You know life happens right? Accidents, illness, weddings, deaths, it all happens and sometimes... homeschooling can make it easier, and sometimes it makes it tougher, depends sometimes on your perspective, the folks around you, and your own personal circumstances. We ALL have life happens.
So how does one teach a child when a whole lot of life happens all at once, or if illness is protracted over a year or more? How does one do it?
I can't speak to what others do, but I can tell you how things ran in our household. :)
So how does one teach a child when a whole lot of life happens all at once, or if illness is protracted over a year or more? How does one do it?
I can't speak to what others do, but I can tell you how things ran in our household. :)
I am taking part this week in topic that I have to admit... isn't an easy one for me.
For the past two years I was plagued with digestive upset. Unpredictable, at times VERY embarrassing, and just downright annoying. It took taking my gall bladder out to bring those symptoms under control. I can't say that all my digestive upset is gone, but I can say it's a whole lot better. it is! :) It is grateful to God I am.
BUT how did we get through these past couple of years?
1. I had dailies... daily things on my computer that I could set the lad to. He could do his math, his english, his science... and it was good. I have to admit, that some days.. that's all the "bookwork" that he did. When one has to make unexpected bathroom breaks its way to easy for one eight year old to get totally distracted and take off doing his own thing... and many days the battle to get him back was just beyond me.
For the past two years I was plagued with digestive upset. Unpredictable, at times VERY embarrassing, and just downright annoying. It took taking my gall bladder out to bring those symptoms under control. I can't say that all my digestive upset is gone, but I can say it's a whole lot better. it is! :) It is grateful to God I am.
BUT how did we get through these past couple of years?
1. I had dailies... daily things on my computer that I could set the lad to. He could do his math, his english, his science... and it was good. I have to admit, that some days.. that's all the "bookwork" that he did. When one has to make unexpected bathroom breaks its way to easy for one eight year old to get totally distracted and take off doing his own thing... and many days the battle to get him back was just beyond me.
But that didn't mean that learning didn't happen. because.....
2. We read books. TONS of books in this house. We have two books at breakfast (history and science facts). PLUS the paper. :)
We have books we read at lunch (chapter book of some sort).. currently the warriors.
We have a pile of about seven books we read at bedtime. (geography, chapter books, primers, fact book, history of Canada book, poetry etc).
3. We also discovered a love of documentaries... and how to use the pause button judiously. :) Sharks, whales, penguins, the great barrier reef, WW2.... doesn't matter to us what the subject matter is... we listen, we watch, we learn.
Do I have regrets?
Yup....we didn't do much in the way of art. Hardly a stitch this year... so this year I'll be changing that. Geography through art... I hope that will work. :)
We didn't do much in the way of hymn study... and this year we'll be starting in on that as well. :) (reminds me I have to print off the music for the hymns we did today so the lad can pick one for us to study).
Were our days totally scattered?
YUP! We chose to school for 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there with an hour off. We did a lot of "let's go out and see what we find in our own backyard". We did lots of digging and moving around of things. It was good. :) We caught voles and had fun learning their habits. Neat little critters. They live in freedom now in a field behind our church. We learned how quickly they make their grass tunnels and now we see them when we go out walking.... we know just what to look for. :)
2. We read books. TONS of books in this house. We have two books at breakfast (history and science facts). PLUS the paper. :)
We have books we read at lunch (chapter book of some sort).. currently the warriors.
We have a pile of about seven books we read at bedtime. (geography, chapter books, primers, fact book, history of Canada book, poetry etc).
3. We also discovered a love of documentaries... and how to use the pause button judiously. :) Sharks, whales, penguins, the great barrier reef, WW2.... doesn't matter to us what the subject matter is... we listen, we watch, we learn.
Do I have regrets?
Yup....we didn't do much in the way of art. Hardly a stitch this year... so this year I'll be changing that. Geography through art... I hope that will work. :)
We didn't do much in the way of hymn study... and this year we'll be starting in on that as well. :) (reminds me I have to print off the music for the hymns we did today so the lad can pick one for us to study).
Were our days totally scattered?
YUP! We chose to school for 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there with an hour off. We did a lot of "let's go out and see what we find in our own backyard". We did lots of digging and moving around of things. It was good. :) We caught voles and had fun learning their habits. Neat little critters. They live in freedom now in a field behind our church. We learned how quickly they make their grass tunnels and now we see them when we go out walking.... we know just what to look for. :)
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Some days it seemed it took the whole day to do a wee bit of schooling, but some days, that's just how it goes. When you can't sit long, or you feel too uncomfortable to do much, you just go with the flow and try to make it work for everyone involved.
In in-between it all we sandwiched in.... visits to the nursing home to visit Opa, sick relatives, funerals through church, and all the other little things that creep into making life a tad more interesting. it's all God refining us right?
I've more sympathy for those who struggle with things they can't control and the embarrassment it brings... so I've been made softer by this all. My son's heart was encouraged to be helpful as he needed to help his mom out sometimes by bending his will to my needs.
I dreaded writing this post because I felt like last year was such a bust... but it wasn't truly.. when I read how we coped... our year wasn't such a bust because even with scattered learning, we did learn. Even with not covering all I wished to, we covered different things. And that's the encouragement I offer you today.
Regardless of what slows down and stills your homeschooling, know that your child is learning something... whether it how to be of service to others, or how to learn from documentaries, or nature , or the computer or whatever you have. Your child is learning, so take heart. Life happens... and that's a good thing indeed! :)
Oooh oooh.. I almost forgot! This link up/carnival (whatever the proper term is) goes live on the 27th (so Wednesday this week). So come back then and check it out eh? Go here!
In in-between it all we sandwiched in.... visits to the nursing home to visit Opa, sick relatives, funerals through church, and all the other little things that creep into making life a tad more interesting. it's all God refining us right?
I've more sympathy for those who struggle with things they can't control and the embarrassment it brings... so I've been made softer by this all. My son's heart was encouraged to be helpful as he needed to help his mom out sometimes by bending his will to my needs.
I dreaded writing this post because I felt like last year was such a bust... but it wasn't truly.. when I read how we coped... our year wasn't such a bust because even with scattered learning, we did learn. Even with not covering all I wished to, we covered different things. And that's the encouragement I offer you today.
Regardless of what slows down and stills your homeschooling, know that your child is learning something... whether it how to be of service to others, or how to learn from documentaries, or nature , or the computer or whatever you have. Your child is learning, so take heart. Life happens... and that's a good thing indeed! :)
Oooh oooh.. I almost forgot! This link up/carnival (whatever the proper term is) goes live on the 27th (so Wednesday this week). So come back then and check it out eh? Go here!
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