Action4Canada - Tips to Succeed in Homeschooling

00:00:00.000 Welcome, everyone. It is a good day and it's spring and we are all very excited about warm

00:00:11.520 days coming and more beautiful weather and flowers. And I know a lot of you that are

00:00:19.360 homeschooling are seeing your kids outside more, getting fresh air, more exercise. And I know you

00:00:26.220 want to anxiously probably finish up and wrap up your school year. But sometimes we can get

00:00:33.120 into a bit of a state where we need a little encouragement and a little boost and sort of

00:00:44.000 a little kick to keep going. And so in a moment, I'll be introducing our guest part of this

00:00:53.940 webinar session today. So while we're waiting here, we're just going to go over our Action

00:01:00.760 for Canada website. So I will take you there. And I will show you how to find different things.

00:01:08.380 First of all, I want to show you our chapters across Canada. And so we go to our resource

00:01:17.600 tab here at the top and scroll down to chapters. And you can see our map here across Canada,

00:01:29.760 all the chapters. And these are people who really care what's going on in our country. So if you've

00:01:36.580 got a political concern, or even a spiritual concern, and you need support, you can reach

00:01:44.300 out to these chapters. And the way you find these people as you scroll down the site. And so it looks

00:01:52.580 like Alberta is already open. But you can find your province. And let's just choose New Brunswick here.

00:02:00.640 We got Frederickton, St. John, Sussex, Woodstock. And you can email them and let them know you either

00:02:08.160 need advice, encouragement, information, or even prayer. That's something we do also want to encourage

00:02:16.540 and support here at Action for Canada. The other thing I wanted to show you under resources as well

00:02:23.440 is our homeschool site. So we've got parent webinars. And that's the list where this video will come

00:02:34.300 under. And you just scroll down. And if you really want to start at the beginning, this was last year,

00:02:43.140 you want to scroll right down to the bottom. And that's where most of our homeschool sessions are.

00:02:50.780 There's one on homeschooling options, parent resources. There's the HSLDA,

00:02:57.780 Homeschool Legal Defense Association of Canada. That's a really good one to watch.

00:03:02.660 Understand what's going on across the country. How to homeschool multiple ages. And then

00:03:09.940 we did one on the SOGI Winsex Ed that's infiltrating our public schools across Canada.

00:03:21.980 So that one is with Tanya Gaw, our founder of Action for Canada. This one here is history of

00:03:27.960 education and homeschooling with Israel Wayne. So they're all really good to watch. And if you've

00:03:37.000 got time, even this summer, watch one a week to get caught up. And I'm just going to take you back

00:03:43.320 to the top here. We also did a course on biblical and healthy sexuality. It was for the parents to

00:03:54.060 help and guide them and teach them on biblical sexuality. And that started last fall. Here's an

00:04:01.380 example. And there's a whole series here that's available till next fall on our site here. And if

00:04:07.780 that's something you want to watch, we always appreciate a donation towards that. That was done

00:04:13.640 by peace education services based out of Ontario. And then CCEM, needing Christian education movement

00:04:22.520 is a Christian mission organization, setting up town halls across the country, and encouraging

00:04:30.560 activating churches to get more involved in the education of their children. And that can range

00:04:35.220 anywhere from a daycare after school program or even running a non government funded homeschooling

00:04:43.340 school in the church. So that's a really good one to watch as well. All right, so we're going

00:04:49.220 to go back up here. And I'm looking for the homeschooling page right here. If you need a directory

00:05:01.220 and need to find your province, in alphabetical order, you can find your province. So let's just

00:05:08.440 choose Alberta here. They're the first one. If you click on the homeschool association, I put them down

00:05:16.100 for each province. There are sort of the ones at the top of the line that have all the questions or

00:05:22.100 the answers for laws, regulations in your province, they will know where the support groups are,

00:05:29.320 whether it's for the parents or the activity groups for the kids. So that would be my starting point in

00:05:35.660 any of these provinces is to reach out to your province. And I'll just scroll down, you can see

00:05:41.520 them all listed here. And then below that, we've got other links that are of interest

00:05:47.860 to help people with their homeschool education. Okay, I'm just going to come out of that. And I'm going

00:05:57.580 to show you one more screen here. And let's see if I can do that.

00:06:04.500 It's going to show you all the conventions across the country.

00:06:18.780 They're all coming up. This is where you get encouraged and inspired.

00:06:23.180 This is where you meet other parents, lots of moms. This is where all the good conversations

00:06:29.700 in the hallways happen. This is where you get great keynote speakers, the curriculum vendors are

00:06:36.420 there, they will show you curriculum, they have a lot of wisdom and insight into what they carry.

00:06:42.540 And it's a great time of getting recharged. And I know for me back in the day,

00:06:48.520 I'm in BC and ours were always early June. And when I left those weekends, I knew I wanted to

00:06:55.480 homeschool again in the fall, and I needed this. So it's really good to go. And you'll notice right

00:07:01.200 now there's nothing in BC or Newfoundland this spring. But do go to their websites anyways,

00:07:08.340 which are on our website, and find out if there's anything happening in your region that they may have

00:07:15.020 for you.

00:07:18.520 All right, so we're going to move on now. I'm going to welcome Colleen Lowther. And I'm just going to

00:07:25.480 read a little bio. Colleen graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in elementary

00:07:32.680 education with a specialty in reading and early childhood. She has taught in the classroom at

00:07:38.960 various grade levels and was regularly recognized for her professional excellence. Once introduced to

00:07:45.760 homeschooling many years back, Colleen and her husband decided to try homeschooling their own

00:07:50.940 three children. They trusted in God's leading to creatively discover his truth intimately and

00:07:57.860 practically learn how to be strong and courageous in these times. From her experience, Colleen went on

00:08:04.500 to work over the next several decades with hundreds of homeschooling families as a teacher consultant

00:08:10.480 with an Alberta Christian homeschooling board. Colleen and the school board she enjoyed working for

00:08:17.440 clearly put parents first as the primary educators of their children.

00:08:21.440 Over the years, Colleen served with the Alberta Home Education Association and the Homeschool Legal

00:08:29.440 Defense Association and also helped develop practical curriculum for families. Even today,

00:08:36.720 she shares in teaching a kindergarten class with her daughter in a classical program for homeschooling

00:08:43.280 families. Colleen says, my greatest joy is encouraging moms to train up children in the way they should go.

00:08:52.400 Even when they are old, they will not depart from it. Amen. Colleen and her husband Eric have three adult

00:09:00.000 children, 11 grandchildren that are 13 years old and under and host groups and activities on their country

00:09:08.320 acreage where she enjoys gardening and caring for her four laying chickens. So, welcome, Colleen. I know you've

00:09:18.480 got lots to share with us and we look forward to this. You've titled it, Success with Homeschooling.

00:09:27.520 And we want to know how to get there. So, you go.

00:09:31.280 Okay. Well, thank you. We can do well here with this mic. Okay. So, primarily this talk today is for

00:09:41.280 those of you who are homeschooling and it also though applies to those who are considering it. I hope it

00:09:48.560 will excite and encourage you to engage in the opportunity to homeschool. So, in a time when society

00:09:57.280 appears to undermine any parental authority, you have decided to home educate your children for varying

00:10:04.320 reasons and you've endured some very real difficulties for the belief and the personal hope that it is just

00:10:12.240 the best thing to do. That takes a tenacity hard to find and a pilgrim like faith. Well, today I'm going to

00:10:21.200 share some joys and even some cautions from my own experiences as a homeschool mom and give some

00:10:29.440 personal stories I had the privilege to know as a homeschool consultant with hundreds of homeschool

00:10:35.840 families. But before we start, may you first of all be encouraged as women, mothers, and teachers. And most

00:10:45.200 of all today, I want to pass on to you a hope in what you are doing, a peaceful, confident expectation

00:10:53.680 of the goodness of God. This is yours as people of God and as homeschoolers. I am a firm believer in

00:11:03.360 using scriptures to remember God's promises. So, you will find attached on this website a handout

00:11:12.160 listing scriptures that you can cut off verses and stick them onto your kitchen cupboard, your bathroom

00:11:20.160 mirror, and as you go through your house during the day or going to bed, you can quote these and say

00:11:27.600 them aloud, placing your name into each one. I, Colleen, can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

00:11:36.000 Philippians 4.13. Doing this can set the atmosphere in your home. Use these continually and memorize them.

00:11:47.520 Well, it is much different today than when I raised my family. There is surely more of a socialist doctrine,

00:11:56.000 global events that are horrific, a forced ideology, and agenda through many areas of society,

00:12:05.360 and especially through every level of education, K through post-secondary. Parents are and should be

00:12:13.520 concerned as they seek possibilities for their children and families. They are concerned and believe

00:12:21.440 it is mandatory to respect parental authority. And homeschooling is a growing phenomenon. It's common

00:12:30.000 to see families that are second- and third-generation homeschoolers, and they wouldn't have it any other

00:12:36.080 way because they know it works. And it is a tremendous option, a viable alternative to public,

00:12:44.720 public charter schools, and I would attest even private Christian schools. And thousands of families do it

00:12:52.960 successfully each year. I personally think all parents should consider doing this. It offers parents to

00:13:02.240 directly choose and filter learning by a biblical worldview for abundant life, so that our children

00:13:10.560 can stand for righteousness can stand for righteousness and have a transforming impact upon this quickly

00:13:16.240 changing time. I'm seeing that, and you will too. I like the way I recently heard Tucker Carlson respond

00:13:24.960 to a question from a frustrated mom, who realized even her Christian school offerings were dismal. And she asked,

00:13:33.200 how could this have happened? Well, he responded something like this,

00:13:38.240 people are not radical enough in defense of their own children. Hmm. Well, new trends for homeschooling

00:13:48.000 are likely to become a reality. Maybe not yet widespread, but parents are waking up with realizations of what is

00:13:56.160 really going on. And they're taking things into their own hands. I remember many moms during this time of

00:14:04.560 year, sometimes wondering about continuing to homeschool, or feeling overwhelmed with the weight of what lies

00:14:11.920 ahead to get to the end of this school year, or feeling frustrated with the curriculum that's not working,

00:14:19.520 a child who is challenging, friends and families who wonder what in the world you're doing, and their

00:14:27.600 questions or criticism is all it takes to have you wondering if you really are crazy.

00:14:34.640 Well, you're not alone. Maybe before I try to look at realistically at the seemingly insurmountable

00:14:43.120 problems of this time of year, let me ask, how many of you against your own motherly wisdom have

00:14:50.560 yelled at your kids in a frustrating moment and said, that's it, I'm sending you back to school.

00:14:57.600 Or if any of you has ever phoned your husband in the middle of the day in tears

00:15:02.880 to tell him you couldn't keep homeschooling. Or checked with the school to see what would need

00:15:10.240 to be done to enroll your children immediately. Well, this may not have happened to you, or maybe not

00:15:17.840 yet, but it is very common. And it did happen to me. I do know when tempers flared, usually mine,

00:15:26.560 I would have to get on my knees and call out to God. And when I'd ask forgiveness of my kids,

00:15:33.040 kids, when they were the first to say, it's okay, mom, I forgive you. And later, you probably felt

00:15:41.360 guilty that you're not so perfect. And you know full well that you are the one doing the most learning.

00:15:48.000 Remember, you have more than one full time job, you are homeschooling, you're still a mom, a wife,

00:15:56.720 a helper to your husband, and all of his needs, a keeper of the home, a chief driver, planner,

00:16:04.240 booking agent for numerous other activities, shopper, cook, etc. If you are looking at possibly homeschooling

00:16:13.760 next year for the first time, looking excitedly at this new adventure, and another day, you're feeling

00:16:20.800 gripped with fear, you're going through the normal procedures to check it out.

00:16:27.520 Even experienced homeschoolers can have lows at this time of year and wonder if it's time to get

00:16:33.520 the kids back into school. Really, this time of year is a time all parents in and out of the school

00:16:41.200 system question a myriad of choices for the deadlines of enrollment that can send even the most confident

00:16:49.680 parent into a frenzy. As parents, you want what is best for your children. And that is challenging

00:16:57.040 when each of your children is so unique in character and learning styles and ability. You question,

00:17:05.040 am I choosing what will work? A whole year in school is a long time. If things don't work out,

00:17:14.000 what would I do? Or how can I get through this year I committed to? Have your thoughts been on this

00:17:21.360 kind of roller coaster ride and decisions and solutions seem far afield? Or maybe you've had

00:17:29.040 difficulty getting back in a routine after Christmas break or after family day, or you feel disorganized

00:17:36.480 in your program, or you got going again only to slump in enthusiasm. These challenges can be

00:17:45.120 accentuated with mounting financial pressures, a husband who has lost his job, sickness or death in

00:17:52.480 the family, any of which can be overwhelming. You are not alone because teachers in the classroom at

00:18:00.000 this time of year can also panic with how much is yet to get through, or if the children are really

00:18:06.880 getting what they need. Why do you think there's a teacher convention at this time of year? Maybe it's

00:18:14.960 time to take a few days off to attend a provincial homeschool conference, like Doris mentioned. For

00:18:21.040 example, the Alberta Home Education Association has a wonderful conference in Alberta, May 31st to June 1st

00:18:29.440 in Red Deer and also one in Edmonton. These are so well attended, an amazing list of speakers and breakout

00:18:36.880 sessions that will help you to get back into more of a positive mode of thinking and get revitalized with

00:18:44.080 new ideas, techniques, and especially to share experiences firsthand with other moms of kindred spirits.

00:18:53.200 This can be a bridge time to look and receive direction and become recharged to meet the challenge of

00:19:00.240 finishing the school year, or what to consider to start next year. And remember it's okay to set up your

00:19:09.600 schedule to regularly take some days off to regain your balance and also a joy in what you are doing.

00:19:18.160 Give yourself permission, for example, to work only four mornings a week and take Friday off,

00:19:24.880 or three weeks of classes followed by a lesser demanding week to extend, reinforce, or simply enjoy

00:19:32.720 some informal things that you wanted to learn together. And experienced homeschool moms will be the first

00:19:40.640 to say, be realistic and don't push it all the time. You don't need to work all day. Remember you have

00:19:49.920 the flexibility of time and the benefits of incorporating learning into everything you are doing.

00:19:57.360 important things that will go with your children the rest of their lives. For example, you can plan to

00:20:05.600 travel when others can't. Use the discounts without crowds and plan trips and fun days because you can.

00:20:14.000 If it's freezing out, why not leave the books and go to the local wave pool and have a Hawaii day. Get your

00:20:22.000 kids to plan the day, snacks to take, Hawaiian music, get travel agent pictures to accentuate beaches and warm

00:20:31.760 weather. Invite others. And then also put things on your calendar to look forward to with anticipation.

00:20:42.000 I understand no parent wants their kids to fall behind, but mums often worry, am I doing enough?

00:20:49.920 Well, just think of the wasted time of bus rides, school lineups, lineups, lineups, and dismal school

00:21:00.000 lunches. One young mum remembered her child only had 10 minutes to gulp down their lunch, and this did

00:21:07.760 matter to the mum who wanted her child to have the time to enjoy as they needed. I've seen single mums 1.00

00:21:16.800 work diligently to homeschool with great successes. And if you have additional support of grandparents,

00:21:25.600 friends, homeschool co-ops, amazing things are possible. I've also visited with young widows who

00:21:32.960 continued to homeschool with their six kids and another with four kids. They built character,

00:21:40.000 morals, morals, and gave opportunities to exhibit a joy to serve others in need. Some mums have even 0.95

00:21:48.880 adopted special needs kids or multiple children at once to be part of their families, homeschooling

00:21:56.960 and all. Did it take time to adjust? You bet. But what interactions those kids had as they remained

00:22:05.680 loyal to their siblings and share life together? I just spoke to a grandma and grandpa who just

00:22:12.800 started to homeschool their little granddaughters in grade two and grade five, one with some learning

00:22:19.440 needs. They were organized, decisive, having fun with curriculum, and ready to make soup that afternoon.

00:22:27.600 I've also seen dads doing a great job as the prime homeschooling parent with changes in their work

00:22:35.680 situations. And they've been the first to share how much they realize their wives have done. And mums,

00:22:43.120 you would probably like to see more involvement from your husbands, but ultimately you will shoulder

00:22:50.080 the day-to-day working out of a regular program. However, it is vital that dads realize this is very

00:22:57.680 real for their wife. And it's important for her to know that this is a shared responsibility. That as a

00:23:05.440 family, you have both chosen this route, you both feel and know its best, and you both support each other

00:23:13.360 in this quest. Dads can affirm mum's work and give her an audience to vent frustrations and talk about

00:23:22.000 what is working and what is not working. This can do remarkable things to keep a positive perspective.

00:23:30.320 Thus, it always works best for husbands to reinforce and support the daily homeschooling program with 0.74

00:23:38.800 daily praise and the little things. And even meeting with the child being difficult. And let him or her

00:23:46.000 know you will be looking at all the learning worked on that day. The husband is like a principal of the

00:23:53.280 school, because he can oversee what is going on and give wisdom with the big picture. His advice is usually

00:24:02.160 amazingly on track. And pray for each other too, because sometimes at home when you're having a difficult

00:24:08.480 day, and you call your husband, you may find he's having a difficult day too. So once you feel that

00:24:16.160 pressure, pray for each other, it works well. This all helps but understand for many, loneliness can be

00:24:25.600 very real to mums working at home, day to day, trying to get it all done, determined to be tenacious and

00:24:33.360 accountable. I usually hear mums say, I prayed for a homeschooling friend for my little boy or girl.

00:24:41.280 And not only did I find one for them, I found one for me with that mum. This may not happen immediately,

00:24:50.480 but it's very common. And most mums will find that they can confide in and discuss homeschooling matters

00:24:59.040 with a mum that befriends them. Thus, it is so important to get involved in a support group.

00:25:06.240 Even classes set up a day a week that others teach groups of kids, while mums have the freedom to do 0.98

00:25:13.520 something else for themselves. Many school boards already do this. Maybe you need to think outside the

00:25:21.760 box. No one is forcing you to school five days a week. Trade some learning times with other mums, 0.99

00:25:28.800 like a science unit. Flexibility is how you create it. Next, it is important to recognize your children

00:25:37.840 keep changing as they go through what I refer to as ages and stages. At different ages and stages,

00:25:46.080 you may come upon challenges that seem insurmountable. And you question yourself and what is happening

00:25:54.080 and what could remedy a problem. It might be a stage that is short lived and something that but or

00:26:01.760 something that tests your fiber for a stretch of time. And you may question if you have the grit

00:26:09.200 or the child psychology know how to get through. If you have, like any parent, you look for answers.

00:26:19.360 I remember a classic example of my son when he was about 13. We had a great relationship,

00:26:26.800 but I was at my wit's end to keep him cooperating. I found like minded mums at a national conference. 0.66

00:26:34.640 They gave immediate stories of their own sons with grueling episodes of ignoring mum's direction

00:26:43.040 and daily struggles. The solution every time was recognizing these sons are looking at becoming a

00:26:50.560 man. A mum's well-intentioned plans were not enough anymore. Dads had to take a closer oversight

00:26:59.280 and accountability for specific projects and checking his work from mum. A dad's conference with their

00:27:07.360 sons might sound like this. A man does a good job and completes his work. A boy does this, but a man does

00:27:16.320 this. Thus, a boy will rise to the expectations and accountability of his father more than he will

00:27:26.640 to his mother. He wants to become a man and will rise to the challenge of manly behavior. And they need

00:27:34.720 and want to be affirmed by their father at this stage of life. Mums have to let go. And what about those 0.92

00:27:44.640 little children interfering with that important work at the table? Well, work to involve them in their own

00:27:52.800 homeschooling tasks. Even give them a special carpet remnant or a small tablecloth to sit on close by.

00:28:01.600 And do a daily task chosen from the Ziploc bag of assignments kept in a special box just for them.

00:28:08.560 You could even set a timer or use an hourglass for them to watch. You'll find another handout attached

00:28:18.160 to this website to give quick ideas to try as needed with these little ones. My daughter homeschools four 0.66

00:28:26.720 little children from the age of seven down to one. It's been noted very much by experts that reading a lot

00:28:35.840 of books in a home really creates a very good indicator of educational success, high learning

00:28:44.800 levels. Homeschoolers are usually good readers because it's encouraged in the home all the time.

00:28:51.280 And they actually have time to read, unlike classrooms. My daughter was focused on her teaching lessons

00:28:59.040 when she looked up and couldn't see where little Sarah was, not yet two years old. And scanning the

00:29:05.760 room, she called out several times, Sarah, where are you? Where are you? She heard a little voice saying,

00:29:13.040 I'm here reading. There in a private corner, she was looking at a pile of her favorite books. That's not quite

00:29:24.160 two years old. Well, you have likely experienced a single incident that usurps your confidence or a

00:29:31.920 combination of factors. Maybe it's being everything to everyone all the time, 24 hours a day. Maybe it's

00:29:40.080 having all the kids coming to you with needs all at once and you're pressed for not knowing everything

00:29:46.400 at every grade level or feeling unable to check the children's work and wondering when they should

00:29:52.640 have to redo it or if you've just been too hard on them or haven't expected enough. Any of this sound

00:30:01.040 familiar? But you know of all these challenges, singly or in combination, the biggest one of all seems to

00:30:10.480 be one that I experienced myself and I hear it time and time again from mums. You feel so responsible for

00:30:19.520 your child's education and that responsibility is leaning on your shoulders all the time. You may wonder

00:30:27.280 if you can really know enough and be able to really know the right choices to make so that your children

00:30:35.520 will experience the success you want them to in the long run and that you won't ruin your children and their

00:30:44.320 opportunities for the future. Yikes! Any of you ever feel like that way? I think this is one of the most

00:30:52.800 daunting for homeschoolers, this sense of responsibility. This can cause any mum to say,

00:31:01.040 I'm quitting, I just can't take this anymore. Or we'll have you question, why am I doing this anyway?

00:31:07.760 Well Raymond Moore always says, it's better to change rather than quit. Remember teachers in the

00:31:15.680 classroom are teaching the same class often for a number of years and at the end of the year they

00:31:21.920 will say, I didn't like this and I won't do that again and this really worked well. You'll do the same

00:31:29.600 as you gain experience with what works for you and your children. Remember you're teaching multi-level

00:31:36.320 grades and learning new grades every year. But maybe start with a more structured program

00:31:43.760 in language arts and math and then as you become confident you may choose to do more practical unit

00:31:51.360 studies for history, science with many fun integrated studies that are given in the guidebooks written by

00:31:59.280 experts. Don't reinvent the wheel. In spring I watched a mum ease her panic looking ahead at how was she

00:32:08.960 ever going to finish and she went through her math book and marked the pages with coloured sticky tabs with

00:32:15.760 dates that divided up the remaining book to ensure completion. Remember too because you are teaching

00:32:23.360 one-on-one your children are often under a magnifying glass and when you observe and teach them they are not

00:32:32.080 lost in a crowded classroom. This has positives and negatives and can raise the frustration level of

00:32:39.440 specific tasks. Be careful with young children who have a need for shorter, intense teaching. I usually

00:32:47.840 suggest if your child is seven, they can focus for seven minutes before a stretch. Ten-year-olds can focus for

00:32:56.000 ten minutes and it's typical to change up an activity at this point for any age. It's just good brain science.

00:33:04.400 And there are many sites for brain breaks with music that can make you all laugh together.

00:33:11.600 Maybe make a list of daily tasks in a scribbler for each child and as they complete and check off the

00:33:18.080 items that are starred must-dos then they would get to choose an activity. And then mum can rotate teaching

00:33:27.280 times going around each child. Remember to make a program work for you and your child if they know

00:33:35.040 the concept. Numerous workbook pages are not necessary. Write at the top of the page did orally so that when

00:33:44.400 you look back you won't panic with the blank pages or sometimes decide to just do the odd numbers or just the

00:33:52.160 even number problems. Saxon math is a remarkable program to achieve excellence right through high

00:33:59.120 school. It can feel like a lot to do though so elementary through middle school consider doing

00:34:07.040 the new concept page every day and the review section every couple of days. I visited a math specialist

00:34:15.360 for Calgary public schools and she happened to start homeschooling her own son in junior high.

00:34:24.160 Since she chose an evaluated program she ordered Saxon math for all the classrooms in her area and she

00:34:32.400 noted that these same students using this program in the grade nine provincial achievement test they

00:34:40.240 showed remarkable evidence of excellent category. Maybe hire a tutor from a high schooler next door to focus

00:34:49.760 and reinforce weekly lessons. And when things become frustrating with a child or children, before you blow your

00:34:58.560 stack, start to say to yourself, will this really matter for eternity? It will put things back into

00:35:07.120 perspective and usually calm you down. I'd like to encourage you to prioritize what will make you

00:35:15.040 feel what you've accomplished and set out to do. Remember, always take advantage of the teachable moment.

00:35:23.440 For example, when those big fluffy snowflakes fall, grab that black construction paper for each child,

00:35:30.240 no matter what their age, to actually catch and see up close those six-sided shapes and then learn the

00:35:38.560 science about this miracle formation with God's account in scriptures of treasures in the snow.

00:35:46.720 Through all of this, don't forget it's your attitude that determines the atmosphere.

00:35:53.280 Now let's talk a little bit about time, time management and reserving some time for yourself.

00:36:01.760 First-year homeschoolers can sometimes get way too much curriculum and then feel overwhelmed with

00:36:07.760 trying to get it finished. Or they may be so enthusiastic in getting involved in different field trips that

00:36:15.200 they feel they're not accomplishing enough at home. Homeschoolers who are never home.

00:36:20.400 Be selective. Sometimes a support group can give you the confidence you need. Just be careful,

00:36:27.920 because sometimes listening to others can be counterproductive.

00:36:32.800 I would suggest that you draw up a philosophy of why you're doing what you're doing.

00:36:38.240 It will help with your decision making. Print it up and post it, because when you start to question

00:36:44.720 why you are doing this, and you will, when you're in the waves and feeling sidetracked or discouraged,

00:36:51.840 it can be an anchor in the ups and downs of homeschooling. Share it often with your children.

00:36:59.440 For us, academics wasn't our overall priority. Not that we ignored it, as we did regular programs in the

00:37:09.520 basics. Reading, writing, math, science, etc. But we worked to see what would challenge our

00:37:18.160 children's unique giftings. We stressed standing for family with a Christian worldview.

00:37:25.680 And to be able to stand alone and be critical thinkers.

00:37:37.120 A mother's verse that I held through homeschooling years and I often share with moms is so important

00:37:43.840 to remember. Do what you can, use what you have, and let God perfect it. That again means you have to

00:37:52.880 be humble in that you accept that you aren't and can't be in control of everything, but that you

00:38:01.120 should prioritize some recharge time for yourself, for the benefit of your kids, your husband, and

00:38:09.040 everyone that has to live with you. Sally Clarkson, a well-known homeschooling mom, author, and motivating

00:38:18.640 speaker, says that it is in the home that sharing both the mundane and the meaningful moments of life

00:38:26.400 happens. It is celebrating life in the midst of building roadways into each other's hearts and met with

00:38:34.080 memories and love. I'm a great fan, as I said, of whenever possible to use hands-on activities with

00:38:41.840 the light-directed studies. In other words, using the things the kids are already interested in

00:38:48.160 to energize the learning activities. Unit studies, as I've said, can integrate all learnings in fun

00:38:55.280 reading, writing, math, science, etc. When we tackled a unit on owls, it was the first time God actually

00:39:03.840 showed us a great horned owl on the high tree on our property. We took the opportunities to dissect

00:39:09.840 owl pellets found at the bottom of the tree, and we extended learning with many projects

00:39:16.880 and reading an old novel study called Owls in the Family by Farley Mowit. Very funny. When doing a

00:39:24.960 unit on fur, Canadian fur trading, a mom made simple outfits of fun fur for the kids to happily march around

00:39:33.440 as fur traders, to dramatize scenes, to summarize events, such events brought history to life.

00:39:43.520 While socialization is probably one of the strongest homeschool benefits, your kids will be confident

00:39:50.480 with all age groups, and they're not peer-dependent. One father said, my kids don't smoke, drink,

00:39:58.960 or take drugs, so I guess they're not socialized. You'll see young people who are actively ministering

00:40:07.840 to others, and they seek these ideas in prayer and ministry opportunities. I visited a family with three

00:40:18.080 young men through junior high and high school who decided to make sandwiches for the needy, and it became

00:40:25.520 replicated all over the city with students working together in larger organized groups, and it was

00:40:32.960 reported in the media. Each of my children had a large number of strong Christian friends, and not from

00:40:42.000 the church youth group, that they continue to have as friends today as they raise their own families.

00:40:49.120 Well, remember the important thing is not that your children will do well in school,

00:40:56.560 but that they will do well in life.

00:41:01.760 We have arrived at a time many graduate home educators are exploding into the marketplace in

00:41:09.760 society with notable character, joy, servant hearts, and integrity. Levels of excellence like that are sought

00:41:18.480 after and being noticed. Tackle things prayerfully and remember your children are unique in each having

00:41:26.160 a special destiny that you're part of molding and shaping, but realize you do not have full control of

00:41:33.600 how they're going to turn out. God has placed in each one natural inclinations that are part of their

00:41:40.800 defined character right from the very start. You might think you're molding your children,

00:41:46.720 and with perseverance you will have your way, but there's a design you're not going to change,

00:41:54.400 and that is in each one of your children, and it's going to express itself independently.

00:42:01.840 I have many amazing and incredible stories of homeschool families and students and what they have

00:42:07.840 accomplished, but I better summarize. We recognized that it can be very challenging, especially at this time of

00:42:16.160 year. We touched on a number of strategies to modify your programs to meet your needs and keep going.

00:42:24.720 Remember, don't worry about doing enough. Give yourself a break. Trust in God's peace and leading.

00:42:33.360 Do what you can, use what you have, and let God perfect it. It's in our homes we model by example,

00:42:41.040 more is caught than taught. Defeat the feelings of loneliness or your isolation feelings by having

00:42:50.000 regular connection with other homeschooling kids, moms and families. Remember that you are

00:43:00.400 mom learning, and remember the first time you were a first time mom, you were learning all the time about

00:43:07.280 babies, and this is kind of similar. We mentioned that your kids go through ages and stages. Be flexible,

00:43:16.080 and adapt and get husbands to help with this, especially with early adolescent boys. Finally, you know your

00:43:24.800 attitude determines the atmosphere. Your energy rubs off. At the same time, you must schedule times to step back,

00:43:34.080 take a break, and recharge with the grace that God gives. I will close off with a story. A number of years

00:43:44.480 ago, my husband and I were asked to be able to speak at the Quebec Homeschool Conference. Homeschooling is

00:43:52.480 very difficult there in that province due to government regulation and opposition. It remains so today,

00:44:00.080 today, yet parents are tenacious to choose this route. In preparation for this conference and speaking to

00:44:08.320 moms and dads, through prayer, God gave me a creative insight about the Bible story of the five loaves and

00:44:16.720 two fishes, John 6-8. And I shared this with them, and I will leave it with you. A boy brought a lunch,

00:44:25.680 lunch, something that Christ was able to use. Had he come to hear Christ teaching, or was he out walking

00:44:33.680 and stumbled upon the disciples? Either way, he had brought food that he was willing to share. Imagine

00:44:41.840 that bundle of food was a catalyst that allowed him to be used. He was prepared to be used for a miracle.

00:44:50.160 Why? Well, I would propose to you moms that his mom sent him off for the day. He was prepared. She

00:45:00.880 readied him for service. She didn't know what was ahead for that day, but she lovingly and obediently

00:45:08.480 prepared him. It was so significant it was recorded in scripture for eternity. God used what he brought that

00:45:18.240 day for a huge miracle. Moms, you are in a similar position. You are working with your children to prepare

00:45:27.360 to send them out in that world, not knowing what to expect, but eagerly setting them to task, hoping

00:45:37.680 Christ will use them in astounding, unimaginable ways. Well, believe God has a plan for you. You are

00:45:48.000 in the right place for such a time as this. I hope that was helpful and that you continue to succeed with

00:45:55.840 homeschooling. Thank you.

00:46:03.920 Thank you, Colleen Lowther. That was amazing. You've covered so many

00:46:08.320 areas of thoughts that mothers go through. Parents, the questions they go through. You've covered so

00:46:18.480 much and so encouraging and great perspective. I just have a few questions on my mind here. Some people

00:46:27.680 who homeschool sometimes say their children will develop better character and think critically. Have you

00:46:35.120 seen evidence of that? Well, I certainly have. I think I remember a student who had homeschooled and

00:46:44.320 they went to university and they noticed an immodest and offensive statue in the public cafeteria,

00:46:53.120 Mount Royal University. She wrote a letter to the dean questioning why was that there? Since a student was on

00:47:01.120 the dean's list with high marks, she had a valid entry point for communication. She asked for a written

00:47:08.560 reply of what would be done about this. The dean found out that a private business had installed that

00:47:16.160 and it was removed. The business contract was cancelled and was not allowed the following year.

00:47:22.960 This student had thought critically about why would this be and what can I do about it. Another story was

00:47:31.200 a student taking a business class was critically thinking as well and standing alone when he encountered

00:47:38.240 a professor who decided to preach his views that marriage should be extended beyond being between a man and a

00:47:47.200 woman. Following class, he and a small group of students made a plan. The next time the professor

00:47:55.520 decided to preach his personal views, the students from different faith denominations who placed

00:48:02.720 themselves strategically throughout the classroom took the initiative in class to stand up one by one to

00:48:10.320 quote the latest polls that affirmed traditional marriage and statistics that showed the opposite of

00:48:17.040 what the professor pushed. They quoted clear examples of how families provided the best strength for

00:48:24.000 children. It didn't take long for that professor to take a step back and begin his accounting lecture once

00:48:31.520 again. I don't even think this student lost any marks for being so bold. Lots of those stories happen.

00:48:40.560 Post graduates are doing things that are amazing out there in the world.

00:48:46.880 Wow, good for them. That was that's great story. What about the parents being vital in this

00:48:52.640 in the process? Do you have an example of how parental choices for a child made the difference? Well,

00:49:02.960 certainly parents are the best ones to love their own children and because of that they make the best

00:49:08.320 decisions as they go through the process of rearing them and seeing them do the best that they can

00:49:16.480 through the parents guidance. I remember a little girl with cerebral palsy and she was homeschooling

00:49:24.080 through early years and even middle school age and she was an amazing little reader and very involved in so

00:49:31.280 many areas of learning. So she even was successfully researching getting a horse of her own

00:49:39.680 and using horses that were trained for special needs kids. She needed to go through several surgeries on her 0.99

00:49:48.320 spine. And when the children's hospital following their routine assessments and medical expectations

00:49:55.600 suggested that this little girl should join the hospital school for three to four weeks during a recovery

00:50:03.040 time, her mom asked me, what did I think of such an education plan entailing this? And when I responded with

00:50:12.880 asking the mom, what did she think was right? She immediately and tearfully said she would instead desire

00:50:21.600 to homeschool her little girl after each day in the recovery program, meaning she would have to drive back and 0.76

00:50:29.440 forth. Of course, this mom had incredible plans for challenging this young woman and cheerfully 1.00

00:50:36.160 undertook it willingly with optimism and successfully met her little daughter growing into a young woman,

00:50:44.960 her individual needs with expertise, the best that any parent would do. The hospital actually learned from

00:50:52.800 all of this. And this upbringing made her an incredible young woman today. What an amazing

00:51:00.080 family I was privileged to get to know.

00:51:05.440 Wow, that's an inspiring story. Thank you.

00:51:07.680 It's amazing what parents can do.

00:51:09.520 Really, it's really true. Homeschoolers seem to have a lot of flexibility from what you've said.

00:51:15.920 How have you seen families take advantage of the flexibility homeschooling offers? I know we used it

00:51:26.240 every year. We would go down to Palm Springs for two weeks where my parents were and we grabbed our

00:51:33.920 reading and our math. And yeah, we enjoyed a rest in the sunshine during the winter months.

00:51:39.920 And that was the flexibility we had. My husband was a shift worker. So it worked better for us to go away

00:51:47.920 in the winter. And so that was one of the ways the flexibility was great. What have you seen?

00:51:56.000 Well, you're right, Doris. There's so much flexibility offered to families because they are creative thinkers

00:52:02.880 and they want to do the best for what will work for them personally. Well, I've seen so much flexibility over

00:52:10.080 and over with homeschoolers. And just a few would be, I saw athletes that were competitive figure skaters

00:52:19.120 over in Japan for a number of long months. And they were able to continue with homeschooling programs.

00:52:26.560 And I had a knowledge of a little pianist who was truly a little virtuoso. And he traveled on tour to

00:52:35.440 many places in Europe performing. And because he homeschooled, he had no lack of academics.

00:52:44.000 I was also a facilitator with a family that was doing mission work in South America. And she was working

00:52:51.520 as a nurse and her husband was a doctor, they were working with indigenous people groups. So we were able to

00:52:59.760 complete the two family visits that were needed with one in person visit, and then a second visit that was approved

00:53:06.960 to be on a Skype call, an old version of zoom. So these parents made the decision of traveling, doing academics as

00:53:16.720 needed. And they made the decision of what was going to work for their children, and for their families. It

00:53:23.280 was quite incredible.

00:53:25.840 Yeah. And I'm just thinking to like, right now we're in spring break, or some people call it March break.

00:53:33.680 It's some some week here in Canada, somebody is having a March break. And when you homeschool,

00:53:40.800 you can take your breaks outside of those high, busy times when airfare is higher, entry tickets are

00:53:50.800 higher, you can go like end of October, you can go February, you can go mid April, anywhere you want

00:53:58.240 and avoid lineups. So, again, flexibility is really great for for lifestyle.

00:54:04.720 Yeah, we did it very often ourselves. And most homeschoolers are aware, they don't have to be

00:54:13.680 contained with that structure of dates given to them by the school system.

00:54:19.040 That's right. Yeah. You once shared a story with me.

00:54:26.480 That I was hoping you could share again with the audience, you mentioned that families have done some

00:54:31.200 amazing things that you've seen. Can you share an example?

00:54:35.520 Well, again, creativity is at the high for homeschoolers, new moms need to realize that 1.00

00:54:42.240 it's what they think can be done, and what will work for their situation. And then the learning comes

00:54:48.560 after that. Because it's so incredible, what can be accomplished just for their own families. And they're

00:54:55.840 really a good model for others to say, Oh, I didn't know you could do that kind of thing. But I had the

00:55:03.280 privilege of visiting many creative families working to integrate their learning with what worked best.

00:55:09.440 And life service to others is usually deliberate. And so it's quite amazing. I visited a missionary

00:55:15.760 family building a light two person plane with the expert expertise of their grandfather,

00:55:22.800 their uncles and their dad and their goal was to build the first plane that could carry enough fuel

00:55:29.680 to cross the Amazon River and enable missionaries to reach unknown tribes there. They worked on the

00:55:37.040 project on their large hangar that they had constructed on their acreage with a runway and all. It was quite

00:55:44.480 incredible. They actually did it with the boys helping to drill in bolts and screws. They talked about

00:55:52.000 getting the official flight hours completed that were necessary. And it was actually given to the

00:55:58.080 missionaries there in the Amazon. You can imagine how they poured their own knowledge of flight

00:56:05.840 fuselage for it, how things worked to get it to at the Amazon, and what life experiences those kids

00:56:15.120 had that captivated their hearts for more opportunities in their future. It's just amazing ideas. But most

00:56:23.840 people can't build a plane. But I'm just saying that as a real example of being true to yourself and and

00:56:31.040 letting your kids experience things that they need to see for their futures.

00:56:35.440 Absolutely. Yeah, the creativity is beautiful. And I remember as a mother, how fulfilling and exciting

00:56:43.440 it was for me to create ideas with each child because they all had separate interests.

00:56:52.320 And then just create some sort of a plan that got them excited about

00:56:56.800 doing something. And yet it was it was school. And, you know, we always think school is sit down at the

00:57:04.240 table and fill out the blanks and check the boxes. And then it makes mom feel good because we've

00:57:11.760 checked all the boxes. But did they actually retain? Did they actually remember what they just did?

00:57:18.880 And so there's so many other creative ways to instill and teach and implant knowledge.

00:57:28.240 And like with this plane, you know, there's math, there's science, there's history or geography.

00:57:35.840 And and then, of course, the life experiences. And so that fills the soul as well and brings joy and

00:57:43.360 satisfaction and purpose. And this is what our kids need. If they don't have purpose.

00:57:51.600 And if they don't feel good about what they're doing, we need to add to that. And it's those

00:57:58.480 kind of projects. And then a family, the family working together. That's another key component,

00:58:03.920 is families doing things together. And how many parents, especially moms long for that relationship to

00:58:09.680 be a to have a relationship with their child. And they, you know, they're not really sure how to

00:58:16.400 get that back. And so homeschooling also really develops that. And yeah, that's a really great story.

00:58:27.120 It's really a learning to learn experience for families to just choose these kinds of things that

00:58:34.720 are, you know, individual to their families. And they're doing amazing things around the world.

00:58:40.880 They really are, even with their post-secondary learning. I have many stories about those options

00:58:46.400 for homeschoolers that really are very well recommended. And they're very excited about what

00:58:55.600 they can stand alone for and have good character training to show to others. So it's just a real

00:59:03.280 incredible journey. Yeah, that's fantastic. You in one of the attachments that will be on our website

00:59:13.520 is a list of verses from the Bible that have been an encouragement to you. Do you have one or two you

00:59:18.800 want to share with us and why? Oh, there's just so many in there for homeschooling different days,

00:59:24.480 I would rest on different verses, and I would get alone on my knees in prayer many times. And sometimes

00:59:31.840 my kids would join me just because of the situational things. I used to say a lot of

00:59:41.120 what was the verse I gave earlier, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And I

00:59:48.960 really would advise say these out loud and put the scripture at the back of what you're saying, because

00:59:54.640 you'll end up memorizing those. And you'll use them many, many times through your day or different

01:00:00.400 situations as you go through things.

01:00:02.640 It's funny, you mentioned that verse, because I actually have a printed your list here. And that

01:00:09.040 one I checked off for me. And then and another one you have on the list is surely God is my help.

01:00:14.800 The Lord is the one who sustains me from Psalm 54 verse four. And another one, the Lord is the strength of

01:00:24.080 my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27 one. And yeah, when you print this, folks, when you get this

01:00:33.120 list on our website, it's three pages, and you can even cut them out if you want, or you can create your

01:00:40.080 own. You also have another attachment that we'll have available for people to print its practical

01:00:47.120 ideas for younger children. Tell us about the Ziploc activity bags that you store in a box.

01:00:54.160 Well, those activities on the list that you can put into those bags. And then when you need one,

01:01:02.160 on the last minute, you can just pull one out. Or you can simply just say, okay, this is the activity

01:01:07.680 I'm going to do today. And you may not have it in a Ziploc bag, but organize it so that you have it

01:01:13.360 ready to pull out and use with your little ones. So there's many easy activities there to use with

01:01:19.840 blocks with play with library books that you can listen to audibly, and have little microphones for

01:01:27.680 them to hear the story and know when to turn the page. There's and but they're meant for little guys,

01:01:33.280 so that you can continue some of your paperwork at tables, or some of your discussions with the older

01:01:39.840 children. Yeah, no, that's fantastic. I will definitely be giving this to my kids, because they're

01:01:45.760 starting their homeschooling journey in the fall. And they've got little ones, that's for sure.

01:01:53.040 Thank you. I appreciate you, Colleen Lowther from Alberta. And I know you've got a lot of experience.

01:02:00.480 You've really brought it all together. It's one of these sessions that I think, and I'm glad it's

01:02:09.520 recorded, because I think it'll be useful for moms to come back to again, and listen again, to be

01:02:16.160 re encouraged again. Because, you know, there was so much there. And, you know, we focus on two or three

01:02:24.880 things. And then, you know, you kind of maybe you master it. And you're going, oh, there's more. And

01:02:29.920 I'm sure Colleen knows the answer. So I really appreciate that. I also just wanted to go back

01:02:38.480 and mention on our screen share, my screen share here, I'm just going to go back to the list of

01:02:44.880 conventions. You did talk about it. And I think it's important for people to go. Here we go.

01:02:56.800 And if any of these places are close to you, I do encourage our audience to head out there this

01:03:07.200 spring. Alberta has two of them. Ontario has to invest in taking care of yourself, like Colleen

01:03:16.800 mentioned, and get connected, and be encouraged and inspired by the speakers and by the

01:03:32.640 vending hall where all the curriculum is. It's really a powerful time. Yeah. Yeah. I just also

01:03:41.440 wanted to mention, if anybody wanted to reach me, my name is Doris Livingstone. I'm at homeschooling

01:03:49.280 at actionforcanada.ca. And I redo reply within two days, usually two to three days, I do reply

01:03:59.360 with any concerns or questions. Colleen, did you have any last closing words? I'm going to

01:04:06.800 add one more thing here. But I just want to give you a chance to wrap it up here before I

01:04:11.440 add one more thing. No, it's an amazing journey for you to try out. I do believe it's the one of the

01:04:21.440 best that you can encounter. You can teach your children well, don't have limitations because of

01:04:29.920 who you think you are, you're not a teacher, or etc, etc. Don't look at high school when you've got grade

01:04:36.560 twos. But look at what you're doing now. And then just rest that God is working with you day to day.

01:04:46.960 That's right. And you know, earlier, you mentioned different types of moms, single moms, widowed moms,

01:04:54.240 moms of special needs kids. And I know some people know my story. But after 13 years of homeschooling,

01:05:00.560 my husband was killed in an accident. So then I was a single mom of teenagers. And I wanted to finish

01:05:09.200 and I did the last five years alone, I had my network of support people around me, and my community and my

01:05:17.440 church and my homeschool community. And so there are ways to do this if you are on your own, and you feel

01:05:26.000 this need to homeschool your child. So if it's pressing on you, and you need a little direction,

01:05:33.600 please reach out to me at homeschooling at actionforcanada.ca. I'm happy to get you started

01:05:40.960 and point you to the right people. And I also love calling what you mentioned, our attitude as moms

01:05:48.720 determines the atmosphere. And I think we know that also that's with our husbands. And it's definitely in

01:05:55.600 the home, the kids know. And yeah, every day, we bring it before the Lord, I guess, right, start the day

01:06:05.040 there. And we do have hard days. But overall, those were the best years of my life, ever. I loved,

01:06:13.520 I loved the whole family homeschooling thing. It was amazing.

01:06:17.360 Mm hmm. And it does go to second and third generation, my 11 grandchildren are all homeschooling.

01:06:24.640 So they encourage each other, and they encourage other people looking at starting.

01:06:31.280 Oh, that's fantastic. Yeah, that's our hope, isn't it for all of our children take it on.

01:06:37.360 I just wanted to put out there to our audience, our next webinar will be Tuesday, April 23.

01:06:45.280 We're gonna have Dorenda Wilson back. And she has a website. And she's an author and has daily 0.95

01:06:54.400 podcasts. And we're excited to bring her back. She just released her first book, Raising Boys to Men.

01:07:00.960 And Colleen, as you were talking about boys, and when they need their dads, more so even when they're

01:07:08.640 teenagers. And Dorenda also brings all that up and starts right in the earliest days. And what a great

01:07:18.320 person to have talking about that, because in this age where boys and men are being challenged not to be

01:07:26.800 men and not to live to their God created design, and they're wired to be masculine and men and leaders.

01:07:34.880 And so she's going to talk with us about that. And that, again, is Tuesday, April 23,

01:07:43.600 at 10am Pacific Standard Time, and it'll be a live webinar. So if you want to attend and you've got

01:07:52.400 questions, that would be a great time to sign in as well. And again, all our webinars are will be on

01:07:58.560 our website. And you can always go back and watch something over again, so they won't disappear on

01:08:04.800 you guys. All right. Thank you again, Colleen, Lowther, appreciate you having you on today.

01:08:13.120 And I wish you all of God's blessings and favor on you and your children and your grandchildren.

01:08:20.240 As they, it sounds like the whole families, including you, you're still involved in homeschooling. So

01:08:28.720 part of it as a grandma. Grandmas, any grandmas listening, we have big jobs out there to take care 1.00

01:08:35.120 and be part of it. It doesn't stop. It doesn't. But it's with, and it's with joy. That's, you know,

01:08:42.720 that's, that's what I love about it. I love being part of it. All right. Well,

01:08:47.200 we're going to say goodbye. And we'll see you again in two weeks. Bye bye, folks.

Action4Canada - April 16, 2024

Tips to Succeed in Homeschooling

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