Weekend Fun on the Farm Thanks to Schedule Changes

March 10, 2013 by 1 Comment

Weekends on the farm are never boring. In fact many times we tend to squeeze in more than we could ever accomplish. However, I have spent a little time in prayer about our schedule. We never get five full book work days done in a week. We always seem to need to have a day to make up some work, and get caught up on things around the house for those times when we have to leave for a day to take care of something.

So, last weekend, when I did our lesson plans, I only scheduled four days of book work, and Friday as our make up day for any leftover school and chores. This little schedule change made for a GREAT weekend and plenty of time to get a few extras done.

We ended up going out of town all day Friday, but when we got home, we did what we normally do on Saturday morning, and had Saturday morning to work on some decluttering areas that never seem to get done. WOW, what a difference that made. We are starting the week with laundry caught up, lesson plans and chore lists printed, house mostly cleaned up, no dishes in the sink and all.

So, what did we do Saturday afternoon?

The four oldest went with The Hot Guy (AKA my hubby) to his shop to work and play. The three below, umm….

PLAYED!!!

So, why the laundry hamper outside? Well, they had to strip and go directly to the basement to shower, rather than bring their clothes in.

Other things we did?

I broke up a horse fight and froze my tail end off on Sunday… We moved them around and now all are happy or umm, safe. Not too happy as they are a herd animal and now are separated, but were about to be anyway, as one is due to foal in about 6 weeks.

I also set up this week’s chores and lessons on a new program, that I will be sharing little about tomorrow, with a coupon code.

How was your Weekend? What schedule changes have you implemented to make a smoother running home?

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Home, Christian Wife, Farmwife, homemaking, homeschool, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules, Horse, household organization, on the farm Tagged With: ,

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner from Apologia, And Giveaway!!

August 13, 2012 by 75 Comments

If you are a homeschool mom, you have probably tried a few planners to help you keep all those lessons, activities, and such organized. Many of you have probably found that most planners think you are a cookie cutter image of 1000s of other homeschool families. If you have more than two or three children, than finding a planner is ten times harder. However, one of my favorite homeschool companies, Apologia, actually a current sponsor of this site, has a planner that is so versatile, but yet planned out enough to help you get organized and stay organized.

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner designed by Debra Bell and Published by Apologia will change your homeschool planning chaos. With room for six children, lesson plans, a reading list, calendar, field trip log and more, you will find that keeping all those pages together for your whole family is rather easy with this single planner.

The Ultimate Hoimeschool Planner from Apologia

Count your blessings while charting your family’s homeschool journey with this gorgeous day planner from best-selling author Debra Bell. The Ultimate Homeschool Planner will help you prayerfully prioritize your family’s lessons, assignments, and activities as well as academic and personal growth goals for each of your children. Includes teaching helps, record-keeping, and pages to document God’s faithfulness throughout the year.

I love all the encouragement throughout this planner. From Bible verses, quotes and more, and articles to encourage you as you plan.

There are pockets on the inside of the front and back covers, yearly calendar for school years 2011-2015. This planner is full of tips and snips to help you plan the best year yet.

One of the articles of encouragement.

Here is the table of contents, look at all those wonderful pages to help get you organized. I imagine you want to see a few sample pages too?

I really do like this planner. A few things I think may be missing…

  • Tabbed Dividers-I added my own
  • Recording pages for grades…I really would like more space than what is included. I have set up a separate binder for this and my Ultimate Planner fits nicely into this binder.
  • I could also use a bit more planning area…maybe a project planning area that has more room for larger projects to plan out step by step?

One of my favorite parts of this planner, happens every week. The pages where it has the Bible Plan, Battle Plan, Prayers, Hospitality/Outreach, Memorable Moments, and Evidences of Grace. Every week, right before the lesson plan pages there is a two page spread for the above. What a great way to watch God work through your homeschool each week. I love the versatility of the lesson planning pages, this makes it easy to change as you need for your own family’s needs. I also love that it is not dated, so if you have to change, you can easily erase it and change what is needed.

One of my readers will get to have their own planner, and student planner of their choice. Follow the simple instructions below to enter this awesome giveaway. I was given this planner to review for my opinion. All comments in this post are my own thoughts. Though Apologia is a sponsor of this blog, they have not paid me for my comments.

Please note, as you enter this giveaway, if you have not commented on this blog before, I will have to approve your comment before it shows up. I believe you are able to go ahead and finish entering. If you have any trouble, please email me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: homeschool, Homeschool curriculum review, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules Tagged With: , ,

Mommy Sick Days in Homeschool

August 8, 2012 by 11 Comments

You know that day, when you woke in the night and knew something was off.  Dozed back off and woke up with your alarm, but you had that feeling of doom?  You are sick, fever, chills, tired, sore throat and achy all over.  Your children however, are all fine, dandy bundles of energy.  Do you have a plan…besides calling daddy, or your mom?  Are you going to feel up to keeping up with the chores?

No, me neither, and after a few times of the above scenario, I came up with a Mommy Sick Day Plan.

First you will need some heavy duty pocket folders.  I like the ones that are plastic and can go in a three ring binder.  You will need one or two for each child, I use a different color for each child. Winking smile

Plastic Folders

I gather lots of fun worksheets, pages, crafty type things, and a few recipes for each of my children and place them in their own folder.  The recipes are things we have made before, and are located on the back cover of the binder.

Sick Day Folder

There is a different colored folder for each child filled with worksheets.

I then put the folders into a Sick Day Binder, that is easily located on a day when mom is sick.  This will help my children keep up with daily tasks, school, chores, and meals, without making my head hurt, you know with the endless questions.  I am sure you understand what I mean…Mommy is sick, what do we do…

The older children help the younger children as they work through their folders on a mommy sick day.  They school, cook and chore together.  They make daddy a grocery list, and keep in touch with him.  I am here, but normally if I am sick enough to not be able to do school, I am just here in body. Winking smile 

Places to find worksheets and other fun pages/activities:

Currclick

The Pelsers

Guest Hallow

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For our binder, I have more than one day’s work in it.  This way, I have breathing space if I am sick longer than I hope to be. 

Our chores are pretty much the same as every day and posted on our refrigerator.

By having a Sick Day Binder ready for your children, easily located, and filled with a few days worth of fun work, your children won’t have to miss out on a day of school when you are under the weather. 

I keep our binder on our manipulative and resource/game shelf.

How do you plan ahead for a mommy sick day?

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Home, Christian Wife, homeschool, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules Tagged With: ,

Being Real in Homeschool Lessons

July 30, 2012 by 1 Comment

As homeschoolers, we can really struggle with how much book school to do.  Sometimes we can fall into the textbook trap and lose the whole reason we are homeschooling.

Homeschooling is more about relationships than it is academic.

  • Relationships with family
  • Relationships with others
  • Relationships with people of a widely various ages
  • Relationships with God
  • Relationships with circumstance
  • Relationships with learning
  • and so much more. Lesson Planning_edited-1

When you homeschool you open a a door wide for numerous learning opportunities that do not come from a book. From field trips to things right in your home. 

This year as I planned our curriculum purchases and then actually started my first week of lesson plans for all six children, I realized I had messed up BIG time…Not sure what I was thinking, other than, I now officially have a middle schooler and felt like I really had to push him, which really would result in our lives being miserable.  In all honesty, he would learn very little if I keep on the track I was headed, but, God chose to show me ahead of time.

I also have one who is skipping two grade levels this year, so I added a bit to her plate to help offset what she might miss.  She has not been challenged the last year and a half and well, in order to help her keep her desire to learn, we believed that I needed to test to see where she should be placed. 

When I tested her at the fourth grade level, where she should be going into, she missed 1 question on the placement test…Fifth grade she missed 3, and then I said well, we just put her in sixth as at this time, I am not comfortable enough to move her three grade levels above her age.  I can add in some extra stuff to help challenge her that she is interested in.  She will also be helping with her younger siblings some too, as there is a lot to learn in working with others.

Now about lesson planning…

We want to cover everything and help our children become the best that they can be, however, if we over plan we will overwhelm ourselves and our children, and they will be the ones who lose out the most.  Too many subjects covered individually is going to shut down the learning process.

To help overcome this problem, I try to tie in subjects as much as possible.  Our copywork, which I do believe is a HUGE benefit for spelling, grammar, and writing, comes from our history, geography and science studies.  Many of our writing assignments come from those subjects too.  Our history and Geography tie together too.  Even a bit of our science is going to complement our history and geography studies.

I never assign a reading textbook.  We use a living books approach and all reading assignments are from books that go with our science or history…typically history.  Some may think all my children read are non-fiction books, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I pull spelling words from our studies also, rather than using a spelling curriculum. I have a list of spelling rules for them to get acquainted with that help them learn to spell better.

By tying subjects together, your children are better able to see how all things work together.  Once we are out of school, every aspect of our lives are not boxed up individually, why when we are raising our children and educating them, do we think everything must be in it’s own box?

If when planning your homeschool year, you become very overwhelmed, likely when your children start back to school, they will be overwhelmed also.
So, remember this as you plan.

Keep God at the center of you homeschool, especially when working on your lesson plans.  Your year will be better, your school happier, and your children life long learners.

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Home, Christian Mothering, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules, large family homeschool Tagged With: , ,

Time Timer Review

November 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Wow, seems some people seem to think I need help staying on track…have they been watching me while I am working in Photoshop?

Well, probably not, but, I do tend to get distracted, and Time Timer $30 has helped some. But, I believe any old timer could help.

This is a neat little timer, that has a read window that shows you how much time you have left. It is a 60 minute timer. It is pretty basic to use and only needs a AA battery.

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However, the battery comes dislodged quite easily and is a little hard to get to stay in place.

I am reviewing the 3 inch model. I like the protective cover for times that it is not in use, and would be more likely to recommend, if the battery stayed put better. Setting a fifteen minute time and then realizing it has been forty five minutes and the timer hasn’t moved is not good. All due to the battery shifting.

The other thing, I had an issue with is that, it is a quiet little beep at the end of the window of time. I honestly need something that say HEY YOU, YOUR TIME IS UP . BEEEEEEEEEEEP until I am ready to throw it across the room. Winking smile

I used it to time our morning chores and got along ok. If you like quiet timers and something visual, this may work well for you. They have computer apps, watches and other tools too, that may work better for our family.

 

As part of the TOS Crew, I received this free for my review.

Filed Under: homeschool, Homeschool curriculum review, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules, review Tagged With:

Home Educating Family’s On the Go Planner~ My brain on in a book!~Giveaway 3 Winners!!

November 16, 2011 by 16 Comments

I am not naturally organized.  In fact, even when I try really hard I am not really organized.  I have great ideas, and I mean well, but, in reality, I am just not an organized person…or am I? 

In fact, I have made wonderful forms that keep my older children organized in their homeschool lesson and records, but when it comes to keeping me organized…well, I really struggle.

Well see, I am getting better, because now I have this book that is now my external brain…The On the Go planner from Home Educating Family and Well Planned Day.

 

This planner has saved me a lot of trouble, embarrassment, and chaos.  I write down everything in it.  Notes from online meetings for work, dates for everything, blog posts to write, when my product reviews are due, menu plans, grocery lists, household projects, and more.

My On the Go Planner has a place on my desk, a place in my bag, and is used during grocery shopping.  I don’t leave home without it.

The On the Go Planner has a monthly layout with weekly layouts following each month.  The weekly layouts start with Monday, have a place for chores or tasks, a timed schedule that you can write in appointments for each day, a place to write your dinner menu, a shopping list area, and what to do while out and about area, There is also a place for household projects, purchases to make, Birthdays and Anniversaries to remember, and bills to pay.

Each week has an encouraging quote, and also an area for notes. 

Right after the monthly layout each month there is a Money Management area.  It has just about everything you could think of here. 

At the front of the planner, there is:

  • year at a glance
  • Goal Planning pages
  • Article about Resolutions
  • Annual budget and expenses
  • Homemaking Special Projects
  • Greeting Card Registry
  • Addresses
  • My Responsibilities
  • Notes

This planner starts with July, and is based on a school year.  Between November and December, there is a simple Christmas or Holiday Planner.  Example pages can help you understand the Planner’s set up.

This planner has been a saving grace over the last three weeks.  When I planned the A Journey Through Learning Facebook Party, I used this planner to keep me on track.  By the day of the party, I was literally so ready that I was driving myself batty just trying to wait for it to start. Smile  In my previous non On the Go Planner Days I never would have been that ready.

I am ready at the drop of a hat for a day of grocery shopping, and can tell when I have appointments or activities all in a glance.

The On the Go planner is the planner for mom, or other busy women.  It has just about everything you can think of.  

This planner is small enough to fit in your purse or diaper bag, yet big enough to write it all down.  It is also very cute.



I received this planner free for my honest review.  I will receive no further compensation.

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Mothering, Giveaway, homemaking, homeschool, Homeschool curriculum review, homeschool organization, Homeschool planning forms, homeschool schedules, household organization, Large Families, large family homeschool, review, Weekly Goals Tagged With: , , , ,

Finding the Get Up and Go~Homeschool Morning Blues

September 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

"How do you get everyone up, moving and motivated in the morning?" Our mornings are incredibly ROUGH!

 

I am not an early riser by nature, and really not by force either.  However, getting up in the morning before 9 is a good thing.  Actually, I try to be up around 7 or 7:30…Try…

I have a few children who are like me, and a few who would get up before the sun if I would let them.  However, those who are more like me are quite challenging.

So, how do you get them up and going in the mornings, without being blue? 

Fun breakfast have helped here.  They never know when mom will allow chocolate chips in their oatmeal or brownies with ice cream for breakfast. Yep, I am THAT BAD, because chocolate is good for the Homeschool Morning blues…It is an inherited gene from my mom’s side of the family. Winking smile

Other ways I work on this, is rewards for getting chores done in a timely manner.  Remember our jars?  Little incentives like that are a big help.

Also, no chores, no food.  You must be up and have your before breakfast chores done before breakfast…hence the name before breakfast. Winking smile 

Really, I think it is a lot of routine stuff.  Try for the most part to stay on a routine.  At least, have a plan that your children can know what to expect.  Mornings aren’t easy here, but they are getting better.  

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, encouragement, homeschool, homeschool schedules Tagged With: , ,

All of The Old Schoolhouse Planners are 50% off TODAY only!!!

September 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I have talked before, how I use these in our home.  Well, today is the day to get  The 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planners for 50% off!!!

Here are a few of the ways I am or have used the TOS Planner.

Assignment and Record Keeping Book

Homeschool Convention Binder

Family Notebook and Homeschool Binder

This planner has it all.  Go get yours today while it is 50% off!!!!   

While you are there, you might want to check out the Birthday Bash.  Lots of fun and prizes going on!

 

Have fun partying!!

Filed Under: Homeschool Deals, homeschool organization, Homeschool planning forms, homeschool schedules Tagged With: ,

File Boxes with Student Notebooks~Take 3.2 on Workbox Modification

August 11, 2011 by 2 Comments

A couple of years ago, I put together File Boxes as modified Workboxes.  That really worked, but somehow, I stopped using them.  The main reason was the work load to keep them loaded and to make sure everything made it back to their spots.  Also, the Hanging File Folders kept falling apart.

The first revamping I did was to take packing tape and re-enforce all the areas that were falling apart on our hanging folders.

Then I got rid of the Velcro cards.  It seemed that toddlers would find them and move them here, there and everywhere.  All assignments are in their assignment notebooks, as are their school records and grade record.

Now our file boxes contain all the books, worksheets and such for the entire week, this will make it so I am not loading them.There is no turn in box either.  Every afternoon/evening or early the next morning, I will go through the boxes and check off the work. Recording the grades in their notebooks.  Then just put everything back in the box. DSCN7049

Preschool through first grade box.

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Sixth Grade Bok

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Sixth Grade Box

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3rd Grade Box

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All boxes on shelf…also part of my pantry shelf.

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Current ere in history book basket

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Family School Basket

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For those fun times…I have a basket under a table full of games, and a crate full of file folder games.  Our lapbooks are in that beige box with the handle.  We are currently working on A Journey Through Learning’s TruthQuest American History for the Young 1, Trail Guide to US History, Apologia’s Exploring Creation through Zoology Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day, and Letters, Shapes and Numbers.

Having a place for everything will definitely help keep the homeschool running smoothly.  Are you using workboxes?  How do you keep your homeschool organized?

Filed Under: homeschool, homeschool organization, Homeschool Preschool, homeschool schedules, household organization, large family homeschool Tagged With: , , ,

This Week’s Homeschool Plans Were Stormed~Literally

August 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

As in, the rain we have been praying for came, along with high winds, and hail.

We didn’t really receive at our home, but over at my in laws where we keep a lot of our farm equipment is another story.

The out building that we stored some of our smaller equipment was blown away.  As it went down, it damaged our 1952 G John Deere, and an old pick up my husband had restored when in high school.  We are both a little sick…

So, instead of actually starting our new year today as planned, we will be cleaning up debris from the surrounding hay fields, yard and repairing equipment.

We are very thankful or the rain. However, as it is whenever storms wreck havoc, we are now busily working to get the farm back into production.

Later today, I will get some pictures to add to this post. 

Filed Under: homeschool, homeschool schedules, Lifestyle of learning Tagged With: ,

Our Assignment and Record Keeping Notebooks~Using TOS Planner and My Custom Planner Pages

August 3, 2011 by 1 Comment

Over the years, I have worked hard to put together a record keeping book that would work for assignment too.  However, they have always been a little too much for my older children. 

This year, however, seems to be the year I figured it out. I have used forms from my The 2011-12 Schoolhouse Planners, my homeschool forms and a couple from Donna Young.

We have three books this year, one for each of my oldest two children, and one for myself. 

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The oldest children’s books contain:

Each of the sections above are divided by a colored piece of card stock.  I am considering adding sticky index dividers to help locate each section quickly.  My children are expected to fill in the forms each day with a  little help from me.  Keeping records is a life lesson you must learn, so what better way then to start them by keeping their own homeschool records?

My Notebook contains:

Again, each of these sections are divided by different colors of card stock. 

To make my notebooks, I use my laminator and laminate the front and back covers.  I then use my comb binder to bind the books.  We use these two gadgets nearly weekly in our homeschool.

As the school year gets in full swing, I am sure I will add forms.  How do handle the lessons, records, and lists you need to keep organized?

The TOS Planner links are affiliate links.  If you purchase anything through those links, I will be paid a small portion of your purchase price as an affiliate.  Thank you for supporting Peace Creek on the Prairie.

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, homemaking, homeschool, homeschool organization, Homeschool planning forms, Homeschool Preschool, homeschool schedules, household organization, large family homeschool, Large family homeschool planning forms, Lifestyle of learning, Workbox system Tagged With: , , , , ,

Easing into the New Homeschool Year

August 2, 2011 by 6 Comments

This week we are easing into the new homeschool year.  I have four weeks of lessons planned for our new year, but we won’t start on them for at least two weeks.  Because we took an unexpected time off through most of the summer, I want to spend some time reviewing where we left off.

Easing into this new year will also allow us to make needed adjustments to our schedule, routines and plans.

As we ease into our new year, we are working on:

  • History Lapbook from last year that I didn’t find until May.
  • Reviewing some lessons from Teaching Textbooks.
  • Copywork from our History Lessons
  • Unit Studies of their choice
  • Bible Reading

I am also catching our younger crew up with our six year old, so we can stay together easier. 

We are also integrating a more in depth chore schedule with a few more weekly chores added in each day. 

This ease in time will also allow me to see where further organization is needed to help get our school year off to a smooth start.

I have set reminders on my phone and on Philip’s Watchminder 3 to help get us on a routine that will allow the best use of our time this year.

What are ways you ease into a new year? 

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, homeschool, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules, Large Families, large family homeschool, year around homeschool Tagged With: , ,

Watchminder 3 Review~Helping your child stay on track.

July 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Do you have a child who struggles staying on task?

Do they get “lost”?

What about you?

Watchminder 3 ($69) may be a little gadget that will help. It is a watch that you are able to set to alert or remind you or your child to the tasks ahead of them or that they should be doing.

My son loves this watch, in fact, I struggle to get it off long enough to be able to charge it each week. Watchminder 3 will help keep your child or yourself on track. My son’s favorite reminder I have set are the couple of reminders I set for him to come tell me. Winking smile I think that boost his confidence knowing that mom needs reminders too. Winking smile

 

Pros:

  • Helps child stay on track
  • Child loves wearing it.
  • Interchangeable wristbands
  • Rechargeable

Cons:

  • Can not fully customize reminders…I would like to have it tell student to do math now, or language arts, wash dishes etc. Instead I have it say the preprogramed sayings..homework, chores etc. You are not able to add your own sayings.
  • The battery needs recharged every week or you lose all settings.
  • It does take some time to set up.
  • I would like to be able to program it from my computer.

My son does stay on task better. It is nice to not to have to constantly remind him of what he should be doing throughout the day.

If you need something that is portable and able to physically remind you of your next task, Watchminder 3 may well be able to help you out.

I received one Watchminder 3 free in return for my honest review. I will receive no further compensation.

Filed Under: ADHD/ADD, homemaking, homeschool schedules, review, special needs homeschooling Tagged With: , ,

Color Coded Magnetic Chore Board

July 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I have tried a new chore reminder system every year for many years. The biggest problem I have is, I can’t easily change things already written down if something in our home changes. So, as I was contemplating how, I was going to work out a system that would be more adaptable to change, I decided on magnets.

There are many magnetic chore boards and charts on the market, but most of them, are made for the young child with pictures and such. They do not have the more complex chores. So, my computer and I became very close friends.

I made my own chore list for both daily chores and weekly. I made each chore for each child in a different color. Every chore that needs to be done weekly or daily or three or four times a day is printed off for each child in their color.

magnetic chore cards


Magnetic Color Coded Chore Cards

After I printed off the above document, I laminated each page, then my daughter Lora and I cut them out and attached magnetic tape to the back.

I then wrote on our daily board:

  • Before Breakfast
  • After Breakfast
  • School
  • Before Lunch
  • After Lunch
  • After Nap
  • Before Supper
  • After Supper

Under each time period I place the chores that should be done during that time. Now, each child knows what needs to be done when, and if something needs to be changed for someone, I can easily move things around.

I wish I would of made the font for the chores a little larger, however, then I probably would have needed a larger more expensive board. This board is less then $5 at Wal-Mart right now.

For the Weekly Chore Board I have:

  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
  • Friday
  • Saturday

There is no way to mark off the completed chores, but really, I think with the chores being broken down into time periods, if they just work through it, there should be no problem.

So far, this is working nicely. I am teaming a younger child with an older child, so there is always someone in training.

I keep all the extra chore cards separated by area in zip lock baggies.

What is the best chore system you have tried?

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Mothering, homemaking, homeschool schedules, household organization, Large Families Tagged With: , , ,

Changing Routines to Help Meet the Ever Changing Needs of Your Family

July 22, 2011 by 2 Comments

Along with organizing this week, I have been implementing new routines to help us get prepared for the new homeschool year.

Daily Schedule

The above page is posted through out our home and in each notebook, to hopefully keep us on track. We are not a set time, kind of a family, we have animals, farm stuff, and other children who tend to interrupt or change our timed schedules, so I tend to do more routines. These are goal times.

I noticed this morning, I left out our Spelling City time on the computer. I will be adding that in.

You may notice there is little free time on this list. However, if my children buckle down and work hard, they will have free time after each thing is done on their list.

I do not really have myself scheduled in here. There are many reason, why I don’t. Mainly, because I am moving around so much and taking care of things as they happen. My routines must be more flexible, as I am often needed to make phone calls, emails, and other such items for our family. I also want to keep myself available for my children’s needs with out some schedule looking me in the face telling me to be here or there, take care of this or that.

Several times a year, I have to change our routines to meet our family’s needs. This leads to our new chore board, which I have just finished putting together. I will be posting about it, next week.

How do you schedule your school days? Are you a routine person or a timed schedule person?

Pin It

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, homeschool, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules, household organization, Large Families, large family homeschool Tagged With: ,

Organizational Week~Getting the Homeschool Ready

July 20, 2011 by 3 Comments

We all have them, days when we walk through the house and want to turn tail and run because there are messes everywhere. 

As we move through the house, we notice there is very little that can be done with these messes…

What?

Where did it all come from?

Typically around here, it means we haven’t been home much or have been busy on the farm.

This week, I have been working in our office, as I got new shelves and that has made a huge difference.  I also have been pulling out the tubs I used when we did Workboxes.  We are again going to do this for our homeschool, though a little differently.  I am putting together student assignment/record keeping notebooks for my oldest children this year.  I have also made a daily schedule for our family.  It will be included in the student assignment/record books.  

I have also been printing off all our eBooks, Lapbooks, and making copies for the first few weeks of school.  I still need to rewrite our lesson plans, but I am feeling oh so much better about them right now.  Many have been asking how are organize our eBooks.  To begin with, I have folders in my documents on my computer set up.  Then when I print them, I laminate the covers, bind them with my comb binder, and write on the spines what the title is, then they go on a shelf, or in a workbox, or family box.  If they will be used later and don’t fit in one of the above areas, they go in a file cabinet drawer.

My lapbooks, are printed and placed in file folders, then in a file cabinet or the appropriate workbox.

I have also organized my computer desk and work area.  I have a new shelf (found at a garage sale) that all new books go into until I have time to enter them into our Home Library Database, and upcoming review items, curriculum catalogs and such all go there.

On top of that shelf I have a file organization center (another garage sale find) that eBooks that need bound go, our speech, and other therapy manuals are here, and our sketch books are here.  All my blog things are here too…notebook, ledger, review schedule and such.  My most used CD roms are stored on the side with a  book end.  On the top is a basket that holds all our family school materials.

I organized our baker’s rack in the kitchen and straightened my baking area on my kitchen counter.

I am working on our writing center tub right now…I need some ideas for it though.  What do you keep in your creative writing area? 

I need to figure out an accessible, but out of reach from little fingers for our games.  My oldest two are playing games quite a bit, but then there are those little fingers that are causing a few problems with lost pieces, scattered cards and such.

How are you organizing for the up coming school year?  Are you overwhelmed?

Filed Under: homeschool, homeschool organization, Homeschool planning forms, homeschool schedules, household organization, large family homeschool, Large family homeschool planning forms, special needs homeschooling, vision therapy, Workbox system Tagged With: , , ,

The Homeschool Mother’s Journal~Summer Edition

July 1, 2011 by 3 Comments

In my life this week…

I have been a sewing maniac…I made two modest swimsuits, one for myself and one for my oldest daughter.

I also started water aerobics with some local gals in the evenings on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays.  I started Thursday, so I can rest up for Tuesdays class.

In our homeschool this week…

I have not felt that the two weeks of lesson plans I have written out will work, there is too much each days, and all that will happen is the whole family will be overwhelmed, frustrated, and grouchy.  Learning will not take place, if I try to use our current plans.

Therefore, I am going to rewrite my homeschool lesson plans.

I have also been building a list of “school” supplies for our homeschool.  Join the link up here.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Do  not overschedule or over plan your days.

I am inspired by…

Air-conditioning…It is 104 right now…

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

My sister from AZ is headed here.  We will get three days together. 

FYI, I will not be blogging much next week. Winking smile 

My favorite thing this week was…

Water Aerobics…I need to shape up. Winking smile 

What’s working/not working for us…

Over planning is not working for us…I really don’t have time to redo those plans, but we don’t have time to cover that much material.

Things I’m working on…

Lesson plans, house work, and staying cool.

I’m reading…

Bible, and teacher’s manuals…Winking smile

I’m cooking…

I am not cooking, I did some bulk cooking right before the heat wave, so we are eating meatballs, baked taters, pasta salad, and fruity chicken salad.

I’m grateful for…

  • Air-conditioning
  • Opportunities to minster to other women.
  • Loving husband who supports my blogging.
  • TOS Crew and the support there.

I’m praying for…

RAIN and cooler weather.

Before you continue to read and click over to the following link, I encourage you to grab a box of Kleenexes…

My friend Amy at Raising Arrows, who will celebrate her daughter Emily’s fourth birthday with out her…She went to heaven nearly three and a half years ago.  I remember the day Emily was born, her proud grandma called me and told me.  She was a beautiful little firecracker, that I feel honored to be able to have held a few short times.  The last time I saw her in real life, she was still on the ventilator, and many monitors.  I will never forget the phone call I got, on February 10, 2008 telling me Emily had gone to be with Jesus…I cried, sobbed and lashed out at Jesus for my dear friend’s misery.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Today I found out, that I will have the opportunity to serve and minister to women on two more websites, At the Well, and The Homeschool Classroom.  I am excited for these opportunities to reach out to more women. 

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, homeschool, Homeschool Mother's Journal, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules, In the Kitchen, In the sewing room, summer fun Tagged With: , , , , ,

Jumping Ship from the Institutionalized Educational Mindset in the Homeschool~Part 2~Planning Your Day

June 29, 2011 by 4 Comments

As homeschool moms, we can get quite concerned about covering everything.  In fact we sometimes have the ability under the influence of this concern to schedule every single minute of our children’s days with school work. 

I am guilty of this…I do it every year as I plan. 

This year is not ANY different.  Despite what all the homeschool naysayers say…I WANT my children to get the BEST possible education. I want them to excel in so many areas, and I forget one little BIG thing.  What does God have planned for my children?  When I make my plans, have I stopped and asked God’s opinion?  Did he have a say?

Honestly NO, not with my first go around…EVERY. Single. YEAR, I have to replan, because I have these big ideas in my head, but there is no way, on Earth, that any child could accomplish what I am pushing my children to do…See, I didn’t consult God on what he wanted me to do…When I did go back and pray and work through it again, I didn’t get rid of what I wanted, I added what God led me to, but did not eliminate anything.

No Way Could We Get it All Done

Our current, planned without asking God, 2011-2012 daily schedule is about 6 hours of book work a day…WHAT!!!!  Nope, will not work, and it is better to realize this now, then to wait, try this current schedule, get irritated and frustrated.

Wouldn’t it be easier just to consult God first?  Why don’t we?  Because we fall into the trap, that we know better?  or We fall into the trap of the institutionalized education mindset that say we must do this, this and this, or their education is lacking so much that they will never survive in society and get a real job…

A Real Job?

Wait, what is a REAL job?  Is that a job where you hate what you are doing, but you do it, because you make a lot of money, and they you become a materialist hoarder that others envy?  or Is it a job that keeps you away from family for hours and hours or days, weeks or months at a time? (not talking military there). Or is it a job that meets the financial needs that you have with enough left over to be able to bless someone going through a hard time?

I know where my REAL job ideal fits in, but so many parents get stuck on the amount of money a child could make if they pushed this and that, and taught this, that and a few more things.  Really though, why are we home educating?  We want to train our children up in the love of God, and be able to teach them everything we know about God, allow them to further study Him whenever He leads Himself to them.

Teach them about God First.

So, as I go back and work on those plans where I kind of forgot about asking God, His plans for my children this year, I am going to close my eyes to the busy-ness that the Institutional mindset has tried to shine into our day.  I am going to put my blinders on and take on a tunnel vision while plan according to God’s Plan for our children, pray through it, and pray each day as we start our homeschool days.

A Plan Built on Prayer is a

Plan that Will Work.

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, homeschool, homeschool organization, homeschool schedules, large family homeschool, Lifestyle of learning Tagged With: , ,

Jumping Ship from the Institutionalized Educational Mindset in the Homeschool~Part 1 Grade levels and Start Dates

June 14, 2011 by 9 Comments

Over the years of homeschooling, I have become braver in getting away from the school at home mindset. However, I have also known, I needed to get farther away from that mindset in order to be able to attain our goals with our children.

Grade levels is one way I am doing that this year. I will be teaching two levels when it comes to math, and language arts (spelling, phonics, grammar, writing etc.). Everything else will again be taught as a family.

In years past, I have tried to teach three to four levels of math and language arts…this is tough, when it is all younger children. It seemed all I did was answer question, confuse myself and my children. In the end we were all grouchy and none of us learned much of anything.

So, I am making some changes, and actually making lesson plans ahead…as in I have two weeks planned for the next year. I hope to get around 6-9 weeks of school planned before we actually start. I bought one level of grammar instruction to use with my older two students. They will both be doing writing assignments also. The younger crowd will be doing phonics and math together. I know my 2.5 year old will not be grasping everything, but I imagine I will be surprised at what she does get.

Let’s think about this for umm, 39 seconds (as Dr. Voddie Baucham would say). Our babies and toddlers learn to talk, walk, crawl, eat, potty, and many other things by watching and following and participating within the family structure. Why wouldn’t they grasp some basic math, phonics, grammar, and spelling concepts during a preschool through first grade class set up? In reality, I am teaching kindergarten to my five and six year olds and will be having the two and three year olds sit in on the lessons and do similar worksheets and such.

We may not start our normal planned school as early as we normally do, and actually we are not schooling through the summer as I had planned…why?

Because this summer has been a bit busier then I expected. I don’t want homeschool to get in the way of our lives…fun family memories, or lifelong lessons.

We are learning lots through life learning…from farming, gardening, ministry with VBS, and many other activities.

We have company coming the beginning of July, then our county fair, and Bible camp. We also hopefully have lots of food to preserve during that time too. So, for now my plan is to hold off on starting our normal planned school until mid-August or September. We will be doing math and some lapbooking activities, and as always lots of reading and Bible discussions.

As homeschoolers, we have the ability to customize our calendar, lessons and grade levels to meet each child’s unique needs. By not letting the institutionalized school system bind us to their mindset and actually taking the unique needs of our family and children into consideration, we will be able to move ahead and make more progress on our own schedule then we would on the schedule set by someone else. We are able to set a schedule and plans and curriculum for fewer students in a unique setting, why do we allow ourselves to be bogged down by the four walled setting that society has adopted as the one and only form of education?

*Please note, I am speaking on homeschooling, not how the public school system should adopt my educational routines for my students. I am not producing mass numbers of students out of my classroom each year, therefore, I have more freedom in my educational choices for my family.

Filed Under: Christian Family, Christian Mothering, Farmwife, homeschool, homeschool organization, Homeschool Preschool, homeschool schedules, large family homeschool, Lifestyle of learning, special needs homeschooling, year around homeschool Tagged With: , ,

The 2011-2012 The Schoolhouse Planners are Here and Ready for You!!

April 26, 2011 by 4 Comments

I purchased my first The Schoolhouse Planner last summer.  I was impressed, and had an idea for another form.  In January, the call came out for suggestions, so I quickly put together my idea and submitted it.  Guess what?

My form is in each of the planners for the 2011-2012 school year.  I also have an article in the Special Needs Planner.

The Special Needs Planner has these added benefits:

  • Tons of forms to help you juggle school, therapy, and doctor appointments with ease.
  • Forms for routine tasks like doing laundry, creating a shower and a bathroom routine, washing hands, cleaning bedroom, getting ready for school, and brushing teeth.
  • Wonderful articles from well-known authors in the special needs community.
  • A 12-page Individualized Education Plan for the special needs homeschooler.

The Schoolhouse Planner has these great bit of information:

  • Plan and record all of the dynamic aspects of your homeschool year from top to bottom.
  • Schedule your social activities effectively. 
  • Organize your technological resources. 
  • Manage money wisely (and teach your kids this important life skill too).
  • Be the queen of your kitchen.
  • Foster family pride by establishing family goals and recording family tree information.
  • Record important medical information including medications and family medical history.
  • Run a successful home business.
  • Get ready for the holidays.

There are also Student Planners available for each level of school.  Primary, Intermediate, and highschool.  These will work great to help your students learn the bits and pieces of being organized.  They will be able to gain a habit of organization that will benefit them for many years to come.

Here are a couple of links of showing how I have used the planners in our home.

Homeschool Convention Binder

2010-2011 Homeschool and Household Notebook

I am planning to purchase the planners I will need for our year as soon as we have a bit of income coming in.  As in wheat harvest.   Spring is rough on the farm.  Winking smile

However, I know that many moms are getting ready to plan their year’s, so I think it is wise to let you all know why you should purchase the planners.

1.  You will have the most organized year yet.

2.  There are list of things to teach your children that many of us overlook. 

3.  You will be able to see at a glance what is left for a year, week, day or month.

4.  You can type directly into the planner pages.

5.  You will have very professional looking portfolios

6.  You will be able to remember those little things you forget every year.

7.  You will get a whole bunch of new recipes.

8.  There are article in each planner, and they are super beneficial.  You will learn so much and find out some great ways to improve your homeschool..

9.  You will have more time for many other projects, because you will better organized.

10.  You will be able to have an organized year, allowing you to spend more time focused on helping your children to grow in Biblical wisdom.

So, hurry over to The Old Schoolhouse Store, and grab the planners that will give you a most organized homeschool year.  You won’t regret it!

Please note, all links in this post are affiliate links.  I will earn a small amount of your purchase if you buy through them.  Thank you for supporting Peace Creek on the Prairie.  All funds earned are used towards my children’s homeschool needs. Winking smile

Filed Under: Christian Mothering, homeschool organization, Homeschool planning forms, homeschool schedules, household organization, large family homeschool, Large family homeschool planning forms, special needs homeschooling Tagged With: , , ,
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