So, the weather is getting warmer and we are heading into full blown spring! For those of us that have been hibernating all winter, our children are now venturing outdoors regularly to enjoy the higher temps. It’s time to plan those end of the year outdoor outings and field trips, and what is spring without a trip to the zoo!

I came across an AMAZING blog called The Notebooking Fairy and it is there that I found this great download for documenting our upcoming zoo trip!  My son recently began keeping notebooks for his subjects, and this puppy will be a great addition to his Science notebook.  Here is the link below, and while you are there, take some time to click around on her fantastic homeschooling blog.

Zoo Notebook Download

One very important element about deciding to home educate your children is the ability to find your own family “flow.”  When I say flow, I am talking rhythm, schedule, and flexibility.  You may be one of the blessed ones that finds their flow during the first year of homeschooling.  But if you are anything like me, you are still “happening” upon it and as your children grow, their needs and your needs adjust to create something new.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you find your homeschooling flow for your home:

1. It’s YOUR flow.  Not Jane’s flow or Tamara’s flow.  YOURS!!! – It really doesn’t do a whole lot of good to try and compare what you do with anyone else.  I mean, yes, you can get ideas from other people and possibly assurances that you are not a crazy, incapable lady at home with your children.  But it is very unlikely that you will find anyone’s flow to mirror your own.  You may find similar circumstances, but probably never the same thing.

2. Understand the times where you thrive.  Figure out what part of the day/week you are at your best.  Is it the morning?  The afternoon?  Evening?  Weekend?  Try and pin point the times where you can give your children your best.

3. Understand the times where your children thrive.  You have to also understand what parts of the day or week your children are at their best.  At my home, it is better for us to knock lessons out in the morning.  But, there are days of the week that, for us, trying to do a full lesson plan just isn’t reality.  So, match up your best times with their best times the best way you can and create your schedule from there.

4. Plan for breaks.  You are not gonna make it through the school year if you do not make a plan for breaks.  Keep a calendar and forecast busy seasons for your family.  Look ahead for when your schedule is heavy and plan for time off around those times.  My family just moved and I knew it was going to be ridiculous to plan lessons around moving.  So, I planned for a week off.  You MUST take intentional time off.  If not, get ready to get to February or March and hit a brick wall.  Plan, plan, plan for time off and DON’T feel guilty about it.  This is so key.

5. Allow ample time for margin.  What is margin?  When reading a book, you see the white space around the edges of the page right?  That would be the margin.  Life margin is the space that you allow in your school schedule for unexpected things to happen. Someone not feeling well.  A younger child having a meltdown.  An unexpected phone call or meeting.  Make sure your schedule is not so tight that if something unexpected happens where you have to put off a lesson or two you don’t have enough uncommitted time in your schedule to make them up…without stressing out over it.

6. Don’t over commit yourself or your children.  Your children do not have to be over committed in order to try and make up for their “lack” of socialization.  One extra curricular activity outside of their school commitments is plenty, especially if you have multiple children.  Over committing yourself and your children will eat up your margin in no time.  Minimize your out of home commitments.

7.  Understand that those who don’t homeschool may not understand any of this.  When someone asks you what your children did today at school and you tell them (or your children tell them) nothing…get ready for that disapproving look from that ignorant person.  They are probably already suspect of your homeschool efforts (which is why they are asking you in the first place, right?), so they will not comprehend why in the world your children aren’t having school on a school day.  Don’t fall for it. Don’t feel guilty.  Embrace your flow and feel blessed that your children have the option of taking time off when they need it!

8. Stay on course.  Even with the flexibility of your homeschool flow, don’t compromise the quality of your child’s education.  Do all you can to stay on course and help them finish their lessons to advance to the next grade level.  Move at a pace that is comfortable for you, but stay focused and determined to help your children advance their school career in a timely fashion.

Many mothers have come to me over the last couple of years asking about how to begin homeschooling. One of the things people told me when I began to consider this option was to start with “research.”  This answer frustrated me in many ways because my next question would be, “Research what???” I had no clue where to begin.

They were not wrong; research is very important (just maybe needs to be a little directed and intentional…more help to come on that topic soon!), but now that people come and ask me about homeschooling, I currently have one thing that I tell them all to do upfront. I tell them that they should write down their reasons why they are choosing to homeschool.

This may seem like a small thing to do and possibly insignificant; and although you have a lot of joy and happiness ahead of you if you choose to homeschool, let me tell ya, you have your challenges cut out for you as well. On the days where your child yells across the house that they don’t want to do lessons anymore, or the days (maybe weeks) when everyone in your house takes a turn with the same cold germ, or the days when you are totally exhausted, or the days when public school starts to look better and better, it might do you well to break out your list of reasons to encourage and refocus yourself in the tough times…and there will be tough times.

Here is the list my husband and I crafted when we decided to take on the homschooling challenge:

• We want to be in control of our children’s education.
• We want our children to learn and grow at their own pace.
• We want to have a certain level of oversight with our children’s socialization.
• We want to be in control of our children’s biblical education.
• We want our children to be able to focus more on their interests and God-given talents as they grow.
• We want to be subject to our own family schedule and not the schedule of the school district.

These are our reasons. Everyone will have different ones. You may have a special education child that would thrive more socially and academically in a homeschooled environment. Your child may be having issues at school now. Your child may be very gifted and you want them to be able to learn at an accelerated pace. Your child may have special talents or interests that need time to develop during daytime hours. You may just want your child at home because you want them with you. Whatever. The reasons are plenty and diverse. The important thing is that you as parents decide what they are, and when the going gets a little tough, read them over and re-convince yourself of the important decision you have made.

I must also add that you shouldn’t feel like a failure if you send your children to school (OF COURSE YOU SHOULDN’T). I just think that you should also know your reasons for sending them school.  I think we as parents should have a better reason to send them to school besides it is where they are supposed to be.  The education of our children is so important and it is the job of the parent to ensure that they are getting the best we can offer whether they go to school or not.

Once you decide what is best for your family, write the reasons down somewhere you can find them (shoot, frame those suckers if you have to!).  When you hit a bump in the road, pull them out, read them over, and stick to it!