Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
Vicki, last time you offered some tips on how organization can help homeschooling parents to approach the new school year with sanity intact. But what if it’s motivation, not organization, that’s lacking?

Vicki Bentley:
Well, Mike, subjects are always more interesting when they’re relevant to us, or can be tied to something that we’re passionate about. So, knowing our children’s interests can help us as parents get more excited about presenting a topic! For example, your roller coaster enthusiast might become more interested in physics introduced in the context of amusement park rides and the science behind them. Maybe a budding novelist learns editing and revision, literary style, word-processing and keyboarding, as he actually writes. In a room makeover, the child can pick his own paint, calculate the room square footage, the amount of paint needed, and then he can even total up the cost of the project.

Now, if it’s the parent feeling overwhelmed, check out the curriculum section at Early Years. There are lots of materials written specifically for homeschoolers. Literally scripted, some are lesson planned out for you—something out there is bound to be a good fit for your family!

You can also dangle the occasional carrot of a fun family project for closure, such as a medieval feast to finish a Middle Ages unit, or an off-the-wall holiday celebration, such as Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Keep things light for everybody in the family with fun and games in your homeschool.

Mike:
Vicki, thank you so much for sharing your experience with our listeners! Until next time, I’m Mike Smith.