Thirteen years ago, all the kids were 12 and under and I organized EVERYTHING. Now that they are all ten and up I organize very little moment by moment activity, I just make sure the basics are covered. Running a home with 8 kids under 12 was a very different season. Above is our “chore chart” for that season (see others below!). It was a great way to motivate and keep things on somewhat of a schedule. So funny that Esther at age 10 was going to the coffee shop for two hours a day. We lived on Main Street and she loved having her chill time there.
This was my actual Home-Learning Plan five years ago. It is simple for parents and delightful to kids!
Logic Games
Read Favorite Books
YouTube Tutorials
Nature Time
Online Math Games or Serious Stuff
Kitchen Time
Spelling Games
Complete 5 Workbook Pages or 5 Fun-Schooling Journal Pages
Play Outside
Art & Drawing
Just Dance
Chores
Online Games (a reward for chores and school)
Family Time and Board Games
Movie Time
Music Practice
Dyslexia Games You can do these activities in any order, but Movies and Online Games should be close to last.
For chores, we would create new schedule once every 3 or 4 months. Everyone liked knowing exactly what areas of the house they were responsible for.
Chores are largely about teaching life skills and serving others. This journal can help!
A messy dining room, a dozen unfinished projects, soggy boots, muddy footprints, a broken telescope, a lost library book, a forgotten passion, a new hobby, and wonder in the eyes of a child.
This is the homeschool life.
Simple moments, like pebbles in quiet pond, the work you do today will ripple through generations.
Yes, what you do today will make a difference for years to come!
Homeschooling isn’t glamorous, and the day to day activities may seem a lot like pushing a rock up a mountain. But through it all I’ve seen how embracing the role of both mom and teacher has unseen power and influence that you wouldn’t believe though it’s right in front of you. And the work you do and example you set will influence your future generations.
Rewind–what’s your story? Who you are today has a lot to do with the path of past generations.
Here’s a glimpse into my story and the beautiful tapestry of learning, passion, and love that has woven itself through my family’s history.
My grandmother was a mother of four and a civil engineer—a woman ahead of her time. She somehow balanced her professional life with the demands of motherhood, and through her, I learned the value of determination and perseverance. She showed me how to think outside the box. When the world said, “You can’t do it all!” my grandma said, “Oh yes you can!” And when I’m facing a struggle I often hear her voice in my ear whispering, “Where there’s a will there’s a way!”
My mother, an artist, educational strategist, Bible scholar and homeschool mom, carried a quiet passion into our home. She made learning an adventure, and always helped us kids find the answers to even the most outlandish of questions. She had a way of filling our days with creativity and the belief that anything was possible, with Jesus. Her art wasn’t just on canvas—it was in the way she taught us to see beauty in the world, and faith in the One who is GOOD, WISE and ALL Powerful!
Because of her faith and example I will never forget that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
And now, as a homeschooling mom of my own children, I see how this legacy continues to unfold.
Homeschooling has given me the chance to watch my own children discover their unique passions and explore them in their own time.
Not just growing in skills and knowledge, but in faith and determination!
Eight-year-old Kassidy faced significant challenges with reading and learning in the public school environment. Thanks to Dyslexia Games, she’s at grade level and bursting with newfound confidence.
“She was eight years old when she came into our family,” says Jill Cain, adoptive mother of former foster child Kassidy. “It was a night and day difference between her and my biological children. She didn’t know letter sounds, but she could read some sight words, which didn’t make sense to me. There were other things too; it was like a jumbled puzzle that didn’t add up.”
Jill homeschools her biological children, but because Kassidy was a foster child at the time, she had to be in public school. The school provided her with a personal aide for an hour each day, but it didn’t help. Jill suspected dyslexia, but the school didn’t agree and passed Kassidy to the next grade, even though she couldn’t read.
The Emotional Toll
“When it came time for school or homework, she was completely shut down. She would cross her arms and not even try,” remembers Jill. “And when she did try, it was tears.”
Jill finally convinced the school to test Kassidy, and a dyslexia diagnosis was confirmed. She also convinced the school to hold her back the next school year to give her more time to learn and catch up with her peers. In the meantime, Jill researched dyslexia resources online.
Making matters worse, Kassidy was bullied at school. “The experience in public school greatly affected her,” laments Jill. “Her self-confidence was so low and it affected our relationships. She was very isolated.”
Fighting for a Fair Chance
In Jill’s online research, she stumbled upon Dyslexia Games by Sarah Janisse Brown. It looked promising, but Jill wondered if it would help Kassidy learn. “I knew she was bright and capable as she excelled in so many other areas,” notes Jill. “But how do I even do this, if the public school can’t do it?”
She decided to shelve her doubts, but the next step was for Jill to get legal permission to homeschool Kassidy. “I went all the way to the top,” she says. It took time, but finally, they were granted permission, and their homeschooling journey began.
Jill initiated some “deschooling” time first to give Kassidy a chance to decompress and build confidence and security. Then, when she felt like Kassidy was ready, she started her on just one page a day in Dyslexia Games.
“It really drained her,” notes Jill. “It was completely exhausting to do one page. There were days she just wanted to bail, and I was unsure whether this was the right way to proceed because we didn’t see any progress.”
Breakthrough! Four Grade Levels in One Year
Persistence paid off. After about three weeks, Jill observed the first signs of improvement. When she pointed out something that needed correction, Kassidy figured it out herself. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh! This is working!’” Jill exclaims.
That was just the encouragement they both needed to keep going. As they progressed through the program, Kassidy experienced several more breakthrough moments in letter recognition, reading skills, and math skills.
“She had about a six-month jump in math in six weeks, that I just can’t explain except for Dyslexia Games,” Jill adds.
Jill turned the reins over to Kassidy, who began doing several pages a day. By the end of Dyslexia Games, Series B, she was reading at a 4th-grade level, representing a jump of four grade levels in one year.
Kassidy’s confidence soared. “We’re a read-aloud family,” says Jill. “We go around the room and read aloud. Before, she would refuse. Now she will read an entire chapter!”
Click here to keep reading about Kassidy’s story, including some tips from Jill!
A new co-op introduces Indianapolis area families to the joy of cutting back to the basics in life.
By T.J. Banes, first featured in the Indy Star on April 29, 2002
While many 20-something women may be running the career fast-track and juggling duties at home, Sarah Brown is slowing down and inviting other women to do the same.
She recently formed a family co-op called Simpler Times, which introduces people to the joys of basic living. News of her effort has spread by word of mouth, and her mailing list now includes more than 200 names.
Most co-ops start with a shared interest in benefiting a local economy, said Phil Schutt, grocery buyer for Bloomingfoods Market and Deli in Bloomington. That co-op, which specializes in locally grown organic foods, has two locations and has been in operation for 26 years.
Sarah wants people in her co-op to share their goods and services in exchange for points. No money will be used.
Twice a week, her 3-acre property comes to life with the company of other moms and tots, working the garden. Occasionally, her husband, Josh, 24, has to stop a farm animal from munching on the Brussels sprouts.
“I’d say I’m traditional, but not modern,” said Sarah, 25, the mother of Isaac, 3, Anna, 2, and Esther, 7 months. “I just don’t want the rest of the world to influence what I do and when I do it.”
Karen Kornelsen, 25, a stay-at-home mother who lives on the city’s Southeastside, said she loves being outside barefoot digging in the dirt.
Recently, she set out plants while her 9-month-old daughter, Laura, slept in a backpack. “Being part of Simpler Times allows me to fellowship with other women and to bring home fresh produce so we can eat healthy.”
Eventually, the co-op’s harvest will become part of a twice-monthly trading day on Fortville’s Main Street.
Both the garden, and the trading day, mark the beginning of Sarah’s attempts to spread the simple life to other families. In addition to produce, families trade homemade baked goods, crafts, used clothing and books.
Click here to read more and find out about the perfect tool for you to use in setting up your very own Co-Op!
Do you have a child or teen ages 8+ interested art, music, dance, singing, voice, painting, improve, YouTubing, costumes, piano & acting?
Time: 11am-5pm
The Olive Branch Arts & Acting Camp would be Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for four weeks in a row starting July 18th.
The cost will be $75 per week. If you sign up for all four weeks the final week is free.
Let me know if you have a child ages 8+ that will be joining us! If I get 10 “yes” responses in the next couple days we will launch the camp.
Dates:
July 18-20
July 25-27
August 1-3
August 8-10
Since the camp is organized around a three day project each week, we can only accept participants who can commit to a three day week. Your kids can come for one week or all four.
This curriculum handbook is designed to be used along with library books, audio books, tutorials, documentaries, and classical music. Unlike our other core journals, we tap into the Charlotte Mason method by incorporating Picture Study daily and creative writing/ narration sections. Make homeschooling fun for your students, while tapping into their interests and covering all the basic subjects.
This plan is perfect for struggling readers and learners. We have included Art & Logic Games that help with dyslexia, reading confusion, and letter reversals.
“Great layout for Charlotte Mason beginners that need to transition. Still elements of fun-schooling but definitely an enjoyable resource and we love that it implements nature study, picture study, and copy work! Key elements in a Charlotte Mason atmosphere. We also love that Sarah has taken the time to look out for the struggles some of our children have with dyslexia and ADHD. Well done!” ~Amazon Customer
“This is truly a beautiful one of a kind book. It has art study in it which is different than the other journals. The book is just beautiful and my daughter is really enjoying it.” ~ An Amazon Customer
What aspects of the Charlotte Mason Method are addressed in Thinking Tree journals?
Nature Study
Art
Poetry
Timelines
Copywork
Utilization of great books
Speaking of timelines…here’s a little peek at how we used them a few years ago…
1. I put the Timeline, 3 history books, pens and pencils, and a calculator on the table in the dining room.
2. I ask all the kids to come to the table.
3. I tell them that today everyone in the family will add something to the Timeline, including mom and dad.
4. I added the summer of 1950 when both my parents were born. Joe added pictures and dates to 5 pages, Esther added WW1, Rachel added January 1917. Some kids will work later.
5. I will clear the table once everyone has added something.
If your kids don’t need one more video game or yet another fashion doll or action figure for Christmas, perhaps you might consider the gift of an experience instead! Click the highlighted words below, which are hyperlinked to some fun options!
