Homeschooling Tip - Be Prepared for Bad Days

We homeschoolers always like to talk about how great homeschooling is, but if you are new to this experience, I should warn you to be prepared for bad days. They are going to happen. Sometimes your children will be ill or just restless. Other times your own health or personal problems will get in your way. Of course, there are also days that are filled with interruptions like the telephone, an unexpected visitor or solicitor, or your community's Road and Drainage Department decides to work on your street. The cause doesn't matter. How you deal with it does. Here are some suggestions.

• Take a break! My wife could always tell when our son just wasn't interested, so she would tell him that she didn't fee like teaching at that moment. Then, she would suggest going to the park for an hour or two. After he had burned off a ton of energy he was able to come home, sit still, and do his school work. Your children might prefer a nature walk where they could try to identify different types of trees or animals. When you get home have them draw a picture of their favorite thing that they saw. At the dinner table they can describe their trip to your spouse. If you choose taking a break, it would be a good idea to make sure your children are getting some form of exercise.
• Make the day a "favorite subject" day. The entire school day becomes math day, or writing day, or even history day. This will be a kind of unschooling day where your children will determine the direction of that day's study. You will be allowing them to do what they want, as long as their activity pertains to their favorite subject. Your primary duty in this is to provide resources for them to use and encourage them to explore the different possibilities. Do not forget the television. It has stations like the History Channel, Discovery, and the Science Channel. When children are working on something they love, their nervous energy turns into focused energy, and a bad day becomes a good one.
• Have an arts day. Most children love drawing, coloring, music, dancing, and play acting. Ask them to make up a story or to select one of their favorite stories and act it out for you. Hold a talent show, and let them express themselves, either by singing, dancing, or reciting a poem. If any of your children show an aptitude for painting or drawing, ask them to try to copy a famous painting. They might surprise you! Do not criticize any attempt at creating a piece of art. This is a day for them to use their imaginations, and a good imagination will be a valuable asset when they are older and have to compete in the working world.
• Take the day off. For my family, this was a last resort because we still had a required number of days that our children had to attend classes. However, it is not that big of a problem. Remember, as homeschoolers you have all year to meet your requirements, so if you just want to take a day to do whatever, you can. Just be careful that your kids don't try to take advantage of this by misbehaving purposely to get a day off.

Hopefully, these ideas are helpful to you. You can see that a bad day can be turned into a good day. I encourage you to try them out, and I am sure that you will probably be able to come up with your own ideas. Stay positive, and enjoy your kids! They are the most precious gift you will ever get and the biggest responsibility you will ever have.

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