We spent the weekend with my very wise sister who has 7 children under 13 years of age. Being new to homeschool myself I am still trying to find the best way to organise my day with the kids at home all day. And who would have thought working together would make for a very happy and settled household!
Not only did I observe my sisters children being very pleasant, mature and extemely helpful and skilled around the home, I have also started to read Managers of their homes and managers of their chores. I am still making my way through these books but these are full of very practical and extremely useful information.
I have discovered that school at home for my family doesn't work but learning as a lifestyle at home does! I was trying toschedule homeschool into home life as 'school' literally! Like I said previously, no time to relax and enjoy. We need to get this all done!! This weekend taught me to relax and has brought back the home feel to the day!! Yay!!
This is what I changed. We now make sure that we make beds before we leave our rooms in the morning, plus we get dressed. I have one child as breakfast kitchen helper, one for lunch and one for dinner. This makes the busy time of meals and pack up really pleasant. Their responsibilities are to help set-up, make and pack-up the meal with me. I love this one on one time. They are also learning valuable skills in the kitchen as well as character qualities too.
I have also started each of the bigger children having 30 mins with ds 1, which works wonders. They play what he enjoys and he is happy, and I accomplish heaps! The older kids look forward to this time, which surprised me!
School is more relaxed because I am not worried about my dirty house because we now do it first. It works wonders on my stress! The kitchen is always done because of my wonderful helpers :) and then they also have their room they are responsible for, that they have to keep an eye on and do a job in their each day. DD 4 helps DD7 complete her jobs. They seem to be enjoying helping around the house. And I am telling you, this has taken me by surprise!! It isn't they do it though, it is WE do it together and achieve a clean and tidy house. And they are so happy and chirpy. And the best thing about this change is that so is DH!! He is much happier and enjoying the kids more! And I have more time with them because the house is not a worry anymore ;).
School is going great too. The kids are more diligent in their work and don't whinge if I ask them to do a little bit more. The attitude to family working together and playing together has carried over into school. I am more flexible, relaxed and easy going about school too. We enjoy what we are doing and I don't feel the need to rush through it anymore. Thank God for answered prayers :) I think we may have found our homeschool way!!! Learning, working and playing in the comfort of home together with Christ at the centre of it all.
Fun with food.
I love that the kids play with their food and that my 22 month old loves tomatoes so much he eats it like an apple! I hated tomatoes when I was growing up! The photos show ds 10 pancake boat with two passengers, dd 4 cheesy letter A (which she surprised mummy with :) ) and all of them enjoying a dance in the loungeroom (I know nothing to do with food but just fun!!).
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