I wish I would have known that teen boys need a hobby going into high school. Boys need to be out of the house and either working with their hands or have a purpose to fulfill. They need to work! (And video or computer games don’t count). They drive their mamas crazy being home all day. Also boys tend to pull away from their mamas and need their independence more than girls. That can create friction in relationships. They need their dads more at this time, but they do come back around and need mom after they mature a little. (smile)
But the best advice I was given was to “do everything heartily as unto the Lord and not to man.” I put my whole heart into my homeschool because of that.
Workboxes. What an amazing difference it made in my homeschool. I think that I first heard about it from Erica. I know she has a post and I think also a You Tube video on using workboxes. I use different ones then her but it is the concept that works so well.
Our days for the most part go very smoothly. My boys know exactly what they need to do and they always can easily see how much work they have left. I used to always hear: “How much more?” I don’t hear that anymore.
Love this. I don’t have any friends that homeschool their kids, and I think my friends think it’s odd. It’s just not “the norm” around here. At first I felt like I had to explain my reasons and now I’m just like ehh, I wanted to h/s them and I love it. The end.
Less is more. Kids can learn so much more from reading at the library and going on nature walks at the park than they can sitting in a chair doing worksheets.
We love going on nature walks. We have 100 acres and about 40 of it is woods with lots of trails. On nice days we take a blanket and all our schoolwork and go back to the woods to do school. But it seems like once we get back there all the schoolwork gets pushed to the side and we start walking and talking about everything we see. Especially love it in the spring when we can tap the trees and make maple syrup and in the fall when we can collect leaves.
I’m not homeschooling my little guys yet, that’ll come this fall. But I did homeschool my 2nd son about a decade or so ago. I wish I would’ve know how important a homeschool support group is. My 2nd son ended up back in public school & it didn’t end well. Thankfully he did get his GED & is now making good choices. So there is a happy ending but it was a hard road that could’ve been easier if I’d had more support. This time around, I feel I have the support needed for the rough times I know will come through online groups, friends that also homeschool & numerous homeschool groups in my area. This time, I don’t feel alone, I feel empowered & my boys are going to shine!
That you don’t have to follow the teachers guide to the T! Certain aspects that I didn’t like with some of my curriculum choices I tweaked or left out and they still learned! (Shock shock horror) lol I used to allow my TG to be the be all and end all. Now I’m like I LOVE the language, love the reading, dislike the spelling… leave out spelling completely! We were all happier and YES they are still learning to spell, just with that book! Such freedom!
Also there are days when school just isn’t happening for whatever reason, taking a day off to figure out whats going on, or to work on character or to do things completely different from what you are used to won’t destroy school, as a matter of fact it enriches and I LOVE the flexibility in that!
That you don’t have to have it all figured out right at the beginning. Homeschooling is such a learning experience; you have to accept flexibility as a way of life. You can write the most detailed and brilliant lesson plans and map out the entire year, and then get derailed by lunchtime on the second day. And that’s ok! It’s ok to change your plans as many times as it takes.
My new favorite motto: Keep Calm and Pretend It’s in the Lesson Plan.
I wish I would have known how much joy, satisfaction and togetherness that homeschooling would bring to my family… If I had known this I would have started sooner!
Oh! and figuring all that ^ out by journaling: when and during what activities any one of us experienced:
Overwhelming Enthusiasm
Meltdowns
Frustration
Deep inquisitiveness
Boredom
Distractedness
Peace, contentment
Over-stimulation
Information overload
Etc, etc.
Yes! Our first year, also! I just took the curriculum and schedule suggestions from the first person I spoke to–big mistake! With journaling, I could pray and trust my own motherly instincts!
Ps I think I have visited your website, do you have a blog?
I did the same thing! Lol A friend told me what she was doing and I was so nervous I said OK and did the same thing! I thought I had done great until we actually started school. It was a very hard year, especially for the first year. But like you journalling and prayer helped me to make some changes.
I just started a blog recently its only a couple days old now. Actually I started it my first year of schooling 2010 and then deleted all the posts to start again.
Get a laminator. Workboxes. Mix audio books, videos, you tube, computer programs, to break up books and workbook work. 4-H and homeschool co-ops are helpful. Homeschool conferences are great! (look forward to it all year).
