• Parenting

    A Day In The Life Of Secular Homeschooler: rueyn 

    by
    Aandwsmom
    Published on 05-09-2013 04:39 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Secular Homeschooling,
    3. Parenting,
    4. Day in the Life of a Secular Homeschoole
    content/attachments/1735-day-life.jpg/

    Welcome to a "Day in the Life of a Secular Homeschooler"! This week we are featuring a day in the life of....rueyn ! She has been homeschooling almost 3 years, is Mom to one and you can keep reading to learn a little about a day in her secular homeschool.....


    From the end of December through the beginning of January, we were a family. No work, no homeschool, no set schedule, no responsibilities. Eleven days of just living.

    The lack of rigidity allowed us to simply BE.

    For days after Christmas, my son was upstairs in his room, building kit after kit of LEGOs while my husband and I went about our own lives reading books, watching movies, playing video games, and resting.

    There was no squabbling, no feeling of restlessness – just a sense of togetherness that, to be honest, has been absent for a very long time.

    The lack of rigidity allowed us to simply be.

    While dh went back to work last week, the public school system was still out on break, so I let the Kid continue his vacation, too. And once he’d finished his Christmas building and gotten over the worst of his illness, something beautiful happened: he asked me if we could watch a video together. Not just any video, but “the one about cells and germs“. Of course I said yes.

    The following day, we were both well enough to go on an extended nature walk, jumping right back into our long-term, intensive study on how local beavers are affecting the environment of our stream.

    In the days following came another video, this one about the Great Barrier Reef, then further research on the Periodic Table, an art project, a book on germs, “What Happened Before the Big Bang?”, owl pellet discussion and dissection… ...
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    Lessons From Nature 

    Published on 05-07-2013 07:52 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Homeschooling Styles,
    3. General Homeschooling,
    4. In Other Words,
    5. Parenting
    content/attachments/1726-om_logo_5473.jpg/

    Spending time in nature can lead to some of the most enjoyable and profound learning experiences. Nature-based learning touches on and connects every academic discipline imaginable while enlivening the senses and invigorating the body. It encourages curiosity and inquiry, exploration and experimentation, while the mind catalogs, analyzes, and compares. Homeschoolers are in a unique position to take full advantage of the learning opportunities that present themselves right outside the door. Families who discover Oak Meadow homeschooling curriculum are delighted to find curriculum materials that actively support and encourage a close connection with nature.

    Learning and the Natural World

    The lessons that nature has to teach us are never ending. Being immersed in the natural flow of plant and animal life cycles, weather patterns, seasons, and the intricate dance connecting everything helps us find our own balance in the flow of life.

    It’s not surprising that children who play outside are healthier mentally, emotionally, and physically. Human beings have spent nearly the entirety of our existence outside. Our connection to the natural world is so profound that when we are deprived of it, it’s no surprise that we don’t fare well. More and more adults are recognizing the importance of outdoor play for children, and the value of unstructured nature-based explorations. In addition to this shift to include nature-based activity or “green exercise,” teachers and parents, environmentalists, and policy-makers have begun to realize that outdoor play and nature-based learning leads children toward a sense of environmental stewardship. Simply put, connecting with nature means appreciating nature and wanting to take care of it.

    Getting children back to nature is easy, fun, and beneficial in every way. And it seems
    ...
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    Adjusting curriculum to include career choices for high school age! 

    by
    Aandwsmom
    Published on 04-10-2013 04:01 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Curriculum,
    3. Secular Homeschooling,
    4. General Homeschooling,
    5. Homeschooling High School,
    6. Parenting
    content/attachments/1664-adjusting-curriculum.jpg/

    Well, as we are winding up the first year of 2 high schoolers being homeschooled(it feels SO crazy to say that....they were just in 5th and 6th grade-honest!).....the topic has turned towards what they want to be when they graduate! I want to buff up our homeschool day with what they need but tailor it for each of them!

    I know for my older son, as he has said this since he was 7-8 years old that he wanted to be a video game designer! He is now 16+ and has held onto that, never waivered! He has been into video games since birth, I swear! And can do things on the computer that I do not understand! I remember when he was 2 and would rearrange the files on my Mom's IMac. Then giggle when Grandma couldn't find anything and go click, click, click and they were all back! Nobody showed him, he just knew! CRAZY! As an adult who has used computers since 1988....I still cannot find stuff I download! He did not get that gene from ME!LOL

    My younger son is leaning towards being a paleontologist. No surprise there as he has always been into rocks, fossils, dinosaurs! I cannot remember a birthday or Christmas, that he didn't get a dinosaur something....book, fossil, excavation kit, etc. I guess that is a better choice than Monster Truck driver which WAS his choice at 5-6 when he was obsessed with Gravedigger!! Though that WOULD have been cool, IMHO!LOL

    So, what to do.....what to do!


    We have enjoyed almost 2 weeks off for Spring break but now that I am at the end of the week....I need to finish procrastinating and get the last part of the school year schedule together! I already had a few ideas of things I wanted to change or add BUT now that we are going to start focusing on adding some things to help our career choices.....I need to do my research! ...
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    A Day In The Life Of A Secular Homeschooler: gonyere 

    by
    Aandwsmom
    Published on 02-14-2013 12:44 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Secular Homeschooling,
    3. Parenting,
    4. Day in the Life of a Secular Homeschoole
    content/attachments/1579-day-life-1-.jpg/

    Welcome to a "Day in the Life of a Secular Homeschooler"! This week we are featuring a day in the life of....gonyere ! She has been homeschooling all her life, is Mom to Andros & Keegan and here is a little insight into her homeschooling day!


    Wake up, eat breakfast. Play. Read some books. Maybe watch something on PBS Kids or an episode or 3 of The Magic School Bus. Play some more. Eat lunch. Play some more. Read books. Color/draw/paint. Play. Eat dinner (maybe help cook depending on what we're having). Clean up the house. Watch a move or tv show or play video games or play & read some more books. Brush teeth, and put PJ's on. Go lay down and read more books.


    You can learn more about gonyere via her blog, Todo en Tiempo



    If you loved reading about a member's day of homeschooling and want to submit your own....just follow this link, A Day in the Life of a Secular Homeshooler to the original article that explains it all and click the submit at the bottom! That is it! Quick and painless and soon, your homeschooling day could be featured on the Home page of SHS!!!
     ...
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    Interview with an Author: Ruth Kassinger Part 1 

    by
    Aandwsmom
    Published on 12-18-2012 04:50 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Curriculum,
    3. Secular Homeschooling,
    4. General Homeschooling,
    5. Parenting
    content/attachments/1505-ruth.jpg/

    I recently had the chance to review several books for young adults by author Ruth Kassinger as well as interview her!
    It was a great opportunity! I highly recommend BOTH of these books! If you are looking for something for Christmas, birthday OR just to add to your homeschool, these are perfect!
    Ruth Kassinger is the author of Build a Better Mousetrap AND Reinventing the Wheel, as well as several other great books!
    Both of these books take history and science and put them together in what I feel is the perfect way to get kids interested in both subjects! My copies are dog-eared and I have only had them 2 months! I reviewed the books myself, then went back over my favorite sections so that we, as a homeschool could try out several of the experiments!
    Our family favorites were "Hovercraft" in Build a Better Mousetrap and "Thermometer" in Reinvent the Wheel! We have only had them for a little while but they are definitely being added to our homeschool curriculum for next semester!
    Ruth Kassinger is an author of both adult and young adult books. A busy wife and mother of 3 grown children, 2 who are teachers and 1 is a junior in college. She resides in Mary and and loves gardening as you can see in her latest book, Paradise Under Glass. She is also owned by a West Highland Terrier, whose portrait graces her conservatory that was the cover of Paradise Under Glass.
    When I had a chance to sit down and chat with Ruth, I was able to ask her some great questions! Here is her interview:
    First and Foremost in my mind was did she REALLY do all these experiments? There are 46 between the 2 books!

    • I definitely tested all the experiments, and had my daughters, Anna and Austen who were 12 and 10 at the time, to test them, too!
    ...
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