A Lesson in Loving Others
At the end of the sermon this morning our pastor showed a video of an 18 year old young man named Ben Comen. This boy is an inspiration.
My husband and I were so moved by this boy’s story that we shared it with our children. Ben Comen runs because he loves it. He runs with a team because the members of the team love him. Watching this group of kids love Ben made me think about something I have been wrestling with.
We have neighbors who have two boys the same ages as my girls. Her eldest boy mostly likely has Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD, like my daughter. His mom suspects that he is on the autism spectrum as well. This mom is fighting for her boy to be diagnosed and treated. Because our kids share some of the same struggles, I have been sharing resources, information, and support for this mom.
We spend most afternoons at my neighbor’s house because she and I both need another adult who understands. Sometimes things can get a little out of sorts when our kids play together, though. It can be difficult to get all four kids engaged in activities. Sometimes a sound or situation will set off one of the older kids. C5 often has hurt feelings or she and P4 get into a tussle. Although I have seen major progress over the last few months, C5 is often in tears or upset during our time with our neighbors. Yet my kids and my neighbor’s kids ask to see each other. They ask all day long. I don’t understand it since we often struggle to keep the peace.
I have been considering giving everyone a break from these play dates. I am mostly concerned that my sweet child, who is very compassionate and caring, is being forced into a situation that is not good for her. I don’t want her to resent me or to be hurt. I brought this up to my hubby, and he didn’t see anything wrong with me taking her there, but I was still struggling with it.
When I watched this video about Ben Comen, I felt the Holy Spirit assuring me that I am in the right place. My children and I are ministering to this family. In the same way that Ben’s team mates came back to finish the race with him, we are running along side this family and helping them to finish the race and not finish the race alone. I am teaching my little girl how to love other people, even people who are difficult to love.
This is one of the greatest lessons I think I can teach my children.
Filed under Homeschooling Life | Comment (0)Summer Planning
The summer is fast approaching, and we are planning all of our summer activities now. Here are a few things that we are looking forward to.
~Camping: We love nature around here, so this is a great opportunity for our family to really enjoy hiking, fishing, swimming, and just being outside. Camping also forces us to slow down and talk to each other since we don’t have TV and computers to distract us.
~Swimming Lessons and Beach Trips: This year we are planning on taking swimming lessons all through the spring and summer to keep us fit and to learn a valuable life skill. The YMCA has lots of Open Swim time that we will also take advantage of. With great beaches near my dad, sister, and nephew, we will have many beach days, too. It is so much fun to dig and build in the sand.
~Vacation Bible School: The first time I volunteered for this I really enjoyed the kids. I am excited that my kids will have the chance to learn about God and connect with other kids. Our church has a great group of Children’s Ministries volunteers who organize a fun VBS program.
~Day Trips: We are going to visit a local farm regularly and several Audubon Society locations this summer. Hiking is a great family activity, and we spend lots of time looking at the wildlife along the way. We love adventures in our family! There are other historical locations that I am interested in visiting, too. There is truly a lot to see around here.
~Day Camp: We are considering sending our kids to camp for a week for the first time this summer. There are a couple of options for them, and one camp even has a program for A2 to attend.
~Museums: We love going to the Children’s Museum, and this summer will include a trip or two there. We will also take advantage of a local art museum that has an exhibit area for kids. I would also love to bring the kids to the Museum of Science. We might even make it to the Seuss Sculpture Garden this summer!
It will be a great summer, no doubt!
Filed under Homeschooling Life | Comment (0)Supplimenting Your Homeschool Curriculum
It is the time of year that my husband and I discuss school. We have purchased a curriculum that we will use this coming year, but now we are deciding how we will round out our kids’ school year. We will use our curriculum to keep us focused all year, but we also plan on supplementing with interesting activities. The goal is to map out some ideas we want to try.
We have been looking at the options for classes at our local YMCA as a way to vary our kids’ experiences. The classes there are a great way to address PE and learn new skills. Our problem is deciding which classes to take. We want our children to experience many different things before they settle into focusing on one 
particular activity they want to pursue in depth. For example, we want them to try various sports, dance, and swimming. The trick is getting them to try something new. When I suggested a dance class, my daughter told me that she already knew how to dance. I explained that there is much more to learn about dance, but she insisted that she simply did not need to learn anything more about dance. I also recommended other classes we could try with similar responses.
What are your strategies for getting your children to try out a new sport or activity?
First photo courtesy of tiffanywashko
Second photo courtesy of lunawhimsy
Filed under Homeschooling Life | Comment (0)Other Ways of Using Puppets in Your Homeschool
In the past I have written about the benefits of using puppets in your homeschool to encourage literacy. Here are a few other ideas for how you can use puppets to motivate your children and encourage learning in your homeschool.
~A puppet can help your younger child to develop language skills. Young children love puppets and are often willing to open up to them. Take advantage of this and have your child and tell the puppet stories. Ask your child probing questions to encourage more developed ideas.
~Your child can teach a puppet something you’ve recently learned about. For example, have your child explain a process in math or science to the puppet. The puppet can ask questions in order to encourage your child to add details to the explanation. This is a great way to assess your child’s understanding.
~If you are studying a particular historical time period, have your child make puppets that reflect the dress of the time. Then have your child create and perform a puppet show that includes historically accurate details. Music and art can be woven into the the performance as appropriate. Or your child could make puppets of a certain historical figure and have that puppet engage with the audience in character.
Try using puppets in your homeschool.
Photos courtesy of Wendy Piersall (@eMom)
Filed under Art, Educational Strategies, Math, Science, Social Studies | Comment (0)Fun Homeschool Math Fact Mastery
Learning math facts is necessary to help your child solve more complicated math problems efficiently. In the past I have posted some ideas to make learning math facts fun. Here are more ways of mastering them in your homeschool without the drudgery.
~While reciting the facts, do a hand clapping game. Girls especially love these kinds of games.
~Play card games:
- Cribbage is a great one to play with children who are slightly older. You have to make sums of 21 & 15. You also have to multiply when you get the same score multiple times. You can find the rules of the game here.
- Black Jack is another game helpful in teaching addition facts. (I had a teacher who called it “21″ instead.). While playing the game, you have to find sums up to 21 quickly.
~Make flashcards, one set with the product/sum and one with the equation.
- Play “Go Fish” by matching the equation to the product/sum.
- Play “Concentration” by matching the equation to the product/sum.
~Play Soduku. You can play online here.
~Learn the doubles - 2+2, 3+3, 4+4, etc. Also focus on the the trickier facts – 5+6, 5+7, 5+8, 5+9, 6+7, 7+8, 7+9, & 8+9. You can make up songs to help remember them.
