Increasing your family

This week question for the blog cruise is:

“How to homeschool while pregnant or with a new baby?”

This is a very good question.

And even though I am not expecting or have a baby anymore, I can write about it because three years ago I experienced it.

WoW!  Time flies…

My baby days are over until my own kids have children of their own.   But when we entered in our homeschool journey I was expecting our fourth child.

What made it easy for me is that fortunately I had only one child to homeschool back then – my oldest son who was entering grade 1.

How did I planned it – knowing that I would have a c-section in December and a brand new baby for the new year?   I decided to give a big boom like we say and advanced as much as I could before the month of December.

I must admit that we started earlier that year – right in the beginning of August and that throughout of that school year, I concentrated on the basic skills of writing, reading and mathematics.   This gave me the confidence to pursue homeschooling and not having too much on my shoulder as my family was adjusting in the arrival of our only daughter.    I must also be honest with you in admitting that I had also planned to do Mystery of History but somehow it was too much for a new homeschooler so I decided to drop it with plans to pick it up eventually in the years to come.   I am just starting to re-consider it…

While homeschooling Alexandre and letting the other ones play and get use to the new schedule as well, I was able to take my time and savour the joy of homeschooling without too much stress.  Have only the basics to concentrate on what a definite plus for me.    I didn’t have to worry much about history, geography and science.   We did a bit of these subjects but having our family life getting use to the homeschool and welcoming a new baby in our midst was enough changes for that year.

Baby Jasmine joined us in December – just in time for Christmas.   It was nice to take a break and enjoy our new daughter.   Alexandre had advanced quite a bit in his school so he was able to enjoy life with 6 people in the family.    Looking back, I realize that I was blessed back then to have a child who is gifted with an extraordinary memory and who has facility to learn.    I realize now that he is an easy child to learn.   Not all my kids are like that and I realize that I need to be flexible to adapt my style of teaching to their style of learning.  

That first year, taking one day at a time was the smartest thing I did.   Concentrating on the basics was another smart move.    Welcoming a new little one in a family can bring changes and disruptions in the regular schedules.   Take the time to adjust your pace and take it slower.    In the end, it will be beneficial for you, your family and your homeschool.

 

End of the rope

This week question for the blog cruise is:

“How do you avoid burn-out?”

Thought subject I find.

But it needs to be talked about because contrary to what probably most people think, homeschooling is not always easy. We have times when we doubt our decision while other times we feel overwhelmed with either the responsibility or the fact that you have three kids with different levels to teach.

Yes there are days where I feel totally and entirely inadequate.

The worse for me is always in February.   So what do I do…?

It simple and easy at the same time.   Take you days one at a time and reduce the quantity of work to be done.  Then you won’t see a HUUUUUUGE mountain in front of you but a little hill instead.

Okay the analogy is probably not the best but I think you get the idea.   When I know that the “blues” are hitting home, I just put the books aside and I would read to the kids or give them a free play.   We don’t do many snow days during the school part of the year, so taking a day off when mom is overwhelmed is good.   It reduce the possibility of having my tone of voice going up a notch….  Seriously though, when you feel you have too much on your shoulders, check your schedule and see if there is anything that could be removed.   Too many activities outside the house would be a good place to start.   In our family, I stick with swimming lessons and AWANA for now.   Time will tell if we will add something else eventually but I seriously doubt it.

Burn-out is important to recognize.   And it is also important to talk about it.   I hope that your spouse is supportive and is willing to listen to you if things are not going the way you would have hoped.    When I feel that I am burned-out, I need some time alone.   That’s when I let the kids watch a movie or play games.   Or I would cook something chocolaty and we would eat some together.  Another idea would be to take a bubble bath which is always a treat for me.  

I did had black days – like I call them.  Days that I wanted to throw everything and just send the kids to school.   As much as it would be easier to do, I know deep down that I would not honour God by doing so.  Why?  Simply because I know that God has called me to homeschool my kids right now.  Will it be like that forever?  I don’t know.  Maybe.  Our hopes is to homeschool in high school as well but we leave it in God’s hands for now.  After all, we still have a few years before coming to the high school years.

I find the important thing is to take one day at a time.  It is not working today?  Don’t worry.  There is always tomorrow.   Take a break.  Go walk outside.   Pray and ask God to guide you and your children.    Read the Bible.  You will be surprised how much peace will come over you during that time.   And don’t forget a bit of chocolate is always helpful!  

Working and Homeschooling

This week question for the blog cruise is:

“How do you juggle working either in the home or outside the home and homeschooling?”

Does anyone homeschooling without working?   Honestly, a mom at home always has work to do even if you don’t have a home business or work outside the house.    There is clothes to wash, lunch and supper to prepare, a house to clean…  I think you see where I am going.

BUT for me, there is more because yes we do have a home business.  My husband is the one who goes to the clients and build their system that they need.   We also have two employees which also have contracts.   Nevertheless, I have work to do for it at times.   Mostly accounting but sometimes it requires me being available for translation or assurance quality ie testing.    These days, it is mostly the accounting part of things.  I prepare the paperwork and the spreadsheets for the accountant.  These are brought at the end of our year end which is July of each year.   As a business we also have a few months after the year end to submit the paperwork which is nice between you and me.   This year though I would love to be able to bring the paperwork in August – if possible…  which reminds me I need to start working on them.

I also consider my reviewing experience as a job – part time mind you but it is a job anyway.    I usually write my reviews in the afternoons when possible.    I was very busy before Christmas with a bunch of reviews of toys I had to do.   I had started requesting toys back in November.   This year I will take some advance in contacting the companies.    Part of the job of a reviewer is to request the product.  So whenever I have a minute or two, I approach companies by emailing them and offering my services in reviewing their products.    Am I paid for this?  Not directly but I get to keep the product which is very nice.

I also have a part-time job as an editor to review French teaching documents to make sure that there isn’t typos or errors in the text or solution document.    This is done sporadically.    I will be paid for the job and I have the possibility of being paid in documents if I wish.

How do I juggle working and homeschooling?  By giving priority to the homeschool and doing the work in the afternoon.   Sometimes, I might have to skip a day of school but generally speaking I am always trying to homeschool first.   Eventually, the work will get done (especially for the business)…

It is a priority in our family.   Plain and simple.  

How our days look like

This week question for the blog cruise is:
“Do you follow a traditional school day/time/schedule/year?”
While homeschooling you can have a pretty flexible schedule.   If you observe different homeschoolers you will quickly realized that no two houses will have a same schedule.

Homeschooling permits you do adjust regularly while facing life’s events.  But at the same time, I find that routine is also necessary for children.

Consequently, I try to start school at about 830ish in the morning.  Some days we can start earlier than that and other days we start at 9ish but most of the days we start on time.

My eldest son knows that his days should start with reading the Bible and doing his devotion (just like me).    As the kids grow and learn to read, we want to instil the habit of reading the Bible on a regular basis. 
When all the kids are up, their job is to empty the dishwasher.   We are a family all living in the same house and everyone has to pitch in on the daily chores which are part of life.

Our “school” time in the morning goes up until noon.    During that time, I try to cover the basics like maths, English, and French.   In the afternoon, I would do other things with my eldest while the other kids take a nap.  

The only day where this routine is changed would be the Wednesday where the two younger kids nap in the morning and the two older boys and I would do some science in the morning.  Right now, we are studying the Human Anatomy together.  In the afternoon we have swimming lessons.

On Thursdays, the kids go to AWANA in the evening.  This also mean that they go to bed later that night.   Consequently, the Friday morning is more relax but we still do school.

We don’t follow the tradition school schedule.   For example, even though Christmas has come, we still did the basis some days during the Christmas Holidays.  Why?  Simply because we have found in the past that the month of February is the hardest for us.   So now we slow down in February and take it easy.   We do school but not as much as the other months.   

During the summer, we explore various things and still learn but not with the books per say.    Routine is not established during the summer per say.   We often take the opportunity to go explore the surroundings of our trailer site, fishing and travel a bit.   In our travelling, we always make sure that we visit various museums, zoos or aquariums if possible.

In the end, our learning is year long.   Anything that could be converted as a teaching lesson is taken advantage of.   Normally, we start our “school” in August and are able to finish in May.   We had a year we were even able to finish at the end of April.

While homeschooling we have the opportunity to have flexibility in our days/months/years.    We won’t have two years the same for that matter.    The beauty of homeschooling is that we can adjust the pace depending of what is happening in the family.

Homeschooling through life’s events

This week question for the blog cruise is:
“How do you homeschool during illness or family stress or crisis?”
Ah!   That is a great question.   
Since we started homeschooling about 4 years ago, we never really had anything major happening in our life.    Well that’s not technically true.   We have events but no major illnesses, family crisis or major stress either.
Don’t take me wrong, we have encountered things that disturbed our life.    But with patience, organisation and planning, we went through them.
In 2007, I was expecting our fourth child.   I knew it would be another caesarean which also meant that I needed to plan in advance before the birth so we can relax a bit when I was in limited in our activities.  Jasmine was born on December 19th about three weeks before her due date because this was my fourth caesarean.     The boys were really helpful especially my oldest back then.  He learned how to do the washing and helped me a lot with this task as well as with the vacuuming.    We pursued homeschooling slowly doing basic lessons.   But it was also during the Christmas season and we were blessed to have help from my mom who came to visit for a while.
Another time, I was schedule for surgery on my right foot in 2008.  Yes a year after the birth of our little girl.    Was I crazy to get operated when I had a non-walking little one at home.   More than likely yes but honestly I couldn’t bear the pain on the foot anymore…   I had a bunion that was hurting a lot.    The left foot had been operated when I was in high school.   This one had not bug me until about two-three years ago.   It took two years to have an appointment with the specialist and then another year to have the surgery.   So here you go.   There was no turning back.   I had surgery and was limited in walking.    Ah!   Nuts I tell you.    But I planned in advance and did a big BOOM of homeschool before the surgery.  We also did a bit during the Christmas time to advance more.   I was in a cast for a long time.  
Stress/depression has also been part of my life.   When I feel overwhelmed and can’t seem to function, I take it easy.    It happens more during the winter season.     And since I discovered that vitamin D helps people who have the blues during winter, it happens less.    I am fortunate then when it happened, it didn’t last many days.   It usually happens for a day.   A day I take to relax, pray and seek God while the kids have it easy with coloring, movies and popcorn.  
How do you homeschool during illness or family stress or crisis?   My suggestion is that you take it easy, cover the basics (reading, writing and arithmetic) and think that in a way your kids are learning to deal with it.  It’s life.  It needs to be dealt with.   They can learn in a different way going through these events like how to help, how to trust God, how to deal with doctors/nurses and so on.    Learning happens on a daily basis whether you plan it or not.

Exploring nature in our city

This week’s question on the blog cruise is:
“How do you do nature studies where YOU live?”

Nature studies can be done everywhere we go in our city.   We are blessed beyond measures with a greenbelt around our city.  You can download the all seasons trail map here.

Not only that but there is a multitudes of trails and parks where we can go an explore around.  Look at what I found on our city’s website…

More than 850 parks within City boundaries

Maintains 2,853 hectares of parkland

6, 648 hectares of natural parkland

9,501 hectares of open space

234 km of trails or 0.27 km of trails per 1,000 persons

So there is tons of opportunity of exploring and discovering nature around us.   Within a 10-15 minutes drive you can find nice trails and go explore with your family.   

One of the special places I would love to go (yes in 10 years living here, I still haven’t find the time to drive the 40 minutes to go there… shame on us!) is the Mer Bleu area.  

We are also within driving distance (about 30 minutes) from the famous Gatineau Park which is Canada’s Capital Conservation Park.  While there you can also visit the Mackenzie King Estate which would include a bit of history in the homeschool.

Even in my own neighbourhood, there is one walking trail within 5 minutes of our house – literally!   
Honestly, there is no reason whatsoever to not study nature in our area.  There is plenty to do and it is good exercises too.

During winter, we could go skate on the Rideau Canal Skateway and enjoy the Beaver Tails.  

Our Museum of Nature has just reopens its doors this past spring after major renovations.   We haven’t had the time to visit it yet but I am planning to go to it during the school year. 

And to complete our time to study nature, we are blessed to have the visit of wild rabbits in our backyard as well as some birds.    So every once in a while, we observe the rabbits and enjoy their presence.   This year, we also had the privilege to see a squirrel running on the fence.   The kids were pleased to see that little animal.  

I think it is a blessing in itself to see nature through the eyes of a child.   It amazes me how much they get excited for little things – even ladybugs.

Earlier this summer, we discovered a dead dragonfly when we came out of the house.  How it got on our porch we have no idea but having the opportunity to see one up close was wonderful.   While on vacation, we found a dead butterfly stuck in the front of our truck.  Once again, it was a good opportunity to see one close and discover the fragility of its wings.   I am planning to pin it in a special frame.    Should be a fun activity don’t you think?

A few years ago, we participated in an activity at Petrie Island (totally at the other side of the city for us) on turtle hatching.   We learned about turtles and went on to try to discover a nest.   My kids did found one and we also found plenty of left over egg shells as well.   It was fun.    

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The following spring, as we were opening our trailer for upcoming season, we witnessed a turtle laying her eggs in the ground.    It was priceless and a wonderful opportunity to complete the previous activity we did back in the previous fall.

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There there is the fishing.    The kids loves to go on the boat with daddy and spent some time on the lake at Logos Land.    They have the opportunity to observe fishes, turtles, frogs, a family of loons (every year) and more.   This year, my 2nd son, Dominic, even saw a water snake during his one-on-one time with daddy.  And when we were at Science North in Sudbury, the kids had the opportunity to touch a variety of animals – water snakes, flying squirrels (which we didn’t know existed in Ontario), turtles and much more.

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When you go out with your kids, don’t forget a camera to snap memories.   Recently, we started some sort of nature journal and are collecting trunk samples of trees we encounter.   We also stencil the trunk as well as a leave.  When we get back home, we try to find the type of tree and write it down on the page.   This way the kids are  discovering a new way to learn about trees. On the right, you can see the example of a paper birch (Betula papyrifera).   Did you know that this tree was used by Native peoples for birchbark canoes, baskets, and message paper?  (See the pictures below - taken at Elliot Lake Uranium and Mining Museum)

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Discovering nature is easy.   Take the time to bring your kids outside and walk in trails.   Get a book about trees, birds, plants, and animals to learn the names of them.

My Favourite Homeschool Resources

This week question for the blog cruise is:
“What are your favourite resources for  ____ age/grade?  (age/grade that you are teaching)”
Well first I have to tell you that I have four kids.   Their ages are 2 (almost 3), 4 (almost 5), 6 and 9.
So technically I have a toddler going on to become a preschooler, a senior kindergartner, a grade 1 and a grade 4 students.   So here are my favourite homeschool resources for these grades. Notice that I have a SPECIFIC GRADES section and an ALL GRADES section.
SPECIFIC GRADES
Toddler/Preschool   Passe-Partout videos. Blocks. Puzzles. Crayons and paper.   You name it you got it.   This is the age where a child will play more and discover.   I would read and read and read more.   Learning the colors and forms as well as alphabet and numbers would be on the priority list.  Jasmine is in that age group and I know that I need to spend time with her alone.   One on one is important at any age and I don’t want her to feel that I don’t take care of her.  
Kindergartner 
Last year I had the privilege to review a wonderful product that teaches the child to write the alphabet.   I received the lowercase DVD and it was a wonderful addition in our homeschool.  Jérémy was in preschool when we product tested it and he loved it.  Even Jasmine who had turned two back in December would sit with him and repeat after the TVTeacher.   It was adorable and learning was there.   LOVE IT!   To read my review about alphabet beats please click here.
Rocket Phonics for an introduction of phonics and reading.    I am planning to use this with Jérémy on a more regular basis this year.  To read my review of Rocket Phonics, please go here.

GRADE 1 To improve reading in English, I will continue using Rocket Phonics with Dominic.   He is getting there and is looking forward to go buy his own Bible with Dad (with lunch included).   It is a tradition for us when a child is able to read by himself.   
For French reading, I am using Je Lis, J’écris…  from Guérin.  They have various books for all levels of primary school.   Dominic will start with book 1 this year.   

GRADE 4   For English grammar I really like the Easy Grammar products.    I discovered them through a friend of mine and Alexandre loved it last year.   Even I learned during the last year when we first tackled this curriculum.   So this year, we are doing the grade 4 book and I expect that we will learn more interesting lessons in English grammar.
I will also continue with the Je lis… J’écris… for Alexandre this year.    His reading has blossomed with this product and I am satisfied with it.
ALL GRADES
MATHEMATICS Maths.   Yikes I hate it at one point in my life.   But I have discovered a wonderful curriculum that will use multi-sensory tools and will help the student to engage visually, auditory, and kinesthetically throughout the lessons.  Here’s how they describe Math-U-See.

“Math-U-See is broken down to teach students specific skills that build as the student progresses. This systematic and cumulative approach uses a definite, logical sequence of concept instruction. The Math-U-See system is structured with step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts.”

Math-U-See information can be found at their website - http://www.mathusee.com/ . 
FRENCH As you might know, French is our mother tongue.  We live in a city/country who is predominantly English.   Consequently, we want our kids to be able to read, write and converse in both official languages.   We searched for a few years before finally discovering the products we particularly love in French.   
Les Éditions de l’Envolée have some interesting curriculum that is reproducible (which is a plus for us).   The best part is that I can buy the ones I want via internet in PDF files directly.    For our French grammar products, I am using the Grammaire series which will go from grade 1 to grade 6.    The also have interesting products about coloring the grammar which my kids loves.  
For French writing and reading comprehension, we have discovered a wonderful curriculum which contains two years per binder for a total of three binders for the whole elementary levels.   À Vos Marques contains reading and writing exercises to do with your child (reproducible).   This year Dominic will go through the grade 1-2 book and Alexandre will go through the grade 3-4 book.    Next year I will have to purchase the grade 5-6 binder.
AWANA Okay I admit that this is not a curriculum per say but it is a great activity for your kids to participate.  Not only will they make friends with others kids but they will learn more about the Bible and memorize scriptures.   I know that I also learned a lot last year when my kids participated for the first time.   They are so looking forward to go this year.   Jasmine will be in Cubbies, Jérémy and Dominic will be in Sparks and Alexandre will be in T&T again this year.    Mom and Dad will have a dating evening which sounds fantastic to us!   A date a week – can we ask for more?  
HISTORY This year I am also planning to incorporate more history.   I had started Mystery of History two years ago but being new at homeschooling, I quickly put it aside because I wanted to concentrate on reading, writing and arithmetic.   Now that I am more comfortable with the basics, history will be more fun to enjoy.  What I like about this curriculum is that the same lesson can be done by various grades with less or more complicated tasks depending of the age of the child.   To learn more about Mystery of History, please click here.
GEOGRAPHY Geography is another subject that I am incorporating this year.   And I have been blessed beyond my expectations with a variety of wonderful products since January (and it didn’t cost me much).   Most of the products I got I received for free at a time when I was wondering how in the world I would include geography when we didn’t have much money.   My favourite product is the Old World Style Maps from Homeschool In The Woods.  I am impressed with the quality of the maps and the activities linked with the learning.    I hope that someday this publisher will create a similar product for Canadian geography!
SCIENCE If you are looking for a science curriculum with creation flavor in it, I would suggest that you look into the products that Master Books have.   They have wonderful books on Creation for various ages, physics, chemistry and much more.    I’ve reviewed a few of them in the past two years on Canadianladybug Reviews! – to access them click here.

The myth of mommy time

This week question for the Blog Cruise is:

“How do you find free time?  Is it ok to take time for yourself?  If so, how?”

Me time.    It is something that the world is pushing left and right, back and forth.   It has been years now that we hear the Me, Myself and I expression and we see this attitude being more present in the new generation.

But can we really have free time and time for ourselves when we have decided to homeschool?   Is it realistic to think that way?   My answer to this is a simple NO.   It is not realistic to think that way.   Homeschooling is a lifestyle that will bring you to spend lots of time with your children.   So if you expect having time for yourself while embarking in the adventure of homeschooling, you better remove those pink sunglasses right away because your “ME” time will be reduce to almost nothing.  

Notice that I said almost nothing.  Why?   Well, if you have a spouse who is willing to support you and that encourage you in pursuing the homeschool adventure, well you can be assure that this spouse will also make efforts to give you some much needed time to decompress and relax once in a while.  

These days, I’ve seen comments from people who send their kids to school.   Comments like “It the most wonderful time of the year!” and “I can’t wait for the kids to be at school, I’m tired of the bickering and the fights.”.   Part of me are sad for these people because I sense that they don’t realize how blessed they are to have their children.  And I wish I could encourage them to  consider homeschool because that way they will have the privilege to get to know their kids better. 

Do I get discourage sometimes and want to give up?  Yes I do.   But I have been blessed with an understanding husband who knows how to encourage me.    Since last year, he has send me to our RV alone so I can have some time alone to recharge my batteries and to connect with God amidst the busyness of homeschooling.   It was very good and by the time my two days were up, I missed my family very much.
During the school year, I also recharge myself by taking naps sometimes and by reading.    Reading has always been an important part of me.   I love to read – actually I devour books.    And thanks to a friend I discovered the world of reviewing books and blogging about it.    I love it and it feeds the bookworm living inside me.  *grin*

Something else I do sometimes would be creating cards and scrapbooking.  I must admit though that scrapbooking has been on the back burner for a while now but I hope to reconnect with this hobby during the coming year.

My solution is not very fancy and doesn’t require caffeine (even though a chocolate or two once in a while would be perfect!).   It is not expensive like getting a pedicure or a manicure (I got my first one for my 40th birthday and it was nice but it won’t be something I would do regularly though!).   But it can be sometimes a movie out with a friend or a day activity like going to Mud Oven (which by the way I just got a rebate from Groupon.).

No realistically finding a “ME” time while homeschooling is not something you can have on a day to day basis but with effort and creativity, you can create some special time to recharge your batteries once in a while.  
Having said that – I think I will go enjoy a Three Musketeers chocolate bar and savour it.

Standing up and persevering

This week question for the blog cruise is:
“How do you respond to family/friends that don’t support your decision to homeschool?”

I wish I could say I had support and encouragement from a person close to me.   She did found interesting resources and got them for us.  But at the same time, I know that she doesn’t approve for various reasons.

I got a confirmation of this while talking on the phone one day.   She was worried about how the kids will be able to adapt when they would go to school.   Not enough interactions with kids their age, do they cover the proper material than if they would be in school, would they be able to advance in life, and so on.   The final blow was that I didn’t have a teaching degree to do so.   That was the cherry on the top of the melted sunday if you ask me.    I mean can I honestly not homeschool my kids after what we went through in Senior Kindergarten with Alexandre with his exposure of same sex marriage (in a catholic school) as well as lack of supervision and too much television for our taste?   I understand that not all teachers are the same but still.    Besides, I know I don’t have a teacher’s degree but I do have a Master Degree (not required for homeschool but I was trying to make a point here). 

Then I told her what I also did to prepare myself to homeschool.   I investigated, I researched, I asked questions to people I knew who were doing it, I even went downtown to get the Ministry of Education books on each subjects and levels to determine what needs to be covered at what age.   I worked hard to determine which curriculum would be a best fit for us.  We cover English and French which might be too much but we think are necessary for our kids living in the capital region.    We make sure they go to activities with others kids like swimming and Awana.   

I was pumped.    And as I am writing this, I am almost in tears because honestly I wish I had her support.    It would be so much easier I find.    You see this person is my own mother.    I love her very much but I find it hard when I am criticized like that. 

That phone conversation was difficult on me.   It brought me doubts and I had to deal with them and with being borderline depressed for a few weeks after.   I’m over it now.   I realize that what God called me to do I must do.    We prayed about homeschooling our kids.  We are taking it one month at a time.  If for any reasons, it doesn’t work we have backup plans.  

Are there other people around us that doesn’t approve.  I think so.   I won’t name names or talk about them because they never said out loud what they think of us homeschooling.  But we can sense their disapproval and their eyes watching to see what would happen to our kids later in life.

But honestly, we are also prepare for it whenever they speak up.   We have in hands reports about the effect of homeschooling on people who did it which we received from HSLDA Canada.    Just looking at this report is encouraging for us. 

Our decision of homeschooling is hopefully for a long time.   But as anything else in our life, we put it in the hands of God and trust him to guide us through it.   Homeschooling is a lifestyle and it’s not for everyone.  We love it.   We thrive in it.  We learn together as a family every single day of the year.   Sometimes you are call to swim against the current.   That’s what we are doing with homeschooling.   

iHomeschooling

This week question for the Blog Cruise is the following: 
Do you use technology (iPods, computers, videos, digi cams, etc.) in your homeschool?

My answer to this is the following…   YOU CAN BET ON IT!

Seriously, how can I not use the variety of technology available to spice up our homeschool.   

Computer is a given in our household.   We are techies in a way since we have a home business in the IT world.  There are plenty of programs that kids can use and learn at the same time.    Mathematics, language arts and sciences can now be covered with software.   In Canada, one company that I think do wonderful products that are also available for homeschoolers is Nectar Foundation.  Their products covers mathematics, language and sciences from kindergarten to high school.   

Over the internet, I would strongly suggest that you look into BrainPop and BrainPop Junior.    BrainPop offers one new video free per day which you child can watch and learn at the same time.  Afterward, he/she can take a little quiz to test their listening skills and their understanding.    It is wonderful.   BrainPop Junior is for K-3 and will have the same video for the whole week.    Again the child can listen and watch while learning at the same time.    Other sites available are BrainPop Spanish and BrainPop ESL.    Now I wish they had a BrainPop French.   I think it would be a wonderful addition to their wide range of fun educational websites.    The creators of BrainPop also have a site for educators called BrainPop Educator.   Believe me you won’t be disappointed with the quality of the little videos.   Mind you it is not a christian site so you might have some information about evolution and billions of years old kind of chat but still I find that basically these sites are worth it.

Videos – ah television is involve here.   First I must be totally honest and tell you that we don’t have cable.   The reason why we remove it was first the cost and second the quality of what was on these days.   By removing the cable, we can re-invest the amount in quality videos in English and in French.    We discovered wonderful DVDs on the Big Adventure as well as as nature.   We also invested in getting the well known French TV series Passe-Partout for our kids as we are primarily French Canadian.   And we keep an eye on anything educational out there.   We also use youTube when we do unit studies as well as other TV series available on the internet like How it’s Made.    This particular series demonstrate how things are made for example last year the kids saw how padlocks, hair clippers, wooden shoes and synthetic leather were made in one specific show.   The whole family enjoys watching these.  

The Wii and Nintendo DS can also be very educative believe it or not.   The trick is to get the games that will teach something like Wii Music for example or ZooTycoon.     I even found mathematics and geography games for the Nintendo DS.   There are a variety of fun games that either one or the whole family can play with.    Wii in itself can even be used for PhysEd with the Wii Fit or any other program that makes you move, jump, run and so on.    

Until this year, only my husband had the iPhone.  Now two iPods have entered our household….   *grin*   And let me tell you that you can have wonderful learning apps for it.    And one of the apps I particularly love it the BrainPop which allows you to keep track of your quizzing performance.    I also have other fun apps that cover mathematics, sciences,  English, French, geography and much more.    We are also planning to use the podcast of Focus on the Family to train our kids to write reports.    Alexandre, our oldest, will start this assignment this year.    We will choose the subject and he will have to listen to and write a small report on it to tell us what he has learned. 

However, like anything in life, too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.    What I mean by that is that it is necessary and ultimately your responsibility to limit the time your kids spend on technology.  Yes it is nice to have them but being addicted to it is not good.   Consequently I strongly suggest that you determine a time limit when your child is on the computer, the iPods, the internet, the television and so on.

Do I think technology should have a place in homeschool? Definitively.   I am so ever grateful to have the software, videos, and iPod apps on hand when I have a difficult day or when an unplanned event happens.

The Cost of Homeschooling

 
This week as part of the blog cruise, the questions are:

“How do you afford to homeschool?  What are some ways to save money on homeschooling supplies?”

Good question.    Homeschooling can be as cheap or as expensive as you want.    I’m totally serious about it.   I’ve heard of people only relying on free things over the internet and others who spend tons of money on their homeschool.
I am considering myself frugal but for certain subjects in our homeschool, I prefer buying new.    Which subjects?  Take mathematics for example.    We use Math U See for our curriculum.   Each year I buy the full package for my oldest and the student workbooks for the kids that follow.    But this program is multi-sensory and is fun to use so this goes on our priority list even when money is tight.   The other product that goes on the priority list is the Easy Grammar.   What I like from this curriculum for grammar is that it is reproducible.  So I buy once, and can use it for all the kids.   What  I do is that I buy the teacher’s manual which also includes the student pages and then make copies of the pages we need.   
Now for French, I need to buy as well.   At first I used workbooks I had found at Costco but with a math section we never used in it, I was wondering if it was necessary.   They I discovered a publisher of school material that had reproducible rights.   Perfect for us!   

I regularly go to Value Village and stumble on neat things I can use for the homeschool.    For example, I’ve found Canadian geography and history books in a recent outing.   And guess what some of them are reproducible.   Yeah for me!

At a recent freecycle event, we found a coloring book of the human body that Alexandre will be able to use.   He is so interested in it that he can’t hardly wait to start it…  

Earlier this year, I went to a presentation given during a meeting of our homeschool association.   At the same time, there was tons of curriculum available for free given from another homeschool family and a school that was updating their material.    I was blessed beyond measures with a variety of products.  

Garage sales can also be a wonderful place where you can found fun school items, books and workbooks.

The trick is to keep an eye open for specials or sales and to trust God to bless you with what you need.    Not easy sometimes especially when the economy is hard.   I know as we went through it.

Last year, I had no clue how to introduce geography in our homeschool.   I felt it was needed but buying something was not an option.   And I was stressing out a bit.   Then I got asked to rejoin the TOS Homeschool Crew for the remaining of the year.   The first product I had the opportunity to review was…..  are you sitting comfortably before I tell you about ?   Good! …..   so the product was Old World Style Maps from Homeschool In The Woods. I was speechless and touched by God’s providence.    I couldn’t ask for a better product for geography.   Since then, other geography products have been added for free.  

Considering homeschooling?

As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, we also have the possibility to write on homeschool subject during the year.   This is officially the first departure of The Blog Cruise.   The question is:

“What advice do you have for those considering homeschooling or just starting out?”

So you are thinking of homeschooling.   You know someone who does it or you are dissatisfied with the school your child is going.    Whatever the reason I encourage you to give it a try.

It can be scary – especially if you don’t have support or don’t know families who are doing it.   And it can take a couple of years for you and your family to be fully adjusted and find your own pace.   But the rewards are fabulous – guaranteed.

When I started I thought I would reconsider every year if we continue homeschooling or not.  However, a very wise person told me “Take one month at a time.”   She told me that because homeschooling is not for every one.   It is a lifestyle and a way of living but it is not for every families.   

My suggestion to you is to read about it to fully grasp what homeschooling is.      And if you can interview families who are doing it.   Research as much as you can.   I was bless to have about 20 families from my church and elsewhere who were homeschooled when I started considering it.   I emailed them my questions and sat down with my friend to see how she organize her days.   It was such a blessing to have their answers and this friend willing to open her home for me.   It quieted some of my fears.

Some books I recommend are:

• So You Are Thinking of Homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel
• Beyond Survival – A Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling by Diana Waring
• Help for the Harried Homeschooler – A Practical Guide to Balancing Your Child’s Education with the Rest of Your Life by Christine M. Field
• Homeschooling For the Rest of Us – How Your One-of-a-kind Family Can Make Homeschooling and Real Life Work by Sonya Haskin
• Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling by Mary Pride.

Pray about it alone and with your spouse.   It is important that you seek God’s will on this adventure.   It won’t be easy all the time.  You will hit roadblocks and have difficult days.   But the important is not to be discourage and if you do to ask God to help you.

Concentrate to the basics for the first year.    Homeschooling for the first time can be stressful.   So I would suggest to concentrate to the basics for a little while before adding to your schedule.   The basics are reading, writing (in which I am including grammar as well), and math.   The extra like geography, science, history and so on can be added if you feel comfortable.   It doesn’t have to be right away but eventually you will want to include the rest in your day.

Investigate all the possibilities of curriculum and think it through before spending money.   Often, you buy something and then realized that it is not a fit for your family.   That’s what the TOS Homeschool Crew is for.   We review some homeschool products and tell you what we think about it.  So the site is a great way to look at some ideas.   Read the reviews.   Check with the vendor if they have a preview DVD you can receive to check it out.   Ask other homeschoolers.   There are a wide variety of products out there so be careful.   And don’t buy everything you see.   It can become expensive.     For us, we like reproducible products which means I can make copies of the product to use with all my kids eventually.    Check second-hand stores as well.   I’ve found wonderful things at Value Village that were not used whatsoever.  
Finally, give yourself and your kids some time to adjust.   If they are used to go to school it means they need to adjust thinking that mom (or dad) will be their teacher now.   It takes time.   Be patient with them and with yourself.  

Oh!  Before I forget.   Homeschool Legal Defense is a must.   You can find them easily over the internet but they are there to help you with any issues you might stumble on while homeschooling.   For example, last year I received a jury duty request stating that I needed to fill in the questionnaire in order to be called for jury duty.   I have nothing against jury duty and my husband even thought it was cool that I received one.   I wasn't too triller.  He wondered why.   That's when I asked him: "What would happen to our homeschool if the case last months and I can't be home?"   Now he got it...    So I called HSLDA and asked them what could be done for this.   They totally understood and had a paperwork that I could include with the questionnaire which I did.   Well I haven't heard a thing since then...   The membership is like an insurance for you and your family.    I would strongly recommend that you look into it.
Other crew mates have written on the subject as well.   Click on the blog cruise image at the beginning of this entry to be directed to The Blog Cruise page.   Have fun with your homeschool - the kids and yourself will enjoy it better.