Larger Movement for Learning

While incorporating small, quiet opportunities for movement may be appropriate for certain times in your school day, there are also other times when larger movement is needed. I would define "larger movement" as incorporating either the whole body or larger muscle groups.

One of the favorite tips that a good friend shared with me was adapting the idea of hopscotch to rehearsing facts. Take a collection of index cards and label them according to the facts you wish to review - examples would be letters, numbers, parts of speech, etc. The cards needed for the review are then scattered on the floor and as you ask a question, your child will jump on the card and say the answer. For example, if you are reviewing addition facts, you might scatter an assortment of numbered cards on the floor (space them according to reasonable jumping distances). When you call out "3 + 5" your child will answer (loudly, if you wish) "8" and jump on the index card labeled "8".

Another approach would be to play toss with a bean bag as you and your child recite linear information - meaning a series that has a beginning and an end, such as the books of the Bible, skip counting to 50, or even a memorized passage. I recommend using a bean bag so that if someone misses a catch you aren't as likely to need to chase it far as you might a ball.

Have you ever considered playing "Mother May I" as a part of reviewing details? This can be done with a group of children, even when they aren't on the same level. As "Mother" you can control what questions you ask each child (varying the difficulty as appropriate) and how they would advance when the answer is correct. Try it ... you might discover a whole new way to review everyone's History, Language Arts, Science or Math facts in one activity ... and have fun in the process!

Who says learning can only be accomplished sitting at a table or desk?

Pardon a slight detour ...

I have shared in an earlier post about the seasons of change that I am walking through this year. I know that my last post was the first in a series where I am sharing tips for working with wiggly students, and I will continue that ... but right now I am about to wiggle out of my own skin with gratitude to the Lord for the precious gift He brought into our family on Sunday.

Little Liv joined our family almost a month earlier than expected. She has wasted no time in wrapping our hearts around hers and we rejoice in her life and all the plans that God's Word says have already been written for her.


So now I carry the added title of "grandma" or whatever actual name it works out to be. New horizons, great excitement, even a fresh perspective on family. I am blessed!

Quiet Movement While Learning

As we break out of the classroom mold and discover the freedom we have in adjusting our methods and the environment we provide our children for learning. For the wiggle worm - the child who needs their world to stay in motion in order to be able to focus on details - there are a variety of types of movement which can be incorporated into your learning activities. I've already mentioned in my last post letting them manipulate Silly Putty or Play Doh in their hands, or sitting in a rocking chair, while they listen to you read out loud or discuss a topic with you. Other ideas could include:

~ salt dough ... building a model as they listen to a story
~ Legos ... provide a specific building assignment
~ drawing ... better to trace or copy and color a picture than freestyle drawing
~ bounce on a mini trampoline
~ provide a bowl of screws, a screwdriver and a piece of scrap wood
~ sort a bowl of assorted craft puff balls by size or color
~ mopping the floor, dusting furniture
~ create patterns with rubber bands on a geoboard
~ play with paper dolls (many historical sites offer thematic paper dolls in their gift shops - these can be geared for girls or boys)

Next I'll be posting ideas for larger movement to incorporate as you seek to provide the keys your child needs to unlock his educational success.

Starting a new homeschool year?

Are you just considering the option of homeschooling? Perhaps your child's experience in the traditional classroom has been a wake-up call to the difference between his gifts and their teaching style. On the other hand, you may have already been homeschooling and realized that your definition of learning - most likely established in your experiences as a child in the classroom - do not seem to connect with your child. That's okay ... in fact, it's quite common. As mothers, we may have carried, birthed and raised them, but we all realize fairly early that no two children are alike, and they are often very different from us!

So my first encouragement - you may call it a 'nugget of wisdom' based on years of experience in breaking out of the classroom mold - would be to NOT emulate the classroom! Especially if you pulled your children out of that environment because it wasn't working. Think about it: you have most likely been with your child more than anyone else on this planet - you fed and diapered him when a baby, you encouraged him as he took his first steps, you protected him as he explored his environment, you taught him to talk and to dress himself - so why wouldn't you be equally qualified to teach him academic subjects as well? Follow your instincts, listen to your child radar, and build on what works for your child.

Who decided that children needed to be sitting in a desk or at a table to do their schoolwork? Perhaps that's necessary to maintain order in a classroom, but in the tutorial environment of your home there are a variety of appropriate locations for your child to learn. I learned very quickly that my wiggly boys needed to shift locations often, so we would alternate between my reading to them while they sat on the couch or lounged on the floor and sitting at the table (or a reasonable surface) for written work. When it was far too distracting for a child to sit at the table, they would move their work to the kitchen counter and stand while they completed it.

A particularly wiggly child is usually a signal that they need to be moving in order to learn. If you want their ears and mind tuned in while you read to them or discuss something, let them manipulate something (Silly Putty, for example) in their hands, or sit in a rocking chair to add motion. Sitting on a large exercise ball may be a better option than a solid chair at the table, because they can incorporate motion while they are working (and it is usually quiet motion). Allow such motion will "free" your child to listen and focus.

Pay attention to your style. If you tend to speak fast and energetically, you will rev up your already wiggly child. When you need them calm for an activity, lead into that time with your own calm actions and voice. Have you ever had an energetic game of tug of war with a dog? When you are ready to quit, the dog is usually still eager to play, and it takes some effort with a calm voice and gentle petting to get them to mellow out. It's really the same with your children. So consider how you can help your child prepare for the next activity.

Use this summer to talk with other homeschooling parents, research ideas and build your repertoire of learning approaches to meet your child(ren)'s needs. If you try something and it bombs, set it aside and look for another idea. Just remember, it's not that your child is defective, he is just wired to learn differently. Your goal is to find what works with his wiring.

Where have the months and years gone?

I've been significantly absent from this blog for far too long. Don't think for a moment that I was lounging on a secluded island paradise ... that rarely happens in real life. No, I've been working through a season of change, and I'm still in the process.

May saw my usual busy schedule of homeschool conventions - I traveled to Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Florida - in which I was delighted to speak with hundreds of homeschool families. I gave workshops for large groups, but the most rewarding is speaking directly with homeschooling parents, finding out where they are in their homeschool journey, what their goals are, what ages they are teaching, and offering them suggestions for making the journey simpler and more fulfilling. I love it! God equipped me as an encourager, and has given me many experiences from which to share.

Once the conventions were over we had the final flurry of preparations for the high school graduation of our youngest son. There was plenty of planning and prep that went into our ceremony for 12 local homeschooled students, and it was punctuated with foggy reminiscent periods of the 19 years that we have homeschooled. This wasn't just his graduation, it was mine, too. I am no longer an active homeschooling parent. Wow! I never pictured this day when we first ventured into homeschooling so many years ago. Sure, there have been some rough times, but I wouldn't trade our experiences for anything, especially not a yellow school bus.

Graduation might have brought a lull for many, but not for our family. Our son had chosen to enlist in the Army and was scheduled to leave for Basic Training less than two weeks later. We began an unchoreographed dance around each other - he trying to see all the friends that he would miss while he was gone, me trying to get details sorted out to ensure that what he needed to take was at hand and prayerfully processing the varying emotions of my youngest grown up and leaving home. That was one of the bigger shocks. Unlike the older two who went to college and came back home after each semester, the youngest was going to leave and not come home again except for hoped-for annual leave from duty, and we won't know where he will be living until later this fall. I haven't lived in this unknown since my years in my parents' home (Dad was a Marine) and the first decade of marriage (husband was in the Army).

So I'm wandering new territory. Writing letters by hand to my son who has no computer access during Basic Training, sorting through emotions, and seeking the path and plan that God has for me in this new season of life. Meanwhile, I hope to be able to impart some of what I have learned through my homeschool journey and what I am learning now. I welcome your company along the road.