September 2013
Vol.1, Issue 1
For This Day
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7 CDA parent, Kim Crawford, shares her experience of setting up and growing her school zone in her home. She hopes by sharing her story, that many will find their own special way of incorporating the two distinct functions of school and home into one living space for the family.
Our family is in our 6th year at CDA, and both of my children are in Logic school. When we first embarked on the CDA journey, I thought about hanging a sign on my front door that said, “If you’re here to see our house, set an appointment. If you’re here to see us, come on in!” As much as I tried to create an orderly environment for our home days, the clutter monster remained masterful at devouring huge chunks of our valuable time. So I finally decided to slay the beast and dedicated a space in our home for school. With a minimal investment and lots of borrowed ideas, I created a “school zone” in our playroom. Most of my ideas came from: 1) experienced CDA moms, 2) studying and identifying the different learning styles of my children.
3) my all-time favorite creative website, https://pinterest.com/. Our school zone is a 10 x 10 space that invites messes, cultivates creativity, and establishes a healthy boundary. We have a large, indestructible, height adjustable, activity table and chairs. We also have a wall-mounted, dry-erase, white board. I purchased these items from http://www.worthingtondirect.com/. They have an unbelievable selection of deeply discounted, high quality, classroom furniture and accessories. A big clock (with a seconds hand) hangs above the white board, and an accessory caddie sits in the center of the table for pens, pencils, crayons, paper clips, glue sticks, markers, scissors, etc. We also have In/ Out baskets for me to collect and return graded work. The table has
taken some serious abuse over the years, yet it wipes clean every time and still looks brand new. We’ve adjusted the height twice as the kids have grown. It now serves as a computer and art table for laptops, tablets, and class projects. A printed hourly schedule and weekly calendar hangs by the white board which helps us manage our time in the same way as the schedule flows at campus. When my children were in Grammar school, we displayed the “CDA Class Rules” too. The rules helped encourage good behavior during school time at home. I converted a small closet in the playroom into a “locker” for backpacks, books, resources, and extra school supplies. Our “School-On-The-Go” bag hangs on a hook in the closet. It contains an extra set of basic supplies when we do homework away from the house. Last but certainly not least, I take full advantage of a blank wall space to display my children’s CDA creations…history time-lines, art, world maps, illustrated memory verses, etc. The children love seeing their work on display and sharing their CDA experiences with visitors. What do we love most about our school zone at home? It serves as a boundary that separates our “school life” from the rest of our house, including the bedrooms. Although my kids love the freedom to complete an assignment while lounging on a sofa, on a bed with a lap desk, at the dining room table, on the trampoline in the backyard, at the park across the street, or on a card table on the driveway, they make sure that their books and assignments are returned to the school zone and locker when each subject is completed. Have you ever tried relaxing or watching a movie with a Holt text book staring back at you from the coffee table? Or eating a meal at the kitchen table with extra sides of pencils, glue sticks, and scrap paper? If a school zone isn’t your cup of tea or you don’t have extra space in your house, check out https://pinterest.com/ and type some of the following into the search box: Home School Classroom, Home School Organizing, Homework Helpers, and Homework Rewards. Why reinvent the wheel? Borrow posted ideas from super creative moms on Pinterest or better yet, ask other CDA moms to share their inspiring experiences, organizing tips, and website resources.
Organization and time management go hand in hand. When we stop and think about it, we learn from the Bible that God loves us, He is watching over us, and He is orderly. I recently read an excerpt from an article that stated, “The work of God is done with order and arrangement, and He wants things done in an orderly way. His orderliness is seen in the days of creation. He designed His world with boundaries and order. Knowing that God is orderly should motivate us to insist on some order and schedule in our lives. When there is a lack of organization in our daily lives, the result will often be poor stewardship of our time.” My husband and I have lost count of the treasured memories we have created with our children on our CDA home days through the years. We love the CDA Signature Program and deeply appreciate the opportunity to partner with gifted teachers to educate our children in this way. What a privilege and a blessing! While structure and order cultivate a peaceful environment, we still have our fair share of challenging days. Yet we always manage to recover with laughter and love. Maturity, confidence, and independence are a huge help in the Logic years so for parents of Grammar students, hang in there. The journey is totally worth it! For parents of high school students, please share your ideas with those of us moving up. By the way, one thing has not changed. The clutter monster still sneaks into our home on occasion. So if you want to see our house, set an appointment. If you want to see us, come on in!