Meet 4 Families from Kansas

Kara from Kansas

• Aric, spouse
• Tiger-Anne, daughter
• Jack, furbaby.

Kimberlie King from Madison, Kansas

• Dad is a Supervisor for a dog food company.
• Mom homeschools and likes sewing.
• Brother (Bud) likes legos.
• Sister (Bug) likes baking.

Jen U. of South Central Kansas

• Little Man is 7 and doing a blend of 1st and 2nd grade work. He loves LEGOs, snow, tractors, monster trucks, and spending time with his friends.
• Princess is 5 and is working on Kindergarten with a touch of 1st grade. She loves unicorns, rainbows, anything sparkling or glittering, and prefers sunny days over snow.
• Baby A is now 2, and hasn't started Timberdoodle-ing officially, but she loves to "do school" at the counter with her siblings!
• Daddy is a welder and Mama gets to stay home full time with the kids.

Caleb of Kansas City

• Caleb
• Andrea
• Isabella
• Eli

Caleb is an electrical engineer. Andrea is a stay at home mom, and Eli and Bella are our toddler and infant.

 

How do you Timberdoodle?

Kara: We heard about Timberdoodle on the internet.

Kimberlie: We have not gotten Timberdoodle yet. We would love try out the curriculum sets. Heard about you at a homeschool convention.

Jen: We first heard about Timberdoodle from Daddy's older sister. It was such a relief to have the work of sorting through curriculum DONE for Mama! We got our first kit 3 years ago, starting Little Man in Pre-K. It's like Christmas when the Timberdoodle box comes with our next year's worth of fun learning!
Little Man does 2-4 hours each day, 4 days each week. Princess does 1-2 hours. Mama enjoys the different learning styles explored with Timberdoodle, as well as learning (again) alongside the kids!

Caleb: We heard about Timberdoodle via Google searches. We are still exploring curriculum as our oldest is only two but we are excited to try to begin to incorporate Timberdoodle into our daily routine.

 

Tell us about a typical school day at your house.

Kara: 8:00 a.m. start school. Chores in between subjects.

Kimberlie: We start at 8:00 with a devotional. Then they follow their list of subjects. We also do extra lessons in science, geology, art, and writing. The kids take breaks as they feel like it. Chores are done randomly through the day.

Jen: Our school day typically starts mid-morning, as we are not early risers. We will eat breakfast and do a few small chores before starting on book work. Little Man focuses on math, reading, spelling, and thinking Skills while Princess focuses mainly on math and reading. We also read a lot of books together to learn about science, history, geography, social skills, etc. The kids have a reward chart for school and chores that helps us all be productive throughout the day!

Caleb: Currently school consists of activities such as matching games, coloring, play dough, and practicing numbers and letters. Much of school at this point is simply trying to include our oldest in normal, daily tasks such as sorting clothes.

 

If we peeked inside your home on a random Wednesday afternoon, what would we see?

Kara: Chaos.

Kimberlie: The kids and me sitting at the couch or table doing their school work or a project.

Jen: Wednesday afternoons you would find us trying to wrap up school and chores early for the day so we can get away to church as soon after Daddy gets off work!

Caleb: Afternoons are taken up by naps, snacks, and games.

 

If you could take your family anywhere you wanted for vacation where would you go?

Kara: On a camping trip to the lake.

Kimberlie: Ireland.

Jen: Italy or Greece would probably be Mama's first choice...but anywhere in Europe, really!

What books have you read over and over?

Kara: None, only read them once...too many books to read.

Kimberlie: Anything about horses or dinosaurs

What dietary challenges does your family face?

Kara: Fast easy meals for a tired run down family.

What tips do you have for surviving a hard day?

Kara: God.

Kimberlie: Prayer and breaks

Jen: Listen to praise and worship music! Take a time out to pray together or go to separate rooms for a few minutes of quiet time. Step outside to breathe some fresh air or take the family for a walk. Give yourself grace--God's mercy is new every morning!

What’s something your child has done that thrilled your soul?

Kimberlie: Wrote his first poem about Jesus.

How does your family celebrate birthdays?

Kara: We celebrate our child's birthday, but tend to overlook others.

Kimberlie: Family dinner or a party depending on what age they are.

Jen: The kids wake up to decorations, a birthday cake, and a special meal or family outing!

What have you done recently for the first time?

Kara: Tried new food.

What’s your favorite school day lunch?

Kimberlie: Leftovers.

Jen: Leftovers!

How would you manage if you had to homeschool without the internet?

Kimberlie: Go to the library and get books on different subjects then make up my own lessons.

What tips do you have for other families?

Kimberlie: Don't stress. Teachable moments come to you.

What is something you appreciate about each of your kids?

Kimberlie: 

• My son is very independent.
• My daughter works very hard.

Jen: 

• Little Man is tenderhearted.
• Princess is passionate.
• Baby A is goofy.

What song is currently in your head?

Kimberlie: I Can Only Imagine

Jen: Turn Your Eyes by Sovereign Grace Music

Tell us about your family’s favorite games.

Kimberlie: Yatzee.

Jen: We recently started playing Uno together!

What hard thing are you planning to do this year?

Jen: Lose weight.

If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?

Jen: Sewing!

What’s the last recipe you looked up?

Jen: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars 😋

What apps do you use the most?

Jen: 

• Chrome
• Calendar
• Messenger
• Message+

If you could sum up your homeschool style or philosophy in one phrase what would it be?

Jen: Let's learn to love learning!

What do your kids want to be when they grow up?

Jen: 

• Little Man wants to be a farmer.
• Princess wants to be a vet.
• Baby A is undecided. ;)

What extracurricular activities is your family involved in?

Jen: 

• play dates
• piano lessons
• kids club at church
• gymnastics.

If you have a moment to yourself what do you like to do?

Jen: Read! Or scroll Instagram.

What’s your favorite school day breakfast?

Jen: Yogurt with blueberries and honey.

The grocery store cashier asks, “But what about socialization?” What do you say?

Jen: My kids don't live in a box. They socialize several times each week with church programs and extracurricular activities! And, they have to learn to get along with their siblings all day every day. :)

What do you do for fun as a family?

Jen: 

• movie nights
• walks to the park
• road trips
• game nights
• picnics

How do you continue to educate yourself?

Jen: Teaching my kids is a continuing education for me! I love to read, and listen to podcasts often.

What are favorite healthy snacks at your house?

Jen: 

• fruit
• Larabars
• Hippeas
• veggies and dip
• cheese slices
• crackers or chips

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome in homeschooling?

Jen: So far, teaching two at once! Still figuring that out but I feel the big hurdle is gone.

What is your favorite thing about having kids?

Jen: Seeing life through their eyes.

What’s the best vacation you have ever taken as a family?

Jen: Birthday surprise and family vacay, staying at Great Wolf Lodge! We hope to camp more as the kids get older.

What’s your favorite in-a-pinch dinner option?

Jen: Pizza.

Share a favorite organizational tip.

Jen: IKEA book racks!

What special gifts or talents to your kids have?

Jen: Singing, playing piano.

What do you do for P.E. in your homeschool?

Jen: Gymnastics, catch with Daddy, tabata workouts with Mama.