Five years ago I felt the call to homeschool. I never thought I’d make it! But I have learned so much these past 5 years and I can’t imagine sending my kids to school, I’d miss them too much! On the topic of making joy amid the chaos, I talked in my previous posts about creating your spot, your safe haven. I also talked about making time for something YOU enjoy. My third piece of advice was to stop trying to micromanage your kids! Tonight I’m going to suggest “strewing”.
Strew. As in, have some things strewn about but on purpose. As a homeschooling mom, I use this method to get my kids interested in things and asking questions. Because you know if the idea is yours they won’t buy-in, usually. So you “strew”.
Leave things out like paint and different types of paper. Brushes on a table. Magnifying glasses. A microscope. Black paper and white chalk. Gel pens. A basket of leaves and pine cones. A pile of books on the table that gets rotated every few days. A puzzle or two left out. Some pots and pans put out on the floor for littles to use.
Use your imagination and let them do the same. Let them entertain themselves. Expect messes and then clean up together. I recommend cleaning to music. We love a good dance party at our house.
It’s not your job to make continual fun and to entertain the kids the whole time they’re home. Let them get bored, let them discover new ways to make some fun, and be inquisitive or creative WITH them sometimes! It’s also a way to get that you-time in.
For example, I enjoy art. So when my kids sit down at the art table, I do too. I don’t feel guilty for doing something I like because we are doing it together. And they would not have enjoyed it as much if I presented it as “Let’s all do this art project!” but because things are just out and theirs to use, they enjoy it! Same with the books I leave out. If I say “go read” then they whine. But I will catch all my kids sitting on the sofa together with a stack of books that I left lying around, reading to each other.
So strew mamas! And let me know what you put out, I’d love to see how it goes for you!
***UPDATE: Here are some other helps/ideas for you.
https://thehomeschoolsisters.com/2019/03/11/strewing/
https://www.thewaldockway.com/2018/09/12/strewing-faq/
https://nourishingmyscholar.com/100-strewing-ideas-homeschool/
