Please, let me know your thoughts.

I am part of @supermumsclub and this is one question we all discussed last week, it was an interesting conversation. ⠀
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What do you think? ⠀
Say, you have girls and your inlaws say they want a boy and they don't mind even if you have a football team trying to get the boy. What will you do? ⠀
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My answer: If you are willing to be a surrogate and open a school fund for all the kids then why not? Lol⠀
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What are your thoughts?⠀

It is always a joy to see people who are interested in what you are interested in. I always toyed with the idea of homeschooling and I did a lot of research with regards to it and in my quest for what to do I stumbled on @sheuntunde on Instagram and I am glad she has to collaborate with me on bringing this simple guide to homeschooling in Nigeria to life.


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You all know my journey so, meet Sheun.

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My name is Sheun and I am an early years teacher.

For over a year now, I have been a stay at home mum. The journey started for me when I got pregnant with my first child and could no longer work on the island. The decision to become a stay at home mum was not an easy decision to make but with my first child, I had to take jobs back to back because of responsibilities, the downside of it was I had so much given to other children and not enough time for my child. The wake up call came when I got pregnant with my 2nd child and I knew that I didn't want to continue the vicious cycle, so I made the decision to be a stay at home mum.

One of the challenges you face as a stay at home mum is, "What do I teach my kids?" I looked around the educational system in nigeria and I wanted to offer my child what I saw was lacking - learning through play. After discovering what I wanted to offer my child, I looked through different curriculums and picked pieces of each them with the goal of "Play as the tool for learning" in mind.

As an early years educator, I have learnt to observe my child and know her strengths. With these in mind we use Montessori materials which an individual can make themselves with everyday object. We usually don't have a routine, most of what we do depends on our mood but we do something each day even if it is on the road.

One of the challenges people are worried about when considering homeschooling is the child's social life, We have a large family and we go out a lot of avoid the social gap. She loves homeschooling but once in a while she asks to go to school.

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The big question now is this, are you considering homeschooling in nigeria? Here is a simple guide for you;

Homeschooling in Nigeria is not very well understood and just a few people are having the courage to do it. You have to be bold because people will reject what they don't understand. You have to be ready to be disciplined so you don't spend your days on the screen.

First you have to think about your learning outcomes; Think about what you want to achieve with your child. Depending on the age of the child the answer is usually different. This is just basically outlining the end in mind for the child. E.g "At the end of this quarter, Bola should be able to identify alphabets" you can have numerous learning outcomes on the broad categories of learning.

next, what would you teach to get these outcomes; Since we are focusing on learning through play, it will be how will we play to achieve this. Here you outline the different activities you will engage in to teach to get this outcome and activities that will reenforce it as well. e.g Monday - Use flashcards to identify the alphabets, sing songs about the alphabet, play phonics

What materials do you need; You list out the materials you need. Based on our example we would need flashcards, video of phonics, a list of songs about the alphabet
Where can I get these materials; You ask yourself where you can get the materials if you don't have it already. Buy or make flashcards, source for video online, learn the songs

Plan and set the stage; Just like every teacher, plan for your class. Set the stage for the class, put out the activities the night before.

Go: Introduce your child to it and let them enjoy.


Broad Categories and scheme of work under each;


Literacy development for 18months- 24 months old;

• Settling down: circle time, prayer, etc (anything to make the child understand that it is time to learn and time to sit)
• Building language through rhymes: Nursery rhymes- Twinkle, twinkle little star (talk about the star)
• Introduction to simple everyday objects: take a walk and talk about things around us or stay indoors and talk about things in the home
• Picture reading to enhance identification of everyday objects: appropriate books for  this age. @thebookwormcafeng is my go to
• Storytelling for communication skills: more books
• Storytelling to encourage participation and verbalization: touch and feel books. Ask questions
• Building vocabulary by identifying members of the family: daddy, mummy, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, etc
• Introduction to possessive words- my mine.
• Using self expressive words to indicate needs or feelings: I want water
• Learning to respond to simple instructions: sit, stand

Phonics: Use Jolly phonics: first 3 sounds “s” “a” “t”

• Scribbles with chunky crayon: just scribble on a paper
• Writes strokes and curves with the chunky crayon

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

• Refer to self by name.
• Responds to name when called.
• Building friendship with peers and adults.
• Learning to use courteous words (we call them magic words): Please, I'm sorry, Excuse me, Thank you.
• Introduction to sharing (toys and materials).
• Introduction to taking turns.
• Identification of personal belongings.
• Gives cues to use the bathroom.
• Says hello and goodbye when prompted.
• Recognition of some facial expressions: happy and sad.
• Follows simple instructions.
• Uses the potty without crying.

Numeracy

• Settling down.
• Number rhymes- 1, 2 buckle buckle my shoes.
• Teaching colours. (I usually start with yellow because it's bright and I can use it to reinforce my sound “s” as in sun.
• Shape: circle.
• Sorting objects by size (big/small) shapes (circle like a clock, square, triangle and rectangle) and colours.
• Rote Counting 1-5 then 10.
• Identification of numbers 1-5.
• Understanding simple concepts: inside/ outside.
• Building 4-6 block tower.

Knowledge and Understanding of the world

• Introduction to theme through songs and rhymes.
• Identification of some parts of the body with focus on the five senses.
• Introduction to sex- boy/ girl.
• Identifying members of the family.
• Identification of simple objects at home.
• Introduction to Christmas (any holiday at that time)

We really hope that this guide helps you begin your journey to homeschooling. You can follow Sheun @sheuntunde. She offers one-on-one service to people who want to homeschool. She is also available to answer your questions if you have any.

What do you think of homeschooling? Ever considered it? What are your challenges?

Please let us know, what are some of the drawbacks you face as a stay at home mum?

Someone told me that potty training was the most difficult thing she ever did on her motherhood journey. 
I am so not looking forward to it but I would like any tips for when one is ready? 

Please help us (Us that don't have school to help us potty train) out! ⠀

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1. No one understands your decision: In a country where we are just catching on to the #FeminineMovement it makes no sense why any woman will now want to willingly submit herself to be only wife and mother. Why don’t you want to also be boss lady?  I mean many women are doing it, why should you be different? Different women become stay at home mums for different reasons and I think that we don’t have to understand it, we just have to respect it. Being a stay at home mum is a 24/7 job and I think more people need to understand that.
2. The ones that understand your decision are forcing you to make money; Everywhere you turn and anytime “stay at home mum” is mentioned in this country, it is all in the bid to help her make money, to help her to be financially independent and not depend on her husband for money. The Idea of a stay at home mum is to “stay at home” not “work from home” not “side hustle mum” and I know there are people in different categories but I also KNOW that there are people who choose to really stay at home and only want to earn money when they are ready but really if you google any nigerian content on stay at home mums it will only be about “Make money” or comparing "woking mums and sahm" and make things even sadder, a popular nigerian female preacher literally called us “a colossal embarrassment” which is rather appalling.

Are you are stay at home mum in Nigeria, can you relate? please share what your struggles