Christopher Perrin Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I am doing some final preparation for a seminar on "The Lighter Side of Education: How to Relax, Enjoy and Laugh and Still Be a Parent Educator." While home-schooling is a serious endeavor, it can sometimes become a crushing burden on parents and children. How have you learned to create a measure of joy, laughter and even rest/relaxation in your homeschooling? Your insights will be appreciated and passed on! Pax, Christopher Perrin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Nature walks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homemama Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Not using textbooks, worksheets for all subjects, letting the child do some "interest led studies" sometimes. Also, taking "school" outside, weather permitting. I also agree with nature walks. Using hands on materials can also add joy to homeschooling. Hope that helps! :001_smile: homemama ds 9- MUS, SL 1&2 and lots of books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 We really love homeschooling here, we can't wait to wake up in the morning, and dread going to sleep. That's not to say we homeschool all day, but my young daughter's studies are also reflected in her play. She loves to write books about what she's learned. She loves to teach her daddy or her dolls. I let her go off on interest-led tangents. In the rare instance where schoolwork time is the opposite of joyful, I immediately get her out of the house for a walk, run up and down the stairs chasing each other, go for a swing, read a fun book, or go bouncing on the trampoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but this morning I am reminded that silly voices go a long way toward making otherwise monotonous information engaging and fun. ~ Linda (who can fake an opera voice, a Kermit impression, and a Mary Poppins accent pretty darn well). A silly face or voice does a lot when I'm about to lose my cool. It's hard to be mad and make a silly face at the same time. ;) I try to add something fun when we've been working hard...a craft, special snack, trip to the park, etc. They love these times! My kids are very social as well, so we like outside activities. Instead of getting us behind, I find they are more focused afterward and we can get caught up the next day. It has the same effect on me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Well, I don't know a good answer to your question, so I'll let you know what I thought when I saw the post. "When can you come to the Portland, OR area?" I already emailed with your office, and now... something was broken in the link.... and... I would LOVE to hear what you put together summer of 2012!!! Wanna come our way?? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I don't have any grand ideas ... I *am* looking forward to this talk this weekend (and several of your other ones ...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) Here is a good recent thread for you, "how to keep the drudgery out of teaching classically," http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258495 I haven't added my comments to it yet, I'll add my thoughts here for you. For the young years, while I focus on the basics, I try to liven them up with games and fun. I teach phonics and spelling using a syllabary and Webster's Speller. People used to teach a Latin Syllabary first and teach reading in Latin first and then English or French or whatever their native language was!! I was hoping to figure out a Latin syllabary and teach my son with Latin first, but I just started figuring out Latin this semester. With the Speller, I teach from the white board and let my children pick the color. I write when they are sounding it out, they write when they are spelling a syllable or word. Usually once every two weeks, they get to play my free online phonics concentration game. But, if we are having a rough week or the weather is bad and everyone is grumpy, I will do the game more often. Here is my schedule for teaching my son Webster's Speller. He should get to 2 syllable words like ba-ker and pi-lot next month. My daughter was reading 3 and 4 syllable words by this point, and 5 syllable words at the end of K. My daughter and I used to laugh at the funny syllables, my son does not think they are funny. He does, however, like to draw pictures on the white board of the words he is learning to read. I try to find materials that my children enjoy. We tried several other Latin programs, my daughter is doing best with LfC and she enjoys the activity book. Soon, she will have enough vocabulary to watch some of the online movies as a treat. We switched to MCT as our primary LA for my daughter, she enjoys it more. I still use FLL occasionally to work on a few things MCT does not teach. When we lived in Los Angeles, sometimes we did school outside with lizards that my daughter caught. Sadly, there are no lizards here to catch, although we just found a bird making a nest nearby. I also do not do busywork. If they understand something and do the work well, they do not have to do every single thing in every single book. I do cursive from a whiteboard, and let my daughter use a whiteboard as scratch paper for math. (They really love the whiteboards! We recently got some whiteboard crayons, they go back and forth between markers and crayons.) With math, I use manipulatives for fun and to aid understanding. Actual money is great for several things--regrouping and converting between fractions, percents and decimals, for example. My son gets legos as manipulatives when possible since he likes legos. We also occasionally play the games from Right Start math. Edit: We also do fun things like mad libs and the series "If I were a verb." And, I try to add in fun books in their areas of interest. My daughter reads lizard books, and because of my son's interest in trains, we added in "Train of States" to our study of American History. Edited March 30, 2011 by ElizabethB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Picking materials that have an inherent joy/silliness to them. Not every literature book has to be serious. My daughter also enjoys it when I write sentences for her in various languages that are on the silly side that she gets to illustrate. Grammar too-a sentence doesn't have to be serious to be grammatical. Taking school on the road. I don't know why doing math workbooks at Steak and Shake over breakfast is SO much more fun-but it is. Singing and moving. And, mostly, just not taking myself or school too seriously. If I get too serious, so does DD, and that's when the problems start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 When we're learning a new and daunting term, we do a lot of shouting. We drew dot-based pictures with markers, and I made a rule that everyone (including me) had to shout out "pointillism!" from time to time while they were drawing. When we were learning what a simile is, I read books and had my daughter jump up and shout "simile!" every time she heard one. Neither one of those words will ever be forgotten. We use movement and drama a lot. We act out warm fronts and cold fronts in a lesson about weather ("Now I come in quickly, and you rise up..."). We pantomime vocabulary words. My daughter does a lot of pretending based on her history and literature reading. I have encouraged my child to keep practicing a new and difficult math concept by making it a contest between two paper dolls or other toys to see who can figure out the problems. It's a lot easier to risk being wrong when you're only being the voice of a paper doll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) I love this question, it's one I think about often. Both of my kids have Tourettes, and when tics start up I feel like I need to pull back on my expectations. Really what is needed is to bring in the "joyful and light". For me that's different than taking grammar or LOF out of the schedule for the week. Here are the things that I always come back to: -(having more to do with the hard work) We've been reading The Book of Virtues all year, and one thing it's really helped with is creating the desire to rise to the occasion. It's life transforming to alter your thinking on hard work. -I make the classroom warm and cozy. There's a chair and ottoman, lots of natural filtered light, and fresh air. Natural woods and materials, walls are painted in a color that feels.. academic I guess you could say. Surfaces and floor are tidy, things are in their place. My mom keeps canaries in her classroom. When I've asked her if the singing bothered the kids, she said that it made the children happy. -wind chimes and a prism coming into the room -gardening -cats wondering though the classroom -poetry study, when we act out the poems. Yesterday we did this with The March Wind. At first they act to old and cool to do it, but after a minute or two they're whirling around sweeping the "frozen earth". -taking art or water work outside into the garden -piano and violin being done during class time, sometimes it's hard to manage the noise factor but overall it's a happy time of our day. -PE in the morning is dancing to the oldies, we've learned a lot of the actual steps on you tube. Yes, my kids can do the Watusi -reading by the fireplace -tea time -classical music playing in the background (not all the time) -badminton in the backyard always lights the mood :lurk5: ETA: Sometimes I like to wear cooky outfits to class. Move over Miss Frizzle!! Edited March 30, 2011 by helena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I think one of the most important things is to remember that this is your family, not just a school. Right now, my kids are making lemon pound cake from scratch because they wanted some, found a recipe, and checked to see if we have the ingredients. They are having fun and doing something together for the rest of the family. They haven't done their math for the day yet, but there will be plenty of time for that while we are enjoying their pound cake. Homeschooling isn't about spoon feeding them information or getting them through a prescribed amount of work in a day. I'm trying to raise life-long learners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 We use CAP products. ;) Okay, probably not the answer you want. :D We use our sense of humor. Ds and I have the same humor, thankfully. Just a few minutes ago we were translating from Latin Alive I. We were using the word nemo (don't know how to do macrons), which means nobody. Which led us into a hearty discussion on Finding Nemo and Odysseus. It lightened what is difficult for my son. My son is 13 and we've homeschooled since first grade. This is our third year following a classical method, which has increased our interaction in school. My son likes to talk and I've found a wonderful way to peer into his head this year. We've been using Philosophy for Kids as a starting point. The question itself takes about 15 minutes and then I let the conversation veer into anything. It's a great way to see where he is making connections. When I understand that it alleviates some of the anxiety of teaching. It makes his opinions valid to me, it's also helped our relationship. We are pretty goofy in the classroom. When we did LFC we would sometimes march through the house to do our chants. I do read-alouds in an accent. We're gearing up for high school, which has created some stress on my side. I keep reminding myself that we can take our studies seriously, while not taking ourselves too seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but this morning I am reminded that silly voices go a long way toward making otherwise monotonous information engaging and fun. ~ Linda (who can fake an opera voice, a Kermit impression, and a Mary Poppins accent pretty darn well). PS: Saw you in Greenville and really appreciated your talk on Teaching Latin in Grades 3-6. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Well, I don't know a good answer to your question, so I'll let you know what I thought when I saw the post. "When can you come to the Portland, OR area?" I already emailed with your office, and now... something was broken in the link.... and... I would LOVE to hear what you put together summer of 2012!!!Wanna come our way?? :) I was thinking the same thing lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom_Abear Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 We use CAP products. ;) Okay, probably not the answer you want. :D Yep! Us, too! :) I have had friends make remarks about my homeschooling being rigorous. Funny, we don't feel that way at all!! :D They have said things like Latin doesn't necessarily meet their goals. They are more concerned with their child's character (as if I'm not concerned with character!). What they don't know is that my son enjoys his Latin studies. He doesn't see it as drudgery. Watching you on the DVD and Andrew Pudewa's Student Writing Intensive DVD are the highlights of my son's school week. So, thank you for making age appropriate, fun curricula! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I am doing some final preparation for a seminar on "The Lighter Side of Education: How to Relax, Enjoy and Laugh and Still Be a Parent Educator." While home-schooling is a serious endeavor, it can sometimes become a crushing burden on parents and children. How have you learned to create a measure of joy, laughter and even rest/relaxation in your homeschooling? Your insights will be appreciated and passed on! Pax, Christopher Perrin Well, really, we just watch your videos and that always cracks us up. :lol: (Only kidding). On the serious side, I was thinking this very same thought last night, after the girls were asleep. I jumped up from the sofa and pulled up all their old toys from the basement -- all the "kitchen stuff." After all the excited shrieking subsided, the girls spent the morning playing "kitchen" and "grocery shopping." :D They spent the afternoon in the backyard -- making compost, digging for worms, planting seeds, planting bulbs... We'll call that "Science," do a long read aloud now, then take a nap, and call it a day. Seatwork tomorrow, though. I remember this acronym from when the girls were babies: E = Eat (the baby needs to eat) A = Activity (the baby needs to do something) S = Sleep (then the baby needs to sleep) Y = You (now YOU take care of yourself) See, parenting is E-A-S-Y. :lol: It worked then, it works now. Balance, Grasshopper, balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 On the serious side, I was thinking this very same thought last night, after the girls were asleep. I jumped up from the sofa and pulled up all their old toys from the basement -- all the "kitchen stuff." After all the excited shrieking subsided, the girls spent the morning playing "kitchen" and "grocery shopping." :D They spent the afternoon in the backyard -- making compost, digging for worms, planting seeds, planting bulbs... We'll call that "Science," do a long read aloud now, then take a nap, and call it a day. :iagree: I just took out the stuffed animal box and the dress up box (for the first time in a loooong time). Even my 12yo is having a great time. I love days like you described. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 One of the biggest things I do is make sure I am not overscheduling us with "fun stuff" (our area has tons of homeschool art, PE, etc...classes) which are great but we also have to go to speech/OT weekly...and we occasionally do swim lessons, soccer teams, etc... If too many of those are on our plate we are rushing from place to place and that makes school time more condensed and generally stressful. When we have few places to go, we can relax, enjoy, and take time for all the things that are fun: --lots of extra lego time --spontaneous nature walks with magnifying glasses --working on our fractions while baking --doing school at the library (we have a great library) --watching a great Magic Schoolbus So this is on me. Keep the schedule light...even when it is something great and fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I am doing some final preparation for a seminar on "The Lighter Side of Education: How to Relax, Enjoy and Laugh and Still Be a Parent Educator." While home-schooling is a serious endeavor, it can sometimes become a crushing burden on parents and children. How have you learned to create a measure of joy, laughter and even rest/relaxation in your homeschooling? Your insights will be appreciated and passed on! Pax, Christopher Perrin We "work while we work and play when we play". We also follow a predictable routine. We do our schoolwork immediately after breakfast. We aim to be done before lunch for the children younger than 12. There is a gradual increase of time spent doing schoolwork from ages 5-8 so the kids get trained to work and focus on work during this time. I am not too concerned if this time of our day is especially FUN but my kids do learn that work can be its own reward. Once we are done the books are put away for the day. Afternoons are free! I do not allow TV/Nintendo DS/non-educational games during this time. My younger children spend this time in free play often acting out the stories that we read during schooltime. Between the ages of 8-12 they gradually spend less time in free play and spend more time doing educational games , scout projects, art projects, free writing, etc. My older kids spent this time working on extracurricular interests--robotics, learning a computer program to make videos, playing an instrument, creative writing, etc. I use our free afternoon time to work on projects of my own. I resist the urge to get involved in the kids activities unless specifically asked to help them out. Currently my 8yo is working through projects with Snap Circuits and my 5yo is painting pictures of the cats. Today I am reading through the first few weeks of our new curriculum. We will spend the remainder of the afternoon riding bikes with friends. My kids are doing educational activities during this time but I do not plan the activities or control their pursuits so they are just having fun. I do not feel the need to plan an addition to our pre-planned science curriculum just because my son has this new interest in electronics. Afternoons are productive but very relaxing and fun. Once DH is home, I put all school activities away for the day. I purposely do not spend the evenings or weekends on homeschooling activities. I need a separation from "educator" and "mommy" so that I can just enjoy my family. I choose curricula that I do not need to spend a great deal of time into planning and organizing. I cherish my freetime and do not want to spend evening and weekends preparing lesson plans! We do not join in multiple co-ops or activities during the day since they disrupt our routine. I limit our out-of-home activites to once per week for afternoon activities and once per month for morning activities. I have found that even if the activities are fun that they add stress to our day and our week. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I can sometimes accomplish this by taking a heavy subject and make it oral rather than written. When the children were younger, it was grammar. This year, it has been logic. Anything seems cozier done out loud and snuggled on the couch rather than writing at the table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Well, first off, I chose a curriculum that is hands on and creative. In the youngest years it's Waldorf-inspired and not overly academic. But even in the later years it manages to not be textbookish and dull, and I love that about it. Secondly, we tend to revolve school around our lives, rather than revolving our lives around school. We do schoolwork, of course, but I don't believe we have to be stuck at a desk doing it, or that it has to last all day, or that we can't do anything else until all schoolwork is done. If there's something interesting to see or do, we see it and do it. We can get back to the schoolwork. We do LOTS of outings and activities (see above). We love "field trips." We love to get out of the house. We can usually fit these things in because I believe that many things are educational and that we don't have to be doing desk or paperwork for hours on end to get a good education. We talk and laugh a lot. Sometimes we get distracted or disrupted (I've had some very, er, interesting conversations with my 10 year old that might stem from a book, a writing assignment, or just her daydreams as she looks out the window). In the case of my younger son, I don't mind delaying academics a bit. That's one of the reasons I love the curriculum I use. But I'd rather let him wait a while longer to start K even with the more non-academic curriculum if he's not interested/ready yet (as was the case this past fall) and just have fun with him, interact with him, play with him, and so on. We read tons. We do lots of arts and crafts. We watch fun, educational shows, play board games together, and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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