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The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment: Unwelcome Attitude Changes

January 16, 2015 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Today is the last day of our series The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment! And today we’re talking about the last thing we’ve noticed since our kids have been in school: unwelcome attitude changes.

It’s no secret that all kids act out on occasion and ours have been no strangers to that rule. We’ve dealt with quite a few tantrums over the years, but we’d settled into a fairly comfortable routine as a family. After our kids started going to school, though, we noticed some sudden and glaring changes.

While we weren’t shocked by these changes, we were certainly less than thrilled. And it’s taken us a while to get back to our original comfortable routine. But we’re definitely on our way now. Here is how we’ve dealt with the unwelcome attitude changes that have popped up since our kids have been in public school.

Image: altanaka / Dollar Photo Club

The Sudden Appearance of Backtalk

We have never really had to deal with backtalk from our kids. After they started going to public school, though, we started to hear it for the first time. I wish someone had taken a picture of my face the first time Tigger said with a sigh and an eye roll, “I didn’t mean THAT, Mom.” I’m fairly certain my jaw was lying on the floor.

After recovering from my initial shock, I managed to ask “Excuse me?” I guess my face showed my abject horror, because Tigger immediately backtracked and rephrased her original comment. Still, Jay and I had to talk with each of the children in turn about picking up disrespectful speech from their classmates. We addressed it every single time we saw it. Every single time. And slowly, it’s loosening its death grip on our household.

Dealing with Irritability

Another issue we noticed was serious irritability. Pooh and Roo would wake up and immediately begin arguing as they got dressed. As soon as the kids got in the van at the end of the school day, Tigger and Pooh would instantly begin interrupting each other. It was awful.

We chalked a lot of the irritability up to the sudden change in schedule and their new homework responsibilities. But any life change is going to bring its own challenges and going to school was a HUGE change for them. Since we don’t have as much time together during the day as we used to, we have to make the most of what we have by sharing family dinners, giving the kids time to unwind individually, and getting them to bed at an early hour. Now that we make those things a priority, the irritability seems to be decreasing.

Have your children ever picked up negative character traits from other kids (in public school or elsewhere)? How do you handle it? Let us know in the comments!

This post is part of the series “The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment“! I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading it! Read about our other adventures in trying public school for the first time!

Renewing Your Home and Your Homeschool with Family Fun Friday!

January 15, 2015 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

Hi everyone! Welcome to another edition of Family Fun Friday! We loved last week’s posts and we’ve picked our favorites to share with you all today!

I also wanted to share a simple decluttering plan that I’m doing in 2015: Declutter 52! As a mom with ADHD, it doesn’t take much for me to get overwhelmed. And I’ve seen lots of great decluttering plans for the entire year. But, honestly, I’m at a point where seeing something that spells out the next 52 weeks makes me hyperventilate…lol.

So, I’m doing something quite a bit simpler. Want to hear more? 🙂

Image: Joseph Helfenberger / Dollar Photo Club

Declutter 52

Here’s how Declutter 52 works:

You get rid of one bag per week.

That’s it. One bag. Each week. We can do that, right?

There’s only one special rule: If you bring home a bag (buy something new), you have to get rid of three bags that week. The goal is to get rid of old stuff, not just replace it!

I’ll be sharing my Declutter 52 images on Instagram, so if you join, feel free to do the same!

And now….this week’s edition of Family Fun Friday!

I’m not homeschooling right now, but I’m busy gathering ideas and inspiration for when we resume learning at home. I definitely want to think outside the box this time around and avoid falling into the same old stale routine. So, if you’re looking to add a spark into your homeschooling schedule, I’m happy to feature some great ideas for renewing your homeschool!


Monica created Family Fun Friday and blogs at HappyandBlessedHome.com where she shares free preschool tools and printables, encouraging words for moms, and ideas for having fun together as a family. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram. Monica will feature Family Fun Posts.

Selena is a homeschooling graduate and a veteran homeschooling mom to four super special kids. She blogs at Look! We’re Learning! about unit studies, foreign language, and homeschooling with ADHD. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Selena will be featuring homeschooling and kids’ crafts.


Herchel enjoys blogging about parenting, organizing, crafting, and having good old-fashioned kid fun her blog Scrggbug Corner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google +. Herchel will feature organizing and family fun.

Britta was a military kid and is a military wife, now living in the high desert of Arizona and far, far from her New Orleans family. She happily homeschools and writes about the intersection of God’s Word and her world at Britta Lafont ~ Everyday Holiness. This year Britta wants to find that sweet spot between getting more done and enjoying the process. Britta will feature Delicious Recipes. Follow: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram.

Christin blogs at illuminate. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to three premature children, she’s learned that God is the Perfect Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter. Christen will feature Inspirational Posts.

Special Guest Co-host! Nicolette Roux blogs at PowerfulMothering.com sharing simple and easy art, crafts & activities for ages 0-5! Learn through play with free printables and occupy the littles with no sew quiet books. Explore kitchen play with taste safe sensory alternatives. Nicolette is the author of Rice Play, 99 Fine Motor Ideas for Ages 1-5 as well as The Blog Planner. Follow: Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Email

Here are my favorite posts for this week!

1. We’ve made DIY play dough, but I love to get new recipes, especially for sensory play! Teaching Mama has a great Peppermint Cocoa Cloud Dough recipe which sounds wonderful!

2. If you’re teaching world history to your kids, make it fun with these free World Explorer Printables from Write Bonnie Rose!

3. One of the goals of homeschooling is to help kids learn how to play and work independently. Caroline Nixon has some great suggestions for encouraging Independent Play in Children!

4. Are you feeling like giving up on homeschooling? Before you do, check out this encouraging and heartfelt post from Science Kiddo “The Week I Gave Up on Homeschooling!”

5. Science is not one of my favorite subjects to teach, so I love any post with tips for teaching science. The Sunny Patch has a helpful look at how to teach about Rocks and Minerals using an Interest-Led approach!

6. Learning comes in all different styles and finding out how our kids learn is the key to homeschooling success, especially in the long run. Mimi and the Grands provides a great tutorial on how to create a Multiple Intelligences Lesson Plan!

Were you featured? Grab the Family Fun Friday button below!

Stop by to see what my co-hosts are spotlighting this week!

Bloggers are invited to share their best family-friendly and mom-inspiring posts in the link-up below.

Link guidelines:

Link your post.
Link back to the link party.
Follow your host(s).
Spread the word. Share and pin your favorites.
Mingle! Bloggers love comments.
Grab a button.
If you link up, you permit the hosts of Family Fun Friday to use your pictures/ideas as part of future posts and/or social media.

Family Fun Friday is a growing link-up with over 200 bloggers sharing their posts each week. Each host shares her favorites from the week before, increasing your chances of being featured. Co-hosts will also be pinning their favorites to a community Family Fun Pinterest Board. This link party opens up at around 4 pm EST on Thursdays.

Please be aware that by linking in Family Fun Friday you give our hosts permission to use your images to create a collage for our features. We may also use the collage to promote Family Fun Friday through our individual social media accounts.

The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment: Plenty of Alone Time! Or Not

January 15, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

We’re on to Day 5 of The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment! Today I’m giving you an honest look at all that “alone time” you picture when you think about sending your kids to public school.

On some of my worst homeschooling days, I’d fantasize about how “free” I’d be if my kids were in school. I’d have hours of solitude to get the house cleaned, plan meals, and even go shopping if I wanted! I’d read books I’d always wanted to read. I’d finish knitting the afghan I’ve been working on for over a year. I’d even think about painting the walls in my house. (Something I’ve never done.)

Of course, that didn’t happen. I do get more alone time during the day, but it comes with a HUGE catch. Here’s my take on the plenty of alone time you get when your kids are in public school.

How I Spend My Days

Bear in mind that I still have Miss Piglet (who’s 2), so I don’t have quite the break that I’d have if all of my kids were in school. But I will say that having a house with one toddler in it during the day is FAR quieter than a house with four kids.

Generally, I drop the kids off at 7:15 and make it back home by 7:30. I get Piglet settled with breakfast and I start cleaning the kitchen. Piglet and I spend time watching JW Broadcasting, then we color and read a Bible Story. This takes a couple of hours. I make her a snack, then she takes a nap around 10:30.

Now I get to enjoy that vaunted “alone time”, right? Yes and no. I get about an hour and a half alone while Piglet naps, but here’s how I usually spend it: Doing laundry. Our kids’ school requires uniforms, so I end doing laundry and ironing more than I’ve ever done in my life as a mother. (Our kids often did school while still in their PJs.) If I’m actually caught up on laundry, I start on MY school assignments.

I make time to do something I want for half an hour (usually reading or taking a nap), then I get Piglet up, make lunch, and straighten up the kitchen yet again. By then, it’s time to get the kids. Seriously.

How My Evenings Became Even Busier

So, yes, I do get alone time in a way. But here’s yet another catch: My evenings are busier than ever. By the time we finish homework, it’s time to make dinner. And we have to cram in all the talking we used to do during the day around the dinner table. After dinner, the kids get about half an hour to unwind, then they get ready for bed. By the time they go to sleep, it’s time for me to finish up my schoolwork and get ready for the next day.

The quiet time during the day that I get is really helpful while I’m in school, though. Just having time to think clearly about what I want to do and how to go about it makes the evenings run much more smoothly. And after I’m done with school this spring, I’ll probably be able to enjoy that alone time a little more. 🙂

If your kids have ever gone to public school, did you find that you had more alone time? How did you use it? Do you miss it at all? Share your experiences in the comments!

This post is part of the series “The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment“! Read about our other adventures in trying public school for the first time!

The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment: Dealing with Homework

January 14, 2015 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Welcome to another entry in The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment series! Today, we’re all about the word school-aged kids dread: HOMEWORK.

The very concept of homework was somewhat alien to our kids. They knew kids who had homework, but the experience of doing it was a novel one. I mean, when you’re homeschooling, all of your work is homework by default, right? And, even when I did assign independent work, it was still done during school hours. So – the notion of coming home from a full day of school and still having work to do was something new for them.

I think we got to day 3 or 4 of public school before someone said the sentence “I hate homework!” Day 3 or 4. So it was clear we’d have to make a few changes to help them adjust. Here’s a bit about how we helped our kids to start dealing with homework.

Image: fcscafeine / Dollar Photo Club

The Amount of Homework Kids Have

I honestly had no idea how much homework kids in public school were doing on a weekly basis. As homeschoolers, we were blissfully ignorant of the trend toward lengthier assignments. Roo, who’s in kindergarten, has math and reading homework four days a week. This wasn’t a shock to me, because I’d heard of kindergarten homework from other parents, but it was still a difficult transition, especially at first.

Pooh has homework in two to three subjects each day. But he has been extremely diligent about completing it each afternoon. He forgot his homework assignment sheet at school one day last week and I thought he was about to hyperventilate. His teacher emailed it to us (another new thing that didn’t happen when I was in school) and he was fine. 🙂

Tigger, though, has been a different story. She has quite a bit of homework to complete everyday. She’s in fourth grade, which means that she has higher standards to meet (naturally) but she is also required to complete a certain amount of reading each afternoon. Generally, she finishes her homework just in time to help with dinner. Since she has ADHD, it’s a little harder for her to maintain the focus needed to complete everything in a timely manner.

How We Cope with Homework

The biggest thing that’s helped our kids cope with homework is having them get started on it as soon as humanly possible. Since they’re usually hungry, they have a quick snack when they come in the door so they can recharge and talk about their days. Then it’s homework time.

Roo and Pooh have the luxury of receiving the entire week’s worth of homework at a time, so we encourage them to do more than one day’s assignment. That way, they have very little to do on Thursday, which is a meeting night for us.

Tigger only receives one day’s worth of homework at a time, so she can’t really plan ahead like that. However, the school issues agendas for the kids, in which they’re supposed to write down their assignments each day and check them off as they complete them. I LOVE THAT. It’s great practice for high school and college work, and it teaches them to keep track of their own assignments. That will definitely come in handy once we resume homeschooling, right? 🙂

If you have kids in public school, how do you help them deal with homework? Share any tips or suggestions you have in the comments!

This post is part of the series “The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment“! Read about our other adventures in trying public school for the first time!

The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment: Adjusting Our Schedule

January 13, 2015 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Welcome to another entry in The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment series! Today, I’m sharing how we had to adjust our schooling and living schedule to make room for public school.

It’s also time for another edition of the Laugh and Learn linky, so be sure to check out our favorites from last week and read some great new posts this week!

Since we’d been homeschooling from birth, adjusting to a public school schedule was a MAJOR event in our family. Honestly, I had forgotten how much of my day revolved around school as a child. During the week, school pretty much consumed my waking hours. It’s only gotten worse since then.

Here’s a look at how we had to adjust our schedule when we took a break from homeschooling and enrolled our kids in public school.

Getting Up Earlier

First, we had to start getting everyone up earlier. A LOT earlier. Generally, we allowed the kids to wake up on their own (usually around 8 a.m.) and then we’d start our morning routine. Fortunately, our kids’ school is located less than a mile from our house. But we still have to get everyone up no later than 6:30 a.m. so that they could make it to school in time for breakfast.

Apparently, they got the most important sleep of the night during that last hour and a half. Because without it, I have some seriously grouchy little ones. Pooh, in particular, has had a difficult time adjusting to rising that early. Sometimes, I actually have to shake him awake.

Reshaping Our Afternoons

I figured that the morning overhaul would be the biggest adjustment, but I was wrong. I had no idea how much homework kids receive these days. Even Roo has homework and he’s in kindergarten.

So, when I pick them up, I bring them home for a snack. (They’re always starving, because they eat lunch at 10:10 a.m. Truly.) After they have a snack, they get right on their homework. I’ll talk more about how we adjusted to the very idea of homework in another post. In general, homework takes about an hour, sometimes more for Tigger, and then they get a chance to unwind before dinner.

What Happened to Our Weekends?

I didn’t even consider that our weekends would be affected by public school, but they are. I had seriously taken for granted how much homeschooling helped me with errands. Now, I have to wait until the weekend to take the kids shopping for anything. Of course, every other person in our town is also shopping on weekends, so those trips now take three times as long. Fun!

If you have kids in public school, I’d love to hear how you tweaked your daily schedule to make room for their assignments. Let me know in the comments!

This post is part of the series “The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment“! Read about our other adventures in trying public school for the first time!

And now it’s time for the Laugh and Learn linkup! 🙂

Welcome to our 15th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup. Join us in the fun and help us spread the word! Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our three favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on three blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.

Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!

Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.

Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of January 12th:

Written by Sheila at Brain Power Boy

Written by Annette at In All You Do

Written by Brand New Mom at Brand New Mom

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment: School Shopping on a Budget

January 12, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

When you have the bright idea to start public school in the middle of the school year, you kind of miss out on all the back-to-school sales. So, we had to cut a few financial corners to afford school shopping. But we managed to get it done!

If you decide to put your children in school suddenly, you may be shocked at the amount of supplies they need. I know I was. The supply list for our kids’ school included all kinds of things that used to be available free of charge: reams of copier paper, for example. Plus, the school follows a uniform dress code. Naturally, as homeschoolers, we had no uniforms.

So if we were going to make our Great Homeschool Public School Experiment a success, we were going to have to learn how to go school shopping on a budget. Here are a few tips that helped us out a bunch!

Image: freepeoplea / Dollar Photo Club

School Shopping on a Budget

1. Raid your homeschool closet.

The first place we started “shopping” was in our homeschool closet. We had been homeschooling for six years, so we had tons of pencils, crayons, and markers. Before you buy a thing, look at the supplies you already have and then just purchase what you don’t have hiding away behind schoolbooks.

2. Use the Dollar Store to the fullest.

Our kids’ school supply list called for name-brand items: Lysol wipes, Expo dry-erase markers, etc. After pricing these items on Amazon and then panicking as I imagined the cost of multiplying these things by three, I talked with a few veteran public school moms. They quickly calmed me down by directing me to the local Dollar Store.

I found just about every single cleaning item there (generic branded, but still). So, if you’ve worried about name-brand items, they’ll take the store brand ones. Never fear. 😉 Another tip I got was to buy one of each item and then wait for the teachers to ask for the items they need throughout the year. That cut down our initial cost of supplies considerably.

3. Buy used uniforms, if you can.

If your school requires uniforms, you may be able to find used uniforms at second-hand or consignment stores. The school my kids attend does not require special patches or insignia, so all I needed were the right color and style clothing items for each child. I stopped at Goodwill first. And, fortunately, I found a few shirts and pants right away.

What I couldn’t find used, I bought from Old Navy. Kids’ uniforms are very, very cheap there. 😉

Have you had to cut corners to afford school supplies? How did you do it? Share your tips in the comments!

This post is part of the series “The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment“! Read about our other adventures in trying public school for the first time!

Free Printable Flashcards: Ser and Estar Flashcards

January 6, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

¡Hola, todos! It’s time for another edition of our Free Printable Flashcards series!

This week, I’m sharing a free set of ser and estar flashcards, which are great if you’re learning español!

Ser and estar are very important verbs in Spanish, but it’s easy to confuse them. Although they have the same basic meaning, they are used in different settings.

Also, they are conjugated differently, so if you’re talking about yourself, you use one form of ser or estar and if you’re talking about someone else, you use a different conjugation for each one.

These printable Spanish flashcards are awesome for young ones (and adults) who are working on memorizing these basic Spanish verb conjugations!

Want more printables for learning Spanish? Don’t miss our Spanish family words worksheets and our printable Spanish verbs flashcards!

Learn how to use Spanish verbs for to be with these free ser and estar flashcards!

Free Spanish Ser and Estar Flashcards

To use these flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Learning the difference between the verbs ser and estar is a huge stumbling block for a lot of Spanish students.

The problem is that both verbs literally mean “to be”, so it’s very easy to mix them up.

The trick is learning when to use each one, since they’re reserved for specific contexts and meanings.

If you’re unfamiliar with the usages of ser and estar, SpanishDict has a great primer you can use to learn the basics.

Printable Flashcards for Learning Ser and Estar

In the meantime, grab our free flashcards to learn how to conjugate each verb correctly for the appropriate pronoun, such as yo (I), tú (informal you), and nosotros (we).

The pack includes one set of flashcards featuring the Spanish forms of ser and their English equivalents and a second set of cards featuring the forms of estar.

There is also a set of blank cards with just the Spanish conjugations, which kids can use to memorize their English meanings.

What we did was laminate the ser and estar flashcards that included Spanish and English.

We left the set of just Spanish cards unlaminated, so the kids could copy down the vocabulary themselves.

Scroll down to get your printable ser and estar flashcards!

Be sure to see these other Spanish learning resources!

Help early learners build a daily routine with these English and Spanish daily routine cards!

These printable Spanish zoo animal flashcards are so much fun for kids who are learning Spanish!

Teach children how to identify community workers in both Spanish and English with these Spanish community helper worksheets!

Ser and Estar Flashcards - Free printable flashcards for learning ser and estar conjugations in Spanish!

To get your set of printable Spanish ser and estar flashcards, click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter – coming this Sunday!

Click here to get your printable resource

>>> Spanish Ser and Estar Flashcards <<<

52 Weeks to a Healthier You: Take an Honest Health Self-Assessment

January 5, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Happy Monday all! Welcome to Week 1 of our year-long series: 52 Weeks to a Healthier You! Today we’re starting with our very first step: taking an honest health self-assessment.

In the past, I’ve often jumped right into a new workout plan or a new diet without taking the time to look at myself to see what I’m doing (and not doing) right now. Naturally, the few healthy changes I would make wouldn’t last for very long.

So, this time I’m starting by looking at my lifestyle, including my good and bad habits, to see what I’d like to change. That way, I can decide how to go about changing them for good.

Disclaimer: I am not a health or fitness expert. Please consult a medical professional before starting any new health or fitness regimen.

Image: NOBU / Dollar Photo Club

Your Honest Health Self-Assessment

Current Health

First, let’s talk about our current health. Use our free Honest Health Self-Assessment Exercise to record the following:

Age:

Height:

Current weight:

Goal weight:

If you’re unsure about your goal weight, try this BMI calculator to find out what weight range is healthy for your height and body type. (NOTE: I do not believe that BMI is the absolute best way to calculate health. Sometimes it can be really off. But if you’re unsure about where to begin, it may give you a good starting point.)

Now, I am NOT about to post my current weight here. 🙂 But I will say that my goal is to lose 20 pounds. That still keeps me at the upper range of my BMI, but it’s a good weight for my frame.

By the way, take a picture of yourself! You don’t have to show it to anyone. But it will be a great way to track your progress as the program continues.

Good Habits

Now it’s time to think the healthy habits you’d like to form this year. Of course, the temptation here is to write an extremely long list of completely unrealistic things like running an ultramarathon, giving up coffee for good, or becoming a raw vegan. Those are actually great goals, but if you’re living an unhealthy life right now, those are definitely long-term goals.

Instead, think about five healthy habits you’d like to start this year and write them on your health assessment. Try to restrict them to habits that are actually reachable. If you’re drawing a blank, don’t worry! We’ll be sharing some in the upcoming weeks that you can incorporate easily into your life.

Bad Habits

And, finally, we have to look at our bad habits. You know, the things you do that you know are unhealthy. I mean, I don’t have a degree in Physical Education, Nutrition, or Kinesiology. But I know that eating an entire package of Lemon Oreos in two days is not a good thing to do. (I’ve done that before.)

So, on your health assessment activity, write down the five bad habits you want to get rid of this year. We’re not going to focus on getting rid of them first. Instead, we’re going to focus on adding the good habits. Eventually, they’ll likely end up replacing the bad ones. 🙂

After you finish your health self-assessment, feel free to share your goals in our 52 Weeks to a Healthier You Facebook group! Or share your plans in the comments below!

And – get your free Honest Health Self-Assessment Exercise by clicking the link or the image below! 🙂

>>>>Honest Health Self-Assessment Worksheet <<<

Activities for a New Homeschool Year with Family Fun Friday!

January 1, 2015 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Hi everyone! It’s the beginning of a new year and, while I don’t set resolutions, I do like to review my homeschooling method to see if I want to make any changes going forward. Even though we’re not homeschooling our three oldest right now, I intend to resume teaching them at home in a year or so, plus I have our toddler to plan for.

So – it’s a great time to start gathering ideas for a new homeschool year! We had some excellent educational posts shared during the last edition of Family Fun Friday and I wanted to highlight a few today. Check below to read even more great posts, including some for educators and parents!

Keep Reading…

3 Tips for Raising Boys with ADHD

December 29, 2014 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

We have two boys in our family with ADHD. Since one has classic ADHD with hyperactivity and one has limbic ADHD (which is characterized by a distinct lack of energy), they require very different parenting styles. Complicating this issue is the fact that we also have a daughter with ADHD and both my husband and I are living with ADHD as well.

While our family life is never, ever, ever boring, it can also be extremely challenging. So I’m always searching for great advice on how to raise boys with ADHD. Naturally, I was thrilled to get a copy of the book “Raising Boys with ADHD” from Prufrock Press!

As I read the book, I appreciated several of the suggestions and I’m sharing a few of them with you all today. 🙂

*I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for this review. My opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.*

Image: nadezhda1906 / Dollar Photo Club

Tips for Raising Boys with ADHD

1. Make it into a game.

What is “it”, you ask? Anything. Make any and everything into a game. Since boys with ADHD are often easily bored, which can lead to misbehavior, keeping their interest is critical to getting them to cooperate. So, if you need them to pick up their rooms, challenge them to see who can get their room clean faster: you or them? You’ll get them to clean up and work together at the same time!

2. Take a problem-solving approach.

One of the biggest struggles for young boys who have ADHD is feeling defeated. As parents, we can do a lot to help them build self-esteem by refusing to overreact to their difficulties. Raising Boys with ADHD suggests viewing every challenge as a puzzle that can be solved. If what we’re doing now is not helping, then we need to find another solution. But we want to always believe that there is a solution that can help. That optimistic viewpoint can do a lot to help our sons keep trying, even when they feel like giving up.

3. Emphasize respect in the home.

All siblings tend to argue and fight, so when you add ADHD into the mix, things can become even more volatile. Rather than creating a long list of do’s and don’ts, the book recommends establishing the family rule “Treat Others with Respect”. If we help our sons learn how to respect us and their siblings, they’ll have an easier time managing their emotions and considering how their actions affect others.

Do you have sons with ADHD? How do you handle the challenges of parenting them? Let us know in the comments!