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Homeschool Helps

Does This Count?

It Counts!

Does music, summer camp, a visit to the zoo, etc., count? This is probably one of my most frequently asked questions (well, that and “What about socialization?”). My answer is almost always, “Yes… it counts.”

It’s important to get out of the mindset that learning only happens when it’s planned, scheduled, directed, or approved by someone else. Children learn the most and retain it longer if they’re the ones who initiate it, take ownership of it, and have input into what they’re learning. I don’t know of any research that doesn’t support this fact.

Traditional schools don’t allow student-led learning because teachers don’t have time to mentor or facilitate a class full of students if they are learning different things. And even if they did, it would be too expensive for them to provide the resources for each individual student. (And all the materials would first have to be passed through committees to make sure they’re “suitable” – however they define it.)

As homeschoolers, we don’t have any of these constraints. So just remember that children (and adults!) learn 365 days a year. If you’re a SC homeschooler, it’ll be your job to document 180 of those days.

More questions? Read through my FAQs here.

My House is a Mess!

Messy House

by Kim Blum-Hyclak

My house is a mess. I want to get down to the business of schoolwork with my children, but the clutter is getting in the way. Colorful Legos dot the floor like land mines ready to be stepped on. Books have escaped the prison of the shelves and lie open, hiding in freedom in the stairway alcove. The box of craft supplies exploded and the debris lies in creative concentric circles. The two dishes I left in the sink last night mated. Their offspring now enjoy the run of the table and the counter top. The piles of laundry I lovingly folded now lean like a famous monument, inching their way to the edges of the washer and dryer.

I survey the damage and feel overwhelmed. I yearn for the day when I can sit at the table with my kids and their lessons and open their minds to all the wonderful “stuff” the world has to offer, without the distractions that our daily living heaps upon us.

But after years of homeschooling, I know this is not the dream I want realized. I am living my dream.

The Legos are not just creations, they are lighthouses. They are modeled after the lighthouse we visited on a trip to Florida. In one afternoon at Ponce Inlet, we learned about the inlet and its lighthouse, climbing its 203 steps to the top. We toured buildings packed with exhibits and learned about how the lighthouse works and its history, about lighthouses around the world, about ocean life and what it’s like to be a sailor, about how Cuban refugees escape to America and the courage it must take.

The books in the alcove had help escaping. There is never a complete set of encyclopedias on the shelves; my children squander them in their rooms. The delinquent books in the alcove are the remainders of the journey my children took looking for Alaska. There is “w” for world, “u” for universe, “m” for maps, and finally “a” for Alaska. Along their journey, I know they also found many surprises.

The other books scattered about are the pleasure books that I have to pry from their hands when it is time for bed. There are the lighthouse books and my ninth-grader’s John Grisham from the library. There is the young teen book my daughter absorbs, opening the door to questions and discussions that take place at the dinner table or wherever she needs.

Out of the creative explosion of the craft box comes a colorful “ojos de Dios,” eyes of God. My son has given me this offering to place alongside the other gifts of my children’s handiwork. Like an archeological dig, my bookcase and shelves are lined with artifacts from our various studies. There is the Egyptian pitcher molded from clay, the heraldry shield with our family crest, the quilt sampler from our American Girls Quilting Circle. There is pride in their workmanship and love in their offering.

The dishes were a lesson in science. Mixing water and flour makes paste. Mixing bouillon and water makes a solution. Heat from the stove causes a chemical reaction, the liquid of eggs becoming solid. They are also a lesson in math — figuring the correct amounts for a recipe and the correct time for cooking. Full meals have been cooked in my absence, including pasta sauce from scratch. The three kids help each other and divide the tasks.

The clothes would have been put away if we hadn’t had a field trip to the state park for a program on birds. They would have gotten put away later, but we had to meet with other homeschoolers for a Lenten activity. Later that night, they were still patiently waiting to be tended to, but I was playing Monopoly and reading to my children.

I would like my house to be neat and tidy, but now is not the time. Webster defines education as “the development of knowledge, skill, ability, or character by training, study, or experience.” He defines “learning” as “the gaining of knowledge or skill.” In our homeschool, we do this in the distractions of our lives, not exclusive of them.

My children have taken responsibility for a portion of their education and taken it out of the boundaries of the kitchen table. As I write this, my older son does Latin and Algebra in his bedroom. My daughter is reading on the deck. My third is in the clubhouse with the dog, writing a story with the words he knows how to spell. Work is still done at the kitchen table, but most of the learning is done around the house. And it is done in an environment that not only encourages, but expects them to be respectful, compassionate, helpful, and encouraging to each other.

These lessons, now being applied to someone older or younger, or of another sex, will easily transfer to others of a different race, culture, or religion. This is what education is all about — taking what is being learned and assimilating it into their everyday playing and living. So yes, my house is a mess, but more importantly, at this point, my children are not.

About the author…

Lancaster resident, Kim Blum-Hyclak, homeschooled three of her five children for over 20 years. She saw many changes in her homeschooling years, from being required to seek permission from the local school board and being advised to keep her children inside during the school day, to being on the board of one of the original Third Option homeschool associations. She still believes homeschooling was one of the most rewarding experiences she and her children had. Her youngest will begin his final year at USC Columbia in the fall of 2012. He currently works for the University. Her middle child has worked as a nanny for the past several years. Her oldest graduated from USC School of Law in May of 2012 and will begin clerking for the York County Circuit Court Judge in August. As her homeschooling years came to an end, Kim revived her writing aspirations and still enjoys learning – even without the kids going along.

Virtual and Lending Libraries

Lending Libraries

Looking for resources to enhance your curriculum? Here’s a list of virtual libraries and free streaming websites available to homeschool families in South Carolina:

South Carolina Libraries & Education Sites

One of my favorite resources is SCLends, a consortium of 20 county libraries and the SC State Library that share resources. If a book I want isn’t at my local library, I have 20 other libraries in SC to draw from. I just place a hold on the book online, and it’s delivered to my local library for me. If your library is a member – thank them! If they’re not, ask them to join.

The SC Public Libraries website lists contact information for South Carolina libraries, with website links to many.

Discus, South Carolina’s virtual library, is free for SC residents and includes many databases and online encyclopedias. Contact your homeschool association or local library to get the ID and password.

KnowItAll.org is SC ETV’s K-12 educational portal. It contains a collection of interactive websites for students, teachers, and parents.

Free Lending Libraries

Books for the Blind is a library of Braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers by postage-free mail.

Described and Captioned Media Program offers a library of closed-captioned media to students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. It includes streamed media and media delivered by postage-free mail.

More libraries?

Do you know of other libraries or websites that homeschoolers would enjoy? Email me!

Reading Reward Programs

Book Groups

The best reward for reading, in my opinion, is the enjoyment children get from devouring a good book. If we feed them well, they’ll be sneaking under the covers, flashlight in hand, reading until the wee hours. That said, sometimes children need a little incentive to jumpstart their love of reading. Here are several reward programs to choose from:

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program

Barnes and Noble’s Summer Reading Program offers a free book to students in grades 1-6 who read eight books during the summer.

Pizza Hut Book It!

Pizza Hut’s Book It! program runs from October through March for children ages 4-12. Parents can set individual goals for each child. Each student who meets their monthly reading goal is rewarded with a personal pan pizza.

Mensa Excellence in Reading

To encourage the joy of reading, the Mensa Foundation has developed the Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Program. Children can earn a commemorative certificate and get an Excellence in Reading t-shirt.

More programs?

Do you know of other reading reward programs? Please email me with information and links and I’ll them to the list.

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