Cooking for Homeschool

This summer I had a great time making fun treats with the girls.  One of our favorite recipes were cake pops!

It was an easy recipe for the girls to follow and since baking is a part of our homeschool curriculum, it was fun education too!

I picked out the cake mix and called out the ingredients to Sophie.  She went and got the eggs, oil, mixing bowls, and utensils and lined everything up on the counter.

Then we read the directions.  I measured the oil; Sophie broke the eggs, added the oil and then added the cake mix.  She and Bella stirred until it was completely mixed, and then helped me put it in the pan.

I put it in the oven, and then we waited for it to cook.  Once the cake was done baking, I used a a butter knife to remove it from the pan and dumped it into a large bowl.  Once the cake cooled {about 10 minutes} we added a can of frosting into the bowl. 

We washed our hands and then mixed the cake and the icing together.  Then we rolled the mixture into balls and placed them in the fridge to cool.

We added white popsicle sticks and then I melted chocolate wafers in the microwave.

We dipped the cake pops into the melted chocolate and then set them on a pan to cool in the refridgerator.

This was an easy snack that the girls had fun making and was a yummy treat for after dinner!

Do you cook with your children?

Ten Tips to Avoid Homeschool Burnout!

It's been interesting as we are easing into our homeschool journey so far. This year we are taking it slower, being more intentional about prayer, and talking about 1 virtue a week. {actually, we are still working on *obey*...it's a work in progress!}

Sophie and I have been working on the alphabet, shapes, colors, painting and writing. We read a Bible Story in the morning and talk about the wonders of creation and how God made everything, including the sun.

I find it's easy to get caught up and burnt out, so here are my Top Ten Tips to avoid homeschool burnout:

10. Remember the reason that you decided to homeschool. Put in in front of you, repeat it over and over, post it so you can see it.

9.   Be flexible. If the curriculum isn't working, get rid of it. If the schedule isn't working change it.

8.   Don't forget about your marriage in the midst of homeschool. Cultivate your relationship. Work at it. Make it a priority, even when you are exhausted.  You need to.

7.   Laugh. Seriously - on the days that are never ending, and the milk gets spilled, and the floors are a mess.....you need to laugh.

6.   Cultivate the wonder of God in your children. Everyday. They should never lose their awe of His works.

5.   Expect opposition. Stay clear minded and alert.

4.   A lack of encouragement can cause a child to lose heart. Encourage them. Love on them. Laugh with them.

3.   Set good boundaries. Children need to know what is expected of them.

2.   Truth is truth. Period.

1.   God didn't call you to homeschool to fail. He has given you every tool that is needed in this journey.

What would you add to the list?

On Tactile Learning

After a year of homeschool and watching how Sophie learns best, I finally figured out that she is a hands on learner - or a tactile learner.

We've had great success using household items to do everything from math to spelling! 

* we use straight pretzels to make letters, both upper case and lower case - and they make a fun snack!

* we use wooden train tracks to make letters and have the trains drive around them.

* we do adding/subtraction with blocks.

* we do sorting with colored foam blocks.

* we use rice spread in a cookie tray to trace letters and shapes.

* we use basic shapes to make everyday objects out of blocks

There are so many other ways that you can use tactile objects to help your child thrive!

Do you have a tactile learner? What tips do you have?

When Opposition Comes

When we made the decision to homeschool Sophie, I was ready for some opposition from the local elementary school where Ken is on the school board.  

Surprisingly, the superintendent was supportive. She listened to our explanation, and didn't question why. She listed all the activities that Sophie would be allowed to participate in, even if she is home schooled.  There was no criticism. No backlash. At all.

However.....

When we've told our friends who have asked which school Sophie will be attending their reactions have been quite different. Hostile, questioning, hurtful.....and these are our friends!

I feel like they are waiting for us to fail - and I'm wondering how many of these friendships I should hold on to, and which ones I should back away from.

To be honest, I am a people pleaser. I don't like confrontation, and have always kept silent when I don't have a positive thing to say.  Now I'm forced to continually explain what I feel is a personal choice for my family....and I'm getting tired of it.

I could use some tips....what do you do when you are faced with the sarcastic questions, the looks, and the never ending "socialization" conversation? 

Aurie Good is a pastor's wife, a "retired" youth minister, and probably the most relaxed mom that you'll ever meet!  She blogs at Our Good Life with quips about life as a stay at home mom to two girly toddlers, two wild & crazy dogs, and one cranky cat.  She is married to her best friend and consider the simple life that they've created absolute bliss!  They are currently fostering a lively two year old little girl who keeps them on their toes!

Beating the Homeschool Blues.....

Around here the weather has been lovely. Warm and sunny and completely un-March like.

It's been tough to concentrate on school when the girls want to be outside on the playground, and I want to be planting my garden, or getting rid of the cobwebs on the patio furniture, or finally cleaning my windows. Okay, that last one - not so much.

But you get the picture! It's so hard to concentrate on school when we {kids included!} are ready to be DONE.

Here are some fun ideas: 

* Call a local homeschool friend. See if you can get together and do a day of school together.

* Take a day off. In the grand scheme of things, is it really so bad to take one day off? Nope. It really isn't!!

* If you absolutely can not take an entire day off, take a half day. Please. It's worth it, I promise. 

* Do school outside! It's so lovely to be out in the fresh air and warm breezes! Tale a nature walk, study the clouds, race down the street...the possibilities are endless!

* Take an ice cream break. Talk about how ice cream is made and then visit your local ice cream parlor.

* Visit a gardening center and talk about the difference kinds of plants, trees, bushes...even fountains and fish. Generally you can find a helpful employee would will be happy to impart their knowledge.

* Hit the zoo, the art museum, the children's museum, the aquarium....you get the picture. Try to visit them now before the summer crowds arrive. Also, many schools schedule field trips towards the end of the school year. Beat the rush!

There are so many ways that you can have fun with school - and remember, one of the best things about homeschooling is that it can be flexible!

What can you have fun learning about today? 

Aurie Good is a pastor's wife, a "retired" youth minister, and probably the most relaxed mom that you'll ever meet!  She blogs at Our Good Life with quips about life as a stay at home mom to two girly toddlers, two wild & crazy dogs, and one cranky cat.  She is married to her best friend and consider the simple life that they've created absolute bliss!  They are currently fostering a lively two year old little girl who keeps them on their toes!

Getting back in the Swing....

After Christmas and our vacation in January I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of school.

Sophie and I have been working on the alphabet, shapes, colors, painting and writing. We read a Bible Story in the morning and talk about the wonders of creation.

However, I keep thinking that I should be doing more. Teaching more. Talking more. 

The Apologia Live conference came at a perfect time for this tired momma!  Here are the Top Ten Tips that I came home with:

10. Remember the reason that you decided to homeschool. Put in in front of you, repeat it over and over, post it so you can see it.
9.   Be flexible. If the curriculum isn't working, get rid of it. If the schedule isn't working change it.
8.   Don't forget about your marriage in the midst of homeschool. Cultivate your relationship. Work at it. Make it a priority, even when you are exhausted.  You need to.
7.   Laugh. Seriously - on the days that are never ending, and the milk gets spilled, and the floors are a mess.....you need to laugh.
6.   Cultivate the wonder of God in your children. Everyday. They should never loose their awe of His works.
5.   Expect opposition. Stay clear minded and alert.
4.   A lack of encouragement can cause a child to lose heart. Encourage them. Love on them. Laugh with them.
3.   Set good boundaries. Children need to know what is expected of them.
2.   Truth is truth. Period.
1.   God didn't call you to homeschool to fail. He has given you every tool that is needed in this journey.

What lesson would you add to the list?

Four Fast Fun Facts About Our Bloggers Featuring...Delena & Aurie!

Last week we started a series of posts to help our readers get to know the ladies that blog for Growing Your Homeschool a little better.  The writers were given a list of questions, and they had to choose four, in order to answer "Four Fast Fun Facts" about themselves. If you missed the first one, you can check it out here.  This week we are featuring Delena & Aurie!

DELENA

What is one little known fun fact you would like to share about yourself?


I have an endless supply of random trivia floating through my head about serial killers.  I graduated from college with the idea that I would go on to get my PhD (pause here for laughter) in the Psychology world and then sit down with serial killers and pick their brain.  What can possess a person to do something like that?  What as your childhood like?  What's going through your head now?  So, I studied serial killers so much for three years that my brain is overflowing with facts.  Gacy, Bianchi, Gein, Fish...it's really fun to bring up at dinner parties with people you barely know.

What is your favorite funny movie?


My favorite funny movie of all time has to be "Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation."  It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it, I still crack up every year when I watch it.

Do you have a favorite fun food combo?


Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with homemade ranch dressing drizzled over the top once it's on my plate.  It makes people take a second look, but it's DELIGHTFUL!

Where is one fun place you would like to go?


I would love, love, LOVE to go to Italy.  Anywhere in Italy would be fine.  Preferrably when I'm not pregnant or nursing so I can have a glass of wine in my hand the whole time while we travel.


To learn more about Delena, or to read her blog, you can visit her at itsonmytodolist.

AURIE

What is one little known fun fact you would like to share about yourself? 


I am a first degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. 

Can you share a little about one of your funniest life moments? 


We were down by the river last year and Sophie was sitting on the bank splashing her little feet. Some ducks glided by and Sophie tried *talking* to the saying {more like yelling} "quack quack!".  The poor ducks were so unnerved that they changed direction and went the other way. Not to be deterred, Sophie got up and ran along the rover edge yelling "Quack Quack". It was so cute :)

What fun activities do you like to do in your "free" time? 


I like to scrapbook or knit. We also love running/biking on the towpath along the river.

What one fun place would you like to visit that you have never been to before?


England!! We have been talking about London and Sophie knows all about Big Ben, Parliament, and the Royal Family. She is really into all things London right now - so we are thinking long term how to get there :)


To learn more about Aurie, or to read her blog, you can find her at Welcome to our good Life.


We hope you are enjoying learning more about our writers here at Growing Your Homeschool.  Please check back next week when we will be featuring two more bloggers!  Have a super weekend!

Thinking and Pondering

This is our first year of homeschooling, and it's been months of fun as well as figuring out what is working and what is not.

What is working? Interest led schooling is awesome for Sophie. She responds so well when she is picking the topics.

What didn't work? Trying to do way too many topics during the day. I figured out early on that I needed to relax and just let Sophie learn. {which is easier said than done!}

Since I'm pondering all things homeschool, I have a question for you....

WHY are YOU homeschooling?  When it comes right down to it, what is the absolute reason that you chose to homeschool?

I'll go first.....we decided to homeschool because I wasn't ready to send Sophie out the door to be molded by someone else.

Who's next??

One of those days.

I admit it. 

We were totally not having a good homeschool day. 

Sophie was whiny and not interested in anything.

Bella wanted to be held and screamed if I either put her down or left the room.

I was about ready to come undone.

We grabbed coats, boots and hats and out the door we went.

I let them run down the driveway to the towpath.

It was instant fun. Smiles and giggles and laughter.
 
We talked about God and how did He know how to make dirt? And why did He make ticks and biting flies? {personally, I'd like to know the answer to that one}

We looked at the sky and counted tree branches and marveled that some green plants were poking through the muddy leaves.

We chased a squirrel {the girls *let* him win} and watched a baby deer pick her way through the woods.

It was awesome.

Letting go of my plans and exploring God's creation?  I am so glad that we did.

Oh - and you know you want one of those hats! {grin}

Just a Regular Day....

This week we are talking about a day in the life of our homeschool.

I have to admit that since we were just on vacation we aren't quite back into our routine.  And by not quite...I mean that we are totally off.

Here's a basic outline of a typical day:

6:30am - I am up, quiet time, online time, shower & dressed.

7:30am - Sophie is up and dressed. She comes downstairs, plays and has her video time {which at the moment is either Itty Bitty Heartbeats; Thomas the Train or Curious George.}

8:30am - Bella wakes up and get dressed. She comes down and has breakfast. Sophie eats with her.

9:00am - Ken leaves for work.  Sophie and I start school.  We read a Bible story and talk about Jesus.  Then we work on writing her name. We do a craft, generally one that has her cutting, pasting and coloring.

9:30am - Bella is tired of entertaining herself and comes in to color or finger paint.

9:45am - Daddy comes home and I head out to the office.  Daddy finishes up with Sophie working on shapes {this week we made houses out of squares, triangles and rectangles.}

10:30am  - Playtime for the girls and Daddy does some work.

11:30am - Lunch time.

12:00pm - Naptime for Bella, quiet time for Sophie.

2:00pm - I'm home and Daddy heads back to the office.

3:00pm - Girls are up and have a snack.

3:15pm - Bella plays. Sophie and I do coloring/writing/painting and reading together.

4:00pm - Dinner prep. Sophie helps in the kitchen.

4:30pm  - Dinner.

5:00pm - clean up, playtime, bath time, story time.

6:30pm - Bedtime.

The rest of the evening is spent chatting with my hubby, blogging a bit and preparing for the next day!  How do you end your day?

Aurie Good is a pastor's wife, a "retired" youth minister, and probably the most relaxed mom that you'll ever meet!  She blogs at Our Good Life with quips about life as a stay at home mom to two girly toddlers, two wild & crazy dogs, and one cranky cat.  She is married to her best friend and consider the simple life that they've created absolute bliss!  They are currently embarking on a new path of fostering to adopt medically fragile infants and are thrilled to see where God leads them!

Reflecting on Our First Few Months

I've been reflecting back on our first few months of homeschooling, and it's amazing how far we have come in just a few months! So, since this will be my final post here for 2011, I wanted to share what I've learned in our first 4 months of homeschooling.

10. Glitter glue rocks.  So do wonder color markers and washable crayons. 

9.   Don't worry about not keeping up with the local schools. The main reason I'm homeschooling is to NOT do the same things.

8.   Each child learns at their own pace. Do not compare them.

7.   Just because I think it's a wonderful idea to color code the craft drawers does not mean the preschooler will agree. {ahem}

6.   Craft supplies can be anything from a cardboard tube to a stash of colorful *bling* from my scrapbook drawer.

5.   Go with their learning style. Sophie is going to be interest led, while Bella {at the moment} is leaning all planned out {like me!}

4.   Take a break if you need to. There's nothing wrong with taking a fun day so you can all step back and breathe.

3.    Going with #4....breathe.  Just breathe.

2.    Involve others in your homeschool! The girls love it when Daddy is in charge of school.  Grammie Aury also did school with the girls while we were on vacation - it's good to switch it up!

1.   You are going to have good days.  You are going to have bad days. Write out why you are homeschooling and post it. Refer to it on one of *those* days {we all have them!} and remember that you are in this for the long haul - it's not a sprint.

Next week will be full of fun here on Growing Your Homeschool with giveaways scheduled Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! 

Aurie Good is a pastor's wife, a "retired" youth minister, and probably the most relaxed mom that you'll ever meet!  She blogs at Our Good Life with quips about life as a stay at home mom to two girly toddlers, two wild & crazy dogs, and one cranky cat.  She is married to her best friend and consider the simple life that they've created absolute bliss!  They are currently embarking on a new path of fostering to adopt medically fragile infants and are thrilled to see where God leads them!

Homeschool Laws?

I live in Central New Jersey.

New Jersey has no law on the books regarding Homeschooling.  There is no call to register, no portfolio to prepare, no medical exams to prove.

When we first starting researching homeschooling, I was a little taken aback by the lack of legislation for families in NJ who homeschool.  I work best with a plan, so being given a clean slate was very scary to me.

After reading other state requirements and listening to some parents trying to get everything ready to prove what they did in school, I was pretty excited that NJ is a little more laid back.

A few months ago, a child in foster care who was being homeschooled was tragically killed, and the foster parents charged with neglect. I'm not going into the entire sad story, but this case has catapulted homeschoolers onto the NJ legislature, with new laws being proposed to protect children from being homeschooled.  The case is pitting DYFS against homeschoolers.

I'm not sure how I feel about the proposed laws. I can see the validity of having some guidelines, but at the same time, the wording in the proposed bill scares me.

Do you live in a state that is rigidly controlled? What are your thoughts?

Gratitude from a 3 year old's Perspective

This month we are concentrating on gratitude.

I think it's a big concept for an almost four year old and a two year old to grasp, so we've been learning what gratitude means.

What is gratitude?

Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling, emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. {thank you google!!}

In Sophie's four year old words....

Gratitude means that I say thank you when someone does something nice for me/to me.

Admittedly I was glad that she didn't say "I have to say thanks because my mom makes me." 

To help with the concept of being thankful we have each started saying one thing that we are grateful for at the beginning of lunch and dinner.  The girls used to say "cheese. milk. cookies...." but now are starting to think about what they are grateful for - which has been awesome to watch! 

We are setting up a gratitude tree in our dining room that will hold the blessings that we are thankful for, ornaments/decorations that we make, and letters from and to our sponsor children.

After a month of talking daily about being thankful....

On Sunday, during the Children's sermon the children were asked what they were thankful for.  Without prompting Sophie raised her hand and said "I'm thankful for Mommy!" - which made me cry.  She is shy in church and this is the first time she has voluntarily answered a question.  She is also asking Daddy to pray before meals, and saying "thank you" without prompting.

I would encourage you to help your kids count their blessings, or make a gratitude jar or tree.....anything that will help them see how very blessed they are!

Fall Craftiness!!

We have been totally enjoying fall.  We've played in the leaves, cleaned out the flower beds and started to put outside toys away.  We've run on the towpath, enjoyed our first bonfire, climbed hay bales, joined a hay ride and just generally have been spending as much time as we can outside.

There are some amazingly crafty posts that I've been stumbling on and book marking for us to create.  I thought I'd share some of my favorite fall crafts that we've found and made{so far!!}

* I love this hand print wreath - it was so easy to create!!

* Have you every made waxed leaves?  Super fun for the girls! We then used string and made a garland!

* This site has some really fun fall printable color sheets!

* Sophie LOVES to paint, so this finger paint tree was perfect for her.

* As a child I loved to make apple turkeys!  We will be making these next week, complete with a hand print for the turkey's feet.

What fun fall crafts are you doing?  Leave us a link in the comments!!

When You're Ready to Give Up....

I am 3 months into "officially" homeschooling Sophie and last week I was ready to quit.

I was sick for a week, we were leaving on vacation, I had NOTHING ready for school...and Sophie refused to sit and work on her letters.

I was at a loss.

At the same time the Homeschool Blogging awards were popping up all over my twitter feed and every link that I clicked on made me feel more and more like a failure.

I went on vacation determined that in January I'd send Sophie to preschool across the street.

I was clearly not made to teach my child.  I couldn't get her sit and practice her letters and she had NO interest in doing anything that was not directly related to paint. None.

Sigh.

On the beach we were sitting playing in the sand and we found some seaweed, some shells, coral and a few pebbles.  We talked about how the waves make the pebbles smooth and the animals that used to live in the shells.  She was enthralled and sat for over an hour drawing in the sand and learning about the beach.

Hmm.....

As I reflected on our first few months, I realized that while I am a planner and like everything in order, she does not.  She had a wonderful doing school when we visited Thomas and learned about trains.  She loved watching the Bob on-site DVD and learning how to build a road.

She learns best when I let her interests lead us....not when I decide that we are going to learn about scarecrows and pumpkins.  She wants to learn about concrete and fish.

For the next few months we are going to be doing interest led schooling {or unschooling} and see how that works for us.  It should be an interesting ride.

But I'm not ready to give up.  Not yet.

What I've Learned so far.....

 The Top Ten Homeschooling Things That I've Learned {so far}...

10. Never leave a 3.5 year old alone with open glue.  Ever.

9.   I don't have to teach the alphabet from A to Z.

8.   Going to a play date is a perfect opportunity for gym class.

7.   Follow your child's interests.

6.   Whatever space you cover for finger painting...double it.

5.   Giving a 23 month old crayons and a coloring book does not guarantee that she will color inside the book.

4.   Mud, sand, and water can provide hours of school fun.

3.   Stick to a schedule.

2.   Play dough and carpet are not a good combination.  At all.

1.   A Day out with Thomas was a fantastic field trip on trains, switches and tracks.  And, my daughter knew more about switches than I did!


What would YOUR top ten list be?

Apples, Alligators, and Aardvarks

Sophie and I have been reading the creation story and working on the letter A and the number 1.  

She loves the creation story and giggles when we talk about Adam's job {to name all the animals} because he picked some silly names. {aardvark and crocodile seem to really make her laugh!}

 We colored with white crayons on white paper and then painted over it with black paint to make the white lines show up - we had a blast with that!  We've also painted the letter A red {like apples} and worked with cutting and pasting.

Today we are making an alligator  out of an A - complete with google eyes :)  Can't wait to see her giggle about those!!

Now, I have a question for YOU:

Sophie has colored, drawn, painted, and eaten with her left hand for over a year.  This week, when we started working on letter writing - she's trying to use her right hand....and now she's not holding crayons or paintbrushes correctly??!

Do I push her to use her left hand, or wait and see what she does?  I don't want it to become an issue, and I'm a little confused as to the switch?  Any thoughts?

Breaking the Cycle

I'm going to be honest here.

I am not a perfect mom.

At all.  {are you suprised?}

Sophie and I have the same personality.  Some days it's a good thing.  Other days I struggled to keep my cool.

Some days we both got sent for some Quiet Time.

I quickly realized that we were feeding off of each other.  She was frustrated, so I was frustrated.  She raised her voice, so I raised my voice.  She cried, so I cried. 

Not good.

I was reading though the Duggar's book when a short sentence from Michelle caught my eye.  She was talking about getting her children's attention by talking quietly and getting down on their level.

I decided that the next time Sophie was having a tough time I'd try it.

A few days later Sophie didn't want to get her shoes on to go outside.  I went over, knelt in front of her and spoke in a quiet voice.  She actually stopped crying and whining and listened to what I was saying. 

By getting down on her level and not raising my voice, I broke the cycle and she calmed down super fast.  I also requested that she look in my eyes while I spoke with her.

The change has been amazing.

We've been doing this for about 3 months now.  She no longer flips out, and has learned to use a quiet voice instead of a yelling voice.

It's been wonderful!

Had you heard of this technique?  What do you do when your child is having a tough time?

So, Should I Start Now?

I had the perfect homeschool post ready to go.

It was brimming with tips to do with your preschooler.

It wasn't me.

I am not an organized homeschooler.  At all.

I am organized in pretty much every area of my life - but when it comes to homeschooling, I seem to be all over.

I've been reading about all the amazing women who have already started their school year.  I've looked at cool crafts and ideas and suddenly I have a sinking feeling that I should not be trying to teach my daughters. 

Thankfully I am surrounded by lots of supportive friends and family who assure me that everything will be fine.

At the moment:

*I still haven't ordered our curriculum.  The flyer has been on my desk for at least 4 weeks. 

*I have basic art supplies and that's it - I don't have a closet/cupboard filled with construction paper, glue sticks & markers.  Paint & glitter?  Nope.

*We don't have a school room.  We'll working at our dining room table which sits on brand new carpet. {hence the lack of paint & glitter!}

*No maps.  No posters.  No school type decorations.

*I have no idea how I'll structure my day.  None. 

What I do have is excitement and enthusiasm.  I believe that teaching my girls is what I am supposed to be doing.  I have a plan {really!!} and I'm trusting that the rest of this will fall into place. 

It will, right?

Any encouraging words?  Pretty please?

Cooking with Toddlers

I am not a confident cook.  At all.

I wanted to make sure my girls were comfortable in the kitchen, so I added cooking to our homeschool curriculum.

I started with one of Sophe's favorite foods {blueberry muffins}.  We looked at the back of the box and she counted the number of eggs needed, and we talked about how to measure a liquid {water} and solid {butter}.

She learned how to crack eggs and break them into the bowl, how to add additional ingredients, how to stir and how to pour the batter out of the bowl.

We have made cut out cookies, a gingerbread train, muffins, cake, ice cream cone cupcakes, and {most recently} cake pops.

Bella started her cooking lessons this week and thoroughly enjoyed every single minute!

I love that my girls are learning a life skill and that I am learning right along with them.

I love that Sophie can read a basic recipe and knows the difference solids & liquids.

I love watching Sophie teach Bella to mix and stir.

I love that homeschooling gives me the flexibility to cook with my girls.

Do you have cooking in your homeschool curriculum?