Parenting and Homeschooling

We have always planned to homeschool; although that's really "we" in the Imperial sense because you and I know it means "I" would be doing the homeschooling. And while I've always wanted to homeschool and my belief that homeschooling is a superior way of educating than public schooling, I haven't always believed I could do it. Because you see, parenting a preschooler has been very very difficult for me. And I just didn't know if we could get through homeschooling.

My go-to parenting book
I mean there were days when she was just so demanding of my attention. And all I wanted was to be left alone so I could escape on facebook or read a book because I was so bored being home all day, every day. But she was bored too. And it was so unfair!! (We both had moments of playing the unfair card.)

All the homeschooling books I picked up at the library.
But we just keep plugging away, don't we, as stay-at-home parents because regardless of the challenges of being home, life does go on. And thank goodness for the routines that get the food bought and prepared, and laundry done.

Some books to get us started in literature, art appreciation, science, and habits. I'm keeping an eye out for a good US map, and some other things we'll need as get get started using the Charlotte Mason system.
This summer, I lashed out and bought us an unlimited bowling pass, and a membership at the local swimming hole. And we are getting our money's worth out of them, along with our membership at the Y and all the free parks programs in the area. This has made a huge difference for both Isabelle and myself.  Suddenly, neither of us is so bored anymore. Imagine that!

It wasn't her afterall; it was me! And now that I'm getting better at structuring our days, life is getting better for all three of us.

The book I found at the library which summarizes CM's system. Ironically, I downloaded the entire 6-volume set of CM's books to my kindle a while back and just hadn't read them. Once I finish this summary, I'll tackle the 6 volumes.
So how does this tie into homeschooling? Well, I was just getting to that...  now that the parenting issues are being worked through, I'm starting to look at homeschooling with fresh eyes. Last time we went to the library, I pulled some homeschooling books from the shelf and one of them was an overview of Charlotte Mason's program/system/method (not sure what the right word is). And while we may not stay with it in the long run, it is definitely a starting point for us.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book of the Week -- Stuffocation

Image
Stuffocation
by James Wallman
The material equivalent of the obesity epidemic. That's how author James Wallman defines Stuffocation.
All the time and money we spent buying stuff, we thought we were improving life, making ourselves (our families) happier, improving the economy, thumbing our noses at terrorists. But evidence shows this isn't the case. We're more depressed, anxious, in debt, and lonely than ever. So, now what? 
  In his book, James takes a look at minimalism, the medium chill (as opposed to the big chill), and simple living; and then casts them all aside for the one thing they all have incommon -- experientialism. Then he spends the second half of the book defining, tearing down and then defending experientialism.
I found this book to be well researched, well presented, and an easy, comprehensive read. It has certainly helped me expand and shape my thinking about minimalism and my values and goals after the  Big Declutter which defines minimalism.
I highly re…
Read more

Home Renting vs Home Buying.... get out of the game

I have a theory. Not a dream, but a theory. And it goes like this: All of us who aren't independently wealthy are being bilked. We're feeding the money-making machine without getting any part of the pay-out. And here's how it's happening, or at least one particular example....

Buying into the belief that we need to buy a starter house, then a home to raise our children in, but it's not the house we'll own forever. Because truly, who (besides the Amish) owns a house forever anymore? We're not tied to the land we live on anymore the way our agrarian ancestors were. We allow job transfers to uproot us from family and friends all the time, and so this idea that we need to own the house we're living in is outdated. But.. but... the equity, the money "wasted" on rent, it's a financial investment, my children. Really?

A quick google search showed that in Australia, average home ownership is 10 years; and in the US it's 8 years. That's…
Read more

Books and Blogs for Reading

Image
Books
The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith -- a book put together by a blogger about decorating - it doesn't have to be perfect.


Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubess -- a book about the science behind why carbohydrates are a larger part of the problem than fats and calories.



When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning -- the best book I read this week, and I highly recommend it!

"When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned 100 million books. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks for troops to carry in their pockets and rucksacks in every theater of war. These Armed Services Editions were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. Soldiers read them while waiting to land at Normandy, in hellish trenc…
Read more