Over the years, I’ve found that like life, our homeschooling routines need to be mixed up or changed. I don’t know about anyone else, but I always had such high expectations in the beginning of the school year. Yet, as time would pass, I found I needed to come down to earth and look at what we could do in a more realistic manner. I’m a dreamer and though it has served me well, it can also be my downfall. But as a homeschooling grandmother, I’ve mellowed out and we started off the school year with our focus just on getting the work done and finding a good rhythm to achieve that.
After three months of intense work, it is time for a mix up of sorts. Being ahead in schoolwork affords us the freedom to get out once or twice a week without fear of falling behind. Two days out of the week we start school at 9am, versus 8am, which allows my granddaughter to sleep in a bit. I often take one of the mornings to sleep in myself, but I still get up before her, which gives me a little “me time”, before our day starts.
I’m really overjoyed that we have found a good rhythm for us, but I noticed a couple of weeks ago, that I was sort of bored. At first I couldn’t put my finger on what the problem was, but one of the things that occurred to me, is that the house was too quiet. I’m used to music, and I was missing my music. Headphones don’t work for me, I like the music floating from room-to-room, and “NO” I’m not the neighbor from hell with the loud music. LOL!! But it just wasn’t the silence; our routine was boring to me. I found I was sort of stuck in a rut with what I was doing. Time for a mix up!!!
Like decorating, you don’t have to do something grand to make changes that achieve great impact! So, using that mindset, I knew I didn’t have to redo or revamp our routine, just mix things up a bit for me. This week I started walking a couple of mornings, before school starts to shake the cobwebs out and get the creative juices flowing. That has really been good for me. The morning air was crisp and sunny, and felt so invigorating to say the least. Starting next week we are going to test having my granddaughter do a good portion of her schoolwork in her bedroom two days out of the week. Her room is bright and sunny and this will give me the opportunity to play music, or bang around the house. I can’t say whether this will work or not, because I don’t know if she will be in her room daydreaming or doing schoolwork, but time will tell. ~Smile~
If there is something about your school day that could use a little mixing up, then go for it! As I stated, it doesn’t have to be a huge change that will take a month to implement, just something that makes life a little easier or fun. It might be that you as the administrator/teacher could use a morning or afternoon to yourself. The kids could sleep in later or they could have a movie afternoon where they can’t bother you for 2 hours. Remember, just as hanging new drapes and adding a few throw pillows can greatly change the appearance of a room, so can doing something different just one day a week. A couple of little changes can make life better for everyone.
Love & Hugs
Ponnie
Next Thruday: Another great homeschooling story, but you will have to tune in to see who writes it! ~Smile~
Friday's Blog: An encouraging word for all women!
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