Grands, great-grands, and homeschool

Happy September! Isn't this just the BEST time of year?! I love summer, but there is nothing that beats autumn, especially in the mountains! 

September is also host to Grandparent's Day (Sunday, September 13, 2020) so we thought for the month of September, we would focus in on grandparents a little--how can grandparents be involved in home school?  I'm excited to have some grandma's planning to write guest posts later this month but for today, I'll share ways we've been encouraged and helped by grandparents!

I know that I am extremely blessed with the grandparental involvement--both sides of our family are a huge help and encouragement in our home school!--but I would encourage you; if your family is not as "into" what you're doing with your kids, look around for pseudo-grandparents to help fill this gap--because there is really no replacement for the wisdom that comes from a life of godly living. Hopefully, whether it's actual or adopted, these ideas for ways grandparents can be a part of your home school will bless you. And if you are a grandparent (or willing to be an adopted grandparent!), I guarantee you, any of our schooling-at-home families would be blessed by you offering these things!

Living History

This is an obvious one, but if you have a friend or relative who lived through history (so, any human), encourage them to tell stories ! If you ask questions (or request specific focus on, "Where were you when JFK was assassinated?" "What was it like on the U.S.S. Valley Forge in the Korean War?" "What was it like to be a kid during the depression?") I have yet to meet someone who can't offer SOME unique perspective on history! It make take some drawing out--but it's worth it for the memorable first-hand account that can bring history to life! Many grandparents can give accounts of their parent's special stories, too, so you may be able to hear second-hand accounts from pre-world war era life--what an amazing education opportunity for your kids--and not to mention, it will build a special relationship between yourselves and the witness! 

Tips: Don't get frustrated if it takes a little while for the conversation to get rolling. Let's be honest--most of the time, no one wants to hear their stories and they are definitely (culturally) told that they have nothing to offer--but we know, in Christ, that that's not true, and this is a chance to benefit both your kids and this precious source of knowledge and experience! Also, don't discount the value of minutia and anecdotes. Our kids have never lived without a lot of technology, stuff, and in our current place in history. There is so very, very much difference between now and even 25 years ago--let your kids realize that the same God now was the God then, and that history is an ongoing story--these stories can give the gift of perspective in a world obsessed with immediate gratification, progressivism, and youth. Encourage your kids to ask the questions. My grandpa--my kids' great-grandpa--gets self-conscious when I go into interview mode, asking all the questions--but if the kids come with genuine interest and inquire about something, he lights up and the stories can't come out fast enough!

Tap into Expertise

Do you have a grandparent who is/was a engineer, or chemist, or machinist, or geologist, or mountain biker; do you know someone who gardens, cooks like a dream, worked as a journalist or for animal rescue, or knows where all the road-side history sites are? Ask them to share their expertise! If you don't have a specific need in mind, ask them if they'd be willing to do a "special" assignment with your kids--a field trip or project--and then get collaborating! 

For example, my dad is a complete geology and history buff, and we are planning a series of field trips just within two hours of home for a broad range of great sites with everything from fossils dating back to Noah's flood, to Native American ruins (open to the public!), to the Spanish Camino Real, volcanic rock formations, to Petroglyphs! He has more time to prepare notes and do research than I do; plus he has several decades of hobbyist experience researching all these things, so to get a tour from him in any of these contexts means they'll actually have a chance at learning something beyond the tourist version!

Tips: This doesn't have to be complicated. Gardening; cooking; local history; calligraphy...the specialties you might discover are endless. Even just asking for a tour of someone's chicken house can turn into an incredibly educational experience for your kids, and again, it builds a valuable inter-generational relationship with someone! This can be extremely complicated. When I was in high school (home schooled!), our various co-op classes often invited grandparents with specialties to do an entire guest lecture or series in the class--a grandpa who literally wrote the book on nuclear physics came and spoke to my physics class; a grandma played the piano for our home school choir, another grandma taught art lessons, many grandmas were willing to help tutor or edit writing assignments to free up mom for other kids/subjects, etc. It can be as big or as little as you (and they) want!

Long-Distance Learning

Many grandparents are not in physical proximity with their grandkids--but that doesn't mean you can't be involved! The ideas above (with some tweaking and technology!) can still happen, or it can be as simple as reading a story on Skype to your grandbabies! I know one grandma who buys her favorite storybooks for her grandkids and reads them to them on a video call every Sunday evening--they've read through Charlotte's Web, The Little House on the Prairie, The Hobbit, and many other classics together, and they started out when the kids were barely toddlers--even if it's a three-minute story book with a wiggly toddler, it's a precious memory and a valuable experience for the child!

Tips: Technology can be tricky so make it as easy for your grandparent as possible. Regular scheduling; using the communication tool they are comfortable with (even if it's NOT the latest-and-greatest or most convenient for you!). On the other hand, as a grandparent, be willing to try new things. Also, real life isn't neat and professional and seamless, so don't feel like you have to present the student with some polished presentation or show. Don't worry about it being perfect or streamlined. It's much more valuable (in my opinion!) to see sweet and gracious attitudes and a patient spirit in adversity when NOTHING IS WORKING than to have a polished presentation of the chapter book you're reading. Being an example both in personal virtue and as a personality is key. Each child is an individual, with a God-given personality, gifts, and preferences. Each grandparent is an individual with a God-given personality, history, and gifts. Use those! You don't have to look/act/do like anyone else. If you like to use goofy voices to ready, do it! If you don't want to use goofy voices, YOU DON'T HAVE TO. And if the kid is rude about your goofy voices, you go ahead and tell them that they simply don't have the age and maturity to appreciate your great scope and talent! (It's possible my kids have been told that once or twice!)

Encouragement and Provision

Much of how God has provided in our leaner seasons (both of emotional want and literally being young and poor) has been through grandparents. I cannot stress enough the importance of frequent, heart-felt prayers and encouragement to a mama who is struggling in the trenches of both motherhood and home education. And there have been frequent times when grandparents have been able to provide materials, funds, and opportunities that we simply could not have afforded (or tracked down) without the help! 

A mother to one of my childhood friends, now a grandma with home school grandkids, not only sends notes of encouragement to her kids and their spouses as they home school, but she has also looked up a bunch of the other home school kids from my era, and she sends notes to those of us home schooling our kids, too! Her insight (as she remembers my struggles from those childhood days) has been extremely beneficial as I now address the EXACT SAME CHALLENGES with my kids. I am so grateful for the time and energy she pours into us, even though she's totally a "borrowed' grandma, in my case! 

Tips: It can be tough to ask for help, especially when it's something to do with money, so grandparents this might be on you (if you're in a financial position to do so): ask if there's a big-ticket item or need that you can help provide. It doesn't have to be the full amount--even off-setting a cost can be an enormous help! Check out subscriptions, membership costs, and event tickets that might be a great addition to their home school--but always check with parents before you buy them (parents, these are great gift-request ideas if you can never think what to tell grandma when she asks what junior wants for Christmas!) Check in regularly and be willing to ask (grandparent) how school is going and if there's anything you can pray for or be willing to share (mama) when asked. Genuinely spending 5 minutes in prayer together over issues can be life-changing; and it certainly helps to put the issue, whatever that is, in perspective! Also, don't underestimate the value of simple gestures like notes, beginning-of-semester flowers or gifts, or a surprise coffee or treat. Your advice may be incredibly valuable (though I suggest you wait to be asked!) but your encouragement is priceless!

Hopefully these ideas are helpful! One of the most precious parts of having kids at home--and spending that time together--means that we get to utilize one of the most precious resources God has given us: family! Whether it's literal blood relatives or the family of the church, spending time deepening those relationships and setting it up so your kids do the same can be of eternal--not to mention educational--significance! 

As always, when it comes to success in home schooling, let me leave you with the best advice I ever got:

Just do your best in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God!

Note: This post is also published on the Home School Corner of the CWM blog.