These articles are written to help those interested in getting their homeschool more organized. We hope they are an encouragement and a help. Feel free to also visit the Tips & Tidbits page for more little helps.
Next year are you planning yet??
The more we plan now for next year the less we will have to worry about this summer. Make your
summer break a real break. Especially for the teacher. Don't have constant school for teacher, when the
student is on break. You too should be on break. Grant it. There are teacher work-days, but let's not
make them work-weeks. That can cause burn out real FAST.
Things we have done to prepare. While waiting on the children to finish assigned seat work I usually
concentrate on something pertaining to school rather than getting side tracked with something else. I
plan the next two weeks of work, read up on material to make sure I am familiar with the lessons coming
up then when all of the current lesson plans are up to date I work on the next years plans. First, I start
with my calendar and plan my 180 days. I decide when we will start school, what days we will take off
and what day will be the last day of school. After that is decided, I then have a school year to work
toward. We then sit down and look at the curriculum that is out there for us to choose from. We analyze
the children and where they are academically to make sure we are on track. Once that is done, we begin
to make our list of Curriculum Needs and Wants. Notice NEEDs first and Wants second. Needs would be
all the basics. Basics in my opinion are the 3 R's plus some. You decide. My Definition of Needs and
your definition may be different. But start with your definition of needs then list extras that would be
considered wants. Remember you can get some good buys on wants, used and at the curriculum fair. If
most of you are like me, you are ready for this year to be finished. Don't let the hum-bugs get you down
start planning for next year and let your child look at the catalogs with you. They are interested in getting
new books too. They most likely will forget about them over the summer break, so it will still be new to
them when you begin next year. Right now is the time of year we need to renew our spirit and work extra
hard to make things exciting.
Copyright © January 1998 By Eujeana Chism
The kids and I are looking forward to our break for the summer. Although we will start back up in the middle of July we will still have a good solid 2 months off. We look forward to reorganizing the house and preparing the school room for a new and exciting year ahead. We have a lot of fun preparing. We probably cover alot of art related activites in our prep time. We will also enjoy being outside in the yard working and playing and seeing all the wonders our Lord has provided for our enjoyment.
Some Organizing Tips that I have come across in some of my reading time are:
1. Set your Goals.
2. Simplify your life.
3. PLAN and CALENDAR your time.
4. Delegate
The Book I read these in is "Confessions of a Happily Organized Family" by Deniece Schofield This Book is full of idea on how to accomplish each of the above tips. The author is creative and her writing is easy and appealing to read. I have enjoyed both of her books and have learned a lot from her. Her tips have saved me a lot of time. Time that I have needed to have more time to spend with my family. I would recommend this book to anyone needing help with time management and those that need suggestions for organizing their home.
Copyright © April 1998 by Eujeana Chism
Same Ole, Same Ole, Let's Renew
This is the time of year that a lot of us get down and sometimes depressed. Usually due to gloomy weather. We also realize we are only half-way through the year. We have several more weeks and days to go to end this school year. Am I right? Is that what you are thinking? Obviously those are my thoughts. So what can we do about it?
Here are some of my plans. First over my winter break (we schedule so that we can take December off completely) I tackled some clean out and throw out projects.
Then I reorganized some areas in my home. These completed projects made me feel fresh and renewed. Then I re-evaluated my help. What I did was take each child's chore list and mine and set them side by side so I could see which chores could be done by which child. Each Child, a little older and more responsible could take on a little more to help out. Everyone having and doing chores makes the days go much smoother, especially on school days.
Once the house is back under control then I attack my school plans. This project not only includes lesson plans but fun project plans too. I've tried to make my school room fresh. I have changed it around a bit, put up a fresh bulletin board. (Maybe you don't have a room designated for school, but you have supplies so you could refresh the notebook. Cover it with fabric or put some stickers on it just for a new and fresh look.) I have also put on paper a new structure plan. This is how I would like for our schooltime to flow. It takes two weeks of dedication to see a schedule plan work. Children like a plan but they can get bored with the same ole, same ole just as we do. They enjoy changing things around once in awhile. I have found that 2nd Semester is a time to renew and make a few changes.
To renew means to make like new. So Reorganize some select areas in your home. They don't have to be large areas just what you can handle. Then Re-evaluate your help. And before you start back into school take a day to freshen up the school area. Enlist the children to help. They have lots of ideas. Makes for a great art day too. Now we are ready so let's begin and have a wonderful second semester. Psalms 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Copyright © December 1998 by Eujeana Chism
Are you having them??
Have you just started school? Are you thinking am I ever going to get this to work?
We all struggle with those questions. Let me discuss with you how I make it through these struggles.
First it is very important that I examine my own life. Do I talk to God regularly? Do I listen or read what He has to tell me. My children pray at the meals, when dad isn't home, and sometimes they tend to bicker about who gets to pray. Finally, I decided to make a schedule for who prays on which days. When I presented the schedule, I proceeded to tell them that they could all pray all the time and that they needed to remember that even though one was praying aloud, the others could talk to God silently. This seemed to work really well and we used the schedule in school opening time as well. "Children learn by example." How many times have we heard that? That really hit home one day when my second oldest child (who was about 5 years old at the time) came to me and said, "Mommy, why don't you ever Pray?" OOH Me! What a thought! I said to him that I do pray. He said, "but I never hear you pray." "Out of the mouth of babes," that really spoke to me. So now I take time to regularly pray aloud with my children. If I don't put prayer up front in my home schooling I don't think any thing anyone suggests can help me with those struggles.
Now the second thing would be patience. We need a lot of patience. My Husband reminds me every year that it takes at least two weeks to get accustom to a routine. I try to take two weeks and only do the routine. NO EXTRAs. Extras might be babysitting for a best friend, going to an activity with others, appointments that could actually wait till the routine is established, etc. I try to do only the things that are necessary in those 2 weeks and patiently await the end of those 2 weeks. I only adjust it to work better when I must. I am always surprised and relieved after the two weeks when things start to smooth out. I then set my routine up on paper so that the ones that are reading can look at it and maintain this routine. The children then know what is expected.
Next, after the routine is figured out, I can interrupt it once in awhile for those extra things I need or want to do.
Next time I will talk about how I try to manage interruptions.
Please come to the September fellowship we will be talking about the first of the year struggles and try to gain ideas from each other on how to ease the tension of these struggles.
May God be with you all as you begin your home schooling year.
Copyright © August 1999 by Eujeana Chism
How Do You Manage the Interuptions
How do I manage the interruptions?
Plan for the unexpected and be flexible. First are the things that I can actually schedule or plan. I decide how many of these types of interruptions per week, I can handle based on a good routine day. I have decided that two is more than enough. So when that friend calls or I call a friend and want to get together in the afternoon, I check my schedule and make that an appointment. Now say another friend calls and wants to come the same week but a different time or day, what do I do? I tell that friend that I must look at my schedule first. When I look at my schedule and I already have a dentist appt and another friend coming in that week then, I tell my friend politely that my schedule is full for that week and that I will have to go to the next week or further if necessary.
I could say well I could fit them in on that Monday afternoon and not worry about reading, or math or what ever subject I already had planned. Let me tell you that subject that I have planned IS an appointment that I will have to make up down the road. It is also and appointment with my child. Who is more important? Who am I training? If I cancel that subject just so I can fellowship with that friend and I overload myself AND my children what am I teaching my children? I am teaching them that it's okay to not do that assignment today. Well what are they going to do in the work force when they have a deadline to meet. "Well so an so came by the office today so I just didn't get it done I will just do it tomorrow." Do you think they will keep their job very long?
If it is in the schedule don't plan over it. Now, the unexpected interruptions that cannot be helped such as sickness, death, unexpected company, the potty overflowing, the dog gets sick, etc. I could add to the list a friend that needs you due to an emergency. One way to plan for these interruptions is to plan a day each week to use for review. I plan Fridays as a lighter day. We do subjects that are necessary, like spelling but English I plan the week for four days so that Friday I don't have English so when that unexpected interruption comes on Tuesday I can move that work out a day. This works pretty well but there are times that one might end up taking several days off due to the illness or death. These can be taken care of with an eraser in the plan book or a simple notation in the plan book that those plans are being covered those days then proceed with the plans. A friend of mine told me she has learned to not date her plans until she has actually done them. She still makes up two weeks worth of plans with a fifth day review with a lighter schedule but she dates these plans as they are done due to a year of illness in the family. Interruptions are part of home schooling. These are great times to have those character building lessons for the children. If we talk to God first, then minimize the interruptions that we have control over (that means the phone too) then most of the first of the year struggles are minimized as well.
Copyright © September 1999 by Eujeana Chism