great ideas . . . lead to big questions

So I had this great idea last night as I lay in bed trying to sleep, that I was gonna blog about today, but for the life of me - I can't remember.

Must not have been that great then - huh?

Do you ever have trouble keeping up with it all? Do you sometimes think if your brain has to hold another spelling word it just might explode? Do you find that you dream of three different English lessons coming alive and seizing your vocal cords? Do you wonder if anyone else fantasizes about lesson plan fairies and instant math brain chips?

Do you find that just surviving Monday is a major life goal?

Here is to you and knowing you can do it - YOU CAN CONQUER MONDAY - I know you can :)

Toys. . .

A comment on a past post got me to thinking.

What is the favorite toy in your house?

Is it a constant steady? Or are your toys preference fickle?

Three kids means three different favs - because they would all never agree on one.

So as of Jan 2011 our constant and steadies are and have been for quite some time . . . . (drum roll please) . . . legos and cars. The whole toy world could disappear, except these and life would go on at my house.

I know what your thinking, I said three kids and only two toys. Well, the princess, has never had a favorite, she has never been a big toy player, she was born to old to play with toys . . . lol. She enjoys the non-tangible things - time with friends, being outdoors, loving on animals, etc. So if all the toys in the world disappeared she would not even notice :)

So now it's your turn. . .

I really want to know, please tell . . .

Simple or Complex

I have found that simple is better than complex in so many areas, recently.

Here is an example of one -

I tried for so long to find, create, use curriculum that was bright and vivid, full of stuff and pleasing to the eye. Recently I felt impressed to go with a new curriculum that was very plain and to the point, but very God centered. Oh my goodness, what a difference. They sit and do their work. They organize their desk and papers. They even want to do the lessons.

So, if your days seem to be an overload on the senses. . .

If you find your kids having trouble focusing . . .

. . .maybe just maybe simple is better that complex.

Friday still unplugged!

What do you do on Fridays?

We ease out of school and into the weekend!!!! Fridays are light for us. We do some school, but usually never a full day. We tie up our loose ends before the weekend and then spend the rest of the day just doing stuff. Only Mon-Fri is unplugged at our house. The kids may not use anything that requires a plug until the weekend - ex. tv, wii, ds, computer games (the computer is used during the week for research during school, but not play). So Friday is our day to get into something that stimulates our mind, not our electric bill. We have been known to spend time in the kitchen, or the backyard or even in the garage. We sometimes spend the time together or we may just have sometime apart working on crafty creative things. Many days by Friday we just need to be alone . . .lol.

What do your Friday's look like?

I am excited to hear . . .

just a smile today . . .

Okay no grand enlightenment today . . . just a cute story I found in an old edition of the magazine The Teaching Home. March/April 1994 to be exact, told you it was old, but the story is still cute.

When You're Stuck Improvise

My two daughters and my son, who was then 3, were playing Hide n' Seek. The girls had been counting and then finding their little brother, who would scream with delight. Then they decided it was his turn to count, and to my surprise, he agreed. So the girls took off as their brother covered his eyes with his little hands and said, "One, two . . .(pause). I don't know how to count!" He stood there thinking for a few seconds, then said, "God is great, God is good. Let us play hide n' seek. Ready or not, here I come!" - Mari Larkin, Tampa, Florida

So today, just remember if it doesn't go as planned - improvise!

Chores . . . but MOM!

Chores

Oh my goodness! Most people in my house think this is a four letter word. Believe me when I say, we have tried it all. We've had lists, charts, rewards, punishments, you name it we've tried it. Currently we are on the best system to date :)

Each child has a different area of the house that is their responsibility. They are to keep that area clean and picked up - the area is to have a final pick up just before bed. Ex. - Kitchen - they load and unload dishwasher, they keep counters clean, they sweep frequently, and mop when needed. Another area is trash - that child is to keep up with all cans in the house and recycle, they keep track of trash days and make sure cans go to and from the curb. And the list goes on . . . Each child has two areas. I take care of anything left. If job is not done, then consequences are added to the area - Ex - if trash is not done, they one may have to scrub out cans with soap and water. If kitchen is not clean, then fronts of cabinets may be washed down. We rotate jobs every quarter. We have used this system for about a year and 1/2 now. We really like how it works. The jobs are expectations of being apart of the family. They are not paid for this work. This is their contribution to our household.

So I would love to know what works at your house?

Please tell me. . .

Core Subjects

What are your core subjects?

Do you use text books, "living" books, computer, or . . .?

The Medlin's are an eclectic bunch. We use mainly text books and cover seven different subjects. We don't stick with one publisher or process, we just do what fits each kids personality or the homeschool budget :)

Looking forward to your comments -

Type away. . .

Gardening!?!

I know many still have snow on the ground or like here we are experiencing a big freeze, but let's think about gardening today.

Do you garden?

If so, do you incorporate this into school?

We garden, kinda . . .lol. In Texas, you can garden year around, but we only garden the first of the year. We start about now with potatoes and gradually add the things we eat through the rest of the season. Last year, I had to have surgery on my hand and our garden went bust. This year I am hopefully for a bountiful harvest. Now don't get the wrong impression in your head. We do not live out the country on a couple acres, where I have a big track of land I can plow up. We live in town in a sub-division, with a very small yard. Where do you garden? - you ask. I use my flower beds. I have one in the front of the house and one on the side of the house, that get the perfect amount of sun and rain. I make sure I plant aesthetically, so that the neighbors do not even notice my beautiful flowerbeds are vegetables. Now with this kind of gardening, I only produce enough for us to eat. We don't usually get enough to can or freeze. During season, gardening is part of our school and chore list. The kids really enjoy being apart of the process. I have one who loves to plant and one who loves to harvest. I have also found they are more apt to eat what they work hard to grow :)

Tell me more about what you do for gardening. . .

I need some pointers. . .

Schedules, Calendars, Events, OH NO!

This is one that I have pondered each year and still have not found the perfect solution.

This topic, like yesterday, can be broken down into two different topics.

Daily Schedule -

How does school work at your house?

Is it a come and go, just so you get it done by the end of the day kinda feeling?

Or do you ring a bell, start with calisthenics and the pledge, and time each event through out the day?

We have tried it both ways :) right now we are caught somewhere in the middle.

One of the best tools I found when trying to make my daily schedule was the book Managers of the Their Home - while I do follow it to the letter. It does help me see what each of the kids need to accomplish and what I need to get done each day. I really like to use it at the beginning of each school year when I am planning out my year.

Weekly Schedule -

One way we try to keep a schedule going in our house is a Google calendar - each family member has a calendar and we are all linked together. This allows us to see where everyone is and what their doing each day. The kids have their school schedule in it, their extra curricular activities, their church stuff, etc. I have the school schedule, my monthly mom's meetings, church events, etc. And my husband puts in his work schedule, day off, church activities, etc. We can easily see any conflicts and lap-over and then decided, if we eliminate something or split up - I go one way, while dad goes another. It has helped so much this year, and we rarely forget an event now!

Now it's your turn . . .

Enlighten me, girls!

Homeschooling on the Road

Homeschooling on the road - well for most of us that has two different meanings.

There is the homeschooling on the road we do as we shuttle between lessons, games, field trips, practices, and such.

And then, there is the homeschooling on the road we do when we travel for vacations, family outings and extended periods of time.

How do you stay organized through it all?

Here is what we do -

Homeschool on the Road in town -

Each kid has a large three ring binder with tabs for each subject. Each week, I pull all paper work they need for the week, punch it and put in the binder under appropriate tab. Then all there school work is one place. Then if we have to school on the road they can grab, their binder and maybe one other book (reading or novel) and have everything they need. This makes it very easy to keep up with all they have to do and how much progress they are making. I usually empty their binders once a month and file the pages for documentation of work completed. This is our first year of doing this, and I love it. It is even handy around the house.

Homeschooling on the Road out of town-

This year, we spent the biggest part of November in California visiting family. I knew we were taking a big chunk of time off for Christmas, so I wanted to make sure we continued school on the road. Granted it was a scaled back version of school, but we did need to accomplish something. I also knew that I did not want to transport all our books to and from CA. I could not afford it and I did not want to risk losing any curriculum. So here is what I did - I pulled worksheet and reading pages that went with what I wanted to study while we were gone. Oceans, California, Thanksgiving, Math Concepts, Etc. I arranged them in the order I wanted them completed and then I bound them into a booklet. I own a small binding business, so I bound them with comb binding here at home. You can get books bound comb or spiral at any office supply store for around $4. Each kid had one bound book with all work to complete while we were gone. It saved on luggage and no fear of losing our curriculum. Worked out great and when we got home I just filed the completed book away for each kid.

So those are my ideas - Now I can't wait to hear yours!

Comment Away, Girls!

Ministry Opportunities that are Kid Friendly

After coming out of the Christmas Season. I am sure we all have ideas on how we can allow our kids to have ministry opportunities that are right for their age and maturity level.

Here is one of mine - that I have been asked to share - my kids are all upper elementary

We continually keep "kits" in our car to pass to the homeless we see on the streets.

• Each kits is either a freezer (freezer bags are more durable) gallon zip bag or a zipper lunch bag usually from the clearance section.
• We fill each bag with nonperishable food - ex. sandwich crackers, tuna salad kits, apple sauce, chips, pop-tarts, nuts, granola bars, water, juice
• Make sure that nothing requires water or heat to be consumed.
• Make sure that all items can be opened without an extra tool.
• We also put personnel items in the bags - ex. travel soaps and shampoos, toothbrushes, tissues, hand sanitizer, and in winter months gloves, hats, hand warmers
• You can also purchase $.50 copies of the Bible at area Christian book stores that we have been known to include.

We have made large runs where we pass out many at a time. But usually we just keep a box of these in our car and my kids will always spot a homeless person that we can pass one along to.

This is great opportunity for my family, because as a homeschool family we are on the road a lot. This is a great way for my kids to be proactive in finding people to help. I like that we spend time as a family preparing them at home. I have also found that my kids hit the clearance section in most stores to see what items we can find for our "kits". It has been neat to watch them show compassion at their age. It is a safe way for my kids to minister in our community.

What ideas do you have?

Please post a comment :)

This blog is for you!

When talking with other homeschool moms, I find we often say . . .you should post that idea somewhere. . .well here is the somewhere!

I look forward to seeing all the creative things we do :)