That’s why http://mandymom.com/ is my main blog, and still has a lot of homeschooling chatter on it.  But, I kept getting requests to open up a blog focused on homeschooling- giving tips, activity ideas, etc.

So I did.

It’s linked from my mandymom site as well, if you forget it.

If you are linking to this blog, please change your links to mandymom.com

Thank you!

I’ve heard many excuses why people can’t homeschool. 

-I’m not smart enough.  (I addressed that issue in one of my previous entries. What did we endure 12 years of school for, anyway?)
-I don’t think I could handle being around my children 24/7.  I need ME time!  (So, you would rather someone else raise your children 8+ hours a day for 5 days a week? Me time?  You need THAT much Me time?  Isn’t that a little selfish?)
-I can’t possibly teach them all they need to know in order to reach their dreams.  (Correct. You can’t.  But there are so many things out there to assist you in teaching, so you don’t have to worry about that!)

Of course, I do believe there are a few (very few) legit reasons why some people can’t homeschool, but most of the reasons I hear are ridiculous.  I would much rather someone say, “I don’t want to homeschool,” than hear them make ridiculous, ill-informed excuses!

Ah, so controversial….

I believe the misunderstandings come from the name “home” schooling.  People believe we stay at home, plop a book in front of our child, and try to teach them from our own knowledge.  While this could work, it will only take you so far.

So how do you teach those tougher subjects?  You get your child involved!  Imax had an awesome film on the human body that is useful in teaching biology.  It’s now available on DVD, I believe.  You could also take your child on a tour of a pharmaceutical company or a hospital (Researching how and why a hospital makes a commitment to sterilization is very interesting- it was one of the subjects I chose to research when I was eleven.  I was even able to go into the NICU and see the little babies!).  You can talk to various doctors (many doctors will take the time to discuss what they do, why they do it, etc), research various conditions and diseases, and watch videos.  You may want to have someone who has had cancer or another disease come speak to your children- then you can research exactly what cancer is, what is looks like, etc.

Why do people try to limit how we learn and who can teach?  Maybe it’s because that’s what happened in our schools?  Institutional schools are always “changing the rules”. 

I have a question.  Why did we go to 12 years of school (plus kindergarten)?  Teachers always told us it was so we could have careers.  So we could make something of ourselves.  I cannot tell you how many times I heard, “You need to learn this because you’re going to use it later in life.”

So, it’s later in life! I’m using everything I learned to teach my children, PLUS other resources (people, places, things) available to me as well.  How can it be that I’m NOT equipped to teach my children when I have already been taught all of the things I’m suppose to teach them?

I have found that the people who are so very against homeschool really don’t know anything about it.  Maybe they have one or two examples of homeschooling gone bad and assume that’s how it all goes, but that’s not truth.  In fact, top schools like Harvard and Yale love homeschoolers!

On the other hand, most homeschoolers have a very good idea of what instituational schools are like, which is why they’ve chosen to homeschool.  So, before you go trashing it, maybe you should give it a whole-hearted try!

Mind you, I pretty much homeschooled myself my final year of school (combining my Junior and Senior year of highschool together, allowing me to graduate early).  That probably has a lot to do with it.  I figure, hey, if I can homeschool myself, then I can definitely homeschool my children.  (By the way, my mom fully-intended to homeschool me, but she was in a car accident and was unable.  She helped me pick out some software. And I’d tell her about subjects I was interested in.  I would plan out my work, do it, and let her check over it.)

I was in public schools for a long time, and, my goodness, I just cannot imagine subjecting my children to that sort of torture, especially the sort of harrassment that goes on between classes ranging from bullying to sexual hassment.  Anyway, I’m getting off the subject.

If you do have these sort of doubts and fears, then you have to come before the Lord and lay them at his feet.  Realize that you are not homeschooling “alone”, but there are co-ops, groups, books, software, and much more out there to help you do the job.  You don’t have to rely on your own smarts (or lack thereof), because people have banded together to assist you in guiding your children with wisdom and love.

Of course, that may cause another problem.  What sort of method do you use?  Which curriculum do you choose?  What will work best?  There are thousands of methods out there, all sorts of books and planners, and I know it can be overwhelming.

Pray. God knows your children best.  He knows their personalities.  He knows which method of learning will work the best for them.. and for you.  He know what will work, and what won’t.  God really does care about these things.  He is probably not interested in turning your kiddo into a prodigy child, but he does want to help you raise them, train them, and teach them.

I researched all sorts of curriculum and methods before I finally thought, “Maybe I should pray about this.”  After trying to use methods that really didn’t work well with my children, God opened my eyes to certain things that would, even if they were a bit unconventional.

The first few are centered on the topic of Home Management Binders, narrowed down into subjects such as routines, menus, etc.  HMBs are a lifesaver… whether you are homeschooling or not.

Anyway, I will have those up at some point, I hope.  We are in the middle of moving, so if I am delayed, that is why!

God bless!

It’s not going to be a boring seminar with someone droning on and on.  It’s an online conference that comes with a huge goodie bag full of awesome freebies.  There are loads of awesome speakers.. so, if you haven’t “bought your ticket”, do it now before the price goes up.

You can read more about it here:
http://www.hotmconference.com/

Today is the last day to get your ticket for the low price of $29.95.  The conference starts tomorrow, and the price goes up to $39.95.  The freebies will make up for the price of your ticket!  The “goodie bag” is worth over $170!

Also, there will be awesome door prizes and give aways! Don’t miss out!

Take a “peek” at the door prizes here:
http://heartofthematteronline.com/2008/07/door-prizes.html

Here are the featured speakers:
http://www.hotmconference.com/2008/03/2008-speakers.html

It’s five days full of fun, so join in.  Don’t worry, you don’t have to be present the whole time.  Everything will be recorded, so you can listen in at your own convenience!

My children absolutely LOVE projects.  In fact, many a morning, I am awakened with the words, “Mom! Can we do a project today?”  And, once a project is finished, they are eager for another.

Yesterday, we hit up Wal-mart and loaded up on crayons (only 22 cents), markers, paper, folders, and more.  They carried a box of watercolors around until they had to give them up in order to pay for them, and, once home, they begged to paint.  Please, please, pretty please Mom!

The other day, I purchased the book 365 TV-Free Activities by Steve & Ruth Bennett.  It has some great “projects” inside, most of which provide some sort of educational outcome.

I will shamelessly admit that most of our “projects” lately have bordered on child labor, ha!  As we prepare for our move to Houston, the children have assisted me in painting (which, at times, has been disasterous, but hey, it’s all in the name of learning), sorting, and packing.  I love that my children enjoy helping me.  They’d much rather tag along beside me and help me than play with their own toys.

On the subject of toys, we’ve been able to narrow down their stash significantly and donate it.  I think most toys are a waste of money.  We (as a society) have taught our children to be greedy- hoarding more and more and more toys, even though they don’t play with them.  

When it comes down to it, children will be happier with fewer toys than if they had all the toys in the world.  (And, you’ll be much happier because you will have less to step on, trip over, and beg your children to clean up.)

We started donating the toys by the bundle when I realized most of my children’s toys were crowding the livingroom, playroom, and bedroom floors not because they were being played with, but because they had to toss them out of the bin in order to find the “good stuff”. 

A couple days later, I piled the toys in the livingroom and told the kids, “Okay, we’re going to sift through this stuff and only keep the toys you really like.”  We divided the toys into three bags- dump, donate, and keep.  An hour or so later, we had filtered the toys, and had decided to keep only half of the toys.

About a month later, we went through the process again, and significantly narrowed down the keep pile.  It was a difficult process for me because I realized “good money” was spent on most of these toys. My friends and parents had spent hard earned money on these toys, and I felt guilty about giving them away.  Then it hit me that I should feel more guilty about hoarding toys that weren’t being played with when other children could enjoy them.

Soon after we did all of this, my son had a birthday.  I wanted to invite all his little friends, but I thought, “Man, they are going to want to bring him toys- toys that will probably end up at the bottom of the bin or broken.”  I didn’t want to come across as unthankful or rude, but I decided it would be best to tell our guests that they didn’t need to bring gifts, but if they wanted to, we’d prefer they give books, clothes, or even a movie (our kids love Veggie Tales), instead of a toy.

Most listened.  Of course, my parents gave him toys (it’s required of grandparents, I suppose), but most people did listen to our request.  One of our friends said, “Well, it’s his birthday. Won’t he be upset if he doesn’t get toys? Kids don’t want books! They don’t want clothes! They want toys!”

Well, my children get excited about new clothes and books just as much as, or even more than, toys.  Plus, there’s no better time than when they are young to teach them how wonderful books are!

If the toys are piling up in your household and you ache to ditch them, try this. Have your children help you sort through them just as mine did.  Tell them you are going to donate toys to children who don’t have many.  Explain to them that some children are not as fortunate as you are.  Throw away toys that are broken. 

Later, when your children are gone or in bed, go through the keep pile and set half of it aside.  Put it in another bin and stow it in a closet where the kids can’t see it.  A month later, if they have not asked about the toys and have not desired to play with them- donate all of it.

I know a woman who was able to get rid of six large garbage bags full of toys.  Her children chose to keep five toys each (like a box of matchbox cars, a doll, a box of costumes, etc).

Some people think we are crazy when they find out we don’t buy our children toys.  We don’t even buy them birthday gifts.  First of all, children get so many birthday gifts, I feel that it’s “wasteful” for us to get them something on that day.  I’d much rather save that money and purchase them something later when they’ll really enjoy it and the gift won’t have to compete with a dozen other gifts for attention.

Secondly, since we’re on a tight, limited budget, I find it’s wiser to spend money on an “event”- like a fun, educational trip the whole family can enjoy.

Seriously- gather all the toys around your house and pile them in the middle of the floor….. look at how much your family has accumulated.  Teach your children to give and be good stewards, not hoarders.  And, while you’re at it- look at your own junk that has piled up.  You probably have a lot of stuff you don’t use. 

Every time we move, I find so much junk that is just being stored, not used.  Get rid of it.  You’ll probably feel better for doing so.

How do you keep the toys from piling up in your home?  Do you have a game plan?

You know, I use to worry about this.  English is a very confusing language.  So many letters make several different sounds.  Some words look alike, but sound different.  Some words look alike but mean totally different things.  How am I going to teach them all of that?

The answer is pretty simple. Read to them.  Studies have proven that children that are read to on a regular basis have an easier time learning to read.  Maybe that’s because they have a love for books that helps them perservere, even when it seems frustrating and difficult. 

I don’t believe in pushing my children to read.  I know they are interested in the alphabet and writing.  My five year old now wants to sound out letters.  She likes to point out which letters are in our names. 

“Your name starts with the same letter my name starts with, Mommy!”

I know five year olds who can write and spell small words, but I’m not interested in how fast she can get it down.  I also see five year olds who have been pressured to write and spell and are struggling to do so. They don’t enjoy reading.  They are only interested in the pictures in the books.

Nowdays, children are reading fewer books.  They’re more interested in television and video games.  Parents don’t “have time” (or make time) to read to their children. 

As a child, I absolutely loved books.  It was like slipping away into another world.  My imagination ticked away as I flipped through the pages.

I believe, we do our children a great disservice if we neglect books.

If you haven’t gotten into the American Girl collection, then you need to.  Even boys will enjoy these books.  I remember when these books came out, and Addy was the first American Girl I read about and fell in love with.  When I saw these books at the library, I snatched them up.  We’ve been reading them a chapter at a time, then discussing it afterwards.  The kids really have a hard time understanding slavery. (Quite frankly, so do I.)  They just cannot imagine why someone would consider another person “less human” or “not human” because of their color.  We’re all the same race…. HUMAN!

Soon, we’ll visit an old plantation that is paused in this time period.  We’ll get to watch the workers do what they do (milk cows, make butter, repair building without power tools), eat authentic food for the period and culture (creole/cajun…mm), and (hey hey!) browse through the gift shop. I hope to do that within the next couple weeks.