Getting kids to cooperate and obey is a very popular issue in parenting, right? There are so many books on the topic, and lots of opinions about how it should be done.  In 23+ years of parenting our six children, we’ve tried out more than a few approaches, with mixed results.  Thankfully, where I’ve landed is in a space I like to call Leadership Parenting.  Basically, you provide effective leadership mixed with a lot of love, respect, and personal responsibility (starting with YOU) and good things happen.  🙂  (Yes.  For real!) Â
In this periscope broadcast I share about how this works for kids of all ages, and offer encouragement about keeping the big picture in mind.
You can follow me on Periscope @enrichmenthome. Â I normally scope on Wednesdays at 3:30pm eastern time to talk about parenting and homeschool topics.
I know that so many families are needing to go gluten-free these days, and are needing all the help they can get! Â We are actually facing this at my house as an experiment for one of my kids, and it feels a little overwhelming! Â My kids like cereal, bagels, and pancakes. Â What are we going to eat?
So, I was pretty excited when I found out about Trisha Gilkerson’s new book Brainy Breakfasts. Â It’s a full-color ebook with over 40 grain-free recipes for nutritious breakfasts that I think my family will love. Â The pictures are so appealing, I can hardly wait to dig in! Â (I just got my copy, so haven’t had a chance to start cooking yet.)
The recipes include eggs, smoothies, baked goods, cereals, and more. Not only do you get the full-color ebook, but you’ll get a black and white version for printing (so you don’t have to use a ton of ink), AND printable recipe cards so you can keep all of your favorites handy in your kitchen.
Since 1997 when we first began homeschooling, I think the very hardest months to keep going are the winter months. The combination of lack of sunlight, being housebound a lot, and being at the midpoint of the year can combine to make a really tough spot to get through. Â In this chat I talk about my best tips for how to handle it, and the all-important rule that I’ve made for myself that has helped me many, many times!
For bigger issues, observe and take notes, and let it percolate til spring. Â Often you’ll see some resolution as you get closer to the end of the school year.
Plan to take time in April, May, or June to evaluate the needs of each of your children individually. Â Include your notes and observations from winter and since then. Â Start considering what plan will work best for them in the coming year. Â (Take time to evaluate how YOU’RE doing, too, and make a plan for self-care as well!)
One of the questions I get sometimes from Enrichment Studies parents is about dyslexia. What to do about it. How to help the kids learn. How to proceed! So I did a periscope broadcast to share about our journey with dyslexia with two of our sons, and I gave a bunch of ideas for ways to keep learning even when reading and writing are so difficult.  I’ve got the replay here for you, and a list of recommended resources below.
What’s working for your dyslexic kids? Â What other areas do you need help with? Â Leave a comment!
Here’s a more recent chat I did, explaining about the parent training workshops available from Yellow Wood.
Recommended Resources Mentioned in this Scope: Â
(referral links have been used)
Equipping Minds is the program that eventually helped our older dyslexic son make huge strides forward in his ability to read and write! Â They offer help by Skype and have a workbook/DVD that can help you.
Notebooking Pages: Â These can be so fun and easy, without a lot of stress. Â Kids can easily do copywork, make lists, take notes, or share their thoughts about what they’re learning.
One of the fun things we are doing to enrich our homeschool experience this year is memorizing Shakespeare with the help of Ken Ludwig’s terrific book, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. This book is laid out easily and the coordinating website includes free printables to make your task even easier.
We have managed to use this very simply, without needing a lot of attention from me.  Basically, we have our current printouts up on the wall in our school area.  During breakfast we usually go through the current section that we’re memorizing about 7 times.  This is a trick I learned from my Classical Conversations Foundations tutor training.  7 seems to be a magical number for getting things to stick in our minds when we have short bursts of time to learn them. The 7 times are usually varied.  For instance, we all say it together 2-3 times, then maybe each of us goes around the room and tries to say it without looking, or maybe we do teams of two and two.  It just takes a couple minutes and can be done while munching on breakfast or lunch, and if we forget to do it then, often someone will bring it up while we are driving or transitioning from one subject to another.  It’s easy and takes up almost no time.
Once we get the basic words down, we work on expression. Â (Because who wants to hear monotone Shakespeare recitation? Â Nobody. Â That’s who. Â lol) Â It is very helpful that Ken includes helpful tips and information in each chapter that helps us understand the storylines, the characters, and what the words mean when they are different from what we would know in modern-day English. Â By the time we’ve read through the section and memorized the passage, we have a pretty good idea of what it’s all about.
And then, for fun, sometimes my guys like to jazz it up with chants and raps.  They play with the rhythm and pronunciations and such.  We have had costumed performances and dancing, too!  And now all of my guys think that learning Shakespeare is pretty stinkin fun.  🙂
I shared about this book (and a few others) on periscope, and two of my boys were kind enough to do a rap(ish) version of some of their Shakespeare.  It was too fun not to share.  🙂
It’s no secret: Â American homeschoolers are predominantly white. Â And as white folks, there is a lot about black history that we do not know and do not understand.
Our history books are primarily written by white authors and feature the white perspective of history. Â Despite the fact that the history and perspective of all Americans is what makes the complete story, we often only get the white pieces and just a few of the other ones.
In the world of the arts, one could easily come to the conclusion that such things were solely the domain of White Men, forever and ever. Â Yet I have discovered prominent women artists from as far back as the Renaissance. Â I’ve discovered Black composers that pre-date Mozart. Â I researched and found many beautiful works of art featuring Black people that are normally overlooked. Â (Get it here) Â Men and women of so many races and nationalities have been creating, inventing, and exploring since time began! Â But you’d never know it, would you?
There seems to be a lot of pressure to Not Mess It Up when talking about race issues, yet it also seems that there is always somebody willing to point out how it’s been done wrong. Â It has been intimidating to me to see how much criticism there is for people that are Doing It Wrong when they dare to bring up race issues. Â My attempts may be clumsy. Â I am not an expert on this. Â However, I believe that this is important, so I’m talking about it. Â Hopefully you all can hear my intent to be an encouragement in this periscope broadcast I did.
The two biggest reasons I know of to make sure we’re learning about and teaching black history in our homeschools:
 It isn’t just “Black History.”  It’s History.  A wider, true, more well-rounded version, particularly important for Americans.  (making it a priority to learn about the experiences of other non-white-male perspectives will also make your knowledge of history truer, wider, and more well-rounded!  Women’s history, Native American history, immigrants from everywhere, and so on)
 Understanding Black History helps us have a somewhat better understanding of current events and racial issues today.  It’s related.  And it matters.
 This is one way I can help fight racism.  I forgot to talk about this on the scope, but it matters to me very much that my children go out into the world as a force for good, and that includes fighting racism.  As homeschoolers in our area of the country, we don’t often have local opportunities to be activists, but I can at least continue to make myself and my children aware of things that are going on and things that have gone on throughout history, in an effort to not repeat history and to make this world a better place going forward. Â
Learn more about The Negro Traveler’s Green Book, a publication that provided African American motorists and tourists with the information they would need to board, dine, and sightsee safely and comfortably during the era of segregation.  More on the Green Book here.
Welcome to the Enrichment Lifestyle Blog! I'm so glad you're here. :) I'm Erica Johns, and I love to encourage homeschool moms and help them enjoy more of the beauty of the arts in everyday life.
About me: I started my homeschooling journey in 1997 and graduated the last of my six children in 2021. Amidst all the hard work, crazy days, uncertainty, and lost pencils, what I think we really gained was the gift of a lifetime: TIME TOGETHER. So awesome! Click my pic to learn more.
Since 1997 when we first began homeschooling, I think the very hardest months to keep going are the winter months. The combination of lack of sunlight, being housebound a lot, and being at the midpoint of the year can combine to make a really tough spot to get through. Â In this chat I talk about my best tips for how to handle it, and the all-important rule that I’ve made for myself that has helped me many, many times!
