Dymphna's Song

Sustaining Homeschool Through Crisis

Stephanie — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 13:16:54 +0000

You may have noticed a recent lull in my blogging. A few months ago a family member was assaulted. It was devastating and sent our family into crisis. Everything stopped. Like any educator, I needed to take emergency leave from teaching to care for my family member in need. There’s just one problem. Unlike the employed educator, I didn’t get paid while on leave, nor did my child continue to receive full time instruction from a substitute. Everything just stopped, and rightly so.

I’ve seen it time and time again that an event like this sends homeschoolers back to the school system. I’m not necessarily against that it you feel it’s the best course of action- sometimes it’s necessary. But what if you really want to continue to homeschool long term?

Sustaining homeschool through crisis is possible.

Ways to be prepared.

Nothing prepares you for violence against a loved one. You ache for them and ask yourself why over and over. You search for meaning or some explanation. You wonder what you could have done differently to have prevented it. I am humbled by the recent violence in Paris and I realize that none of us are immune to crisis. It’s part of our human experience. I’m thankful to God today that healing and forgiveness are also part of the experience.

1.Plan to Plan

When it comes to homeschooling we can be prepared. I have struggled with planning over the years just like any other homeschool mom and the dubious task of balancing homeschool demands with other aspect of life. I’ve had more success when I have planned the entire year out ahead of time. I know it sounds crazy, but it works. I usually order books early and then take a month to plan a scope and sequence as well as daily assignments. It’s really easy to adjust later and omit as needed.

Because when crisis hits you can still do some homeschooling according to what’s planned and you really don’t need to think about it. You can focus on the crisis.

2. The 3 R’s

Reading, Writing , and Arithmetic. You can get back to the basics during a time of crisis. Just do what is necessary and take a break from the extras and keep it simple.

3. Outsource

As a homeschooler today you have many choices. Outsource what you find optimal. It may mean dual enrollment at a public or private school, online enrollment, co-ops, private tutoring of a course or two, etc. Take advantage of ALL the resources available and do whatever you need to make your homeschool sustainable during crisis.

There is a light during all this darkness…

And at the end of the day, your child will learn more than just academics. He’ll (or she’ll) learn what it means to love each other through difficulty, share pain and joy as a family, and bear trials with grace and understanding. They will know the meaning of being loved and being family- this is your most important task as a parent and as the first teacher of your child. This is your finest hour. It’s when you practice what you teach.

So, if you are suffering a trial or other difficulty while homeschooling, hang in there. Do what you can and teach through love and grace.

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Art Studio Ideas for Small Spaces

Stephanie — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 11:05:58 +0000

I’ve been a homeschool mom for more than 18 years, so I’ve never actually had my own creative space. It really never even crossed my mind as something people had! (LOL). I’ve lived in 18 different homes in the last 20 years, most of them not my own. So, they were temporary at best.

Art Studio Ideas for Small Spaces

I’ve made every place we’ve lived a home; that’s just part of the military lifestyle. But, retirement has been different- and I didn’t expect that. Silly me, I thought it would be easy. It has taken me much longer to adjust and to make a home here. Usually everything is unpacked and set up in a week or two. It must be because of the permanency. I’ve never had a home that would be permanent.

per·ma·nent
ˈpərmənənt/adjective
1.lasting or intended to last or remain unchanged indefinitely.

It’s gotten me out of my safety zone for sure. I’ve had to be patient. Still, I truly am thrilled and it’s been a happy adjustment on my part. I’ve taken a room that was totally blah and made it into my own creative space. And I did it on a very limited budget too!

Hubby removed the carpet and I painted the walls. The color isn’t one I’d normally choose but it just seemed right. I have to warn you though, it looks very different in different types of lighting. For the most part it looks yellow, and that’s a good phycological color for a creative space. I used left over KILZ paint to prime the dark blue previous color (so no expense for me there) and one gallon of BEHR All in One Quiet Veranda (around $30).

Next, hubby tore out the carpet and we hired the laminate flooring installed. It was the same cost as DIY since we’d need to invest in tools as well. Plus this way, we didn’t have to do the labor. ( $400 for materials and about $300 for labor.) They were fantastic and had it installed in just a few hours.

DIY Craft Desk- $50

The rest of the makeover took me a bit longer. I searched for inexpensive items to furnish the room. A crafty desk was next in line. I really had no budget for this so I wasn’t sure how to make it happen. Craft desks can be very expensive.

I built the above craft desk out of two double sided kitchen cabinets without doors. They came to me half painted and the both of them for $10. I painted them cream and then distressed the wood. See full instructions on How I made this DIY Craft Desk soon on Hip Homeschool Moms later this month.

I found an amazing chair for this desk too- for $40 at a consignment shop. It was a lucky find! Because a craft desk is a bit higher than a standard desk, at 30 inches, you need a higher than average chair. I found that the lowest setting of this bar stool works well. So far, it’s fairly comfortable and perfect for working on art. For computer work, since I have a laptop, I move around the house a lot anyway.

Art Shelves from Repurposed Old Wood $20

I needed a way to make my room feel like a studio- not an extra bedroom. I wanted my supplies at arms length. They didn’t all have to be right at my desk- I don’t mind getting up and moving around while I create. But I need them to be right there where I could see what all I have. This was the very fun part.

I made some old wood that I found in my garage into shabby little art shelves with just a little paint and small Corner Braces. I did have to do a little sawing with this project but it was minimal so i just used a hand saw and it wasn’t too hard at all. I also found a nice shelf piece of unpainted wood so I made a few larger selves with those. all the shelving required was some paint I already had and some shelving hardware- for about 7 shelves it cost around $30 in hardware total. I also found those little square shelves that you see at garage sales of the last few months. I found three sets and picked them up for around $3 a set. I love how they added some interest as well as extra space! Total spent on shelves- $39.

Of course, I also do quite a lot of homeschooling it this room. It’s definitely NOT a “stay out of mom’s room” type room. But my two guys aren’t too interested in what’s in there- art wise, so no problems really with people moving things on me either. We do some homeschooling in there as well, especially when the printer is required. And we may also be in there to record some music too!

I know this isn’t quite a homeschool room. We homeschool all over the house! But because we do a lot of art in our homeschool and because I also store lots of homeschool books in the room, I linked it up here:

What new project or organization system are you using this year?

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Why I Still Choose to Homeschool After 18 Years

Stephanie — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 03:00:00 +0000

Enter Why Homeschool Giveaway Below!

Why Homeschool After 18+ Years?

I’ve homeschooled now since I first attempted it in 1997 with my ADHD child, whom I homeschooled for very specific reasons. We homeschooled only off and on for the first few years, It was a struggle. Then I found confidence and success in 2003 after adopting a Charlotte Mason philosophy and approach. We’ve been homeschooling exclusively ever since. Homeschooling my artistic and gifted children was something I simply HAD to do.

But why keep going after 18+ years? Things have changed greatly over the last 18 years, my homeschool too. I’ve had to redefine and reinvent things over and over again. And as I enter into a new season of my life I find myself adapting once again. I’ve already graduated two children, both have completed their college and trade schools. Ahhhhhhh, sweet success. What a feeling of accomplishment- but no easy task. We had many good days and also bad ones. Homeschooling is not perfect. It’s a labor of love.

Having purchased 19 years of curriculum over the years, I’ve tried a lot of what’s out there. I learned to homeschool by trial and error, adapt programs and create my own. But I’m not done yet. I still have a 7th grader this year to educate.

The dynamics have changed once again. Renewal is in the air. I’m seeking a fresh approach and thinking as much as I can about letting my homeschool approach evolve and be right for the now. I don’t want to be “stuck” in the past but I I also want to allow myself the opportunity to revisit what has been a success.

However it may look in the specifics, Homeshooling is the right choice for us for these five reasons:

1. I get to choose what my child will learn. It’s up to me to choose what is academically appropriate and best for his learning style and ability. I get to decide what is best; I can make sure it is in tune with our values and beliefs. This is so important.

2. It’s academically effective. It’s hard to compete with one on one instruction and supervision. Though it’s not a fix all for everything, homeschooling is a strong form of education when executed.

3. It’s flexible. I try to be constant and true. But it’s important for our family to have flexibility; it’s great to be able to adjust fire, take breaks and vacations and family time when needed! And it’s wonderful to have total control of the schedule. As a military family, this aspect has been so beneficial for us.

4. It’s faith based. Most of my program is written by Christian authors. Some subjects are written by specifically Catholic authors which is extra wonderful so that we can incorporate faith into our child’s education.

5. It’s Affordable. Homeschooling can be expensive if you’re not disciplined. But there is also a range of affordability as well. It’s much cheeper than Catholic school tuition fees and you can invest your money in what is high priority and find so many other resources out there for free!

For More Why Homeschooling Inspiration, Visit the Posts Below!

Why I Still Choose to Homeschool After 18 Years – Harrington Harmonies

Should I Homeschool? – Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Why We STILL Homeschool – 1+1+1=1

10 Reasons to Homeschool – True Aim

Why Homeschool Giveaway!

We want to make it easy for you to start homeschooling! So, enter to win with the Rafflecopter below! The first 5000 people will get a FREE LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP to Lessontrek.com and more exclusive freebies & discounts! The Grand Prize Winner will receive a Kindle Fire HDX 7″, 16 GB; a $50 Amazon Gift Card, and a choice of one curriculum package below! 2 other lucky winners will be drawn for the remaining curriculum packages!

If you prefer NOT to use Rafflecopter, but would still like to enter to win, please subscribe to the Why Homeschooling Newsletter (1 entry).