Zeezok Publishing

As we continue in our series of posts using the word HOMESCHOOL as an acronym, we come to the letter O.  What I’ve Learned About HOMESCH O OLing:   Seeing Outside Our Own Windows Swimming lessons, basketball practice, family holiday plans…Which science curriculum should I use? Did Scott finish his math homework? Did I pay the water bill?... Sometimes it is very easy for us to get so busy in our own little world that we lose sight of the big world around us. This is especially easy when we are homeschooling, because so much time and energy must be centered on our children and our home. I urge you, however, to recognize the importance of seeing outside your own windows and investing in the lives of others—not only for yourself, but also because of the awareness it creates in your children! It is more comfortable and less messy to hunker down at home and only focus on our own family’s needs, but life is not all about us! This is a very important...

Little Lady also has a hard time putting her thoughts into written words. Whenever she is asked to write a thank you note or a paragraph it is as though her mind, eyes, and hands do not work together smoothly. She can tell me everything she wants to say, but when it comes to actually writing it out, it becomes quite overwhelming to her. This hit home recently when I sat and observed my girl writing with a young friend (who is also in third grade). They were writing stories together, and her friend quickly filled the page with words. In that same amount of time, my daughter wrote three sentences, and ended up drawing a picture. I could sense her frustration and asked about her story. The words poured out of her (and a good story it would have been!), but the process of writing completely stifled her ability to share it. A reading teacher recommended that I approach creative writing in two stages , instead of just one like most of us do. See, I can think and write simultaneousl...