Um....er...oh yeah.... guilty!
It was probably one of our worst homeschooling days
E-V-E-R! Everything that could go wrong did, resulting in one pile up after another.
Tears and fighting over school work
....and over chores
....and over conflict
....and over relationships
I think we hit every bump in the road that morning, plus made a few new pot holes of our own.
Everyone needed a time-out, including Mommy!
Thinking back over our morning, I grasped to understand why this day was so particularly horrible. And though the kids were definitely at their worst, I realized that the heart of the problem had to do with mine. My heart. My heart just wasn't into it.
Ever since my oldest started working almost exclusively on his own, (thus freeing me up to chase our toddler and keep him out of my middle two children's hair) my middle two children haven't had nearly as many hands-on activities and read alouds as in the past. I remembered fondly our best homeschooling days - those filled with hands-on fun and living books.
Without further prompting, I knew what I needed to do. And that was to teach from my heart.
A story about a one room
schoolhouse in Alaska!
My kids were ecstatic!
My daughter making a salt dough relief map
After a brief look at Alaskan geography, my middles took to creating their own relief maps, my toddler to play with a handful of dough and all to listening to a great book.
The result?
The return of love, tranquility and learning for my children. And for me, the return of a passionate heart for teaching my children.
Salt map of Alaska
What began as horrible, monstrous, and disastrous ended as wonderful, peaceful, and fulfilling!
Matthew 6:21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.SPECIAL OFFER FOR Homeschool Circus SUBSCRIBERS through October 31: Use code LISAtips for a $19.99 discount when you buy any curriculum CD Library plus Spanish Empire library. This post written and property of Homeschool Circus and can be found at: www.upatdawnreadytowork.com.
