Making Homeschool CD's--increase learning with less energy!

One trick that really helps me is my daughter's morning routine. I should add that I've been having to prompt her lately to get back in the habit of doing it promptly in the morning. But still it's a life saver.

In addition to practicals like getting dressed, her routine includes her math page (unless we are to a new lesson), hand exercises, writing in her journal (the date, and right now she is writing her phone number to help her learn it--before she was practice her name with lowercase), and her CD.

I make the CD on the computer. It includes a bible verse memory song (even though I haven't been working with her on the memory lately--at least she's hearing it and we'll work on it eventually), her German lesson(Power Glide), and a story. When she is learning math facts, those songs are included as well. Next year I will be including Audio Memories Geography Songs.


The stories come from several online sources such as:

http://www.kiddierecords.com/2006/index.htm (Thanks Cara!)--These are old records with classic stories, books, etc.

http://www.homeschoolradioshows.com/ You sign up for a weekly e-mail to get various stories--after a while you get quite a collection. These are mostly old radio programs--many are historical or based on literature.

http://www.write2teach.com/books-hr/index.php This is Aesop's Fables--14 volumes--284 stories. I would assume that's the complete collection! :)


http://storynory.com/2006/09/24/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-by-lewis-carroll/ is Alice in Wonderland.

http://lightupyourbrain.com/audio-stories-for-children.html Here's more including a couple Beatrix Potter stories.

http://www.archive.org/details/fifty_famous_stories_lc_librivox is Fifty Favorite Stories Retold by James Baldwin.

Several of these links have other stories on the same site if you want to look around.

Listening to stories is partly a fun reward for getting the other work done and she can skip it if she wants. But it also helps with auditory processing--which helps with the phonics side of reading. And I try to include stories that relate to our history when possible. But of course lots of them are just plain fun. But I love knowing that there is learning going on, even when I can't yet drag myself out of bed. (And for you healthy folks who don't relate--I'm not talking willpower--I'm talking--my body won't go!)

Hint on getting your bathrooms cleaned

One cleaning chore that I can't let go too much is the toilets and sinks. So, I taught my dd 6 how to clean them. She does a passable job (good for a six year old!) But the trick is we use natural cleaners! A small spray bottle of vinegar and a bit of baking soda for scrubbing. Kills germs and scrubs stains. Here's some info on natural cleaning from my health blog: http://lymeadehealth.blogspot.com/search/label/natural%20cleaners

I accomplish several things: teaches my daughter life skills/home ec. (she really likes cleaning, but not picking up), helps our house stay liveable, and helps me save energy so I can invest in my children. Also, I think it helps to start young chores, b/c there is less resistance. They actually enjoy doing "big" things. Later, it will be a habit. If I ask for much work, I do usually pay them a bit. They are much cheaper than a maid though! Just getting used to doing chores helps teach a good work ethic.

Does my daughter suffer b/c of my illness?

The other day my daughter had helped me quite a bit and so I was thinking--I need to give her some kind of reward. But then one of those thoughts popped in my head that seemed inspired--(NOT something I'm smart enough to come up with): she's gaining rewards in heaven.

So, I told my daughter I noticed how much she had been helping me and how I thought maybe God had a special reward waiting for her in heaven for all the extra help she'd been that day.

I asked her if there were no limits, what would one thing would she pick (on earth) she would like to have. She said "A Dora castle". So, I asked which would be better: a Dora Castle on earth or to have a Dora castle in heaven that would last forever. She confidently said one in heaven (eyes glowing). To which I said, you never know--God might have a Dora Castle for you in heaven, but if he doesn't, he has better things for you.

I explained how when we do things in secret without getting a reward or applause, that God rewards us. And I encouraged her that she has lots of chances to do service for her sick mommy or to be accommodating to her demanding little sister. She was so excited about this. And honestly, I was so relieved to realize I don't have to make it all fair for her--God will.

I try hard not to take advantage of her obedience for the sake of my laziness. Training her to have a servants heart can be an eternal blessing to her.

Connecting on the web

Here's a neat blog by a homeschooling mom who's dealt with lots of hospitalizations.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/2966/HSarticle

Here's another great story with lots of tips about homeschooling while sick:
http://www.crosshome.com/homeschoolcindy1.shtml

I love reading other's stories as it always gives you strength for your own fight.

Why homeschooling works for me....

Somedays I think I'm crazy to homeschool. I mean, I can hardly get out of bed in the morning, why am I choosing extra work. But on the other hand--I can hardly get out of bed in the morning, so how would I get my 6 y.o. to school on time? I love that I now homeschool in the afternoon b/c it fits my physical needs better. My daughter does do all her independent work in the morning, but I don't check on any of it until the afternoon, so it works great.

Then there's my second reason--my second daughter--who is about to turn 3. You see, she wouldn't be in school anyway. And I've found that it's no more restful to me to be home alone with just the younger daughter. My older daughter can get things down for her, can clean up toys, and can pour cereal and milk for both of them. And my older daughter follow complex directions that my 2 year old can't, so she saves me a lot of getting up. She even goes to listen to the answering machine or bring me the phone. And being the oldest, she loves being responsible and having important jobs. If I ask a lot of her, I pay her for her work. And I tell her to go get _____ cents and we get to practice math!

And 3rd, I don't have energy to be the involved parent I would want to be in school, such as helping with parties or field trips. And it seems it is easier to teach her myself then have to pack lunch, get her to school, bring her home, help with homework, reading, and spelling, sign papers, take her to birthday parties of people I don't know, buy certain things for project or teacher gifts or whatever, and sell things for fundraising. Especially b/c sitting and reading a story vs. getting out to drive to school are a big difference in energy for me.

Now, those reason are all about me and my illness. But those are NOT the main reasons I homeschool. To be honest, it simply started out as me praying about what schooling options. But the longer I do it, the more reasons I have b/c I see the great results in areas I didn't expect.

1. I am choosing superior education methods that are possible with one-on-one. I use literature base curriculum for history, science, civics, Bible, geography, etc. Then, I add in Math-U-See and great phonics and handwriting programs (3 R's). I've also been able to pinpoint a weakness in auditory processing and work on that with her. I have a degree in Elementary Ed., but through homeschooling, I've learned much better ways to teach.

2. I can add in foreign language and lots of other enrichment. Truth is I don't usually feel like doing the extras (physically), but I try to make a lot of resources available for my daughter to learn from during play. For example, she has 2 videos that teach Ballet and she has a guitar and recorder that she's been practicing on lately. I've made it a real priority to have lots of educational toys and limited TV/computer time. I find her using her free time to write a book that she made out of construction paper or to read Magic School Bus or Usborne history books or play Operation (which I bought for to help her fine motor skills). Occasionally, I'll do a drawing lesson with her or chess lesson.

3. My dd (darling daughter) is free to go visit her grandparents. One set lives on a ranch, so I love that she can get out of the city. The other set love to take her places, like to ride an old steam train or to visit a wildlife park. She's able to go an visit them--not confined to the weekend-- and take a bit of school with her and catch up on the rest later.

4. Sibling relationships. My girls LOVE to play together, even though they are almost 4 years a part. But I don't think they would have really learned that if the oldest had gone to school 2 years ago! They are both highly emotional, so they do conflict, but they are learning to get along in a way that I don't see in others. And my dd2 is learning right along with her sister. She listens in on stories I read and talks about the characters. She likes to go check the weather with her big sister and listens along to the German CD.

5. Parent relationship. I love that my dd's and I get to spend unhurried time together just talking. My dd6 is really picking up on values right now and so we talk alot about important things. I love it.

--Friend relationships--I've realized that if she gets to go to at least 2-3 things with friends a week, her needs are met. So, church, small group, and getting together with a friend/or going to with a friend to a kids prayer group really feel that need at this age, though it may change in the future.

So, call me crazy, but we are sticking with homeschool. Even when I do less than I like to do with my daughter (like right now we aren't doing science other than magic school bus), I know she is getting more than she would in public school. Homeschooling fits our family. It's best for my daughters and best for me right now. And God's giving me grace to do it.

And now it's your turn....What's your story?

Welcome to my brand new blog. My goal is to create a place to encourage chronically ill, homeschooling moms. Soon, I'll be sharing my story and hope others will come and share their story as well. If you have a story to share, send it to lymeadelady at hotmail dot com and I'll be glad to share it here.

By the way, if your wondering about the name.... I started with the blog: http://www.lymeadehealth.blogspot.com/ Since I have Lyme's, I turned it into something sweet--the chance to help others improve their health. Now, I'm taking to helping others in my shoes homeschool.