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10 days of simple homeschool, 10 days series, Simply...Homeschool, Simply...Living For Him

10 Days of Simple Homeschool: The One and Only Thing You Really Need to Do…


10-days-april-karen


Welcome to 10 Days of Simple Homeschool. For the next two weeks, I will be posting about all things simple in homeschooling. 10 Days of Simple Homeschool is about going back to the basics.  Too often we tend to complicate our purpose by trying to do too much.  Homeschooling can be very effective when we go back to the basics and let our everyday life be our classroom and learn by doing.  
 Simplifying Homeschool is dear to my heart-getting rid of all of the distractions that keep us from our purpose and from putting God first in all! 
Some posts will be practical ideas, some will focus on our hearts, but all will be focused on keeping it simple.

Subscribe here so you don’t miss a thing. Be sure to follow on facebook and twitter too!

I have so enjoyed writing this series for the past two weeks. I loved all of the messages from my readers that said they were encouraged. YOU all encourage me!


One specific note I received said, “Thank you for pointing this family back to what is important,” after reading about starting your day with the Bible. I stared at the computer screen for a few minutes {through tears} really not able to comprehend that my words would be used to point others to Him. I always say that is my purpose, and to see it in action just made my heart sing. God is good!

I want to end this series with some very simple words of wisdom, but which will mean all the world in you homeschool.


Amongst all of the fancy resources out there, the world of information, and the endless choices- I feel there is only one thing we must do on our homeschool journey…

Seek first His righteousness. 

So often we talk about seeking His will, in each and every detail. Seeking His will for curriculum, seeking His will for co-ops, seeking His will for extra activities.

But dear one, the details do not matter so much, if we just Seek HIM first of all. If we are seeking Him, we have won. We will be in His will. We can’t go wrong.  He knows our needs. We do not have to fret nearly as much as we do over every decision. 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, 
and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33


Just seek Him.  He knows our needs.

My husband and I had this verse and the passage previous to it, read at our wedding 12 years ago. Little did we know, what an impact it really would have on us. Every time we have truly sought His will and trusted, He has provided for our needs.


What tends to set us back is when we focus too much on what we want, 
or trying to decipher God’s plan for us.

 Sometimes we just need to step back from ourselves, 

and rest in Him.




Consider it joy when you have trials-He is growing you. You will have troubles-in homeschool, and in life. We were never promised heaven here on earth.  We have that to look forward to. There will be hard days, and trials, but that is for a purpose.


Seek Him in all- that is it. If we are in His will that is all that matters.

God called you to homeschool for a reason. There is a purpose. There can be no wrong decision if you are seeking Him. He knows the trials you need to shape you, and He knows the joys he wants to bless you with.


Rid yourself of the worldly distractions. 
Turn off the technology often. 
Seek Him with your kids. 
Each and every day.


…and all of your needs will be provided for.

I hope you continue to come back here often, even after this series. I am thankful for you all!
Be Blessed as you Simply Live…for Him!


The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course, click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You’ll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!



Simply Homeschool continues to be #1 on the Amazon. com best sellers for homeschool books for Kindle and #1 in ALL homeschool books! Unbelievable. For a book that I wrote for my readers, and was put on Kindle in case anyone wanted to read it on their Kindle, it blows my mind to be a top seller. No marketing, nothing fancy- just a book from my heart to encourage others. God is amazing! I am thrilled so many are being blessed by it. To Him be all the Glory!

Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click here for more info

© copyright 2012 – All rights reserved

SimplyLivingforHim

April 27, 2012 by
10 days of series, 10 days of simple homeschool, 10 days series, narration ideas, Simply...Homeschool

10 Days of Simple Homeschool-Simple and Fun Ways to Use Narration

10-days-april-karen


Welcome to 10 Days of Simple Homeschool. For the next two weeks, I will be posting about all things simple in homeschooling. 10 Days of Simple Homeschool is about going back to the basics.  Too often we tend to complicate our purpose by trying to do too much.  Homeschooling can be very effective when we go back to the basics and let our everyday life be our classroom and learn by doing.  
 Simplifying Homeschool is dear to my heart-getting rid of all of the distractions that keep us from our purpose and from putting God first in all! 
Some posts will be practical ideas, some will focus on our hearts, but all will be focused on keeping it simple.

Subscribe here so you don’t miss a thing. Be sure to follow on facebook and twitter too!

Ethan (3) describing his picture that he drew after listening to The Adventures of Grandfather Frog

We love using living books in our homeschool. Rather than a dry textbook full of facts, we simply read great historical fiction to learn about history.  We also use some literature to learn about science. We make the subjects come alive through reading. For history a read aloud may be a Little House on The Prairie book or the Courage of Sarah Noble. For science we have been loving the Thornton Burgess Animal Stories. We have read The Burgess Bird Book for Children,The Adventures of Grandfather Frog, and The Adventures of Peter Cottontail. 


I usually read the books aloud while all of the kids listen.  Afterwards I use narration to help solidify what they have read. For instance, I will ask them to tell me back what I just read, or write a paragraph.


In using various activities I have implemented, they are still narrating but with a twist.


Here are simple way, fun ways to use narration:
  • Draw a picture of a scene in the story that you just heard
  • Act out a scene from the story
  • Write a newspaper article about the story line
  • Video yourself telling back the story (some kids will love this simply because they get to see themselves on video)
  • For the boys, especially-Use the Legos to recreate a scene from the story. This was especially fun for my boys in narrating history when we studied the Revolutionary War. They still remember details of battles because they used Legos to recreate them

Have fun with narration. It is simply practicing what they have learned. It doesn’t have to be complicated at all. Simple, easy, and fun, while learning-what can be better?


The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course, click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You’ll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!

On another note, Simply Homeschool continues to be #1 on the Amazon. com best sellers for homeschool books for Kindle and #1 in ALL homeschool books! Unbelievable. For a book that I wrote for my readers, and was put on Kindle in case anyone wanted to read it on their Kindle, it blows my mind to be a top seller. No marketing, nothing fancy- just a book from my heart to encourage others. God is amazing! I am thrilled so many are being blessed by it. To Him be all the Glory!
Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click here for more info

© copyright 2012 – All rights reserved

SimplyLivingforHim

April 26, 2012 by
10 days of simple homeschool, 10 days series, simply homeschool eBook, Simply...Homeschool, Simply...Living For Him

10 Days of Simple Homeschool-Getting Rid of Discontent in Your Homeschool


10-days-april-karen


Welcome to 10 Days of Simple Homeschool. For the next two weeks, I will be posting about all things simple in homeschooling. 10 Days of Simple Homeschool is about going back to the basics.  Too often we tend to complicate our purpose by trying to do too much.  Homeschooling can be very effective when we go back to the basics and let our everyday life be our classroom and learn by doing.  
 Simplifying Homeschool is dear to my heart-getting rid of all of the distractions that keep us from our purpose and from putting God first in all! 
Some posts will be practical ideas, some will focus on our hearts, but all will be focused on keeping it simple.

Subscribe here so you don’t miss a thing. Be sure to follow on facebook and twitter too!



Do you spend more time reading abut homeschooling than actually homeschooling? Planning your homeschool than actually being present in your homeschool?  Are you living for the expectation rather than for the moment?

I used to do that. I would spend more time planning what we should be doing than actually accomplishing what I needed to. It was so hard in the beginning to sort through all of the information-so I felt I needed to read all of it. Yet soon it became apaparent that I was only sowing seeds of discontent in my home. If I felt we were lacking, than the kids saw that.


Today I want to talk about eliminating those seeds of discontent. How often we are our own worst enemy?  
We forget to rely on God and try to rely on ourselves or worse, rely on others.

Does the comparison trap have you paralyzed at times? Are you feeling that you should be doing more, or like someone else?

Stop. Stop it all.

Stop collecting mental “clutter” and start doing real things!

There is so much information today, we must be extrememly careful to discern what to do with our time. What to fill our minds with.  And to absolutley stop living for something else and live for the here and now.

I have come to realize that so many of us our discontent with the here and now, because God has designed us for eternity.  This is not our home. 
We are always longing for something else.

Dear sister, realize that yearning for something else is the inborn deep set need for eternity. God placed it there so we yearn for Him.  We will never be fully satisfied until we are one day in that glorious place with our Lord.


Once we realize that, we can stop the insanity. Stop continually searching for something more.  Knowing this is not our home, yet, making the best of each and every second here. It matters.


I do not want to look back someday and have regrets. I don’t want my children to remember mommy on the computer or distracted with meaningless tasks- I want them to remember our homeschooling days as filled with memories of our time together, fully present in the moment.


I write because God placed a desire in my heart. My goal though is to always, always point others to him. Seeing Him in all.  I only write when he places these words in my heart and they overflow onto the keyboard.  I never write with the intention of gaining more readers and thinking I “know it all.” In fact, I know nothing. He supplies words for me each day and the strength for me to homeschool. I do not do it by one ounce of my own strength.


I’d rather have them remember mommy always praying, turning to Him for guidance-
and always playing, always there.

We need to enjoy each other’s writings, support each other wholeheartedly, but never let all of this information get in the way of real life.


Homeschooling each day should involved mommy fully present. We don’t want to teach our kids to be so distracted!


Do not succumb to the lie that other people are doing things better. God created your family unique for your family’s unique purpose. Do not covet someone else’s homeschool. Enjoy your homeschool with your family!  I have had friends completely disconnect from facebook, etc. so that they could do just that. Be free to be themselves.  It is freeing indeed.

Enjoy each second. It is cliche but it goes by so fast. Learn with your kids, play with your kids, create a foundation that says, “My mom was fully present when I needed her most.”


Don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. Don’t fall into the trap of always living for the expectation of how things “should be.” Anticipate your glorous home some day, and make the most of each second here.


Turn to Him each and every second in your homeschool-not others.  And enjoy Simply…Homeschool.


My “Unplug Your Mind and ReCharge Your Soul” eBook is a perfect resource for this topic. It   is free! You can get it on facebook or subscribe here and email me to let me know you’d like it. I will send it over directly!

**click “only likers” on the facebook page to download**


The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course, click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You’ll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!

Also, Simply Homeschool is #1 this week at Amazon.com for Homeschooling books.  I am humbled that so many people are be being blessed by it.
Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click here for more info

On another note, Simply Homeschool continues to be #1 on the Amazon. com best sellers for homeschool books for Kindle and #3 for all homeschool books! Unbelievable. For a book that I wrote for my readers, and was put on Kindle in case anyone wanted to read it on their Kindle, it blows my mind to be a top seller. No marketing, nothing fancy- just a book from my heart to encourage others. God is amazing! I am thrilled so many are being blessed by it. To Him be all the Glory!
Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click here for more info

© copyright 2012 – All rights reserved

SimplyLivingforHim

April 24, 2012 by
10 days of simple homeschool, 10 days series, gardening, homeschool, Simply...Homeschool

10 Days of Simple Homeschool-Garden Learning

10-days-april-karen


Welcome to 10 Days of Simple Homeschool. For the next two weeks, I will be posting about all things simple in homeschooling. 10 Days of Simple Homeschool is about going back to the basics.  Too often we tend to complicate our purpose by trying to do too much.  Homeschooling can be very effective when we go back to the basics and let our everyday life be our classroom and learn by doing.  
 Simplifying Homeschool is dear to my heart-getting rid of all of the distractions that keep us from our purpose and from putting God first in all! 
Some posts will be practical ideas, some will focus on our hearts, but all will be focused on keeping it simple.
Subscribe here so you don’t miss a thing. Be sure to follow on facebook and twitter too!

Gardening is a simple activity full of educational lessons.
Each year we plant a vegetable garden, and the children use the months of May and June to use the garden for science.  From the time we buy the plants and plan our garden, to the first harvest they are involved in all aspects.

Here are the ways you can use your garden for learning. Don’t forget, it doesn’t have to be a large garden-even using pots on a deck can be just as fun!
Planning: Measure how much space you have in your garden and approximately how much room you will have for each plant.  How many plants do you need? Are you starting from seeds or plants?  Lots of math is used in this process as well as researching what types of plants will grow best in your area and when to plant.
Garden Journal: Once you have all participated in the planting, you can give each child a garden journal.  This is a wonderful way to track the growth of your garden while incorporating many different skills.
The journal need only be a simple sketch book or notebook. Each day have your child measure a few of the plants, and either take a picture or sketch a picture.  Record the measurements.  Your child will be amazed at how much growth happens over very little time.  Record everything in the journal.  Also assign a child (old enough for the task) to water the garden each day.

Also in the journal you can write down general observations about the garden.  Continue to journal each day.  This is surely a great way to connect with the plants.
Decorate the journal pages with various verses from the Bible about God and His creation.  Let them connect His miracle- with the miracle of life through the plants.


Learning about God through gardening is a wonderful way to connect His Creation to your kids.  Letting them see what He does through the miracle of plant growth. There are so many ways to see Him in it all.

Check out this post about our activity recently that connected Him through a growing plant.  And this one about what happens without proper nourishment.  He is so good!


Romans states how the Lord reveals Himself to all mankind through nature, so there is no excuse. All will know Him and choose to submit to Him or reject Him. Nature reveals our Creator-use everyday gardening as a beautiful way to point them to Him!

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 
Romans 1:20

For some verses you can use in decorating your garden journal or in studying plants, download here:


Here are the past links in this series!


Day: 1: Cooking with Kids
Day 2: Why I Have Simplified Homeschool
Day 3 Using Your Library
Day 4 Scavenger Hunts!
Day 5 Starting Your Day with the Lord


The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course, click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You’ll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!

Also, Simply Homeschool is #1 this week at Amazon.com for Homeschooling books.  I am humbled that so many people are be being blessed by it.
Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click here for more info

On another note, Simply Homeschool continues to be #1 on the Amazon. com best sellers for homeschool books for Kindle and #3 for all homeschool books! Unbelievable. For a book that I wrote for my readers, and was put on Kindle in case anyone wanted to read it on their Kindle, it blows my mind to be a top seller. No marketing, nothing fancy- just a book from my heart to encourage others. God is amazing! I am thrilled so many are being blessed by it. To Him be all the Glory!
Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click here for more info

© copyright 2012 – All rights reserved

SimplyLivingforHim

April 23, 2012 by