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it’s a SPRING thing

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Although our “Swing into Spring” event started with flurries – It was the last of our winter weather (which is good since it’s almost summer)! No more hats or mittens – but I wouldn’t put away your kids boots – unless they have “muckers” or other rain type boots … as spring can be filled with muddy water adventures. Mud offers a sensory outlet like none-other and teaches kids a thing or two during play. Mud is the best seasonal activity to entertain your kid with!

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Mi-Kid winners of extreme mud-play * submitted photo

From mud to the creatures that live in it, to bugs and birds and barnyard babies – Spring offers an opportunity to discover and learn about many things! Spring is about life and growth – growing and going experiences. Kids love learning about how things go and grow. Encourage them and yourself to take the spring FUNctional FAMily challenge and go and grow together.

challenge the family…see previous blog for more fun-fam challenge info

Plan out times to learn through spring exploration ~ for example plant a garden together. Turn it into a veggie garden and it meets your healthy eating challenge (which can become a big job and meet that fresh air / exercise goal). In other words – gardening meets all your fun-fam goals, including having fun together! Don’t know where to start? There are some gardening tips and tools found on our FOOD pin page. Worried about frost? start indoors.

…from seed to salad…

Teach your kiddos to nurture-nature. Working on gardens that produce fruits and veggies teaches them about natural nutrition. You can use working on gardens – food to flowers – to teach them about nutrition for insects and animals. Help them clean up a park or a nature trail to teach them about keeping the animals safe … and how to keep our world beautiful. Take note of small pieces of beauty from flowers in a park to animal tracks on that nature trail or finding a bird’s nest with eggs inside… Take time to learn about the growth of a bird, a caterpillar, frogs… Learning about such topics for fun and not as an institutional learning process proves to teach a way of living with a thirst for knowledge. Kids who learn to care about learning new things, and care about taking care of things, will turn around and teach others! These are kids that thrive …

siblings can encourage curiosity and teach each other

Recently I was asked why I chose to homeschool when my kids were “surviving” school. The answer was simple – we (my husband and I) don’t want them to just survive – we want them to thrive, like we believe they can! I am not saying kids can’t thrive in schools – many can – I worked in schools and believe many have great programs, but some kids need a different environment. After trying different environments we decided to give homeschooling a try and are seeing them now thrive! We might go back to school one day … until then we make sure they are involved in many extra-curricular activities and have playtime with other kids, because we want them to learn to thrive in ALL environments. They might be ahead in some areas and behind in others and that’s ok, because we understand that learning is a lifelong process. Learning also involves things that aren’t taught in a book. Homeschooling gives us more time to learn through hands on activities, explore through field trips, discover unique interests and talents … work one-on-one to assist with special needs. homeschooling offers our kids more time to strengthen those self-help skills without the anxiety of measuring self against peers. Homeschooling is more than school at home for us – it’s a way of life. A life of loving learning – and we truly do love it!

This article isn’t about homeschooling. It’s about spring, and spring is about growth and that’s where our family is growing and changing – each family is different and Mi Families, LLC is all about accepting and respecting each family where they are and providing resources to help ALL thrive. Even though we are loving homeschooling we need resources to make it work. Homeschooling (especially to special needs kids) is a huge challenge. Cutting back on one parent’s income obviously doesn’t come without a price, but that too has been a blessing. A blessing of time with my kids, a blessing of teaching my kids to prioritize needs vs wants, a blessing of traveling with dad’s job and learning more about what he does and being thankful he works so hard so we can homeschool. It’s also taught me personally the importance of directing this business and helped me cut back on programs to focus on specific educational and recreational services. Cutting back is not a bad thing – it’s a good thing. It means providing only the best. Going backwards and learning about something again for school sake is not a bad thing either – it means strengthening skills to fly with independent learning later. In school (and life) we shouldn’t be focused on disabilities when it’s simply “different abilities.” (Focus on the ABLE not the LABLE) … It’s all about growth. Spring is about growth and change … and being ok with change. Change is important. Even change back to cold weather and snow is important, but it doesn’t mean you don’t stop to enjoy the warmer weather today … and play in the mud puddles !

updates on www.MiFamilies.com and our FACEBOOK event link

Contact us for mud puddle play dates this spring or information on our summer camp programs through NMC college 4 kids! Also feel free to contact our team regarding other family events, parent partnerships or provider workshops. For more info on Mi Families and article updates please subscribe towards the top right of this page. THANKS!

(also make sure you click on the blue links in above paragraphs for more resources beyond this page…)

Links to:

*our Pinterest link for Spring activities

*our Pinterest link for Homeschooling info

(feel free to leave comments below, links to other resources, requests for future article topics…)

Posted in Education, Family, Health, Homeschool, Learning through Play, Meals, Meet our Director, Mi Families, Organization, Parents, Providers, Science, Sensory, Social Skills, Special Needs Tagged with: Christi Morgan, Education, Health, Homeschool, Meals, Mi Families, Organization, Science, Social Studies, Special Needs

Putting FUN in FUNctional

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Mi Families (“my families”) facilitates various events and workshops for families (and those who work with families). One program we host is called “Fun Fam” ~ but all our programs incorporate the “Fun Fam” philosophy. What does that mean? Well, a “Fun Fam” is just what it sounds like – a family that is having fun, enjoying each other… a FUNctional family that works as a team, a fit team that is healthy … and happy.

Becoming a “Fun Fam” family takes work. Our articles this year have been focusing on Mi-Resolutions (“my resolutions”): to make a schedule, learn more, eat healthy, enjoy exercise and to play. These 5 pieces work together to turn individuals into fun / FUNctional team members. Challenge your family to work as a team this spring. Present the spring cleaning challenge for your home and bodies, where everyone will work together towards a healthy/happy home. See our last BLOG for challenge suggestions or come up with your own as a family (meaning not just the parent deciding goals).

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(example spring homeschool schedule)

(printable 8×10 worksheet)

(printable menu)

(printable challenge)

When a child is asked who the head of the household is – or who is in charge – they often have an immediate answer. … it should be a more complicated answer because everyone should be contributing to the family. Just because a dad might work for the money or a mom might care for the house and the children ~ it doesn’t make one position more important. Even each child plays a role on your team’s success. Each team member (guardians, grandparents, blended family members…) is just as important if you want your family to go from surviving to thriving!

(printable template)

Roles can change often, and should as dealing with change is a life skill for kids to learn. What role does each family member play in your home? How can you assist others in their roles? How can you work better as team? Answer these questions together. Talk about expectations and team challenges. Take a team photo together (click here for some picture perfect ideas). Write out your team schedule together, when you’ll have team meetings … work on projects, get organized, do chores, make crafts together! (highlighted words are pin links for ideas)

no matter how young your family tree is … strengthen the branches together

It’s almost Mother’s Day. Instead of getting another handmade card, ask your kids to work on a craft as a family… instead of getting another flower arrangement– why not plant a garden together? Grow flowers, veggies… make a meal together… go for a hike together and take family photo’s / that team photo! Although mom’s will say that they want a day they are catered to – they will remember more about a day spent together doing activities and making memories as a team.

Sometimes Mother’s Day is filled with memories making it a hard holiday to get through. Maybe the mom lost a child, or the child lost a mom, or there is an adoption/foster situation that is working out but left with unresolved answers… Maybe there is one who is still dreaming of becoming a mother… This Mother’s day consider another who might need some extra love and new memories to be made. Maybe that Mother’s Day craft can be made for another who needs some extra love that day … maybe the gift can be your family spending time with them … Sometimes days celebrating a parent, grandparent, birthdays, anniversaries … aren’t “happy holidays”. Many adults and children feel pain while others celebrate. We hope everyone reading this is sensitive to those families. If your family is one having a difficult time surviving these “holidays” – we hope you find comfort knowing you are not dealing with this alone. Many of the Mi Families members (and my own personal family) have heartaches during these times and are willing to listen if you want to share. Feel free to share thoughts below – and feel encouraged to share with others… your time, your love, your talents. EVERYONE has talents to share … resources and ideas … even the smallest of our children contribute and encourage others. Even the youngest of our family members are a part of the Mi Families team and we encourage them to spread hope and happiness to all they meet – transforming fun into FUNctional – across all limbs on our family tree.

(to learn more about transforming your family ~ or the families you work with ~ please subscribe to our updates towards the top right of this page. thanks)

Posted in Family, Health, Learning through Play, Meals, Meet our Director, Mi Families, Organization, Parents Tagged with: adoption, Christi Morgan, family, foster care, Health, Mi Families, mothers day, Organization, schedule, team builders

FUNctional FAMilies

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

After committing to resolutions discussed in the past few articles many families are reporting their homes are happier and healthier! We love hearing about such success stories so feel free to share yours below. Share your ideas to becoming a fun-fam and working towards a healthy / happy home with us!

(printable reminder)

(8×10 schedule)

printable challenge worksheet

In our house we make a conscious effort to find time for family fun and incorporate the resolution challenges during those times (Resolution #1 to make flexible SCHEDULES). Since my husband is a film-maker my boys have become interested in filming (Resolution #2 to LIKE LEARNING) and wanted to make one of those times about filming “making a healthy snack” together (Resolution #3 to eat your FAVORITE FOODS). Here is a link to their first attempt at film making – planned completely by a 6&7 yr old (unfortunately it cuts off the ending but they assure you that the product tastes great!)

(8×10 printable recipe for kids)

Often our family fun times incorporate active activities (Resolution #4 to ENJOY EXERCISE). No matter what weather (except when it’s below zero!) we play outside. If we can’t get outside (this winter had some frigid days!) we move and grove indoors. We dance to music, we try out a you-tube exercise video, or we play in our “MOTOR-VATION STATION” ~ a space set up in the basement.

(the start of our MOTOR-vation-station)

printable challenge reminder

In our house we play with each other while encouraging going and growing activities. Seasons and holidays always offer many ideas for family activities. Spring time and Easter offer great opportunities to start planning outdoor family fun! Whether indoors or outside ~ Play is fun. Play is important (Resolution #5 to be the PARENT (or provider) who PLAYS). Not every part of our day is play ~ I mean we do sleep! We eat and we even do chores ~ but my kids LIKE chore time. FOR REAL! Why? Because, we make chores fun and rewarding. Our house is not as fancy as the castle in my head believes it can be (I can dream and work towards that…), but we are teaching our boys to take pride in their hard work and the efforts it takes to make or buy those “fancy things.” We don’t just simply assign chores – we ATTEMPT to teach skills of organization, housekeeping and budgeting. For information on those topics simply click on the highlighted words and it’ll take you to the Mi Families Pinterest board filled with tips and tools (all highlighted words are links to resources). Click “follow” for pin updates. Click “subscribe” towards the top right of this page for article updates geared towards families and those working with families. Also, like I said at the beginning, feel free to comment below with your fun-fam ideas and/or ideas/topics you’d like us to cover in future articles! THANKS

Posted in Chores/Housekeeping, Family, Health, Holidays, Meals, Mi Families, Michigan, Motor Skills, Organization, Parents, Providers, Video Tagged with: Easter, Goals, Indoor gym, Organization, Schedules, smoothie, Spring, spring cleaning

Proactive and Preventative Parenting

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

We’ve been dissecting each of the Mi-Resolutions 1by1. Have you been reading them? Taking the challenges? We are a fourth of the way through 2014 – are you reaching your goals? Our first resolution was to “Tell yourself that you DON’T haveta stick to your SCHEDULE,” but we also talked about how effective scheduling can be when trying to reach goals. Goals like deciding “you LIKE LEARNING new things.” Many told us they found a new love for learning when diving into topics their kids were interested in – or trying out new hobbies they themselves had an interest in, but no prior experience. Keep us posted on how your goals are going …leave us a comment below with what new activities you’ve tried this year! Share new recipes that you’ve tried and old family favorite foods, since another resolution was to “allow yourself to eat your FAVORITE FOODS!” Create new resolutions and tell us what they are!

8×10 worksheet

How’s that food resolution working out for you? Statistics tell us that most resolutions are based on foods and exercise. Have you found time to focus on your family’s health? Have you made “time to ENJOY EXERCISE” like we discussed in the last article? Is it easier to make time for yourself to work out – or as a family? I find it easier to make the time as a family – because it’s more fun! We have found a fun way to encourage each other with challenges and build crazy obstacle courses both indoors and outdoors. Snow-shoe obstacles are a hit ~ but we’re hoping that since it’s spring we won’t need to do those again til’ next winter! We are starting to plan our spring schedule… Making time for health and happiness:

During any / every exercise / activity our focus has to be safety. I have two lil’ guys who keep us going and I don’t wanta be going to the hospital!!! My 7 year old has some physical delays / coordination issues and we aren’t sure if they are a result from nerves after accidents or if they caused the accidents. Either way we don’t want another trip to the E.R again with knocked in teeth or a broken arm or foot… I’m just waiting for those trips with my 6 yr old who seems to somehow manage to never get seriously hurt – despite being our 100mile-an-hr-man. He’s a no-fear-explorer who climbed up on the counter and jumped off before he could even walk! Decades of experience working with foster kids…working as a teacher…working as a caregiver… didn’t prepare me for the heart stopping moment’s that only parents experience ~ out of fear that their child can be hurt. Even working as the emergency tech for a summer-camp didn’t prepare me for dealing with my own kids emergencies. When you are on the job you think with your brain, when you are the parent you think with your heart.

printable safety template

I know some feel we over protect our boys. I admit – I’d bubble wrap my kids before sending them onto a playground set if I could! But I’m ok with being paranoid – because I know that my paranoia has prevented some accidents! Yes – it’s a part of life to fall off your bike to learn to ride it, but that doesn’t mean one should send their kid on a 2wheeler into the street w/o a helmet! You take baby steps. You learn to ride a trike before a bike. (Most) babies crawl before they walk ~ and when they start that crawling stage you should make sure your house is child-proof. Before even the child-proofing time there are safety measures to consider. The hospital won’t even let you take your baby home until you have a proper car-seat for their safe travels. Some hospitals give parents handouts with safety information. Many are starting to send home information on safe sleep for your infant. Please consider safer-sleep options for your baby. After watching two babies pass away from SIDS I offer a safer-sleep training for parents/providers. Giving CPR to an infant is one reason I am a paranoid parent. “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” is not always accurate – but it can make you smarter – it can make you more preventative and proactive in the future.

print and use

Parenting is often about being preventative and proactive. No – I can’t bubble wrap my kids – and I shouldn’t! But I should keep an eye on them when they are learning new skills. I should teach them safety measures about wearing helmets when riding bikes and how to get out in a fire and why we don’t talk to strangers… Teaching safety doesn’t mean we teach them to live in fear – we teach them how to be confident in themselves and who to ask for help when needed… We teach them that we are parents (or providers) who will always be there to help them and guide them and teach them… and PLAY with them. Through play we learn a different set of parenting skills for being preventative and proactive… we learn how to teach our children about health and safety issues through role-playing. We learn about our child’s social/emotional development. We can learn to predict triggers for behaviors we want to change such as tantrums and sharing. We learn about how our child learns and can use play to teach hands on skills. Learning begins before birth and lasts a lifetime ~ teach your kids to never stop learning by focusing on our last resolution of being “the PARENT (or provider) who PLAYS with the kids.” Never stop learning, laughing and loving. Make a resolution today to be the FUN FAM!

(More about becoming the FUN FAM during in our next article…so subscribe by signing up on towards the top right of this page)

Posted in Education, Family, Health, Meals, Motor Skills, Organization, Parents, Providers, Safety, Special Needs Tagged with: Education, exercise, family, Health, Meals, Organization, Parenting, Safety, Special Needs

healthy=happy

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

As we live and learn we discover what lessons are the most important …and for each person it’s a different answer. For some it’s book knowledge, for others it’s life skills, for some it’s dealing with complex situations, for others it’s the simple things like learning to take time for yourself and discover what makes you happy. Individual happiness is something that many parents/providers struggle with. We have a family or work with families because it makes us happy to make others happy. We love seeing the kids we care for smile! But, how often do we make ourselves smile and take time to do what makes us happy?

(what would you draw?)

In the last article we talked a bit about respect/responsibility towards others and ourselves. How do you take care for and respect yourself? How do you take responsibility for your happiness? I question my needs and wants. I know a trip exploring old castles would make me “happy” ~ but due to our schedule and finances I can run off to play princess today. However, I can watch “Princess Bride” tonight, I can read my kids a fairy tale, I can get creative and write my own… I can dream of adventure and I can plan for that trip in the future. Sadly however, the future is unknown. Even if I buy my ticket today there’s no guarantee I’ll be traveling tomorrow. Life happens. Uncontrollable forces happen. We can’t plan for emergencies that stop our plans, but we can try and prevent accidents and try and keep ourselves healthy.

(printable 8×10 worksheet)

We can take a survey of our health. We can look at what we eat, our medical plans, our first aid supplies… we can look at our lifestyles and activities to see how healthy we are and we might be surprised that taking care of our health can help with our happiness! Maybe there are changes we can make to prevent some of those emergencies! Maybe we can get those doctor check-ups we make sure our kids receive but never have time for ourselves to attend. Maybe we can ask a nutritionist to help us with meal planning and maybe we can ask that friend who teaches exercise classes to help us make a game plan for working out!

(printable 8×10 worksheet)

Since it is proven that people have learned to enjoy exercise maybe ~ just maybe ~ we can add that to both our learning goals and healthy goals for this year = reaching that happy goal! Working out doesn’t mean you haveta pay big bucks at a fancy gym (but if you have the cash and friends to work out with go for it!)… If you’re not useta moving much give yourself a goal to start off small and stretch every morning for a week. Then next week stretch each morning and each evening. Then add a mid-day stretch. By the end of the month add a 5 min hard work out after one of those daily stretches. It can be some fast exercises, dancing to music, playing tag with your kid, whatever… keep adding 5 more mins each week … in a few months you’ll have the endurance for 2 half hr sessions or 1 full hour routine. Maybe then you can plan on taking a yoga class or take dance ~ or just keep playing with your kids ~ but turn times into playing a game of soccer, riding bikes, or going on a long hike. Between eating better and moving more you’ll be feeling better about yourself just in time to wear that swim suit!

(start of a hero-training space… what theme would your room be?)

When kids see you moving more they’ll learn to enjoy exercise and continue on for their lives with happy/healthy outlooks. Help them discover their abilities and strengthen their skills, both large and small motor skills. Did you know working on those fine and gross motor abilities helps them do better in school? From writing skills to paying attention ~ movement and motion helps us learn. Mi body lessons through Mi Families teaches us how to work together to conquer physical abilities and learn about keeping ourselves healthy. Learning about our bodies and how to keep them healthy helps us stay happy and that’s one of the most important lessons we can teach our kids. Need help developing a Mi body curriculum for your kids? Ask about our Fit-Fam plans for your family or center!

Posted in Behaviors, Education, Family, Health, Parents, Providers, Safety Tagged with: exercise, Health, Indoor gym

learning to be a healthier me

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Mi School’s focus is to encourage a love for learning. During Valentines I rambled about falling in love with knowledge ~ and to do that you should start with learning about yourself.

8×10 printable worksheet

If becoming a smarter and stronger you is a resolution – it’s never too late to start, but warning: side effects include a happier and healthier you AND happier and healthier relationships. How does learning for your own benefit affect relationships with others? Well, through this process one learns to be responsible for own needs and also, respectful of others. That’s because “living a life of learning” means being open to learning about others … respecting their differences and learning from them. Learning about their history, their religion, their culture, their foods… trying their foods!

learn about your own culture/community by buying local foods & making your own…

Did you know that trying new foods encourages cultural appreciation while encouraging healthy lifestyles? Children are often selective on foods because they have not had enough exposure to different flavors and styles. Most parents admit they offer new foods only a couple times before deciding their child doesn’t like it, but it can take a dozen times before our taste-buds adapt and enjoy new tastes. Research tells us that the number of adults who are “picky eaters” are growing – and leading to poor nutrition and even social isolation! For real! I hope this fact encourages you to set an example for your kids and try new foods, encourage all food groups during family dinners, explore ethnic ingredients… Try incorporating foods from places kids are learning about during social studies and history classes. Find games, crafts and other activities that correspond with where the food is from. If your kids aren’t learning about a specific area spin a globe or close your eyes and point on a map, then look up ideas online. It’s easy and fun.

point and pick a location to learn about on a globe or map

It can also be easy and fun (and budget smart) to make a menu with your kids, take them grocery shopping, then help them organize the pantry and fridge. I have kids myself and know it can be a challenge – but when prepped and practiced it can be fun and a great learning experience. I’ve taken large groups of foster kids and whole classrooms to the grocery store with success. Kids love using lists and coupons to find supplies, figure out costs… When we are done we store the supplies in a helpful order. Things we don’t need for the week are organized by type (can, box, baking…) in the back pantry. Dry foods we will use are put on cupboard shelves in order of need (today’s items in front, tomorrows behind, etc…). Menu options and meal times are written down for reminders. Low shelves in cupboard and fridge are stocked with healthy snack choices. If one is hungry between meals fruits or veggies are available and water is encouraged at all times.

click for larger image

Keep water available during active times, resting times, study times… Make sure your kids study time includes healthy habits curriculums. From learning about food groups to caring for their bodies in other ways. Healthy habits includes food choice, exercise, doctor check-ups, teeth and eye care… learning about hygiene and illness and how to respond to emergencies. Such lesson plans are available through Mi Families education programs. Lessons deepen into science fields learning about biology and physical education activities developing both small and large motor skills. Our next article will dive more into that topic so make sure you sign up for blog notifications towards the top right of this page! Thanks! (You can also follow our topics and get tips and tools for meal planning, healthy living, organization and more on our Pinterest site.)

Posted in Behaviors, Education, Family, Health, Homeschool, Meals, Mi Families, Motor Skills, Organization, Our World, Parents, Providers, Science Tagged with: Education, family, Health, Homeschool, Meals, Science, Social Studies

In love … with LEARNING

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Last time I rambled about Mi Scheduling so following the resolution order lets dive into Mi Education!

“We” is used in the past blogs since “we” are all about team-work, but today I write from the point of “I”. This is because learning should be a unique experience for each and every person. Notice I said person – not child. Too often we view our kids as the ones we are teaching – but since we never stop learning let’s change that mentality. As a person who is breathing – you are learning – even if it’s just to remember to inhale / exhale. You can take the opportunity to be more & learn more… if you want. The possibilities are endless – yet many people admit they don’t “wanta” learn more. But, since I personally have been able to teach an old dog – new tricks, I challenge you to find something – anything to learn about. Just because it’s February, it doesn’t mean you can’t start a resolution! What interests you? What’s the last book you enjoyed reading? What’s the last sport you played? Who would you like to meet? If you could have ANY job – what would it be? Think outside of the box. Now think back inside the box. How were you taught as a child? Did you enjoy school? Think of your child or kids you work with – do they enjoy school? Do they enjoy learning? Have you asked them what they want to learn about?

8×10 printable worksheet

As the director of Mi Families I’m supposed to act like I have all the answers for those I work with – or so I’ve been told – but here’s the thing, I’m not a good actor and don’t have all the answers, BUT I’ll try and help you find them! As a parent I try and do the same thing – teach my kids that I’ll help them find the answers, but won’t give them to the answer. Tough life lesson. Life lessons are the most important subjects though, life skills are worth more in a sense than book smarts, but the books are important too. I knew that – but I was the kid who didn’t like school. I survived and did ok, but it was reallllllly hard sitting at that desk … I’d get distracted by sounds, then lights flickering… I’d try but if I wasn’t engaged completely –my attention was completely gone. That is until I started to find my interests, learn about things I wanted to learn about! Dinosaurs were cool… space was fascinating… I liked science… as I got older that turned into an interest about how the mind worked, how we learn. I decided to be a teacher so I started taking such courses, but then realized that so many factors come into play for brain development before kids get to the classroom … so I went into early education. BUT again, we are molded at home before in daycares or preschools so I got another degree in Family Services. Nope – not tooting my own horn here – I’m simply trying to point out that learning begins at day one. I found that interesting and started learning more about it, started studying, started to enjoy school. SO you never have to stop learning and can start anytime – it’s never too late!

Thankfully it’s never too late because I’ve dealt with many kids who weren’t excited to learn … and then started to deal with my own son hating school. My oldest son was a very quick learner as a lil’ tot, then he went to preschool. He started experiencing some social anxiety ~ not because he wasn’t use to peers. He always had kids around as I was the director of a daycare. He was use to kids at church, has 15 cousins, etc… but the school setting was tough! He tried a couple different school environments but we found him regressing academically so we started debating homeschool. I never thought this was the plan for our family – I’m a teacher – we were doing the “norm.” But the norm wasn’t working. I had homeschooled other families children and foster kids, but hadn’t considered homeschooling my own. It was a good time to consider though as my 5 yr old was about to start Kindergarten and was letting us know that all-day, every-day kindergarten would be tough transition for him, a kid with TONS of energy and significant speech impairment – yet a kid beyond his peers academically. SO I was considering homeschooling and every other option.

because school doesn’t have to be in a typical classroom…

I don’t have a problem with the school systems – we have some good public school, private school and charter school options – and I believe that kids need their peers for social development – especially when they have social and/or developmental delays or talents, but each kid needs their learning style considered when choosing a school … Since we had a choice and time we thought we’d move forward with the charter school, but use a homeschooling program for the summer and catch up academically (and pray school went ok in the fall). After all they’d be in the same classroom at the charter school – they might love that. BUT as summer progressed their academics progressed and so did their anxiety about school. We decided to continue with homeschooling and yup, the negative concerns from friends and family started rolling in… and yup, it made things tight financially –but we continued educating them at home anyways, and added on some extra activities with other kids through co-ops, lego clubs, gym classes, music programs … and today they are LOVING LEARNING!

sometimes we learn at the table, sometimes in our classroom, sometimes on the go, sometimes still in our pjs!

Ok so they aren’t always thrilled to do a worksheet, but they are thrilled to learn. They ask LOTS of questions that take our subjects farther than planned…and to be honest, a lot of our work has nothing to do with paper and pencil. We live a learning lifestyle. We explore, investigate… PLAY! We have fun at school! And no, I’m not writing this to encourage you to pull your kids outta school. Whatever works for your family is the best plan. For us – right now anyways – that plan is homeschooling. People have been asking about how we spend our days and part of that schedule is posted in the previous article. People have been asking about curriculums we use and that info will be in future articles. If you are interested in homeschooling resources please let me know. If you’d like to join us for some academic or extra-curricular activities get in touch! Mi Families programs meet various days and hours to meet the needs of the ever changing family. I know every family’s needs and schedules are ever changing so there are no contracts or long term commitments. I built Mi Families as parents and providers of the children I worked with requested further services ~ and built such services with the mission that we can all learn together and from each other. Mi Families (“my families”) believes that as Henry Ford, a fellow Michigander, once said “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” In the spirit of Valentine’s day approaching I challenge your family to work together and create goals for loving each other more, loving life and loving learning!

Posted in Curriculums, Education, Family, Homeschool, Learning through Play, Meet our Director, Mi Families, Organization, Parents, Providers, Special Needs, Speech Delay, Tutoring Tagged with: Christi Morgan, Daily Routine, Education, Homeschool, Mi Families, Special Needs, Tutoring

Mi Schedule and Goals

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Maybe the last article could’ve been shorter and posted in sections… but it must have been the right decision to post at once, because posting the 5 resolutions as a “packaged deal” led to some great feed- back and discussions. Mi Families encourages open ended discussions… we also “encourage parents and providers to share resources, time and ideas with families…” Therefore, we consider you a part of our team whether you simply read this article ~ or help out with our programs. We want our programs, our team, to be viewed differently than the typical business SO our business plan shows that as our team continues to grow our programs wont. … This is to make sure that all programs receive 110% ~ whether working with a family or center, facilitating for an organization or hosting a community event.

110% is the min quality one should expect from any company working with youth or families. Sadly many programs are cutting back services only to save a buck – not to enhance what’s provided. Or programs are added to try and make an extra buck without regard to properly trained staff or proper scheduling needs. Now, in resolution #1 it says “Tell yourself that you DON’T haveta stick to your SCHEDULE,” but that doesn’t go for a business that meets the needs of others. Schedule changes should be minimum and the schedule should flow in a pattern that makes sense. For example, if you can minimize a parents return trip and have appointments close together or at the same time for their kids – that makes sense! So that’s what we do. We have flexible evening and weekend spaces available for events, as well as tutoring times. We also offer homeschooling classes and co-ops… Contact Christi Morgan if you’d like to schedule an event, tutoring times or be a part of our co-op programs. Also feel free to contact if you’d like help organizing a schedule for your family, center or homeschool.

example homeschool schedule

Most of our services are provided around the Grand Traverse area and surrounding counties, but Mi Families has provided statewide programs! Just let us know when and where and we will try and accommodate your request. If we do not have a team member in your area I myself, the director, am willing to travel. From Detroit to the Keweenaw I have lived and enjoyed working with families and providers. I encourage all team members to make programs unique to the community they are serving. Michigan pride means something different at each end. Each end of our unique map has a different schedule of festivals and activities to enjoy. Do you make the most of those experiences? If you’re at one end have you visited the other? What are you doing this weekend? Your challenge is to attend one of these:

There is something to appreciate and explore in each corner of our state and around the world. Are you teaching the kiddo’s in your care to appreciate their community, state, and the world? Are you teaching appreciation for all people and their cultures? All people, all places hold a sense of time that’s important to them through holidays, rituals, festivities… Everyone has their own schedules / agendas that give them a sense of belonging in a place, in a group. What is your groups schedule? Although we stated in the last post that you don’t need to stick to it – schedules are a good place to start if you want to organize your 2014 life. If you haven’t read (or started) the other recommendations on our resolution list ~ it’s never too late! To get you started – here is a goal worksheet you can print off and fill out with your family:

printable 8X10

Posted in Education, Family, Homeschool, Mi Families, Michigan, Organization, Our World, Parents, Providers, Tutoring Tagged with: Education, Homeschool, Mi Families, Organizing, Social Studies, Tutoring

5 NEW – New Year’s RESOLUTIONS:

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Resolution #1 – Tell yourself that you DON’T haveta stick to your SCHEDULE: Mi Families programs encourage schedules and routines, BUT not at the expense of your anxiety level! Schedules and routines can help you predict what’s to come and what you have to accomplish. However – It is okay if some days you just have to cancel an appointment or can’t vacuum the living room because something else came up…or you need a break! Just find a time to re-schedule your to-do’s! Following through with to-do’s is an important life skill to teach your kids, but also teach them the skill of flexibility. Help kids make their own calendars and planners (click for calendar templates & organizational tips). Decorate such tools with seasonal or holiday themes… write in birthdays, doctor visits, homework due-dates, etc… Have them help design a daily routine to accomplish homework, chores and other tasks. Daily routines that keep things such as work times, playtimes, meals and bedtimes consistent will help keep kids calmer. When the routine hits a road-block help them detour around it, teaching them to deal with unpredictable moments.

calendar and schedule creations

Resolution #2 – Decide you LIKE LEARNING new things: If you want kids to learn more ~ you need to show ‘em why it’s important to learn new things and how it can be fun. Mi Families offers educational programs for kids and their parents (or providers) in a way that does both. Contact us if you want ideas, or just start thinking outta the box. What is something you have always wanted to learn about? Decide to start learning about it! Ask your kids what they WANT to learn about. Yes the basics are important, but the drive to learn and explore is worth more in the long run. Use their interests to teach those basics. Interested in Lego’s = great for math! Use that calendar tool discussed above to teach math also, and the months of the year/days of the week. Put it in a song (sing days of the week to o’my darling or the Adams Family tunes). Check out our You Tube playlists, such as “TEACHable tools.” Almost anything can be turned into a teachable tool (follow us on Pinterest & subscribe to our news-letter on the right for updates on teachable tools). Remember that hands on messes and games teach more than paper and pencil. Don’t own a room full of games like we have in our resource room? Contact us about using some of our resources, or create your own tools and games. Challenge your kids to come up with their own learning games.

(click) learning anytime / all the time

Resolution #3 – Allow yourself to eat your FAVORITE FOODS: We know that eating healthy is one of the biggest resolutions people make…and then break. That’s because most people make their goals too challenging. Yes resolutions are supposed to be things that are hard to change and need to be changed, but do changes in steps – don’t give up things you love immediately and be miserable! Like your schedule, it’s ok if you have to re-schedule your meal plan to save your sanity. Like learning habits, decide to enjoy the process of becoming healthy. Start simple. Write out your end goal and work towards it. Instead of cutting out all your treats today decided by the end of the year you won’t be addicted to “soda-“pop. So challenge yourself to have one less can this week, 2 less cans next week… til’ you’re only drinking a bit with that once-in-awhile-pizza. Then challenge yourself to substitute one salad or fruit smoothie for a meal this week, substitute during 2 meals next week… until you’re enjoying your breakfast smoothie and salad for lunch daily. Lastly challenge your family, even the kids, to help pick and make healthy dinners. Create menus by looking through cook books together and picking things you’d like to try. Make a grocery list, look up coupons, then go shopping – TOGETHER. Teach your kids all the steps to eating healthy…

cooking teaches reading, math, science, culture… it’s a life skill every girl – and BOY – needs to learn

Resolution #4 – Convince yourself you ENJOY EXERCISE: Somewhere in that scheduling resolution – make time to work out. I know, for many that is harder than the healthy eating. It takes time and effort and ugg, who wants to get up early for a 5 mile run? Well, some learn to love that quiet morning wake up, others prefer a night time de-stress marathon alone. Some need a lunch-break work out buddy. Some don’t wanta leave the couch! Where-ever you stand (or sit) on the mention of movement – decided to make time to exercise for all those important healthy/happy reasons you already know about. Maybe it can be your #2 learning goal – maybe there’s a new sport you’d like to give a try? Whatever your self-challenging-reason give it time and build up endurance like in our healthy eating program. If you don’t have a daily routine of movin’ & grovin’ start small with stretching before bed tonight, then again tomorrow, then the next day wake up and stretch – then stretch again before bed, on the forth-day stretch midday as well, then start adding on 5 mins of faster movements or work out routines after those stretches… THEN start adding a couple more mins to one of those stretch sessions til’ you get a good ½ hr work out each day – maybe an hour a day goal by the end of the year! That ½ hr or hour need not be torture – enjoy it – make it fun! Get outside and play with the kids – Since it’s winter go sledding, skating, skiing, play tag wearing snowshoes… If you can’t get outside get a wii-family workout going, have a dance-a-thon, make an obstacle course through your house! Enjoy exercise and teach your kids that it’s fun to be fit!

(click) is your family active – every day?

Resolution #5 – Be the PARENT (or provider) who PLAYS with the kids: We are so thrilled you are someone who takes the time to read these type of blogs and look up ideas to do for yourself or with your kids… The world needs more people like you! We put our Mi Families guarantee on these resolutions that if you commit to the challenge of using all the resolutions posted your family (or program) will start working together, learning respect and responsibility, feeling healthier and happier… but for the plan to work you need to stick with ALL the resolutions. This means if you screw up one day – that’s ok because #1 says you can try again tomorrow… It means you’ll learn new things and new habits. It means you’ll focus on the positives, the strengths, the love … you’ll try to not worry about the negatives, you’ll find help to overcome weaknesses, you’ll offer forgiveness to those who act without care. Most important you’ll commit to loving life. You’ll take time to “stop and smell the roses.” That doesn’t mean you don’t pay attention to the thorns – you’ll take needed precautions – yet still enjoy the experience, because a rose only stays in bloom for so long. The years of childhood pass quickly as a rose in bloom – ask any parent who wishes they could go back and hold that baby for a long night while it cries… Understand that the toddler’s tantrum is their communication, that your student’s unwillingness to do their lesson is because of their attention or anxiety… TAKE TIME to understand. Understand that when a little one asks you to play with them they are asking for the gift of time and the memory that you entered their special/private world. When asked what kids favorite gifts were over the holidays many answered with simple toys, not the high-tech-gadgets. Yes they are cool and do serve a purpose in today’s world, but so do old-fashion toys in our fast paced lives. Take time to explore building with wooden blocks, create sensory play with sand and trucks, feed and dress a baby doll, spend extra time in the bath-tub with some bubbles and cups… Kids learn more through simple play than any other tool, but that’s for another article. This article simply is about using time wisely – and enjoy the time. Time moves fast – before you know it we’ll be planning 2015, making resolutions to learn more, eat better, exercise, etc… but the experiences you missed out on in 2014 cannot be re-scheduled for next year. The moments to play with your child will be less each day as they grow and their schedules grow as well. No excuses – no “I’ll try to make time tomorrow” – play today and every day. Make 2014 the year of family fun.

(click) don’t stick to the one toy out at a time rule,what worlds and games can you create?

Posted in Child Development, Chores/Housekeeping, Education, Family, Health, Holidays, Learning through Play, Meals, Mi Families, Motor Skills, Organization, Parents, Providers, Uncategorized Tagged with: exercise, family, Health, Meals, new year, Parenting, play, resolutions

Happy Home Days

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Lots of people are planning winter celebrations and vacations, but lots more are planning on a quiet holiday at home. believing “busy is better than bored” is a great mind-set, but by the end of the year a little boredom and a blanket sounds like a cozy Christmas. Problem is that we can’t keep kids cooped up and cozy for their entire Yuletide break. Telling them to cuddle with a blanket and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life,” is probably not a wonderful idea. So the question is – how do you get your time to hibernate and relax while giving them fun-filled-festivities? How do you cope with the Christmas crazies…because that’s what is about to happen. Kids are about to go crazy!

Christmas and calm are very rarely used in the same sentence … if it is at your house, than please tell us your secrets below in the comment section! Truth is that most homes, schools, centers, churches… most of the places that kids are report very little calm and usually an up rise of chaos during the season. Whether that place celebrates Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza… holidays seem to bring more crazy than peace when kids are involved. In fact many kids admit they feel overwhelmed with the activities and events. Young children aren’t capable of anticipating the holiday itself. They are still working on their sense of tradition and understanding the “reason for the season.” Their schedules have changed, meal times are off and foods are different (often filled with hyper-addictive’s). Kids feel parents are distracted as parents attentions are often on funds, gifts, relatives, cookies… So when you can- involve your kids in the activities distracting you. Let them know of tasks you need to complete and enlist their help. Have them make cookies, sign cards, make decorations…

Have them make Christmas crafts to give as gifts. Have them write out their gift-wish-lists!

Relax as you tackle your “to-do’s”…don’t rush. Enjoy the time together. Enjoy the time indoors and outside. Bundle up ~ a breath of fresh air might be just what you need to remind you of the magic. Tell your children what you remember most about being a child during the holidays. Teach them what you value most about the season. Develop family rituals and celebrate heritage to encourage a sense of belonging. Schedule time to cuddle and you’ll all find that sense of peace.

Mi Families wishes you a peace throughout this holiday season no matter what holiday you observe.

Posted in Behaviors, Child Development, Education, Family, Holidays, Organization, Parents, Providers, Uncategorized Tagged with: Christmas, craft ideas, gift ideas

Putting FUN in FUNctional

FUNctional FAMilies

Proactive and Preventative Parenting

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In love … with LEARNING

5 NEW – New Year’s RESOLUTIONS:

Happy Home Days

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