Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Educator, Coach, Life Strategist

  • About
    • Marie-Claire Moreau
    • Press
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy, Terms & Conditions
  • Homeschooling
    • Articles and Free Courses
      • College Prep High Schooling: Free Mini Online Course
      • Intro to Homeschooling: Free Mini Online Course
      • More Articles
    • Homeschool Consulting – Advising – Guidance Counseling
    • “Suddenly Homeschooling” Book
    • Florida-Specific Homeschooling Information
    • Homeschooling High School Book
    • Science fairs for homeschoolers
      • Science Fair Information
  • Services
  • Speaking
  • Shop Books
  • Cart
  • Contact

Sep 28 2011

Funny things they say

Who doesn’t get a kick out of things their kids say?  Not a day goes by here when hubby and I don’t compare funny stories at the dinner table or exchange glances over something the kids are talking (or even bickering) about.   Our kids actually seem to be getting funnier as they grow up, too.  Sometimes, the witty repartee gets hubby and I laughing out loud.

A while back, I began to chronicle things the kids said in a notebook.  Nothing spectacular, just an ordinary notebook I left on the kitchen counter.  I’d write random statements they’d make in my notebook, and read them back to the kids every now and then just for fun.

Later on, I added sheets to my household binder to record clever or hilarious things they said.  I liked that system even better, because the sheets were right in front of me, reminding me to jot things down before I forgot.

In case you find this silly, remember — it’s supposed to be.  Goodness knows, life isn’t always easy.  The way I see it, an occasional dose of silliness isn’t exactly a bad idea.

The other part of it, at least for me, is creating memories of my children.  The truth is, I stopped writing in their baby books long ago.  I’m not into scrap booking.  And as organized as I am, I am unreliable when it comes to remembering to take photos.  Journaling what they say is an easy way to keep memories of those precious years on paper, and have a little fun with it in the process.

I remember exactly what we were doing the day my youngest said:  I keep getting garlic in my hair!

When one of the middles commented: All of the answers always seem to be Lincoln or Washington.

And one of the teens asked: Do you think it’s possible to create something that has its own gravity?

And though I’d never post anything embarrassing about the kids (at least I try not to), I can still remember what we were doing when I go back and read all of the things I recorded on paper.

If you’re curious, there’s the sheet I am currently using, above.  How do you record precious memories of your children?

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: blog, me, random

Sep 06 2011

School is where you are

In my travels and locally, in person, by telephone and often electronically, I am so fortunate in that I am able to meet homeschooling families from all over the continent and, every once in a while, somewhere else around the globe, too.   One of the things that I love most about my work is the chance to connect with families and hear how different people approach what is ultimately the very same task — the education of their children.

I am fascinated to hear how other homeschoolers take advantage of individual situations and nearby resources.  And even after homeschooling for a couple of decades myself, I love to hear how others approach certain learning tasks and generally attack all of the different duties and challenges in their lives.

The variety of families I meet is endless.  And if you ever thought there was a typical homeschool family or that homeschoolers were basically all alike, it’s high time to think that one again.

Every family that I meet and every parent that I talk to (sometimes a grandparent even) tells a different story of why homeschooling works for them, and how they do the things they do.

Over the years, I have talked to families who homeschool just a subset of their children in between stops in a car, as they shuttle the remaining children back and forth to brick-and-mortar schools.  This practice is actually more common than you might think because not all families homeschool all of their children — sometimes it’s just a few.

I have seen families homeschooling on beaches with workbooks and art supplies inside rolling coolers, families homeschooling at picnic areas while sitting on blankets and enjoying the sunshine, and families at camp sites with materials scattered all over the place amidst leaves and collections of pine cones.   I have watched families homeschooling at tables  in libraries or on the floor in between the stacks, and families homeschooling on benches in museums  and in the long halls of art galleries.

I have met quite a few families that homeschool in RVs while traveling the nation, stopping anywhere they like, living and learning all along the way. Some have blogged about it and at least has written a book about the experience.

Several years ago, I met some families that homeschooled on sailboats.  Then a couple of years ago, I met two families that schooled on tennis courts in between matches.  Last year, I bumped into a family that homeschooled primarily in hotel rooms. And there is also the one that regularly completed schoolwork in a stable.  Not to mention the family that carted their school books onto a motocross track three times every week.  And I’ll never forget the family that homeschooled on buses in between performances all the way up and down the coast.

And, of course, there are all of the other families I know who homeschool at kitchen counters, at dining room tables, and in converted bedrooms, lofts and garages.

I marvel at the families that homeschool non-traditionally — that is, not necessarily in a home setting – and I applaud them for allowing homeschooling to follow them along on jobs, to sports, with hobbies and elsewhere.  And I understand very well the families that school inside the home, as I am familiar with that particular practice myself.  I sometimes visualize different families side by side, doing things so differently but in many ways still really the same.

Like many homeschoolers, when I began homeschooling years ago, I started with a fairly traditional school-at-home approach.  As a college professor for so many years, this was the model I was familiar with, and the one that I attempted to duplicate in my own home.  I was eager and confident, ready to do whatever it took to accomplish everything that was covered in government classrooms, plus a whole lot more.  I began the same way that many modern homeschoolers still do — by starting a little school for my kids in my home.

But as the years passed and more children were added to our homeschool, I moved away from that model, adopting a much more eclectic approach that better matched my students’ needs and our lifestyle.  Just by living and working together, I learned more about myself and my children, thus adapting their schooling to whatever worked well for us, both academically and otherwise.  Our entire school operation shrank into just one classroom.  And then the classroom dissolved into the other areas of our home.  Until finally those areas didn’t look very different from any other parts of our home, because the confluence of life and school had occurred, and the line separating the two had sufficiently blurred that it was hardly visible any more.

Though I could not see it initially, I now easily understand how homeschooling can occur just about anywhere.  And while you couldn’t have convinced me back when I first started, after years of doing it and meeting families that are different from us, I now know without a doubt that successful homeschooling can occur under any set different of circumstances — because I have seen it and experienced it for myself.

And over time and with experience, I have incorporated non-traditional concepts into our homeschooling, too, because I know for sure that schooling indoors isn’t the only way to get great results.  I have learned that some days are just too beautiful to stay inside, and that math problems solved outside on a sunny porch are just the same as math problems solved indoors while looking out a sunny window.  I have learned that swinging from a rope into a river and swimming back to shore is just as intense a workout as sit-ups performed on a livingroom floor — sometimes even better when enjoyed with giggles and added gusto.  And I have realized that listening to foreign languages and classical music in a moving vehicle can be just as effective as listening to foreign languages and classical music at a kitchen counter, and that it can even be a welcome change from the usual daily routine, too.

And though you’ll probably never find my family homeschooling in any unusual locations, like some of the families that I meet, I don’t mind when we get a little crazy and do something totally out-of-the-ordinary.  Because I know that it works, and that it’s going to be okay, perhaps even really, really good.

Nobody ever said that homeschooling has to take place primarily at home.  Homeschool can happen, no matter where you are.  Keep this in mind as you plan your own year.   Let an openness to the concept and the confidence that it won’t hurt — and might even enhance – be your guide as you plan activities for your homeschool family.  As other families have shown me, and perhaps this post may convince you, school is where you are.

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: car and travel, me, Outdoor classroom, random, unschooling

Jul 04 2011

Freedom to learn

Independence comes in many forms.  As the right and privilege of every American family, the freedom to learn through homeschooling is one of them.

Though homeschooling may be legal, it is not something to be taken for granted.  By winning personal battles to secure the right to home educate their children decades ago, homeschooling pioneers made it possible for modern families to continue doing so today.  And with much greater freedom and less interference than their courageous predecessors experienced in the past, as well.

The freedom to learn begins at birth, as homeschooled youngsters are given the opportunity to observe, study, play and be free to soak up as much as they require to satisfy their natural curiosities and need for practical knowledge. It continues throughout the teenage years, into young adulthood and then beyond, as the love for learning, thirst for knowledge, and the passion to dream life’s dream continues throughout a lifetime — without the confines and limitations of ordinary classrooms and the dictum to study only what is contained within the pages of ordinary textbooks.

What freedom is it indeed for parents to be able to take back a child’s education and allow it to become more than just school — to blossom into a lifelong journey of learning.

Let freedom ring!

Photo: Free Digital

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: blog, me, random

Jul 01 2011

Out, not up

One of the things that homeschoolers love is having the power to control their child’s education.  Or not to control it, depending on the approach taken.  But nevertheless the ability to allow their children to learn in freedom, without the restrictions placed upon kids in traditional classrooms.

While chatting with a kindergarten teacher from a public school not long ago, I asked about something written on her lesson plan.  The instruction had to do with center activities, specifically the center containing the building blocks and die-cast cars and trucks. 

Her plan, in so many words, stated that children in that particular center were allowed to build whatever they wanted.  But, not really (I thought).  Because the plan also said that the children should be encouraged to build out, not necessarily up.  In other words, she didn’t want children only stacking blocks atop each other and building giant towers.  She wanted them to build larger, wider, stronger structures to avoid frustration and make less of a mess.  She also didn’t want them getting hurt by asking to stand on chairs to build higher.

This really got me thinking about the freedom to learn in its simplest form.

Though I understand the constant need to keep kids safe (no disagreement there), I thought about the idea of telling the children how to build safer and stronger structures.  This is a lot like what many parents do by sheltering children or continually reminding them how to do everything, instead of allowing the kids to discover things on their own.

Isn’t there more to be learned by building a tower and having it topple over on its own?

Does a teacher always need to be there, reminding a child when to stop building or suggesting how many blocks it might take to tip over?  Couldn’t the builder figure that out on his own, and wouldn’t that be part of the fun and fascination?

And what if different children had steadier hands or different techniques than others, and were able to build even taller towers because they had stacked their blocks differently or more neatly, getting an entirely different result than the child working beside them?

And so what if the tower fell down anyway?  Apart from the noise or element of surprise, what exactly was the big deal? Is anyone suggesting that a child could never recover from a broken block tower?

Surely the “mess” could be cleaned up in a matter of seconds.  And wouldn’t it be fun to see how far the pieces scattered after the tower fell anyway?

What are your thoughts after reading this post?

[Photo of Dr. Drew’s blocks: Moreau]

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: gifted, random, struggling learners

Jun 09 2011

Edge-of-their-seats learning

Have you even seen a child watching an action film or a favorite TV program?  How about watching a kid in the stands at some enormous sports arena or at a live concert? 

What do these kids do during the funny scenes?  The moments of explosive action?  The second or third musical encore? 

Move to the edge of their seats, right?

Back straight, they lean in forward, even stretching their necks out as if trying to get in just a tiny bit closer to the action. You might even catch a big, wide smile, a gasp or look of amazement.  Adults do it, too.

Now apply that to your child’s homeschool learning.

Which lessons do you assign that make your kids sit up straight?  What topics get your child to lean in, neck bent, trying to get a closer look?  Is there anything you currently do in your homeschool that gets your child to the edge of his seat?

If the answer is no, get busy! 

Could it be that learning in your home is just a little too hum-drum? 

Nothing beats watching a child find something that sparks an interest or ignites some major fascination.  Though homeschooling learning doesn’t always have to be fun, at least some of it should!  And learning is fun – that is, as long as it’s exactly what a child wants to learn about.

When children are interested – that is, really, really engaged – you’ll absolutely know it. There is no mistaking a child on the edge of her seat, soaking up everything she can.  Make that happen a little bit more often, and you’ve got a full-blown passion on your hands, too.

Take a look at what you’ve got going on in your homeschool today.  Make sure to incorporate ways to get your children sitting on the edge of their seats!

Dr. Moreau writes other articles that appear all over the web.  This one appeared HERE today.

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Uncategorized · Tagged: blog, me, random, success

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • Next Page »

· Copyright © 2022 · Marie-Claire Moreau ·