 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||||
| ~ Home ~ View my profile ~ Archives ~ Email Me ~ My Blog's RSS | |||||
|
|||||
Taming the Back to School Chaos
11:18 AM, Sep. 1, 2009
Good morning! It is September 1st, do you know where your children are? Here on the Front Porch it is "back to school" week, so whether you are starting back, continuing on, or still enjoying a pool-side break, I hope you'll find something to glean.
This summer has been the first in nine years where we really stopped school for summer! We tend to be die-hard year-rounders who love the rhythm of our studies. This summer's break even unplanned, but the effect is the same. I find myself experiencing the "back to school" phenomenon for the first time ever. We've been back to our studies for two weeks now, and I'm still not feeling fully back in our groove. My guess is that in a few weeks things will feel natural. In the meantime, like someone relearning to walk, it's a bit awkward--important and exciting, but awkward.
Although I certainly don't have this "back to school thing" down to a science, several things did help as we jumped back in, so I'll highlight those below:
· Planning: Even though we typically just "do the next thing" in our studies, I needed to sit down and remind myself where each child was in every subject. I like visuals, so I gathered each child's resource books (math texts, workbooks, binders for writing and history) and looked at each pile just to refresh my own memory. Next I plugged things into Homeschool Tracker which I use for planning. I "retro schedule" which means that I don't schedule out the math lessons for a semester or even a week, but rather type in what we actually did at the end of each week. Still, I needed to make sure that all the materials were plugged in and ready to go.
· Perspective: We've always viewed school as fun and togetherness. This helps immensely in keeping us motivated, for the children realize that I teach them out of love, and bask in the time we invest together. Announcing to the children that we'd be starting provided that motivation and accountability in a dynamic way as their enthusiasm became my own. · Perseverance: Galatians 6:9 tells us to not grow weary but to keep on. "And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not."
· Pace: One thing we did to prevent growing weary before we even began is to begin incrementally. We began phonics, spelling, math, grammar, and other such subjects the first week and waited a week to resume history and literature. Success often breeds success, so we have been adding more as we gain momentum.
· Play: Keep fun in the schooling. We reviewed multiplication tables the first week by having the children run around on the sidewalk. I'd written sums to several tables in sidewalk chalk in an arbitrary order, and they'd race to the answers as I called out the facts. We added in an elective or two that inspired them to keep school fresh and new. A table full of enticing living books had them itching to restart our Tapestry of Grace studies.
· Prayer: Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: (Psalms 127:1) Comitt your school year to the Lord and pray that he'll give insight each day into His priorities for you and the children.
I'm sure our academic days will soon regain the cozy fit they' had before, but in the meantime, I'm right there with many of you, finding our groove and regaining routine. Domestic Chaos Tamer and Homeschool Mom of Five, Dell writes about home, heart and hearth. Comments 
Curious about The Old Schoolhouse... Click here for more information ... |
 About This Blog
~ Tia Linschied, Senior Editor of HSB            available soon! Click here to Subscribe!  To see the current cover up close, click here  Promote Your Page Too   Products of the Month - Get this E-Book FREE!  Checks and Balances!  Comfort and Joy for Christmas 
Living Heritage UK Homeschool ResourcesCosidering HomeschoolingRecent Entries
FREE E-News!Our E-Newsletters give you wonderful, informative information about homeschooling, news bits, contests and PRIZES for homeschoolers, articles to encourage you, calls for writers, free unit studies and lesson plans, and just a lot of FUN. Bring the community to your inbox, and no worries, we never sell, trade or give your email or any other information out to anyone. Come join the homeschool party! The Homeschool Minute is our most popular newsletter, full of encouragement and support just for YOU! Subscribe to *FREE* newsletters offered by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.Visit the Porch Team Writers and FeaturesTia Linschied, Senior Editor Monday - Friday! Homeschool Tip of the Day by Christina Monday by Taneil Linschied by Amanda Suryan by Tia Linschied Tuesday by In The Hands of a Child by Dell by Catherine Love Wednesday by the HWTB Team by Suzanne Gose by Lori Havens Thursday by Nancy Baetz by JoJo Tabares by Karin Katherine by Tia Linschied Friday by Donna Conner Special Needs by Heather by Lisa Golda by Tia Linschied News AlertsArchived Features Our New E-book ~ On Sale NOW! Quick LinksGrowth of BlogsSifry's Alerts - the blog of the owner of Technorati Do you have the whole set of back issues from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine? Click here to view all back issues and read the themes - you will want to collect the ones you've missed!! In MemoryMissey GrayLorrie Gnos Peggy Barendregt Chrissy Murphy Colleen Moeller TOS Staff & AssociatesMari AlmonNancy Baetz Lisa Barthuly Nancy Carter Donna Conner Michelle Eichhorn Christi Gifford Jamin Kate Kessler Tia Linschied Amy Osborn Kris Price Susan Spann Deb Turner Kim Wolf Dena Wood Deborah Wuehler Homeschool Nation Roll Call** denotes a state needing a Coordinator - all states are needing several contributors each!** need contributors for each of the following areas: North England, Scotland, South England, London Front Porch BlogRoll- ... and his ministers a flame of fire- 21st Century Reformation - As for me and my house, - Aspiring PolyMathis - Back of the Envelope - Be Bold, Be Gentle - Bear Witness - Beyond The Rim... - Bird of Paradise - Blog for Books - Blogcorner preacher - Blogotional - Brandywine Books - Broken Masterpieces - Burkean Canuck - Captain's Log - IntellectualPrivateer.or - Carol's Storybook - Cerulean Sanctum - ChoosingHome Blog - Christian Home School Teachers - Christian quoter - Classical Education 4 Me - Classical Education in Paradise - Comment Me No Comments - Confessions of a Homeschool Dad - Crazies from the Crazy lady - Daddypundit - DaisyChain Farmstead - Damascus Road - DANDELION SEEDS - Scattering inspiration - Danny Carlton - Dan's Journey - Day By Day - Defiant Lamb - Dignan's 75 Year Plan - DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS - Dr. John Mark Reynolds - ESPRESSO ROAST - Exiled Preacher - Faith at the Front - Blog - Fellow Random One - Freedom of... - Gerald Yuen: Home - Gratuitous Advice - Grizzly Mama - Hard Starboard - Hatless in Hattiesburg - Holy Fool - Home Maker ~ Proverbs 14.1 - Home Where They Belong - Homeschool Mom Blog - Hux - Isn't It Rich - Jack Of Clubs - Janne's Jabberwocky - jeffmcfadden.com - JivinJehoshaphat - Journal of a Domestic Athlete - Journeying...By Grace Alone - Julie's Life in Living Color - Junto Boyz - Kramjam Reiterates - Ladies in Training - Lessons Learned On the Farm - Light Along the Journey - Linda's Thoughts - Logicus bLogicus - Magic Statistics - manasclerk's The Power Struggle - me autem minui - MediaCulpa Blog - Midnight Hour | Do you not know there co - Mike Perrigoue - Monopedilos - having but one shoe - Neumatikos - Northern 'burbs blog - Off the top - Ogre's Politics & Views - Old Path, New Song - Our Little Homeschool Farm - Patricia Ann's Pollywog Creek - Paultastic Musings - Pete The Elder - Power of Change... - Principled Discovery - PRMAMA: Marketing to Go! - prosthesis - technology and science - Pruitt Communications - PR Ideas - Pseudo-Polymath - Quiet Life - Random Yak - RazorsKiss.net - Redirect - Reed's Blogged Arteries - Reformed Politics - Revenge of Mr Dumpling - RightFaith - Rooftop Blog - RootleWeb - Scotland Diaries - secundum Christum - Shades of Pink - South of the Gnat Line - Sprittibee - sprucegoose - Spunky Homeschool - Spurgeon Collection: Sermons and Writing - Stones Cry Out - such small hands - Sudan Watch - Sunny Side Up Academy - Susan Wise Bauer's blog - Tami's Blog - Texas Raisins - The (In)Scrutable Observer - THE CALVINIST POLICE GAZETTE - The Common Room - the evangelical outpost - The Greatest Pursuits - The Grey Shadow - The Official HSB Community Blog - The Prattling Pastor's Wife - The Rogue Angel - The Young Evangelical - Then Jesus told his disciples - This Little Light Of Mine - Through a Glass Darkly - Through It All - Through the eyes of HappyApple - Tim Thompson . . . Reflections - To Tell You The Truth - Trying is Bravery - Under The Sun - US Navy Retired - Vibrant Woman Writer - View From The Pew - Walking Circumspectly - Wesley Blog - Wired Wisdom - Wittingshire - wooQ: Theological Christian thoughts and - Writing's of an exceptional being - Raising Three Knights and a Princess 
|
||||
