Winter Socializing on the Cheap

This BBHS family lives in a tiny apartment. It’s so small, we barely have enough room for all 4 of us to sit and watch TV. If we have one more person over for dinner, we have to move the couch and bring the table out of the kitchen. If you come into our apartment, I would say, “welcome, let me give you a tour, here’s all of it!”

Having playdate, or teaching a class together over here isn’t comfortable or practical. In warm months we can meet people anywhere outside, but when it turns cold we have to be creative about where to spend time with friends. This post is dedicated to BBHSers with similar challenges to having friends visit.

Places that are Free

A Library is a great place to meet up; it’s free, children’s rooms often have board games kids can play together, or other activities such as crafts, movies and more. The downside is that there aren’t many opportunities for gross motor activities if the kids are bigger than toddlers. I always appreciate libraries where the kids’ room is separate from the rest of the library. The Main branches of the Arlington, Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Watertown libraries all have very nice, seperate kids’ rooms. In Cambridge and Somerville, there are playgrounds right outside as well.

The entrance to the Children's Library at the Copley branch of the Boston Public Library. — *The BPL’s Children’s Library at the Main branch. Source: BBHS*

There is a winter games day meetup at the Arlington Fox Library organized on the Homeschoolting Together Boston group. This is something you might consider starting up at a library nearer to you! This location is convenient to the 77, 79 and 350 MBTA busses.

Hiking/Going for a walk is also a good, cheap activity that’s better with friends. In winter you just have to have good enough outerwear and know where the nearest bathrooms are. If you need some inspiration or ideas on city locations for hiking, check out Outdoors Rx! When you register and sign up for their newsletter you can join their organized activities in and around Boston for free. If you just want information on where to spend time outdoors in nature in the city, check out their brochures on Boston (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan), Chealsea/Revere, Framingham, and Waltham.

Almost Free/Cheap

Go with your friends to a museum’s free/cheap day! Or take advantage of library free admission museum passes. Most of the bigger museums in the area have days and times with free admission or admission by voluntary donation (which can be zero dollars, too). Visit the website of a museum you’re interested in to find out if they offer free admission days/times.

The Museum of Science is a decent place for indoor, gross motor opportunities. You can easily get a free admission pass from various libraries. There’s the Science Playground on the top floor (although they got rid of the running feature) and the Charles River Exhibit on the lowest level for some wonderful sensory play. If it isn’t busy, it’s not much of a problem for the kiddos to run a little bit. I’m not advocating full on running, just noting that it’s an indoor space where it’s more acceptable for the kids to get out some big movements. Also, there’s a lot to see without needing a ticket, such as the little zoo and hands on lab (check schedule for topics and hours) both downstairs from the Discovery Center, the ball machine and the solar system exhibit outside the Omni Theater.

If you have favorite go-to places for meeting up with friends in winter, I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Food Pantries

This is a tough time of year to be a BBHSer. We had a really hard time a few years ago and it was the first time we needed to use a food pantry. Here’s a few things I learned from that experience.

*Photo by Modernista Magazine on Pexels.com*

You might think that you have to have income under a certain level, but the pantries I visited did not have that requirement. Most of them wanted you to register with them and recorded visits. It’s a good idea to call ahead and find out a pantry’s eligibility requirements before you go.

I know that Cambridge food pantries coordinate so that there’s at least one open every day of the week except Sunday.

To find food pantries in Massachusetts, you can search with The Greater Boston Food Bank and FoodPantries.org

Some food banks can help you sign up for SNAP benefits. Generally people and families with income less than 200% of the poverty level are eligible.

Homeschooling is not Homogeneous

*Photo by Amber Lamoreaux on Pexels.com*

In finding your group, or your tribe, it’s really useful to know who you are. This applies in life AND to homeschooling. Second-choice homeschoolers are at a disadvantage here. We come to homeschooling unexpectedly, sometimes with very little time to prepare.

Us second-choicers know about our own reasons for needing to homeschool, but don’t have a great handle on what first choice homeschoolers are about, nor have we firmed up our own values and conceptions of what we want in our own homeschools. We may even have a pre-conception that homeschooling is generally a single kind of thing, that homeschoolers are mostly alike.

There are several kinds of spectrums of homeschooling including style/method, religion, and class/expenditure. Here’s a brief overview of what’s out there, maybe it will help you find your group.

Style/Method

This spectrum runs from classical education to eclectic to radical unschooling.

Classical education can sometimes be referred to as schooling at home. It is a methodical, highly structured method of education, and often quite time intensive.

Radical unschooling is usually an entirely student-led endeavor. The parents give their children freedom to explore the world and learn about various topics on the child’s timeline, meaning when a child is interested in something, the child can pursue learning about it; the parent won’t dictate when or what a child will learn. Unschooling is sometimes referred to as self-directed education.

Both classical and unschooling homeschoolers often have deeply held values that inform how they structure their homeschool.

Eclectic is a “middle way.” It is characterized by parents who sometimes take a classical approach and sometimes take an unschooling approach. Most eclectic homeschoolers I’ve met are pragmatic and can see benefits from changing approaches at different seasons of homeschooling or with different subjects.

Class/Expenditure

Some homeschoolers are doing what the elite have always done through history, hired private tutors and provided educational experiences that the middle and lower classes cannot access.

In the middle, are parents who can send their children to homeschool enrichment organizations, for example Parts & Crafts in Somerville, and within reason get most classes that they would like from area organizations and obtain almost any curriculum they’re interested in.

At the other end are broke homeschoolers. We are a necessarily resourceful bunch, with low to extremely low budgets. We will sometimes combine resources with other broke homeschoolers. We will search out free, low-cost, or used curriculum. We research all the opportunities available to us to creatively meet the educational needs of our kids. We often create curriculums from library and internet resources. Free is our favorite word, 😀

Religion

This last spectrum is self-explanatory, and can be a touchy subject, so I’ll just leave it at that.

Conclusions

Just like the wider world, sometimes it’s difficult for people with strongly held values and beliefs to find common ground with people who have opposing but equally strong values and beliefs. It can be tricky for people of different classes to spend time together in regular life which applies to homeschooling too.

So my advice for finding your tribe is to figure out who you are and to look for people of similar dispositions. I’m not saying don’t try to work things out with people who are different, but if you find you are out of sync with a certain group of homeschoolers, don’t judge yourself, it’s likely there’s a mis-match.

If you’re in an area where the predominant style/class/religion of homeschoolers doesn’t match your own, it can feel tremendously confusing and isolating. Don’t give up, homeschoolers like you are out there and you can find one another!

Summer Plans – Community Boating, Near Charles/MGH

Community Boating Inc. has a 10-week Summer program for kids ages 10 to 17. Called the Junior Program, it offers lessons in sailing, canoeing, paddle-boarding and wind-surfing. They have STEM classes, games and activities through the season.

A group of tweens and instructors in life vests standing on a dock in the Charles River on a sunny summer day. There are sailboats in the background. — *First day of a beginner sailing class in 2018, source: BBHS*

Last year I sent my two for beginner sailing lessons and because of their extremely generous sliding scale program, they qualified for $1 memberships!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!! (Please pardon my excitement, our BBHS household doesn’t typically qualify for aid programs though we totally need them)

Anywhoo…the best way to describe the overall program is that it’s kind of like a Boys & Girls club where kids can come and go during open hours, no adults besides instructors are allowed inside during Junior Program, and there are specialty classes they can choose to take.

Once a kid passes their sailing tests they can check out various kinds of boats and go out on their own.

There are some drawback to this program you should be aware of. It’s not an easy thing to get to the CBI location. You have to take the pedestrian bridge over Storrow Drive and it’s a long walk. (I’m getting older and the walk over from train platform to CBI was really long for me.) There are no reliable cheap places to park near the pedestrian bridge. We saw many parents pull over near the base of the bridge and let their kids out to take themselves to CBI. This is fine for older kids, but might be tricky if your kids need accompaniment. Other families, like ours, took the T. Some kids take themselves to and from the train.

Another drawback – if you need to accompany your kids to and from – is what to do with yourself while they are there. If they go for the whole day, it’s not so hard because you can easily leave and have time to get things done before returning. But if they only go for the lessons, that’s 3 hours you have to fill for yourself. The West End branch of the BPL is reasonably close enough if you want a free place to be to get out from the sun and heat.

Registration for Summer 2020 has already begun. I whole-heartedly recommend this program!

Field Trips: Learn from my mistakes

If you build it, they will come. If you ask everyone for their preferences, it’ll never happen!

*Imagine the llamas are cats and you’re trying to herd them*
*Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy on Pexels.com*

Here’s what I’ve learned so far about trying to organize a group outing. Don’t poll your group for day and time suggestions! You’ll get wildly varying answers, and then you’ll be confronted with an unbearable choice of who you’ll have to exclude when you pick the day. Maybe that’s an easy things for some, but one of my outing plans completely fell apart at that point because I couldn’t choose.

Instead, either set the day and time that’s good for you and go with that, or pick only ONE or TWO friends to coordinate with before advertising the outing to a wider Homeschooling community.

In your early days of homeschooling, when you’re new and meeting people, definitely get together with another person to plan an outing. As people in the community get to know you better, you’re likely to get a greater response when you create a field trip or outing. Reputation matters.

Have you ever tried to plan an outing but it fell apart? What happened and do you have any tips to help others? Please comment below!

Let’s talk about creating what you need

I’ve learned from other homeschoolers just how wonderful it can be to organize your own activities. Some homeschool parents are very skilled at creating a class or activity they want for their kids. As an introvert, I am quite amazed and envious at their abilities!

Group of homeschoolers outdoors in a park, sitting and standing near picnic tables, listening to a presenter. Sunny, autumn day. — *Homeschoolers at a Fishing class, Houghton’s Pond*

But here’s what you need to know:

So many organizations routinely run school field trips that it’s almost no difference for them if you want to schedule a homeschooler trip. And they often have dedicated staff for you to contact to get the ball rolling.

Probably every recurring homeschool event at an organization was started by a single homeschool parent with a good idea and enough interested people to come along.

I know of parents who started a homeschool gym class at a local YMCA, parents who created an Artful Adventure with unique content, parents who arranged for field trips to the Massachusetts Historical Society, parents who contracted a tutor to lead a group class on Shakespeare, parents who organized a free fishing class through the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, parents who organized a Model UN club.

We’re probably only limited by our imaginations – and introverted tendencies, lol!

So go out there and create what you need for your homeschool! You can do it!!!!

Have you planned a successful outing or field trip for homeschoolers? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Interlibrary Loan is a Miracle

For almost two years, we lived where it was very difficult to access a public library. You know what happened? I very quickly started hitting up used book stores and homeschooler book swaps, jumped on free book offers, and even bought some books new. When we left that apartment, we had 9 more boxes of books than we moved in with, SMH. Now we can easily access a library again and I’ve bought very few books in the last year, in large part due to interlibary loan!! A priceless civic treasure.

Screen capture of a Minuteman Library Network catalog search highlighting delivery locations for interlibrary loan. The example item in an audio CD of "The Story of the World, Vol. 1" — *Pick your library, borrow a book for free!*

Not only can you get “The Story of the World” books and audio CDs (vol. 1-4), you can get almost all of its recommended readings from Minuteman Library Network or the BPL network. 👍👍😃😃 A book can be in a library in another town or just across town in another branch and you can still get it delivered to a library near you. I am so grateful for this public service!!

TLDR: Interlibrary loan is free and is an absolute treasure for homeschooling!

List of Free admission passes from BPL

Picture of a man's hands holding tickets — *Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com*

Only some museum passes offered through BPL give you free admission. Many give discounted admission, which can really add up for a family of 4. Below is a list of the free admission passes!

Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Mary Baker Eddy Library & Mapparium
Massachusetts DCR ParksPass hang tag
Museum of Science, Boston
New England Aquarium
Old South Meeting House
USS Constitution Museum*
American Repertory Theater
Boston By Foot
Dreamland Wax Museum
Edward Kennedy Institute
Harvard Art Museum
Larz Anderson Auto Museum

Please note that not all passes are available at all branches. Some are only available at a single branch. The online pass reservation system has details. Remember that all residents of Massachusetts can get a BPL card!!

* The USS Constitution Museum offers admission by voluntary donation. You don’t need a pass to get free admission and you are free to walk in and not even talk to the front desk, though the volunteers are very nice! But I admit I’ve gotten the pass because I didn’t want to be rude at not paying. OMG introversion is the worst! 🤦🏽‍♀️🙃

Which are your favorite places to go with a BPL museum pass? Comment below!

Speaking of Getting Around on Foot with Kids

Do you have a rolling backpack/bag yet? Get one…or three… right away!

After the kiddos outgrew strollers I suddenly had to carry all our necessities, which was most noticeable when coming home from the library!! Even before we were homeschooling, we checked out SO MANY books at every visit, this was us:

A meme featuring the character Chidi from the NBC show "The Good Place" He is standing between library bookcases, behind a rolling cart full of haphazardly placed books, speaking earnestly to someone out of frame. The text is a quote from the show. "What is the maximum number of books I can check out? Is it 12,000?" he asks. — William Jackson Harper as Chidi from the NBC show “The Good Place”
“What is the maximum number of books I can check out? Is it 12,000?” source: https://twitter.com/osidenylibrary/status/1108686648437551106

The wonderful thing about rolling backpacks is that even little kids can pull a surprisingly heavy load of books. One mom and two kids, each with a bag, is like 50+ books every time!

I don’t recommend getting the cheapest one you can find, this is an item that will get a tremendous amount of wear. We once bought a brand new, cheap rolling bag that immediately got holes in it on the walk from the store to the train! 😒

How do you manage getting books home from the library? How many do you check out on an average library visit? We’d love to hear your tips in the comments 😃

Transportation in the City with Kids in Tow

We’ve lived 5 years in the city without a car using the T daily, and the last couple years with a car.

Benefits of Getting Around by T and Foot

When you walk and take trains and buses everywhere, you really get to see the city and experience life in so many neighborhoods. It’s easier to just take some time in a lovely nook. Have you ever noticed how many play-ready nooks there are around the Federal Reserve Building by South Station? When the kids were younger we would pass the Federal Reserve 1-2 times a month on our way to the Children’s Museum. I have many fond memories of snacks on the lawn, helping my kids walk on the walls along the back sidewalk, and watching both kids run around and play together.

This is the thing I miss most. I hardly ever get to experience the neighborhoods I don’t live in. Whenever we go places in the car, I have to consider parking and how much it will cost, so we typically go somewhere, do our thing, and leave. We do have a T station within a mile walk from us, but I’m reluctant to spend $5, when I already have to pay for gas, parking, and car maintenance.

On the other hand, we do get out of the city a lot more often and are able to get into nature more easily. Grocery shopping by car is like a miracle – every time – after 5 years of grocery shopping by foot or bus. But both of these things mean we meet fewer people in our neighborhood.

Walking and T-ing have another major benefit: CARDIO!! When we first got to the city I thought I only needed a stroller for my toddler, but we then realized our pre-schooler needed help getting around too. I then had a stroller plus boogie board, pushing two kids, diaper bag, food for three, etc, etc, etc….I know most of you know exactly what I’m talking about! Anyway, I pushed that thing around for 3 years, getting it on and off busses, carrying it up and down stairs. It was for sure a schlep, but I got in pretty good shape just from taking the kids everywhere for fun and errands.

My stamina has suffered greatly since we became a driving family!

Lastly, fixed transportation costs are amazing!! Having a new-to-us car (i.e. used) has meant way more car repair, usually unexpected, than we can honestly afford. I worry about the money and the state of the car constantly.

How do you get around the city? Any tips for BBHS moms? Have you found lovely nooks, that you wouldn’t have found if you were driving? Please share in a comment below!