A Lifestyle of Learning
By Sarah J. Brown - A Homeschooling Mother of Eight

More than an Education 
My Goals for Teaching and Training My Children

1. Instill love for learning, discovery and exploration.
2. Increase attention span by engaging in interesting activities that take time to accomplish.
3. Give opportunity to learn through creative play.
4. Provide fun educational experiences that spark interest in new subjects.
5. Make the tools for learning and discovery easily accessible.
6. Help the children to learn from mistakes.
7. Help children to discover the lessons of life and science in everyday tasks and events.
8. Help the children to set goals small and large and work toward those goals.
9. Give the children freedom and opportunity to explore their world. 
10. Show them what it means to have a good work ethic, allow them to work, build, create and be helpful with household tasks.
11. Help them to understand that actions have consequences, positive and negative, they will reap what they sow.
12. Teach them to be attentive and precise in communicating with others.
13. Expose them to beautiful literature, art and music.
14. Teach them to listen carefully by giving them opportunity to listen to fascinating subjects using books, audio and mixed medias.
15. Be attentive to each child’s interest and ability in understanding the concepts of reading writing and mathematics; don’t push these abstracts concepts to early if the child is not ready.  But frequently give them the opportunity to see these concepts in action though life, play, example and lessons.
16. Introduce the children to the use of graphs, equations, scenarios, theories, money, time, maps, globe atlases, computers, letters, numbers, and measurements. Do this in interesting ways so that they hardly realize that it’s part of their formal education, but instead that they would embrace these things as part of their personal world of discovery.  Help them to be exited about the tools of discovery.
17. Help them to grasp the basic facts about the history of the World, the history of the United States, the history of Indiana, the history of our family and their own story beginning with life in the womb.
18. Use local resources for hands on education such as the zoo, museums, state parks, grocery stores, libraries, farms and local industries.
19. Allow freedom to get creative with art and music, but also provide challenging directed opportunities for exploring the arts and making their own creation
20. Help the children to develop good character, by teaching moral lessons along side academics. 
21. Help them to learn about interesting people, cultures and traditions.
22. Tell them stories about missionaries, heroes, explorers, inventors, and other people with inspiring life stories.
23. Tell stories well so that they will learn to be good story tellers, listen to their stories.
24. Understand that many of the things the children need to learn will happen naturally by playing freely and by working along side mommy and daddy.  Consider what is best for the child above what is easiest for the parent… (Let Isaac stand out in the snow and mud and watch daddy change the tire.)
25. Teach them to teach themselves.
26. Allow them to excel in their areas of strength, talent and interest.  Help them to overcome weaknesses but invest the most their areas of greatest potential. 
27. Don’t bog them down with too much paperwork at a young age, we are not limited by a classroom.
28. Let them take joy in educational discovery in order that they would love learning for a lifetime.
29. Go on adventures together.
30. Listen carefully to their hearts and minds.

TREASURE EVERY MOMENT!   You are blessed!

Eat chocolate and do the next thing.  That’s how I feel sometimes.  That’s how I feel right now.  Life is full of hard work.  And the more fun you have the bigger the messes. 

If you have big dreams, you’ll have more work to do.  The more people you love, the bigger your heart needs to be.  And the more people around your table, the more dishes you will have to wash later.  The later you stay up talking and visiting, the later you will stay up cleaning the kitchen… or you will have to do it in the morning.  The answer to all this consists in prayer...and chocolate.

Life can be so wonderful, rich and full.  There is laughter and beauty all around us.  There are adventures to take, places to see, and loved ones to serve.  There are children to laugh with, stories to tell, and games play.  There are mysteries to be solved.  There are letters to write. There are balloons to blow up and cakes to bake.  Some phone calls need to be made.  Some new things need inventing.  Some old things need fixing.  Hearts need warming.  Hurts need healing.  Babies need changing.  Tears need to be kissed away.  Coloring books are waiting to be filled.  Homes are waiting to be built.  Trees are waiting to be planted.  Then snow begins to fall, and seasons change.

All the wonderful things in life are just waiting to happen in our lives.  But the best things don't come easily.  If you want to sail, you must leave the dock.  If you want to dance in the rain, you will get wet.  If you want to play in the snow, you will have to find your boots and gloves… and in my case find enough warm clothes for a family of ten.

Isn’t it just easier to watch a movie or read a book or blog about someone else’s adventures?  I think that sometimes we can find our adventures in the stories, books, movies, and role playing games, while our own lives slip away and one day we realize we have spent our days on the couch, lost in books, or in front of a color screen.  Why?  Because real life is hard!  The greater the adventure and the deeper we love the more work we have to do.

We shouldn’t be satisfied to live our lives in an imaginary world when our own world is waiting to be conquered.  Our own treasures are waiting to be found.  Our own children are longing to get out in the rain or snow.  Our own spouse is longing for companionship and attention.  Our own prayers are waiting to be prayed and our own lives are ready to be filled. 

I’m not afraid to say “Yes!” to life, to love...to adventure.  But first I must say no to many other things.  What must we say "No" to?  First of all we must say no to our natural desire to be selfish, lazy, and complacent.  Then we must say no to the busyness that takes us from the things that really matter.  Then we must say no to a desire to have great possessions with little real value.  Spend your life for the things that matter, and welcome the hard work that turns into joy, dreams, and friendship.  By saying no to some things we are saying yes to all the best… and no one ever said that you must say no to chocolate, and other little indulgences.  Just use them wisely.

Your child came into the world with his or her own unique set of gifts, talents and strengths.  Each child is different. Some may be gifted in art.  Others are good at sports, music, problem solving, puzzles or inventing.  Some kids are lucky to be gifted in reading, writing and math, but may not be natural at drawing, baseball or inventing.  Even in the same family one child may learn to read by age six, while another sibling (using the same school books) can't see the difference between a "b" and a "d" at age ten!  This even happens to homeschoolers; it's more common than you think!

So, what are your child's greatest strengths?  What is his biggest struggle?  How can you help each of your sons or daughters to become who they were created to be?  All parents need to answer these important questions.  A wise parent will invest in their child's talents and focus on his strengths while giving him the tools he needs to overcome his challenges.     -Sarah J Brown

Some children have a LOT of trouble with writing because they are using the wrong hand!  It happens.  A left handed child may attempt to be like everyone else, and use his right hand to write.  In fact, very intelligent kids can make this mistake, because from a young age they notice that we live in a right-handed world, and thus they copy everyone else.  They use the right hand, instead of doing what comes naturally.  These children have a very difficult time getting the words onto the paper, they are slow and sloppy, disoriented, and they may end up failing to thrive in school... and no one knows why.  

I recently met with a mom whose son had this problem.  Instead of teaching him to use his left hand, the doctor encouraged the parents to let him use a computer and type out his schoolwork, rather than use a pencil and paper.  He was only a second grader at the time, but this seemed to work well. 

After hearing this story the mom showed me a little test the doctor did with her son.  To see if he was right or left handed.  I tried the test and realized that although I grew up right handed, I have many left handed tendencies.  That evening I decided to put a pencil into my left hand to see if I could draw.  Well, my left hand surprised me!

Look what I drew with my left hand:

1. Make sure that your child has free time to play, learn, draw, invent, or take things apart.

2. Their hobbies and special interests bring them a lot of joy. Watch and listen when they share their interests with you- this is how they let you into their world.

3. Let them be part of the planning process when deciding where to go and what to do. When children with autism are always told what to do they feel out of control.

4. Practice saying "yes".

5. Allow your child to have a pet of his own. children with Autism have a special connection with animals. 

6. Invest in your child's hobbies.

7. Focus on your child's gifts and talents- not on his or her weaknesses.  Treasure who your child is.

8. Be sensitive to the environment. Children with Autism hear, see, feel and sense things that others can't even begin to comprehend. Make sure your child has a quiet place to escape to whenever possible. 

9. Know what your child's favorite colors are, if you use their favorite colors around the house it will have a calming effect. 

10. If your child begins to get upset, overwhelmed or starts to melt down- do not belittle the problem that is causing the meltdown.  Try to help your child feel safe and secure by meeting his needs.  If you can't fix or change the situation try to talk to him about his special interests and hobbies. When an autistic child is thinking about his hobbies he engages a different part of his mind and will often stop focusing on whatever is upsetting him.

11. You may think your child is upset for no reason-  there is always a reason- Children with Autism are very sensitive (this can be a gift) try to keep your child in a gentle and pleasing environment when possible. Make your home a pleasant place.

Now, let me share some of the (silly) things that I find upsetting (I have asperger's): 

• Blue walls - blue walls make me feel sick.
  
• The feeling of Plastic furniture - yuck. 
• The hum of a TV or a Dishwasher- like fingernails on the chalk board! 
• Sitting in the center of a large room - makes me feel like I'm on a boat. 
• A condescending tone of voice- causes a burning feeling or pressure in my head. 
• An unexpected change in plans- I get the feeling that I had just put together a puzzle and someone came along and messed it all up. 
• Bright overhead lighting - I feel like someone is shining a flash light in my eyes.  

(Now that you have seen my "llist" find out what is on your child's lists- and try to make a few changes- if your child can feel more peaceful, everyone will feel more peaceful.)

12. Help your child by saying "No" to things that cause your child to form addictions and waste time.  If your child plays videos games be very careful not to depend on this as the #1 form of entertainment. 

13.  Slow down, don't be so busy- enjoy life with your child.  Take time for art, hobbies, board games, cards, nature and outdoor play (kids with Autism love media- but it's not very good for them).

14.  If your child shows interest in forming a hobby are starting a collection- invest in that hobby!

15.  Avoid putting your child in situations that cause meltdowns, find alternatives. When you are taking your child to an environment that is new, or overwhelming help him to understand what to expect. 

16. Reward your child with prizes.  I can get through a very tough situation if I know I am going to have ice-cream when it's all over. Ice-cream makes everything better.

17. Have faith.  Your child is part of your family for a reason.  You have what it takes to be an excellent parent, and no one loves your child like you do.  Believe in your child's gifts and talents.  Believe that your child is a gift from God who is going to have a very special impact on the world. 

1. Asperger Syndrome in the Family Redefining Normal: Redefining Normal

2. The Gift of Dyslexia, Revised and Expanded: Why Some of the Smartest People Can't Read...and How They Can Learn

3. The Gift of ADHD: How to Transform Your Child's Problems into Strengths

I have six girls ages 2-10, and most of the time they adore each other.  They are so close in age that it's easy for them to have a lot in common.  I love the way my older girls watch out for the little ones.  I love the way the little ones want to do all the things the big girls do.  Having a house full of girls is so much fun! 

We love to bring our whole family to the local farmer's market.  That's what we did this morning.  When the children were little I lead them to believe that the the only foods available were the most nutritious ones.  If they were hungry they would simply eat what we gave them.  The first foods were often sweet potatoes, asparagus, avocado, salmon, and brown rice.  They grew up loving these foods.  All of my kids eat their greens, a favorite food is Daddy's stir-fried kale with garlic. 

We also enjoy raising some of our own food. Over the years we have enjoyed having goats for milk, hens and ducks for eggs, and lamb for meat.  We now live on Main Street in a small town, but there is room in our backyard for a small flock of ducks (chickens are illegal) and a couple dairy goats.  We also have a dozen fruit trees, and several berry bushes, grapevines, a veggie garden, and lots of herbs.  My two oldest girls Anna & Estera love doing all the gardening, and much of the cooking- all that at age 9 and 10.  Estera, my Aspie loves studying herbs, plants and herbal remedies, so gardening is a big part of the kid's education.