Bona Vita

Reach For The Stars: Understanding Your Child's Potential

You are your children's greatest advocate, cheerleader, fan, and their source of boundless love. As a parent you are also responsible for motivating your children to reach their greatest potential.  This involves trying to understand what their potential might be even when they struggle with learning disabilities, handicaps, or developmental delays. It's a long process full of struggles and victories. It will bring tremendous joy as you watch your children grow, mature, meet goals,  and gain confidence as they push themselves to new heights.

Here are a few points to keep in mind:

• Their strides may be small, but rejoice. Little steps lead to great victories. It is motivating to rejoice in small successes.

• Don't compare your child with other children, not even to a sibling. It will be frustrating for you and for your son or daughter. Work with them from the level where they are performing and reach for goals with them from that point.

• Don't get comfortable. If your child is easily accomplishing an academic task such as: a type of math problem, a math process, a reading level, a writing exercise, etc. move them on to a new challenge. It's beautiful to see your child excel at something, but the point is to move them onward and upward.

• Have fun. Games and rewards can work wonders to motivate children in academic settings.

• Celebrate your children's victories. Reward them with treats and stickers when they are younger. You will have to get a little more creative as they mature.

Reach for the stars with your children. The atmosphere holds stars at many different levels for children of varying abilities. The point is not that they will all reach the same stars, but that we help them find their own stars.

 

 

Lessons I'll Share With You After Years of Homeschooling - #9

#9 - Encourage your children every day.

The fact is as we teach our children at home we might miss the opportunity to be encouraging every day. Let's face it, we spend hours teaching, grading, re-teaching, admonishing, prodding, and lecturing in our attempts to move our kids forward academically. Most of us have been worried sick at one time or another that we are failing in our attempt to educate our kids at home. So, what do we do, we teach, we nudge, we lecture, we fret, and we admonish over and over again.

In reality, your kids are progressing, maybe not at quite the speed you would like, but they are moving forward each day. Do most kids desire to run, play, and daydream instead of pushing through with their schoolwork? Of course. Instead, our children (yours and mine) sit as best as they can working on their math problems, listening to our admonitions, reading their textbooks, listening to our lectures, practicing their instrument, and exercising their minds.

So, encourage your kids. Let them know how proud you are of their hard work. Show them the progress they have made in a particular subject. Hug them. Every single day. You will be amazed at what these little acts of encouragement will do for the atmosphere of your home and for the academic progress of your children.

DIY Easy Instructions For A Cape

Capes always make terrific costumes. Vary the color and the embellishments and you quickly become a princess, a member of the Grecian nobility, a super hero, or even a Hobbit.

I have a quick method for making a cape. It can be modified to fit just about any size, shape, or occasion.

The Cape   

45 inch wide fabric (measure from the top of your head to the bottom length you desire and double this measurement to determine yardage you need.)

Fabric for tie ( 24" -36" long by 3" wide)

Thread

Embellishments

• Fold the fabric in half so that the fold is at the crown of your head with the right sides together. The fabric should now be your desired length plus an inch for hemming.

• Match the salvaged edges along one side. Now pin these together.
  
• Sew down the entire length of the pinned side, removing the pins as you sew.

• Turn it right side out.
  
• The top sewed edge of the fabric where it meets the folded edge will be the back peak of the hood on the cape.

• Try on the cape and fold back the front edge about 3/4 of the way towards the peak of the hood.
• Now fold back the front edge 1/2 towards the edge of the first fold.

• Try on the cape again and decide if you need one more fold in the hood. Adjust accordingly.
• Pin the folds in place.
• Now stitch a straight line down the center of the crown sewing the folds permanently in place.
• Cut the fabric for the tie.
• Fold the tie fabric in 1/2" on both ends.

• Fold the tie fabric towards the middle along both lengthwise sides.

• Now fold the piece in half. You should not have any raw edges at this point.
• Sew down the length of the tie.

• Again try on the cape. Using the tie, adjust the hood to achieve your desired look.

• Sew the tie on the back seam of the cape where it will best work for you.
• Once again, try on the cape. Adjust your hood with the tie.
• Hem the bottom edge.
  

• Embellish the cape as you like.
  

 

19 Lessons I'll Share With You After 19 Years of Homeschooling - #8

#8- Grade your children's assignments as they complete them.

At times, it can be difficult to motivate my kids to plow through their school work. As much as I poke and prod them with  visions of future successes based on their present academics, they don't always seem to care. They're more interested in living for the moment. They would prefer playing outside, completing an art project, building with Lego's, enjoying their Playmobile, reading a book of their choosing, enjoying a sports activity, or playing on the computer. I'm speaking for my younger kids, but, really, the problem is present as they get older, as well.

So, how do I keep them on task? I sit with them throughout the school day. And I grade their assignments as they complete them. It's simple enough and it works fairly well. Don't get me wrong, they don't beg to get to the school table everyday just because I'm right there with them. But, it does keep them grounded, focused, and motivated.

As I grade their assignments right after they complete them I can quickly assess their weaknesses with new and old material. I can work with them immediately on problematic areas. They don't have to wait until the next morning to find out they need to redo an assignment.

Kids have limited attention spans. Greeting them on a new school day with problems from previous work (which they left behind in their minds right after they completed it) is frustrating for them. They might not even be able to verbalize how unmotivated they are to work through yesterday's mistakes but you will see it in their attitudes and demeanor.

It sounds simple enough and intuitive. But, I can't tell you how many times I have run across parents that grade their children's assignments the following day or even week. It just doesn't work as well.

We all attempt to get other things done as we homeschool our children. In a way, that is the beauty of homeschooling. On the other hand, if you are your children's teacher than you need to be present when they are working on their assignments. I know there are exceptions. I'm suggesting a lifestyle not a legalistic ritual.

Everyone likes a fresh start each day. Give your kids a new beginning every morning with new assignments, new problems, and new challenges. Their day will be better and so will yours.

19 Lessons I'll Share With You After 19 Years Of Homeschooling - #7

#7 -Read aloud to your children.

I am just going to direct you to the expert on this subject, Jim Trelease. I can add very little to what this man has proclaimed for years.

My own experience with reading aloud to my children is colored with wonderful moments, great memories, and the opportunity to experience my favorite pieces of literature over and over again. 

In case you don't have time to visit Jim Trelease's site right away, here are a few key points to remember.

• Read to your children from the moment they are born until they go out on their own.
• Read to your children frequently and consistently.
• Read all types of literature from easy readers to classics. Mix it up.
• Read books that are enjoyable for you to read and for your kids to hear. Some literature is just not easy to read-aloud. As much as I love Mark Twain the dialect in some of his literature is painful for me to read-aloud.
  
• Make sure your kids see you reading. They need to see reading is important in your life.

There is nothing more grounding and calming for the hearts and minds of your kids than reading aloud to them. When my house is out of control reading aloud is the best medicine. I can't think of anything better for teaching children to sit quietly and pay attention than reading aloud to them.

You will build memories that will last a life time. My older children still talk about their favorite books we shared. Those characters, lessons, and stories are part of our history as a family.

FYI - Our all time favorite read-aloud series is Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy and Tacy Series. My kids have never tired of hearing this series read over and over again.

19 Lessons I'll Share With You After 19 Years of Homeschooling - #6

#6 - Children will learn to read at different rates and at different ages.

Our eldest daughter started her education in a private school. The kindergarten class was 7 hours long. The school's claim to fame was that almost every child would graduate from kindergarten reading. This was a large order to fill as their were at least 30 students in the class and one teacher. She was assisted periodically by well-meaning parents. It was a grueling experience for the little people. However, their methods and program worked for our daughter. She was an avid reader at the end of that year, despite her tired mind and body every afternoon at 3:00.

I am a fairly methodical person. So, I believed teaching a child to read was like every other function machine in life. You use a certain program or method and "boom" your child will read. It certainly worked that way in our daughter's case. Of course, I became an avid fan of the school's reading method. I was only aware of a small group of children that shared my daughter's experience. I did not connect with the parents and children that suffered trials and problems with the system.

Fast forward 6 months when we decided to homeschool our children. As I sifted through curriculum I didn't hesitate to use the same reading program with my son. It worked beautifully. I patted myself smugly on the back and looked forward to teaching my next child in line how to read.

I used the same method with our third daughter. It worked well despite a few hiccups. I decided to use a different phonics program with her. It was a miserable experience. We switched back to our original program and were quickly back on track. More pats on the back for me, right? Boy, was I setting myself up for big fall.

One interesting point is that despite my three oldest children all learning to read with the same method and program, their desire to read was not and is not the same. My son would read what I gave him and my daughters would read anything they could find. My daughters read for the sheer pleasure they derived from it. My son read to acquire knowledge.

I began to teach our fourth son to read at exactly the same age and in exactly the same manner as our other children. I could go into all of the drama but I won't. I will say that it did not go as expected. I was humbled over and over again as year after year he did not read.

I was so sad. I felt like I was failing him as a mother and a teacher. It was a very busy time in my life. So, I just plodded along. I tried new programs. I pushed. I prodded. I prayed.

I remember when he was almost 9 he had to go to a hunter's safety class with his siblings. I was scared for him. His instructor was a kind man that got him through it. To this day Greg assures me that he didn't have to read for the course. Hmmmm, I don't know how that actually worked. The experience only further added to my desire help him read.

By the time he was ten I was running out of options and ideas. Fortunately, he was happy and had great self esteem.

For some unknown reason I started paying him small amounts of money to read books, any book. Well, being the resourceful child that he was he went back to very early readers he knew he could handle and started reading them and charging me for them. By, the grace of God something clicked. One moment he was struggling with the basics of phonics and the next the entire world had opened up to him as embraced reading.

He miraculously captured the love of reading. By the end of that year he had read "Great Expectations" and was eager for new reading material.  He is my child that scored an 800 on the critical reading portion of the SAT. Talk about ironic. 

I was smacked around by my experience teaching Greg to read. I am so grateful for that experience. You see, I had 5 other children that needed to learn to read. The lessons I learned with Gregory assisted me as I helped his younger siblings navigate the world of reading.

What did I learn?

• First, kids are very different. Don't box them in and don't label them. Can you imagine if Greg had been in a traditional educational environment?  I shudder at the thought of the labels that would have been slapped on him.

• Secondly, as a teacher you are helping your children learn. You need to figure out how best to do accomplish that. I believe in phonics as a method to teach kids how to read. But listen to your children. Sometimes they need more than a phonics program, a wonderful curriculum, or a new book. In some cases they just need time and we need patience.

• Thirdly, encourage them wherever they are academically. Rejoice in the little victories. Love your kids unconditionally.
  

• Finally, don't be too prideful. Trust me, it's a set up for a humbling experience. It's not about you. It's about educating your children.

19 Lessons I'll Share With You After 19 Years Of Homeschooling - #5

#5  Encourage your kids to prepare for college entrance exams.

This tip is timely and on the forefront of my mind because the PSAT is scheduled for October 16. That's just around the corner.

The SAT, ACT, and the PSAT scores are important benchmarks for homeschooled college applicants. I know there is a lot of controversy and discussion surrounding the need for these tests. I'm not addressing that controversy. The fact is the tests exist and the scores are used by colleges for entrance requirements and for scholarships. So help your kids play the game. Give them the tools they need to prepare and excel on college entrance tests.

Historically homeschooled students score above the national average on these tests. Five of our children have done very well on these tests. In fact, they have earned scholarships that have covered 1/2 (one of our children) to the full tuition (four of our children) and fees at their respective colleges. They have attended both private and public colleges with these scholarships.One of our sons was a National Merit Scholar and our daughter was a Semi-Finalist. One of our sons scored an 800 on the Critical Reading section (he did not learn to read until he was 10 - I'll tell you about that in a future post) and one of our daughters scored an 800 on the writing section (she does not enjoy writing).

Our kids are not particularly gifted at taking tests, they have very different learning styles and personalities, and they didn't come from a special gene pool. They just studied for the college entrance exams in a fairly methodical manner.

Our experience has been primarily with the SAT and the PSAT tests. But, the method holds true for the ACT.

• First, acquire review books. Princeton Review and Kaplan Review are both good choices. Your test taker needs plenty of practice tests. The more the better.
  

• Secondly, take  and grade a diagnostic full length test. Try to duplicate the formal testing situation. Time each section accurately. This diagnostic test is an important component. Your child can see their strengths and weaknesses and focus their studying appropriately.

• Next, read a review book thoroughly. Learn the layout of the tests, how they are scored, the information that will be provided with the test, and what is expected to succeed on the test. These review books are thorough. You can glean so much information from them, even tricks that make the test taking easier.

• Now, go back through your diagnostic test and go over every problem missed. The review books explain every problem and its correct answer. My kids do this on their own and only come to me when they don't understand an explanation.

• Continue working through the problems in your review books. Schedule practice tests every couple of weeks.Whenever you complete a problem incorrectly or simply can't complete it, go over the explanation and redo the problem until you understand it. This holds for all sections of the test.
  

• Make flash cards or  the equivalent for vocabulary words. Understand the most common formulas required for math problems. Discover your weaknesses and focus your studying.
  

This all assumes that your student has a good base of knowledge. Your child should have a firm grasp of grammar, read at a high school level, and it's best to have completed Geometry.

Emily - M.A in English - currently a freelance writer

Don't be overwhelmed. Remember, your children can start taking the college entrance exams early, even in eighth grade. They can take them over and over again. Many colleges will look at the highest score achieved or even take the highest scores from each section.

Elliot - 3rd year Medical Student

 

The PSAT can only be taken in 11th grade. Many students take it simply as a practice for the SAT. But the other half of this equation is that its label PSAT/NMSQT stands for National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This is the test that determines the National Merit Scholars each year.

Madeline - BSN in December

 

So, preparing for college entrance tests is not rocket science. It doesn't require fancy expensive programs and tutors. It requires diligence and hard work.

Greg - Senior Physics major

 

One last point - you can register to take the PSAT with your local high school and you need to register for the SAT and ACT tests through the College Board.

Nicholas - Freshman Biology major

19 Lessons I'll Share With You After 19 Years of Homeschooling - #4

#4 Children need to know their grade level.

Homeschooling allows you to customize your children's curriculum. This can be so beneficial. You can tailor your textbooks, workbooks, subjects, extra-curricular activities, and even grade levels to fit the needs of your child and your family. All in all, this is such a positive attribute of homeschooling.

However, even if you customize every aspect and every subject of your children's homeschooling program they need to know the answer to the question, "What grade are you in?"

It can be awkward and uncomfortable for your kids when they are questioned about their grade level and they can't give a definitive answer. I know it sounds great to be able to say, "We don't worry about grade levels." But let's face it, we all know about where are kids are academically. You know if they are reading at a 3rd, 5th, or 6th grade level. You know about what grade level they are working in math.

I'm not trying to box you in. You can give your kids an answer to hang their hat on and still retain the beauty of flexible grade levels. Even if you are doing unit studies with several grade levels, even if your child is working in several different subjects with different grade levels attached, and even if you don't have a clue as to what grade they were in last year, start now and assign them a grade level. Take an average of the levels of all of their subjects or give them a quick assessment test or just pick an age appropriate grade level. It can be a dual grade level like "5/6" or "6/7". 

So, life might be a little more comfortable for your children if you assign them a grade level. It's also motivating. They will be thrilled next spring when they advance to the next  grade, whatever that might mean for your family.

19 Lessons I'll Share With You After 19 Years Of Homeschooling - #3

#3 The Local Public School Probably Isn't Your Enemy

The pioneers of the homeschooling movement have fought and won battles that have created a wonderful foundation for all of us. For the most part, we can now homeschool in an environment unbridled by fear. We are free to  educate our children as we see fit. It's now an educational option that has matured and grown out of the Christian conservative movement into a larger community that includes parents from all walks of life looking for a better educational option for their family.

I always make sure I am in compliance with local regulations regarding homeschooling. I keep abreast of new and changing legislation concerning homeschooling.  We are life time members of HSLDA which valiantly promotes and protects homeschooling in the United States.

Yet, I have to admit I used to spend many a day worrying about local authorities seeing our homeschool choice in a negative light. It's not that I feel they will "catch" us doing something wrong. It's the fear of a negative interaction or an ugly confrontation.

In the past I think  I read so many accounts of pioneering homeschool parents battling for their right to educate their children that I  somehow imprinted those battles on the front of my mind. But, worse than that, I  impugned the motives of the local school officials in my area based on others' experiences.

In reality my experiences with local public school authorities have been nothing but positive.  I have had numerous interactions with administration, front office staff, and counselors. The subject matter has ranged from testing to sports.They have always been friendly and accommodating. They have embraced our kids and made every effort to make them feel comfortable.

As homeschooling parents I think we need to remain alert and aware of legislation and attitudes both local and national concerning our right to educate our children. But this doesn't mean your local public school is your enemy. They may be able to help you with standardized testing, sports programs, and even service projects. It's likely they will be very happy to embrace you and your children.

By the way, if your children have the opportunity to work with a public or private school teacher or administrator have them write a thank you note. It's always a nice touch.

19 Lessons I'll Share With You After 19 Years Of Homeschooling - #2

#2 Routine is important to your children.

As much as we all embrace the flexibility and spontaneity of homeschooling our kids thrive on routines. They like to know what to expect in the morning, what to look forward to tomorrow. Routines are also memory building markers in children's lives.

We routinely start the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a song. My younger children participate in "circle time". It is no more than a period of time when we sing songs, play games, and read books. But just the term "circle time" is a memorable routine in our house.

Most mornings include math and language drills. I refer to them as daily "vitamins" but they are just part of our routine. Our kids spend time almost everyday with "Mavis Beacon" working on their typing skills. I read to  them at lunch. They practice the piano daily. None of this is earth shaking but all of it is part of the building blocks of my children's day. It's their routine and memories are made in this routine.

As our children get a little older they understand their schedules. They know what subjects the school year will include and how we will approach them. They fit in their piano practice and they may even work in a game of golf. But it all revolves around a pattern, a structure, a routine that works for them.

Routines are part of the structure of your kids lives. I think routines provide a solid environment where our younger kids feel comfortable and safe and our older kids can learn to manage their time and be productive.

Should we be flexible as we homeschool our kids? Absolutely. But flexibility in our homeschool schedules is a result of a somewhat ordered life. I think routines are what keep our homeschool schedules sane so that we can be flexible and spontaneous. Then we will have time to stop and smell the flowers, go on an outing, seek an adventure, or just play a game.