Simple Arrangements

I recently met with a lovely mom and shared what I have learned teaching my children. I talked and talked and talked.

Looking back on that experience I see that what I have learned in many years can’t be presented nor digested in an hour. If you feel the task ahead of you is too complex, heavy or hard, I get it. Some confidence comes with experiences and not conversation. Here are three suggestions if you are considering home education.

First, is the decision. Is homeschool right? When you have the Lord’s confirmation one way or the other you can have confidence, for He prepares a way for us to accomplish the things He has for us to do. Ask. Receive. Keep this pattern going. Do you have the support of your husband? Family? What do your children want? Counsel together to come to your answer. I have often prayed for my desires and opportunities to align. I really want to teach my children. I am grateful I can.

Next, is the self introspection to determine your priorities. You can do all the good things without leaving out the best. What is best for your children. A frustrated stressed out mother is probably not best.

Ask yourself what matters the most. What skills, habits, character traits or lessons will serve your children this year? What are your needs, desires, dreams and what are your children’s? What will you keep and what will you shelve for another day? Some homeschool parents focus a lot on an area of weakness and go lighter on other subjects. Let go of comparisons and proving yourself to those who are critical. Listen thoughtfully to other’s perspectives but rely on your heart to decide your course. I found, through the few years of tweaking, that when MY choices matched MY values, peace was found. I had the flow, the joy and the relationships admit the messiness and struggles. Sacrifice the busy lesser things. Consider my post on What do I teach? and My Philosophy.

Then, create a plan that is flexible and organized. What will you do daily? Weekly? Monthly? Add in time for celebrating learning. I suggest you create a daily routine but not a timed schedule.

Establish the routine a piece at a time adding as the effort for the newest part has decreased. Use delight as a motivator. I picked we could chew bubblegum as we did spelling. When frustration crept in we took a break long enough to blow a bubble. We don’t do use bubble gum as much now, but it helped us get going.

We do a group time followed by a time separate. This pattern works for us.

Consider my post on Organization.

The philosophy that I most align with is called the Well Educated Heart. The focus is educating hearts and minds. Hearts are taught with five simple tools: art, music, poetry, storytelling and nature. The curriculum that goes well with this philosophy would be any good book. I have felt inspired to build home library. The resources on the Libraries of Hope website are free because they are public domain books, but any book fits in if it is written with truth, passion and in a way that connects us to the subject with interest. I suggest you first look at the introductory course to catch the vision. I did not and it took months for me to piece it all together. Once it all came together I got to rethink my views on education, my education and what I want for my children. This new perspective has been good for my family. I also glean from Charlotte Mason, Wild+Free, and Read Aloud Revival.

So how do we educate the hearts of our children? I include music, poetry, story, art, and nature. How do we educate the minds of our children? I include arithmetic, mathematical reasoning, technology, science, history, composition, reading and testing skills. What else? I include devotionals, movement and emotional wellness. It may seem to be a lot. Putting it together makes it more manageable. For example, we study science and nature together with our nature journals. This overlaps art, writing, math, nature, movement, social skills, and sometimes poetry. We write in our journals our memories and things we want to remember from our reading. As I read, the children sketch, do handwork or tinker. This expands our attention. We use Khan Academy for math testing practice, and computer programming.

With the image of the flower arrangement, I intend this post to reflect the idea of gathering around beauty and enjoying the thrill of learning together. Just as flowers have design and unique features, the curriculums, philosophies, online resources and books have good to offer. You can’t always pick the right one without giving some a try. Experiment. I am grateful for the curriculum resources that gave me support when I needed them. I used to use writing units, now I use journaling. I used to use history curriculum, now I use books and notes. I used to create art lessons, now I have art books filled with inspiration. I still use math curriculum because that is where I am at. When you consider all the flowers, I hope you pick the best for your vase no matter how big. Make it beautiful and enjoy.

Core Books for teaching and learning:

1. Art: The Art of Teaching Art by Nancy Beal

2. Story: The Book House Series and/or The Collier Junior Classics Series

3. Poetry: Favorite poems Old and New Selected by Helen Ferris

4. Nature: How to Teach Nature Journaling by John Muir Laws

5. Shakespeare: How to Teach your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig

6. Music: The Melody Book by Patricia Hackett (The Great Family Songbook by Dan Fox and Dick Weissman is a more affordable option)

7. Reading: The McGuffey Readers

8. Writing: Elements of Style by Strunk and E.B. White

9. Math: Charlotte Mason Arthmetic Series by Rachel Baburina

10. Teaching: Mother's University from Libraries of Hope (free online)

11. Science/History: Forgotten Classics Library (Great Lives, World History, Freedom or American History, Nature) free online

Last, create a community. This helps. Ideally I would have a book club or Mother’s University group for my own enrichment and support. I also would have time when my children learn and play with other children. Reach out to experts when your needs merit it for tutoring or mentoring. Sometimes our children just need us, but sometimes there will be someone to help them in ways we can’t.