Learning to Love Learning...Again!
I had taken the fun out of school again. It had become rigorous, controlled, forced. The tears were almost daily and my relationship with my children was suffering. I missed the fun and play. I longed to see their eyes light up with wonder over a new discovery again. I missed seeing the excitement that came with learning what they were curious about. Somehow, I had allowed everyone else's opinions take over my homeschool. I lost track of the fact that the Father had given these 3 beautiful children to me for a purpose. I was supposed to raise them the way He was leading, not the way the homeschool family on Facebook or Pinterest was doing things.
This awakening was hard. I felt exhausted. Here I had spent the last 3 weeks planning the 'perfect' year. And yet, in that moment, I knew that the perfect would not be and the stress would resume. The tears would be a daily occurrence again. No! This had to stop now! After talking with Thomas that evening, I knew things had to change, and he was totally on board!
The next morning I began to pray that the Father would lead me in leading and raising these children of His that He entrusted to me for such a short time. I longed to make every moment linger. I dreamed of painting, exploring, reading and watching documentaries together again. I knew this was my wake-up call (again)!
What does this mean for our 2018-2019 school year? What curriculum will I choose? How will I incorporate all this? Well, friends, I am not entirely sure. This is all unfolding as I am typing. Here is what I am currently looking at:
1. We are returning to our first love: Five In A Row!
Seriously, how did I allow this to leave in the first place?!? We love the books, the art, the exploring! This is our favorite way to discover a rabbit trail that we can chase. I'm bringing it back. I have already ordered several new books from the lists. We will once again travel through rich stories in picture books that my kiddos love. I even found this great blog that paired chapter books with each of the FIAR books so that Popper can still be challenged in his reading while getting to enjoy the activities as part of our together time! He is thrilled! Many of them have been on his wish list of books to read!
2. Throwing out the math book!
How liberating is that! Math causes tears. However, board games, card games, dominoes do not! In fact, my boys learned math facts in an hour playing a card game with Daddy than they had in a year of flash cards or worksheets. Also, I have discovered that my boys love logic puzzles. I am searching and reading reviews on several options that will allow them to use these for math instead!
3. The Good and The Beautiful Language Arts
There is nothing else to add! I was skeptical at first, so I chose to print off the free lessons first. (YES! It is really free!)
AMAZING! Best of all, the kiddos love it: the gorgeous art, the short lessons, the recommended books, all of it! And they are all becoming better readers while learning how to spell and write! It takes about 30 minutes to complete and they get one-on-one mommy time during their lesson! It is seriously an win-win-win!
Other than that, I am still searching. I am piecing together and trying to rediscover balance. I want them to be exposed to great books, music, art, and Bible. But I also want them to explore and follow the rabbit trails of learning. There is a balance there somewhere. I am praying that the Father will reveal to me that perfect balance for our days and weeks. Until then, I can be found exploring, painting, building forts, and reading great books with my kiddos! We are learning to love learning again!
This awakening was hard. I felt exhausted. Here I had spent the last 3 weeks planning the 'perfect' year. And yet, in that moment, I knew that the perfect would not be and the stress would resume. The tears would be a daily occurrence again. No! This had to stop now! After talking with Thomas that evening, I knew things had to change, and he was totally on board!
The next morning I began to pray that the Father would lead me in leading and raising these children of His that He entrusted to me for such a short time. I longed to make every moment linger. I dreamed of painting, exploring, reading and watching documentaries together again. I knew this was my wake-up call (again)!
What does this mean for our 2018-2019 school year? What curriculum will I choose? How will I incorporate all this? Well, friends, I am not entirely sure. This is all unfolding as I am typing. Here is what I am currently looking at:
1. We are returning to our first love: Five In A Row!
Seriously, how did I allow this to leave in the first place?!? We love the books, the art, the exploring! This is our favorite way to discover a rabbit trail that we can chase. I'm bringing it back. I have already ordered several new books from the lists. We will once again travel through rich stories in picture books that my kiddos love. I even found this great blog that paired chapter books with each of the FIAR books so that Popper can still be challenged in his reading while getting to enjoy the activities as part of our together time! He is thrilled! Many of them have been on his wish list of books to read!
2. Throwing out the math book!
How liberating is that! Math causes tears. However, board games, card games, dominoes do not! In fact, my boys learned math facts in an hour playing a card game with Daddy than they had in a year of flash cards or worksheets. Also, I have discovered that my boys love logic puzzles. I am searching and reading reviews on several options that will allow them to use these for math instead!
3. The Good and The Beautiful Language Arts
There is nothing else to add! I was skeptical at first, so I chose to print off the free lessons first. (YES! It is really free!)
AMAZING! Best of all, the kiddos love it: the gorgeous art, the short lessons, the recommended books, all of it! And they are all becoming better readers while learning how to spell and write! It takes about 30 minutes to complete and they get one-on-one mommy time during their lesson! It is seriously an win-win-win!
Other than that, I am still searching. I am piecing together and trying to rediscover balance. I want them to be exposed to great books, music, art, and Bible. But I also want them to explore and follow the rabbit trails of learning. There is a balance there somewhere. I am praying that the Father will reveal to me that perfect balance for our days and weeks. Until then, I can be found exploring, painting, building forts, and reading great books with my kiddos! We are learning to love learning again!
This is so so good! I'm pruning the 'other things' and centering on the fun of family once again. So proud of you, your fam is so much fun!
ReplyDelete