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Tuesday Topic: Homeschool, Private School, Public School?

By Tuesday June 14, 2011

Here is a question that is quite personal to me as we navigate our children’s unique needs.  Lisa E. asked,

What are the pros and cons of homeschooling vs. attending school outside the home in children with attachment challenges and severe trauma? We are currently trying to make this decision for the fall and I am guessing many of your readers have this question as well.

Every family is different, every child is unique, and many of us have tried a variety of approaches to educating our children from “hard places.”  This is a relevant and timely question for many families.

What are your thoughts and experiences?  Take a moment to let us know – we want to hear from you.  You can keep it short, or write a long comment, whatever you can squeeze into your day.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Encourage one another,

Lisa

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Butterflies

By Thursday June 2, 2011

Eby got some very neat gifts for his birthday including this one that has provided days of learning and enjoyment, a Live Butterfly Garden.  First there was the anticipation of waiting for the caterpillars to arrive – just getting mail is exciting when you are six, but mail with wriggling caterpillars is even better. The slightly gross factor was another benefit for Eby, and the girls didn’t mind it either.

The caterpillars ate the food in the container they arrived in and eventually climbed to the lid, hung upside down, and formed chrysalides (yes, that is the plural of “chrysalis” – I even googled it to be sure).  Once they had all formed, we opened the container, removed the liner of the lid and pinned it to the inside of the mesh Butterfly Garden.

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For the Joy of it!

By Thursday February 3, 2011

I love this picture of Jonah about to be swallowed by a very big fish, surrounded by all of that water.  Which reminds me, we have water again at our house! I am very thankful to report that the problem with our well was relatively minor and was repaired in one day.  That certainly made my life easier.

I’ve been thinking about our Tuesday Topic, How We Help our Children Feel Safe, and I have some thoughts, a few of which have actually been typed into a draft.  Hopefully I’ll have enough quiet to get it done soon.  I have several writing projects in the works for Empowered to Connect that I need to get working on  too.

My favorite time in our homeschool day is when we sit down to read the Bible, followed by a science/nature book, and other stories.  I end our time with reading lessons for Eby and Little Man in my super-simple, tried-and-true, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  I know I just wrote that I had decided to continue using the One Year Bible for Children, which I love, but then I ordered just one more children’s Bible from Amazon and fell in love.

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Snowflake Crafting with Kids

By Wednesday January 5, 2011

My guest today is Pajama Mama – one of those crafty mothers I admire so much.

Hi there! Kristen here, fellow AAI (Adoption Advocates International) and homeschool mama. I blog over at Pajama Mama about crafting, and doing life with my kiddos in my pajamas.

My kids, like most, love crafting with me. (and without me.) And these early days of the year, before the rush of activities start back up again, are perfect opportunities to pull out stuff we already have and make something new together.

Today we did just that.

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Twenty Real-Life Tools for Gifts

By Saturday December 11, 2010

As I was writing the post of our Top Twenty Toys, I realized there is another category of favorite gifts worth mentioning. Many times rather than buying our children toys, we give them useful tools.  These aren’t necessarily tools in the sense of hammers and screwdrivers, although we’ve given those too, but something that can be used to accomplish a task or purpose.

Here are some of our favorites.

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Top Twenty Toys

By Monday December 6, 2010

Need ideas for Christmas gifts?  In my nearly 24 years of mothering, I’ve seen many toys come and go.  As Christmas approaches, I hope I can offer some helpful suggestions. Some toys with longevity are expensive, while others cost nearly nothing or can easily be found at thrift stores and yard sales. You might want to put these on your “watch list.”

Here we go!

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Tears and Jackie Robinson

By Thursday November 11, 2010

My young homeschoolers, Sunshine (7), Eby (5), and Little Man (3) have a special time each morning when we gather on the sofa to read our One Year Children’s Bible, followed by a story or two out of The Children’s Book of Heroes, and then some picture books.  It is a restful moment in the midst of a busy day.

Today I opened our Hero book to the story of Jackie Robinson.  The intro at the top of the page read,

Here is the story of an American hero who won his fight using self-control.  Often, bravery means keeping your cool and doing the best you can in a bad situation.

As I read those words aloud, my heart sank and I knew I did not want to read this story.  My beautiful brown-skinned boys were looking eagerly at the illustration of Jackie in his baseball uniform and the last thing I wanted to introduce them to was racism.

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Ruby and the Booker Boys

By Thursday November 4, 2010

The top of Dimples' dresser this morning.

One of Dimples’ favorite birthday gifts was a set of Ruby and the Booker Boys books.  She won a copy of Brand New School, Brave New Ruby in the library reading contest this summer and loved it.  Imagine my delight when she asked for more Ruby books for her birthday!

Ruby is a spunky African American third grader who has a loving family and lives in a friendly neighborhood.  Today I read Ruby Flips for Attention.    There was warm interaction between extended family members and loving older brothers (the Booker Boys) and parents.  The overall message was that it is more important to love and serve others than to strive for your own self-importance.   Very nice.

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Love Home

By Monday October 18, 2010

It is absolutely lovely to be home today after traveling to and from Seattle. I look about my house and there is so much to be done. I don’t know about you, but when I’m gone, my work does not stop. I come home and my greatest temptation is to either begin dashing about trying to quickly set everything right, or criticize my family for not doing things the way I want them done. Neither of these responses is loving to the children, who have not seen me in a few days, or to Russ who has not only been doing his job, but carrying much of my load too.

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SpellQuizzer One Day Sale

By Wednesday October 6, 2010

Last year I wrote about the great success we had using SpellQuizzer with our kids.  It has been especially helpful for Honeybee and Dimples who find spelling to be a challenge since English is not their first language.

I got an email  from the company earlier this week that TOMORROW, Thursday, October 7th, is a one day sale on SpellQuizzer.  It usually sells for $29.95, but for 24 hours it will be on sale for $11.95!  It really is a great deal.

You can read my review: SpellQuizzer: It Makes Dimples Smile, but if time is tight, here is an excerpt.

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