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My dh leaves homeschooling to me. While I've come around to somewhat appreciating this over the years (that he trusts me and thinks I'm doing fine ), I do wish he knew more what was going on sometimes. I do hang their work on the fridge and have them show him now and then, but that's hit and miss. I just want him to be more of a part of it somehow, to know what's going on more, but I don't want him have to do anything extra as he's working very hard, travels a lot, and is often tired. So, I had this idea the other day - maybe I could have an HOD parent/teacher conference somehow? Maybe once a quarter or a term? What do you think - have any of you done this, or do you have any fun ideas of how we could go about doing this? I was thinking to have the dc lead it portfolio style, but am not sure how to go about it. Any thoughts?

I also wondered about adding a "share night" once a week or every other week? We are not involved in extra activities, so we have many family nights together at home. I love this, but as the long winter looms ahead of us and we can't be outside as much, I was trying to think how we might do something like this? I had the boys stand up by the fireplace and say their Bible verses and had Wyatt give an oral narration on one of his science topics he'd read earlier. I also had Riley read the poem about Washington from Eggleston. Then, my little Emmett did his LHTH Fingerplay and got out the microphone to sing his ABC's (always a favorite of his ). This was such fun, and it only took a little bit of time. My dh seemed to enjoy it, and I felt great about it! Do any of you do something like this, and if so, what has been fun? Or, even if you've never done it, do you have any ideas of what could be done? Any ideas are appreciated!

In Christ,
Julie

Julie,

What about getting a plain, white, plastic tablecloth and having the kids write little tidbits on it throughout the week, month, or whatever? For example, they could write a poem, draw out a science experiment, a picture that relates to a history story, Bible verse, etc. and then place that on the table for dinner. After dinner they would be able to tell Dad all about it.

My kids love to do these kind of things because "you aren't supposed to write on the tablecloths!" Great conversation for dinner and it would probably only cost a dollar.

You could also do it for review after a certain period of time. Pull it back out, have lunch, or dinner and a "quiz"!

We're blessed to be able to have a family dinner just about every night so during that time quite often my dc share with their Daddy what they have learned that day. He gets the gist of what we are doing and learning from those things and always looks forward to the new artwork that the dc create. He proudly displays quite a bit of this in his office.

The grandparents are visiting for the holiday so I thought this would be a good time for the dc to show their grandparents what they had been doing in school. They each took their binders that they are filling and went through them with each grandparent. The dc really enjoyed sitting on Mamaw and Papaw's laps while they shared what they had been doing in school. The dc gave quite a bit of detail as they showed their work and were really proud to show this to their grandparents. I think the grandparents enjoyed it as well. They asked questions and interacted quite a bit. It was nice to see since the grandparents were less than enthusiastic when we first started homeschooling.

Angie, I LOVE your idea! How fun and special! I will definitely think about doing something like that when we can. Thanks for sharing!

You could have different themes for your presentations. You could have "museum" night when the children display their notebooks, art, and written work. Your family could go through the "museum" looking at their work. You could have a "show" night where the children perform, such as narration, reading something they have written, acting out an action rhyme, etc. You could also have a show and tell night where the children demonstrate a science experiment or other activity. They would give a presentation explaining what they are doing, what they have learned and so on. You could do a little conference once a quarter where you and your dh actually sit down with each child individually and you could talk about what they have been working on (such as handwriting), what goals they have met, and set some new goals. Your dh could be involved in setting the goals and giving ideas for meeting them. I am not overly creative, but those are a few thoughts that come to mind.

These ideas are wonderful! I am printing them off and keeping them handy.

Angie - I really like the idea of having a "Grandparent's Day" - how fun! In fact, I may invite the cousins to that one too. I know for sure my parents would enjoy that, and the hot cocoa and cookies would be a hit too. I like this idea especially to do in maybe January or February, to break up the cold winter months and have a get-together showcasing their school before we are in the final stretch.

Karen - what a fun idea! The tablecloth would be a neat way for the kids to jot down things they want to share with my dh at the dinner table, and it would take care of the problem that when they are put on the spot, it's tough to remember exactly which things they want to share.

Patty - we try to share at supper too, but my dh is often tired and not always so in tune to what they're sharing. I really like the idea of suggesting he choose some things for his office! That would be a way he could remember what they've shared later too. Going through their portfolios with Papa and Nana is a good idea too! I may add that to the Grandparent's Day idea or have another time for it too!

Countrymom - your ideas really fit well with me trying to do this on a more consistent basis. I need some things I can do that don't require a lot of setup and time too, and it would be nice if I had different things to try to add some variety while not adding a lot of prep time - your post fit those needs exactly! Thank you - great ideas that are practical and I can get done impromptu too!

Thanks so much for the encouragement and ideas here, ladies! I appreciate you taking the time to brainstorm with me. I am excited to try them out over the rest of the school year!!!

In Christ,
Julie

I do think this is important. Here is why. The other day I was tired and my husband volunteered to help my 5 year old with her phonics. Shaking her head, she sweetly said, "Daddy, you can't read." She did find out Daddy can indeed read and help, but it was eye-opening. This man enjoys reading the classics; he just does so after she is in bed. He also reads Bible to her every morning--but that is not technically "school", so somehow it did not carry over. It is amazing the ideas the little one can get in their heads.

8arrows wrote:...Shaking her head, she sweetly said, "Daddy, you can't read." ...

Oh, 8arrows, I needed a good laugh this morning! Perhaps she thought you were homeschooling daddy at night too, working on letter recognition maybe?!? Thanks for sharing this, and I do agree with the serious side of the post too - I think it's important they see the "learned" side of daddy too.

In Christ,
Julie