The Monthly Chat

December, 2007

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Printable bits of wisdom, ideas, and reflections for your friends and
homeschool group, from the members of HomeschoolClassifieds.com
Opinions expressed are those of the individual authors.
©1997-2009 HomeschoolClassifieds.com, Knoxville, TN

Homeschool helps
But We Didn't Get Through all the Curriculum!

As I come down the home stretch of my homeschool journey I realize how brief was this window of this 18 years to teach my child. You moms with younger children probably hear it all the time but really don't believe it.

When I first set out to teach my two boys, I was so excited. Going through all the homeschool catalogs was a thrill. I just imagined the many the wonderful things we could learn together . . . then ordered it all. Oh my.

Perhaps you noticed that many of my listings are for ''Brand New'' books with publication dates more than 10 years past. Yes, I'm sad to say we did not get through all that curriculum. However, I'm happy to report that we got to the important things.

Homeschooling parent, if you make your goals to raise up young people of character, to teach them to love others, to love reading and learning, then you can call yourself a success. Don't worry about those books that you didn't get to. Pass them along as a blessing to others, or save them for the grandchildren!

sandysewin

Art & music
Double Double Game

Double, Double

Double double ice ice,
Double double cream cream.
Double ice, double cream,
Double double ice cream.
This is a great game that helps kids with counting and rhythm.
''Double, Double'' is played by two people. For the first line form fists and tap it twice against the fists of your playmate (double, double). Then open fists, palms facing forward, high five your playmate twice with both hands (ice, ice). For the third line form fists again and tap it twice against the fists of your playmate (double, double). Then open fists, palms facing you, high five your playmate twice with the back of both hands (cream, cream).

hcinfo

Health & PE
Keeping Healthy this Winter

I heard these 10 tips from Fox News and I really appreciated them.
1. Eat more wholesome snacks.
2. Be a good example.
3. Eat more basil.
4. Say no to ice.
5. Get out and play!
6. Bundle up.
7. Stay clean with clean products.
8. Wash your child's hair before dinner.
9. Never point a fan at your child.
10. More sleep.
It's important to be aware of the things you can do to help your family be happy and stay healthy by being proactive. Looking at your daily habits is a great place to start. Having a more child-like approach will make being healthy more fun!

hcinfo

Homeschool helps
Feeling Burned Out?

I've been homeschooling for almost 20 years, and have found that very often around Christmas time I feel overwhelmed with everything. I find December a good time to take a break from our regular routine and do a Christmas unit study, or just have the kids do arts and crafts while listening to Christmas music, make gifts, help with the baking, help with the newsletter and Christmas cards and/or some special cleaning, etc. You can count this for Art, Music and HomeEc., things that are sometimes hard to work in otherwise.

Then, you as the teacher can step back and evaluate whether your curriculum is working or not, whether you are doing too much or too little, and make changes or adjustments as needed. It is okay to change your mind about curriculum! Why spend the whole year doing something that is too hard, too easy, or something you or your children just plain hate, when you are homeschooling and can change anything that needs changing?

Have a Blessed Holiday Season!

13xblessed

Baby & infant
Toddler Craft

Mud Handprints
Ingredients:
Mud
Sturdy paper or plastic plate
Spatula or knife for smoothing
Directions

Fill the plate with thick mud and smooth into a flat, even surface.
Have your child press his open hand into the mud and remove.
Place the mud in the sun to dry.
This won't last, but it's fun to look at for a while.
For lasting prints, use plaster of Paris.

hcinfo

Organization/time management
When They Have to Wait for Mom...

I have a number of children to homeschool, and I've found it difficult at times to keep the attention of those I am not working directly with at the moment. Each child has a notebook, with dividers for each subject. The photo-copied pages or notebook paper for each subject go behind the appropriate divider. But at the end of the notebooks, I have a good amount of papers for the kids to work on when they finish before the others and have to wait for me. In this section, I have plain copypaper, lined paper, coloring pages, word puzzles, etc. They are all 3-hole-punched, just waiting to be used. My children know to go to that part of their notebooks, work on whatever they choose, and wait until Mom can help them, answer their questions, or move them on to another task. It is a real peace-keeper, and some of the kids try to finish a little earlier in order to get to that 'fun' section for however long.

esargent0307

Homeschool helps
Discouraging Thoughts

When a discouraging thought comes, refuse to consider it. Encourage yourself to replace the discouraging thought with a thought of meaning. Example: You wish your husband would help with the bedtime routine, but he is usually too busy. Discouraging thought, “He never helps. In fact he doesn’t help with anything.” Replacing thought, “I will look at what he does rather than at what he doesn’t. I’m glad he has a job that provides for us.”

hcinfo