Tips for Home Learning

Many of us are tucked in at home these days and for some, like our family, routines are not too terribly different. We already school at home, my husband & I work from home and my parents and brother's family live right next door. 

For others, however, jobs and school are all moving homeward and you may be wondering just what to do with yourselves! 

My parents always say we are "blessed to be a blessing" and so I wanted to share some of the resources that we use regularly in homeschooling and home-based living that might be of some help during this extra time spent at home!

Here are some helpful resources for doing life, from home.

1. Exploring Nature With Children

This is easily my favourite resource that I've come across in 6 years of homeschooling my son. Exploring Nature With Children is a complete, year-long curriculum from Raising Little Shoots that we are now in our second year of. (When we finish it, we just start it right back up again and it always feels new). 

This curriculum is everything I love; simple, fun & creative! It is a weekly, nature exploration plan for children and families of all ages (I actually think it would even be fun to do on your own, as an adult!). Each week you walk through the same nature trail in your area (can even be your backyard) and discover a new piece of nature to study. There are poems, book lists, songs, art work & lots of extension activities for each topic. 

We always end up painting what we see, too (pictured above) - this curriculum can easily be science, language arts, art and even P.E. if you walk far enough!

This program can easily stretch into a week's worth of activities, every week, for a year and will surely be a fun use of home time! There is even a fun hashtag to follow on Instagram to see what everyone else is up to with this program! #ENWC

Download the PDF here, for $18.

2. Wild + Free

Wild & Free is more of a resource for parents to gain ideas - but their entire focus is to get outside with your kids and be just that...wild and free! Who couldn't use a bit more of that?

Wild + Free has an endless stream of ideas for thriving together at home and outdoors.  Find them on Instagram @wildandfree.co. There you will find nature based ideas for simple handcrafts, recipes, outdoor exploration and lots of other activities based around home learning. They have some online courses for kids as well as beautiful community filled with connection points for mamas.

They also have monthly bundles you can subscribe to, where you receive beautifully curated magazines, full of inspiration and ideas for connecting with your children and being wild and free!

My friends Sarah, Marla & Louise and I run a Wild & Free Group chapter here in our area, and we can't wait to get back to our regular nature hikes and exploration dates! (Find us on Instagram under the hashtag #wildandfreeislandkids to see some of our adventures together!).

3. The Nature, Food & Farm Anatomy Series by Julia Rothman

We love these books. Julia Rothman is an incredible artist and has put together 3 books that beautifully combine art & science. The simple artwork and artistic expression bring biology themes to life in a whole new way!

Our family uses her Nature Anatomy book on a regular basis and it takes such little preparation to incorporate this into your learning. We have taken single pages of her book and turned them into experiments and entire units, sometimes! 

Earlier this year we learned about cloud patterns and crafted the different shapes of clouds out of bead foam, guided by the pictures in the book (pictured above)!

I recommend the Nature Anatomy book to start with, available here. If you are keen to pick them all up, the full set of Julia Rothman's Anatomy Series is available, here. 

4. Create-Your-Own-Unit-Study

This is a method I use in our homeschool every single term. Led by the idea of interest-based-learning, I either sit my son down to see what he wants to learn about, or I just choose a topic that I know he is interested in and begin gathering activities on that topic. I try to incorporate most subjects into this topic (even math!) and then the fun begins!

We create journal entries & art projects, find research opportunities, online worksheets & videos all based on our topic and then...get learning!

A really fun way to end your unit is to find a movie that focuses somehow on your topic of choice. The kids will feel so good about all they know on the topic when they take in the movie! (Ie. Study Rio de Janerio and then cuddle up at the end of the unit and watch "Rio"!).

As a homeschool mama with a very busy life schedule, this "home" time of life is really a big blessing for me - the gift of time to explore more of what we really want to do, instead of just what we feel we "should" be doing! No rushing around anywhere, we have time to spend 3 weeks learning every single thing there is to know about...pugs or rocket ships or Ancient Egypt! 

The final resources I've listed below will really be a help to you in gathering resources and putting together your own fun unit study to learn about...whatever you want!

5. Teachers Pay Teachers

TPT is a rich resource that I pull from often in my homeschooling. They offer over 3 million free and paid resources for every subject and every age of child - and the best part is, it is all created by teachers and home educators. The company's motto is "Unlocking the Collective Wisdom of Teachers", which I love.

You can use TPT to download single worksheets to fill the space of an hour, entire unit studies to work on all month or single items and inspiration to create your own unit. (More on that below).

6. Mystery Science

This fun website is packed with ideas for science experiments and at home research to do! What kid doesn't love to explode a volcano made of baking soda and vinegar or learn more about what makes you hiccup?

They are even offering free K-5 Science lessons right now. Definitely worth exploring!

7. Right Now Media

Missing church right now? Right Now Media is an online library of Bible studies and faith videos with a wonderful children's section. They are being wonderful and also offering free access right now to those who don't have an account.

Click here to sign up for free with Right Now Media.

8. Pinterest

If you are a mom, you undoubtedly have boards on Pinterest filled with fashion, food and ideas for your dream home reno - but there are also endless (and often free) educational resources available on Pinterest, too! 

A virtual inspiration board, Pinterest is a great place to go to find ideas. Searches like "Grade 5 Ancient Greece" or "Preschool Butterfly Art" will provide you with endless ideas to do on your own or add to any unit you are working on! 

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I hope these resources and ideas help you with some creative new ideas for learning at home together! I'd love to hear about how you're all learning at home, whether you've been doing it for years or are just stepping into it tomorrow morning! 

Have so much fun!

Love from,

(PS. Fun tip, in gathering links and hashtags for these resources, I remembered that our family has a little hashtag to keep all our homeschool photo memories - find it on Instagram here @ #happyhomelearner !  You can also find me on Instagram at @lovefromvalerie!. )

to the mom of one

It can be a lonely thing to be a mom of just one child.

Not for the child -- the way that so many think.
Not for the mama at home -- you are rarely alone when you have just one as you are so often the playmate.

But amongst other mothers? Most definitely.

We live in a mom-focused society. It's never been more fashionable to have a baby on your hip, or a troupe of children walking down the street with you.
There are so many things geared and focused at moms & mom-life - and when you partake in them with "just one", so often you are looked at with the look of -- "oh...you just have...one?".

Hands up if you've heard "Don't you think he wants a brother or sister?" or "You are SO LUCKY to just have one! I don't know what I'd do with all that spare time if I only had ONE!".

It's as if you are the quiet sideshow, a "less-than", in a community of women raising many children. This person who only has to raise one child.

And of course nobody means any harm by saying these things - they never do. But the feelings still arise. Feelings of comparison, that we all struggle with as moms, are mixed in with feelings of inadequacy and feelings of guilt for not having, or maybe not wanting, more than one.

In reality, life as a mom to one is not that different from life as mom of many. Sure, our day-to-day activities are probably very different but - as far as motherhood goes -- We all worry, we all play... we all buy diapers and wipes and toys and clothes...We bandage skinned knees, we drive to soccer and ballet, we save for college...We are all moms.

So, to the mom of the only child:

You -and your child- are enough.

Your child is not spoiled. You are not "so lucky" to only have one. We are ALL lucky to have any children; whether one or five. You are...a mom. You have a child, just like all the other moms. You worry the same, you hurt the same, you play, you laugh, you care-for the same.... just like all moms.

You are a mom. And that is enough.
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Thoughts: This Path We're On...

January 26, 2017. 1:00am.
Those first steps out of the hospital doors that night felt so much like the day we first took him home as a new babe. We were standing in the same place, eyes wide with excitement; with this precious life to care for. We felt the incredible weight of responsibility paired with this new depth of a love we had never known before. The only difference between this night, and that day in 2009, is that this time, instead of excitement, we were wide eyed with an overwhelm of information & unsettling fear that I truly thought would never leave me.

That night at the hospital was filled with testing, waiting, wondering, listening, comprehending...a few tears...and one shot of insulin that would become the first of hundreds to come. (He will have had over 1,200 injections by Christmas).

Once we got home, we put him to bed and then...we cried. Well, I cried. My husband held my hand, lay beside me, hugged me and held back the tears that I know he wanted to let out, too. We cried, we watched, and I laid awake, checking every few minutes for a sweaty brow or a shaky body... it was more than I thought I could ever learn to handle.

The following morning, we began what would be our new routine: finger prick - test sugars - count carbs - injection - eat (repeat...and repeat and repeat). I will never forget that first injection I gave him: shaky hands, nauseous stomach, trying to hide tears from my little one as I lifted his shirt & poked his skin. It felt wrong. I knew the insulin would help, and this was all for good, but I felt so wrong - inflicting the (albeit, small amount of) pain that my child was cringing over. Giving him a needle. Mums are supposed to be the hand-holders in those moments, not the needle-givers.

I was grieving so many small things that week. So many comforts that I had become used to - so many eases of every day.  As I said before, I thought, "surely I will never be able to handle all this".

> > > Fast Forward > > >

April 1, 2017. 10:22pm.
I sit here, beside my husband, both of us finishing up some writing on our computers. Our little one is sleeping in his bed - and all is...normal.

Normal...whew.

I did wonder if we would ever feel normal again; I honestly wondered if I'd ever even breath again. I couldn't imagine being anything but worried in the future (In my irrational worrisome nature, I even gave thought to rearranging my schedule so that I could sit in the car outside of all his lessons & playdates...).

They say hindsight is 20/20 - (they say a lot of things, don't they...) but, what is foresight? Because mine was just so off. I could never have pictured us here, back to feeling like "us". Not worried about every little moment. Making it through the highs & low's (and I'm not talking figuratively this time!) and being...okay. I pictured a struggle for every injection, a scared child, a whole new menu of foods, endless doctor's appointments. When I looked 2017 in the face, I saw worry & overwhelm clouding every corner. I just couldn't have imagined...peace.

And yet, it always shows up. (Why do we always wonder?)

Peace.

I really couldn't have imagined it. Me? A worrier in the truest sense of the word, experiencing peace - through this? ...I could never have imagined it.

...but, then, as always...entering quietly in the depths of my heart...Jesus. The One who can grant peace where peace seems impossible. The One who can calm a raging sea. Jesus came & covered me with peace when I thought that any chance of it was gone...

"He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ask or think!" -Ephesians 3:20

I know it won't always be a peaceful path that we walk and changes will surface over the course of the year and years to come, but, diabetes was not nearly the worst news we could have received from the doctor that night. So many parents have experienced so much worse. So many long to be parents, so many wish they still had their child with them to even worry about... No question, Diabetes or not...we are blessed. As my sweet Irish grandpa said every day "No complaints, whatsoever".

So, no complaints - not even one.

Here we are, 2 months later, feeling, both, back to our normal selves - and yet completely anew...and I have to say I like it. I can feel God's peace in my heart in a new way than ever before - and it all came through this trial.

I love the line in the song "Through It All" that goes "I thank Him for my mountains & I thank Him for my valleys, I thank Him for the storms He brought me through - 'cause if I never had a problem, I wouldn't know that God could solve them...I wouldn't know what faith in God could do."

Such a perfect line that sums it all right up. I have seen yet another beautiful side of my Jesus, through this - and I hold Him even closer to my heart now.

Watching God work is amazing. To watch your heart go from broken pieces to a beautiful mosaic of trust & peace, is the most beautiful thing you can imagine, and, if this is what our trials can bring us to, it might just be worth it.

XO,
Love from Valerie

Ideas: 14 Random Acts of Kindness to Carry Out This Valentine's Day (Kid-Friendly!)

I love Valentine's Day! Actually - I love all holidays (I'm already looking forward to our Earth Day crafts!). There's usually not much going on at our house for V-day, but, I am all about the love - so we often try to think of other fun ways to celebrate. Growing up, my mom always encouraged us to do random acts of kindness. Fun story, she once initiated a "Kindness Club" in my class to try & unite the catty girls in 3rd grade. Go mama, I think I would have done the same thing!

Valentine's Day can be super fun & romantic (we got engaged on Valentine's Day, 10 years ago!), but it can also be a little lonely and even disappointing. If you are expecting flowers & candy and all you get is dishes & laundry (can I get a witness?!)...maybe it's time to cheer someone else up. They say that making someone smile is the best medicine, anyway! So, gather a few supplies this weekend, hop in the car on Feb.14th & try out some of these suggestions!

Here are 14 Random Acts of Kindness to Try This Valentine's Day...

1. Vending Machine Love. Put $2 inside a Ziplock Bag & tape it to a vending machine at the mall or the movie theatre. You know you will make the day of someone who is digging through their pockets for that spare change. (For extra love? Attach a note saying "Enjoy your treatie, sweetie!")
2. Cookie Love. Bake a batch of cookies the night before, wrap a few of them up all pretty with wax paper & baker's twine and drop the sweet packages on the door steps of your neighbours on Valentine's morning. Who wouldn't want to wake up to COOKIES with their morning paper! (*Extra Love? Attach a note saying, "Have a LOVEly day, neighbour!")
3. Drive-Thru Love. By now I think we've all heard of the Drive-Thru Difference - why not extend that hand this Valentine's Day? Offer to pay for the car behind you in your morning coffee run. If you're short on cash, order a $5 gift card and ask the cashier to give it to the car behind you to help with their order! (*Extra Love? To make it more fun for the kiddos, drive up an extra 2 feet, roll down the back window & let them place the order!)
4. Letter Love. Is anything sweeter than a hand-written letter? Why not write a letter to someone you appreciate (a friend, a grandparent, a teacher...), or to someone you know may be down & out this V-day? Whether it's you who writes from the heart, or y'all break out the crayons & let the littles have at it - who wouldn't want to receive some handwritten love Valentine's Day? (*Extra Love? Add some candy, of course!)
5. First-Responder Love. Stop by Starbucks for some short hot chocolates (they are the cutest things!) & drop them off at your local Police Station or Firehouse. These men & women are such hard workers and their days can always use a little more love! (And honestly, what mama wouldn't mind a visit with a Fireman on Valentine's Day! ;) (*Extra Love? <--- See previous sentence!)
6. Feathered Friends Love. Get out your birdseed, friends! Whether you buy a new birdhouse, fill up your hummingbird feeder, put out some suet, or make one of these little DIY bird-feeders - you know the birdies will thank you, this Valentine's Day, for the love! (*Extra Love? Have some friends over & make it a bird-brained Valentine's craft party!)
7. Library Love. If you're like me, you always have at least a few dollars in late fees at the local library (what is with that?!). Why not pop in on February 14th & leave $10 with the librarian for that next mama who comes in? Let your kids lead in handing over the money, and then ask the librarian to please use it to pay off the next person who comes in with late fees. It will be sure to make someone's day a little brighter. (*Extra Love? Bring in a chocolate lollipop for the librarian, as well!)
8. Hospital Love. Thankfully, we haven't spent a full overnight in the hospital, but we can relate to the uncertainty & loneliness that your little one feels in a hospital room. If you have a healthy child this Valentine's, why not write up a batch of Valentine's cards & drop them off at the Paediatric Ward of your local hospital? (*For extra love - stop by the dollar store & pick up some stuffed animals for extra cuddles on love day!)
9. Parks & Rec Love. Love your local park? Grab some rubber gloves & trash bags and give a gift to your neighbourhood by cleaning up the park! Pick up the trash, clean the gravel off of the slide, while you're at it - give the parking lot a little sweep! (*Extra Love? Bring along friends & play at the park when you're done! Just don't leave your garbage behind!)
10. Babysitting Love. Call a friend (or just drop by) & offer to babysit her littles while she goes out to celebrate a few hours on Valentine's. Whether she has a hubby to bring along or will just enjoy a coffee in peace - she will be sure to come back home feeling loved. (*Extra Love? Bring her flowers, too!)
11. Telephone Love. In a world where EVERYTHING is typed and hardly anything is actually spoken, how nice would it be to receive a phone call "just because"? Pick up the phone this Valentine's and make a few phone calls, just to tell the people you love, that you love them! (*Extra Love? Arrange a coffee visit, while you're at it! The true "Face Time"!)
12. Mama Love. Leave a little post-it note on the *clean* side of a change-table in the public family bathroom that says "You're a great mom. (Yeah, you!)" (*Extra Love? Attach a $5 Starbucks card to make it that much sweeter)
13. Shopping Cart Love. Hang out in the parking lot of your local grocery store for 15 minutes after your shop & go gather all the loose carts spread throughout the lot. Your kids will love racing the carts to the "finish line"! (*Extra Love? Leave a little treat on the handle bars of one of the carts for the next shopper to enjoy!)
14. Puppy Love. Love your furry friends? Stop by your local SPCA & ask if they need help walking dogs. If it's not 'dog walking time' when you arrive, you know there is an animal there in need of a good cuddle. Settle in for a spell and get ready to be licked! (*Extra Love? Take one home!!!)

Hopefully you can go out & try some (or all) of these ideas this Valentines Day & spread the love! And - don't forget to take your little one out for a random act of kindness of their own! (Ice Cream date anyone?!).

XOXO,

Love From,

Valerie