Seeds of Wisdom --- Christmas Break

Today, our panel answers the question, "are you taking a homeschool break this month and, if so, what will you do during your break?"

Aurie

Since we will be traveling in the beginning of January, we are going to work straight though until the 23rd. Most of our school is Advent themed and fun so the girls are enjoying it!

Dorie

Our plan is to continue our formal lessons through the end of next week. We will take about ten days off and start school again after the new year. We haven't made any definite plans, except a routine trip to the dentist and a birthday dinner (December birthdays can sometimes be tough!)

Ralene

We were going to take the week between Christmas and New Year' off, but due to all the stuff we missed while being sick in Oct and Nov, we probably won't. I plan to have short days, though, just focusing on core subjects and Bible verses.

Sam

Yes!! We are off starting this Friday! We will still be doing our advent, and our daily memory verses, but taking a break until the 2nd. I will get some deep cleaning done, some blogging commitments, and 6 weeks of lesson planning during this time.

Tracy

We will be breaking this Friday and spending time with family that we haven't seen in a year or more! I will also be getting things together for our next 6 weeks of lessons and trying to clean and organize while I still feel like moving; I'm heading into the third trimester of my pregnancy!

What are your plans for this months?

Homeschooling With Pinterest

In my last post, Assessing Your Year, I mentioned taking the holidays to ponder on changes that you want to make to your homeschool. Today I want to give you an idea about how you can benefit from other moms.


I will take for granted that if you are reading this post, you have a reasonable amount of tech ease. If a blog idea has ever helped you, how many more may be out there that you are missing out on?
Google searches work-but they aren’t visually helpful. You may miss an idea all because the title sounds boring; perhaps the introductory words don’t sound like what you are looking for.


The solution? Pinterest!


Using the search feature, you will be drawn into rooms, see curriculum, be inspired by crafts and storage solutions.

You can also search for homeschool blogs. Pinterest addicts love to share their favorite everything. {I even used Pinterest to choose my latest haircut-I shared my board with my stylist right from my phone!} I prefer Pinterest to homeschool magazines. You can find everything there!

But you don’t have an account you say? I am sure you know someone who does! Even if you don’t-get your email to me and I will personally send you an invite.


Be careful though-it can be pretty addictive. Happy pinning!

Memories of a Homeschooled Homeschooler: the schedule

I have memories of my mom surrounded by books and tons of paper in the corner of our home that was her "office." Usually, she was either in the midst of taxes and bookkeeping or scheduling our homeschool. We went through a lot of schedules during my homeschool years, and like any great master, Mom was always sure we could do something better or more efficiently. Tweak this subject here, add a little more time there, take out this activity and move it to that time slot.

But we were kids, and school was—well—school, no matter where we did it. And I know we didn't give her an easy time, in spite of her schedule overhauls. Because of all that scheduling though, we did have time for a lot of really unique experiences that have made for fond memories.

As little kids, we did four day school for a long time. So as early as second grade, I learned how to take five days worth of assignments and work to get it all done in four days. Each one of those four days, I'd work ahead one assignment in at least one subject until I'd earned my extra day off. We loved those three day weekends!

When we got older, working ahead was much harder to accomplish each week, but we still plotted out our assignments and worked ahead where we could for that end goal: to finish school as early in the year as possible. When other kids took extra holidays, spring breaks, and snow days (in Texas, snow days rarely had the same significance as they might in other states), we worked tirelessly, though sometimes reluctantly, toward that goal. And it paid off. We often had the bragging rights of the neighborhood, having finished all of our school books in mid April or early May while everyone else plodded along for another 4-6 more weeks.

In high school, Mom's scheduling paid off significantly as she helped us plan our extra-curricular activities into our school day. My junior and senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to work part-time at our local newspaper office and have my own ballet studio where I gave lessons and planned performances.

Then, the real test came—college. All of Mom's hours surrounded by stacks of books and loose paper finally culminated in one great overall success. After watching my mom plan scores upon scores of schedules through the years, my first freshman college schedule was a breeze. Seventeen years old and 12 hours from home, I remembered all those lessons of scheduling and planning and breaking down large tasks, lessons that my mom probably wasn't always aware that she was teaching me.

And when I began to teach college English and writing classes, I was more often teaching my students how to schedule their time than I was tutoring them in the rudiments of grammar.

So for all of you homeschool moms who think you are "ruining" your children or their homeschool experience with all of your tweaks and overhauls to the schedule, take heart. Include your kids in the process. There's some valuable learning going on behind those wadded up pieces of paper.

Read more of Tracy's Homeschool Memories or follow her current homeschool journey.