Chemist Mama Develops Kitchen Science for Kids

Gina is one of those moms that truly makes one consider the value of home education. At the Simpson Family Homeschool she is schooling 3 children; Isaac age 8, 4th Grade; Abigail, age 6, 2nd Grade and Indiana age 5, Kindergarten. 

Given that both she and her husband are both scientist, she has a degree in Chemistry and he is an Engineer, this choice may come as a surprise. But, they wanted to ensure their children were given an education grounded in a Biblical worldview, full of Christian evidences. 

Pulling in their own educational backgrounds Gina admits that their homeschool is a little more science and math intensive than most. For her she doesn’t like teaching anything related to english or grammar so she uses lots of YouTube videos to help her teach the basics.

She told me that her husband offers help after he gets home from work, helping the kids finish up anything they’ve not completed, and he does most of the Bible teaching.

He has a knack for explaining things and is more patient than I am so sometimes things just get saved for Daddy.

The Simpsons see homeschooling as a structured outline on which to hang their day. Using dedicated “school” time to manage the core learning subjects they are able to work from a structured routine. But they recognize that learning is also what happens through multiple areas of life. 

Working all over the house, this family schools where it’s most convenient on any given day, for any given subject. 

“We have a computer room, but that is only for a small part of school. We do science all over the house. Math takes place in various locations and reading time is usually done in our bedrooms.”

Gina and her family don’t currently utilize any formal homeschooling co-ops or groups, but they often get together with homeschooling friends for various activities, although, she admits, most are not pre-planned. 

“I may call someone if we are going to the library and see if they want to meet us there, or if we hear about a homeschool day at a local business or museum we may get together for a field trip.”

The Simpson children, like many children, tend to lose focus easily. Gina says this is her biggest struggle in homeschooling. She says that she spends a lot of time redirecting them to their work because they are easily distracted by each other and their pets. 

 

I asked Gina what learning style works best for her family. Her response made me smile, because I suspect it is the thoughts of most homeschooling mamas. I love her honesty.

Is survival mode a method? We do whatever works for that day. Some days we do math by subtracting plastic cats from tigers and other days we sit and do worksheets.

Free online resources are Gina’s go-to for homeschool curriculum. She thinks, YouTube is awesome with it’s many great videos. Khan Academy, Easy Peasy, and Discovery K12, are all on her go to list. She says she takes bits and pieces from lots of them and puts them together into a comprehensive lesson plans for her children. She also will make up her own things to truly customize her kids education.

As homeschooling continues to grow as an educational option, she remains concerned about outside interference from government involvement. She wants to be able to education her own children without any type of state involvement. She admits this is her biggest fear concerning homeschooling.

“…it seems some states are trying to gain more control of homeschool programs.”

This homeschool mama likes to unwind at the gym. She says they go most days and she will get two hours of exercise and stress relief in while the kids get to run around in the play area with their friends. Gina also works from home, like many homeschooling mamas do. She sells homemade arts & crafts {Like her on Facebook Page Simpsony Art} and is an independant distributor for Juice Plus.

Gina shared with me that she is using her chemistry background in a unique way. She is helping to develop a kitchen science course for the Skypoint Homeschool Education Program from Hopkins Publishing, a new online homeschooling option.

From working at home with her art and independent distributers position to writine a homeschool science course to 2 hours of gym time most days and you can see that this homeschool mom stays busy. 

When you consider Gina’s background in science, and her husband’s too, and then realize that they made a concerted decision to educate at home you begin to see that Christian, Biblical worldview must play a vital role in their life. It opens your eyes to the value of children learning under the guidance and direction of their parents. Couple that with Gina’s willingness to step outside her own homeschool and develop a kitchen science series using her own educational backround for other homeschooling families and that’s why this chemist mom becomes a real life superhero homeschool mom. 

 
 

 

 

This post is part of my Real Life Superhero Homeschool Moms Series.