I’ve been having the exact same thoughts recently, both about changing things up so frequently and trying to buy solutions. This is such a reassuring read and exactly what I needed to hear this morning. Thank you!
"there’s a reason How We Homeschool is not on Instagram!"
haha - That's the thing though, a platform like Instagram self-selects to be used by the most aesthetically-inclined folks. And people exclusively consuming and following on such platforms miss out on the goodness of other's voices on places like.... substack. :)
Also, the 3 and 4 year-olds have been introduced to the concept of "pausing" and honestly it's such a mental gamechanger!
Ok that makes sense about the no- pressure thing, I understood the concept of it being sensory but never thought of that aspect! Haha and I do it on our walks, that’s his time to think too
Do you have a picture of what the tea leaf tray looks like? And I’ve been reflecting each week (when I can) on what is working and what’s not, in regards to maintaining my household and caring for my baby. It’s freeing to know you can change things up within a short time span vs forcing yourself to do something that doesn’t work for a whole year just because you feel pressured too. I like the word pause too! Thank you!
We are perpetually adapting our approach - not to shirk when things get hard, but because none of us, especially children, are the same people in February as we were in October. I also love fast DIY materials (the whiteboard and markers get so much use) because they're adaptable and free.
I recently finished reading Grasp, all about how we learn (and how we don't), and I'd say what you're doing is perfect to help your children retain what they're learning. Especially with handwriting, I've read that lots of different activities are beneficial, e.g. play dough for developing the fine motor skills, practising whole arm movements by writing very large letters on a piece of paper on the wall, making letters with a finger in tea leaves or sand... All of these are helpful, even if it doesn't look like the image of a child filling out handwriting sheets that we might have stuck in our heads. (But of course those sheets can have their place too!) Anyway, I know you know all this, but you often seem to second guess your good ideas.
The main issue with parents feeling like a good elementary homeschool is finishing curriculum and worksheets is that there's no good alternative. For some reason parents still think homeschool is school at home. Have you read much at triviumpursuit.com ? I discovered them in the last month or so while researching best math education practices for younger kids. My kids are 6 and 8 as well. Then there's Classical Academic Press that pushes joyful restful learning at the younger ages especially. I don't know if I agree with them that history and science isn't as necessary in the younger stage, those are my husband and my favorite subjects to teach. If you love what you are teaching them, they will catch on to that love.
I love the use of the word pause rather than end....going to use this!
I’ve been having the exact same thoughts recently, both about changing things up so frequently and trying to buy solutions. This is such a reassuring read and exactly what I needed to hear this morning. Thank you!
"there’s a reason How We Homeschool is not on Instagram!"
haha - That's the thing though, a platform like Instagram self-selects to be used by the most aesthetically-inclined folks. And people exclusively consuming and following on such platforms miss out on the goodness of other's voices on places like.... substack. :)
Also, the 3 and 4 year-olds have been introduced to the concept of "pausing" and honestly it's such a mental gamechanger!
Slow, simple & homemade is how we homeschool 🙌
I like your style.
Ok that makes sense about the no- pressure thing, I understood the concept of it being sensory but never thought of that aspect! Haha and I do it on our walks, that’s his time to think too
Do you have a picture of what the tea leaf tray looks like? And I’ve been reflecting each week (when I can) on what is working and what’s not, in regards to maintaining my household and caring for my baby. It’s freeing to know you can change things up within a short time span vs forcing yourself to do something that doesn’t work for a whole year just because you feel pressured too. I like the word pause too! Thank you!
We are perpetually adapting our approach - not to shirk when things get hard, but because none of us, especially children, are the same people in February as we were in October. I also love fast DIY materials (the whiteboard and markers get so much use) because they're adaptable and free.
I recently finished reading Grasp, all about how we learn (and how we don't), and I'd say what you're doing is perfect to help your children retain what they're learning. Especially with handwriting, I've read that lots of different activities are beneficial, e.g. play dough for developing the fine motor skills, practising whole arm movements by writing very large letters on a piece of paper on the wall, making letters with a finger in tea leaves or sand... All of these are helpful, even if it doesn't look like the image of a child filling out handwriting sheets that we might have stuck in our heads. (But of course those sheets can have their place too!) Anyway, I know you know all this, but you often seem to second guess your good ideas.
The main issue with parents feeling like a good elementary homeschool is finishing curriculum and worksheets is that there's no good alternative. For some reason parents still think homeschool is school at home. Have you read much at triviumpursuit.com ? I discovered them in the last month or so while researching best math education practices for younger kids. My kids are 6 and 8 as well. Then there's Classical Academic Press that pushes joyful restful learning at the younger ages especially. I don't know if I agree with them that history and science isn't as necessary in the younger stage, those are my husband and my favorite subjects to teach. If you love what you are teaching them, they will catch on to that love.