Hidden Danger For Homeschool: Anxiety

“Whatever it takes, get anxiety out of your life because it is a destructive force and a danger to your family.” ~ Donna Marie, The Mommy @ ButterflyHomeschool.com

In previous articles here on ButterflyHomeschool.com, I shared about anxiety and how we’ve learned to cope with it better. Recently, I also shared about how I almost destroyed my family and what helped restore us.

You can find that new article on the ChristianHomeschoolMoms.com blog.

Read series of articles on this blog about anxiety to learn why I say it is a danger for your family. ~ Donna Marie Johnson

Because Spring is the traditional time of testing for most students, it can also be a very high anxiety time for homeschool families. Take a moment to read the articles I have already been sharing on this topic here on this blog and on the CHM blog. Also, please pass it on to other families.

Please leave a comment and let me know how my articles help or encourage you.

Have a wonderful Spring!

~ Donna Marie, The Mommy Butterfly

P.S. Also, there’s a private event invitation listed there on the CHM article. Make sure you check it out to get the details.

 

Effective Way To Handle Anxiety in Homeschool

The previous post shared about how anxiety has been a problem for us during homeschool:

To read previous article, click here.

HANDLE ANXIETY BETTER

One of the main things we started doing to handle anxiety better on purpose at the start of our homeschooling days is by opening up with praise and worship. This one thing helps us in so many ways. The main thing praise does is to prevent anxiety before it can even get us going each day, but it can also help sweep it away after it has started.

3 Truths Praise Helps You Remember

Praise and worship helps you remember who and whose you are.

1. Stay Grateful

Praise reminds you to keep an attitude of gratitude, instead of complaining when things don’t go as expected. And with all the unexpected that happens daily in homeschool, praise has become a NEED for us. It is not just a good idea, but an actual craving and need. Ever heard of the hymn that says…

“As the dear panteth for the water, so my soul longs after you…”?

2. Father God Loves and Never Forgets You

Praise reminds you that you belong to the Great and Only Wise and Loving Father God who never leaves you and never forgets the details about your homeschool or life needs.

3. God’s Love Flows Through You For Others

Praise as a group reminds you that you are not just connected by blood, but also by the blood of Jesus. This helps us live out the True Love Walk. Being reminded of our divine connection with Him and each other helps us walk in grace and love with each other. This shapes how I parent, how I teach and how I partner with my husband. It sets the atmosphere of our home and homeschool and reduces anxiety not just for me, but for the children, too.

Resources For Praise And Worship

Vevo.com

We are creating our own video playlist of songs that include the lyrics to help us sing along. I have to set this up for them because this site has other music that is not parent approved, too. If you use Apple TV, you can show your video playlists on your tv and enhance the worship experience for yourself and your children.

WeAreWorship.com

The children have found some songs that they love on this site which is totally focused only on providing worship music. They have been able to find some great videos as a result of using this site. We prefer not to use YouTube directly, but using the weareworship site helps us find great YouTube videos that don’t have the ads and other video previews and thumbnails that we don’t want the children to see.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Music Education

The children enjoy making their own instruments (usually they’ll use closed containers of grains or salt as shaker noise makers). They also love using instruments that they have received as gifts to play along during some songs. They also sing along, sometimes by using videos that include the lyrics on-screen. And, of course, they love to dance, too. For the most part, I step aside and let them enjoy this experience together, but sometimes I join in with them. However, if I take part, I try to stay in the background as a participant and allow them to lead it out. Each child is required to choose and lead one song.

How Do You Celebrate God’s Love In Your Homeschool?

Please use the comments area to share how your family stays reminded of God’s love and grace and mercy over your lives. What works well for you and your children to stay focused and avoid anxiety … or to deal with anxiety after it has started rearing its ugly head?

THANKS. PLEASE. SHARE.

Thanks for stopping by. Please use the sharing buttons to let your friends know about this discussion, too.

~ Donna Marie, The Mommy of Butterfly Homeschool

Please follow our blog at ButterflyHomeschool.com for inspiration and information that can help you in your homeschooling journey.

Three Reasons Why International Missions Are Important

This update shares why international missions are important to our homeschool.

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS

Thank you for your donations to our fundraising campaign for our missions trip to South Africa’s Teboho Trust school for at risk kids in Soweto.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 We are so glad that Justine has been making some delicious fudge and wanted to bless you with some as a thank you gift, too. Our October 2014 donors will receive some fudge from Justine’s fresh batch soon.

CURRENT STATUS OF FUNDRAISER

Our current status in our fundraising campaign is that we are starting over. We decided that we would not give up on our missions trip goal, but that we would change our approach.

If you would like to keep up with our progress and give to our cause, please click or copy and paste this link:

http://gofundme.com/safricamissions

3 REASONS WHY

Having this opportunity to volunteer on a global scale is important for our young learners because:

• 1st – We believe in the mission of Teboho Trust, after reading about the founder and watching the video (click here to see video). Their goal is to be a safe place where their learners can focus on their studies, instead of all the surrounding drama, and successfully matriculate and move on to higher education.
• 2nd – We know that traveling, especially internationally, combined with volunteering, expands a student’s perspective of life and of the world, helping them to become more compassionate global citizens. This is because our mom, Donna, was an international volunteer in her youth, which shaped how she lives and educates her own children now.
• 3rd – Most importantly, we believe that Father God has a destiny in this for all of our young learners. There are some experiences that He has waiting for them in South Africa which will connect them with His destiny for their lives.

We would love to share with you as we take this journey. We will provide more updates through our fundraising campaign page on the gofundme platform.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

Have you included volunteering and/or international travel as part of your homeschool? If so, what impact has it had on your learners?

Thank you for reading!

~Donna, The Mommy of #ButterflyHomeschool