How long do you take for Christmas Break?

  There are several factors determining how long the Co-op takes for the Christmas break.  Friends belong to a Co-op which breaks six weeks between Thanksgiving and January.  Many Co-ops are off between three or four weeks.  Typically, we take off two weeks.  One factor is travel.  My husband and I do like to travel over Christmas.  I’m not going to lie.  Classes have been postponed when we arrived home sick.  Sometimes the winter weather extends Christmas.  But our goal is to resume classes the second week of January.  My husband, Rob, and I have a rough idea how long each unit or module takes.  The Co-op families want to finish by the end of May.  We try not to stretch the break.  

Why are three hours a day probably enough to home-school?

Update: The Chem group on Facebook reminded me of another distraction.  On the run up to Christmas teachers might add games, ugly sweater contests, etc to their movie roster.  (I did labs.  If the kids are distracted at least we were doing some chem.)  Yes, you do fun things all the time, too!  My point is that time spent in schools is not always well spent at all.  

In another life I taught in both public and private schools.  Class hours at school run about seven hours a day.  So why is three hours a day enough to home-school your kids?  Let me tell you, from my experience in the trenches, not every hour is well spent in a formal school setting.  There is a lot of time lost to class changes, drills, standardized testing, misbehavior, assemblies, spirit days, home-room, announcements, etc—the list is long.  Guess what?  Too many teachers run movies for days before any holiday break.  During the first week in a public school, we spent hours every morning in home-room completing forms.  Hours!  I tried to find creative things to do to fill the time.  I cannot tell you how many times the period before lunch was cut short for an emergency meeting about year-books, class meetings, or quick home-room.  Were you imagining that classes covered by a substitute were always productive?  Home-school families tend to focus on core subjects.  They invest in music lessons.  Their families read!  Kiddos are motivated to complete their school work because they can pursue their own interests.  Stay committed to three productive hours a day!  

Buy your kids a stack of books for Christmas!

Hear me out!  For years, I bought my kids stacks of books for Christmas.  I felt the number of presents was getting out of hand.  You can’t spoil kiddos with books.  I tried to pick books based on the child’s interests.  For example, a ten year old obsessed with American Girl dolls might love the books!  Yes, we bought used copies of books.  You can buy a fat stack of books used for $100.  What about the ‘I survived’ books?  What are your children’s interests?  Drawing?  Science?  Anatomy?  There’s a good book for any interest!

Shop now for next year’s textbooks.

 Our Co-op is determining next year’s courses.  Why?  We want to have plenty of time to select the textbooks and shop for decent prices.  I’m buying copies of Chemistry and Physics to teach Apologia’s Young Explorers course next year.  I like to have the textbooks on hand for the classes.  My target price is $10.  We’re planning three new middle school courses.  Right now, we’re buying a bunch of used textbooks for U.S.Government and American History.  We need time to determine the textbooks.  Think about your classes for next year.  You’ll have loads of time to shop for decent prices.  BTW ,y favorite sites for used textbooks are Thriftbooks, eBay, and Amazon.

Hillsdale Free College Courses

 Hillsdale College offers free college courses online.  The video courses are excellent.  Get a free account and try one!

Why I use Christian textbooks….

  I use Christian textbooks in science.  Why?  These textbooks have a Christian worldview.  We know God is the Creator.  His designs are imponderable.  Christian textbooks reflect our faith in every aspect of science.  I’m teaching Anatomy right now.  I tell the kids there is always more to learn.  Science is always trying to answer questions about how the human body works.  Our intricate bodies were designed by God.  Period.  We are in search of answers about systems mysteriously made.  I teach American Literature, too.  My friend, Jen, is teaching American History.  We had a friend, Jim, do a lecture on worldviews.  (Both of us use Stobaugh.)  Jim has loads of background in philosophy.  As he examined different worldviews I was struck by the fact that too many textbooks do not have a central worldview at all.  As a Christian, I want faith, hope, and charity to be part of our scope—regardless of the subject.  I want us to be guided by God.  What freedom it is to be able to say to the class that we are plumbing the depths of God’s infinite creation—in every subject.

VeggieTales!

 Are you a fan of VegggieTales? Our family is!  Did you know Good Will often has listings?  They do!  Take a look!  The prices on Good Will usually beat those at eBay.