I had a couple of homeschooling epiphanies at the end of last week. Granted, they weren’t things that I didn’t already know. But, for whatever reason, it just really hit me.
My first epiphany came upon while I was thinking about a project that my kids are supposed to be working on for a saints party that we will be attending. I was thinking about it, and I thought, “When will we have time to work on this?”
Then, it hit me. I’m the one that makes the schedule. I can fit it in when I want to fit it in. It is a project that is more than appropriate to work on during the school day, so why not work on it during the school day.
I had been so proud of myself for coming up with a framework for our schedule this year (since I struggled with it last year), but in the end — I have occasionally allowed myself to become a slave to it. I made the schedule, and I can change the schedule when I need to without feeling guilty.
Shortly thereafter, I was thinking about some of the hands on things that I have wanted to work on with the kids that I just can’t ever seem to find time to get to.
That’s when epiphany number two hit me — I’m the one that makes the schedule. If I want to schedule in the things that we are lacking, I can.
Yes, this may sound like I had the same epiphany twice, thus making the second not really an epiphany. But, I guess I needed to realize that I can change the schedule both permanently and temporarily. Just because I came up with a good plan, it doesn’t mean I have to stick with it forever.
I decided to schedule a “hands on” type of day every other week — on the opposite week from our homeschool group’s co-op. I plan to do activities such as basic sewing, laundry, cooking, field trips, soap making, and videos related to what we’ve been studying.
I would love some more suggestions of “hands on” activities to do on our special days (and maybe even a catchy name for those days)! If you have some great ideas, please be sure to leave them in the comments!
What homeschooling epiphanies have you had? Did it change how you homeschool?
When Angie isn’t busy trying to think outside the homeschooling box, even though she happens to be the one that put that box together, you can find her writing at Many Little Blessings.
photo by Joe Lanman
No related posts.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
How Would Jesus Schedule? 3 Elements to Schedule Your Days http://bit.ly/3e8cJZ
I had the same epiphany last week.. our schedule and workload wasn't working for us, so I changed it. We are now going to do a block schedule and I don't feel guilty that we won't be fighting about math every day leaving nothing else to get done. Mon and Wed we do math and language arts (reading,spelling,vocabulary, handwriting and grammar). On Tues and Thurs we do Science, History, Art, Music and Bible. Friday is our make up and test day, we also have our homeschool group on Friday. Hopefully this new schedule will be the start of something wonderful.
Sounds like a great idea, Cara! I would be interested to hear how it is working for you in a few weeks.
I really love the activities in the Story of the World activity book. We do one a week and they're always a lot of fun! I have her helped me with cooking, too. Today she made banana bread mostly on her own during school :)
I try not to stress about my big picture plan or my weekly plan. I modify my schedule each week as I plan school stuff around the things that change from week to week: play dates, volunteering in our community, field trips, etc. If we don't accomplish something I've planned, I just reschedule it for the next week. If we over-accomplish (mostly due to the "read one more chapter, please!" syndrome) I either start the next thing early, add something else to the curriculum, or give the kids some extra free time to create or play.
My big epiphany is that homeschooling really allows kids to work at a their own pace. They can move ahead or spend extra time as they need to without feeling like they have to compete with the system or be bored. This builds confidence in them and helps them love learning. Each day I homeschool, I'm more convinced this is the best thing I could be doing for my kids!
My most recent epiphany has been that I don't HAVE to hang on to all this old curriculum that has NEVER worked for us. It is ok to let go.
Lovely post!
Amy @ Raising Arrows
We've started having a "project day" on Fridays, which has been great for doing all the cooking, sewing, and art projects the girls want to do. Sometimes it's a pajama day, too!
Project Day — I love the name! :)
That is so true. I think most stress is self-inflicted.