Today I'm giving an update on our homeschool routine as well as sharing channel news, and more. I hope you enjoy today's video. 

Homeschool: We are in our 5th year of homeschooling and continue to love this versatile and joyful way of learning. Due to my changed work schedule, however, as well as adding a new student this year (my son is now in kindergarten), we decided to make some strategic changes. We have a private tutor helping us with the homeschooling which has lightened our load and also provided a wonderful challenge for the kids. Learn about all the details in today's video. 

Channel news: We are so happy to have hit 200,000 subscribers! Thank you to our wonderful viewers! I feel that the Daily Connoisseur content is relevant now more than ever with the message to keep calm and remain classy. Today's video discusses the role that sponsors play in the channel and how I always aim for transparency.

Weight Loss: I have been documenting my health journey with intermittent fasting on the channel and blog and one thing is for sure: many lives have been changed for the better! I have countless comments, emails, and testimonials from people who have found benefits from the fasting lifestyle. Others are not happy with the content and I address the controversies today. 

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1. Consistency is key. The #1 tip I hear from veteran homeschoolers is to keep it consistent. We have been very consistent with math and the results show. With other curriculums we have experimented with finding the "perfect" one. What I've learned is that there is no perfect curriculum! Sometimes it's better to stick with the same one. Keep in mind that, over time, the consistent work will pay off. 

Welcome to my annual homeschool end-of-year recap. Today I'm sharing my observations from this year... what worked and what didn't. You do not have to be a homeschool family to benefit from the discussion in this video. These concepts can be translated to fit your family.



For more help with raising well-rounded children, check out my book, Connoisseur Kids: Etiquette, Manners, and Living Well for Parents and Their Little Ones from Chronicle Books.



Let's get into the ten observations from this year... in no particular order.
1. The power of dictation Dictation works wonders for children (adults too!) You don't need a curriculum to practice dictation. Simply read an age-appropriate passage from a living book and have your child write down what they hear, paying close attention to spelling, sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. This reveals what language arts concepts they are struggling with. The correction process should be gentle and positive.

2. The lasting power of living books Learning through living books (as opposed to a stale text book) has more lasting power. Children tend to remember the concepts in a more meaningful way rather than just memorizing facts. For example, my daughter was studying California History as is mandated for the 4th grade. We enjoyed the California History series from Beautiful Feet Books. She devoured Island of the Blue Dolphins and Zia and is really enjoying learning history through reading.

3. Art Appreciation is fun for the whole family Each Monday we study a work of art and would generally stay on the same artist for 6 weeks. We would all gather around to study it and take time on each painting. This was a wonderful part of our week (everyone can do this... not just homeschooling families!) My (at the time) three-year-old son has been able to recognize paintings from both Monet and Mary Cassatt. How cool is that?

4. Short, impactful lessons are more effective for us This might not hold true for every child and learning style, but we found that short, impactful lessons were more effective than long, drawn-out lessons.

5. A adherence to routine is necessary This might not be true for all families, but for us, an adherence to routine is important. The children build good habits by waking up and going through their morning routine before school begins.

6. The morning hours are precious Sometimes through various scheduling conflicts, our homeschool day gets pushed back and we will start in the afternoon. This is never as successful for us. There is something about those morning hours that creates an atmosphere ripe for learning. I try to avoid distractions between the hours of 9am and noon for this very reason.

7. Involve the little ones first The number one question I get from other homeschoolers is, "What do you do with your toddler and baby during school time?!" The baby's nap occurs largely during school hours so that is taken care of. As for our preschooler... he wakes up earlier than the other children and so we start school together first with uninterrupted learning time. He loves this! Then he will join us for certain morning time subjects like art study, etc. While we do the main subjects, he will play independently, work on an art project, or watch one show.

8. Certain children need time constraints One child had a hard time coming back to work from a break so we decided she needed a timer. Depending on how long the break was, she then knew that she had to get a snack and relax during the time frame, just like with a normal recess. I benefit from a 15-minute timer in my adult life and our children are no exception.

9. Lots of outdoor time Outdoor time is very important. Just spending time in nature and allowing the children to observe and relax helps to calm them down. If anyone has a bad attitude (especially the little ones!) going out into the garden tends to reset things.

10. Focus on the love of learning One of the major reasons why we homeschool is because we feel it is very important to foster a love of learning. Learning should be fun and interesting and we want out kids to be life-long learners. When homeschool gets hard or you have burn-out, focus on the love of learning. Don't be afraid to take a break from a tricky subject and get into the kitchen to bake or go to a fun science experiment, or read a living book instead. You can get back to the tricky subject later when frustrations have been reset.

I hope you enjoyed this end-of-year recap. I would love to know how your family's educational year went.

Please note: if you are new to homeschooling, you'll want to listen to the beginning chat about socialization and academics. If you are not new, and want to skip to the ten observations discussed in the video, please see these time stamps below. YouTube also has a new feature called, "library cards", where if you hover over the video, you will see the different discussion topics and time stamps:

0:00 Start
2:23 crisis schooling
4:00 socialization
5:21 academics
7:15 dictation
9:55 living books
11:14 art study
12:09 short lessons
12:59 routine is necessary
13:49 morning hours
14:22 homeschooling with babies & toddlers
15:46 use of a timer
16:35 outdoor time
17:03 foster a love of learning

What I'm wearing: Très Chic Sweatshirt

News
📍Thank you for 80,000 subscribers on YouTube! I appreciate you very much.

📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for June, 2020



This is a short, informational video on the life of Mary Cassatt that is set to her beautiful paintings. I hope it enriches your Chic Assignment this month.

📍Take my new eCourse, Carry Yourself with Poise. There are so many amazing ladies on this course, bonding and building friendships as we rally around elegant living. Tamara writes, "I absolutely adored this course! One of the best investments I have ever made in my life. Jennifer, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create a course that is enriching. I look forward future courses."

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.) I often discuss more controversial and sensitive issues on memberships, that do not make it to YouTube and last month we had a great Zoom call with all of the participants.

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

On Instagram
Madame Chic in Japan...

View this post on Instagram

フランス人は10着しか服を持たない/ジ ェニファー.L.スコット 神崎朗子 ええい、あれもこれも全部リセットだ整理整頓だ!! と思った次の週末が、今日。全然進んでません.. 季節の変わり目はこういう本が読みたくなります笑。 #読書日記 #備忘録 #メモ #本好きな人と繋がりたい #あれもこれも#読みたい #表紙デザイン #本 #本のある暮ら し #book #cover #装丁 #フランス人は10着しか服を持たない #ジェニファーlスコット #jenniferlscott #神崎朗子 #クローゼット#衣替え #完了しない #おかしいな

A post shared by toko (@333.books) on Jun 5, 2020 at 5:55pm PDT

Comment of the Week

Melanie D. writes, "I love these homemaking videos, Jennifer! They are so calming and relaxing to watch, and I get so much inspiration from them! Love the wallpaper too! My husband has unfortunately banned wallpaper from our house LOL! When we bought it, every (and I mean every!) room had wallpaper, so it's been quite a process taking it all down and painting. After that, he said no more! Thank you for another wonderful video!"


Hi Melanie, I had many comments from people who said similar things. I am glad that Ben likes wallpaper as much as I do. I can imagine that taking down wallpaper in every room would be enough to make your husband never want it... although to me it sounds like a dream. Ha! :)

I would love to know how your school year went. Do you homeschool? How was schooling through the pandemic? What worked for you and what didn't? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.


*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

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FTC: Today's video is sponsored by Skillshare. Also, I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

My interview series continues on The Daily Connoisseur with author, homesteader and YouTuber extraordinaire, Shaye Elliott from The Elliott Homestead.



I had so much fun chatting with Shaye! She and I have a lot in common: we both have four children, we both homeschool, we are both writers, and we share a lot of the same life philosophies. I just know that you will love our conversation. I didn't want it to end and I hope that Shaye will come back to be a guest on the channel again.

Here is a list of Shaye's books: The Elliott Homestead: From Scratch: Traditional, whole-foods dishes for easy, everyday meals, Welcome to the Farm: How-to Wisdom from The Elliott Homestead and Seasons at the Farm: Year-Round Celebrations at the Elliott Homestead.

Shaye's essential oil link for doTERRA can be found here. And her blog can be found here.

I hope you enjoy today's video and that you have a lovely weekend!

I would love to hear your thoughts on all of the topics that Shaye and I discussed.



Visit my newly designed Author Website

*NEW* Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

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Take my affordable eCourses on the ten-item wardrobe, debt-free living, and efficiency at home

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*Please note: consult your doctor before treating any ailments with essential oils. The host is not liable for any advice given on the channel and the views of the guests do not necessarily reflects the views of the host.

I hope all of my fellow Americans had a wonderful Independence Day. We celebrated by watching a spectacular fireworks show.

A few weeks ago, we concluded our first year of homeschooling. How did I like it? How did my husband like it? How did the kids like homeschooling? How did they do on the standardized test? What about socialization? Are we homeschooling next year? What are our plans for the summer?



All of these questions and more are answered in today's video, which shares a detailed recap of our first year homeschooling. I truly hope you enjoy today's post. To learn the backstory of why we started homeschooling in the first place, check out my post, Let's Talk About Homeschooling. You can also see the post sharing our Homeschool Room Tour.

News
Thank you to everyone who watched Monday's Pregnancy Chat and Favorites video. PLEASE NOTE: The Naipo massager is not recommended for extended use during pregnancy. Before using any electric massager while pregnant, please ask your doctor.

For more of The Daily Connoisseur, take my eCourses, Creating Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living.

On Instagram
Lessons from Madame Chic and At Home with Madame Chic in Japan...

最近お気に入りの本 #フランス人は10着しか服を持たない 読む前はフランスかぶれの内容だろーと期待してなかったけど、フランスの友達に日常の話を聞いてるみたいでとっても面白くて第2弾も読んじゃいました。 #フランス #パリジェンヌ #シック #ミニマムライフ #読書 #読書記録 #読書好きな人と繋がりたい #本 #マダムシックに憧れる #毎日の暮らし方の参考書 #lessonsfrommadamechic #athomewithmadamechic #paris #france #book #bookstagram

A post shared by ヒノノミトン (@nao.h_m) on Mar 30, 2018 at 12:58am PDT

Comment of the Week
On Monday's Pregnancy Chat and Favorites video, I recommended Albinoni's Adagio. So many people enjoyed listening to this beautiful piece. Plumsareyum writes, "Adagio is my favourite classical music piece! Thanks for your videos, I love watching and am a long-time subscriber."


Thank you so much for your long-time support of my channel, Plumsareyum. I appreciate you. Adagio is becoming my favorite piece as well. And it's hard to bump Chopin down the ladder for me! :)

I hope you enjoyed today's video. I would love to hear from you, whether you homeschool or not. Let us know your thoughts and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.

I'll see you tomorrow for a deodorant review and a piano performance in an all new, Natural Home with Jennifer.


Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Thank you for your great response to Monday's post discussing our homeschooling journey. In today's video I show you our homeschool room. It is pieced together with older furniture, plus storage and desk solutions from Ikea. We love our room and enjoy learning in it each weekday. I often find the kids hanging out in this room on the weekends as well, dong crafts and reading. This video isn't just for homeschoolers, but for anyone looking for storage inspiration and work space/ craft room ideas for your own children. I hope you enjoy the tour in today's video.

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My new eCourse, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living, is a class that will inspire you to change your shopping habits, your spending habits and to live richly beneath your means. Here is what Gillian had to say about the course, "I've just finished your course and I'd just like to thank you for your wise advice and let you know how much I appreciate and value your hard work which is delivered in such a beautiful way. I've enjoyed reading all of your books and refer to them again and again. I love the whole concept of the 10 item wardrobe, enjoying my home life and living frugally but well. To me this is the essence of a life well lived when every aspect is in balance and relished as a "daily connoisseur". Thank you thank you thank you. With love and blessings."

Thank you so much, Gillian. I am so happy you enjoyed the course!

On Instagram
Madame Chic in Poland...

#lekcjemadamechic #badzparyzankagdziekolwiekjestes #listywroze🌹 #kapeluszetakieduze #styl #czar #wdziek #lekcjestylu #modaiuroda #chic #elegancjafrancjaawgłowieburdel #asante #🥂 #she #elle #timeforbook #sanday #sunshine #📒 #jenniferlscott

A post shared by Anna Marta (@annamarta_agata) on Feb 25, 2018 at 4:44am PST

Comment of the Week
Sarah E. writes, "Hats off to you, Jennifer. My mother was a saint and took on the very labor-intensive task of homeschooling me and my four sisters from kindergarten through 12th grade through Abeka Academy. I am deeply indebted to my parents for doing so. Though there were several naysayers who worried about our lack of socialization, I found it liberating learning without the daily distractions my friends were experiencing. This and my parents were staunch believers in community involvement, so my sisters and I experienced no shortage of play, peers, or necessary social friction. In the end, I loved learning at my pace and was able to graduate early before pursuing my bachelors and masters degree at my university. While I agree it is not for everyone, you are clearly on the right path. Best of luck to you!"

Thank you, Sarah! My favorite part about reading everyone's comments on Monday's video was hearing all of the success stories. Thank you for sharing your homeschooling experience with us!


I would love to know what tips and ideas you have for organizing your children's work space, whether you homeschool or not. Playroom organization ideas are welcome too! Let us know in the comment section below and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.

Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Today's video is all about homeschooling. This was a highly requested topic ever since we announced that we would be homeschooling our children this year. Here is an example of one of the many requests I received from readers:

Hadasah K. writes:
Hi Jennifer! Happy New Year! I’d love to see a video about your journey of home schooling so far. I know you’ve touched on it, but I’d like to know more detail. Do you feel like the minimum requirement is enough or are you very thorough? Was the transition from having the girls at school to home bumpy? Do you find that each child needs to be taught differently? Do you sit down with them x number of hours a day, or are they to some extent self taught? I was homeschooled from K-12th grade, but I like to hear other’s experiences as being the homeschooled student is very different than the teacher/parent! I have a 2yr old and 10 month yr old, so quite awhile to think about it. In the meantime, I’d love your advice!

Hi Hadasah, I believe I answer almost all of your questions in today's video, plus a lot more.

Why do we homeschool? How do we homeschool? What curriculum do we use? How long does it take us? What about socialization? Are we taking the standardized test? Do we plan to do it next year? All of these questions, plus much more are answered in today's video.

As a disclaimer that I mention in the video, today's discussion is in no way a criticism of public or private school. Every parent makes the best choice for their family and homeschooling isn't necessarily right for everyone.

As for curriculum, my Kindergartener uses Abeka almost exclusively and we also supplement with this awesome reading book called, Phonics Pathways.

My 2nd grader uses Horizons math, Christian Light Education for language arts and reading and Abeka for history and science. We are very happy with our curriculum choices for this year. I'm noticing that my daughters are retaining their knowledge and enjoying the learning process, which is a huge plus.

I truly hope you enjoy today's video.

** Please note: in the video I mention I went to public school for my entire education. I meant to say my entire undergrad education.

News



My newest eCourse, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-free Living is getting rave reviews!

Here is a testimonial from Linda A. who writes,

Dear Jennifer,

You cannot imagine what a difference you are making in my life (I'm nearing 80 years old) and the lives of my awesome granddaughters!!! I stumbled upon your Madame Chic book several years ago and shared it with a granddaughter who was really struggling finding a direction for her life at the time. Very long story short, at 16 she got her hustle on, completed high school early, spent a study semester in France before entering college. She is now enrolled at a major four-year university studying film with with minors in French and Spanish. She also has younger sisters who are also really into your books as I have bought them all. Love this course and am making sure they also take it. So, from the absolute bottom of my heart I extend my deepest and most heartfelt "Thank you! dear Jennifer for all your hard work."

Linda, I am so excited to hear that the Madame Chic books and my eCourses are benefiting multiple generations in your family! Wonderful!

On Instagram
I spy Madame Chic...

Uwielbiam zapach książek 📚🤓 #booklover #madamechic #makephotographyeasier #elementarzstylu #lovestylelife

A post shared by R💋KSANA (@rox.em) on Jan 25, 2018 at 3:51am PST

Comment of the Week
I loved reading the comments for Monday's Breakfast video. So many on YouTube shared their favorite breakfasts and now I have so many ideas! Polly on the blog wrote, "I love your breakfasts! They look familiar to me as I eat very similarly. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I rotate between a Greek yogurt-berry-oat bran bircher, eggs scrambled with loads of veggies, and half an Ezekiel bread muffin with a little almond butter and slivers of banana. On Sundays my husband makes me a fantastic, beautiful omelet with whatever vegetables we have on hand, and some type of cheese (often chevre), sundried tomatoes, avocado, and sriracha. It's such a treat. And I always have two cups of coffee with almond milk.....

My children eat baked oatmeal topped with nut butter, my great-grandmother's buckwheat pancake recipe (delicious), or whole-grain waffles that I make. Sometimes I will also make a breakfast casserole for them...we have chickens, so there are always fresh, healthy eggs on hand. And my husband eats oatmeal with nut butter & almond milk & fruit every morning, except after his long run on Saturday, when I make him buckwheat pancakes.

Starting the day with a beautiful breakfast is kind of a quotidian luxury that I enjoy. So do you, I see!"

Polly, I have only one thing to say in response to your comment... YUM! :) Thank you for sharing your family's favorite breakfasts.

Today, I would love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on homeschooling? Were you homeschooled? What is your child's experience in school, whether it be public, private or homeschool? If you homeschool, what is your favorite curriculum? Please be respectful in the comment section. I appreciate that everyone who watches this video might differ strongly in opinion. Your kindly-worded response is always welcome. I'll see you on Thursday for the homeschool room tour!


Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter


FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.