Simple, Little Things....by Theresa Johnson, Catholic Heritage Curricula

"Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God.
Do all that you do with love.”
—St. Therese of Lisieux

Have you ever taken a good look at a brick? Pretty basic, isn’t it? Rectangular, no decoration other than a bit of color: simple; a little thing. Yet, under the guiding hand of a master bricklayer, those simple bricks, artfully placed one by one can become part of a beautiful, unassailable whole.

So it is with the simple, little things in our homeschool. It is good to be reminded from time to time of their importance. For example, we may wish to incorporate the holy simplicity of participating in the Sacrifice of the Mass during the week, perhaps on ‘free Wednesday.’ Or we may wish to add a simple Morning Offering to the beginning of our school day. Little things, but building blocks of an eternal, unassailable whole.

Then, too, we can encourage little acts of kindness amongst family members. Perhaps your children can be enlisted some weekend to create a ‘gift box’ filled with slips of paper suggesting these kind acts. For example, ‘Keep your eyes open for a chance to be kind. Give a pat on the back and a smile to someone who needs it.’ or ‘Help someone who is younger.’ Or ‘Ask Mom, “What can I do for you today?” ‘

When the day begins, each child might draw one slip of paper and see if he can be the first to perform the assigned kindness. In time, these acts may become habitual. Little things, but not small in the hands of the Master Builder.
'Little Things Gift Box' Ideas
 

• help a younger brother or sister get dressed
• make someone else’s bed
• surprise Mom by washing the bathroom sink
• surprise Dad by taking out the garbage
• share a favorite toy with a sibling
• help a sibling with their studies [this might be flashcards, or reading to them, or quizzing them on their spelling list]
• at the dinner table, pass dishes to others first, allowing them to be served before you
• leave a note, perhaps on their pillow, telling someone what you love about them
• leave a note, telling someone that you are praying a decade for their intentions
• anticipate someone else’s need, and help with a smile

Homeschooling a Houseful (article by Tara Bertic)

I am often asked how I homeschool 3 children with a little baby toddling around.  Here is a link to a few ideas on how to begin homeschooling multiple children:  


http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/How_To_Homeschool/articles/homeschooling_houseful.php


Currently, we do a lot of our independent work in the morning.  The kids take turns working with me on math and science.  After lunch (and during the baby's nap), we tackle those subjects that may need some extra attention.  We usually rotate through each child's reading program one-on-one.  While the others wait, they finish independent work and work on special projects.  We also have the children work together on things, especially when the oldest can work with the youngest.  Of course, we pray that Baby Benjamin does not give up his afternoon nap anytime soon.  

15 Reasons I Love Homeschooling By Alaina

This is the beginning of my third year being homeschooled. These are some of the reasons I love it so much.

• I don't have to wake up at 7am to go to school
• I don't have to wear a uniform
• I don't have homework
• I get to choose the books we read for literature
• I do fun science experiments
• I have better food for lunch
• I do fun activities and crafts
• I get to be in fun clubs and go on field trips with my homeschool group
• I make lots of friends in the homeschool group
• I get to see my mom, dad, and brothers during the day
• I don't have to make up snow days
• I get to go on vacation while other people are in school
• I get to help plan our calender
• On special days I get to wear my pajamas all day
• I get to choose my own activities on my break

Why Do We Homeschool?

A blog I read on occasion posted this topic and stated that they review their reasons for homeschooling at the beginning of each school year.  We started this week and this is a great time to review this for our family.  We have only been homeschooling for 2 years, but this seems to be a wonderful way to start each year.  I am often asked this question as if I could give a one line statement that explains it all.  Each family has multiple reasons for their decision to homeschool and reasons vary from one family to the next.  I will attempt to express the reasons our family has chosen to homeschool.

I knew people homeschooled when my husband and I married, but I really did not know much beyond the stereotypes everyone seems to put out there.  I went to Catholic school through 8th grade and a public high school.  My husband always attended public schools.  We did O.K.  I never really thought we would do anything other than send our kids to school, but it would definitely be a private school.  I wanted our kids in a school that spoke freely about God.

When my daughter was around 2 years old, I attended a bible study/parenting class and met my first homeschool families.  I liked them.  I liked their children.  I liked how they interacted with one another.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but I could feel something special and I wanted my family to experience that.  I told my husband about these families and he listened.  He didn't have much to say...my daughter was only 2 after all.  

Over the years I met more homeschool families, began to research homeschooling, and continued to talk to my husband about it.  My daughter did attend a Catholic school until she was 8 years old.  During that year, her second grade year, as a family we decided that homeschooling was our best option.  We needed to give her more.  We had sons coming up behind her that needed more.

• FAMILY  We homeschool because it draws our family closer together.  Our time together is quality time.  We  work together, as a family unit, to educate our children.  Parents are the first teachers of their children.  We choose the best way to instruct our children based on their personal needs and individual style.  We enjoy being with our children and don't want to miss a single opportunity to teach them.  They enjoy being with each other more than ever.  With a new baby in the house, the benefits of homeschooling are experienced daily.  We all get to experience his "firsts" and it is very exciting to see the older children experience this.

• CURRICULUM  We homeschool so that we may work at a more rigorous and enjoyable pace.  We may work through a topic as quickly or as slowly as necessary.  Our children get to help make decisions about some of the topics we study and think of fun ways to work through the material.  We are teaching them to think outside of the box.  We may create a project that not only gives the child a better understanding of the material, but is enjoyable for the whole family.  We get to choose everything down to the last detail, including the supplies.  We will no longer search endlessly for that specific brand, size, and color that someone else is telling us to use.  Since our projects are our own personal creation, they will no longer hit the trash can when they return home.  Our children are very proud of them and want to save them-and I really want to save them!  They are also learning to work independently, because mom cannot work be with each child in every moment. 

• FREEDOM  We homeschool so that we may be free from the restraints of "school time".  When our kids play sports, we are the only parents that do not complain about the game ending at 9:00, 9:30, or even 10:00 p.m.  We can adjust our day however we see fit.  We don't have to deal with homework and after school events that cut into our family time.  We need not worry about snow days, sick days, and other reasons kids miss school.  In most cases, we can continue our schooling and not miss a beat.  Of course, it depends on how sick a child or parent is.  We don't have to deal with morning and afternoon carpool, sack lunches or cafeteria accounts, uniforms, new teachers and new expectations each year, signing up to help with this or that, sending in money or snacks for a multitude of reasons, and the list could go on and on for many pages. 

• PEER PRESSURE  We homeschool so that our children may enjoy a childhood free from the pressures of the world. They meet people and other children through weekly activities within our homeschool group, participate in various activities within our parish, play sports locally, and attend classes to cover extracurricular activities throughout the year. I find our kids are more "socialized" than they were before homeschooling, but in a way that supports the morals and values we are sharing with them. 

• GOD  We homeschool, most importantly, because we believe it has and will continue to be God's plan for us.  So many people were placed in our path and so many things just fell into place.  The first year almost seemed too easy proving God's plan was in place.  It is not always easy and we will continue to have struggles, but we know this is what we must do.  We will continue to homeschool as long as it continues to "work".  If it ever seems that it is not working, we will turn to God for direction.