Crossing New Bridges of Motherhood: Teaching

Stress Free Online Co-op

6:00 AM

As a newly Official Homeschooling family there are many things that we must complete in order to meet the education requirements of New York State. There are ALOT of curriculums and programs available to choose from. There are also ALOT of free options. We have learnt that we are an eclectic homeschooling family. We don't use programs. We don't get bogged down to workbooks. Basically we find what interests us and we tailor it to fulfill our state requirements.

Now here is the kicker. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M Doing! I have done all the research, talked numerous hours with homeschool mamas, watched hours of YouTube homeschool families, barrowed 100s of library books, been to homeschool gatherings. I'm going through the motions and feel like I am failing. Those around me say I'm doing great. Have you been there?

I needed a way to teach my kids without feeling like I was failing them. I don't have to feel like I'm a pester to those who are willing to help and stop feeling overwhelmed with the pressure of teaching both kids. Which I love doing. So when I saw a post for an at home online co-op in one of my homeschool mom groups, I had to check it out.

Hoeden at Home Online Co-Op is done through Facebook groups. There is no struggling to get the kids dressed, making sure they have all the books and supplies in their bags, no running late, no getting lost trying to find the location. No worries about what they are going to ask you to sign up and do. There are so many benefits to this online co-op. I was warmly enticed but then the cake toppers that sold me.

Safety Protocols

All lessons are taught through a scheduled 30 minute Facebook Live broadcast in a group that the parent must sign their child up for. Handles (aliases) are used in place of the child's real name. Real names are never used. During the class a child answers questions using their handle. A child can also answer "live" through telecommunications, if only the parent has approved so prior to the class.

Another safety protocol is password protected webpages. If your child is not able to make the LIVE session, they can watch it within 48 hours on the password protected site. These passwords change randomly for added safety measures.

Parents are in Control

Each class will supply the parent with a list of needed supplies. So far I have found most books at our local library. They supply printable workbooks and pages (caboodles) that are part of the class. However it is your choice to use them or not. My son is currently signed up for a Dinosaur class. The teacher will be reading the book on Facebook LIVE and going over vocabulary words with him. I am adding dinosaur flashcards, a Dollar Spot workbook, activities and other library books to his learning resources and for his little sister to be involved.

Certificate of Completion

Hello! I love this idea! My kiddos have a certificate binder they love to share these would be a fun addition. Having certificates of completion from a co-op will also be a great addition to my sons review binder at the end of the year. Certificates are optional. Each class will supply you with a recitation and project to complete in order to receive a certificate of completion. My sons requirements for his Solar System class is to recite the planets in order and make a planet mobile of his own design. When the child completes these requirements, you private message the Records Manager the video or picture of your child's work. She sends you a certificate to print. Pretty simple and your kiddo isn't posted on Facebook if you don't want them to be.

I think this half of the school year is going to go smoother with less stress from this mama. I signed up for $5 for our whole family with unlimited classes. This price will be changing once 1,000 families have signed up. Amazing deal. Head on over to Hoeden at Home to check out more information. Tell them that Deb from Crossing New Bridges sent ya.

Teaching

earning money

6:00 AM

As a parent, there are so many of life’s little stressors that you want to protect your children from. The reality of earning (and spending) money should not be one of them. Earning money can help teach your child important life skills that will make them more responsible now and into adulthood. Whether you decide to start paying your eight year old to do chores, or let your fifteen year old find a part-time gig, earning money will benefit them and you.

Learning the Value of Time

Kids have a hard time gauging the time and effort that goes into any task, which can lead to hilarious and frustrating situations for parents! Who hasn’t had a child ask for help with a science fair project… the night before it was due. At 8:30 pm. When they hadn’t even started…

When children start earning money for their time spent, they learn the value of that time. With some critical thinking skills, kids will start to prioritize how they spend their time to get the most value. They will also think about how much their time should be worth, a skill that will develop self-advocacy later in life.

If kids equate money and time, they may start to look at the things they spend their money on as worth (or not worth) their time. Do they want to buy a giant bag of candy that costs $20? Yes. Do they want that same bag of candy if it costs four hours of cleaning out the garage? Maybe not. Kids can be responsible for their own time and money, and learn to make smarter choices.

Building a Work Ethic

Some people are just born hard workers, right? Wrong. Children have to be taught the value of hard work, and a good work ethic should be nourished. There are a lot of ways to do that with your kids, but paying them for their work is really effective.

Kids who earn money learn to set goals, and they connect their hard work with reaching those goals. Eventually, money can be taken out of the equation. The feeling of achievement is a great incentive.

Finding a Balance

Being responsible for our own wellbeing is a difficult lesson. We overextend ourselves without regard for our own health. We let our kids overextend themselves, too, but then we take the responsibility for it. Earning money and setting goals allows kids to create their own balance. They have to decide which incentive is more powerful, instant gratification or long-term achievement.

As kids make these decisions about the money they earn, they will start to figure out their priorities. A child who always wants to treat their friends to a movie and dinner might need more social time to be happy. A kid who saves for a trip to Europe has different priorities. Those priorities will help them make decisions in the future, between colleges, extra-curricular activities, and even career paths.

As kids grow into teens, those priorities become values. Their values help them find the right balance between money, meaning, and wellbeing. A teen with strong values can make smart choices. They may have to give up social time in order to make extra money for a big event, or give up their job to bring up their grades.

Part of learning how to balance your life is making mistakes. When your kids do overextend themselves, set the example by modeling your own selfcare routines, and help them figure out their own.

Managing Money

The best part about earning money is getting to spend it, but kids don’t always spend wisely. Fiscal responsibility can be the difference between struggle and success as your children grow into adults. Teaching them how to balance a budget, save for financial goals, and navigate the banking system is invaluable.

As soon as your child starts earning money, open up a bank account. Many banks offer special savings and checking accounts for minors. Your current bank probably has some sort of program for kids and teens. Once that bank account is open, navigate all the options with your child. Teach them how to make deposits, withdrawals, and check their balance.

Set long term financial goals with your child, like saving for a trip to Disneyland. As they work and save, remind them of the goal and celebrate small milestones. Add a bonus incentive by matching their savings at each benchmark they achieve!

Saving every penny is an unrealistic goal for kids. Make a budget that puts aside money for fun as well as long term goals. You can take this one step further for teens with jobs outside the home, and teach them how to budget for living expenses! Come up with an amount to cover “rent and utilities”, but put that money into a college savings fund. Your teen learns about real life budgeting, and saves for college. Win-win!

Being Charitable

Earning money can teach kids to take responsibility for their communities, as well. Charity and giving back is a privilege, and it brings deep meaning to the money that your child earns.

Write charitable giving into the budget that you set up for your kids, as well as your own budget. Share your favorite charities with your child, but help them find causes that they believe in, too.

Of course, being charitable doesn’t have to mean giving a monetary donation. There are a lot of ways that your kids can give back, especially around the holidays.

What You Can Do

Handing your kid twenty bucks for mowing the lawn is great, but with a little forethought your child can develop important life skills. Be supportive and help them work out the details. Talk to your kids about money, but don’t try to make decisions for them. Let them learn their own lessons. Responsibility is built through experience and time.

Teaching

Musical Christmas Countdown

9:10 AM

Reviews

Homeschooling with Target's Dollar Spot Finds

2:52 PM

Reviews

Uncommon Company Doing Uncommon Things

9:00 AM

Have you ever looked around your home and just thought...uuuggghh. As I sit on my couch watching my daughter explore her busy box I look around my living room/homeschool room. *sigh* There is no longer delicate pretty decorations. No bright colored throw pillows to add a color of pop. No evidence of my spunky colorful style that once gave my home a bright feeling. Now my home is overtaken by the kids' learning toys, books crafts, and messes. My furniture is in dull neutral colors that are in kid friendly materials to hide stains of this mornings spilt food. *sign* depressing! I need to find something to help lift my spirits I mean after all this is my home too!..Right?

After some time scouring the interweb I found a site called uncommongoods. After doing some research I found that their headquarters is in New York, which is a plus for me for quicker shipping as I am in New York also. I love that uncommongoods features items that are handcrafted using sustainable or recycled materials. How awesome is that! They also share information about the item such as inspiration, materials used to make it AND the creator. WOW! So I went gandering around the site and found a few cute items we will soon be enjoying in our home.

Ok so I know I said I was looking for stuff to liven up my living space...but as a homeschooling mom I could not pass this up. What a great kit to get my kids involved in growing some bee friendly plants. Plus what kid doesn't like to get dirty? The Seed Ball Kit includes; compost, clay, and GMO free seeds. There is enough supply to make upto 75 Seed Balls! The really neat part is you can literally toss the Seed Balls where ever you want to and watch them burst with new life. My kids are going to L-O-V-E watching the seedlings pop out of these Seed Balls.

One word is all it takes to describe this Owl Eyeglasses Holder...ADORABLE!!!! I truly love this wooden little bird. Now I have to tell ya I was impressed with the craftsmanship alone however once I got reading about how it is created I am completely in love with this sweet little bird and the uncommongoods company. This uniquely beautiful owl is hand carved by Fair Trade Artisans in India from a single piece of sheesham wood. The uncommongoods company has made a partnership to donate money back to not only the artisans but to the community as a partnership to improve their sanitary conditions and education. Can you just feel your heart growing fonder of this company? Did I mention that the seasonal workers in New York receive 50% more than the average wage? I that that was pretty cool but they are doing so much more to help others than those immediately in their area. Amazing company! Can you tell that I am very impressed yet? Wink Wink.

I had to keep looking at the site for something that my kids would enjoy while bringing color and interest to our room. I found this cute Array of Actual Sized Animal Tracks Doormat. Hello adorable, functionable and bright. Bonus...it's educational too, see the key to decode the footprint owners. This doormat is woven from Coir (coconut fibers) and the animal prints are printed with vegetable based ink. Amazing right! My husband being a wild animal enthusiast thinks this is a great addition to our decor and when my kids saw this, they went crazy. They are excited to use this doormat as a "guiet rug" during scripture reading time. Major win!

I have to say I really enjoyed looking at the Uncommongoods website. There are a lot of beautiful works of art with amazing stories behind them. So much love and compassion on one site that I never thought to find at first glimpse. It just goes to show you that there is always more to see than first glance. I urge you my dear readers to take a glimpse around Uncommongoods if not to buy amazing items at least to read the amazing behind the picture stories. You will definitely find a new respect for the artists featured on the website.

Teaching

Easter Egg Entertainment

8:00 AM

With Easter fast approaching, there are tons of ideas for using Easter Eggs. However, we use Easter Eggs all year long for playing and learning. Why? Because I refuse to throw away, perfectly good eggs just to buy new ones the next year. Hence, I have a diaper box full of different colored and designed plastic eggs that I bring out to use for counting, simple math, color recognition, matching, patterns, tossing and much more!

This year I could not wait to see what fun things I could do with my year old and six year old. I did not want this month to be about learning with the eggs I wanted more of a relaxed fun play for them. Therefore, I brought out the growing collection of Easter Eggs and set out to create fun ways to entertain my kids with very little interaction from me.

I have to admit I have to have my hands into some type of craft with the kids however once the creating was over I let them play on their own. These fun noisemakers were created with left over plastic spoons, rice, and dry beans filled plastic eggs, taped together and shaken for fun.

My kids love hiding stuff inside the eggs. They both enjoy finding items in their rooms that will fit in the egg and then the other sibling has to try to guess what it is. This also makes for a selection of different sounds used along with the egg rattles. It can become quite noisy in my house when they play this game.

I know I said no educational games but the kids really do enjoy playing this game. My toddler understands that she rolls the dice and says numbers while placing the little yellow eggs inside the bunny. My kindergartener understands the whole idea and tries to help his sister to count on her turn. He is strengthening his math skills while gaining the confidence to help his sister. How cool is that for a free game!!!

Fill the bucket with eggs. Dump the eggs. Fill the bucket. Dump the eggs. I know you get it. So simple yet my kids will play this game for hours! No kidding HOURS!!!

Find the bunnies! I bury them in the grass and the kids find them, they then bury the bunnies for each other and take turns finding the yellow and pink flexible bunnies. They also fill the eggs with the fake grass and make a mess with the grass, which leads to another game I like to call...PICK UP THE GRASS! I throw in two pairs of kids plastic tweezers and have them pick the grass from the carpet...THEY LOVE IT! Seriously, my toddler will purposely throw the grass onto the rug and say "weezers mama". This helps work on fine and gross motor skills, cognitive thinking, working together and imaginative play.

Another simple way to entertain my kids is to give them eggs that nest into each other. They are working on size recognition and independent play. So simple and yet it does so much for them without being directed to learn. Bonus they are so quite while they are concentrating on which egg fits inside the next.

Decorate the basket with ribbons and collect eggs. I simply cut different types ribbon in varying lengths for the kids to tie onto the handle of the basket. This is great for hand-eye-coordination, fine and gross motor skills and finger dexterity.

The game I love the most is hide the eggs. This keeps my kids busy while I get things around the house accomplished. I will wait until they are involved in something else and place eggs in easy, hard and moderately hard places so both kids have fun playing. I have also put glove sticks in the eggs and turned out all the lights for the kids to find glowing eggs. The bonus of this was they got so tired out that at bedtime there was no struggle.

As simple, as some of these ideas are they are compacted with learning and skill building benefits for my kids. They have no idea that they are learning while they are playing. I enjoy watching my kids play these games together. I get to see their growth in themselves and helping each other. They bond so much over a few simple plastic eggs, which sends me in complete aww of them.

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Stress Free Online Co-op

earning money

Musical Christmas Countdown

Homeschooling with Target's Dollar Spot Finds

Uncommon Company Doing Uncommon Things

Easter Egg Entertainment

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