Professor Mom - Homeschooling Resources

The Old Scholhouse Magazine Holiday Digital Supplement is Here! - FREE

Our friends at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine have created a beautiful 175-page holiday magazine with lots of tips and templates for crafts and activities, articles on making Christmas this year a beautiful and peaceful experience for your family.  They share ideas for freezer meals to ease your workload during the busy holiday season, and for those especially ambitious, this resource will even teach you how to make butter.

My favorite part - ideas for how to throw an authentic 1621 Thanksgiving Feast!  I host Thanksgiving each year for my side of the family as well as my husband's.  I am SO excited to shake things up this year and try some of these ideas out.  I'll report back with pictures!

Best of all, it's FREE...

Happy reading!

P.S. - Apparently this is a pretty large file, not to mention pretty popular, so be patient if you can't access it the first time.

Why Lesson Planning is Important

I know there are some of you out there who aren't big on lesson planning and others who are addicted to it.  However, even if you aren't big on structure, you can still benefit from incorporating some consistent lesson planning techniques into your homeschool.

Someone once said that 'failure to plan is planning to fail.'  Homeschooling is no different. Even though we can march to the beat of our own drummer (and let's face it, that's why many of us enjoy it so much:-), we don't want to get so caught up in that march that we forget that there are certain life-tools that have proven their worth over time.  Basic lesson planning - in essence, giving yourself a roadmap - is one such tool. 

Still not convinced?  Here is a quick list of lesson planning benefits that I have put together for you this fine morning:

You will waste less time finding things.  To be organized or not to be organized, that is the question. Regardless of where you stand on the Julie Morgenstern scale, your kids need you to step up and make sure they have the tools they need to learn.  Preparation means that you have those beakers for the chemistry experiment on hand when you need them, so you don't spend half the day driving around town to find them.

You won't be sidetracked with rabbit trails (unless you want to be!)  We are homeschoolers, right?  Do we not love rabbit trails?  You know, the times when your son or daughter becomes so fascinated in a subject that it consumes the household?  Those rabbit trails are some of the most beautiful moments of homeschooling life.  But, it is important to remember that rabbit trails can lead nowhere if they aren't well-managed.  They can also overwhelm you and draw you away from more foundational skills.  Those foundations (you know... basic grammar, math, and spelling) may not be quite as exciting as a rabbit trail to the land of India, but they are still crucial to your homeschool.

You don't get lost (because you know where you are going.)  How do we get anywhere unless we know where we are going?  Homeschooling is at least 12 years of numerous subjects, not to mention life skills and character training.  Having an outline of your journey helps you stay on track.  It also helps you catch any molehills before they become mountains.  Lesson planning keeps you going in the right direction.  It also gives you the flexibility to take on the afore-mentioned rabbit trails with confidence, knowing everything else is still accounted for.

Your expectations are clear.  Good lesson plans give you the opportunity to lay out expectations clearly.  I am not talking about lengthy rubrics (unless you like them.)  Instead, your lesson plans tell you and your kids what is expected of them.  You experience peace in not having to develop and explain an assignment in between blow-drying your hair and your morning coffee (besides, I highly recommend the coffee first;-)  It is also more fair to your children.  They have expectations that are consistent and well-thought out.  No flip-flopping for their mom!  Nope, she knows what she expects, and she communicates that clearly.  Kids need those boundaries so they can concentrate on the work at hand.

Self-Confidence.  I can't tell you how many moms I talk to who are unbelievably unsure of themselves... especially when it comes to homeschooling.  They feel unorganized, not worthy for the task, tired, or worn down from 'negotiating' with their kids.  Planning your lessons is one small step toward building up that skin you need when you homeschool.  Everyone isn't going to support you, we all know that.  But, when you are down on yourself, you can sabotage your entire homeschool experience.  Who then suffers?  That's right, the kids!  So, this week, try to work in a little planning.  See if you don't feel just a bit stronger. 

Planning can't solve all of your problems, create perfect kids, or eliminate world hunger.  What it can do is take away some of the noise of life and allow you to focus on the very reasons you are doing this homeschool thing in the first place... your kids. 

Thought of the day:  When you prepare for life, you glide through a bit easier and a bit saner.

Letters to Your Kids - Professor Mom's Free Book Challenge

I have a free book challenge for all you moms out there.  The purpose of this challenge is to inspire you during a time of the year when we can all get a little overwhelmed.

First, read this absolutely terrific post at "Our Report Card."  Cry, laugh, go hug your kiddos. 

Then, let it inspire you to write your own letter to your kids.  Post your letter on your blog and drop me the link in "Comments."  (If you don't have a blog, email your letter to me.)  Since we are all busy, I am going to keep this open until November 15th. 

On November 16th, I will pick 3 of your posts.  Those three writers will receive one of my favorite books on letter writing in the mail.  Free.  A gift from me to you in recognition of all you do for your children.

Let's let everyone know about this challenge!  Announce it on your blog, email it to your friends.  I am so excited to share the love, humor, and depth that are so essential in our relationships with our kids.  What a beautiful way to do something that your kids will cherish forever!  I plan on writing my own letter as well, although I won't be eligible for the free book;-)

If we get enough responses, I will also commit to putting them together into an ebook and sending it as a gift to all who have participated.  It will be like a compilation of momma love.

Even if you don't want to participate in this challenge officially, I encourage you to write the letter anyway.  I know from my own family experience that having (or not having) memoirs from your parents can make a big difference in the life of your children. 

"Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls; for, thus friends absent speak."  ~John Donne

FREE Music Education Research Report from Sonlight

Can music really make kids smarter?  The Foundation for Music Literacy says "yes!" 

We have all heard how music lessons can increase SAT scores.  Music is full of patterns and associations that alter the brain's make-up with newer and stronger connections.  This report backs that up with quotes and figures from various research journals.

It also includes a couple of pages of quotes about music such as this one from Pythagoras:

"There is geometry in the humming of the strings,

there is music in the spacing of the spheres."

Or this one from Hans Christian Anderson:

"Where words fail, music speaks."

Toward the end of the report, the authors also touch on the "squishier" side of the benefits of music education, especially character traits, such as positive attitude, perseverance, and cooperation.

Follow this link from Sonlight Curriculum to get your own copy of this free music research report.

Sonlight Curriculum has recently brought a new music program into their family of products.  Bastien Piano Basics.  According to the site, the program "uses a carefully graded, logical learning sequence to teach piano from 'scratch.' Virtually no parental knowledge or skill required. Students use this series to teach themselves. Practice pieces include a mix of pop, folk, classical and contemporary styles."

I haven't used this program, and I am not affiliated with Sonlight, but it looks interesting enough to me that I plan on trying it out.  I took a peek at the forums to see what moms who have used this program have to say about it.  Many are quite happy with the understandable method.  Whatever program homeschoolers use, however, the consensus is that music education is a valuable component for aesthetic enjoyment, brain development and good, old-fashioned, well-roundedness!

Three Keys to Raising Leaders

In a time of cultural degeneration and societal turmoil, our responsibility to raise children who can lead, and lead rightly, is huge.  I don't think I need to tell this audience of the importance of teaching children integrity and intelligence, as well as what it means to live in a true republic.  The goal is articulate, wise, kind, and true-hearted citizens capable of guiding others to the right. 

Doesn't that all sound terrific?  I bet you are all nodding your heads right now.  And, your second reaction is probably, "How in the world am I supposed to do that?"

Here are three keys to raising wise and able leaders:

1 Live It.  Your children will not be able to emulate what they do not see. 

Take an inventory of your own leadership skills.  Do you treat others well?  Are you cheerful and pleasant, even when things are weighing on you?  Do you know what you believe in well enough to articulate it to others, especially your kids?  Do you stand up for what you believe in?  Do you reach outside of yourself to make the world a better place?  Do you develop your knowledge to give credibility to your work?

In other words, if you are clear in your communication, mindful of others in your approach, firm in your convictions, competent in your subject matter, and unselfish in your motivations, it is very likely that you will raise children with these traits as well.

2 Step Back.  In order to lead, children need the opportunity.

Our society has developed a strange, oxymoronish (my word) approach to parenting.  On the one hand, many kids are left to their own devices.  Childcare, television, video games, sports, and friends are becoming their core world.  (That is a whole other post... maybe even a book!)  Some of these pasttimes can be used to develop leadership skills in kids.. when they are done correctly.  Often, however, they can create a non-challenging environment, where leadership is defined by the strongest personality in the group.

On the other hand, rather than letting children get out and practice leadership skills, their time is taken up in structured and planned events.  Practical experience in leading others often comes during times when it is least expected.  Don't jump in the next time your son or daughter has a zany idea to create something or solve the problems of the universe.  Instead, step back and see what they can do when left to their own devices.  You might be amazed!

3 Give Feedback.  Raising leaders involves being a mentor. 

Leadership, in and of itself, is morally neutral.  Some leaders have changed the world in amazing ways, regardless of their style.  Mother Theresa was a quiet but powerful force, who gave comfort to many.  John Wesley spoke out forcefully as a leader in faith, even when confronted with conflict from others and within himself.  On the other hand, some terrific leaders have done some horrific things.  Adolf Hitler comes to mind.  His charisma and intellectual abilities could have been used to great good.  He chose otherwise. 

This is where you come in. 

Guide your children as they develop their leadership skills.  When you see your son or daughter using leadership skills in the right way, call their attention to it.  Make sure they know that YOU notice.  Give them books on people who have used their leadership skills the right way.  Talk about personalities that enjoy media coverage.  Study how they lead.  Note who is using their leadership skills for good and who is making immoral choices.

Raising leaders involves more than talking the talk.  Developing leadership skills in your children will take a worthy example, some latitude for discovery, as well as feedback and guidance.  Though you have a great deal of work ahead of you, know that the end result is leaders for tomorrow who can be a force of good in our struggling world.

All that being said, I am curious to know how much thought you moms out there have given to this subject.  Leave a comment on how you raise leaders.  If you haven't got the first clue, then leave a question!