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157th Carnival of Homeschooling: A Carnival of Reflections

By Laura | December 30, 2008

As we wrap up another year, it’s time to look back at what we have experienced and what we’ve learned. The great thing about life is that it’s a constant learning experience. We continuously find opportunities to gain more knowledge and experience. As Toot and Puddle would say, “the more places you go, the more things you know!”

Reflections span beyond our boundaries of time and space. We can reflect on the past where we visit elements of our own history, or learn about eras from long ago.

At Why Homeschool, Henry reminds us to not only look at the negative, but to see the positive parts of the last year when contemplating our New Year’s resolutions in Remember all the good stuff as you end the year. Katherine at No Fighting, No Biting visits the past with the fieldtrip she took with her children to the Washington National Cathedral in Stone Carvings and Stained Glass.

Renae at Life Nurturing Education shares with us a time when things were simpler and hard times meant being innovative during the holiday season in When Circumstances Squeeze Wish Lists.

As we look into ourselves, we can see the good and not-so-good of our past year. It is time to reflect how this past will affect our future, and how we can mold our present to change our outcomes.

We can reflect on our present and whether the decisions we are making now will affect our fates positively or negatively. We can reflect on how we can daily improve ourselves in order to be better role-models for our children.

At Reese’s View of the World, HappyCamper vents at how “outsiders” view homeschooled children and socialization in Oh, my poor homeschooled child…how will he EVER learn? Christine at Our Curious Home shares her day of math activities with Living Math, while at Kids Love Learning, Amy shares some of her favorite books to travel around the world with, in A Trip Around the World for Parents Who Love Learning

At Life Without School, Robin shares her struggles with homeschooling while coping with a chronic illness in If You Can’t Find It, and Tiffany at Life on the Road tells us why she is so frustrated with people who simply “don’t get the lingo” in Learning the Lingo. As she states, It’s not a “Language Barrier” – just a “Vocabulary Barrier!“

Britannica Blog gives us more insight on how our memories work and how to maximize its potential in “Study Skills” Ought to Include an Understanding of Memory.

Kiwi at CCL: Christian Classical LIberalist engages her readers in a fascinating discussion of A biblical perspective on home schooling and state schooling.

Over at The Thinking Mother, ChristineMM points out how the little things can make a big difference in a child’s eyes with A Small Example of Freedom of Choice in Homeschooling. HowToMe presents How To Make an “Angelic” Kitchen Towel Set at HowToMe.

Are you on the IRS’s naughty or nice list? Find out with Carol at HomeschoolCPA by reading The IRS and Fundraising. Amy at The Eclectic Homeschooler shares her frustration of dealing with a gifted teen in Teens & That Parental Chant:”It’s Almost Over”

Over at HomeschoolBuzz.com, Kathy reviews Building Thinking Skills level 1.

We can reflect on our future; while we can see behind us, we are blind to what lies ahead of us. We must rely on the experiences of our past to feel our way into waters untested.

On Homeschooling ADD Kids, Kevin wonders how children with ADD can affect how their brains are wired using mental or physical exercise in Mental Exercise vs. Physical Exercise: Which for the ADD Brain? Sarah embarks on a new journey with her son, Caleb over at To Motherhood And Beyond…as she plans his educational path in Week 1–Letter A

We can even reflect on the “what if.” Sometimes, the mysteries of life leave us wondering about what happened and where the truth may or may not lie. At A Pondering Heart, Miss Jocelyne wonders what it would be like to see Noah’s Ark up close and personal in Life-size Noah’s Ark. Christine at Welcome to my brain.net warns us that the Choking Game lives on.

Let’s embrace every moment of our lives and push for the better while trying to leave the not-so-good behind.