A House of Order

“Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119).

Homeschooling is more than just doing school at home. It is a lifestyle. It encompasses the entire day, not just when we're doing math and phonics. Homeschooling is learning how to live with each other in a way that is uplifting and joyful, rather than stressful and frustrating.

I am NOT saying that I have it all figured out. Anyone that knows me and has been in my house is well aware of that fact. However, this is the goal and purpose that I have in mind. And, in fact, there are a few things I HAVE figured out that I'd like to share.

First things first: you have to have a clean and orderly house.
Both Isaac and I can wholeheartedly recommend Accountable Kids. Worth. Every. Cent.
My children keep the house clean. They have it down to an art now. The house can be COMPLETELY destroyed and they'll have it clean in about 20-30 min. I take care of cleaning the kitchen (because they aren't tall enough to reach the cabinets) and doing my own laundry/bedroom/bathroom. I don't have to yell, or threaten, or spank. And yes, I did all three of these as "motivation" before I found this awesome program. They get ready for the day in the morning & for bed at night, quickly, and without reminders. It has made such a difference in our home. Everyone is happier.

Second: Establish a routine.
Whatever it may be, make your day fairly predictable. Over time it becomes easier to get things done (like math or actually DOING school) when they know it is coming at the same time, every day, no exceptions. Of course, surprises are fun too. Don't forget those!

Third: Spiritual learning is more important than academics.
The BEST part of being home with your kids all day is how much time you have to teach them the gospel. Is that not the most important part of motherhood? Prayer, music, and scriptures are included throughout the day. These times are sweet and relaxing times (usually) when we feel the spirit and learn about Jesus. It is everyone's favorite time of the day.
Of course, it is not only WHAT we teach, however, but who we are through our daily (ALL day) example. Isaac and I have found that privately studying the Book of Mormon for 30 min. a day, as well as having daily personal prayer, has made all the difference. For me, reading the Book of Mormon helps me have the companionship of the Spirit, which brings peace of mind & heart, as well as a clear understanding, and feelings of love towards my family. VITAL to the daily grind of having your kids at home with you ALL. DAY. LOOOONNNNNGGGG. Instead it becomes a JOY rather than a chore.

And last but not least: QUIET TIME!!!!
1 hour, for sanity's sake. I just started doing this. Each kid goes to a different room for an hour. They take books to read or look at. Maddy likes to color for her quiet time. We are all separated from each other. WOW. Quiet time is one routine that is here to stay. Again: everyone is just happier when we have quiet time in our day. I highly recommend it!

McGuffey Readers

I love these books and so do my children.  I use the Primer, First, and Second readers for daily reading practice.  These first three readers contain simple stories with pretty pictures.  They just love them.

Readers 3-6 contain such a beautiful collection of stories and poetry that I just don't want them to miss out.  Yet, I don't want to do a lesson/day like we do with the beginning readers because they increase in difficulty very quickly, for example, the third reader should last a few years.  I also want to spend more time on one lesson so that it becomes more ingrained on their minds. 

I've been looking for a way to bring them more into Savannah's daily schedule lately, as well as incorporate more Charlotte Mason ideas, and I think I have come up with a plan.  We'll try it for the next few weeks to see how it goes.

With Savannah I'm going to start in the Third reader and work on one lesson a week for oral reading, copywork, and dictation.

ORAL READING:  This is to help her learn to pronounce words clearly and correctly, as well as to speak in front of other people.  On day 1 & 2, she reads the lesson out loud to me.  We work on saying the words clearly.  Day 3 & 4 she reads it standing up as if reading to an audience.  This time, in addtion to speaking clearly, she needs to speak loudly and with correct intonation.  Hopefully on day 4 or sometime over the weekend I can provide her with an audience.  Maybe during Family Home Evening.

COPYWORK:  I will choose part of the lesson for her to copy on day 1, and a different part of the lesson to copy on day 3.  She will mark the words phonetically as we do in Phonics Road.

DICTATION: I will dictate her copywork to her on day 2 & 4.  No phonetic marks this time.  Dictation is one of the most effective ways to learn spelling.

I think this is a good plan.  We'll see!

The Sun is a Mass of Incadescent Gas...

Above is Charlotte's notebook page showing the earth rotating around the sun.

This is Savannah's notebook page.  (Oops, I just noticed she didn't start with a captial and she spelled "solar" wrong.  I'll have to have her correct that)

Maddy drew a beautiful picture of the sun as well.

Our science experiment: we are melting chocolate. 

We also decided to set our dead grass on fire.  It works really fast!

Our burned piece of chocolate.

Cleaning up afterwards is the best part!

Charlotte can read!

Ok, well, sort of.  She is so excited about this.  I handed her a book with a bunch of "Little Bear" stories in it and she will not put it down.  She read all day today and yesterday.  She is almost done with the whole book.
She also loves reading the Book of Mormon in the morning.  She always wants to be the first to read and she frequently asks to read more than just one verse.  (She still needs help with about half the words).
She also loves her McGuffey reader.  Savannah loved those too.

Neither of them enjoy(ed) reading from The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, however it gets the job done.  I think I have it down now, as a teacher of reading and phonics, that I may be able to permanently drop that book forever from our curriculum list. 

Maybe.

Education must have its roots in moral principles....

"Let us never lose sight of the fact that education is a preparation for life -- and that preparing for life is far more than knowing how to make a living or how to land on the moon. Preparing for life means building personal integrity, developing a sound sense of values, increasing the capacity and willingness to serve. Education must have its roots in moral principles. If we lose sight of that fact in our attempt to match our educational system against that of the materialists *, we shall have lost far more than we could possibly gain."
--Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 297


*Materialist=One who denies the existence of spiritual substances, and maintains that the soul of man is the result of a particular organization of matter in the body. Webster's 1828 Dictionary

It is a little daunting to be in complete charge of my children's education.  I think about education constantly: curriculum, methods, theories, etc.  It's what I read about, what I research, and what I spend my time doing every day.  I enjoy it thoroughly. 

However, I feel that I am missing something.  I want the spiritual and moral to be at the root of our education (OUR because I'm being educated right along with the kids) than the academic pursuit... which is easy to get caught up in.  How do I get there?  I think I need to rethink my goals for my kids and their education. 

I want more joy and delight in learning. 

I need to be a better person than I am; I need to work on my own testimony and character.

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We are at the end of Week 3 and it is going really well.  I feel that I have chosen some really great curriculum this year.  Our days are getting shorter as we are getting into the routine and habit of our lessons... which leaves more room for playing... or whatever we want to do.

Phonics Road is solid, as is Writing With Ease.  They don't take very long at all and they are teaching great skills.  Why do I want to ditch them both and follow a Charlotte Mason approach? 

At this age... a CM approach would include ONLY narration and copywork (when it comes to the language arts), and a gazillion good books.  Dictation and light grammar instruction wouldn't come until 4th grade or so, according to CM, WHICH, I believe, is a successful route as well.

PR and WWE are easy now with only two kids to work with.  How will it be when I have a 6th, 4th, 2nd, Ker, and preschooler (and possibly toddler, infant, and who knows how many more...)?  Will I regret my obsessing and fretting over academics while my children are young and wish I had been more relaxed about it and ENJOYED the journey more?

WHY let go of something solid that is working?  Is this just me changing my mind again or a prompting from the Spirit?

More to ponder, research, read about, think about, and pray about.  It truly never ends.