Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Essentials for Homeschooling- TLC Packs

It's day three of the blog hop hosted by The Schoolhouse Review Crew and we're going strong! Are you enjoying this series? There is so much to enjoy and learn from experienced homeschool mamas. If you missed day 1 on words click here. If you missed day 2 on curiosity click here.

To no one's surprise, sick days are bound to happen. Sometimes we find that we have to rush out the door unexpectedly. What about those appointments that can take longer than anticipated? Enter *TLC packs* for our busy homeschooling lives!


TLC Packs:


I try to keep these supplies replenished. I have a container for at home when I have sickly children (naturally tissue is provided in these for sick days). They can occupy their time with these as they rest and I teach lessons. A bag is handy for on the go. In either case we might find things like:

Preschool


*Books 
*New coloring books. These might be from a $ store or several pages of free printable coloring pages and then stapled together.
*Little notepads and stickers
*Toys they haven't played with in a while (strategically set aside for such occasions) ;-)

Elementary

 




These have some of the same items in them listed below but some are also tailored specifically to their individual interests.

*Books 
*Little notepads for doodling or writing
*Mad Libs (I'll print these out for the healthy children, too. They just need to do their lessons first.)
*Christian word scrambles
*Mazes
*Articles from Answers in Genesis for Kids (things to ponder and good for discussions.)
*Beads and string, etc. (Crafty things of the like.)


Junior High

 

 

These have some of the same items in them listed below but some are also tailored specifically to their individual interests.

*Books 
*Little notepads for doodling or writing
*Mad Libs (I'll print these out for the healthy children, too. They just need to do their lessons first.)
*Word Puzzles
*Word scrambles
*Mazes
*Articles from Answers in Genesis (things to ponder and good for discussions.)
*The Christian newspaper for the area. This keeps them updated on current political and social issues.
*Crafts and maybe paper dolls for the girls.

All Ages




These are grouped into bags by age/ability. I can easily hand back a bag for the younger kids and they can manage to hand them out amongst each other. Likewise with the older kids and their bag.

*Books 
*Audio dramas (we have recently discovered The Brinkman Adventures) but also enjoy works produced by Lamplighter Theater, Focus on the Family, Jonathan Park, and Your Story Hour.
*Traveling games 
*Road trip card games (older ones pair up with littler ones)
*Travel I Spy games
*Graph games (great for the younger ones!) 
*License plate game

If it's a matter of having to rush out the door or being at an appointment, I like to have school related items handy in addition to the contents listed above.




TLC for Tummies

These suggestions probably aren't new to most of us, but sometimes amidst the busyness of life we can forget them. :-)  


For on the go... 

 

In the fridge are handy snacks like apples sliced up and soaked in lemon juice, oranges, baggies of carrots, jars of yogurt or refrigerator oatmeal to take along. Little things like that.

For at home...


Any of the kids who are feeling well pitch in to help out with breakfast or lunch when needed. It's hard to hold little ones to comfort them and cook! For dinners, the crock pot is a great friend. For occasions when none of us are feeling very well, I try to have a couple of breakfast and dinner options in the freezer. Otherwise, the crock pot is a reliable friend for such instances.


*TLC packs* bless our family all the way around. Children who are feeling unwell have something new to help them rest more easily. They help the day run more smoothly when needing to teach lessons to those feeling well. They also help ease things for this mama.

So, does this post inspire you? What ideas do you have for TLC for your family? Leave a comment below! :-)



Blessings!



Be certain to read other posts for 5 Days of Homeschooling Essentials by TOS Members

81. Erica @ Be the One
82. Ellen @ Grace Tells Another Story
83. Jenn @ Treasuring Life’s Blessing
84. Christine @ Our Homeschool Reviews
85. Michelle @ Delightful Learning
86. Sharon @ Life with the Tribe
87. Hillary @ Our Homeschool Studio
88. Melanie @ FinchNWren
89. Brittney @ Mom’s Heart

- See more at: http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/5-days-of-homeschooling-essentials-blog-hop/#sthash.CBhFLvRQ.dpuf
My Wonderful Team for This Series: 

#81. Erica @ Be The One

#82. Ellen @ Grace Tells Another Story

#83. Jenn @ Treasuring Life's Blessings

#84. Christine @ Our Homeschool Reviews

#85.  Michelle @ Delightful Learning

#86. Sharon @ Life With the Tribe

#87. Hillary @ Our Homeschool Studio

#89. Melanie @ FinchNWren
81. Erica @ Be the One
81. Erica @ Be the One
82. Ellen @ Grace Tells Another Story
83. Jenn @ Treasuring Life’s Blessing
84. Christine @ Our Homeschool Reviews
85. Michelle @ Delightful Learning
86. Sharon @ Life with the Tribe
87. Hillary @ Our Homeschool Studio
88. Melanie @ FinchNWren
89. Brittney @ Mom’s Heart

- See more at: http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/5-days-of-homeschooling-essentials-blog-hop/#sthash.CBhFLvRQ.dpuf

12 comments:

  1. Heather, what sweet ideas!! How thoughtful of you. Your kiddos are blessed! :)

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  2. Heather, this is wonderful! My first thought was these are like "busy bags" but it goes beyond that. TLC bags is a really neat concept - little things to keep going and show you care. <3

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  3. This is a great idea - we do a lot of 'car schooling' if we have appointments and such....I am going to look more into putting this together. Thanks!

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    1. Great idea to use them to break up the *car schooling*, Erica! :-)

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  4. What a great idea! I hadn't thought of this before, but I can see how it would come in handy!

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    1. I'm glad it's a useful idea for you, Emilee! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! :-)

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