15 Things I Wish I'd Known 5 Years Ago

Recently, I was panicking about my effectiveness as a teacher (a typical response 4-5 months into the school year). I voiced to a friend, "I just wish I could see 5 years from now and know it was all worth it."

My friend said, "Well, you've been homeschooling for 5 years now, what would you tell yourself of 5 years ago?"

This hit me hard, and a beautiful feeling of awe and gratitude came. I pondered this for all of December and realized there were a lot of things that had only recently been happening in the structure of our daily lives that would have made things easier a long time ago.

I list them for my benefit, because I am guessing many have figured these things out already.

15 Things I wish I'd known/started 5 years ago:

1. Don't compare other's best to my family's worst.

Easier said than done, but I am trying to focus on the whole child and a variety of well-rounded subjects. They might struggle with some of the same subjects they do with me anyway were they in a traditional school setting--who knows? If my child is reading later that others, or not in PreK--it's OK. Pogress is so varied at this time, and I'm taking an intentionally different route.

2. Make a top-heavy day and relaxing evening.

I am a morning person and by 8 o'clock I am completely DONE. My husband has a varied schedule, so for most of the week I am on deck from 8am-8pm, with little reprieve. I am also an introvert and so being with 4 needy people (whom I love) all day leaves me feeling completely depleted by then, and cranky if there's any delay getting everyone to bed (there always is.) So, I gave up on an evening poetry  read-aloud or constructive handicraft circle around the cozy crackling fire (which we don't have). Instead we all take this miracle sleeping pill called "Leave it to Beaver" just before bed. Its void of stimulating colors, its pace is slow, and it shows people listening to their parents; it puts us all into a settled comatose feeling of security--perfect for sleep.

3. No screentime Monday -Friday.

Let me clarify, no screentime that they get to choose or ask for. On Friday they each get a card with 10 minutes repeated around the top and bottom,  for 60min a weekend. When they want to play a game or watch a show they bring it to me, tell me the time they are using, and we both set our timers. If they are late--I mark off an extra 10min. Before they can have screentime, they must vacuum their rooms and finish their schoolwork on Friday, and have done their Saturday chores the next day. Then my husband and I see what they've already done and there's zero arguing about it among themselves.
This gives us incentive to get outside more, which I should really do with them more--like daily.

4. 1 hour of Quiet Time a day.

I forget about this on busy days--until it's 7pm and I'm exhausted. I've had to decide what this time means to me, and concluded I want them reading for at least 30min, but mostly it's for my sanity to have us all apart for a while--sort of a spacer in our day...audio books are our friend...

5. Take personal time 5-8am.

My wonderful husband guards me from little people until 8am. During this time I write, shower, exercise, or maybe just sleep. Since he is gone most of the day, and once I am visible I am available--right, right?--this is another needed space that gives me the bit of solitary I need to carry me through the day. He is so much better at producing a warm morning where as I am more suited to a military drill method of waking children--no it didn't work well...

6. Have the kids make their own lunches every morning after breakfast.

We have these sort of bento boxes, a list of how to make a lunch, and several trays/containers/bins that I pull out for them to choose from. I check it before they put it in the fridge. They can eat from them pretty much anytime they want to and travel well. If we are  on the go I can just throw them in a bag or fabric cooler.

7. Multiple calendars are not redundant, but necessary.

My husband and I coordinate on google calendars, I detail my day in a paper planner, and a huge chalkboard calendar tells me general appointments at a glance. A separate school planner with a shopping list template plans our learning. In the summer I have a calendar for possible events, and another for what we will actually do. I like to calendar...

8. Weekly prep of 3 hours--alone.

I just can't do it effectively with anyone in the house--there are too many interruptions and my 3 hours turns into 6... Again, my wonderful husband has agreed to take the kids somewhere 3 hours every week so I can get abreast of the upcoming week and write out their assignments. *A membership to the Rec Center and a children's museum preferably 30min away is just perfect.

9. Plan meals ahead, shop for them every 2 weeks.

I don't have to explain this one either. It takes discipline but the immediate freeing up of not only time, but brain space has me sold.

10. Have one Kitchen Helper with me to make dinner every night 5-6pm.

Those who aren't Kitchen Helper do dishes afterward. I do this for a couple reasons;
 1-I get resentful if I am the only one doing the work that-let's face it- sometimes is unappreciated.
 2-Children eat better when they make it, if only because they see the effort it took.
 3-I like the company and I want them to feel comfortable in a kitchen and learn to cook.

All my kids have to be home by 5pm, then I am not chasing down people, and we are on schedule for bedtime (that magical time).

11. Take off December and 2 months out of summer.
Do a 4 day school week, with classes/field trips on the 5th day usually.

This is the first year we've done this and it made such a difference for me. Starting school in July or August isn't really that big a deal. In fact, it's a great motivator when friends are calling at the window to play- eh, he, he. Our home is 1300sq ft and we always get a real tree after Thanksgiving. By the time that's up and decorations are out  (ours are limited) and the kids drag out wrapping paper to wrap their gifts all 3x each (no joke) I'm ready to crawl the walls if I've got to navigate all that and do school. It just gets too crowded in our common areas. Taking that month off gave me necessary space in more ways than one.

12. 1 hour of teaching alone with each (older) child, each day.

We go in a locked room, with a table and the kids rotate through Watching Canary (now 4), doing Independent Work, or school with me. My Y6 and Y4 have their own planners to check off with me by 3pm.

13. Group time with quick rotations of 10-15minutes per book/topic.

These are accompanied by snacks and little art projects for Canary.

14. Daily Routine posted.

When we get off track (everyday) I don't play catch-up anymore. I just look at where we should be, and pick up there. Our day is scheduled according to energy and attention span and learning a new Math concept at 2:30 never works.

15. Wash all laundry on Friday, and then fold it Saturday morning.

It's the one thing I can completely space during the week and end up with piles everywhere. This has been working. I sort it and it must be put away and drawers straightened before screentime.

Again, I'm not saying any of these should be prescribed to solve all or even any homeschool problems of course, but thinking harder about my space, my circumstances, and my support has helped me come up with solutions for my family-

and it only took me 5 years?!

My Headmistress

She's a little thick in the middle, prefers blue, doesn't take any nonsense, and holds me to a high standard. She's my Head Mistress.

Short and sweet, this is how I record-keep our school year from the administrative end.
Headmistress keeps me in line. Within her D-ring files are color-coded tabs for basic sections.

 These are  plastic dividers with custom cottage-made tab labels (a.k.a. packaging tape and used index cards) here is the breakdown:

YELLOW:
Schedules- individual student schedule templates
Calendars-the year divided into 36 weeks of school & planned breaks
Habits-
Goals- non-school programs and general home school goals
Exams- my "ExamLand" version. Each year gets a progressively finer home.
AO Masters- Booklists & 36-week schedules from the AO website for the current year only.

Then the subject Tabs in mainly blue.

The trick comes in organizing multiple students in different years.
Each subject has a student tab on the top of the page divider. Each child has their own color, as you can see in the very first picture from the top of the folder. For instance, the Literature section pages look like-

• LITERATURE (blue tab on right)
• Bowery Bird (pink tab on top)
• 36 week AO Y4  Literature schedule (2 page spread)
• Mockingbird (green tab on top)
• 36 week AO Y2 Literature schedule (2 page spread)

BLUE:
YO- World Book Preschool Curriculum Guide & stuff.
Language Arts-Charlotte Mason is a bit all over the board with it's Language Arts. It's wonderful, yet can be confusing to track.

Continuing with BLUE subject tabs:

Foreign Language-
Math-schedules
Science- AO reading schedules and Building Foundations of Scientific Study flow-chart
Literature- weekly schedules as for other subjects that I made. I just highlight the assignment after we've finished it.

History-schedule, original maps, and original timeline figures for Our Island Study
Geography-schedule

Then comes

PINK:
Term Studies-really, I have a separate binder for this, here I just keep a simple schedule
Nature
Handicraft
Art
Music
Shakespeare-the 3 plays AY4 will do.
Plutarch- Anne White's Guides here for the year with smaller tabs.
PE-Information for their PE class through UVU
Affidavit-formal declaration of public school exemption
Supply List-where I list books & supplies to get as we can and a pocket for receipts to turn in.
Inventory-

Kindle- a how-to reminder and list of the Yesterday's Classics huge booklist to refer to.
Field Trips- a record & reminder if tickets are needed
Free Reads- record for our family of what year they were read (so I know who is old enough to not remember it later...)
Contests-
Resources-local PERC hours, etc.
Incentive Programs- Pizza Hut, etc.

So there it is! I open it every morning to the subject we're on it and she stays there till school is over. If not, I feel I am sailing without a course.

The February Freakout- it's tradition

Is it going to stay warm or get cold?
Am I ruining my kids lives for homeschooling or should I keep at it?
Am I normal or going insane?

It's February.
It's the crux of the school year.
Rumors in the roost have it that it's the worst time of year when mother-in-laws (who used to be school teachers) visit, best time for bubble-baths to be taken mid-school day, and mostly likely time for home school mothers everywhere to freak out as they compare their immaculate September spreadsheets to lacking mid-year realism.

We've been homeschooling four years now, and I've noticed this pattern in myself, and-thankfully-honest others around me commiserate. I thought that this year would be a piece of cake with not  being pregnant, juggling a public school schedule for siblings, or having a baby under 1, but it's not been. I had heard somewhere that 3 years is what it takes to really make a difference somewhere. That teachers need about that time to really be competent in their classroom. But, my materials are new to me every year for my oldest, I am adding new students every 2 years, and these students aren't staying the same developmentally--it's always changing! Some things get easier, but it's not the same every year. I needed to not be so hard on myself. So if this feeling is predictable--is it normal?

For myself, I am drawing a conclusion: YES.

First, a few reasons why this happens in February so we can not just blame ourselves:

• The excitement of the new school year is gone--as is the delight of the holiday season.
• The weather is blah and unpredictable here, and air quality terrible. Field trips have tapered a bit, and we're just inside a lot.
• It's the middle of the year and we feel like there is so much more for us to do yet.
• We compare our kids to others in different situations, with different goals and priorities.

The way I've come to terms with this is:

• I am going to start school earlier in anticipation of unpredictable days during the year.
• I'm going to just enjoy what we are doing instead of checking off a list and 'catching up'
• Even when we have visitors we are going to do some school each day (reading, writing, math)
• I'm going to recognize more often that teaching good habits, exposing to inspiring material, and offering a variety of experiences will outweigh  x test score by the time my student finds their area to focus on. It's just an entirely different approach.
• I am also turning over more ownership of their learning, to the student. More here.

I think that this mid-school year insecurity is natural and healthy. Our students are about 6 months older than when we were beginning the school year and we see what they are capable of now-generally more. We see that what we started in September with gusto and dropped is really missed.

It is a great point to question what we need to change and more realistically see what we can still accomplish. I thought that my Y4 student should have been able to do all her work independently by now. But if I had seen the whole year as a transition and training for her to work on her own, it would have made me much more understanding and practical in my approach. But I can see it on the horizon now--and it's a beautiful glimmer in the bleak February days...

10 Happy Homeschool Sanity Reminders

We are together as a family A LOT.
We are in our home together A LOT.
Some days we get on each other's nerves A LOT.

It's not burn out, it's something different. It isn't homeschooling, it's something different.
Whatever it is, for our family it's cyclical, so I've been pondering how to remedy the situation.

These are things, when going well, I think will help me. They just happen to fall well into Charlotte Mason's Principles.

Education is a Discipline*

  *these require discipline--at least for this mom

• Be Consistent and Clear with Expectations  

 Or; This is the random day I think your room needs to be spotless or you're never having a playdate again!

When my children know what to expect and what is expected of them, there is less haggling over assignments, or chores, or whatever. That equals less stress for me not only because people are more cooperative, but because I am not re-thinking every natural part of our day.
I also need to view chores not as a chore, but as time spent with people I love, teaching them to master the inevitable.

• Balance Caring for Others with Caring for Yourself  

Or; Make sure your hair is brushed before you worry about someone else's.

If I don't take care of myself, I have nothing to give, and for some reason this usually manifests itself in the form of  patience.
Some things I've noticed I need--not just want, but need:
rest, quiet time to myself daily-without interruption, exercise, looking my best, remembering to eat lunch, going out on dates with Mr. Owl, spending time with other adults, and intellectual stimulation, and some creative outlet I can drop relatively quickly if something is burning.

• Be Positive-or at least appear to be

Or; I love the way you wanted to make your baby sister happy and gave her an open cup of milk to carry around in my bedroom-3 hours ago...

 Moms really do carry the emotional thermometer for the family, like it or not. When my attitude slips, it is multiplied in other's actions. So this is not a Pollyanna pipe-dream, but really a point of self preservation.
I need to remember to smile, laugh, respond to others positively, be content with where I am, and expect success from others.

Education is an Environment

• Have a House of Order

Or; What idiot gave the Maid and the Cook the day off the same day this week!!!

When there is a cleaning routine in place, plenty of good food prepared, and clutter contained it is easy for others, including myself, to feel at peace in our home.

•  Make Home a Haven

Or; "What's burning?"
       " Welcome home, honey--How was your day?"

Ha, ha Mr. Owl just said that today...again.
But what is even better than a clean house, and I'm learning just as important for our sensory-oriented family, is an inviting and cozy home. Something safe and welcoming and delicious to come home to.
Not anything that costs more, but is pleasing to all the senses: a scented candle for smell, soft clean bed for touch, an anticipated meal for taste, a family photograph for sight, and mellowing music to hear.
These things are so simple to say, but easily escape me when my mind gets full of other stuff.

• Create more than Consume Creativity

Or; I just made it to the next level of Planet vs. Zombies--isn't that great Mom!

This is why I am constantly doing battle with the iphone, and laptop, and television, etc. Because it comes down to whether our brains are just toying with another's creation, or learning to develop our own. (Mind or toys--I don't really care, just do something on your own!)
Having things to create with accessible that make this an available option helps. So I try to be patient about the fabric scraps and paper scraps and marker on the furniture, because a sterile environment can't produce anything.

Education is a Life

• Learning is Exciting

Or; Shakespeare is here in Midsummer Night's Dream, alluding to the baptism of King James VI when a lion was to pull a chariot into the royal dining hall but didn't because they were afraid it would alarm the ladies--isn't that fascinating/interesting/funny/fun?!...Are you getting any...of this?

Learning is fun, but I must balance my expectations so that we aren't rushing through what is interesting to them and trudging through what they find boring.
I have to remember not to talk too much and spoon feed ideas. It's OK if they don't get it all now, discovering it on their own is more valuable even when especially when it takes awhile.
I have also found that school subjects are boring when we just aren't delving deep enough but skimming too much, or hurrying because it's time for the baby to wake up.
Oh, and I must remember never to announce outloud "this is so fun/fascinating/interesting/funny" or certain people will be sure to proclaim it not--no matter what. However, my laughing outloud when people aren't paying attention to the story has peaked interest before.
"Oh you missed that? Too bad, it was so good." Really, I'm not that cruel... most of the time.

• Life  should be Fun

Or; "This is your spelling time, and I already know what "b-u-t-t" spells, so quit asking me."

For our morning break I try to go out and play soccer or just spin the kids around till I'm too dizzy to stand. They love the physical attention and time together, and frankly, I find I do too.
We all need something to look forward to. I am realizing that holiday fun isn't something extra, but it's what kids live thier days for and spend their nights dreaming about. So I should put more effort into these built in diversions from the day to day.
Spontaneous smiles and a chance to be silly for 2 minutes are things I should look for and grab when possible.
Applauding little successes and celebrating family milestones are other great opportunities not to be lost.
This stuff is so obvious--why do I forget? Oh yeah, because I'm reading a good book.

• Love and Appreciation go a long way

Or; You made lunch for us so I didn't have to. Toast, and eggs, and Kool-Aid--my favorite!

Simple civility, when gone is h-ard to get back, let alone deal with. If we can keep love in our family with simple courtesy and spontaneous service it changes the whole tone of our home.
Looking in the eyes of people I love when they talk to me, stopping to really listen, hugging especcially my older kids more, and taking their opinions seriously communicate how much I value the people I am blessed to be wife and mother to.
The spiritual feeling can't be ignored either. Some times the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can fix an indiscernible problem, so inviting the spirit more often needs conscious effort.
And Family Culture is something that can help us feel secure and significant in who we are.

• Have a Common Goal

Or; Let's all get in the car and find out where this week's forest fire smoke-cloud is coming from!!

Whatever works. (It just makes an even 10.)

Lost in a Snowflake

This is Utah home of the "Best Snow on Earth" and until recently we had only a few dustings to our credit this year. One thing I love about homeschooling is that when it does snow we can take advantage of it for our break-or the day if like last year you only get one day that merits snowpants and sledding.

It had snowed. Mockingbird gets grumpy if she is hungry/sleepy or it's morning. All three of these hit hard one day and combined with a few clumsy bumps led to her wandering around telling herself how horrible she was. I tried to patiently keep things moving, but nothing was working.

 Eventually we all made it outside for our break. But it went on and on, to the point where I realized she was asking for some kind of validation that she is OK even if it was a terrible start to the day. She kept moaning until I had to take her by the shoulders for the kind of scolding we all need every once in awhile: "I know you are having a bad day, but I love you and if Anything happened to you I'd be Devastated. You are a wonderful, smart, talented person, just having a bad day. I know it's hard, but you have extactly 3 minutes to feel bad for yourself--then you are done and we all move on." and I turned and left her standing there.

Less than 3 minutes later, Mockingbird wandered around a bit then shouted out, "Look at these snowflakes! They're the prettiest I've ever seen!" And they were. gorgeous. Big, sparkely, and perfectly shaped. By the time someone ran up to get a cloth and magnifying glasses the majority were just clumps of frozen again. But for just a few minutes they were perfect.

ExamLand

 

I can't find it now, but somewhere there is a board game for Charlotte Mason exams at the end of a term. It was like a trip around a pond stopping at different places/subjects to talk about. I wanted to reinvent the wheel (as usual) and really enjoyed coming up with our own that the kids could color. I also made a little country version of each of them, not because we are "country" but because it seemed a classic option, and fun. They loved coloring themselves and deciding where to go next.

Everything I did one Wednesday

A few months after I had a baby I was feeling better, but like I wasn't accomplishing anything. I mentioned it to my mom and she gave me an order/suggestion (isn't that the same thing when it comes from a mom?). "Write down one day everything you do, not what you want to do--and you'll see you are doing a lot."
So I did. It was such a validation of my efforts that I repeat the exercise whenever I need a pick me up. For example here's everything I did one

Wednesday:

• Night before: bed 10pm
• 5am alarm goes off.
• 5:10 get out of bed. Dress for the day.
• 5:20 My time-writing, and a chance to laugh at my own jokes.
• 7 grocery store before husband leaves for work because we need milk & eggs
• 7:15 back. Awake kids, start a load of diapers in the washer. change and dress Canary.
• 7:30 My husband leaves for work. Cold cereal breakfast for me, empty dishwasher awake kids again. Remind them to do their Top Row. Toy bin of cars out for Kingfisher & Canary.
• 8am Circle time on couch. I read the Aiken Drum story, we look at Scotland and Canada on the map & watch the YouTube version of this folksong. From our Gospel Picture Art Kit I pull out a picture and we talk about the 2000 stripling warriors from the Book of Mormon while someone cried about the cereal being gone, because they woke up late. We open our Memory Binders,  and practice our parts for the children's Primary Program in church coming up. I text a teacher and my sister.
• 8:30 Puzzles bin out for Canary. Bowery Bird is reading science experiment book...telling me her next plan. Mockingbird is doing her copywork & 4 spelling words at the kitchen table. I remind her, "No drawing our letters into faces and people." Kingfisher practices writing H's & does some gingerbread man tracing from a cookie cutter. Bowery Bird practices piano-have to help her with left hand. Easel and washable markers come out for Canary. Pass off Bowery Bird's Faith in God booklet goal for seeing a play last week.
• 9am Lego bin out for Canary. Mockingbird does independent reading for her Book It Pizza Hut chart. Bowery Bird does her cursive copywork (for dictation on Friday) & spells 5 words.
• 9:30 Bowery Bird starts a terrarium she found in the science book by getting dirt & rocks for our empty fishbowl. I switch laundry to start whites, check email, print Book It reading chart for the month, pick up toys, and we all go outside for our morning break.
• 10 In, H has a friend over to play. Star Wars bin out (reminders to be quiet in hallway). Print Connecticut  line map for Bowery Bird to do map work/notebooking of  This Country of Ours on. She uses the Kindle to review names.
• 10:30 Tried to read aloud with Mockingbird, but she's tired of reading. I read Literature to her: Uundertood Besty while she drew our Halloween costumes. Bowery Bird wants to listen in. Puppets bin out for Canary. Little friend's mom came to take him home. Tell children to stop drawing on the windows with the new white board markers--especially in front of Canary who might get ideas. Started garden tomatoes, scalding. Prepped- 
• 11 Lunch of sandwiches, mangoes, applesauce, and chocolate milk. (on an even better day they'd make their own after breakfast) Pulled out term board, with new Mary Cassatt picture, let them look at it. Did picture study, where I took it down and they each took turns remembering things in the pictures as I prompted. Mockingbird was surprisingly good.
• 11:30 Clean up chores: Mockingbird peeled tomatoes from ice water then did dishes while Kingfisher picked up toys & dusted. Bowery Bird did a science experiment with water, dish soap, and paper triangle she read about in the aforementioned science experiment book (that has been in our home at least 3 years and gone unnoticed till now), then showed us. Reminded Bowery Bird to sweep, clean up stuff, and clear the table. I filled in.
• 12 noon I changed baby, washed baby. Set up Little Duke audio book for Mockingbird in my bedroom, Starfall on the computer for Kingfisher in his top bunk, after ordering Bowery Bird to stop studying face painting on the computer for upcoming Entrepreneur Day. Had her read Poor Richard to herself in the living room as I  read stories to Canary, sang a song, and put her down for a nap
• 12:30 read with Bowery Bird from Age of Fable. 
•  Mockingbird does some reading on Starfall. I spend time with Kingfisher while Bowery Bird sets up art with him. (She initiated these little "art classes" with him once a week.) He and I read The Ladies Who Stopped the Wind, he retold it to me. We two went outside, talked about feeling and seeing the wind and how it moves. We played then I carried him home.
• 130 Bowery Bird and Kingfisher did art. They made houses out of crackers, frosting she made of water & sugar, beans, spaghetti, and trail mix (the last of it). She had directions written in pictographs on a white board. Math with Mockingbird. She feels left out. Canary won't sleep. (She wouldn't eat lunch). I feed her cereal facing away from the few M&Ms in the trail mix project. Put her back to bed. Mockingbird & I drink chocolate milk outside for love. We come up and do math (place value) she does a worksheet independently after. 
•  Canary won't sleep, is up. Bowery Bird and Kingfisher clean up. Kingfisher is bored. Doorbell from neighbor about lost item; not ours. But a package! Give Bowery Bird her math assignment & negotiate when it will be done; 5pm on graph paper.
• 2:30  We open package-home school phonics books from Usborne. This is a day they can watch 30 min of TV. Martha Speaks, all agree on and watch.
• 3 We tidy up house, load dishwasher, prep dinner pots, leave for a friend's house
• 4 The kids play with 8 kids ages 12-2y/o in their new play fort. I visit with a friend. She shares vegetables. I start home.
• 5 We are all home. We are all cleaning-vacuum, clean bedroom (sort of), lip sync to Rapunzel soundtrack, I'm getting snacks for baby and making dinner. Kids run out to play. Oh hi husband you surprised me home at 5:30! I know you've only been working this schedule for a year and a half... I read mail. I ask kids to set table
• 6:20 we sit down to a candlelight dinner. (The better to not see your food by.)
• 7 I leave for a home school meeting about my umbrella charter school.
• 9:10 home-- head spinning with changes. Exhausted.
• 10 bed.

This ended up being a typical "Good Day"; a day when we are progressing, our house is functional, the kids cooperative (relative term), I have patience to handle what comes, and we are learning even if its not exactly what I planned.

To some this may set heads spinning--and it does mine if I don't have that time to myself in the morning. But you get rhythms and habits and it starts to work. We've been at it for 4 years now and I see this being a turning point for us in terms of things actually coming together.
To others this may seem like not much is being accomplished--and yet it is. It's little bits here and there that add up over time.

FYI- Note, none of the laundry got folded for 2 days, and I slept in the next morning till 8am, which is kind of typical too.

The Path We're Set On

I have been thinking lately of my children's future, more specifically. There are so many options in homeschooling and how we use our time, that I want my children to be pulling to their strengths while strengthening their weaknesses. That's why I've chosen to give them a liberal arts education (meaning a little bit of everything). I don't want to tell them their career, or limit their options. But I can see some tendencies and I believe the Holy Ghost will allow me that as their mother.

So after a lot of thought, the best I can do is:

• Expose them to passionate people and what is possible. This can be done through books, speakers, field trips, and hopefully friends.
• Equip them with skills in areas where their interest and gifts lie. Starting with the basics of an area now that will give them the early freedom to explore and develop it if they choose.
• Eliminate distractions and the unnecesary so there is space for them to get to truly know themselves. Limit media and the trivial.
• Encourage them to do more of what work they find fulfillment in. Applaud & admire the effort not just the end product.