tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post6264920134800798442..comments2024-02-25T07:27:59.560-07:00Comments on Nourished and Nurtured: Our Homeschool Curriculum for 2017-18 (with a 10-year-old and a 7-year-old)Sarah Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01348347054374584427noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-87293409067456331022017-08-30T10:03:05.168-06:002017-08-30T10:03:05.168-06:00No, I don't consult with homeschooling parents...No, I don't consult with homeschooling parents in any formal way. However, I'm happy to share more info and we can absolutely keep this conversation going, if you would find that helpful. Feel free to ask more questions here, or if you want to chat via email instead you can email me through the contact form on the right side of the blog.Sarah Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01348347054374584427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-84313627533731450482017-08-30T08:02:09.337-06:002017-08-30T08:02:09.337-06:00Thank you so much, Sarah! I really appreciate your...Thank you so much, Sarah! I really appreciate your detailed responses. I don't suppose you offer consulting for homeschooling parents, do you? I would love to chat with you more!Beetnik Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833989102646394206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-84957534777203508142017-08-30T06:02:44.683-06:002017-08-30T06:02:44.683-06:00I read-aloud to my kids every evening before bed a...I read-aloud to my kids every evening before bed as well as most mornings as part of our morning routine. The morning reading usually happens either right after the kids wake up or while they are eating breakfast. I don't generally ask them what they want me to read then; instead, I just ask them if they want me to read to them and then read aloud whatever I feel like reading. <br /><br />I have made sure to build a good read-aloud habit with both of my kids by spending time reading lots and lots of engaging picture books as well as fun chapter books over the years. By now, they love listening to me read and will listen to me read pretty much anything (no matter the subject). I typically read non-fiction in the mornings (history, science, math picture books or Life of Fred), followed by stories/poems. I typically read a chapter book in the evenings. If we have more time available in the evening, I will read some non-fiction followed by our current chapter book. There are exceptions, though, like last evening when both kids were begging to do more Life of Fred math for our bedtime reading (I think this was somewhat motivated by the fact that we got new dry erase markers for this school year, and I only allow them to use those during our "school" time).<br /><br />Beyond our daily read-alouds, I don't "steer the car" on any of our other learning throughout the day. I may make suggestions of things we can do, but I leave it up to the kids to select what they want to do and we roll from there. I think it also really helps that I typically do my own work/study for several hours in the afternoons. That makes my kids more motivated to take advantage of the time I have available in the mornings to do "school" activities with them.<br /><br />I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more q's!Sarah Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01348347054374584427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-75537006563148853222017-08-29T22:50:11.490-06:002017-08-29T22:50:11.490-06:00Yes, that was very helpful. Thank you! So when do ...Yes, that was very helpful. Thank you! So when do you fit in things like history readings? You're choosing those? Are there times set aside each day for work/curriculum that you want to address with them?Beetnik Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833989102646394206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-19806707712956234952017-08-29T18:49:04.281-06:002017-08-29T18:49:04.281-06:00I'm glad you found this helpful. Yes, it reall...I'm glad you found this helpful. Yes, it really does work well for us to have the kids choose what we work on. This is, though, after having spent a good amount of time with me letting go of the need to push them or force them to do academic things that I would want them to do. Now they are thoroughly into the groove of knowing they are free to choose what school-type work we do, and they love it! <br /><br />How is generally looks for us is as follows:<br />-Each week, it is one of my children's turn to choose our schoolish activities for the week. <br />-On days when we're home most of the day (so, not including errand days or homeschool group park days), after we're done with our morning routine (breakfast, read-aloud, family work, chores) one child chooses what we will do for school. <br />-For instance, today my son chose that he would write in his nature notebook about the tadpoles we found, then he wanted me to read aloud from the Book of Virtues, and then he chose to play Settlers of Catan. Yesterday, he chose digging a pond for the tadpoles, having me read-aloud a book about how ancient pyramids were built, and playing Add-and-Subtract-Uno. Last week, my daughter chose for us to play Cribbage on multiple days, to make homemade slime from a science experiment book, to make clay tablets (as an extension from the ancient history books I've been reading to them), etc.<br />-The other sibling is free to participate, or not, in whatever has been chosen. Most of the time they both choose to participate, but there are occasional times when my daughter will choose to go read a book on her own, or my son might choose not to do the science experiment his sister wants to do.<br /><br />Does this answer your questions? Let me know if you want more info!Sarah Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01348347054374584427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-80614396198646215742017-08-29T17:54:39.261-06:002017-08-29T17:54:39.261-06:00This is awesome! Thanks for sharing. I've been...This is awesome! Thanks for sharing. I've been reading the posts you've linked to, including from last year when you discussed your typical day. How does it work having the kids decide what you'll work on in the morning? What does that look like?Beetnik Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833989102646394206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-27703927306671003732017-08-25T11:21:04.747-06:002017-08-25T11:21:04.747-06:00Hi Serena,
Thanks for your comment! Sure sounds li...Hi Serena,<br />Thanks for your comment! Sure sounds like we all have a lot in common! I'm glad you are finding my blog to be a useful resource; I blog in the hopes that someone else will find value in what I share, so I'm glad to hear your positive feedback.<br />SarahSarah Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01348347054374584427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313009931298256746.post-57527823975666766862017-08-25T10:21:18.058-06:002017-08-25T10:21:18.058-06:00I really enjoy reading your homeschool series. I h...I really enjoy reading your homeschool series. I have children (almost 9 and 7) with similar interests. My daughter has chickens and still loves horses, and my son is very mechanically oriented (we just got some Snap Circuits for his birthday). Your posts always give me some great ideas to implement. I also wanted to thank you for the alternatives to braces series. We just started along that path. Your blog has been a wonderful resource for me as a parent.serenahttp://tigandserena.comnoreply@blogger.com