Rhyme Time is a Fine Time

Sometimes, the reasons I love to homeschool are simple.

It's not  great philosophical or academic reasons

I could spew off a soap box.

I love being with my kids.

 I also love being there for those amazing moments

of growth and enthusiasm when they conquer a new skill.

Imagine if I never saw the worksheet below,

and never had that

AAH - HA!

moment because this worksheet was completed then shoved

to the bottom of a desk or lost on the bus.

Click to enlarge.

I know ya' really want to read this.

Yes, my daughter discovered the word

heart

rhymes with the word

fart.

It's truly moments like these make me

cherish

my decision to homeschool.

Teaching is my delight.

I teach with all my might.

My children are outta' sight,

Even when they bite.

I really like to write

But my poetry is  a fright.

Speaking of rhyming,

Write Express offers a free online rhyming dictionary.

There's another one from Ken Nesbitt's

Poetry4Kids.com.

If you're one of those cool, younger moms who

use their thumbs to rule the world,

there's even a free app to download.

Kids love rhyming when it's fun,

and shoving a worksheet in front of them first,

isn't fun.

I like to entice them with a reading from

Jack Prelutsky first.

I blogged that I like to turn their

knee-jerk negative reaction into a knee-slap.

When they learn that poetry and rhyming

can be ridiculously fun,

then you bring on those boring worksheets.

Oh, did I call them boring?

Imagine my excitement when a local writer,

Marty Nystrom, wrote two poetry books,

one for the Old Testament and one for the New Testament.

A versatile writer, you know him best as author of

"As the Deer" and many other contemporary worship songs.

Once while reading this aloud to Rebekah,

she giggled and said, "Mom, he has boys, right?"

Yea, he writes as a Christian, a poet, and a Dad.

Reading silly poetry

and giggling with my little girl,

is just one more reason why

I love homeschooling.

On Your Mark....

...Get Set....

GO!

Kids love to line up elbow to elbow,

their rubber-soled shoes pointing to an inevitable victory,

and dash forward with the final command~

GO!

Young kids think they're going to win every race they enter.

They challenge their older sibling,

and think they're going to win.

They challenge their dad,

and think they're going to win.

They aren't mature enough to  understand when they do win,

it's because Daddy lets them win.

As they age,

they understand the competition,

they understand their limitations,

and they realistically know they might not win every race.

But, the diligent racers still put their foot forward,

crouch down,

and listen for that command

GO!

When I first lined up for the race of homeschooling,

I was confident I was going to win.

My enthusiasm and my excitement knew no boundaries.

Who doesn't love school supplies?

Coloring?

Cutting?

Reading?

I was thrilled to be doing

what I loved

with

whom I loved.

When I first heard the starting gun,
I took off sprinting.

The supplies and books had already been purchased,

special snacks and meals prepared,

everything was waiting for that exiting occasion~

the first day of school.

I was surprised to discover what I thought was going to be a sprint,

turned out to be the hurdles.

Through the years, my race has been interrupted by

by

floods,

books on backorder,

fires,

company,

power outages,

blizzards,

deaths,

moves,

and my personal battle with cancer.

When I first put my foot on that starting line,

I had no idea how hard it sometimes would be 

to see the finish line ahead of me.

But, I always kept my rubber-soled shoes pointing forward.

It wasn't always pretty, but I always finished,
and I've learned to count
finishing
as
winning.

This year, I don't think I was even at the starting line when the gun went off.

Like my kids, I just didn't want summer to end.

But, like most veterans,
I now understand the competition and
I now understand my limitations.

I've learned what has to be done ahead of time,
and what can be done as you go.
I've learned that anxiety and frustration breed faster in a home
than all the dust bunnies in my corners.
I've learned that the most important thing about this race,
is to be thrilled to be doing


what I love
with
whom I love.


 

Ya' know what? 


Once the race started again this year,
I was a little kid all over again.

My rubber-soled shoes are pointing to an inevitable victory,

I'm convinced I'm gunna' win.