Homeschool Idea: Daddy Challenge Chair |

Our homeschool begins today, with Mary Carol in 1st grade and Turner beginning Kindergarten. They are both really excited, and Leah (as always) has done a tremendous job getting ready for the year to begin.

One of the struggles I had last year was staying “in the loop” with what the kids were learning. So, I came up with an idea for this year’s school that I’m really excited about.

The Daddy Challenge Chair!

Here is what I did. I took the kids with me to a flea market and bought a little stool for next-to-nothing. (To make this a “Pinterest-y” post, I’m including before and after pictures!) Here is what it looked like when we got it.

Not awful, but also pretty rough. Also, if you are thinking, That looks more like a table than a stool, you would be correct. It actually is a small accent table, but (don’t tell anyone) I sat on it at the store to be sure it would be okay, and it was great.

Now, I couldn’t have something that unsightly in our beautiful house, so, I did the Pinterest thing and spray-painted the thing. But, to make it more “pinnable,” I did it in two different colors. The kids helped me pick out the colors, and here is what it looks like now.

Now, some of you are going, “What’s with the slip of paper on it?”

That’s the Daddy Challenge!

You see, the idea for this little piece of furniture is this. Each day, I write a short “challenge” for the kids to complete either during their day of school or when I get home. Here are some ideas I have.

Quote your memory verse
Create a puppet show
Draw a picture (that’s today’s, by the way)
Take daddy on your nature walk
Make up a play

And there are a few others. As you can see, these are meant to encourage the creative application of what has been talked about at school, and they will help me see more of what the kids are learning.

You may not homeschool, but this idea can be used in many different ways. Maybe you can use it for your family devotionals, or even just to keep up with homework.