Author - Tracy Lambert

Building Family Relationships Through Family Game Night

Building Family Relationships Through Family Game Night

I learned to play Yahtzee last week.

While some in my family are a little more daring and love to play new games, I have always been a bit more conservative to my approach to game night. I tend to stick with the old faithful games that I have played all of my life. In recent years, I’ve learned to play Dutch Blitz and Hear Me Out! I’m not sure how I missed learning to play Yahtzee when I was younger, but it’s never too late, right?

At the end of the evening, I didn’t win, but we all laughed and had a great time! The hours that passed that night seemed like mere minutes.

Do you ever find yourself wondering after a night like this, “Why we don’t make time for game night more often?”

Our lives are busier than ever. Many outside forces work to pull us apart each week. There will always be meetings, deadlines, schedules, company coming, and homeschool lessons. And the list just gets longer as our children mature through middle school and high school!

Having fun with the people we love is important, and thus we need to set aside very specific time for it. I’m well aware my children will not always be in my home. We have to make the most of the time we have now.

Civitas: The Government Card Game

For several years, our family has planned a regular game night as a way to relax and reconnect as a family.

With only a few exceptions, each Friday night for the last five years, we have turned off the telephones, computers, and the television for a family game night. Even my grown (married) son returns home some weeks for this gathering.

While the bonding time and laughter is a great benefit (and exactly why we planned a game night from the start), we were surprised to find many other wonderful ways that our regular family game builds family relationships.

  1. The old saying is true: families that play together, stay together. The bonding that occurs during a regular scheduled time each week cannot be measured. You swap stories, share smiles, and invest time. You sit face-to-face. You listen. These are the things that make each family member feel valued.
  2. Do you have a problem with your children arguing? Family game night provides a perfect opportunity for children to work together and practice good sportsmanship. They learn not to complain when they lose. They learn to congratulate their siblings or parents when they win. They learn to wait their turn. The lessons your children gain during family game night make family life more harmonious.
  3. Are there issues in your home with sibling rivalry? Try pairing these children together as a team during game night. It’s a non-confrontational way to teach them to work together and think about each other before themselves.
  4. During family game night, your family will­­­ learn healthy communication skills which will flow into other parts of life. Are you supposed to answer a question? Buy a property? Swap a card? You must learn to communicate effectively to play most games. You must speak clearly and listen. All of these skills spill over into everyday life in a family. While a family enjoys the time playing games together, they are also practicing communication.
  5.  Game time can be fun and educational for all ages within a home. In many cases, younger children are not able to join in sports, music and other activities the older children enjoy in a family. On game night, while older children are learning strategy, concentration, and about the world around them with games like Civitas, the little ones can help hold cards or count pieces. They sense that they are an important part of the family.
  6. Children can learn life skills together. They learn to wait their turn, read and follow directions, learn from their mistakes, and to work with others, all within the supportive circle of their family.
  7. During family game night, everyone has the opportunity to disconnect and relax. How many times do our electronic devices that keep us plugged into life also keep us stressed and short-tempered with those that we love most? There is  something about taking the time to rest and laugh with folks you care for that makes stress melt away.
  8. Most importantly, you create positive memories during family game night. Long after your children have grown and moved into homes of their own, they will carry with them the memories of game night. They will remember the focused time and the laughter in their home.

Family game night is not only fun; it is meaningful to each member of a family and beneficial for the family as a whole. It’s a win-win for everyone! I can’t imagine not having family game night as part of our homeschool family life.

Civitas Government Card Game

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How to Serve Others While You Homeschool

How to Serve Others While You Homeschool

Part of planning our school year with purpose is planning ministry projects into our homeschool year. Although the holiday season is a time of obvious ministry opportunities for families, the rest of the year affords chances for serving others if you are deliberate about seeking out projects.

We are often asked how we make time for ministry in our large family with all of our other obligations. The simple answer is that we incorporate ministry into our homeschooling days as often as we can.

Here are some easy ways any homeschooling family can help others during the year.

Phonics/Reading

It is easy to incorporate phonics and reading practice into a ministry project to older people or children. Reach out to elderly neighbors or inquire about visiting a nursing home or daycare. Beginning readers can help elderly people pass the time by reading aloud to them. Another idea is to read or record favorite Bible passages for those who can no longer read their Bible on their own due to poor eyesight.

Handwriting/Copywork

There are numerous opportunities for ministering to others while practicing handwriting. Copywork can be decorated with colored illustrations and mailed to a friend or grandparent. Writing letters to missionaries or soldiers in the military is a great way to practice handwriting while encouraging others. And there are entire organizations set up for sending postcards to sick children in hospitals.

Home Economics

We all need to eat, so cooking is a natural way to serve others. A kitchen project can become a valuable gift to someone recovering from an illness. A new mom might enjoy a helping hand with cleaning her home, watching little ones, or cooking a meal after a long day. How about a trip to a soup kitchen to help with a community meal?

Science

A nature study can become a quick science project when children pick flowers from their own yard and identify the types and parts of each plant before they offer the bouquet to someone who has been ill or in the hospital.

History

How about writing a play based on a history lesson you have been reading? Nursing homes, the elderly, homebound veterans might enjoy watching the children acting out a specific time in history.

Physical Education

Physical education can be accomplished with yard work done for an ailing neighbor or by pitching in to help with garden work for someone who might appreciate a helping hand.

Math

Math can be incorporated with a simple random act of kindness project. Leave a little bag of money hidden in the toy section of a dollar store. Before you leave it, have your child compute exactly what the total with tax would be on one (or more items), so whoever finds the bag can use it to buy a toy. Be sure to leave a note of explanation on the bag of money so that the recipient is clear he’s not stealing someone else’s money but finding a gift.

Music

Music theory and application can be used to perform a special song or musical show for folks at a local community or nursing center. It could also be volunteering to share your music skills by teaching a beginning musician. What a great blessing to a parent who can’t afford music lessons for their little ones!

Homeschooling opportunities are all around us if we only look. It’s a perfect opportunity to incorporate ministry into your homeschool days, while reinforcing your child’s growing skills.

How does your family incorporate ministry into your homeschooling year?

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Homeschool Themes for Learning Through the Summer Months

Learning Through the Summer Months

Each year I think through a plan for the summer months. Otherwise, the time passes with nothing to show for the days. Most frustrating is that it takes my children time to catch up and remember where we left off last.

Summer doesn’t have to mean days with no direction and lots of television. Even play time can include directed time that will leave the children ready to learn fun subjects.

For our summer homeschool schedule, we continue to read and do math, but the rest of our more structured learning is replaced by a relaxed tone such as exploring the woods or lake. I do try to fit in a themed learning activity each week. Our visits to the library might include checking out books checked on this theme but will also include books that the children choose purely for personal enjoyment.

Here are some of my favorite ideas for summer learning themes.

Start a Garden

Our little seedlings are already popping their heads through the soil. I know one family who plants two gardens — one for boys and one for girls. They have a contest each year and keep graphs showing which group grow the most produce before the first frost.

There are so many great ideas for starting gardens on the internet. Starting a sunflower garden,pizza garden, or just growing flowers can be a terrific experience for children.

Last year, we had a learning experience when hornworms decided to take over our tomatoes. That wasn’t the most pleasant situation for my would-be gardeners, but they did learn quite a bit from the experience.

Our favorite part is eating what we grow and that also means plenty of opportunity for kitchen learning.

Gaze in Awe at Summer Astronomy

Tracking the night sky can be enjoyed during the summer months without having to bundle up for a viewing. We have often sat in chairs carried onto the lawn and talked about what we see. It is amazing how much children learn when you are simply enjoying what God has created!

Watch the Weather

Summer is a great time to track storms and clouds. Rain gauges are easy for children to make and can be placed in the yard for daily viewing. Weather journals will allow children to practice handwriting skills through the summer months but are also a great keepsake of the summer.

Make Messy Crafts Outdoors

One of our favorite summer crafts is making tie-dyed shirts. In the summer months, you can set everything up outside, have fun, and not worry about the mess! Pinterest has more tie dye ideas than you could accomplish in a lifetime of summers!

Enjoy Music

Many cities offer outdoor concerts during the summer months. The local symphony performs concerts in one of the inner-city parks in our area. Many times these events are offered at a much discounted rate or even free! Check with your local visitor’s center to see what might be playing in your area.

Study Literature

Bright Ideas Press offers some terrific literature study guides. Reading a novel you didn’t have time to read during the school year is a great way to sneak in more classics and modern historical fiction.

The summer months can provide a nice break from the normal routine of school. If you haven’t thought about the learning experiences your summer days might hold, this is a great time to plan and try something new with your family.

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Rainy Day Learning Ideas

Rainy Day Learning Ideas

Our homeschool days are full of activity. If you were standing outside of our house, you would see folks coming and going. I schedule our school days so the children aren’t sitting endlessly at the table in front of books. Instead, I want them to learn to appreciate nature up close. We are known to school outside under our big pine trees while the little ones swing, or in the backyard beside our lake as the geese go about their own day. It’s beautiful and calming. There is lots of room for wiggling and running for my smaller children.

Even when the sun doesn’t come out, we don’t allow the rain to chase away the beauty and excitement of homeschooling. There are many special opportunities to learn even when the weather calls for rain or when it’s just too cold to be outside. The following are learning ideas for little ones when you need to stay indoors.

Homeschool in a Tent

A simple sheet thrown over a table with a blanket and pillows on the floor make a fun place to work on school assignments on dreary days.

Become a Weather Watcher

Track the weather, learn about clouds, weather maps, or make a rain gauge. This is also a perfect time to start a nature journal.

Share a Special Book

Is there a book you’ve wanted to read with your children, but time has not allowed? Those days of inclement weather provide a perfect opportunity to snuggle up with a good book!

Create an Art Project

A fun project for little ones is making rain prints. Older children might enjoy learning about a new artist, or trying a new drawing technique of their own.

Practice Cooking Skills

You Tube and Food Network are a full cooking class by themselves! Whether you want to learn simple culinary skills, or master something more complicated, you are bound to find a video.

Explore Classical Music

Listen to a new piece of music, or enjoy a family favorite. Study a new composer and learn more about his life and inspiration.

Visit an Area Museum Or Library

Many cities have a variety of museums. Rainy days make a perfect time to walk the halls of local attractions or further develop library skills.

Watch a Documentary or a Movie Based on History

Several television services available are full of learning resources. Netflix and YouTube offer many documentaries and historical movies. You can search your favorite website for these services and create a playlist to use especially on these days when plans change and you are forced to stay indoors.

Rainy days don’t have to be dreary and depressing. They can be full of rich learning experiences, especially when homeschooling allows for such flexibility.

How about your family? Do you have a favorite way to spend days when you have to stay in all day?

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Appreciating the Night Sky

Appreciating the Night Sky: Frugal Homeschool Astronomy

There is something about a clear winter night that makes it perfect for snuggling under a blanket to view the stars.

I hate to admit it, but before I was married, I never really paid much attention to the stars. Although I thought they were beautiful, I didn’t know a whole lot about astronomy. So it should stand to reason that I didn’t find the night sky very interesting.

After marriage, my husband began to teach me about constellations and visible planets. He pointed out the moon and taught me its changing phases. He has taught me to see the night sky in a completely different way and shared this love with our children.

As a homeschooler, the night sky makes for a fascinating and frugal study. You need nothing more than your eyes and a dark place for viewing. If you wish to go a step further, a telescope or pair of binoculars are great tools to further your learning.

We are fond of drawing what we see when we return inside. The children remember more, and the drawings are a nice reminder of an evening of family time, enjoying one of the most beautiful things the Lord created for us.

Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space

The internet is also full of helpful websites on the subject of astronomy.

Online Resources for Viewing the Night Sky

  • Space.com is a website that features a sky-watching guide, webcasts from space (with re-plays), space photos (including a photo-of-the-day), and information about telescopes you might want to read if you intend on furthering your space-related studies.
  • SkyandTelescope.com is a website that has a, this week at a glance section that is fantastic for telling you what can be seen each week. They also have an equipment guide, video tutorials, a guide for beginners, and a free e-book library.
  • ClassicalAstronomy.com is geared more toward Christians and more specifically, homeschoolers. If you sign up for their email list, you can look forward to email reminders about special happenings in the sky you can observe from home. They have an informative telescope section which you may find helpful when purchasing one for your family.
  • KidsAstronomy.com is a site geared just for kids! Take one of several free online classes, learn what you might see in the sky tonight, or play games. Your child is bound to learn quite a bit while wandering around this site.
  • PlanetsForKids.org is another website that has several features that are geared toward children. This site features printable coloring sheets and lessons about heavenly bodies.

These are just a few of my favorite websites for astronomy studies. How about you? Do you have sites you frequent with your children to learn more about the night sky?

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