Homeschooling Sometimes Takes Us Away From Home

Our new school year is about to begin. Though my children and I will spend most of our time working on school activities from the comfort of home, we travel to at least six different supplemental classes and private lessons each week. And once we arrive at the the destination, at least one child has to wait for her sister to finish the class or lesson.

If a lesson is short (30 to 45 minutes), children who are waiting will read books, watch a short educational DVD, play a portable non-electronic game, or run around outside. But a couple of times each week, the older girls have private lessons that last two hours. When I add in travel time to and from our house, that’s a little more than six hours of waiting time. I definitely want to put those minutes to good use!

How We Do Carschooling: Homeschool on the Road

In order to use our time wisely, we take our homeschool on the road. Though it may seem problematic, schooling on the road doesn’t have to be a challenge. As long as my children bring their books and assignment sheets along for the ride and I keep a stash of carschooling materials inside our van, we can get a significant amount of work done while away from home.

Preparation is the Key to Carschooling

While waiting, we’ll sometimes school in a quiet location in the instructor’s home or find an empty room in the building and work there. If a library is nearby, we’ll school there while we wait. If no suitable work space is available, we’ll school inside our van. We carry our basic homeschool supplies with us in the van, so no matter where we are, we are ready to homeschool.

In order to make homeschooling away from home work, it’s important to be prepared. In the video below, I show you how I prepare our van for carschooling.  In this “trunk tour”, I show you what I carry in the van and explain how I organize everything for easy accessibility.  For even more tips on carschooling, check out 9 Tips for Homeschooling on the Go, a related post on my personal blog.

This post is for those of you who wake up in the morning and remember that you have more than one child (not that you could ever forget). This post is for the moms who are homeschooling one, diapering one, carrying one, and wondering if you’ll have another one…crazy, I know!  Well, I’m right there with you. My homeschool journey started with a kindergartener and an infant…I understand.

Early on, I realized that I not only needed to make good use of any “spare” time I had, but also had to get the older child to the point of being able to work on her own. Have I made it there? Yes. How? It was a lot of work, but I had some help. Details? Sure! Here you go.

• Start early. Establishing independence in a child at a young age is necessary. Think about it. We can’t wait for them to be able to sit up on their own. We can’t wait for them to be able to hold their bottles and feed themselves without assistance. We can’t wait for them to start walking without aid. You get the point. We must also realize our children won’t become independent without teaching our children how to do so. They won’t get reach that goal without being taught.

• Ask for help. For me, teaching my child to become independent became a family and friends affair. I understand not all of us have that type of support, but if you do, please use it! I asked for tips, opinions, books, websites, sermons…anything that would remotely help me learn how to help my children become more independent learners. Did everything work? No. Was everything I tried a good fit for our family? Not so much. Yet, I took what worked and tweaked it as needed.

• Look for curriculum that encourages independent work.  This is important. You may have a curriculum you absolutely love, but if the preparation and teaching time it takes causes you to wonder where the day went it may be time to do some tweaking. If you are not able to switch curriculum right now, consider creating a checklist or an assignment sheet for your child to use. Some parents even use Evernote and other apps to help with their children’s assignments. It may help to start your day with a Morning Meeting where you do an overview of what’s to be done that day and then go from there.

• LET THEM DO IT! Independent learning does not mean our children will slip into anarchy or mutiny. Trust me! I still remember the first day that my oldest completed her schoolwork and chores on her own. I almost cried when I realized just how much we were able to accomplish because we executed the plan my family had created. Yes, I was still tired and wondering if all this would work the next day, but for one day we did it! As the days passed, I tweaked the plan as needed and today, we’re still using this plan. All I had to do was  trust in my child and in the plan.

• Set up an incentive program. This can be a Catch 22, but I have found setting up a reward system to be very helpful. Yes, independence has its own rewards, but it’s also beneficial to give our children additional rewards for completing tasks. Remember, rewards don’t have to be monetary. Once you come up with an incentive program, sit down and discuss it with your child so the expectations are clear.

If you’re interested in helping children become independent learners, I encourage you to give these ideas some serious thought. Our children may not do it 100% right the first time or all the time, but we should keep trying and continue moving forward. As they learn, we can use these teachable moments to help our children grow. It’s worth the struggle!

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Today’s post was written by Tammie Polk. She is first and foremost a Daughter of the King! She and her husband have been married since 2005 and call Memphis, Tennessee home. They are blessed to be able to homeschool their three daughters, who are the joy of their lives!

Tammie is a blogger, mompreneur, writer, singer, board game creator, and a computer geek by birth! She is overjoyed at any opportunity to share what she’s learned and gleaned in her homeschool journey.

You can connect with Tammie through her blog, Atkah’s Choice or through Facebook! May you enjoy your journey as a homeschool mom and keep charging!

Nurturing an infant is one of a mother’s sweetest joys, but homeschooling with an infant can become one of a mother’s greatest dilemmas. The good news is that it is possible to homeschool with an infant. The not so good news is that it can sometimes be tricky to do so. However, the best news is that like me, many other moms have successfully homeschooled while holding, nursing, rocking, cuddling, and chasing infants. And you, my dear sister, can do it too! Consider implementing these six suggestions if you’d like to homeschool while loving your sweet new baby.

Be flexible. 
My grandfather used to say, “Sometimes you gotta bend so you don’t break.” Perhaps before baby arrived, you had your homeschool routine running like a well oiled machine. Now that your sweet little one is here, you’re going to have to bend. This may mean your children will watch a few more educational videos than you previously allowed. It may mean you school at weird times because the baby’s schedule demands such. This may mean lessons or projects get cut short or even placed on the back burner until a more convenient time. Don’t get worked up about it. Go with the flow and remember this transitional time won’t last forever.

Embrace the new normal. 
One of the most important things to do is recognize that things have now changed. An infant’s sporadic sleeping habits, impromptu feedings, and frequent changes will likely throw off any schedule you previously maintained. But rather than fight against the lifestyle change, embrace this new family dynamic and seek new ways to make it work.  You won’t be able to school if you’re physically exhausted and mentally drained, so embrace the new normal.

Adopt an alternate schedule.
Before my wee one was born, our family had a full, but doable schedule. In addition to schooling we were off participating in a variety of extracurricular activities. But once my third child was born, I had to slow down (way down!) and adopt a new schedule. For us, this meant stepping back from a few activities and only concentrating on the 3R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic) until I got the hang of mothering three children. My Baby Girl is now three and I’m just now returning to our former schedule. An alternate schedule can help ease your schooling burden.

Keep it real.
The post partum period is an unpredictable one full of many ups and downs. And if you find yourself battling bouts of post partum depression and episodes of anxiety as I did, you may find the lows to be especially low. Consequently, this dear sister, is NOT the time to grab your superwoman cape and attempt to take flight. This is not the time to try to defy the odds by refusing to skip a beat. Be real by recognizing your limitations and not being afraid to admit you don’t always have it all together. There’s no sense in wearing a happy mask during the day and then sadly crying yourself to sleep at night.

Ask for and accept help. 
When my second child was born, I didn’t want anyone to think I couldn’t handle mothering more than one child, so I was reluctant to ask for help. I refused wise counsel and insisted on doing things on my own. Outwardly, I looked like all was well, but inside I was an insecure and frightened mess. I was governed by pride and it was destroying me.

After my third child was born, I didn’t want to repeat costly previous mistakes so I asked for and accepted help. When a fellow homeschool mom offered to take my older children for a few hours each week, I kissed each girl and happily sent them off. When church members offered to provide us with meals, I joyfully set aside my menu planning binder and we enjoyed a meal someone else lovingly prepared. If I felt overwhelmed or unsure of how to balance my newfound role as a mom of three, I immediately spoke up. Friends and family eagerly volunteered to help and I was grateful.

Take a break.
Sometimes your homeschool will have to be put on hold. I know some of you just gasped and thought something like this: The kids’ brains will turn to mush! I’ll have to reteach everything all over again. All the time I’ve spent teaching will be wasted. Lean in and let me tell you something. None of that is true. Not one single statement. Just make the baby the lesson.

Involve children in the care of their new sibling. Teach them how to hold the baby, how to change the  baby, and how to feed the baby. If your children are too young to physically do those things, they’ll learn by watching you. As you come together to read stories or teach while wearing baby in a sling, your children are learning valuable lessons about the importance of family. In addition, you’re thwarting sibling jealousy and enjoying each moment with all of your children instead of wishing infancy away.

If you still want traditional paper and pencil schooling, have your older children write daily journal entries about the baby or create a baby brochure full of tips and advice for new big brothers and sisters.

Homeschooling with an infant can be tough, but if you apply some of the strategies I’ve mentioned, I think you’ll find it easier to do so. Above all, remember the infancy stage passes by so very quickly. Enjoy every moment with your precious one and be thankful for this new beautiful blessing you have to cuddle and love!

If you still have questions, hop on over to the African-American Homeschool Moms Facebook group. There are 1,000+ moms there and many have homeschooled with an infant. We’d love to meet you!

February is just a couple of days away and Black History Month will soon begin. This annual observance fosters an awareness of the lives and contributions of African-Americans and ushers in a month long parade of enlightening activities, exhibits, workshops, and programs based upon the African-American experience. During Black History Month, museums, schools, churches, and community centers proudly sponsor month long celebrations full of African-American themed events.

And though such cultural offerings are still important and necessary, I don’t believe Black History Month founder Dr. Carter G. Woodson wanted the study of African-American history to be locked within the confines of a 28 or 29-day period. He certainly wanted to draw national attention to the contributions of African-Americans throughout history, but I also believe Dr. Woodson’s desire was that the month of February serve as the starting place of larger, year long discussions and explorations of African-American history and culture.

I believe that as well, so in our homeschool I teach African-American history all year round. And, if you don’t already do so, I encourage you to do so. Why? First, it takes time, plenty of time, to delve into a serious study of African-American history. In addition, the study of African-American history is part of a well-rounded homeschool curriculum. Finally, the educational benefits of doing so cannot be denied. Consider these five reasons to teach Black History year round.

When African-American history is studied all year round, children understand that African-American history is important. Children see that the study of African-American history is relevant in February, in March, in April, in May, and on as well. A thorough study of African-American history cannot be boxed into a particular time frame for the sake of convenience (It’s easier to teach this way.) or tradition (It’s always been taught this way). African-American history is too important to be viewed only as another item to check off a long list of educational objectives.

When African-American history is studied all year round, children recognize  that African-American history is also American history.  A year round approach to African-American history shows children that the African-American people are deeply woven into the fabric of our nation’s history; snugly stitched over, under, and around the other more frequently discussed names in history. Trying to remove the fabric’s darker threads damages the whole piece and leaves loose threads hanging aimlessly. When children understand that African-American history is American history, it is easier for them to see how it is relevant to all people.

When African-American history is studied all year round, children are more likely to learn about lesser known African-Americans.  Greats such as Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr always surge to the forefront of Black History Month biographies. Yes, the lives of those men and women are certainly worthy of study, but so are the lives lesser known African-Americans such as artist Horace Pippen and American jockey James Winkfield. Though they are not household names, the accomplishments of these lesser known historical figures and many, many more are worthy of study all throughout the year.

When African-American history is studied all year round, children see African-American contributions and connections across the entire curriculum.  African-American contributions are not isolated within the arts, sports, and religion, but can also be found in areas such mathematics and science. A simple internet search will reveal ample connections for children to explore. For example, when studying the phases of the moon in science, include information about the life and contributions of colonial great Benjamin Banneker, a self taught astronomer. Many subjects can easily segue into a more detailed study of African-American culture.

When African-American history is studied all year round, children experience a more complete view of American history. A prolonged period of study allows us to escort our children off the well-beaten paths of history and gives us the opportunity to meander slowly down other educational avenues. Yes, slavery and civil rights struggles are important aspects of our history, but children need to know that the men and women of prior generations were far more than slaves and protestors.

When African-American history is studied all year round, there is ample time to study the contributions and culture of African-Americans. No matter how well planned our lessons may be, a good study of African-American history can’t be completed in a month. Attempting to do so is problematic because it forces us to pick and choose what we will study and what we will ignore. When studied year round, we have sufficient time to help our children examine and explore topics and figures.

A month is a short period of time, so don’t limit your studies of African-American history to its few short weeks. Make the study of African-American history and culture a natural part of your planning just as you do for the three R’s. Your family will soon recognize the benefits of having done so. Your children will see the importance of African-American history and they will be eager to learn more about their rich history and culture. You, as parent and teacher, will find your studies lead you to people, places, and things you never imagined! And this family culture dominated by a love for learning and yearning to know more, is one of the many joys of homeschooling. Embrace it!