Balance blessings
One of the most challenging parts of a home school year is finding a workable balance for both
you and your family. When you do, life will be much easier for all. Sometimes we will need to
correct our course as we head toward the school year finish line to stay balanced and ready for
another year.
Balance discipleship and academics
We hope and pray that you are helping your children to learn about salvation, eternity, and
their identity in Christ, as much as reading, writing, and arithmetic. This is a major reason to
home school!
Balance the push and the praise.
This one takes much prayer and even counsel from our network of praying peers and elders.
We want to raise Warriors for Christ, not wimps. However, we live in a world where everyone
gets a trophy. Pampered children become pouty and placid. Therefore, being a tough mom can
be a good thing as long as it comes blended with love and encouragement. This means our
children are always feeling that we communicate love first and foremost while we encourage
them to believe in their potential as well. Then they will go further than we can imagine.
Balance academics vs activities
We love to look at your charts and see a balance between your academics and your activities.
We always hope you are doing more than just bookwork in Christian Cottage Schools. Some of
you have enrichment classes or “specials” such as dance, sports, and music lessons add a
richness to your school year. I know those were sorely missed during the lockdown days.
However, I once saw a bumper sticker: “If I am a home school mom, why am I always in this
car?” Perhaps that home school is out of balance?
Balance basics: We recommend 1-2 days of activity-based learning and three-four days of
academic learning each week for your elementary years. In high school you may be able to have
in one-half activity day per week or one full day every two weeks and still complete all of your
academic goals within the year. (We do give credit for your most of your activities.)
Balance a clean house vs a crazy house
You really need a tidy place to think and learn, but it doesn’t need to be super-clean. You and
your family will need to determine what amount of clutter and dirt is “fine” and what amount
of clutter amounts to “frustration.” My meter for this is, “How long does it takes to find basic
necessities?” Pencils, erasers, notebooks, scissors, tape should be an easy reach during school
time. Some books can live in boxes as long as you list the titles clearly and know how to access
them easily. As much as possible, sort items into clear containers so you can see them quickly
and find them easily. We have stored home school materials in one closet or stacked in a corner
in clear bins. Some families will use some of their activity days to deep clean their home. Find
your balance and bless yourselves.
Balance outside with inside
As the spring weather becomes attractive, feel free to move school outside. You may enjoy
reading under a tree, visiting a park every afternoon, swimming, biking etc. Some families find
they enjoy riding bikes and taking walks before school begins! Learning isn’t only and indoor
activity.
Camp Id-Ra-Ha-Je has wonderful outdoor mountain lab schools for home schoolers each year.
We really enjoyed our times up there. This is from their website: HOMESCHOOL DAYS
IRaHaJe’s Mountain Lab School (MLS) has been running Christian outdoor education programs
since 1983. In fall of 2020, we kicked off a new program called IdRaHaJe Homeschool Days
which we are bringing back in 2021! We will offer several Homeschool Days for K-12 students
with unique experiences for each age group. Our curriculum is custom built, biblically based, and
hands-on. Participants will experience 2 outdoor education classes each day and we will provide
lunch. Let us teach your child for the day! (REGISRATION BEGAN JAN 1O! They have 8 different
days in March to enroll in. https://idrahaje.org/cms/mls/field-trips/)