Author Archives: Barb

U is for Understanding

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ABCs of Homeschooling - Copy

U is for understanding. When a small child comes home from school cranky and upset, he may not be able to explain what happened to make him feel that way; his parents are left to wonder if the teacher forgot to tell them something (or if she even witnessed the event).

But the homeschooling parent knows the details of a child’s day because she was there. If the child got into a fight with a sibling or a friend, the parent was there and understands what happened and how to help the children apologize to each other and forgive each other. It sure beats being unable to understand why the child is upset and wondering what exactly happened.

Do your boys like animal stories? Check out our 1908-9 wildlife novels for boys and read a few chapters while you’re there: Classic Books for Boys.

T is for Time

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ABCs of Homeschooling - Copy

T is for time. Homeschooling gives you time with your kids: time you wouldn’t have if they went to school, and time you’ll never get back.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but I can verify that children are only young for a very short time. Now that my four are adults, I cherish the memories we made over our years of homeschooling.

No, it wasn’t all easy, and there were days when I never would have believed that we’d make it all the way through high school. But looking back, I’m so glad our family was a homeschooling family, because it gave us time to enjoy being together before everyone grew up and went off on their own paths as adults.

Try a free lesson from my Bible study written for mothers and daughters: Women of the Old Testament: 14 In-Depth Bible Studies for Teens.

 

S is for School Buses

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ABCs of Homeschooling - Copy

S is for school buses. They’re one of the most common places for bullies to do their thing, and our children don’t have to deal with them. You can say the same thing for Schoolyards and Schoolrooms, where student bullies (and sometimes teacher-bullies) abound. The increasing number of children who are bullied in school will be affected by the experience for the rest of their lives. How fortunate our homeschooled children are that they don’t have to deal with school bullies!

 

I share lots of links to homeschooling info on Twitter. Just follow me: @Barbara_Frank

R is for Real Life

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ABCs of Homeschooling - Copy

R is for real life. Real life isn’t spent in one room with 30 other people born within a year of your birth. Real life is:

  • spent in the real world, meeting people of all ages and getting to know them.
  • It’s spent with newborns as well as the elderly.
  • It’s spent actively learning about the world around you instead of learning about it from a textbook.
  • It’s spent making meals and cleaning house as well as learning to add up the cost of groceries or how to read a restaurant menu.

Homeschooled kids are blessed because, unlike their publicly schooled age-mates, they get to be out in the real world learning about real life.

 

Want to read more about homeschooling? You’ll find many homeschooling articles by clicking the “Homeschool Info” link at the top of the page, or “Homeschooling” at the bottom.

Q is for Quiet

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ABCs of Homeschooling - Copy

Q is for quiet. When you’re with your kids all the time, the need for quiet slowly builds up in your system until one day it overwhelms you.

Instead of losing it with your kids because you’ve reached your noise and interruption limit, why not plan for specific times of quiet that will allow you to recharge? Make appointments on your calendar for regular walks by yourself, solo visits to the public library, dates with your laptop at the local coffee shop, or alone time spent on your favorite pastime (mine’s quilting).

To truly enjoy these noisy years of learning with your children, you need the balance of quiet times on your own.

 

The teen years can be great ones if you go in with your eyes open. Check out “Ten Tips for Coping with Temperamental Teens.” (PDF)