PrincipledMom™

As we prepare to get back to our lessons next week, I've been prayerfully considering what to do and what to avoid this year. These are some things I've realized:

less is more. I don't have to teach a lot to teach a lot.

• it depends a lot on my preparation as a teacher. I am not confident when I just open a book and try to teach. I must internalize what I am teaching.
• My kids need things in small bites, and our schedule reflects that.
• I don't need lots of stuff (like teaching aids and such). It clutters and actually distracts us from learning.
• I must be sold out. I can't be half-hearted in educating my kids.
• I need to plan things. I'm not good with a vague idea of how the year will go. If it's not written down, I probably will not do it.
• I have to be careful not to overplan (see #1)

I am seeing what I can keep, what I can do differently and what I can simply let go of. That process really charges me up for the next year. I feel things are fresh again and I'm ready to take on another year.

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Am I the only one tired of the recent toy recalls? Not because I necessarily have those toys, but because it is a painful reminder of the commercialism of our children. Not to mention to cost and limited ability of the toy you buy. It will only do one thing and usually doesn't encourage much creative imagination.

We as Americans have become dependent on entertainment for stimulation, education and even "babysitting"---and it needs to stop. Here are some things you can offer your younger children instead of licensed plastic toys.

• Blocks of all kinds. Plain, wooden ones with no paint. A friend or relative can cut some for you in a jiffy, and the kids can help sand them down.
• Tea set with mis-matched corelle dishes from a thrift store. They won't break and they are much more affordable than the cheaply made ones from the toy store.
• Use your imagination. Enough said.
• Help your children start their own business.
• Learn a new hobby, like sewing or knitting (or bookmaking!), together.
• Go outside and PLAY.
• Give your girls some of your old makeup to play in.
• Put on a family play or make a home movie. Write a script, create costumes, the works.
• Sponge fights are fun on hot days. A couple of buckets filled with water, some jumbo sponges and a couple of kids are all you need. They soak the sponges and throw them at each other. What's not to like!?
• Have a regular sing-along night.
• Get your kids the real thing. If they like to tinker, get them real tools (even from a garage sale) and find some scrap wood or old clocks for them to take apart. Get them a real sewing machine or gardening tools. They will learn much more and things won't break the day after you bring them home.
• Put them to work. Children must learn to serve others and doing it as a family is better than playing with a certain blonde doll. Give them chores, adopt a needy family, whatever. It will do wonders for their character. And *bonus* your house will stay cleaner!
• Read aloud often. Listening to good literature is a joy.
• Go to the library and research something you all want to learn about.
• Go on a pretend vacation. Learn all about where you would like to go. Make a lapbook, cook some food, decorate the house and enjoy your "vacation."

For lots more fun ideas, check the web, or use your own creativity. Let your children escape the television and enjoy their imaginations. at first they will complain but after a while you will wonder how you ever had time to watch all that TV. And you'll save a ton of money on toys kids only play with for a little while.

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So once again, I'm sort of at a loss here to write something I haven't already said. This blog is all about the Biblical Principle Approach, so you can poke around the archives ad nauseum and read more than you probably ever wanted to know.

The Biblical Principle Approach places the Word of God at the center of every lesson. Here it is, in my own words.

Again, please read here or visit this site, this site or the blogs in my sidebar.

Some things I have tried before (in various doses): Five in A Row, Konos, my own unit studies and Heart of Wisdom. There are too many reasons why I didn't keep with any of these, but the gist of it is that I simply cannot do anything but BPA. It is too dear to me and I feel like once the door was opened to me and I saw the possibilities, I couldn't do anything else.

Why did I choose BPA? Well, it was a journey here, beginning with using BPA as a student myself in high school. After much prayer and trying many things over the years, I settled into what is most comfortable for us. And really I use it because I believe it is the best. (But that's my totally biased opinion. Ha!)

It is wonderful to home educate these days. There are so many options for curriculum and resources that one can be quite easily overwhelmed. If you are struggling with your curriculum choice, I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord for His Wisdom. He knows your children and your situation even better than you do. I pray this will be your most joyful and rewarding year yet, whatever your curriculum choice will be.

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This is day 4 of The Back to Homeschool Week.

If I had only known... 

...that I don't have to follow the book. It's okay to customize.

...that I don't have to buy everything.

...not to bite off more than I can chew. I am an all-or-nothing person, so I tend to get in over my head. A LOT.

...to pace myself. This hearkens back to the last point.

...what the real point is. (Hint: it's NOT academics!)

...how much fun it was going to be! Being able to reason with your kids, seeing them "get it" is way more fun than the few hours of free time when they would be at school.

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...is the third installment of the Back to Homeschool Week.

Socialization seems to be the default objection for those who disagree with the notion of home education. This has got to be the weakest argument that one can make regarding school choices--unless you live in the middle of nowhere and have no church, community, family or friends.

My children get plenty of social interaction, and they get it in doses they can handle. They are in choir that reaches into the community, Missionettes and have many friends. Oh, and they take a drawing class with grandma and 6dd attends a group piano lesson. Our family lives here so they get to see cousins, grandparents and other relatives often. We visit some small shoppes regularly and they know the owners and customers. Too much socialization makes my kids tired and grouchy. And it's hard to get schooling done. They need a balance of quiet time at home and time with people of all ages, preferrably in a service of some kind, like visiting the nursing home or taking cookies to the firehouse. And a fun sleepover is great too.

We don't do co-ops right now. They just don't appeal to me at this time. We take field trips when they are appropriate but we don't usually take trips "just to get out of the house." My kids like the routine of home and we enjoy our school time together.

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