Assignment: This would be a good week to tell about your worst struggles with a lifestyle of homeschooling. Tell about something you’ve struggled with and how God’s mercies gave us the strength to get past it. Also, share any curriculum/homeschool methods that have been a relief to you, i.e., a particular Teacher’s Manual or Homeschooling method that’s been easier for your family. Talk about how you felt when the burden was lifted and Oh, What a Relief it is!
Homeschooling involves some sacrifices for everyone involved. It would be easier if I could go to the doctor or run errands while Munchkin was in school, but the rewards of homeschooling are much greater than the inconveniences.
I struggled with being a slave to the curriculum when we first started homeschooling. As the months and years passed, we found our niche and discovered what worked for us wasn’t necessarily what would work for someone else. We found freedom to work with the curriculum and rework it so it worked best for us.
The truth is the biggest burden in our homeschool journey is me. I’m always trying to do everything myself. Once I hand off our home and homeschooling to God, things start to go much, much better. Whenever I try to take control again, things start to get crazy and go downhill. I have to remember to focus on God and what He wants us to accomplish. Sometimes what He wants us to accomplish in a day is not academic but spiritual.
And you, father, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
Each year, we’ve found something different to add to our curriculum that helped Munchkin learn and grow. This year, that “something” was lapbooking. She’s having lots of fun with it, and they’re great for review. Plus, she’ll have something to show Daddy when he gets home.
I am trying lapbooking with my third. It was never really my thing before but this one seems to like it.
I too have been a slave to curriculum. Like it is the teacher, not us….
Blessings on your week!
Grace
I just noticed that you are on paperbackswap.com! I am too! Maybe I will see you on there sometime!
Grace
I am incorporating the lapbook into our lessons more this year too. I sort of tinkered with one or two, but never really took the plunge. Now my brain is swimming with ideas as I look over what is coming up in the lessons. I am glad you found them as well. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the link to the Homeschool Share…loving that site!
I love the way you interpreted Eph 6:4…I’ve frustrated my kids with my expectations of them so many times..
We’re going to try lapbooks again this year.
Mrs. Sombra
What a great post! Thanks for sharing.
Jen
http://www.t2chk.org/jensblog
What a great blog! I need to bookmark it 🙂 I would love to do lapbooks with the girls but I don’t ‘get’ how to do them. I’ll have to check your sidebar later to see if you have ideas on that. Right now, the girls are emptying the linen closet to make a fort. Oh dear..
I wrote about me being the biggest problem in our homeschool as well,so I can totally relate to your post. 😉
God is so good, I frustrate my four year old sometimes with doing too much at once. I think the Lord is teaching me that we don’t have to learn like they do in school. It’s part of the reason we are opting out of that. Blessings, Susan