Chores for Our Homeschool

This is my master chore list.

I mentioned about chores on Monday's blog entry, Going Manic Over Lists.  I stated that creating chore lists was necessary for my sanity.  It's working great, by the way.  Today, I want to explain how I went about creating my current chore lists. 

I was becoming frustrated with the need to write up four chores lists.  I have a problem with organizing something if I can't see it clearly.  That's why writing out a running list was not working for me.  My kids are not in favor of cleaning a whole room (click for a simple Cleaning Check Lists printable I found) by themselves.  For example, one child puts dirty dishes into the dishwasher, while another one takes out the clean dishes.

This is the Topic and 8 Ideas Graphic Organizer.

I had been finding free printables for other subjects, like writing.  I found this simple organizer for a writing assignment.  It's much like a web or a cluster to help organize your ideas.  Now, that's a visual I could use to organize my thoughts about chores!

I used the organizer to list each room inside each triangle.  From that, I shot off chores that need to be done in each room.  Then, I used different colors of highlighters to assign chores to each of my four kids.  In the large circle, I posted extra chores that could not be listed in any room.  For example, assisting in creating menu plans and grocery lists were placed in the circle.

I used sticky notes to place on a blank chore list.

Once I had color-coded the chores in the organizer with highlighter markers, I placed each individual chore onto similarly-colored sticky notes.  You can see on the picture above how I placed most of the chores on the left side of the blank printable (found at currclick.com).  Most of those chores will be ongoing during the week.  The ones on the right are for individual days.

I used this chore system, which resembles others.

My previous chore charts were placed behind a sheet protector.  I found some playdough-like substance for hanging posters on the walls.  The mini-pictures were placed on the sheet protector.  Then, as the children finished the chores, they would use a marker to check them off.  That would be great if they marked them, but most of my kids did not mark them.

The problem is that the sheet protectors were becoming messy.  You can see the finished product below:

These chore lists are still behind a sheet protector, hanging in each bedroom.

I hand-printed the chores in each box.  Since Kaelyn is my youngest child, I still have both of these versions, inside a sheet protector.  It hangs in the girls' room.  She uses a marker to check off those chores she's done on the picture-filled chore list.  I am allowing her to do this because she is still learning how to read.

I then pull out the above version (which I placed behind the pictured chore list) and sign my initials at the bottom.  The signed list will show what she has been accomplished.  I can leave a note here and there when chores need tweaking.  We can also see the progress of what she's done in the weeks to come.  

A reusable chore chart inside a sheet protector is great.  To show the progress of each child, I want to make a new chart for each child for each week, at least for a few months.  For my two oldest, the teenagers, I will want to rotate the meals they work on.  That's why I have to customize their chore lists every week.

Writing out these chore lists is time-consuming.  I feel it's worth it.  My house seems more organized now.  I get help with keeping the house clean.  My kids get to learn that everyone pitching in helps to keep the house clean.

Chore list template is available for free as a download.

A few days ago after I had made my hand-written lists, I found this chore list template.  I downloaded it to my computer because I might use it.  I'm not good at creating templates because of the different versions of Windows and software (Microsoft Word and Open Office).  There is no need to re-invent a template as this one is available.  I simply will type in the chores and print it out.

Well, thanks for reading this entry about how I've organized our chore lists.  I appreciate you stopping by my blog.  I hope this entry helps some of you who are struggling to customize your own chore lists.

How about you, my readers?  How are you assigning chores?  Do you have a database printed out?  Or are your chore lists hand-written?  Over the years, I have used different methods of assigning chores.  I think it's important to teach our children about cleaning.  Also, our children need to see the big picture of teamwork at keeping our house clean, organized, and presentable.

I pray that God helps us find the right method of assigning chore lists.  May God bless us all with His wisdom and peace, as we teach our children.

This has been an entry for Thorough Thursdays.  Hope you liked it.

Homeschool Desks--Where the Learning Happens

My desk has a nearby cabinet and laptop table.

We own lots of tables and desks.

If anyone were to come to my house, he/she would be astounded at how many desks and tables we own.  I have all sorts for all kinds of reasons and purposes.  I have wooden ones.  I have metal ones.  I even have some that fold.

This is the front of my desk, which I bought at Goodwill.

 

At this time, I am using this desk to plan our homeschooling and household.  I might change things up soon.  I am constantly moving things around until I see efficiency take shape.  My oldest son used this desk for a while.  I might take back an old wooden table that's in his room and give him back this desk; I think he needs it.

Currently, oldest son does his work here.

My oldest son does his schoolwork on this dining table.  We placed a wooden table in his room, but he didn't like it.  I know he likes to spread out.  What I don't like is that we have to rush after dinner at times.  Also, the table doesn't get cleaned properly; I'm afraid his work could get ruined with spilled food.

 

Oldest son holds his work on right sides of two shelves.

Around 7 or 8 p.m., my oldest son brings his work to the dining table.  He brings them from the shelves in his room.  He actually does his schoolwork a day ahead.  He does that so he can have the early part of the next day to play on his computer.  Don't worry; he still does his chores.

Hubby and youngest use this computer desk.

Youngest daughter uses this computer desk.

In the dining area, my husband and youngest daughter use the same computer.  During the day, while Daddy is at work, my youngest visits websites like www.starfall.com and www.netflix.com.  In the evening, my husband comes home to check the bank against his register.  He also visits www.craigslist.org for items he is interested in.

My daughters do their work here in their bedroom.

Both of these tables are adjustable.  Older daughter does work on the left table.  My youngest does her work on the right.  Previously, older one was sitting on her bed, but we removed the bunk beds.  I brought in the chair. 

I shifted the girls away from sitting on their bed because of their backs.  I noticed they were slouching too much.  Also, having removed the bunk beds has offered more lighting for their schoolwork.  The youngest one had also started doing her work on the bed and wanted to nip that in the bud.

When oldest is done with her work, she boxes it away.  From another box, she pulls out her Net book and tablet and places them on the green blue table. 

This was my younger son's previous desk.

This is currently younger son's "desk" in his room.

I decided to let my younger son have one of my folding tables as his "desk."  This is one of the tables that has had many uses, including for yard sale displays and as the guest's table.  I realized that the previous desk was too narrow.  We still have that table in my storage shed; don't know what I'll do with it.  We had bought it from another homeschool family.

It became obvious that my younger son needed to do his work at his own time and in his own space.  He can be highly distracted with too much stimuli.  Sometimes, he does his work ahead of time, too.  There are times when he's needed help; he's come to me and ended up doing some work on my bed.  That has become more rare as he has matured.

There is no right or wrong place to school within the home.

Well, I've blogged in bits and pieces about this topic before.  I just wanted to take the time to show where all of our children are learning.  Their spaces are tailored to their needs.  I wanted to compile it to show others who are struggling with whether they have the right spaces for their own  homeschooling families.  Realistically, every family should come up with what works for them.

Thanks so much for reading this entry about where my children are doing their learning.  I appreciate you stopping by my blog.

How about you, my readers?  For those of you who homeschool, where do your children learn?  Do your children school in one place?  Or are they scattered like mine?  Over the years, we have migrated from the dining table to other locations, including my bed, due to my illness or pregnancy.  The whole world, really, is our table.  Let's remember that, too.

I pray that God helps us homeschoolers to find the right locations for our children to learn.  May God bless us all with His wisdom and peace, as we teach our children.

This has been an entry for Thorough Thursdays.  Hope you liked it.

Necessary Ingredients for a Successful Homeschool

My oldest child used a computer to learn--more than 10 years ago.

I still remember how I came to the decision to homeschool.  I had a friend who suggested I homeschool.  I had already done my stint at teaching in a public school.  I had decided after I gave birth to my first child, I would not be returning to work.  Since I had some background in teaching, I felt I had an advantage.

Once my oldest was of age to start learning academically, I began buying workbooks and educational software from Walmart and KMart.  Then, when we took in my tween-aged nephew, I had to think of more definitive curriculum.  That's when I turned to the following to help me decide what to use:

  

1. God - If there is anyone who can help with the decision to homeschool, it would be God.  Praying to God to see if that is His will in your life would be a great start.  God will truly bless your venture into homeschooling.  He will also provide the resources and people you will need along the way.

   

2. Spouse - Next, if the idea for homeschooling did not come from your significant other, now is the perfect time to approach him/her.  Having this person's approval and support can help you when needing to make decisions.  After all, this other person might be providing financially to the homeschooling adventure.  It's great to have the other person to bounce off ideas when there are challenges in the homeschooling.

3. Laws of the state - You have to be informed of what is required as far as content of learning material.  Some states are more lenient than others.  For some states, you need an umbrella school.  For some states, you need to keep a portfolio.  For other states, your children might need to take some tests.  For more information you can visit HSLDA, Home School Legal Defense Association.

4. Support - This is one of the most important ingredients to having a successful homeschool.  I have experienced both local and virtual support.  I am very fond of the friends I have gained over the years.  Many of them have helped me in my homeschooling journey by listening to my challenges and providing suggestions on what to do. 

5. Internet - Through the internet, you can meet others who homeschool.  You can research for methods of how to teach and learning styles of your children.  You can compare learning material.  You can also buy material at a cheaper price.

6. Calendar - You need to consider whether you need to teach for a specific number of days during a school calendar.  You might be able to homeschool year round, too.  It all depends on your state.  I like to homeschool year round because it gives me more time to fit in the learning.

7. Guts - Homeschooling is not for the "faint of heart."  You need to have tough skin because there are critics who will question your homeschooling.  Are your kids socializing?  Are they doing as well as public school kids?

8. Money - Yes, you do need enough money to pay for your material.  There are ways, though, in which you can homeschool on the cheap.  I'm telling you that I've cut corners.  You don't always have to buy the most expensive material out there.

9. Curriculum - What do you need to teach?  Math, reading, language arts, history.  You can find the books, workbooks, software, and hands on material online, through friends, book swaps, and even yard sales.  Believe me; that's how I've done it for more than ten years.

10. Learning - You have to be savvy, yes, when it comes to homeschooling.  More than anything, you need to love to learn.  Sometimes, I've learned new concepts about teaching and learning.  Sometimes, I've learned material I didn't know.  Sometimes, I have learned through others who are veterans at homeschooling.

Remember this: If you enlist God in your homeschooling journey, He will provide everything you need.  It's up to you to take action.  Do the research and seek out the people you want to emulate.  Just know that none of us are perfect.  We veteran homeschooling parents are simply trying our best.

Well, thanks for reading this entry.  I hope I've given an idea of the thought process behind my decision to homeschool.  I hope this list helps those of you still holding out on whether to homeschool. 

How about you, my readers?  For those of you who homeschool, how did you arrive at your decision to homeschool?  For those of you considering homeschooling, what is holding you back?  Have you researched the pros and cons of homeschooling?  I ask that those of you who are homeschooling please provide your comments and advice.  You never know how helpful you might be.  

 

I pray that God helps us all, whether we are homeschooling or are thinking of homeschooling.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace, as you teach your children.

This has been an entry for Thorough Thursdays.  Hope you liked it.

F is for Facebook & Safety

I'm currently participating in 

an ABC's for homeschooling challenge.  

Since it falls on Tuesdays, 

I am adding a technological slant to the challenge.  

I hope you stay tuned and enjoy my entries.

Facebook is a great place to connect with people.

Facebook often gets a bad rap.  Countless stories and studies tell of the bad side of allowing your children, who are 13 and older, to use Facebook.  There are some advantages to Facebook.  Following are some reasons to allow teens to use Facebook:

1. to connect with people.  Facebook allows one to find connections with family members and existing friends.  You can even make friends with distant relatives.  Facebook is especially helpful in connecting with people who live far from you.  For example, I have friends who live in other countries, like Canada and Britain.  I have friends who live in many states, like New York and Delaware, too.

2. to communicate with family and friends.  Facebook gives one the opportunity to converse and catch up with friends.  I like that Facebook gives its members updates on birthdays.  We then can wish, "a happy birthday," to each other.  We can also give notice about upcoming events like parties and graduations.

3. to make new friends.  With Facebook, you can find new people who share common interests.  This is a chance for teens to meet the children of our friends.  It is wonderful that I, as a homeschooling mother, can connect with other fellow homeschooling parents.  In the same vein, teens who are homeschooled can meet on Facebook.  They can then figure out for themselves if they are compatible.

4. to learn about the world.  Through Facebook, a teenager can begin to explore the world.  This is a brilliant way to use technology.  People share all kinds of information and websites on Facebook.  For example, just today, I shared a website having to do with World War II with my teenage son because I know that he likes to learn about World War II.  Someone had shared the same website with me on my Facebook.   

I didn't even know that Facebook had a safety center.  You can find it here:

Facebook's Family Safety Center

I would recommend sending your teens to this webpage for learning about safety:

Tips for Teens on Facebook

Well, thanks for reading this entry.  I hope I have provided some practical advice on how to use Facebook safely.  Facebook can be a useful tool for teens.

How about you, my readers?  Do you allow your children to get on Facebook?  Do your children have a Facebook account?  Are you "friends" with your teens on Facebook?  I encourage you to consider being "friends" with your children if they are on Facebook.  You should know what your children are up to on Facebook.  You can monitor their online activities that way.

I pray that God gives you all, my beloveds, His wisdom and peace.

This has been an entry for the Technology Tuesdays series.  

Homeschool Organization 3: Music, Poster, & Art Supplies

Old, broken container that served its purpose in our homeschool.

I have many more areas of organization to present you in this third installment of homeschool organization.  I am presenting it to you piecemeal so that I can allow you to digest the ideas slowly.  I have, as a homeschooling mom, seen that some containers are no longer doing their job properly.  That's why I often change out the contents into other containers.  Yes, I like to re-purpose containers.

First up are the musical toys.

Musical instruments fit in this Rubbermaid container.

I went through many containers trying to find the right one that would hold all of the instruments.  I was given this green container by a friend.  It fits lots of toys, including the maracas and two xylophones.

Musical instruments that my children use to worship God.

 

Here is a sampling of some of the toys that fit inside the green box.  I have collected these toys over the years. Some I have found in yard sales.  Some were given to us.  Some we bought.

Next, we have the posters.

A large box that held a disassembled computer chair hold some posters.

Over time, I have also accumulated quite a few posters and charts.  The best containers for posters have been flat boxes like the one above.  You can slide the posters in and out.  The posters remain flat.  I dislike when posters are rolled up and stay curled when you try to hang them up on the wall.

Posters are gathered together in two rings.

Hole-punched the posters and put them in rings.

I used two rings to distribute the weight of carrying the posters.

White rack held my posters by the rings.

Another option is to group them together.  I hole-punched the ends of the posters and put them in rings.  That way, I could hang them on a makeshift wardrobe rolling rack.  My hope is to find a more sturdier rack than the one you see above.  That white one was cheap and cheaply made, as you can see from the legs.

Finally, we deal with the arts and crafts supplies.

This is really two containers-the pink one and the white one.

The containers above held the arts and crafts.  I had joined the two sets of containers with double-sided glued tabs.  The supplies stayed in this setup for a few years.  The bad thing is that the pink drawers were broken.  Also, we had to yank the drawers open just to access the supplies.

The white tower is really two sets of containers.

Again, I used double-sided glue tabs to keep these two sets of white containers together.  It used to hold the girls' doll collection.  Since they decided to get rid of the dolls and their accessories, it freed up the tower.  I decided to re-purpose the tower for the arts and crafts supplies.

Closeup of top of tower.

The top portion holds paints, glues, smocks, and old CDs.

Closeup of bottom of tower

The bottom of the tower holds wood craft, construction paper, and colors.

Well, I hope that I have provided some solid ideas on how to organize arts supplies, posters, and musical instruments within a homeschool.  There are more pictures and themes I want to cover.  Stay tuned to see how I organize such things as DVDs, audiocassettes, and the Wii games.  In order to use the items in your home, we must make the time to organize our teaching aids.

Thanks for reading this blog entry.

How about you, my readers?  Are your posters all in one box?  Are your instruments ready for your kids to use?  Are your arts supplies organized enough for your children to want to use them?  I encourage you to see if you have the right containers to hold these collections.

I pray that God bless you all, my dear readers, with His wisdom and peace.

This has been an entry for Thorough Thursdays. 

Hezekiah's Healing

Isaiah shows us we have reason to praise God.

9 When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem about his experience:  

10 I said, "In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of my normal years?"  

 

11 I said, "Never again will I see the LORD GOD while still in the land of the living. Never again will I see my friends or laugh with those who live in this world.  

 

12 My life has been blown away like a shepherd's tent in a storm. It has been cut short, as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom. Suddenly, my life was over.  

 

13 I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over.  

14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!"  

15 But what could I say? For he himself had sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.  

16 Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You have restored my health and have allowed me to live!  

17 Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish, for you have rescued me from death and have forgiven all my sins.  

18 For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to destruction can no longer hope in your faithfulness.  

19 Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next.  

20 Think of it -- the LORD has healed me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the LORD.

--Isaiah 38: 9-20 New Living Translation

 

This special Bible reading came courtesy of that wonderful list of Bible verses that I had collected years ago.  The collection was compiled so that I could explain our homeschooling.  I wanted to give Biblical reasons as to why I homeschool.  I wanted to show how I have put my trust in God to help me homschool my children.  I wanted to show my total dependence on God for all areas of my life.

Imagine my surprise when I realized that it would be Resurrection Sunday.  This was a chance to praise the Lord.  The beginning of chapter 38 of the book of Isaiah is about God telling Isaiah to visit Hezekiah.  Isaiah is to tell Hezekiah to get his household in order because he would be dying soon.  Hezekiah then takes it upon himself, after hearing this news, to pray directly to God for mercy.

  

God instructs Isaiah to inform Hezekiah that fifteen years would be added to his life.  Further, as a sign of His intent to fulfill the promise, God says that He will show a special sign.  After all, God is most powerful.  God says in verse 8:

"I will cause the sun's shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz..."

So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.

I want to tell you something funny now.  Yes, this is a serious situation that Hezekiah went through.  I just want to show you how life happens in my world.  I was instructing my oldest, Gabriel, in his Algebra.  I had literally stepped back a few times to show him the negative aspect of numbers.  This was so hilarious to me when I later read about the backward steps of the sun's shadow.  I laughed out loud.

Another thing that was funny to me was that I would be reading a poem.  It's so interesting because we are in April, celebrating National Poetry Month.  I get to read a poem in the Bible.  It's as though the events lined up for me to have all of these situations coincide.  The poem above was written by Hezekiah as a praise report for what God did in extending his life.

  

Hezekiah experienced a very real healing.  Eventually, Isaiah let Hezekiah's people know what to do for him.  They were to create an ointment with figs and spread.  This was to be spread over Hezekiah's boil.  He received his healing!

Here's an extra shocker: I am suffering with several boils at this moment.  I have had them on and off throughout the last fifteen years.  I have Fig Newton Bars.  Guess what I just ate?  You guessed it--some of the bars.

The poem in blue font is in praise of God's mercy and goodness.  I wanted to pick something to blog about to brag on God's love for us all.  He provided Jesus as an ultimate healing of the breach between us (humans) and Himself.  Jesus filled the need for a reconciliation.  We have to be grateful and praise (openly share) about God the Father and Jesus, the Son. 

How about you, my readers?  Has God done something in your lives worthy of praise?  I would encourage you to to bless others with your praise report.

Thanks everyone, for reading this entry.  I hope you are blessed and encouraged by it.

This has been an entry for Spiritual Sundays.

To compile this mini- bible study, I consulted: http://www.biblestudytools.com/

Homeschool Organization 1: Manipulatives, Books, Teaching Material, & Environment

Kaelyn, now 6 yrs. old, is happily using her learning space.

It is one thing to consider homeschooling.  It is another to realize that clutter can develop.  How does one handle it?  Decluttering is one solution.  Organizing is another option.

It is challenging to organize the homeschool.  A homeschool has the blending of a traditional house and the learning materials.  I have been homeschooling for over 10 years.  I have accumulated a lot of books, workbooks, and hands on materials.  It is easy to think of just chucking it all; that would be the end of the clutter.

The reality is that I have children ranging from Kindergarten all the way to high school.  Any good homeschooling parent will tell you that they keep some of that stuff for the younger children.  Fortunately, I have been slowly getting rid of material as Kaelyn, the youngest, outgrows it.  I've given away countless books, workbooks, and puzzles that all my children no longer need.  No, I'm not planning to have any more children, either; that's why I've been sharing Kaelyn's stuff.

Old entertainment center holds learning material like board games and 3D shapes.

Having a background in teaching has given me an edge at homeschooling.  I learned how to teach children.  I learned how to discipline students.  I learned about teaching styles and learning styles.  I also learned how to organize teaching material.

Organize books according to theme or type.  Line up spine to edge of shelf.

I learned about the need for books, which are rich sources of information.  I worked several times in libraries before having my children.  I learned a few tricks to organize books.  I organize books by subject.  I organize books by type, whether hard back or softback.

Hardback books are separate from softback books.

Manipulatives--hands on materials I've collected.

I learned about the need for manipulatives.  They are hands on learning materials, like the ones above.  It has been fun to use colorful rhyming wheels to teach phonics.  I also had to learn how to store them properly.  That's why I decided to use Kaelyn's panda bear box to store those for her grade in her room.

Panda Bear box holds Kaelyn's kindergarten manipulatives.

White bookcase holds material by grade level.

I've learned that it is necessary to have our learning materials in an organized manner.  That helps the educator, me, pull out the necessary tools for teaching a particular lesson.  It also helps my children reach the material if they desire to learn more about a particular subject.  When the homeschooling materials are organized, learning is more efficient.  Everyone is happier in our homeschool.

I hope this blog entry has served to help with ideas on how to organize learning materials.  Whether you are a homeschooling parent or not, you can still glean some ideas on how to organize your books and other learning aids.  I hope to blog on how to organize the posters, arts and crafts, audio/visual aids, and other manipulatives in the future.

My living room houses organized bookcases and cleared sofas, as part of an inviting learning space.

I keep dining table clear where my oldest does his schoolwork.

How about you, my readers?  Are your books organized in some way?  Is your home an inviting environment, conducive to learning?  I highly suggest assessing your home to see if the children in your life have opportunities (learning tools) to find books and other materials to use.

I pray that God bless you all, my dear readers, with His wisdom and peace.

This has been an entry for Thorough Thursdays. 

Homeschooling & National Poetry Month

Rafael enjoyed creating poetry.

It is a wonderful coincidence.  My son is working on poetry for his 5th grade work.  April is poetry month.  I love poetry.  Oh, I just love it when things come together!

I am a mother who loves to direct-teach her children...

when the subject fascinates me.  

Poetry is one of my most favorite subjects.  Wednesday, my son, Rafael, entered my room. I was engrossed in my laptop.  When I heard that he needed help, I stopped what I was doing.  My excitement arose when I saw what he needed help with.

Here's my 5th grade poem.

My passion for poetry began in elementary.  I entered a poetry contest.  I didn't win, but that was the first time that I was exposed to that new type of writing.  I enjoyed rhyming words.  It was a wonderful challenge to create a message but with sentences ending with rhyming words.

I realized later in high school that I didn't always have to rhyme.  I could create poems (or messages) with a minimum of words.  I could remove the articles like the word "the."  I could also use strong adjectives and verbs to more deliciously describe a scene.  I relished that new information.

Here's a poem I wrote in high school to explain a turning point (when I was 7 years-old) in my life:

A Funeral

Shockwaves, unrevivable

Nosy spectators inevitably come forward

My daddy--fallen.

Black garments

Silent shrills

Formal music

Stenchless body in open gray casket.

Luxurious gray limousine

Green canopy

American flag

Bugles' last call

Folded flag.

Do you feel the sadness?  I still do.  I can't believe I wrote that, much less experienced it.  I still get misty-eyed reading it.  It's as though another person, besides me, wrote that poem.

Now, not all poetry will evoke such anguish.  Some are funny.  Some are perhaps never to be understood.  Some are long.  Some are short.

Here is a funny poem by M.T Buckley that I still remember from high school:

Birthday

Geronimo.
I jumped into the world
No parachute. Bootless,
falling into enemy territory
into the night (had my eyes closed).
Didn't take them long to find me
These suicide missions are all the same
Name? Not yet. Unit? 82nd Newborn, ha ha
Slapped me around a bit
but I didn't talk
Made sure I wouldn't escape
Sentenced me to life. I guess I deserved it. 

Well, I think I've given you some background of poetry's impact in my life.  Of course, this is just a teaser.  I have so much more poetry I'd love to share.  We still have more days to this month left...Perhaps I should share some more of my poetry?

Let's get back to my son.  I gave him a little lecture and some instructions.  I told him that the types of poems he would be creating did not have to be wordy.  In fact, the directions in the workbook only gave him a few syllables per line to work with.  That was an interesting challenge.

Here is what he came up with:

Haiku poetry created by Rafael.

Yes, he's talking about our dog.

Here is the other poem:

Lantern poetry created by Rafael.

Yes, he talked about dogs, again.

Did I forget to mention that this is my hyper child?  If he were in public school, he's the one that would be put on drugs.  You can see that his hand-writing skills are not perfect.  Yet, he was able to construct this poem with his own words at his own pace.  Since I am homeschooling him, Rafael is thriving in his education.

Well, how about you, my readers?  Do you love poetry?  Do you write poetry?  Are you instilling that love of poetry onto the kids in your life?  I hope you will take advantage of National Poetry Month (April).  It's the perfect time to discuss poems with poetry lovers

God bless you all with His peace and wisdom, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Family Fun Fridays.