I’ve been thinking about how to word my end-of-year greeting…
I’d like to say “Let’s pretend this year never happened and try again in January.” But I won’t.
I’d like to shout “Good Riddance, 2020!” But I won’t.
I’ve hesitated to write this post because our art closet is… well… ugly.
But, I’ve decided to give you this photo tour anyway. It’s a late addition to the Tour of Our Homeschool series.
Picture-perfect art rooms are often more discouraging for me than inspiring. I walk away feeling like I could never make it all so organized and matching and beautiful, and I give up before even trying.
So, because it’s not Pinterest-worthy, I’m hoping the pictures of our homely art closet will show you that working art into your homeschool is totally doable. You don’t need to wait until you’ve built a dedicated She-Shed or made adorable, color-coordinated mason jar labels to get started.
Each August, I share Our Curriculum Choices for the school year ahead.
It’s always a nice feeling to have a plan in place. All the curricula picked out. All the ducks in a row.
In reality, though, plans change. Ducks get up and walk around. And you know what?
That’s okay.
Before I was a homeschool mom, I was an Architectural Engineer (AE).
Over the years, it’s seemed to me that AE doesn’t get the publicity it deserves. So I jumped at the chance to let homeschooling families know about it when The Old Schoolhouse Magazine did an issue on careers in engineering.
(The following article was originally published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC in the Spring 2020 print edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. It can also be viewed online here.)
How you plan out your homeschool week will depend on many factors. The curricula you use, your educational methods, your personality and your kids’ personalities will all affect what your weekly planner looks like (or if you use one at all).
I’ve always considered myself a planner connoisseur (yes, I’m aware I’m a nerd). But when it comes to our weekly school planner, I’ve found just using a very basic spreadsheet for each of my kids works best for us.
What is this secret weapon, you ask?
Here’s a hint…
All moms and dads have this parenting tool in their arsenal. But homeschooling offers the advantage of significantly more time and freedom to use it!
So, what is this thing that makes homeschooling so effective, even when it’s used by average Jane’s and Joe’s teaching their kids in their kitchen?
Drum roll, please…
”Do you ask a fish how it swims? Or a bird how it flies? No sirree, you don’t! They do it because they were born to do it!”
– Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Just like Willy Wonka was born to invent new candy bars, kids were born to learn!
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about why homeschooling works easily for kids of all ages. They’re even learning on sick days. And, on our recent trip to the lake, I was reminded (yet again) how kids are always learning – even on vacation!
It’s August…. The END of August….
If you’re being thrown into homeschooling unexpectedly (due to COVID-19 or for any other reason), this might be the moment you start to panic.
Or, it might be when the panic you’ve felt rising for months turns into full-blown freaking out.
As a friend of mine says to lighten the mood when her kids are stressed out, “don’t worry… sausages!”
Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.
2020.
What. A. Year.
And we’re not even three-quarters of the way through it yet!
Even though I can’t seem to keep track of what day it is right now, I’m at least aware that it’s August. And August in our homeschool means it’s time to finalize and share our curriculum plans for the year ahead.
