homeschooling, Legos, rockets, and digestion

In a graduate class i am taking right now, we heard today about testing to different learning styles. This is nothing new to me--in my book, I even have a quick test you can give your kiddo to find out if he is a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. Most hs moms I know realize that their children usually have differing learning styles - mine certainly did!
Number 1 learned mostly in a visual way, while kiddo # 2 was a textbook auditory learner. Number three was a combination of both---and this last Costello is a kid who HAS to be doodling, playing with Legos, fidgeting, coloring, or shaping Sculpy (totally hands-on kinesthetic)in order to FOCUS on listening, memorizing, or narrating.
Speaking of memorizing, a year ago, he was actually PITIFUL at remembering and repeating anything. I gave him Psalm 1 to memorize--which we tried SLOWLY--half verse by half verse---and now, a year later---he is doing an amazing job!! Go get your Bble right now and find out why Psalm 1 is such answer to my prayer---I believe God GAVE him this ability as Luke digested the living word of God!!!
He loves creating---and it is now 9:15 p.m.---and he is staying up a tad past bedtime to work with his dad on a homemade model rocket that Gil & Liz gave him. Learning is lifelong--and not confined to a few hours in the day! I love watching him learn with his own giftings!

Karen Costello is the author of "Go Fly a Kite — Ten Surprising Strategies for Success in Your Homeschool".Karen is also available to speak at your homeschool conventions and other homeschool functions.After 25 years of homeschooling, Karen has refined fun, successful teaching ideas which will work for you!

homeschooling is NOT a snooze

Since learning of our FOURTH expected grandchild, I remembered how one of our own kiddoes never slept through the night until he was 18 months old. I recall getting up in the middle of cold, dark nights and sitting up in a creaky rocker, nursing. After many months of this, I almost started resenting his hunger and my resulting lack of sleep - until one night,I felt that God was telling me that this was our special time just to talk. That perspective made all the difference in my attitude.
Last night, after listening to Tim snoring for HOURS, I had that same resentful feeling---of somebody else robbing MY sleep. I prayed, nudged him, planned my day today, nudged him again, prayed some more, and then really started kicking him. However, sometime in that non-restful, non-quiet time, when I was praying for my mom, I thought about my mom and dad's 51 year marriage which ended when he went home to heaven three years ago . I know without a doubt that she would LOVE to be beside his wall-shaking snoring again. Again, that perspective shamed me...and I went back to nudging instead of kicking. Even though I realize how much I LOVE my sleep at this stage in my life, I decided to write some more tonight in this blo..........ZZzzz

Karen Costello — author of "Go Fly a Kite — Ten Surprising Strategies for Success in Your Homeschool".Karen is also available to speak at your homeschool conventions and other homeschool functions . After 25 years of homeschooling, Karen has refined fun, successful teaching ideas which will work for you!

homeschooling ,chaos, and delayed gratification

So, there are very few homeschooling homes that would be featured in "Architectural Digest" magazine. First, our proudest possession is not our home, and most of us are a one-income family. In addition, we encourage discovery and creative exploration in our children everyday--in essence, we live in a learning laboratory.
Yesterday , after bookwork, Luke & I went to an orchard, bought a bushel of apples, and spent the rest of the day making apple butter. The kitchen was a WRECK!! But he learned how to use my handy-dandy apple peeler, how to make applesauce, and the fairly long process that turns it into rich, dark,heavenly-smelling apple butter. Through God's provision, much waiting, and messy effort, our whole family will enjoy our labor all year--and that is probably the most valuable lesson I taught all day.
Karen Costello — author of "Go Fly a Kite — Ten Surprising Strategies for Success in Your Homeschool". Karen is also available to speak at your HomeSchool conventions and other Homeschool functions . After 25 years of homeschooling, Karen has refined fun, successful teaching ideas which will work for you!

homeschooling,trials, and brats

It has been a rough couple of weeks for our family---which is no different from yours at any given time! It seems to me that we try excessively hard to shield our children from every bad thing that happens . Sometimes this can be a terrible disservice to them. We rob them of learning to pray---of learning to cope--of learning to do without--of learning that we all grieve. The last thing we need to do is to cushion our kiddoes from all struggles and trials. Otherwise, we are at risk of raising a generation of entitled, pampered, self-centered and overly protective brats.
Obviously, we need to use Corrie Ten Boom's analogy of not allowing a child to carry a heavy suitcase until they are able, and discern what they are ready to hear, but one key issue is TRUST. Wow---God IS trustworthy--and He will allow trials in our lives. (He said that we shouldn't be surprised :)...and it is up to us to show His strength getting us through the trials!