I began this list as a list only for homeschoolers, but realized that each suggestion, with some minor tweeking, would work for any family. The goal of this list is to provide some form of organization within the mind of a mother, to encourage parents, and to provide outlets for relaxation. The first part is a suggestion for homeschooling families, the second (in italics) is for all families.
1. Plan meals ahead of time – at least a week. If you know how to successfully plan meals a month at a time, please let me know how! I believe we all will benefit from this.
2. Incorporate the household chores into the school day. Trust me. It will help. And there is nothing as wonderful as a six-year-old who knows how to wash his own clothes. Again, no one loses with this suggestion.
3. Don’t forget to keep the ‘home’ in ‘homeschooling’. There are thousands of great opportunities for homeschoolers. They are all wonderful. What is damaging is the constant flurry of people, schedules, times and paraphernalia. It’s my old rule again: Keep it simple. It's too easy to offer our children every opportunity out there. Remember that 'being home' is the best opportunity because it's a place filled with parents, love, and a place of safety away from the expectations of the outside world. We all need a place to hide. Give kids the time to unwind and be themselves.
4. Plan vacations in the middle of the week and during the non-traditional vacation times. Feeling the February Freeze? Go south then. (South for us is all the way to Northern Indiana were we stay at our favorite lodge – a 2 for 1 special during the winter. It’s a good time and a great bargain.) I remember a friend from high school whose mom would keep her home from school one day a year and they would spend that day together. She was the happiest person I knew.
5. Celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa to the fullest! The public (not just schools, but stores and businesses) is forced to acknowledge all or none of these religious celebrations. As a homeschooling family, we are free to go all out to make these the best days of the year. Do the best you can at home. Bake the cookies, attend the parties, go to church, sing the songs, dress the part. Make it real and beautiful and memorable.
6. Take one day a month to work on a photo album with your children of your homeschooling adventure – this is a great assessment tool for you to see if you are doing everything you want in your school. Use a weekend or a vacation week to do the same. Kids love putting together their own pages and writing about what they've done. Even kids who don't like to write will jot down a few words about a picture. Talk about a family treasury!
7. Host Parent-Student Conferences or a Homeschooling Open House – plan an evening when children and parents sit down and have open & honest talks about homeschooling. Begin this evening with some modeling of how to say something that is negative and how to respond to something that is hurting your feelings. Or, invite grandparents or neighbors over to see your homeschooling achievements (or more realistically, works-in-progress). What a better way to squash some homeschooling misconceptions than to show what it really is. This is a built in feature for schooled-kids. Enjoy it. Even if it's a lousy conference with the teacher, love the fact that your kid has a quirk. It will probably serve her well later in life.
8. Attend a homeschooling conference. Get away, spend time with other parents who work endlessly for education and faith formation within the household doldrums. Find a conference for moms (Hearts at Home is a great one!) Or, go on a marriage retreat. Plan a weekend away with girlfriends. Do something that is just for you without any guilt.
9. Create a mission statement for your homeschool and post it, neatly printed, in a beautiful frame in the room where most of the homeschooling takes place. And then remember to read it occasionally to refresh your purpose. I think this idea works well for every family. Knowing what your family stands for will make or break each day. We would never write: "Our purpose is to yell at each other when things are perfect, spreading the knowledge that we only respond well when things are easy."
10. Incorporate Community Service into your homeschool. Volunteering is a requirement in many schools and is a valuable source of learning, socializing and charity. Call the church, find a need, fill it. Hopefully, this is another bulit-in feature for school kids. If it is, join in. If not, find a way to make it a part of your family's life.
Bonus: Take it one day at a time. Even God took six days to create the world. Write a goal for yourself each day and do it. God also rested one day. He knows what is good for us, so follow His example.
If you are a grandparent, get in on these ideas! Perhaps the negative issues of this generation are stemming from the fact that we are no longer inter-generational.
No comments:
Post a Comment