[Tea] Mix It Up: Surprise Your Kids!

Welcome to "Tea with Julie," a weekly missive by me, Julie Bogart. My wish is to give you food for thought over a cup of tea to enhance your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. Glad you're here. Pinkies up!
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Cincinnati, July 16, 2022

Hi Friend,

Bring the energy of surprise into your homeschool by mixing activities.

For instance, along with lunch lay out a new set of pastels or markers and brown paper shopping bags and scissors. Cut the bags into shapes and color them while eating sandwiches or quesadillas (what we ate every day for years). Make placemats or hats!

Another idea: plant seeds in containers after math pages.

Count the seeds you plant,
make a note on a card,
tape the card to the planter,
then watch to see how many sprouts grow from those seeds and compare numbers.

Be unpredictable.

Perhaps you show up at breakfast in dress up clothes for the era of history you are about to study. No comments—just carry on as though nothing is different. Let your kids giggle and discover the box of play clothes you have in the other room on their own.

You might write verbs on sticky notes in gel pens and put them all over the house. Stick them to everything and let your kids simply wake up to a house awash in verbs. Try it with nouns. Tell them it’s their turn to surprise you so you wake to a houseful of words the next morning.

Instead of reading aloud in the same room as ever, take the book outside with a blanket.

For older kids, put on a playlist on your streaming service that you think they'd like. Ask them to tell you about the music and the lyrics. Watch the band or artist on YouTube.

Change pace, bring new tools, surprise, explore what is important to your kids—bring energy to your homeschool.

If you are new to these ideas, I have a slew more in The Brave Learner!

Warmly,

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