WEBVTT 00:02.377 --> 00:21.162 [SPEAKER_00]: Christian parenting the core issue for the home school mom when it comes to today's episode is that when you're wondering how I get a balance the necessary home school subjects with my child's curiosity it comes from a place that is built upon guilt and comparison. 00:21.817 --> 00:32.577 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to encourage you, before we start off with some of the tactical, practical ways to do this, we're going to speak a little theoretically and then we're going to get into the nitty gritty and the how-to. 00:33.559 --> 00:42.475 [SPEAKER_00]: If you're looking for more of just a mindset and theoretical approach to this, definitely go and listen to some other issues, definitely listen to some other episodes. 00:42.455 --> 00:47.079 [SPEAKER_00]: But I want you today to write now, you're listening to this, and then beyond this episode, even. 00:47.520 --> 01:02.013 [SPEAKER_00]: To throw out the measuring stick that you have been using, that one that is causing you guilt, oh, we're not doing this like this other homeschool is doing, or we're not doing this that the school is doing, or even when I was in school, and when I was my child's age, we were doing this. 01:02.073 --> 01:10.200 [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to throw out those measuring sticks that's leading to guilt and to comparison and teach the child that is right in front of you right now. 01:10.180 --> 01:14.605 [SPEAKER_00]: and then prepare them for the future that they are going to step into. 01:14.821 --> 01:17.184 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's stop doing this things that are not working. 01:17.464 --> 01:19.166 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't need to reinvent the wheel. 01:19.186 --> 01:22.290 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't need to invent things that are already there. 01:22.670 --> 01:24.633 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's use the resources that are here. 01:25.073 --> 01:44.676 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's use our vision, our mental capacity to just stop and look at the world and say, okay, if I'm teaching kids to operate in a certain way, but that's not the world actually operates, whether we like it or not, 01:44.656 --> 02:09.145 [SPEAKER_00]: stage that we are in, you know, we need to repair our kids for that, and going back and just kind of bearing our head and the sand doesn't always, doesn't always work, but I also want you to just throw out that measuring stick that's saying, the school, the brick and mortar down the street, this is what they're doing in a certain age, and I'm not doing that, or my child's not ready for that, or they're not reading it, or I want them to have this curiosity, let's just throw that away. 02:09.125 --> 02:13.812 [SPEAKER_00]: parent the child that's right in front of you remember homeschool is just an extension of parenting. 02:14.172 --> 02:27.491 [SPEAKER_00]: You just get to add in the education of that and you get to be there to explore ideas and to present them with ideas and to watch them just come alive and to hopefully begin to really love to learn. 02:27.772 --> 02:32.558 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's try the for let's parent the child in front of us and educate the child in front of us and prepare them for the future. 02:32.979 --> 02:37.866 [SPEAKER_00]: So today let's tackle this balancing getting the necessary homeschool 02:37.846 --> 02:41.451 [SPEAKER_00]: with your child's just natural inborn curiosity. 02:42.313 --> 02:52.929 [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, friend, welcome to Little By Little Home School, I am Lee Nguyen, and this place is where we talk about all the things homeschool, but not just in any type of view. 02:53.309 --> 02:55.753 [SPEAKER_00]: We come at it from a biblical worldview. 02:56.013 --> 03:07.110 [SPEAKER_00]: I am a born-agrant Christian follower of Jesus, and I am so thankful for just his work down the cross, and just the grace that has been given to me, 03:07.090 --> 03:07.591 [SPEAKER_00]: all of that. 03:07.911 --> 03:09.233 [SPEAKER_00]: That is where this comes from. 03:09.293 --> 03:10.695 [SPEAKER_00]: All of this that comes from. 03:10.735 --> 03:25.057 [SPEAKER_00]: I am a sinner who is on the road of sanctification just like you and I seek to glorify God each day in homeschool was a great source of sanctification when I say great and I mean big. 03:25.277 --> 03:35.292 [SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't always a pleasant thing but it is where God really has refined me and I have grown in wisdom and I will continue to do that even beyond the 03:35.272 --> 03:40.640 [SPEAKER_00]: It is a time that we can surrender and just as a blessing of a time that we get to spend with our kids. 03:40.820 --> 03:43.704 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's get into today's topic. 03:45.126 --> 03:55.361 [SPEAKER_00]: One last reminder before the actual day, but conference tickets for little by little homeschool conference 2026 goes on sale on Monday. 03:55.942 --> 03:59.607 [SPEAKER_00]: Did you catch the date that was released earlier this week? 04:00.047 --> 04:04.013 [SPEAKER_00]: The conference will be on Saturday, September 19th in Syracuse, New York. 04:03.993 --> 04:09.039 [SPEAKER_00]: And I will let you know, if you're on the email list, you want to join the email list, the link will be in the show notes. 04:09.540 --> 04:12.443 [SPEAKER_00]: You will be able to get a reminder to say, hey, tickets are on sale. 04:12.603 --> 04:14.185 [SPEAKER_00]: But either way, tickets go on sale on Monday. 04:14.586 --> 04:19.311 [SPEAKER_00]: The website was where you'll go to, to actually get your ticket and all that kind of stuff. 04:19.712 --> 04:26.440 [SPEAKER_00]: I am actually currently right now, Dead and Pigeon for just a tendency for the tips and diligently convention. 04:26.420 --> 04:29.124 [SPEAKER_00]: this is an amazing convention, it is huge. 04:29.504 --> 04:45.846 [SPEAKER_00]: But if you're looking for something that is a little bit more intimate, something where maybe you can gather a couple of friends and you can spend the day and the goal is for you to be filled up mentally, physically, spiritually, in a way that just 04:45.826 --> 05:03.987 [SPEAKER_00]: a retreat just a one day retreat for you to be able to just be filled up and so that's that's our goal for the day we've got some fun things planned for the day and anyway we'd love to be able to see you there so tickets go on sale on Monday, May 11th if I forget by the end of this is say to you happy Mother's Day. 05:03.967 --> 05:20.068 [SPEAKER_00]: My family actually, we are going to be traveling back from Tennessee on that day, so I ask my family to postpone Mother's Day, so my personal mother's day will be next Sunday, but I feel like, you know, the 99.99999% of you will be celebrating it on Sunday, so happy Mother's Day. 05:20.048 --> 05:27.926 [SPEAKER_00]: And I want to start off with just a little bit of a disclaimer, as we talk about how to balance the necessary homeschool subjects and with your child's curiosity. 05:28.507 --> 05:37.568 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, there are some homeschool styles that are proponents of your children getting those necessary subjects and we'll talk about what those necessary subjects are in just a moment. 05:37.548 --> 05:43.955 [SPEAKER_00]: but they are proponents of getting those in naturally while your child is exploring what they are curious about. 05:44.735 --> 05:47.558 [SPEAKER_00]: If that is you, continue, go for it. 05:47.739 --> 05:48.359 [SPEAKER_00]: You can do that. 05:48.419 --> 05:54.466 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, you might decide that a homeschool style is just quite not serving your child or your family anymore. 05:54.506 --> 05:59.471 [SPEAKER_00]: And if they, this style is not serving your family anymore, for whatever reason, that is your choice. 05:59.951 --> 06:01.633 [SPEAKER_00]: You get to a value and figure that out. 06:02.093 --> 06:06.458 [SPEAKER_00]: I would encourage you then, too, if you're like, oh, I said I would never change my homeschool style. 06:06.438 --> 06:09.383 [SPEAKER_00]: the episode that I just did on Monday and that'll hopefully help you with that. 06:09.463 --> 06:19.538 [SPEAKER_00]: But if you're like this is the style, we love this homeschool style and it promotes the children just learning those necessary subjects just naturally because of their curiosity. 06:20.079 --> 06:20.480 [SPEAKER_00]: That's fine. 06:20.880 --> 06:21.281 [SPEAKER_00]: Go for it. 06:21.942 --> 06:23.324 [SPEAKER_00]: That is what it works for you. 06:23.745 --> 06:24.666 [SPEAKER_00]: I love it. 06:24.781 --> 06:30.673 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, if you are someone who needs more structure or certainty than that, that is fine too. 06:30.814 --> 06:32.156 [SPEAKER_00]: There is nothing wrong with you. 06:32.677 --> 06:35.543 [SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing wrong with either homeschool mom. 06:35.563 --> 06:42.558 [SPEAKER_00]: We need to believe the best about each other and that we are all doing what we feel is right for our family right now. 06:42.818 --> 06:43.600 [SPEAKER_00]: So. 06:43.580 --> 06:48.210 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, if you're looking for more structure or more certainty, then just like, oh, they'll get those in. 06:48.231 --> 06:48.972 [SPEAKER_00]: They'll be fine. 06:48.992 --> 06:51.959 [SPEAKER_00]: Then I encourage you to continue listening to this episode. 06:52.200 --> 06:56.830 [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, anybody can, but for those, especially that just want some more structure and certain date. 06:57.147 --> 07:02.213 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, now that we have it disclaimer, what are the necessary subjects? 07:02.514 --> 07:05.858 [SPEAKER_00]: I would call them the foundational subjects. 07:05.878 --> 07:13.167 [SPEAKER_00]: These would be your skill subjects, and if you are as old or older than me, you remember they would talk about the three R's. 07:13.667 --> 07:18.253 [SPEAKER_00]: Basically, the three R's fall into two categories that we would now use. 07:18.593 --> 07:24.741 [SPEAKER_00]: We would say math or arithmetic, and we would then also say language arts. 07:24.721 --> 07:40.772 [SPEAKER_00]: under language arts would be you're reading, you're writing, now with the writing begins with penmanship and then writing goes on from that, learning kind of right sentences, how to write paragraphs and maybe eventually short stories or essays or research papers. 07:40.752 --> 07:44.280 [SPEAKER_00]: and then also you have your spelling and your vocabulary. 07:44.460 --> 07:56.668 [SPEAKER_00]: So those foundational or maybe, you know what you'd say with this episode, the necessary subjects where everything is based upon like these are the two foundational ones and that would be your math and your language arts. 07:56.648 --> 08:05.261 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to break this episode into the three major, we'll say, at school ages, the three groups we'll say. 08:05.582 --> 08:20.124 [SPEAKER_00]: Typically, if you're home school, it doesn't necessarily matter, except if you have home school regulations for my state in New York, I had to know what block they were in, where they in elementary, middle, or high school, because the requirements and regulations were different. 08:20.484 --> 08:22.668 [SPEAKER_00]: So we are going to talk about elementary age children. 08:22.928 --> 08:24.951 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I know a five year old. 08:24.931 --> 08:30.841 [SPEAKER_00]: those that are just starting off maybe with kindergarten age is quite different than fifth grade, right? 08:31.102 --> 08:35.690 [SPEAKER_00]: Fifth grader, hopefully they're reading well and they are able to do a lot more. 08:35.730 --> 08:38.194 [SPEAKER_00]: They can write a short paragraph possibly. 08:38.836 --> 08:44.686 [SPEAKER_00]: The five-year-old is still sounding out possibly, sounding out some of those letters and figuring all that out. 08:44.766 --> 08:47.631 [SPEAKER_00]: So it can be a broad range, 08:47.611 --> 08:52.175 [SPEAKER_00]: I feel like that's a bigger broader range than when we talk about middle school and high school. 08:52.395 --> 09:13.314 [SPEAKER_00]: I guess high school would be like the other broad range because obviously ninth grader, maybe their, it's a boy and their voice is just starting to change and they're just much more immature and they're just starting off as opposed to the 17 year or 18 year old who's actually out living in the world as their home schooling and they're launching out and they're driving and they have jobs. 09:13.374 --> 09:15.216 [SPEAKER_00]: It's just, it's a very different world, right? 09:15.916 --> 09:17.618 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so let's break these down. 09:17.598 --> 09:21.547 [SPEAKER_00]: In the elementary years, you have to do that foundation. 09:21.607 --> 09:30.368 [SPEAKER_00]: Now whether your homeschool style kind of leads to it being a little bit more open and letting them explore and figure out the reading and the math, that's fine. 09:30.929 --> 09:31.570 [SPEAKER_00]: You can do that. 09:31.771 --> 09:36.602 [SPEAKER_00]: But right now, this episode now, I want to talk to those of you that need a little bit more structure. 09:36.869 --> 09:44.765 [SPEAKER_00]: So you have to then work at that foundation, choosing curriculum, choosing resources, but make it at their pace. 09:45.106 --> 09:48.753 [SPEAKER_00]: If they're struggling reading, you're not going to jump to chapter books. 09:48.793 --> 09:51.038 [SPEAKER_00]: If they're having, is it the Bob books? 09:51.098 --> 09:53.443 [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's what they spend so long. 09:53.423 --> 09:59.537 [SPEAKER_00]: If they are having trouble reading three words, then they're not going to be able to read a chapter book obviously. 09:59.838 --> 10:01.201 [SPEAKER_00]: So we're going at their pace. 10:01.342 --> 10:10.082 [SPEAKER_00]: Even if the other kids that are their same age can read chapter books but they're struggling, then we are going to go at their pace and at their curve. 10:10.771 --> 10:11.993 [SPEAKER_00]: but you have to do the foundation. 10:12.254 --> 10:17.203 [SPEAKER_00]: We have to provide them with those math resources or the math knowledge. 10:17.424 --> 10:22.494 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the basis of the math obviously starts off with recognizing numbers, knowing how to count. 10:22.574 --> 10:30.349 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe then grouping, you'll be able to count by 10s and then moving on to addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. 10:30.683 --> 10:33.947 [SPEAKER_00]: The rest of the math that they will do, we based upon that. 10:34.447 --> 10:40.154 [SPEAKER_00]: Give them that solid foundation, help them to know their math facts really well, and they'll be able to take off. 10:40.314 --> 10:46.040 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, some children are going to really struggle, and you're going to have to find resources that are going to help a bit more. 10:46.060 --> 10:48.583 [SPEAKER_00]: I remember it was my youngest. 10:48.603 --> 10:50.385 [SPEAKER_00]: He struggled a bit more when I got to the multiplication. 10:50.425 --> 10:52.928 [SPEAKER_00]: Distance attraction was fine. 10:52.908 --> 11:10.073 [SPEAKER_00]: multiplication was was a little bit of struggle and I I think through a friend I found a book that actually connected like just short little stories They were like maybe just a sentence or two and there was a picture that went along with it that then included the numbers and they it just put the numbers grouping together So say for example 11:10.053 --> 11:11.876 [SPEAKER_00]: seven times eight is 56. 11:11.916 --> 11:17.204 [SPEAKER_00]: So there was a story that something about 56 like and the six was like sticks or something like that. 11:17.925 --> 11:25.135 [SPEAKER_00]: And there was then like two sentences for the actual, you know, seven times eight equals 56. 11:25.736 --> 11:28.380 [SPEAKER_00]: And then there was like a little like three words or so. 11:28.701 --> 11:30.503 [SPEAKER_00]: And I put a little cheat sheet down for him. 11:30.704 --> 11:33.267 [SPEAKER_00]: And that is how he remembered his multiplication. 11:33.628 --> 11:36.572 [SPEAKER_00]: And then once he realized, we'll seven and eight go together. 11:36.592 --> 11:37.714 [SPEAKER_00]: It could be eight and seven. 11:37.694 --> 11:40.078 [SPEAKER_00]: and they go up 56, so 7, 8, 56. 11:40.399 --> 11:41.100 [SPEAKER_00]: They go together. 11:41.701 --> 11:46.830 [SPEAKER_00]: Once he understood that, he was like, well, obviously 56 divided by 7 equals 8, 56 divided by 8 equals 7. 11:47.170 --> 11:50.556 [SPEAKER_00]: So once those were together, that was recognizing what he needed. 11:50.656 --> 11:56.226 [SPEAKER_00]: He needed something a bit more than just some straight-up memorization of or flashcards. 11:56.493 --> 11:58.838 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, we're talking elementary in general. 11:59.019 --> 12:03.830 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want this episode to be too long, so I don't want to necessarily separate out the younger and the older ages. 12:04.291 --> 12:15.717 [SPEAKER_00]: But if all you get to is those necessary homeschool subjects, the math and the language arts, that can be fine, especially for the younger years. 12:15.697 --> 12:21.627 [SPEAKER_00]: old years, you might say, okay, well, we need to maybe add on a little bit more because I want you to be exposed to more. 12:21.667 --> 12:25.894 [SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of this has to do with us as moms, saying, I want to teach you this. 12:26.235 --> 12:27.778 [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to learn about this in history. 12:27.798 --> 12:29.260 [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to learn this geography. 12:29.280 --> 12:31.063 [SPEAKER_00]: I want us to do cooking together. 12:31.083 --> 12:40.219 [SPEAKER_00]: I want us to get out in nature and be able to recognize different trees and leaves and and all the things and which is wonderful. 12:40.199 --> 12:41.582 [SPEAKER_00]: provide that foundation. 12:41.622 --> 12:44.368 [SPEAKER_00]: Those why would say will be the necessary subjects. 12:45.009 --> 12:58.258 [SPEAKER_00]: And then the science and the history, the geography and so on, it can be maybe you providing resources that align with their interests, maybe there are certain historical figures or times in history, 12:58.238 --> 13:02.748 [SPEAKER_00]: that they're really interested in, and so you provide resources for those. 13:02.868 --> 13:08.520 [SPEAKER_00]: It might even just be, they're interested in some and you find a video series that will provide that. 13:08.600 --> 13:11.707 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't necessarily have to go through 180 days of a history lesson. 13:12.549 --> 13:17.800 [SPEAKER_00]: But when it comes to the science and the history and the geography and all those different content subjects, 13:17.780 --> 13:21.667 [SPEAKER_00]: You can allow their curiosity and their interests to follow along. 13:21.967 --> 13:26.576 [SPEAKER_00]: But it's also fine if you're saying, I don't think he's interested in history at all, but I love history. 13:26.616 --> 13:28.840 [SPEAKER_00]: Then go ahead, find some curriculum. 13:29.080 --> 13:34.590 [SPEAKER_00]: Cricket them is fine to use as well as maybe your foundation. 13:34.790 --> 13:37.313 [SPEAKER_00]: I couldn't remember all of history. 13:37.333 --> 13:40.057 [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't have a great huge interest in science. 13:40.077 --> 13:46.466 [SPEAKER_00]: So I used curriculum and that was the core and then we would just go out and learn from there. 13:46.706 --> 13:49.710 [SPEAKER_00]: And so that would be balancing that natural curiosity. 13:49.730 --> 13:53.575 [SPEAKER_00]: So you read a section in science and has to do with snakes. 13:53.555 --> 13:54.817 [SPEAKER_00]: and they ask more questions. 13:55.418 --> 13:56.619 [SPEAKER_00]: And they want some more information. 13:56.639 --> 14:00.084 [SPEAKER_00]: We'll get a bunch of snake books from the library. 14:00.144 --> 14:03.849 [SPEAKER_00]: Go out, maybe, see if you can find, obviously, non-venomists snakes. 14:04.169 --> 14:06.432 [SPEAKER_00]: Go out and see if you can find some girder snakes. 14:06.933 --> 14:12.120 [SPEAKER_00]: Go to, maybe, a museum, a zoo, or a museum, somewhere, not a museum, but someplace. 14:12.541 --> 14:14.864 [SPEAKER_00]: A zoo, I guess, where they would maybe have snakes. 14:14.904 --> 14:16.386 [SPEAKER_00]: You can actually see them. 14:16.506 --> 14:17.788 [SPEAKER_00]: Go to, maybe, a farm. 14:18.489 --> 14:21.553 [SPEAKER_00]: No, a farm was like, oh, we got a bunch of girder snakes. 14:21.533 --> 14:31.853 [SPEAKER_00]: watch maybe some videos and just let them, it doesn't matter if maybe those, that's that's science, sorry, that science curriculum is put on hold while you explore snakes a little bit more. 14:32.234 --> 14:40.690 [SPEAKER_00]: And then I'm like, all right, well, I've kind of, I've learned all I want to know, what's, you know, you kind of notice that that's interest is starting to wane, move on to the next one. 14:40.838 --> 14:42.462 [SPEAKER_00]: in the science curriculum. 14:43.164 --> 14:47.094 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's fine to use curriculum too, or you can allow their interests to follow them. 14:47.856 --> 14:56.738 [SPEAKER_00]: But I think that more so when we are talking about our child's curiosity is giving them lots of free time to be able to explore. 14:56.718 --> 15:16.816 [SPEAKER_00]: I had one that loved to build, and so any free time was spent building, putting things together, taking things apart, and that is a skill that he has now, and everybody in our family goes to him for, hey, this is Brooklyn, this isn't working, what's this, and he's a problem-solver like that. 15:17.157 --> 15:19.722 [SPEAKER_00]: That's because of that free time. 15:19.702 --> 15:31.020 [SPEAKER_00]: My daughter loved art, so much time she just is very creative and can do a lot of different creative endeavors with art, flowers, calligraphy, all that kind of stuff, because I gave her lots of free time. 15:31.060 --> 15:34.144 [SPEAKER_00]: So give them lots of free time to explore. 15:34.305 --> 15:41.035 [SPEAKER_00]: And I really think that helps to form that foundation, that then they use that curiosity just continue to build upon it. 15:41.015 --> 15:42.698 [SPEAKER_00]: Now let's talk about the middle school years. 15:42.759 --> 15:50.174 [SPEAKER_00]: Now you're going to continue that foundation, that math and the language arts, but maybe they're ready for something a bit more rigorous. 15:50.214 --> 15:58.230 [SPEAKER_00]: Now it doesn't mean your elementary age student isn't ready for something more rigorous, but maybe you're like, okay, we're going to just ramp it up a little bit. 15:58.210 --> 16:14.012 [SPEAKER_00]: here because I feel like possibly you might be going into something some day that's going to require college and I'd like to help you just, you know, use your brain a little bit more and we're going to use some resources and some curriculum that's going to help to stretch that and to maybe give them a little bit more self-discipline. 16:15.154 --> 16:18.018 [SPEAKER_00]: And I decide, okay, let's do something a little bit more rigorous. 16:19.100 --> 16:26.530 [SPEAKER_00]: But we want that foundation that math and that language arts continuing to solidify that foundation and 16:27.320 --> 16:32.946 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, the science and history and et cetera, that mean that can be a ton of different, ton of different subjects right there. 16:33.967 --> 16:41.614 [SPEAKER_00]: It can be interest-based if you want to do that, and you can support it with curriculum or their own research or again. 16:41.654 --> 16:46.639 [SPEAKER_00]: You can be the one that's providing, you might have a child that is not interested in history at all. 16:47.140 --> 16:54.367 [SPEAKER_00]: But you might say, this is important for them to understand history and how it then maybe relates to current events. 16:54.628 --> 16:57.090 [SPEAKER_00]: You might talk about things that are going on in the world 16:57.070 --> 16:58.792 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, why is there's this conflict here? 16:59.113 --> 17:01.036 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, it actually goes back to this. 17:01.456 --> 17:03.659 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is the basis. 17:04.120 --> 17:07.385 [SPEAKER_00]: And but other people say this is the basis and exploring that. 17:07.845 --> 17:17.078 [SPEAKER_00]: And so as they ask questions, you can allow that curiosity that they have to then build upon that and then just go off on that and they can do their own research possibly. 17:17.479 --> 17:21.525 [SPEAKER_00]: It depends on what resources and stuff you allow them to have access to. 17:21.625 --> 17:22.386 [SPEAKER_00]: But 17:22.602 --> 17:25.686 [SPEAKER_00]: You can still make it interest-related. 17:25.706 --> 17:29.130 [SPEAKER_00]: Their curiosity when it comes to science in history, but it doesn't always have to be. 17:29.590 --> 17:30.271 [SPEAKER_00]: You could say, you know what? 17:30.631 --> 17:39.542 [SPEAKER_00]: We are doing this curriculum for our math, and this one for our language arts, and this one for science, this one for history, geography, whatever it is, but then you also provide them. 17:40.182 --> 17:49.453 [SPEAKER_00]: Just like when they were little, you're gonna give them lots of free time to be able to explore their own interests and to be able to hone some of those skills. 17:49.754 --> 17:52.397 [SPEAKER_00]: let me put it in the second disclaimer here when it comes to the free time. 17:53.217 --> 17:58.543 [SPEAKER_00]: I am not saying that you should do your curriculum into your homeschool and in the rest of their day is completely free. 17:59.123 --> 18:02.507 [SPEAKER_00]: We need to balance this with the fact that they need to help out with the family. 18:02.867 --> 18:03.948 [SPEAKER_00]: There needs to be chores. 18:03.968 --> 18:16.200 [SPEAKER_00]: There needs to be active participation in things like taking out the garbage, making beds, maybe mopping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, maybe you live on a little farm and they have chores to do outside. 18:16.180 --> 18:24.252 [SPEAKER_00]: This does not mean that they have a free pass that when they're not doing their actual, quote-unquote home school, that they have a free pass and that there aren't responsibilities. 18:24.272 --> 18:25.794 [SPEAKER_00]: They definitely need responsibilities. 18:25.814 --> 18:30.942 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you're looking for guidance for those chores and all of that, you can check out the tidy home. 18:31.362 --> 18:34.527 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, let's close out here with talking about high school. 18:34.878 --> 18:53.005 [SPEAKER_00]: First of all, pay attention to your state regulations, so that you make sure that you meet those regulations so that possibly in New York, you can get a letter of satisfactory equivalency to a diploma, because they won't get an actual diploma. 18:52.985 --> 19:07.469 [SPEAKER_00]: So you need to meet the requirements for the high school years, 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, and then you can receive this from the superintendent and it's supposed to be viewed just as if they have a diploma saying that they met all of their home school requirements as per the state. 19:08.211 --> 19:17.406 [SPEAKER_00]: And so make sure you pay attention to home school regulations and setting them up then for the various options that they can have in the future. 19:18.128 --> 19:27.159 [SPEAKER_00]: For me, what I decided was we are going to be pretty rigorous, 9th and 10th grade, and I'm going to set my kids up as if they are going to go on to college. 19:27.179 --> 19:39.715 [SPEAKER_00]: So they have those core classes, they have the credits, they have everything that they would need for a transcript to be able to provide to a college, should they decide that that is the avenue that they want to pursue. 19:39.948 --> 19:50.946 [SPEAKER_00]: And then 11th and 12th grade was still finishing some of that up, but just allowing them a lot more exploration and a lot more electives that really kind of got into what they were mostly interested in. 19:50.966 --> 19:56.816 [SPEAKER_00]: And so those electives is what I would call allowing their curiosity to come out. 19:57.678 --> 20:01.464 [SPEAKER_00]: God has given children a natural curiosity. 20:02.445 --> 20:03.407 [SPEAKER_00]: And 20:03.674 --> 20:11.662 [SPEAKER_00]: The school, I'm saying this from personal experience with myself, I'm saying from personal experience with my children, the school just really takes that out. 20:12.223 --> 20:16.787 [SPEAKER_00]: When there are so many rules and there are so many things that they can and cannot do and we have to learn this. 20:16.868 --> 20:19.150 [SPEAKER_00]: And in first grade, you must be doing this. 20:19.190 --> 20:26.237 [SPEAKER_00]: You by the end of the year, you have to be able to read at this certain level, do this certain type of math, and it just, it deflate them. 20:26.678 --> 20:29.040 [SPEAKER_00]: It really just takes the air out of them 20:30.387 --> 20:35.065 [SPEAKER_00]: I really do believe that God has given this natural curiosity, and if we allow them. 20:35.332 --> 20:39.497 [SPEAKER_00]: that understand that they can pursue that, but then we live in the real world right now, right? 20:39.938 --> 20:44.764 [SPEAKER_00]: And they're gonna need to know that arithmetic, that math, they're gonna need to know how to read and to write. 20:44.904 --> 20:46.927 [SPEAKER_00]: And so we have to balance that. 20:47.067 --> 20:49.170 [SPEAKER_00]: And I think there really is a way to do it. 20:49.571 --> 20:54.297 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, parent the child that is right in front of you, and prepare them for the world that is ahead. 20:54.657 --> 20:59.664 [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that those that are curious that are allowed to continue their curiosity. 21:00.004 --> 21:05.271 [SPEAKER_00]: And that curiosity, again, it's not something that just a five-year-old has. 21:05.251 --> 21:12.945 [SPEAKER_00]: a 10-year-old should have, a 15-year-old should have, in 18-year-old who's graduating from homeschool should be just as curious about the world. 21:12.985 --> 21:16.691 [SPEAKER_00]: They might have specific curiosities, but that's okay. 21:17.052 --> 21:21.279 [SPEAKER_00]: There definitely is a balance and I know that you can achieve it in a hope today's episode has helped you out. 21:21.660 --> 21:28.913 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, tickets for little by little homeschool conference will go on sale on Monday and in the meantime, Happy Mother's Day.