Homeschool pick-me-ups

Homeschooling is rewarding, but it can also leave you drained sometimes.  Some days you just need a little support, encouragement or humor to get you smiling again.  Here's an assortment of stories, articles, jokes and even a song to put a little bounce in your homeschool step again.

You might be a homeschool mom if.....

Q: How does a homeschooler change a light bulb? 

A: First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life. Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill. On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill. Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed. And there is light. ~Author Unknown

Another version...

No less than 5.

1 person to contact HSDLA to see if there is a legal loop hole to change a lightbulb without first asking the local department of education.

1 person to contact the co-op to see if there is enough interest to have a field day to watch the changing of the lightbulb.

1 person to form a committee to determine whether this is a homeschooling or unschooling type activity.

2 people to actually go out to the store and purchase the lightbulb (this should ideally be a 2nd grader and their parent so that the parent can explain about the price per unit item as well as point out the differences in wattage).

Here's a printable poster of 20 great reasons we homeschool

Future Conversation by Tammy Drennan

Two women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk.

W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts -- helps me keep track of them.

W2: (Smiles) I'm Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here a lot?

W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.

W2: Wow. Where do you find the time?

W1: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time.

W2: Some of my neighbors home school, but I send my kids to public school.

W1: How do you do it?

W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with the kids every day after school and stay real involved.

W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about them being cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting the opportunity for natural relationships?

W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who're home schooled, and we visit their grandparents almost every month.

W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they're so isolated from real life -- how will they know what the world is like -- what people do to make a living -- how to get along with all different kinds of people?

W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bring real people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we're having a woman from Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.

W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their three children.

W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunchroom on Multicultural Day.

W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.

W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to visit that day. It's a system-wide thing we're doing.

W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting in the grocery store sometime and you'll end up having them over for dinner.

W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store -- certainly not people who might not even speak my language. What if that Japanese man hadn't spoken English?

W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it. Before I even saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he was going to do with all the oranges he was buying.

W2: Your child talks to strangers?

W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's with me, he can talk to anyone he wishes.

W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never talk to strangers.

W1: Not even when they're with you?

W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why it's so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a big no-no.

W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet interesting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real world, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.

W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health courses.

W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my number -- if you ever want to talk, give me call. It was good to meet you.

Here's some humorous stories from homeschool moms.

Real Homeschool Mothers...

Real Homeschool Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Homeschool Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Real Homeschool Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Homeschool Mothers know that dried playdough doesn't come out of shag carpet.

Real Homeschool Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Homeschool Mothers sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "because I love you best."

Real Homeschool Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade ... It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mom.

(Unknown Author)