Luv'N Lambert Life

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homeschooling

Ideas for Homeschooling Your Preschooler {Homeschooling}

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Homeschooling your preschooler should not be a hard thing to do.  Providing fun experiences, playing games and simply being together is often all that is needed to educate a child at this age.  The following is a list of ideas to do with your preschooler:

1. Take a walk together.  Experiences like these allow your child to view nature up close and absorb the details of the world around them.

2. Play games together.  This builds self-confidence and promotes relationship skills.  Games can also be used for learning ABC’s, counting and much more.

3. Fix lunch together.  Choose safe foods that a child can help you make.  My children like to spread pb&j onto bread for our sandwhiches or lay ham and cheese on crackers for us to enjoy.  This promotes life skills along with self-confidence and also relationship skills.

4. Create cards to send to loved ones.  Young children are often not ready to write and draw but with an adults help they can manage to create something unforgettable to share with Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, siblings, cousins, and other loved ones that live far away.  This teaches a child to give back to their community.  It also helps them to learn writing skills and social skills such as the almost lost art of writing a letter.

5.  Bake and ice a cake to take to a neighbor together.  This is another way to give back to those in the community teaching children important socialization skills, as well as cooking skills they will need someday in the future.

6.  Read books together.  Learning to read is an important skill and children learn faster when they are read to.  This promotes family bonding and also begins a love of reading in a child.  Another bonus is that children can learn about other cultures, animals and skills through books chosen to read together.

7.  Take a field trip to a museum or other place of interest.  Exhibits, nature walks, state parks, and so many other places provide hands on learning experiences that children will absorb and learn with better than any textbook could provide.

8.  Simply go to the store together.  Children can learn lots of things in a store.  Counting, adding, subtracting, following a list, search and find needed supplies and so much more.  The store is full of educational experiences for a child.

9.  Play at the park.  Sometimes it’s just good to take a break and simply spend a little time at the park.  Playing is a huge part of learning for a child.  Parks allow the child socialization experiences, physical activity, balancing skills, following direction and so much more.  Park days are some of our favorite days in homeschooling.

10.  Build a Lego village.  Doing simple things like building houses with blocks, roleplaying with dolls, pretend cooking and more allows a child to develop necessary skills for life.  Play should be fun and unique and allow a child to use their imagination.  Play is an important part of individual development for any child.

These are only a few ideas to use in your home preschool.  The important thing is to get your child thinking and moving.  Paper lessons are great sometimes but they should not be the bulk of your preschool homeschool.  Allow your child activities that make them think, react, socialize and get involved.  Those skills and experiences will build a lifetime love of learning.

Educating the Small {Homeschooling}

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Children are amazing.  They can hear the quietest whispers.  They can smell things that we sometimes miss.  They absorb the smallest details of everything.

God gave them these sensitivities for one reason: to learn.  It’s a fact that children will learn regardless of how they are educated.  They will soak up knowledge from everything that surrounds them.

Educational experts today will tell you that children should begin to learn as soon as possible.  This is true.  They should.  But not through text books and forced education in a building that allows them no experience with the real world.  Children should be presented with experiences that allow their minds to broaden and feel and exist in the world that was created especially for their senses to be developed in.

From the day we are born, we are learning.  We look around and take in everything that we see, touch, feel, hear and taste.  We learn from these things.

If something tastes bad or gives us a shock when our tongue touches it, we learn not to taste or do that again.  If something hurts when we touch it, we learn not to touch it again.  If something is loud when we drop it, we try not to drop it again.  As the opposite if it feels soft, we want to touch it.  If it tastes good, we want to eat all that is offered and then some.  All learning experiences.

Today’s world is indoctrinated into believing that from birth, children must be prepared for schooling.  What is missed is that children are already learning.  Worksheets and a teacher standing at a blackboard are not necessary for education.  Neither is a room filled with one to two adults and approximately 30 children.

What is needed, in my opinion, is a person that will allow a child to experience the wonderful things the world has to offer.  The experiences that God intended for children to have in His world.  A field trip to the park to beach to play in the sand and collect shells to count.  A walk down the road to pick up pine cones and see what birds are flying by.  Even examining a puddle after the rain can bring about a learning experience that a child won’t soon forget.

These are experiences my children and I have every day through homeschool education.  Yes, we are lucky to be able to enjoy these things.  Maybe you could too?  Stop thinking about the educational path that society wants for children and begin to look at all the educational things to enjoy while they are still young and with you.  Children grow up too fast to waste time doing anything else.

The “U” Word {Homeschooling}

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I have four children.  Three who are school aged and one sweet baby.  I chose a long time ago to homeschool them.  If you have been on my blog long, or are my Facebook friend, etc then you already know all of this.

We are not traditional homeschoolers.  I don’t have time for that!  But we are homeschoolers none the less.

I came to realize recently that I don’t talk a whole lot about our homeschooling adventures.  I honestly have no idea why except maybe it’s because, to me, our homeschooling doesn’t look a whole lot different than the everyday normal.  We play, we eat, we draw, write, color, watch tv.  This list could get pretty long.  We do all the same things you do when your children are home, only we do them as part of our schooling.

See we are Eclectic in educational style.  We are extremely relaxed.  We border strongly on Unschooling.

I can hear your sharp intake of breath.  “Did she just say Unschooling?! Isn’t that doing no school at all?!  You mean she’s not teaching those kids?! The shame.”

No, no!  That’s not what Unschooling is at all!  Unschooling is allowing my children educational freedom to learn on their own.  Unschooling is having faith in God to lead our daily studies.  Unschooling is letting my children be children as God intended for them to be.

I teach by playing with my kids or seeing to it they have the necessary tools to learn with.  I teach as they ask questions to learn more about something they want to know.  I teach by explaining that it’s not proper to say “I ain’t gonna play with she today” and why it’s not.  This list can go on too.

What you won’t see in my home every day is me standing at a black board writing out words or me standing over my daughter as she practices her writing.  You won’t find me patiently waiting while they finish up a test or timing them as they learn their math facts.  You won’t find my children learning rote memorization of facts they don’t find interesting or us reading from a text book written just so they can be equal educationally to millions of other students.

What you will find is a library stocked with interesting books on 1000’s of subjects that they can and do pick up and read at will.  You will find a stocked video area and a subscription to Netflix, along with a full channel  satellite package so they can view documentaries and other educational movies at the drop of a hat as we learn.  You will find the internet connected at all times so we can research things that catch their interest or puzzle their minds.  You will also find tons of toys for interactive play, legos for building and math, crayons, paper, coloring pages, and a working printer for challenging them to absorb their world daily.

That is the way of Unschooling and Relaxed, Eclectic education.  We learn every day about many different things in a way we love, making education something we love.  And I, nor my children, would have that any other way.

Enjoying The Days Together At Home {Homeschooling}

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As a homeschooling parent, I spend my days at home with my children.  This can be a demanding task but at the same time it’s the most rewarding way to spend every day.  My children enjoy their time with me, and at home and I also enjoy that time with them.

We do everything together: read books, watch movies, play games, complete chores, lessons, enjoy nature and on and on.  Of course, we also do many things apart: read alone, build towers, ride bikes, nap, etc.  The lists on both sides goes on and on.

There are definitely days when we get on each other nerves and there are days when we can not enjoy enough time together.  One thing I personally never wish is that my children were enrolled in public school and I can honestly say they tell me they feel the exact same way.  We would miss out on so much of each other’s lives if we were not together daily as we are and not one of us wants that.

We greatly enjoy our times together, the memories and the love.  The kids love knowing that I have seen their biggest moments, that I was there for them and not a strange person who leads them in class.  They enjoy seeing those big moments between each other too.  They will never forget the day Laycie learned to roll over, crawl, walk or talk.  They will never forget those moments of Jackson’s life either.  They don’t take those little things for granted at all.

Even through the ups and downs of life while homeschooling, these are times I would never change.  I’m blessed in my life and my children.  I am happy and in love with these moments we share and I couldn’t ask for better days than these right now in our lives.

Our Journey With Homeschooling: Beginning to Now {Homeschooling}

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When I was growing up, I wanted to be two things: a Mom and a Teacher.  I would role play as both for hours every day I was able.  I’d get lost in my world of teaching and childcare and I remember having so much fun.

As a teenager, I met my ex-husband, then my boyfriend and threw away my dreams of teaching, but not my dreams of having children.  Before long, I was married and had two beautiful babies to love and raise.  As they grew, I began to realize that one day they’d have to go off to public school.  I wasn’t ready but then are we ever really?

One day my then-hubbie came home talking about homeschooling.  His boss homeschooled his kids.  So I immediately began researching.  I asked others about this newfound idea of homeschooling which I thought was totally impossible and crazily outrageous at the time.  I discovered that even my sister had considered it though she was enrolling her daughter into public school because she didn’t think she could commit to teaching her daily.

As days passed, I prayed about homeschooling and I researched everything I could to learn more.  I found Vine and Branches Home Educators, a local association and contacted them for more information.  They offered a class which I gladly took, helping prepare those interested and new to homeschooling for the journey ahead.

Every where I went I found homeschooling materials from the dump to normal stores I shopped at.  For me, that was it.  God was telling me to homeschool my children.

Over time, I’ve been told that I must be Super Mom to have my kids around all the time.  I’ve heard others say that they could never do that or that they weren’t smart enough to teach their children.  Yes, my background interest in Public School Education helped my homeschooling decision but even without that interest I could still manage.

I have had a truancy officer knocking on my door and DSS.  Showing proof of my state’s laws and being prepared for them helped to end those situations quickly.  Sometimes other’s perceptions of how things are supposed to be do more good than bad, especially when it comes to homeschooling.

I have even done the brief sending my children to public school and my children and I both agree it was the worst experience of this whole journey with homeschooling.  They didn’t like it.  I didn’t like it.  Needless to say, it ended quickly, though with a lot of emotional scaring that’s had to be dealt with since.

I like to say I’ve been homeschooling for 12 years – the age of my oldest child – but I didn’t actually start homeschooling until he was 3-4 when the public school decision was breathing down my neck.  So we’ve actually been doing this for 9 years now.  It’s not been an adjustment because it was simply a continuation of having my children home from birth – simply continuing to do what we already were.

Once I took the got-to-get-the-kids-ready-to-go-to-school ideal out of my head, things went pretty smoothly.  It has taken me a while to get the school-must-be-just-like-public-school ideal broken and I still find myself comparing my children or panicking when it doesn’t seem enough compared to their public school friends.  I’m working on that though.

This has been a crazy ride, but a well-loved one and it’s a decision I wouldn’t change for anything.  I would make it again in a heartbeat without a second thought.  Will my children ever go to public school?  Not if I have my way.  Their home education is so much better, so much more fulfilling then anything they could get in that classroom.  And the moments we have together are just icing upon the cake.

This has been my experience with homeschooling.  Not every experience turns out this way.  Not everyone can homeschool.  It takes a lot of patience.  It takes a lot of love.  But overall, if you can do it, it will be an experience you’ll never forget.

Parent as Teacher… What An Idea?! {Homeschooling}

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As a homeschool Mom and a review blogger, I tend to receive a lot of questions about curriculum and educational choices when it comes to homeschooling.  I am by no means an expert on either of these things but I do have strong beliefs of what homeschooling is intended to be.  That said, this is my personal two cents of what’s what and does not reflect any opinion of the companies that I work for, or the friends that I have in this “business”.

Homeschooling is meant to be school at home but in no way is it meant to be public school at home.  If you are looking to do public school at home, my best advice to you would be to join a Virtual School or Home Bound program or simply to leave your child enrolled in your local public school system.

If you really, truly want to home school then you must completely change your way of thinking.  

Consider this:  When you give birth to your sweet baby, you as the parent immediately become the main teacher of that child.  You don’t have an instructor to really go by.  There is no one to educate you on what to do with your child.  Sure, you get helpful advice from those who have been there and done that but YOU are the one who decides whose advice to follow and generally parents follow the beliefs that are instilled inside them as being right.

When that child begins to grow and learn, it is you who helps them along.  It’s you who shows that child how to roll over, providing the assistance needed to learn those skills.  It’s you, the parent, who assists them in learning to sit, to eat, to sleep, to potty, to play, to love reading and so much more.  And they do learn from your efforts to teach them these necessary skills for life.

Then comes the age where the parent must send their child off to school.

Hold up… Why is that?  You, as the parent, have taught your child so many skills already, often without help from others.  You, as the parent, have managed for 4-5 years without a teacher guiding you on how to do these things.  Why is it, suddenly when your child reaches this age, you the parent are no longer skilled enough to continue to educate your child?

Let me tell you… you ARE skilled enough.  You ARE able to educate your child, in your home, on your time. And in my opinion, there is NOTHING better.

Now, I know someone out there is saying, I cannot afford to stay home with my child.  I understand that.  Some parents must work to provide for their child.  Some situations do not allow a parent to be able to find care for that child other than sending the child to school.  And some people just do not have the patience to educate their children.  I’m saying now, THIS BLOG POST IS NOT DIRECTED TO THOSE WHO CANNOT HOMESCHOOL.

It is however, directed to those who are considering homeschooling and second guessing themselves on this ideal.  You can homeschool.  It’s worth the sacrifices.  It pays itself off in the end, emotionally and financially.  And guess what?  You’ve been homeschooling your child since the day they were born!

Think about that… really let it sink in: You’ve been homeschooling your child since the day they were born!

You, the parent, are your child’s first teacher and you were meant to be their only teacher.  God (or whoever you believe in) equipped you to do the job of educator, to teach your child the things they need to know to live and survive in life.  You only have to try, to give yourself the chance to manage to educate your child and to enjoy the experience along with your child along the way.

If I can do this, and I have been for 12 years now, then anyone can.  You just have to make up your mind and take that first step to attempt to home school.  I promise you can do it!

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