#7-4: Finishing the School Year Well

#1 · March 29, 2004, 11:12 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on March 29, 2004, 11:12 pm
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE HOPE CHEST HOME SCHOOL NEWS

with Virginia Knowles

#7-4: Finishing the School Year Well

March 29, 2004

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Hope Chest friends,

Please read through to the end to see some requests and helpful info from other readers just like you!

I dont know about you, but sometimes it seems like enthusiasm for academics can wane a bit this time of year. I can think of scads of reasons why we can lose our focus -- everything from major disruptions to little distractions -- but these must be overcome if we are to finish the school year well. What causes you to slack off? What can you do about it? Can a seasoned home school friend help you over the hump? Will reading a home school how-to book get you motivated again? How about an in-depth planning session where you map out what work still needs to be done, and how youre going to make sure you get there?

The way I figure it, our family has about nine weeks left of school. Knowing that weve been a bit scattered because of my recent surgery, I set out to get us back on track. I pulled out my notes on Stress Busting for Home School Moms and listed out the 12 Ps:

Prayer
Priorities
Planning
Preparation
Problem Solving
Partnership
Peacemaking
Pleasure
Praise
Practical Homemaking
Personal Care
Perseverence

Then I wrote down what I wanted to do in each area. I started out with prayer, then listed my priorities (goals) for the remainder of the school year. For each priority, I wrote out plans for how to accomplish it, including some steps of practical preparation. I included ideas for how to get my kids involved (partnership) in practical homemaking, as well as how to add some pleasure to our days through activities and fellowship with others. There is so much more that I dont have time or space to write here, but you get the picture!

Here are some examples:

Most of my children read voraciously, but some of them lack motivation and accountability in math, writing and character training. It became clear that I need to do more direct teaching, so I sat down and revamped the morning schedule again. Rachel had suggested that I review the curriculum Write With the Best (by Jill Dixon) that she saw in a catalog. I requested a copy of Volume 1 from the publisher, Diagnostic Prescriptive Services (http://www.diagnosticprescriptive.com/), and it arrived while I was in the hospital. Rachel says she would probably prefer the more advanced Volume 2, so Im planning to buy it for her at the Florida home school convention. Volume 1 seems to be at the right level for Joanna and Lydia, so they are going to be my curriculum testers this time. I want to see how it holds up to actual use so I can write a full review for your reading pleasure soon. Were trying out the first two week unit on writing a descriptive paragraph. I like the daily lesson plans and the concept of using great literature as a model for writing!

After math and writing, we try to do either science or something related to our world geography unit study, including art and music appreciation. Today we played Art Lotto with the younger children. After lunch each day, we plan to do more independent reading, projects, crafts and games. Andrew recently learned how to play chess, and hes always begging for someone to sit down with him. I just restocked our water color paints and brushes, too, and Lydia has already been trying to recreate some Impressionist masterpieces.

Im also redoing our chore chart and meal planning. For example, each of the older six children will plan and cook one dinner meal every other week. Some of the children will need assistance or at least minimal supervision, but every bit of their help really counts! Mary started out with tilapia fish filets this evening.

In other news, Ben (13 months) is walking! (Unfortunately, more mobililty means more mischief! ACK!) Here is how Joanna described his progress in an e-mail to Grandma: "Ben has been walking SO MUCH. He walked about 35 feet today, from the sliding door going from the front hallway to the dining room, to the window in Mary's room. He never even fell down once, just kept walking really fast. Only a couple of days ago when he walked it would only be about 8 steps. He learned pretty fast. He just never gets tired of it! It's a great discovery for him. He doesn't WANT to crawl much anymore, he just pushes himself up and starts walking."

I met with my surgeon last week, and he said that the pathology report on the removed half of my thyroid came back fine. No cancer -- yeah! Im still sore and swollen and tired, but its not that bad. I have a steri-strip bandage attached across my throat, so I havent seen the two inch long scar yet. Ill have my blood work next week to see if I need to take medicine to supplement my remaining thyroid hormone function.

Well, thats about all from me right now, but a few Hope Chest readers are asking for help or offering help!

~~

Dear Homeschooling families: My children are getting ready to start their state notebooks. We have participated post cards and now want to do something a little different. I am emailing today to request recipes from each state. Something specific for your state. If there is anything else you would like to include as interesting it will be appreciated. Thanks, Michelle [email protected]

~~

Terri Ondrizek writes: A dear homeschool mom of 4 ( all under age 14) was diagnosed with M.S. in Jan '04. By March 04, she is paralyzed from the waist down from the MonSter. Her family moved from a wonderful support group here in West Palm Beach area last summer. Do you know of any Christian homeschool support group in the Ocala, Fl area. Also, do you know of ANY homeschool support group that is geared toward moms/or families with disabilities (local or national)? Contact Terri at: [email protected]

~~

My friend Dorothy Kinkopf is rounding up home school materials to send to missionary moms in Guinea, West Africa. The books will be shipped by Women in Discipleship around June 1. You can contact her for a list of specific titles they would like to have donated. [email protected] Dorothy will also be traveling to Bolivia this summer to encourage and equip missionary moms who are endeavoring to home school, just as she did in Papua New Guinea a few years ago. Pray for her!

~~

Amy Ringger will be teaching a poetry course called Wonder of Words by e-mail. For more information: [email protected] Enjoying the homeschool journey...FREE newsletter http://www.Aplushomeschooling.com/

~~

For those in the Orlando area, Jessica Morman is offering her services as a Latin Tutor. She says, I would enjoy tutoring 1 or 2 students at a time during summer break in Latin, providing them with guidelines on what to memorize and helping them put the parts together and translate. The program would be different from grammar or elementary age and the middle school through adult groups. I used Wheelock's and Latina Christiana in the past, but am willing to try another. You can contact her at [email protected]. Jessica, the daughter of my good friend Patty, is a Patrick Henry College student.

~~

Take a look at the 2004 National Christian Homeschool Conference website: www.ChristianHomeschoolConference.com This will be held in Orlando on Labor Day weekend, September 3-5. (I won't be able to go since my older brother is getting married in New Jersey that weekend, but I do plan to attend the FPEA convention at the end of May.) Contact Dave and Joan Exley at [email protected]

~~

May God bless you richly as you finish this school year to his glory!

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

www.thehopechest.net

The Hope Chest is a free email newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The writer is Virginia Knowles, wife of Thad, mother of nine children, and author of Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, and The Real Life Home School Mom.

Contact information:

Web site: http://www.thehopechest.net

Resource orders: http://www.thehopechest.net/resourceorders.html

Personal Email: [email protected]

Subscription: [email protected]

Unsubscription: [email protected]

To change your subscription, just unsubscribe from your old address, and subscribe from the new one. This will save me a lot of time!
  --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]  

Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE HOPE CHEST HOME SCHOOL NEWS

with Virginia Knowles

#7-4: Finishing the School Year Well

March 29, 2004

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Hope Chest friends,

Please read through to the end to see some requests and helpful info from other readers just like you!

I dont know about you, but sometimes it seems like enthusiasm for academics can wane a bit this time of year. I can think of scads of reasons why we can lose our focus -- everything from major disruptions to little distractions -- but these must be overcome if we are to finish the school year well. What causes you to slack off? What can you do about it? Can a seasoned home school friend help you over the hump? Will reading a home school how-to book get you motivated again? How about an in-depth planning session where you map out what work still needs to be done, and how youre going to make sure you get there?

The way I figure it, our family has about nine weeks left of school. Knowing that weve been a bit scattered because of my recent surgery, I set out to get us back on track. I pulled out my notes on Stress Busting for Home School Moms and listed out the 12 Ps:

Prayer
Priorities
Planning
Preparation
Problem Solving
Partnership
Peacemaking
Pleasure
Praise
Practical Homemaking
Personal Care
Perseverence

Then I wrote down what I wanted to do in each area. I started out with prayer, then listed my priorities (goals) for the remainder of the school year. For each priority, I wrote out plans for how to accomplish it, including some steps of practical preparation. I included ideas for how to get my kids involved (partnership) in practical homemaking, as well as how to add some pleasure to our days through activities and fellowship with others. There is so much more that I dont have time or space to write here, but you get the picture!

Here are some examples:

Most of my children read voraciously, but some of them lack motivation and accountability in math, writing and character training. It became clear that I need to do more direct teaching, so I sat down and revamped the morning schedule again. Rachel had suggested that I review the curriculum Write With the Best (by Jill Dixon) that she saw in a catalog. I requested a copy of Volume 1 from the publisher, Diagnostic Prescriptive Services (http://www.diagnosticprescriptive.com/), and it arrived while I was in the hospital. Rachel says she would probably prefer the more advanced Volume 2, so Im planning to buy it for her at the Florida home school convention. Volume 1 seems to be at the right level for Joanna and Lydia, so they are going to be my curriculum testers this time. I want to see how it holds up to actual use so I can write a full review for your reading pleasure soon. Were trying out the first two week unit on writing a descriptive paragraph. I like the daily lesson plans and the concept of using great literature as a model for writing!

After math and writing, we try to do either science or something related to our world geography unit study, including art and music appreciation. Today we played Art Lotto with the younger children. After lunch each day, we plan to do more independent reading, projects, crafts and games. Andrew recently learned how to play chess, and hes always begging for someone to sit down with him. I just restocked our water color paints and brushes, too, and Lydia has already been trying to recreate some Impressionist masterpieces.

Im also redoing our chore chart and meal planning. For example, each of the older six children will plan and cook one dinner meal every other week. Some of the children will need assistance or at least minimal supervision, but every bit of their help really counts! Mary started out with tilapia fish filets this evening.

In other news, Ben (13 months) is walking! (Unfortunately, more mobililty means more mischief! ACK!) Here is how Joanna described his progress in an e-mail to Grandma: "Ben has been walking SO MUCH. He walked about 35 feet today, from the sliding door going from the front hallway to the dining room, to the window in Mary's room. He never even fell down once, just kept walking really fast. Only a couple of days ago when he walked it would only be about 8 steps. He learned pretty fast. He just never gets tired of it! It's a great discovery for him. He doesn't WANT to crawl much anymore, he just pushes himself up and starts walking."

I met with my surgeon last week, and he said that the pathology report on the removed half of my thyroid came back fine. No cancer -- yeah! Im still sore and swollen and tired, but its not that bad. I have a steri-strip bandage attached across my throat, so I havent seen the two inch long scar yet. Ill have my blood work next week to see if I need to take medicine to supplement my remaining thyroid hormone function.

Well, thats about all from me right now, but a few Hope Chest readers are asking for help or offering help!

Dear Homeschooling families: My children are getting ready to start their state notebooks. We have participated post cards and now want to do something a little different. I am emailing today to request recipes from each state. Something specific for your state. If there is anything else you would like to include as interesting it will be appreciated. Thanks, Michelle [email protected]

Terri Ondrizek writes: A dear homeschool mom of 4 ( all under age 14) was diagnosed with M.S. in Jan '04. By March 04, she is paralyzed from the waist down from the MonSter. Her family moved from a wonderful support group here in West Palm Beach area last summer. Do you know of any Christian homeschool support group in the Ocala, Fl area. Also, do you know of ANY homeschool support group that is geared toward moms/or families with disabilities (local or national)? Contact Terri at: [email protected]

My friend Dorothy Kinkopf is rounding up home school materials to send to missionary moms in Guinea, West Africa. The books will be shipped by Women in Discipleship around June 1. You can contact her for a list of specific titles they would like to have donated. [email protected] Dorothy will also be traveling to Bolivia this summer to encourage and equip missionary moms who are endeavoring to home school, just as she did in Papua New Guinea a few years ago. Pray for her!

Amy Ringger will be teaching a poetry course called Wonder of Words by e-mail. For more information: [email protected] Enjoying the homeschool journey...FREE newsletter http://www.Aplushomeschooling.com/

For those in the Orlando area, Jessica Morman is offering her services as a Latin Tutor. She says, I would enjoy tutoring 1 or 2 students at a time during summer break in Latin, providing them with guidelines on what to memorize and helping them put the parts together and translate. The program would be different from grammar or elementary age and the middle school through adult groups. I used Wheelock's and Latina Christiana in the past, but am willing to try another. You can contact her at [email protected]. Jessica, the daughter of my good friend Patty, is a Patrick Henry College student.

Take a look at the 2004 National Christian Homeschool Conference website: http://www.ChristianHomeschoolConference.com This will be held in Orlando on Labor Day weekend, September 3-5. (I won't be able to go since my older brother is getting married in New Jersey that weekend, but I do plan to attend the FPEA convention at the end of May.) Contact Dave and Joan Exley at [email protected]

May God bless you richly as you finish this school year to his glory!

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

http://www.thehopechest.net

The Hope Chest is a free email newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The writer is Virginia Knowles, wife of Thad, mother of nine children, and author of Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, and The Real Life Home School Mom.

Contact information:

Web site: http://www.thehopechest.net

Resource orders: http://www.thehopechest.net/resourceorders.html

Personal Email: [email protected]

Subscription: [email protected]

Unsubscription: [email protected]

To change your subscription, just unsubscribe from your old address, and subscribe from the new one. This will save me a lot of time!

  --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]