Your Boring School Day Gets a Magic Makeover August 23, 2018 By Bekki Leave a Comment This content may contain affiliate links.Just by changing the way you present your homeschool “to-do’s”! {Yes, this works great in a classroom as well!} On a whim, I declared it a no screen day. Our sons looked a bit stunned because most of their school work needs a screen of some kind to complete. “Finish breakfast, do a few chores and meet me at the table in an hour,” I said as I waved off their questions. By the time they came to the table, I had this written on the whiteboard: No-No Doesn’t Add Up Don’t Get Stung Red Sand Gets Everywhere Nerf Balls Once Upon a Time Okie Dokie The guesses began pouring in immediately. “No-no is obviously no screen-time” “Doesn’t add up” has to be math” I cut them off. “Before we get to the list, let’s talk about screens in general.” Moms, Dads, this is a GREAT exercise. Grab a piece of paper (or use dry erase marker on a whiteboard, window, or mirror) Have the kids brainstorm positive and negatives about the internet and screentime. Wow! Make sure you prompt them with questions until they say something about dangerous websites and stinky, yucky, grumpy attitudes Talk about porn. It’s not if they will find it, but when it finds them. Give them an escape plan. [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=145c28746639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox] After this screentime talk, we went on to have the best homeschool day of 2018 so far. Pro-tip: I never revealed what the to-do list meant ahead of the activity. As we rolled into an activity they’d punch each other in the shoulder and declare, “That’s what “no-no” means!” or “ha! Don’t get stung!” The Magic of Keeping Kids Guessing Kicks your child’s problems solving brain into high gear. Keeps them engaged Allows them to be excited about the possibilities just around the corner Unexpected Fun: I kicked off a contest on Facebook and with my email homeschool friends to let others play along. It turns out that this kind of guessing is really healthy and a whole bushel of fun. We learned about bushel and pecks when we lived in an apple town a few years ago. In plain English, a bushel of fun means a whole bunch. I hope you embrace this kind of game with your kids soon. Sure, it takes a little brain power on your part, but it has a huge pay off in the end! Will it always inspire your kids? Of course not. Sometimes it will be an epic failure, but that’s the beauty of trying something new. Go for it and let me know how it works for you! Ready for my Secret Code? Not Quite. You have to hear some of the guesses first! Some of my kids and readers were so creative that I did a facepalm and thought, “That would’ve been so much MORE fun…” My favorite Reader Responses. No-No the double negative Nitrogen Oxide Bible lessons How not to lie Don’t talk to me before I’ve had my coffee Doesn’t add up Almost everyone said, Math Pascal’s triangle balancing chemical equations Don’t get stung Bees Where honey comes from Proverbs Study Running away from wasps Red Sand Gets Everywhere Star Wars, because Anakin hates sand Let’s clean up the house looking for the red kinetic sand which managed to get into the littlest of corners Parting the Red Sea with Moses code for messy craft project including glitter, or that horrific moon sand that literally ends up everywhere. Nerf Balls mom’s version of motivation to finish assigned work and chores. Better hope you kids can bob and weave! Shoot bees with Nerf guns Either Target Practice or a solar system model with nerf balls. history/reenacting some battle PE Once Upon a Time Storytime History Creative writing acting out a play of some sort…although I doubt that any of your boys would play a princess Okie Dokie Free time! Oklahoma study Norse mythology “Okie dokie, Loki” Checking to see if your cow’s pregnant!!!! {I’m totally sharing this with my sons…} Saying “ok” in a foreign language You Guys are so Creative! Your Kids would LOVE this too! This doesn’t need to Stop, that’s what the comment section is for. Keep your ideas and successes rolling by sharing what you’re doing with us. Creativity begets Creativity! OK, the big reveal. What did all my Secret Codes Mean? I made you a little Slide Show. {If you made guesses, if your kids too a stab in the dark, or you want them to… grab your kids and then click over and hit play} Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.