Luv'N Lambert Life

A blog about living with Epilepsy, IBHS, Homeschooling and so much more

homeschooling

10 Things to Do With Your Preschooler {Homeschooling}

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10 Things to Do With Your Preschooler:

1. Talk a walk.
We love long walks to see the world.
2. Grow flowers.  
They are fun to watch grow and fun to pick when they bloom.
3. Play with blocks.
You can build a fort, or a castle, or a car track.  Let your imagination go wild!
4. Play with cars.
When you finish building your block track, race a few cars along it.
5. Playdough
I was not a fan of playdough when my oldest kids were little but it’s since grown on me.  Make animals, shapes, and other things your imagination comes up with.
6. Kick a ball.
My littles love to kick balls down the hallway or outside.  
7. Dig a hole.
Dig and see what worms you find among other things.  Make mud pies.
8.  Wash toys.
We like to wash our toys.  It teaches needed skills for homekeeping and is just plain fun.
9.  Read a book.
Books help the mind to grow and helps your child open their imagination to a world of fun.
10.  Build a fort.
Use chairs and a blanket to make a fort for your child to play beneath.  Join in to see tons of smiles and happiness.

We hope this list gave you some great ideas to use with your preschoolers.

Until next time…
Dana

Memoria Press: First Form Latin {Crew Review}

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homeschooling, classical christian education, classical christian curriculum, classical, christian homeschool curriculum, memoria press
Back in April we completed a review for Memoria Press for their wonderful First Form Greek Complete Set curriculum. (Read our review here!)  We found this to be an amazing curriculum to use for Greek as a foreign language but my daughter was lacking the prerequisite of Latin in order to best understand what she was learning through the program.  Thankfully, not long after, Memoria Press came up on the vendor list for the Homeschool Review Crew again.  This time we were offered Memoria Press’ First Form Latin Complete Set, just what Emmalee needed to be able to complete her lessons with Memoria Press’ First Form Greek.

homeschooling, classical christian education, classical christian curriculum, classical, christian homeschool curriculum, memoria press

What Is First Form Latin:

First Form Latin is a complete Latin program for learning Latin.  This program includes everything needed to learn Latin as a foreign language.  First Form uses a Grammar first approach to learning which focuses on teaching Grammar and Vocabulary to young students so they learn the basics as they build through the lessons.  First Form Latin and all of the First Form courses are great for students in grades 4-9.

homeschooling, classical christian education, classical christian curriculum, classical, christian homeschool curriculum, memoria press

What We Received:

Our First Form Latin Complete Set included the following in our package:
First Form Latin Student Text
First Form Latin Student Workbook
First Form Latin Pronunciation CD
First Form Latin Instructional DVD 3 Disc Set
First Form Latin Teacher Manual
First Form Latin Teacher Key (Workbook, Quizzes, Tests)
First Form Latin Quizzes and Tests

First Form Latin Flashcards for Vocabulary, Latin sayings and Grammar Form

Who and How We Used It:

Since this program was for Emmalee as a prerequisite to her previous lessons from Memoria Press First Form Greek, I handed the box straight to her.  Em is a very independent learner and doesn’t like to have her hand held when learning.  She always comes to me with questions or any help she needs but generally she’s a figure-it-out-herself kinda girl.

Memoria Press is laid out so well that it’s always extremely easy to follow.  Emma had no problems setting her pace with the program, following along with the plans and scheduling already provided by Memoria Press.  I was able to help her set up a pace that worked for her (a few lessons at a time, taking as much time as she needed.)  She was able to take her time working through her lessons, watching the instructional videos for each lesson through the provided DVD’s.  Her favorites are always the pronunciation CD’s which she listens to over and over until she gets the sounds trained in her mind and also the flashcards which she uses along with the Pronunciation CD to better learn what she is reading and listening to.

She completed her worksheets as she went along through the lessons with very little problems.  Emma loves a good workbook and Memoria Press materials are always well-laid out and easily followed along.  Emma did use some of the quizzes and tests on her own but I never require them as my concentration is never to test her skills but to ensure she’s learning and enjoying the lessons as she goes, which she always does.

Memoria Press First Form Latin was a great fit for Emmalee and she’s very excited this curriculum will count towards her High School Foreign Language requirements.  She’s also taught the little ones a few words in both Latin and Greek that she’s learned through both of these curriculum.  She looks forward using the other Memoria Press Latin programs in the future as well.

Where You Can Buy First Form Latin:

Memoria Press’ First Form Latin is available for $125 through the Memoria Press website online.  It is for grades 4-9.  You can also take a look at all the other great Memoria Press Latin Complete Sets by clicking here!  Additional program supplements are also available.

Memoria Press Social Media Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/memoriapress/    Tag:  @memoriapress   
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MemoriaPress    Tag:  @MemoriaPress   
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriapress/            Tag:  @memoriapress   
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/memoriapress/          Tag:  @memoriapress   





Read More Reviews of Memoria Press: 

Latin, Nature and Trees {Memoria Press Reviews}
Disclaimer:


Crew Disclaimer

Overcoming Homeschooling Challenges {Homeschooling} {Epilepsy Awareness}

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5 Days of Homeschooling with Epilepsy and Other Issues:
Overcoming Homeschooling Challenges


Let’s face it.  Homeschooling when you have children with Special Needs present challenges most families don’t have and don’t expect.  We’ve previously discussed the Down Days.  We’ve also discussed Homeschooling with Doctor’s Appointments.

Then there are days when we have meltdowns, Mom and Dad included.  There are days when we feel like we can’t do this anymore or are we sure we even want to do this???  Wouldn’t it be easier just to put your kid on a bus and let the Public School handle all of these issues and challenges we face daily?

Giving up would be the easiest route.  Letting someone else take control while we sit back and enjoy the few peaceful hours that we don’t have to handle all these things.  Only then the phone rings asking us to come in because our child has had a meltdown and punched Johnny.  Or Emmalee has a migraine and needs to come home (yes this has actually happened to us).   So in the end, we’re still having to handle all the things we started with.

Challenges happen every day in life.  Some challenges are huge and some much smaller.  Some seem huge when they aren’t at all.  But all challenges teach us some important lesson in life though we may  not realize it until much later.

Each challenge presents a different result and needs a different way to be handled so I cannot tell you exactly how to handle the challenges presented to you personally but I can tell you what I do to overcome the many challenges I face in my days.

Pray.  Prayer always starts how I handle my day to day challenges.  Sometimes it’s a quick prayer: “Father, please make this happen.”  “Father, please allow things to go smoothly today.”  Sometimes it’s a more in depth prayer that lasts through out my day.  But no matter, prayer is always the best way to deal with my challenges.

Then I evaluate what’s going on.  The baby is crying and whining all day.  Does he need a nap?  Diaper changed?  Sensory overload?  Should we cuddle or is touch too much for him as well? (Sometimes he cannot stand to be held and other times he craves it and doesn’t realize that’s just what he needs.)

Why is Laycie extra whiny today?  Does she need an extra snack because she’s growing?  Did she even eat with her medication this morning?  Perhaps she needs some down time.  Maybe the task is too hard for her to complete yet.

All these things are challenges that I must determine and answer.  Sometimes the answer is easy.   Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to figure out.  Deduction and evaluation of my children is one way I handle our daily challenges and let me tell you, no one knows your children better than you do!

Then there are challenges of cleaning, teaching, keeping up with the Jones.  Well, first thing I did was throw out the competition with the neighbors, exes and other homeschool families.  This is my family and we have to compete with no one.  We do things on our time, in the way that best fits us and that’s perfectly fine.  Sure I occasionally find myself falling back to the old way of society says but then I stop and remind myself that society is not important.  God and His plan for my family is most important to me.

Cleaning: this is managed by setting schedules which sometimes do fall to the wayside.  There are many great apps and programs to help you stay on track.  That one Lady has been a lifesaver to me at times and I’m fixing to get back to that myself.  You have to find what works best for you, be it motivation programs, or things that list the job task to task.

Teaching: When life is in chaos, this becomes another challenge.  I’ve suggested some ways to deal with teaching when you are facing these challenges in my previous posts for this blog hop.  Make things easy on yourself.  Teach curriculum  that allows you to educate more than one child at a time.  Use materials that simplify instead of over exert you.  Teach your child educational independence too, so they can do the work on their own and learn with minimal input from you.  Educators outside of Elementary to High School age don’t hold our hands.  We’re expected to do it all on our own with little input from them.  It’s okay to let your child do the same if they are able.  It’s actually a skill they’ll use throughout their lifetime.

Organize:  I have a hard time with this myself but when everything is in it’s place, it really does help our lives run smoother.  Keep your curriculum in the same place every day so it’s easier for you to access.  This will make you want to teach and make learning easier for your children.  Same with the rest of the house.  When your children can find their clothing, they can get out the door for appointments faster.  When your kitchen is organized, cooking is more efficient.  You also have more time for family time and bonding with each other.

When challenges become too much, take time to reevaluate your home and life.  Take time off from school to relax and just be together as a family.  Go camping, or just to the park.  Change the pace.  Take a look at what small things you can do to make things flow better for your home and life and then make those changes.

Challenges face all of us.  They aren’t the end of the world, though sometimes they surely feel that way.  Challenges just require us taking time to figure them out in order to overcome them.  Once we do, things fall into place again until the next challenge comes along and then you start the process all over again.

Remember with Christ you can do anything!

God bless,

Dana Lambert-Hodge

P.S.  This is the final post in the 5 Days of Homeschooling with Epilepsy and Other Issues series.  We hope you have been blessed by our thoughts on these topics and have enjoyed this glimpse into our life.  Please take a look at our other posts it the series and may God bless you in your journey as He has us in our own.

This post is linked up with the 5 Days of Homeschooling… Blog Hop
from the Homeschool Review Crew!

5 Days of Homeschool Annual Blog Hop - 2017

To Read More…

Homeschooling With Doctor’s Appointments {Homeschooling} {Epilepsy Awareness}

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5 Days of Homeschooling with Epilepsy and Other Issues:
Homeschooling with Doctor’s Appointments


Having Special Needs children  means you have lots and lots of Doctor’s appointments.  Some weeks we have appointments almost daily.  Other weeks we get lucky and have no appointments but these weeks are rare.  Doctor’s appointments are simply a way of life for the Special Needs family.

Doctor’s appointments were one of the first reasons I chose homeschooling for our family.  I knew there was no way I could be at a doctor’s office 3 hours away and be able to get my “normal” kid off the school bus on time.  I knew there was no way I could deal with taking my kids out of school, sometimes several times a week without having some kind of issue with our school district.  It wasn’t a challenge I even wished to face.

Homeschooling has allowed me not to have to deal with those issues.  I don’t have to report where we’ve been or why we weren’t at school that day.  I don’t have to tell anyone why we’re stopping school early or even what our doctors had to say at those appointments because the only person I have to report to is me in my state.

But let’s talk about the days when we have appointments and how we deal with school on these days so that we can include learning on days that most parents would consider an educational loss.  There’s always learning going on but sometimes it takes a little bit of looking to make ourselves realize it’s actually happening.

We wake early and head hours down the road to our appointments most days.  Once in the car, we can listen to audio discs that tell stories of the past.  Story of the World is a history program that has audio to listen to.  There are also books on CD, podcasts, radio theater, and other audio’s to listen to.  Even just music CD’s can be turned into a lesson by comparing different musical eras or artists and styles.

I’ve heard of other parents who do Flashcards when they have more than one parent in the car.  Or small games.  Reading books aloud is another option as well but this only works when there’s someone else to help out.

Once we get to the appointment, the day is not necessarily a loss either.  In the waiting room, there is opportunity to socialize.  Sometimes we can play a game while we wait, like I-Spy.  We can read books, or play games on the iPad.  Coloring is another option, which helps develop small motor skills.

In the actual office, we discuss the different jobs the staff has.  We talk about tools the doctors use.  We talk about medical terms and anything else we can related to the doctor we are seeing that day.

Sometimes we also use this time to recite poems, songs, or even math facts as well.  Playing circle time games to keep the smaller kids occupied.  Whatever it takes but it’s all learning, even when we think it’s just play.

After appointments often brings the real fun.  Before the trip, I usually look around to find a fun activity or a place to visit that we can enjoy together.  These field trips are always educational and help us bond as a family as well.

Some places we’ve been:
Play parks,
State Parks,
Museums,
Riverwalks,
Zoo,
Battlefields,
Historical districts,
Aquarium,
and many more.

These places always bring out some interest that we can discuss and learn with.  Sometimes we only have an hour or so before closing, sometimes we have an afternoon but the time is packed with learning experiences that none of us will soon forget.

Even though you may think a day of appointments is a waste, there’s always a way to make it educational and turn it into a homeschooling day that isn’t a total loss.  You just have to take time to think outside the box and look at each individual segment for it’s learning capacity.  It’s there but often times we just chalk it up to a wasted day when it can be so much more!  Next time you feel your day is a waste, take a step back to reevaluate and see how you can turn it into a learning experience instead.

God bless,
Dana Lambert – Hodge

This post is linked up with the 5 Days of Homeschooling…
Blog Hop from the Homeschool Review Crew!

5 Days of Homeschool Annual Blog Hop - 2017

To Read More…

Homeschooling On The Down Days {Homeschooling} {Epilepsy Awareness}

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5 Days of Homeschooling With Epilepsy and Other Issues:
Homeschooling On The Down Days

Some days we wake up and lead a normal life.  We do normal things like eat breakfast together, read books, watch a movie.  We feel like a normal family.

Some days we wake up and our life is far from normal.  We are accosted by migraines.  Children don’t feel like eating breakfast.  We need a little more sleep before we get out of bed.  Cuddles are a must.  We are far from normal.

These are the down days.  The days when it feels like life is barely holding it together.  The days when the Seizure Monsters strikes before we’re even functioning good.  The days when snuggles are a must and extra sleep is needed to fight a monster we cannot see.  The down days happen more often than any of us like.

On these days, homeschooling is hard.  There’s no time to think through what’s on a schedule.  There’s no plan because you simply cannot plan on the days when life is in full chaos.

Over time, we’ve developed our own way of life and doing things, since Epilepsy and Involuntary Breath Holding Spells, ADHD and Sensory Issues leave us incapacitated and unable to complete even the simplest tasks.  Still learning must happen and life much continue as needed.

Every day when I awake, I check on each of my children.  I evaluate who needs what done.  Does my daughter with Epilepsy need just a bit more sleep?  Does my oldest need to take his allergy med or need a few minutes to figure out his plan for the day?  Does my older daughter need a few minutes to wake up before she dives into her daily schedule?  Does the baby need a little cuddle time before he has breakfast?  The list goes on and is different for each child.

Sometimes cuddling tops the list of things to do.  Sometimes a seizure happens and I must rush to the ER and leave the bigger kids to care for the littlest one.  Sometimes there’s just a seizure lurking which can be fought by resting and cuddling and napping with one another.

After we get through our first hour after waking, I usually know how my day will go.  If it’s a down day, we will relax, watch educational movies, read quiet books, draw, color and do minimal activity.  And this is okay because what’s important is getting better and getting back to what’s normal.
Some down days allow for a little more activity.  We can play, do small activities, and learn but still be ready if we just need a break.  It’s a lot of watching and having patience for all of us.

Some of our favorite activities when we are down are:
Movies, Reading, Math games, Playing, playdoh, baking together, listening to audio stories, chalk drawing, and just being together relaxing.

All of these allow us to learn while not overdoing it and we can break as we need to.

Each day I go through the same evaluations and make decisions based on what our morning holds.  This is how we’ve been able to homeschool from the beginning with multiple special needs children.  This is why we homeschool year round, so we can have more days to fit learning in even when we are down.

Homeschooling when you have down days is feasible if you make it work for you.  Having a relaxed homeschooling day or sometimes even week is never a bad thing.  Learning is inevitable if you provide the materials for your child to do so and can happen even on the worst day.  It’s also okay to just stop and take the day off from learning all together.  You must do what’s best for you and your family.

God bless,
Dana Lambert-Hodge

This post is part of the 5 Days Of Homeschooling… Blog Hop from
the Homeschool Review Crew!

5 Days of Homeschool Annual Blog Hop - 2017
To Read more…

What Homeschooling Is Like For Us {Homeschooling} {Epilepsy Awareness}

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5 Days of Homeschooling with Epilepsy and Other Issues:
What Homeschooling Is Like For Us


One of the BEST things about Homeschooling is that you can make it work for you!  You don’t need to follow anyone else’s schedule.  You don’t need to do Public School at Home.  You simply do what’s best for you and your family.

Homeschooling for us varies throughout the year.  Because our schedule is usually crazy with appointments at different times of the day, we have had to learn to adapt things to fit around this.  We homeschool year round, which means when the public school kids are at home, we’re usually still having school.

We’re also pretty eclectic educationally which fits right in with the Homeschool Review Crew since we never know ahead which vendors we will be selected to review and which we won’t.  We’ve been blessed to be selected for many wonderful items over the years while being a part of the crew and these items have easily been adapted to fit our homeschooling because of our personal style.

We also tend to use materials that allow us to work together as a family instead of individually which can take a ton of time.  Things like Apologia for science, unit studies by Amanda Bennett, Apologia for Biblical Studies and Story of the World for history have helped us to have a well-rounded educational experience while allowing us to adapt to the challenges our health issues present.

Unit studies have been a huge blessing because it allows us to often work through subjects of interest instead of following a more formal plan.  Many field trips end out our studies to give that hands-on experience my children crave.  This is just a fun bonus for all of us.

As you’ve probably guessed, we don’t follow a strict schedule.  I feel that learning is most important, not meeting a timeline that my children may not necessarily be ready for.  I enjoy watching their little faces when they truly learn something that speaks loudly to their hearts.  This is the method we’ve used for years and greatly enjoy following.

This is just a small glimpse into our homeschooling life.  We hope you’ve enjoyed it and look forward to sharing more with you!  Next up is Homeschooling On The Down Days.

Blessings,
Dana Lambert-Hodge

This post is a part of the 5 Days of Homeschool… Blog Hop from
the Homeschool Review Crew!

5 Days of Homeschool Annual Blog Hop - 2017

Read more posts…