Homeschooling

I’m a fan of watching the Olympics, but I’m even a bigger fan of watching it with my kids. The Olympics is a great conversation starter. There is much that can be learned from the sports and the athletes and from the Games.

Character Traits

Hard work, determination, sportsmanship, courage, teamwork, endurance, and perseverance are just some of the character traits that the kids get to see in action. The athlete profiles in particular allow us to discuss the importance of those traits in getting them to where they are now.

The World

The Olympics makes this huge world feel smaller and provide an easy forum for learning about different countries, their flags, traditions, and geography (have a map or globe nearby  for those moments when a child pipes up with “where is Algeria?”).

Patriotism

There isn’t anything that brings out the flags and anthems and feelings of pride of country more than the Olympics. In our family, we are cheering for Canada (of course!) and Ethiopia (because two of our precious kids were born there) and the Netherlands (where The Husband’s parents are from).

Inspiration

The Olympics is a visual for kids of what can happen when you set goals, pursue your passion, work hard, and don’t let obstacles get in your way. Watching Natalia Partyka of Poland compete in ping-pong with only one hand or Oscar Pistorius from South Africa, the world’s first double amputee to compete in the open Olympics in running is inspirational. It is also a great way to show my special needs kids that the only limits that exist are the ones we put on ourselves.

Togetherness

There is something about all cheering for the same thing that brings a feeling of unity. We also made our own backyard Olympics and cheered each other on!

Winning Isn’t Everything

The Olympics is full of inspiring stories of people who beat the odds just to get where they are at and who are winners without ever stepping foot on a podium. At the last Winter Olympics, Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette stepped onto the ice and skated two days after the unexpected death of her mother, winning the bronze medal in an emotional performance dedicated to her mom. Just lacing up her skates after such a loss made her a winner.

History

There is much that can be learned about history through the Olympics (from Ancient Greece to years that the Games were boycotted and the reason for that to conflict between countries). This year, just the Opening Ceremonies alone gave us enough material to talk about for a long time (wars, the Industrial Revolution, popular culture…)!

Those are just a few of the reasons that the couch will be our classroom for the next few weeks!

This week, we decided to have some fun with the popular alphabet themed book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

I made a special snack for the kids to eat while I read the book to them the first time.

Green apple slices for the leaves, cherries for the coconuts (courtesy of my in-laws returning from visiting B.C.), graham wafers (I used gf graham wafers for Einstein), Alphabits cereal for the alphabet climbing the tree, and some actual coconut on the side.

I made a tree trunk on the magnetic white board and the kids made leaves for it and then had fun playing out the story using magnetic letters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then throughout the week, the kids completed worksheets. Some were just for fun such as coloring sheets and others were educational. There were ones that the kids had to cut out and match lower case letters onto their upper case counterparts on the tree and even one that was math related in teaching graphing using the question “do you like coconut?”.

Here are the links for where I got some of the sheets:

Coconut Survey and Graph

Letter Tree

Upper and Lower Case Match Up

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Coloring Sheets

The Top 10 Reasons I’m Excited About the New School Year

1. I love fresh starts! There’s just something about a new year that screams hope and possibility.  I also plan to leave any lingering guilt I have over anything not accomplished this year behind me. It’s always a good feeling to start with a clean slate.

2. I always start the year off organized! I am not naturally an organized person (hence the name of my blog!), but I manage to start most school years off with plans and written lists and things all laid out and scheduled and I love that feeling! Now that I’ve got my awesome planner, I’m hoping I can make that last all year long!

3. I am excited about some of the new curriculum we are going to be trying out and I am comfortable with the things we have chosen to continue with from last year. Here is what we will be using this year.

4. I am going to plan out our field trips. I want to make a list of the places that we want to go, prioritize them, and actually schedule them in.  I think this will make a huge difference.  This is a suggestion I read on several blogs and can see the wisdom in it.  This year, we hardly went on any field trips even though in the past it’s been such a big part of our homeschooling so I look forward to rectifying that for this coming season.

5. I will get to witness my kids making new discoveries and growing in their relationships with each other and with God.

6. I look forward to the chance to continue friendships with other homeschoolers both online and in person and to forge new ones.

7. The grocery stores and rec. centres won’t be so crowded once many other kids go back to school! Crowds are not my thing.

8. Kicking off the new school year will give me a reason to plan a party for the kids and I love an excuse for a celebration. I’m already considering themes! Our year-end wrap-up Rainbow theme party was a lot of fun…tough to beat that one!

9. Getting to do all those hands-on science experiments and sensory activities!

10. Being able to spend another year making memories with my precious kiddos!

What are you most looking forward to for this upcoming year?

More Calm in the Chaos Printable Planner for Moms

This is going to be my 16th year of homeschooling. In many ways, it doesn’t feel like that long, but I have gained some wisdom and perspective over those years. These are 10 things I would tell a new homeschool mom (that I wish someone had told me when I was first starting out!).

1. Relax. I wish someone had told me this my first few years. In regular school, a teacher has one year to teach her students all they need to know for that year. In homeschool, a mom has 18 years to teach her kids all that they need to know. It doesn’t need to be done on the first day!

2. Relationship. Having all that time together with your kids gives you the opportunity to form a close relationship with each one of them, to get to know their learning styles, their personalities, and to make moments that will form memories. Focusing on the relationship makes learning easier for the kids too as it allows them to be able to relax.

3. Support Network. Meeting other homeschool moms, whether online or in person, is so critical. There is a strong chance that there will be naysayers to your decision to homeschool whether they be family, friends, or strangers and having a strong support network of likeminded moms will help cushion that for you. It will also allow you to ask questions, share resources and ideas, and vent frustrations.

4. Character. Focus less on academics and more on character. Very few adults remember math formulas or verb conjugation, but values, morals, and character are something that stays with you all of your life. Teaching character to your children is critical.

5. Fun. Of course it’s important for the kids to have fun, but it’s important for moms too. Take time, actually make time, to enjoy your kids. Inject fun activities into your homeschool, whether that be crafts or hands-on projects or field trips or impromptu learning on a nature hike.

6. Love of learning. I am a learner. I love to learn. I hope I never stop learning. I want that same thing for my kids. Making learning fun and not stressful will create a love of learning in your kids and will ensure that you as a homeschool teacher and mom won’t burn out as easily because you will also be consciously trying to relax yourself to create that environment.

7. Read. Read to the kids. Read yourself so that your kids see you enjoying books. Read to the kids some more. Read. One of the best gifts you can give your kids to take with them into the adult world is the imagination, knowledge, relaxation, understanding, and experience that books offer. Here are our top 10 read-alouds.

8. Pray. Homeschooling is hard at times. It is one of those oftentimes thankless jobs where a lot of the reward doesn’t show itself until years later. In addition to having the encouragement of other homeschool moms, especially those who are veterans, prayer and faith is essential. It can guide you when making decisions, encourage you in the hard moments, and help you remember some of the reasons you started homeschooling in the first place.

9. Hang in there. There will be days where you will wish you could go to the bank without the kids in tow.  There will be weeks that feel like they never end. There will be moments when you doubt if the kids are learning enough, if you are doing enough, if you are doing it “right”. Hang in there. It gets better.  One of the benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility. If something isn’t working, you can change it. That goes for everything from the method of homeschooling to curriculum to schedules.

10. It is worth it. I can say this with confidence now after fourteen years of homeschooling. It is so worth it. For some of the reasons that I can see that it’s worth it, you can read my 10 Reasons Why I Homeschool and the Top 10 Reasons My Kids Like Being Homeschooled.

If you are new to homeschooling, you might also be interested in reading my top 10 must-haves for homeschooling. If you are considering homeschooling and have questions, I am so happy to help in any way I can. You can leave questions in the comment section or e-mail me.

My Biggest Homeschool Mistake

Advice from Real Homeschool Moms

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