless to say, it was a LOT of work. And I didn’t get very far.

Imagine my relief when one day I clicked on a link to The Family School and found they were doing exactly what I was trying to do, only they were doing it way better! I didn’t waste much time ordering and we happily started using it last August. I am convinced it is Heaven sent! I have started and stopped homeschooling so many times my kids should have whiplash from going back and forth, but this curriculum has given me the confidence that I can continue on with all my kids throughout their education.

So What is The Family School?

This curriculum covers, Music, Art, History, Literature, Geography, Science and Religion. It is being written as an outreach of the American Heritage School based in Utah. This school has teamed up with homeschool veterans to adapt their school curriculum to a homeschool setting. The scope and sequence involves a 6 year plan that you can repeat with your family. They are still writing the curriculum. I think the team is currently writing year three. Year One has been released. Year Two is in its beta year (they’ll take suggestions from test families on how to improve, then release for Fall 2014). And years three through six are yet to come.

The bad thing about it being brand new and currently written is you can’t start on say, Year 4, as your first year because it doesn’t exist- yet. The creators could have waited to release all six years at once, but could see the need for this curriculum in their own homeschooling families. So in an effort to help ASAP they are tossing it out there fresh off the press. (And boy do I mean fresh. Last year our school started one week later than planned because of a delay at the printers.) The good thing about it being current is they are constantly taking feedback through their active user forum and improving the product to the meet the needs of the families using it. I’ve seen great improvements to an already great product just this year. They recently released an ipad format for Year 1 which looks really cool.

What ages of children can use The Family School?

I feel like the general scripted text is targeted at an upper elementary level. There are activity suggestions for younger children that have been suitable for my kindergartner and second grader and adaptable for my pre-K student. The activities for older children are often right on or a little heavy for my above grade fifth grader. The Advanced children’s assignments we haven’t ever touched, but look 14+ to me. I can with no preparation whatsoever teach the lessons at a 2-7 grade level. To make the lessons work for my pre-k and kindergartner I need to shorten, summarize, or skip a lot. We rarely cover everything in the lesson- they give so much in each lesson. I like that so I and pick and choose what is most relevant for my family.

What about high schoolers?

I graduated from high school, but I am learning from this curriculum. The way it is formatted the lessons are a springboard for learning with so many enrichment links to learn more and dig deeper. I think any age could benefit from this curriculum. The gospel principles are applicable to all ages as well.

If I had a high schooler who wanted to participate in The Family School I would have them choose subjects to teach and let them be the teacher. The lesson format helps teach the teacher HOW to teach. For example: each lesson starts with an attention getting activity that engages the kids and gets them thinking. (This is usually my kids’ favorite part.) Then academic concepts are researched through plug and play scripts, informative online presentations and thought provoking questions. Then a gospel principle that relates to the concept is explored. Activity suggestions to apply and record what has been learned are then assigned according to skill level. Classic novels are recommended as family read-alouds that go along with what is being learned.

Is it Too Religious?

Because the concepts are presented as first academic and then related to a gospel principle I don’t feel like the religion takes over the academic. The gospel principle sections in each lesson are substantial and sometimes heavier than my little ones need, but they have been inspiring to me and I feel like my testimony is growing by just reading the lessons. The gospel principles give me a natural opportunity to bear testimony often to my kids. The gospel principles are beautifully taught and solidly based. I definitely don’t think the religion takes away from the academics but adds to it and gives it relevance.

But is it Academic Enough?

One reviewer said they didn’t purchase because it looked weak in the academics. I don’t know how to measure how “academic” something is, but I know The Family School is a heckuva lot deeper than any public school I went to. And I am learning loads. I almost had a heart attack when I read over the first unit in science classifying invertebrates that I had never heard of. Or when I saw The Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare on the Literature list. I knew nothing before about echinoderms or The Bard, but now I (and my 3-10 year olds) can geek out with the best of ‘em on both subjects. With all the further reading, recommended links, and enrichment activities the sky is the limit with the academics and it would be simple to beef up for super-schoolers.

What about Math and Language Arts?

Not included. Bummer. Maybe someday they will simplify that for us all as well.

What do I like best about it?

I am learning WITH my kids. The lessons are fun. The gospel connections provide a framework for all the things we learn and tie it all together. I have felt the spirit more times in one semester of Family School than every family home evening we ever had combined.  I can spend zero time preparing and still have successful lessons. (If I read through the night before things are even better!) I am learning better teaching skills using their methods. The six year outline gives me confidence that there won’t be huge holes in my child’s education. My favorite feature is the Online Library they give access to when you order the curriculum. In the online library each lesson has awesome online links, power points, movie links, enrichment links, worksheet printables and more in addition to the purchased printed materials in the manuals.

Would I do anything differently next year?

Instead of trying to cover a different subject each day of the week I will do one whole unit of a subject (one or two weeks) before rotating to the next subject. I will outsource one subject to my oldest to help teach. I will not purchase the workbooks- I will just print as needed. I will make one notebook as a family to hold all of our work for the year, instead of buying separate binders for each kid. I will co-op the art and music lessons with a friend so I don’t let those subjects fall by the wayside. I will not try to cover everything in every lesson.

The Family School provides an excellent model for home education. I would recommend it to homeschool veterans and beginners alike. Knowing all families will teach and learn differently, it is loosely structured enough to provide wiggle room for varied ages, teaching styles, educational philosophies and school structures. Though no curriculum fits all, this is as close as I’ve seen to a one-size fits most program for LDS homeschoolers.

The Latter Day Learning Conference is in May. I am too far away to attend, but if you are a Utah local you can get a hands-on look in a few weeks and see what these people are all about. Last year they offered about a $50 discount to the curriculum during the conference so if you are thinking of ordering, do it during their conference dates (online too) rather than waiting until Summer. While the dollar sign might give you a heart attack, trust me, there is no way I could have purchased a boxed curriculum for all of those subjects and all of the ages of my children for that cheap, especially since I will be cycling back to Year 1 with my younger kids in five years. This has been worth every penny for my family.

Have you used The Family School, or do you have questions about this new curriculum? Comment below.

Getting a Handle on Time

Originally posted,  Feb. 20th 2013

     Mindy looks at the clock and realizes she has just enough time to clean up the kitchen before she needs to run out the door. She walks into the kitchen and starts to run the water in the sink. As the sink is filling she notices that the counters have school books on them. She gathers them up and heads to the dining room bookshelf to put them away.

     While she is in the dining room she sees that her youngest has dropped his shoes and coat on the floor. She knows if they stay there she will never find them again, so she puts the books on the table to put away in a minute and picks up the coat and shoes and heads for the closet. Then she remembers she left the water running in the sink, so she drops the coat and shoes and heads for the kitchen, catching the water just as it starts to run over the counter. She bails out the sink and puts the dishes in to soak. She turns to start to clear the counters again and finds more things that need to go in other rooms. She grabs them and heads back out of the kitchen.     On her way she gets interrupted again by one of her children and she follows them upstairs to help them with something, totally forgetting about the dishes in the sink. She then realizes she needs to leave and heads out the door only five minutes late. When she arrives back home, the dishes are still in the sink. "I thought I washed the dishes," she says to herself.     Has this ever happened to you? It has to me! It can be very frustrating to run all day doing and cleaning and have nothing to show for it at bedtime. I tried all kinds of time management books and programs but nothing worked for me. Then I discovered that Visual/Spatial, or right brain people can really struggle with time management. Once I understood the reasons I had problems I was able to find solutions. I discovered that V/S people think differently about time and space and their minds function differently than typical left brain or A/S (Auditory/Sequential) people do and that is why most time management systems don’t work. Today I want to focus on time and V/S time management.

     V/S ‘s need two different modes of time for different situations. They need chunks of time and small pieces of time. The chunks of time allows them to really focus on big tasks and have the time to think it through and put their whole energy into it. Most time management systems recommend taking small blocks of time and working over a long period of time to complete the task. This doesn’t work for most V/S’s for several reasons, but the main reason is using small blocks of time doesn’t allow for deep thinking or allowing creativity to flow. V/S’s are very creative and to be creative means they spend time thinking through a project from start to finish. V/S’s see things in pictures, not words. That means a project has to be thought about enough to see the end from the beginning. Then they can start on the project. Also, they need to totally focus, without distractions. When a project is worked in small chunks, they no sooner start then it’s time to finish. This makes it difficult to create!

     The second mode is the small piece of time. This small amount of time allows them to accomplish repetitive tasks without losing focus. V/S’s tend to be perfectionists. Usually frustrated perfectionists. They don’t want to do something unless they can do it perfectly. In other words, they clean the living room, but rather than just cleaning, they notice that the dvds are unorganized, so they stop half way through cleaning to organize all the dvds alphabetically. Nice to do, but only after the living room is clean!

     Thus, to a V/S, doing it perfectly requires three times the amount of time they have so they get half way through a project and then run out of time and never finish. This is how their closets fill with unfinished projects and their entire house is never clean at the same time.

    The solution? Breaking jobs down into doable pieces in small blocks of time. Doing something that only takes 15 minutes or so helps keep V/S’s focused enough to finish a project, especially if it is one they would rather not do. We can do anything for 15 minutes, right?

     This is why Flylady.net is so successful. She has broken down the chores of keeping a house into small pieces that can be done in small blocks of time. And she advocates for the use of timers! Perfect of V/S’s!

     Since V/S’s have a tough time telling the passage of time, they don’t notice that it is time to leave in order to be on time for the doctor’s appointment, or piano lessons, or that it is time to start dinner. Timers and clocks really help. I love timers. I have timers on my phone, on my watch, and small little timers and I use all of them! I also have clocks in just about every room in my house.

    I have timers on my phone that are set for piano lessons, doctor’s appointments, meetings, etc. I use the timers on my watch to help me divide my day into parts and we do specific things in each part. So my watch goes off to tell me it’s time for devotional (or my kids would never start school!), time for the youngest ones nap, (or he would never get one), and it goes off to tell me it’s time to start dinner (or we would never eat before 9pm!).

     I use my little timers to help me use small amounts of time either for chores that I would spend hours on that don’t need hours or those small amounts of time before I need to leave the house or have some other commitment I need to do. It helps me to keep focused because I know when it goes off I can move on to something else! Timers are great tools!

     I hope this has helped you to see how time management can work for you. It has been a life saver for me. 

Tips and Tricks from an old Dog

A Message from the archives. Originally posted Tuesday August 2, 2011.

by Doreen Blanding

     There are a few things I’ve learned over the past two decades of homeschooling six very different children.  I would love to pass some of this knowledge along to other homeschooling moms and dads.

You’re not very smart

     I’m no longer insulted when my junior high student says, “Mom, I have a math question, I’ll go get the answer book,” or worse yet, “I can’t finish my math because I have a question that you can’t answer. I’ll just wait for dad.” But the worst is when they say that and end it with, “I’ll just wait for Jason.” Jason is my math genius.  He didn’t get that from me, but from his dad.  He is still living at home and going to a local college where he is setting the curve in his math classes.  I wish I could take credit for that, but I can’t. That boy sure did teach me a few things and one of them is not to be insulted because I don’t understand something. I still remember when he took his geometry test book (in which he was behind a couple of days) and took the test in five minutes and didn’t miss a problem. I knew then that he was way beyond me.

Drummers drum

     Jason also taught me that kids march to the beat of their own drum and sometimes that’s literal.  When he was a little kid he couldn’t spell the simplest of words and it was driving me crazy.  He would have a word memorized one minute and then ten minutes later not know how to spell it.  One day while drilling him, I saw his foot tapping the ground in perfect rhythm.  I told him to stop it, it was driving me crazy.  How could he concentrate on spelling if he was tapping his foot? He stopped only to start tapping his finger on the table. I told him to stop and so he switched to the other hand.  I almost left the room screaming, but instead I took a breath and said a silent prayer, “Dear Lord, help me not to beat this child.” My answer was, “This child needs to move in order to learn.”  That was the beginning for him. He took off like leaps and bounds because I let him move his body while he was studying.  He would jump on the rebounder (a little trampoline), or skip rope, or tap his foot or his fingers.  A few years later we bought him a drum set and he loved it. He still drives me crazy when he taps his finger or pencil while studying, but I just bite my tongue and remember that he is processing something very important. I learned that sometimes a quick prayer gives us the right answer. Sometimes we have to let our children learn in unorthodox ways.

Give ‘em a minute

     I just love it when my kids say, “Mom, how come you marked number 15 wrong? It can’t be wrong; I went over it and over it.”  I remind them that I correct a lot of different papers throughout the day and I don’t recall what “number 15” is.  They usually catch me while I’m making dinner or busy with something else and yet they want me to stop and help them.  Instead of dropping everything, I have them verbally walk me through the problem.  Nine times out of ten, they stop mid sentence and say, “Oh, I see what I did wrong.” That tenth time, I will walk over and say, “Show me.” It is while showing me that they usually discover where they went wrong. Sometimes all it takes is for them to take a minute and try to explain their problem to someone else.

The teacher always learns the most.

     Another trick I have found is to answer their questions with this: “Teach me.”  The teacher always learns the most. This works very well with kids of all ages.  I’m a busy mom and sometimes I’m very pressed for time so I will have my kids read a chapter of a science book and then teach us what they learned.  I also use this trick when the math problem they are asking me to solve is something I would need to brush up on. I have them teach me how to multiply fractions or how to solve a geometry proof.  The other response I have is “Prove it.”

Show and Tell

     There is nothing wrong with show and tell.  When my children were very little we did a show and tell almost nightly for dad. First I did it to prove to him that I was teaching his children, but later I had them do it to see what they learned and what they missed from the day’s lessons.  My college son told me one day that he wished I would have given him more tests and grades.  I told him that I tested him almost daily. “Remember how I had you tell dad each night what you learned? That was a pop quiz.” I did give the kid tests and grades. He just didn’t ever see them.  My children are a bit old for show and tell, but I love listening to them discuss some pretty heavy topics around the dinner table.
  
Family Home Evening

     I had been homeschooling for only a few years when a fellow homeschooling mom confessed to me that they didn’t do Family Home Evening on Monday night.  She said, “I feel like I’ve done family night all day long and I’m just so worn out that I can’t do one more lesson.”  I thought a lot about that statement.  She was right; I spent a lot of time doing Family Home Evening type stuff all day long and doing it one more time when everyone is cranky was a chore.  But then I thought of the blessings the Prophets had promised us when we hold Family Home Evening.  I couldn’t leave blessings on the table so I did “one more lesson” every week. I soon noticed that the kids looked forward to it as much as I did.  I also noticed that this was the one lesson where dad was with us and if we planned ahead he would even teach the lessons.

     It has been about fifteen years since that conversation and I look at what weekly Family Home Evening has done for my family. We are a stronger family because we did that “one more lesson.” My kids know the gospel and if they have questions, the know where to find answers. They know how to teach a lesson because we take turns.  I honestly don’t know where that other mom is or how her kids are turning out. I’m no saint, but darn if I’m not seeing the blessing of holding “one more lesson”.

     Finally, I have time for one more tip: be willing to let the Spirit guide you. Every one of the tips I’ve shared here, I learned because I was taught because I was flexible in the teaching moment and willing to let the Spirit take me somewhere different. If you remain open to promptings then I’m sure you will discover many tips of your own.

- Doreen

Shifting Paradigms

A paradigm is like any window, it allows you to see whatever its frames will permit. Thus, just like a window, a paradigm is a limited and partial view of what's "outside." The bigger the frame, the more one can see. The more windows in a room, the more one can see of that "outside." Thus, paradigms, by analogy, are mental windows to reality.  They "frame" our understanding of reality and limit that reality to what they show us. Different paradigms will "show" us a different reality.     - unknown

    Unless you are one of the few mothers who has always known that they would homeschool their children, you are likely here testing the waters in an uncharted territory.  You may be caught up in the merciless throws of a shifting paradigm.  Not long ago I found myself neck deep in those same choppy waters and at times I thought I may never come ashore. 

     It took courage for me to put up new windows within my carefully constructed house in my little corner of the universe.  It took humility to imagine that there was more to see when I thought I had been looking out of a picture window.  It took patience to question to learn, to probe, to pray.  It took faith to listen to the whispering of the spirit telling me “yes you can” when doubts would flood my mind like a tidal wave of insecurity.   

     If you are new to the idea of homeschooling, welcome! 

Stay a while.

Embrace the discomfort. 

It won’t last forever!

Semester of Science: The Human Body Part 3

     You made it to round three!  I'm so happy!  This one will be awesome.  You'll see.  Today's post is going to complete our Human Body series.  I will continue by giving you even more hands on science experiments to do with your kids.  So,  put on your goggles and lab coat and let's get started. 

     This picture got a lot of likes on my facebook page and it was really the easiest experiment to do.  You need two things: red or pink play dough and a bowl.  First you get a small bowl.  The larger the bowl the more brains you will have to make.  Maybe you want to be ambitious and use a bowl that will fit your child's head, go you!  Next, Cover the bowl with the play dough since some of it will show through. Then, roll the remainder play dough into snakes. It doesn't matter how long your snakes are. You will need a variety of sizes but they all should be about the same thickness. Start by bending the snakes into S shapes. Take a look at the pictures to get a general idea. There is no wrong way here. The hardest part is getting the snakes to stick well enough on the bowl. If you wanted to, you could try gluing them. It took days for mine to harden and then pieces would fall apart. I wasn't really expecting it to last too long so it was not a big deal to me.  If you want to keep yours, maybe try modge podge glue over the whole thing when you finish. If you have a suggestion that worked for you and want to share with others, leave it in the comment section below.

     Here is the link I used for the idea though I simplified it. The brain was originally listed as a Halloween decoration! Double uses here people! 

     Here is a link for DIY play dough but since cream of tartar costs just as much as buying ready made play dough, it may not save you money if you are only making one. I think one can of play dough per brain should be enough if the brain is not too big.  Also, there are tons of different recipe ideas if you want to make things like Chocolate or cotton candy play dough.

Here is another activity we did for the brain.

     I drew an outline of the brain myself and then sectioned it off.  It may be easier to print it out. Use card stock if you want to use play dough.  Otherwise you can just color it in. Here are some  additional ideas that go along with learning about the brain. 

Lets see, what else did I promise from last week... Oh yeah, lungs! 

Here is the link I followed from Pinterest.

     This lung experiment took more planning than I wanted but still it was easy enough. I took a video of it to show people on my phone when they ask about home schooling. Yeah, I'm bragging to them but now you can do the same thing!  Aside from the .75 fake sprite I bought, (my kids were in Heaven or maybe just a sugar high) it was made with things I had around the house. Yes, I do keep balloons around my house. I actually have a kid that I babysit who looks forward to getting balloons at Sis. P's house.  I'm like the cool aunt!  Make sure you use non bendable straws. I didn't cut two holes in the lid of the bottle as the directions from the site said- too hard.  Instead I put tape around the straws nice and snug.  I used rubber bands to secure the balloons to the end of the straw. The directions also said to use a big balloon for the bottom of the bottle. You know, the kind with the rubber band attached that you bang back and fourth trying to annoy your brother with?  I didn't have one on hand, though you can get them 3 for a dollar at the 99 cent store, so I used a plastic grocery store bag.  Anyone else have a bag filled with other bags living under their kitchen sink?  I put a rubber band around the bag to hold it tight as well. Then just blow into the straws and you have lungs!  Perfect unexpected side effect: one balloon often would get bigger than the other. Did you know the left lung is smaller to make room for your heart? We always made sure the smaller one was on the left by turning the bottle upside down if we had to. Coincidentally I drew the left lung smaller on my human body chart by accident. Bonus! 

     The digestive system surely has more experiments to choose from.  I wasn't too thrilled with the outcome of this one, though I do think it teaches the topic very well and lots of websites have this experiment listed when teaching this concept. Here is a link that shows something like what I did.

     I got a gallon sized Ziploc bag and filled it half way with water.  I think vinegar and a little green food coloring might have been better to show that our tummy is full of stinky (but totally helpful) acid and in my imagination that acid is green (resist the erg to google it).  I used an empty paper towel roll as the esophagus and as you can see in the picture above J put it slightly in the bag without getting it wet. Then we fed it bread. Something more colorful like cheese may have been more visually stimulating.

     After that J used her hands to act as the muscles in our stomachs to break the food down ready to enter the intestines.  We learned about the intestines on a different day though it could go along with learning about the stomach since it all makes up the digestive system. This day, however, was focused on the stomach and what goes on there.

     Since I'm not super enthusiastic about this one I'm giving you a bonus link that looks very nifty to try.  Give THIS life size looking digestive maze of awesomeness a go.

You can always make a Tee Shirt.  It seems a bit strange, but it's sure to be a great conversation piece at any home school function.   It would also be great reinforcement if you challenged the kids to tell about the digestive path anytime someone asked about the shirt.  I can't even look at this shirt without laughing.  I'd love to see a picture of one of my readers wearing their original digestive system shirt!  You would totally rock in my book.

     I'm going to end my Human Body Series with the nervous system. This was SO simple and really neat, even for me.  By now I hope you have partaken of the awesome sensation of going back and fourth between a hot tub and a swimming pool. It really stuns the nerves system. That is this experiment on a giant level. We want to make it portable and able to fit on your table top.  You start with 3 bowls. In bowl 1: Ice water. Bowl 2: room temperature water. Bowl 3: hot water of the non flesh burning variety.  Have the student place one hand in the ice water and the other in the hot water.  Keep submerged for 1 minute (3 if they have been bad that day ;-).  Then place both hands in the lukewarm water. The hand that was in the ice is now very warm while the hand that was in the hot is now chilled. Easy!  By the way, if you are following along on your Human Body Chart from Part 1, we colored in skin for this experiment.

Ok, so I couldn't find the link where I got this idea but It's simple enough to follow the steps above I hope.  And I'm also giving you THIS link for an optional idea to choose from.

     The human body is amazing!  I didn't cover every topic we learned in our semester at home, or that is listed on the human body chart I made, but I have faith that you can come up with some one your own. Also, there is no rule that says each topic must have an exciting hands on experiment.  If you comment with your email address I have an overwhelming list of resources I can send to you on the human body. I really think that this semester could be done inexpensively. To conclude this topic for now, I'll leave you with some books I kept on hand.  If you have suggestions- post them in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!