Homeschool moms seem to always be toggling between capitalizing on the educational value of their child’s interests, and Making Sure We’re Getting Things Done. I know I do!
I’ve always loved to encourage my children in the things they love and are interested in, and it’s a win-win for all of us when we can get educational value out of it. But sometimes taking the delight-directed approach or the DIY unity study approach can feel intimidating. How will it work? What will we do? What can I do to encourage AND enhance their interests? Will we ever feel like we have accomplished anything? And if you are living in a state that requires more documentation for your homeschooling, how can you structure delight-directed educational pursuits to be easily translated into what you need?
Well, I got a copy of Marcy Crabtree’s beautiful new ebook, Delightful Planning*, and I was immediately inspired and excited and knew that a lot of you ladies are going to love this too! This beautifully-done resource walks you through the concepts and steps for creating your own delight-directed unit studies, and then she gives you the tools to actually make it happen! It includes printable forms for calendars, planning sheets, reading logs, book reports, journaling pages, field trip planning forms and journals, fun ideas, recommended resources, and more! Marcy has really thought things through both for the content included and the layout and design of the forms. It’s SO nice!
You will love the colors, graphics, and layout of Delightful Planning*. You will be so happy to get it all printed out and into a notebook so you can get right to work planning an extremely joyful school year! The price of this lovely resource is a true bargain, as it will give you so much clarity and help you see past the confusion and uncertainty that you may have been feeling about learning according to the interests of your children. Your kids will love getting so much input about what they’re doing for school, and you will love seeing it all come together in a way that feels more complete and productive. You can click here for more information and to purchase*.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
We have a tradition that we try to keep going at our house. During the school week we generally don’t play video games. Saturdays are “Game Day” when the kids can play video games all day long if they want to. Sunday is “Screen-Free Day” which the boys often act like they hate, except once the screen time is removed, they find other things to do that they really enjoy.
I try to help remove the boredom/lack of direction/hopelessness that kids can sometimes feel when you just took away their favorite thing and they don’t know what to do next. My favorite thing to do is to clean off the kitchen table and set up something that I think they will enjoy. It might be a puzzle, a game, sculpey clay, a baking project, or art supplies. This is what I set up today:
Nothing fancy. Just clear space and simple materials.
Within a short time they all gravitated toward the invitation and were doing this:
I had some nice music on in the background. My daughter was at another table working on a 1000-piece puzzle. I was making pancakes and reading.
I find that clearing spaces and creating invitations is a really nice thing to do for the family. It provides an opportunity to bring out those card games/art supplies/stickers/projects that sometimes get forgotten during the regular weekday life. I’ve never set up an invitation at the table that the kids didn’t want to do.
I wrote this 3 years ago, and it rings even truer to me today than then. I wanted to share it with you all today. My kids are now 12-22 and I believe more all the time in the power of deep, abiding connection to our children. Our kids need us deeply even as they grow into adulthood. Don’t give up.
“I’m starting to kinda freak out, Mom.”
It was my oldest. He’s nearly 20, and in a short while he’ll be moving across the country for a great adventure. Some of the realities of his plans were starting to seem a little scary to him this morning.
So we grabbed our morning smoothies and sat on the couches in the living room early today and talked about it.
It was going well until he said, “So how do you really feel about all of this, Mom? You don’t really ever say anything about how you really feel.”
Yeah. That.
Well, what can I say?
When I think of you going all the way to Texas, I know you can do it.
I know you are going to be fine, that you can get a job and manage your life and eat decent food and make decent choices.
I’m happy that you are having a grand adventure because I know life will tend to funnel out those opportunities more and more as the years go by.
I know you will make some mistakes, too, but you’ll be ok.
You’ve got everything you need to spread your wings and fly, which is exactly where you should be as a 20 year old young man.
But when I think of you going all the way to Texas, I know that
-I will miss being able to talk to you and work on projects together in person
-you might end up staying longer than expected, or putting down roots and living far away from us for a long time or forever. This could be a bigger goodbye than just a few months.
-and I think about my little boy that I adored to a level that I didn’t even know was possible before he was placed in my arms. He is the one who brought out the warrior mother in me and changed me forever. He is the one I never slept without touching for years when he was little.
I won’t tell you that the years go by quickly. If anything, having my oldest being a little tyke seems a million miles away from today. It’s like a distant, beautiful dream that makes me cry just because of the overwhelming amount of pure love and joy that is contained in all of it.
Childhood memories often make me cry. I think it’s because it seems like something has been lost. There once was a beautiful, curly-haired, spunky little boy who disappeared because he grew up. It’s bittersweet. Yes, he’s still in there, and I love it when I see glimpses of that same fun little character that was my close buddy for so many years. We have built upon an amazing storehouse of unconditional love, adoring companionship, laughter, memories, great conversations, and much more. I don’t regret a minute of the time I spent lavishing love on any of my kids, and as I am now moving into this stage where they are starting to leave the nest at greater distances and for longer periods of time, I can see even more clearly the value of all the investments I have made as a mother.
You won’t regret it, moms. Your generous, wholehearted love toward your children is what you are building on. It is a strong foundation. Build it up. You can do this.
So often scientific discovery echoes what we already know instinctively and in our hearts. This article is awesome, and so is this video. What a beautiful comfort.
Click this pic for a downloadable, printable version of this graphic!
Isn’t that just beautiful? And, homeschool moms: in the years to come your kids are going to appreciate all the good that they are receiving from you, too!
I love this quote (and find it so encouraging) that I also selected it to be a part of our Quotes from U.S. Presidents Penmanship and Copywork ebook. You can get a free sample of it, which features this quote, when you go to this page here. It’s totally free to download and print out and use with your kiddos. Feel free to share with your homeschooling friends too! (and why not work in some Mom Appreciation straight from a Founding Father into the school day, right?!)
I loved finding this fun tough-guy pic posted by kid #3 on instagram. “Going on a run with my bro.”
If you have more than one child, you probably have singling squabbles too. With 4 boys at home that are all in that 12-18 range where the testosterone flare-ups come along more frequently, things get ‘interesting’ every now and then.
Yes, they generally get along. We have a lot of fun. But anytime you spend most of your life hanging out with the same people all the time, stuff can get on your nerves. AmIright?!
In the last few months there has been a flare up of conflict between kids #3 and #6. It was strange, because they haven’t normally had this problem, but there it was. For awhile there it seemed like every day I was being pulled aside by one or the other of them because they wanted to tell me that I needed to clue the other one in on his behavior, or how the other had hurt his feelings or aggravated him.
My general approach to this is to try to understand the issue, and encourage each person in how they can take responsibility for their own side of the conflict, and give them ideas to go forward with harmony. NOT THAT THIS IS ALWAYS WELL-RECEIVED, you know. (Because, of course, they want me to MAKE HIM STOP THAT immediately. ha. If only!) But that’s how I roll.
Well, these two struggled for a few months. And then it simmered down as they seemed to kind of ignore each other. And then….something really cool happened.
A common interest took root!
Kid #6 realized that he’s interested in running. Kid #3 is a fitness enthusiast who plans to become a personal trainer. He eats, drinks, and lives health and physical fitness. He *loves* to have an opportunity to share what he’s learned and help other people with their fitness goals. Next thing you know, kid #6 is asking kid #3 to go with him to pick out new running shoes. They even bought matching arm bands. 🙂 They have been out running together, with #3 showing #6 the proper stretches to do, and teaching him how to pace himself on those runs.
The first day I took them out for a run and got to see them jogging along beside each other, laughing and encouraging, the younger brother respecting and accepting the advice his older brother was sharing, the older one helping the younger with his questions and concerns…..wow! My heart was like -POW!- Harmony! There is was on the running path ahead of me. Parenting payday, as my friend Julie at BraveWriter likes to say. 🙂
At this age, guys are all having this uprising of their manliness. Everybody wants to be top dog. They want to know things and be respected for knowing things. They want leadership opportunities. They want other guys to see them for the cool people they are. And yet, when they are all wrapped up in protecting and advancing themselves, it’s hard to see the greatness of somebody else. You know? So when they can enjoy something together, and respect that the other one has something valuable to offer, it’s a win-win.
This experience gave me a new layer of understanding how to help my boys. Common interests are a great way to encourage them toward appreciating each other. That’s what grown guys do too, right? They hang with their hunting buddy or the guy who also likes to fix up cars or who they can go fishing with. So whether it’s one sib helping the other get past that tough level on their favorite video game, or showing them how to make that all-net shot on the basketball court, it seems like a great way to help them find a natural way to find common ground and get past the “I hate the way he breathes” state of being that can set in at home. Take ’em to the park, go for a hike, let them stay up a little later to bond over their victories on Destiny, clear off a table so they can play Settlers, spend the money on the new running shoes. Fostering these common interests and setting the stage so good stuff can happen is well worth the investment.
Parenting paydays don’t come around all the time, but when they do, they feel good and give us the fuel we need to keep going, don’t they? Have you had a parenting win lately? Tell me about it in the comments!
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.
Homeschool moms seem to always be toggling between capitalizing on the educational value of their child’s interests, and Making Sure We’re Getting Things Done. I know I do! 
