I have been having so much fun looking for great articles to share with you each week. Like most things in my life, I end up with more than I can possibly use. If you aren’t a Facebook fan of Motivated Homeschooler, I invite you to like the page and you’ll get even more hot homeschooling goodies each week. I also tweet and pin, so I’d love to have you follow me on Twitter or Pinterest if you use those media. If you’re a blogger who’s featured here, be sure to grab your “Featured On” button from the footer of this blog. And please keep linking up! I love reading your posts.
Easter is less than a week away, but there is still time to use some of these fantastic ideas from Happy Home Fairy for keeping the resurrection of our Lord the focus of the holiday.
This post caught my eye because I have five of these wonderful creatures. If you’re raising one, too, you’ll smile at this post from Parenting and Homeschooling in Faith.
Spring is the time when all good homeschoolers start thinking about curriculum for next year. So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler has a great method for not just tracking curriculum you’re interested in, but saving money on it, too.
We got a bunch of snow in my neck of the woods this week, but soon it will be time for the insects to come out and do their thing. Creative Homeschool Ideas shares this insect video featuring close-up photography that turns bugs into fascinating monsters. It’s free to watch on YouTube. Love that.
If you’ve just decided to homeschool or you know someone who has, don’t miss this letter from Moms Mustard Seeds. I would have LOVED to have had this letter when I was just starting out.
What do muffins have to do with homeschooling? Everything! Breakfast begins the day and if you eat something as incredible as these sound, the school day is bound to go well. I’ve got to try these SOON.
Now it’s your turn to share what’s hot in your homeschool this week. Don’t have a blog? Feel free to share in the comments.
When kids have a break from school (even if you homeschool), parents and grandparents have an opportunity to make great memories.
Have a Family Meeting
Before you take a break this spring, talk with your family about what their expectations are. If you’re hoping to get organized, the kids are hoping to play video games, and dad wants to go camping, no one will be happy. You may have time for all of those things, but not without planning. After coming to some agreements, create a schedule for the week. Make sure the kids know what the limits on screen time are. If you decide you’d like some spontaneity, opt for an activity jar. Write everything you’d like to do on separate pieces of paper and draw them from a jar when you’re ready for something to do.
30 Ideas to Get You Started
Some of these options are even more fun with friends. Talk with other families taking a break at the same time you are and plan a fun week together.
1. Check a family/church events calendar. Many interesting classes and programs are scheduled to coincide with spring break.
2. Make time for fitness. Whether you exercise indoors or out, consider options like roller or ice skating, swimming, biking, hiking, and tennis.
3. Visit area attractions. Local museums and zoos are great places to spend time during spring break.
4. Have a craft day. There’s no excuse not to come up with a great craft idea. Check out my Spring Break board on Pinterest for some options.
5. See a movie. Go to the theater or watch at home. A great DVD series my family loves is Sue Thomas F.B. Eye.
6. Host a tournament. Our church has had a combination video game/ping pong tourney that is a big hit with my family, but we’ve also created our own family Olympics in past years. Come up with a list of games to compete in. We’ve done darts, Catch Phrase, cake decorating, relays and more.
7. Go shopping. It’s a fun time to check out seasonal fashions at the mall or to get a bargain at a thrift store.
8. Have a surprise a day. I did this with my kids when my husband and oldest son were on a mission trip. I found free attractions and used gift cards and Groupons that I had saved to surprise them in some small way every day and they loved it.
9. Have a sleepover. Kids love to have sleepovers with their friends or cousins and it keeps them busy!
10. Let them check out 50 great websites for kids. It’s like an amusement park online.
11. Do a unit study for a day. Homeschoolers are familiar with studying a subject from every angle (including literature, art, and field trips, for example). Take a day to study a subject of interest in depth. Here’s an example on snow–probably the last thing you want to study over spring break!
12. Go on a parkathon. Take the kids to many different parks in your area. Have them vote on their favorite.
13. Take time to freshen up the house. Sort seasonal clothing and spend time giving kids’ bedrooms or playrooms a fresh, organized look.
14. Go to the library. You can get books, movies, audiobooks, and activity kits at many branches. Enjoy the materials as a family.
15. Cook together. Most kids love to cook. Bake up some meals or goodies to put in the freezer or to give to a shut-in.
16. Take a no-limits road trip. Start heading out of town and stop wherever the kids want to stop. You may have to head straight home when you’re through!
17. Have a camp in or out. If it’s too cool outside to sleep, let the kids create their own fort to sleep in. Make s’mores over a fire or in the oven.
18. Have a picnic. Whether you eat outside or on a blanket inside, be sure to have special foods you don’t normally eat.
19. Have family devotions. It’s hard to carve out time for devotions that include fun object lessons in the midst of school and extra-curriculars, so take the time to do them this week.
20. Go geocaching. Check out this website to learn more.
21. Go fishing. There is no such thing as bad fishing weather for a die-hard fisherman.
22. Plan your own drama, puppet, magic, or talent show. Invite family, friends, or neighbors to watch.
23. Fly a kite. You can buy one or make your own. Just make sure you have plenty of string.
24. Create your own scavenger hunt. Here’s how. You could combine this with a surprise a day.
25. Work on a puzzle together. A week gives you plenty of time to finish it.
26. Garden together. Go to the garden center together and let your children have their own plants to care for.
27. Have or go to a garage sale. Teach your child to negotiate.
28. Teach your kids something you’re good at. Having a grandparent teach a skill is particularly special.
29. Volunteer together. Look for a chance to help out at church, in your neighborhood, or community.
30. Play games. Whether you play board games, video games, or outdoor games, the kids will love spending time with you.
Listen to my interview on KFUO radio on this subject!
What’s your favorite way to spend spring break or time off from school?
This week I tested Jason Womack’s technique of envisioning my ideal day each morning. I wrote what I envisioned using idonethis and then followed up by writing how it went. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see what I planned to do this week.
How Envisioning My Ideal Day Saved My Sanity This Week
Helped me become less task focused. Even though the metric I’ve been using is “getting more done,” the truth is that’s not all I’m after. I want to have peace in knowing I’ve used the gift of this day well. Thinking about my ideal day helped me consider more than just things to do, but people to love, and experiences I wanted to have. That gave me some peace this week.
Gave me a general guide for the day. I didn’t plan to envision my days this way, but I ended up writing down how I saw the day unfolding, step by step. As long as I kept this guide in mind, it worked well to help me recall what I really wanted my day to look like. It also helped me take all my commitments for the day into account.
Got me to do things I ordinarily wouldn’t have. I found this was especially true in the evenings when I’m much harder to motivate. I made time for my kids and for reading and I felt great about that.
How Envisioning My Ideal Day Made Me Crazy This Week
I wasn’t well. I had another week of extreme fatigue and that made thinking about my ideal day that much harder. I finished the week feeling better though and I’m hopeful to be back to normal soon.
Started off as an unrealistic routine. At first, I approached my ideal day list as a have-to list. That didn’t work well. I felt like I didn’t want to do any of it then. The rebel in me kicked in. But then I reminded myself that this was just a wish list–not a requisition–and it helped a lot. It also helped not referring to it, but just remembering what I’d written.
Did Envisioning My Ideal Day Help Me Get More Done?
Yes. At first I thought my answer was going to be no, but that’s because I expected to do everything I had planned. When I started seeing it as a general guide and not a must-do list, I started seeing progress. I plan to continue doing this mentally, though I don’t plan to continue recording it via idonethis for the time being.
**UPDATE**
I do this now using an app called the 5 Minute Journal. I answer questions about what would make today great. I do believe it makes a difference.
The Productivity Approach I’ll Be Using for Week 8
“Do it tomorrow” doesn’t sound like very wise advice until you read Mark Forster’s book. I read Do It Tomorrow a number of years ago, tried the approach, and failed miserably. Having a number of years of experience in productivity, I decided to give it another try. I re-read the book and I think I understand what went wrong last time and I’m very excited to test it this week.
The concept. Most of us aren’t efficient in getting our work done, because we do things as a reaction. We attend to all kinds of requests as though they were urgent, when most of them aren’t. By waiting a day to do those that aren’t argent, we can organize them to get them done quickly. All the day’s email and paper can be handled at once, for example. The idea is that you are always completing one day’s work rather than an endless stream of tasks. Any work you have now that you’re behind on (including email) is declared a backlog. The first part of your work day is devoted to clearing the backlog–at least 5 minutes every day, and then for as long as you wish. The rest of your day is devoted to working on the tasks that came in yesterday. The idea is that you can stay on top of your work, and if you can’t, you need to figure out why and take steps to address it.
Do it Tomorrow is chock full of ideas for dealing with projects, finding time to work on meaningful goals, and addressing procrastination. It’s a great read! (The links above are affiliate links.) I’ll be using IQTell to manage my Do it Tomorrow approach, but a dated diary works beautifully, too. (Note: My past mistake that I’ll avoid this time was entering many tasks that were really part of my backlog to action the next day.)
If you’d like to join me this week, here’s what you do. 1. Put all work you’re behind on into backlog folders where it’s out of sight. 2. Collect all today’s incoming work and deal with it in batches tomorrow with the goal of completing all of it. If you take action on a project and have more to do on it, re-enter it for the next day. 3. Items that you must action today (because they’re urgent) should be written on a separate list. 4. Spend the first part of every work day clearing your backlog. If you’d rather not order the book, but still want some guidance, search the forum on Mark Forster’s website for DIT.
Will spring EVER arrive? Maybe doing some of the crafts I’m featuring this week will help us wait patiently. Many thanks to the bloggers who linked up this week. If you aren’t a blogger and find a must-read article or resource, please share in the comments. This time of year, we can use all the sanity we can get!
Jennifer Janes has created a reassuring guide to teaching a special needs child at home. She’s really nice, so be sure to ask any questions you have in the comments.
Speaking of the kitchen, try making these adorable and seemingly easy-to-make chicks using Nutter Butter cookies. Thanks to Ashley of Life with Moore Babies for the idea.
Before you leave the kitchen, grab a seed catalog or two and do this simple craft that will put some spring in your house. Thanks to Teacher@Home for linking up this great idea.
Handwriting was one of those things I thought would just happen. I didn’t expect to have to actually teach it. I even wondered if it mattered. You know–everything’s done on a keyboard these days. But I’ve discovered that it does matter.
When your child is slow and insecure about handwriting, he will likely be slow in completing homework, too. Unless things change, the writing portion of college entrance exams will still have to be handwritten. And believe me, your child will be taking these in no time if my experience is any guide.
The Mastery Approach
At a certain point, I realized that my son’s handwriting wasn’t developing with standard workbook practice. I couldn’t read it and my mom wondered why he wasn’t writing in cursive yet. I switched to a popular handwriting curriculum that prevents upset kids. The idea is that there’s a skill set required for handwriting and with some simple guidance, kids can master it.
My son’s handwriting improved and I started using the new teacher-directed approach with all my kids. But I still wasn’t satisfied. I had to purchase new workbooks every year and their progress seemed designed to have a slow, public school pace. I started wondering if there was a curriculum that used the same idea (that letters had parts that could be consistently created), but taught the mastery of handwriting in one book? I found it!
Happy Handwriting and Cheerful Cursive are lesser known gems in the treasure of handwriting curriculum. Not only do these comb-bound volumes cover all the handwriting skills your child needs to be taught, but they can be photocopied to use with your entire family. I prefer to buy a copy for each child because they’re economically priced.
Happy Handwriting Sample Page
Cheerful Cursive Sample Page
Cheerful Cursive Sample Page
Kids Love It
Not only am I happy having to purchase just one book each for manuscript and cursive handwriting, but my kids love doing handwriting. Here’s why:
+Lots of opportunity for the youngest writers to trace and then fill in the letters
+Cute letter characters are engaging
+Constant review of the alphabet helps young students put writing skills to the test
+Includes phonics activities with manuscript practice
+Teaches recognition of letters written in many different styles
+Includes real world handwriting exercises like envelope addressing
How to Have Happy Handwriting
I purchased my curriculum, so this review is completely unbiased. You can purchase it, too, by checking out the handwriting page at Mastery Publications and then printing and mailing the order form. But I’m thrilled that the nice folks at Mastery Publications have generously offered a copy of both books for me to give away to one blessed reader (valued at over $35 with shipping). I’m praying that just the right homeschooler will win. Please enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below and share it with your friends.
What most appeals to you about this handwriting curriculum?
Let’s be honest. You’d pray more if you felt like more of your prayers were answered. Why aren’t your prayers being answered?
This post isn’t going to delve into all the many reasons your prayer may not be answered in the way you hoped. Instead, I want to share a very practical reason you and I aren’t checking off as many answered prayers as we could be. The simple steps necessary to address this problem can have a huge payoff:
Your faith will grow as you see that God really is hearing you.
You’ll pray more as you come to believe that a prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
You’ll encourage others to pray because of your own experience.
A Lesson from Productivity
I have so much I want to do that I’ve long been fascinated with finding ways to motivate myself and to make the best use of my time. That’s why I’ve been doing a whole series on Fridays called A Year of Living Productively. I’ve also been blessed to have a number of visitors to those posts who wouldn’t ordinarily visit a Christian blog like mine.
One of the basic teachings of productivity is that you have to make your tasks actionable. In other words, I don’t put ‘be happy,’ ‘be strong spiritually,’ or ‘be healthy’ on my to-do list. I would have no idea if I’d finished those tasks.
The problem is we regularly put those kinds of things on God’s to-do list! We pray that we and others would be happy, strong, and healthy. Those are wonderful prayers and we don’t have to stop praying them, but if we want to see answered prayers, we need to make some changes.
Start recording your prayer requests. If you have no record of what you’ve done during a given month, you’re going to be dumbfounded if I ask you what you’ve accomplished in the past 30 days. In the same way, God is very busy acting on your behalf, but you have to write down how to remember. Begin keeping a prayer journal or use an app to track your requests. Here is a free prayer journal printable with plenty of room to record the results. I love Pocket Prayer Pro for the iPhone because I can schedule requests.
Phrase your prayer requests in actionable terms. Instead of praying for happiness, pray that you or a loved one would rate your joy as 7 or higher for the day. Instead of praying for your child or grandchild to be strong spiritually, pray that they would show interest when you talk with them about God. Instead of praying for health, pray for a specific indicator of health, such as a medical test result. Exactly how you phrase your request doesn’t matter as long as you will be able to clearly determine that your prayer has been answered. Be sure to include short- and long-term requests, just as we include these kinds of tasks on our own lists. You can absolutely keep praying general prayers, too. Fortunately, God doesn’t give us prayer request limits. Isn’t He incredible?
Follow-up. When we work on our own task lists, we want to know the results. We find out if our boss is happy with the report, if the small repair we did worked, or if we are actually losing weight by eating right and exercising. Experiencing more answered prayer is no different. We shouldn’t just pray for our loved one to have peace during a medical procedure; we should ask them if they did! Then let them know you were praying for them. If you pray in the morning, look over your prayer list that evening and see what God got done.
Recording the answers to prayer this way can uplift your faith, your family, and your church. When you or someone you love is discouraged, you can show them the record of answered prayer in your life.
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 17:6
Do you have an actionable prayer request that I can pray for you? Please contact me if you have a private request.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
