FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

The Homeschool Minute ~ Deborah Wuehler

/ / Advertisement, Blog, Weekly Newsletter-The Homeschool Minute
Educents.com
                

What Electives Are Essential?

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is YOUR trade magazine for family education. Stay subscribed to this newsletter because this is the place where we give FREE education gifts on a regular basis. Read the magazine anytime, 24/7 at www.TOSMagazine.com. It’s the Family Education Magazine!

Mercy Every Minute   

The Wuehler FamilySome days, I have so much to balance, that everything flies out of orbit and hits the ground with a big thud. When I add in activities outside the home, then I often feel even that much more out of control and off schedule. On the other hand, I also feel that my children would be missing out if we bypass all those great activities that are calling our names so loudly. I believe it takes prayer and wisdom every month of every year on how involved your family can or should be in anything.

There are many really good activities calling us out of our homes. Whether it is academic enrichment classes, physical education, music lessons, history co-op, field trips, art, park days … the choices can be overwhelming. Since every family and their homeschool dynamics are different, there is no clear way to distinguish what is best for everyone. But we can employ guidelines and ask questions that help us all make good choices.

We will ask questions related to six areas: The Home, The Family, The Child, The Activity, The Spouse, and The Lord.

The Home

The balancing act in all of this is learning what to decline from and when to add another activity. Probably the first thing to consider would be the temperature of your home right now. Here are the questions I would ask related to the home:

  • Is there a lot of stress in the home already?
  • How easy or difficult is it to get out of the house with everyone?
  • Does the family have enough down time?
  • Would adding another activity put the atmosphere of the home in jeopardy?
  • Does each member of the family have the extra energy to make this commitment?
  • Can the calendar handle another thing?
  • Would you have enough time to do the necessary schoolwork, chores and Bible study if you add another activity?

If you are already feeling guilty that you cannot get dinner on every night nor do basic housekeeping, you might need to think about what activities are draining your time or energy. If your home life is already full, you will need to reconsider taking on another activity, or take something else off the calendar to fit in something new. We must learn to evaluate the not only the short and long-term benefit of the activity, but how this extra activity will affect our home and our family.

The Family

Often, when we do too much outside the home, it throws off our family’s ability to bounce back and complete the important things like finishing necessary homework, or just regrouping and thinking clearly. It could affect our ability to react graciously because we are tired. Sometimes adding new activities not only takes new energy, but can also take time to get back to a normal, operational state. These are things we need to take into consideration …

Read the rest of the article including consideration of your child, your spouse, and the Lord, here.

~Deborah

dwuehler@thehomeschoolmagazine.com

A division of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine 

SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Did you know? Every class is INCLUDED for members! No limits!

I don’t know if this happens to other families or not, but when I was growing up, I had a lot of interests that didn’t last to adulthood. When I think of the finances that were invested in my fluctuating interests, I cringe. I know exploring many interests is a healthy part of childhood. But in time, dinosaur books, an electrician’s kit, a telescope, and more than one musical instrument all found their way to the donated items bin.

STC.com

Aren’t you glad SchoolhouseTeachers.com gives you a way to share more than 15 electives with your students-for no additional cost? Our electives include Sewing Historical Costumes, Nature/Outdoors, Filmmaking, Logic, Mock Trial, Photography, Beginning Guitar, Beginning Violin, Media Studies, two different art classes,and even Social Justice. Explore all the courses we have to offer on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.

Join today: your first month is just $3. After that, $12.95 a month serves your entire family. Or save 10 percent by purchasing a yearly membership: just $139.

Advertisement

Spanish for You!

www.spanish-for-you.net Fun and flexible Spanish curriculum easily adaptable for teaching multi-age levels. Streamlined lesson planning. Simple. Effective. Affordable. Captures the attention of various learning styles through multi-sensory listening, speaking, reading, and writing games/activities. Teacher inspired–student approved. Grades 3-8. Non-aligned to Common Core. Free lessons/worksheets. Money back guarantee.

Announcement

Ever wonder what the homeschool community looks like? So do we.

Would you help us to get a snapshot of the
homeschool community by filling out a short
5-10 minute demographic survey?

Plus you could win a Kindle Fire! 
Survey
Click here for information and contest rules.

Advertisement

Join us for our upcoming
Schoolhouse Expo on February 27th.
http://schoolhouseexpo.com/
Tickets are only $9!
Purchase tickets at the Schoolhouse Store
Find out more by clicking here.

Announcement

“Regardless of your credentials, you too can give your child the best education through home education.”
TOS Article
in the latest issue of
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.

Announcement

Free eBook

Have you ever heard of the Iditarod? Do you ever wonder what it’s all about and how it works? Would you and your children like to experience a well-rounded unit study of this exciting annual event?

Now you can “mush” along the Iditarod trail FREE with the WeE-book™ . . . Following the Iditarod

Follow the Iditarod when it starts March 1 taking sled dogs from near Anchorage all the way to Nome, Alaska … spanning over 1,000 miles in subzero temperatures over some of the wildest terrain imaginable.

To get your free copy, read through the current issue, find the ad, and follow the instructions (hint the ad is between pages 90-100). Then bundle up, get your dogs ready to go, and climb aboard your sled as you prepare to read . . . Following the Iditarod!  Offer expires February 28, 2014.

Announcement

Now you can be a TOS affiliate and earn some extra cash!

Would you like to earn 20% commission on TOS items that family and friends purchase through an affiliate website? It’s easy, check out this page for more information. Once you are signed up, you simply share your unique affiliate link with family and friends. If anyone purchases anything from the TOS website using your affiliate link, you receive a 20% commission. There are even buttons available to help you promote your affiliate link on your website or blog.

Sign up today here.

Creation Illustrated on Facebook

Molly Green
Take a look at
what’s new now at SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Read

in the latest issue of

The Old Schoolhouse®

  Magazine.

Jan./Feb. Issue of TOS

Read the magazine free at  www.TOSMagazine.com
or download the free mobile apps at

Get a library of homeschool encouragement with  

over 175 E-Books or  

audio books for just $25. Plus a free ticket to the upcoming Schoolhouse Expo with your  Schoolhouse Library purchase. 

Click on the image below  

to order. Use coupon code: expoforfree2014 

Schoolhouse Library

The Old Schoolhouse®

 has MORE for you!

Check out these resources:

Who We Are:

“I am amazed at the number of times I open The Homeschool Minute newsletter and have the opportunity to read EXACTLY what I need that day! Thank you so much for putting a real face on homeschooling.”

  –Michelle Sager

Liberty Twp, OH

“I really appreciate all the information and the many uplifting articles in your magazines. Invaluable. Thanks for all you’re doing to help us homeschoolers.

 –Kathy P.
Stanton, TX

“Only just this past week have I seriously checked into the content of the SchoolhouseTeachers.com site … May I just say wow?!”

  –Janelle Chille

Mason City, IA

“I really enjoy reading all the THM articles. I learn a lot from Todd Wilson’s column. [He’s a] funny guy who speaks the simple truth! Thank you very much!”

–Charlene

Brandon, FL

“I look forward to THM every Wednesday. I really enjoy Deborah’s articles. For some reason, it must be God, she always writes about what I am needing to hear. Her ability to put scripture and God in the middle of all her articles keeps me coming back. I recently have been enjoying the Youngs’ [articles] because I have a young man (10) in my house. The encouragement of the Youngs is fabulous. I thank God for parents like them that pave the way for parents like myself and my husband.”

–Racheal Fowler

 Glen Burnie, Maryland

“So love reading TOS on my iPad from cover to cover every month!!!”

–Leigh Anne McGrady
Dunwoody, GA

“I love the new TOS app! So convenient. So quick. All the encouragement I need at my fingertips … any place at any time.”

–SpunkyHomeschool

“Thanks ever so much. I love the encouraging articles! I really loved the list of 25 all in one place. Nice to have this little bit of “free” encouragement in my mail. I don’t have funds to subscribe or purchase frills and with also working more than half time I don’t have time to search it out. May God bless you exceedingly.”

–Teresa

rural Kansas

“I absolutely love Todd’s column. He always seems to put things in the proper perspective, and it keeps me from getting all stressed and anxious. Thanks Todd, and thanks TOS!!”

–Johnne Orelchikov

East Texas

Have you been blessed by

The Homeschool Minute™

Start reading the January/February issue NOW!

TOS Affiliate Program
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

*Disclaimer and Legal Notice

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6
TOP