We all have those seasons when homeschooling gets difficult and becomes a struggle. Maybe it’s the kids not wanting to do anything or you are burning out. We get it. We’ve all been there. Hang in there. It’s worth the struggle and pushing through. Here are some common struggles and how to handle them. Common Struggle: The subjects or curriculum are too much Struggling with a subject or many subjects in homeschool is common. Most go through a season or…
Life with children is challenging. Homeschooling days can be up and down. While many days can be rewarding, let’s be honest. We all have those bad days. And there are seasons in our lives when our children REBEL. And I’m not just talking about during school. Talk to any parent any you will find that they all have seasons of good and bad. Whether that is externally influenced or something internally, they will say they have had times when their…
Whether you just started homeschooling or are decades in, every homeschool has those seasons. There are many seasons in homeschooling (and in life!) that become disorganized. It can be anything from a mess in the schoolroom, to chaos in the curriculum and life in between. However, do not be discouraged. Getting organized starts with just a few steps: Ask Yourself: If you answered yes to any of the above, you may just need some organization help! It’s okay. At Home:…
How to Reschedule and Evaluate your Schedule when it goes Rogue and Wild How to Fix Your Rogue Schedule Sometimes Life Happens… This year for us was a challenge for our typical organized school schedule. Each month we had another issue – from an unexpected injury to appliances breaking, then a car breaking down and sickness. But life happens. Although these issues can be solved and we continue forward, it still presents a challenge when it comes to homeschooling. The…
Are you new to homeschooling? The first of your family to make the leap? Are you transitioning your children out of public school to homeschool? Whether you are scared, nervous, unsure, clueless or just need a starting point, here are our basics. Inspired by a family friend of ours who made the leap of faith to take her children out of public school. I heard her concerns and “what – ifs” and started a list. Because we have all been…
Explore a park with trees and talk about the layers of color that the seasons show. If you don’t live in an area that gets beautiful fall colors or no fall season at all, below are some samples of seasonal colors. Or, a variation could be a green tree or palm trees etc. The Process… The first part of this art lesson was exploring a local park during the autumn season. We drove around and walked around looking at the…
From the everyday to curriculum and more, there’s always a resource for reviews, extra worksheet practice or just general ideas. Here are some we have accumulated over the decade that work well for us. Some of these we find we use everyday for worksheet practice or general research. Other websites are helpful in a pinch or on those days you need more reference for a subject. Dive in. It’s taken us a while to accumulate good quality websites that give…
Over the past decade, homeschooling has increased dramatically. While COVID was an influential and often very challenging time for families, it also made something painfully clear: public schools were failing. Many families chose to homeschool because they had more forced proximity to their children’s education. From that, a beautiful revelation and upheaval was born. A change was initiated. Perhaps you are one of the thousands of families who continued to homeschool long after COVID ended. Watch the “unprecedented surge” of…
How to Balance the Different Levels and Ages Know your goals, your intentions and your own time. With a blend of check-ins, independent learning and intentional learning days, you can have a fluid schedule that allows for breaks, freedom and sanity for teacher and child. The Optimal Homeschool Schedule with Multiples: Daily Schedule Sample: Sunday Mon. Tues. Weds. Thurs. Friday Saturday Catch-up Teaching Day Self-Directed Learning Teaching Day /Check-ins Review Day Check-ins / Catch-up OFF How It Works: With multiple…
Who was Salvador Dali? Art Lesson: First we looked at a few books from the library about Dali, discussing the general information about where he was born, his family and what styles of art he enjoyed. Then we watched the three minute video “Art History for Kids” which gave a great and simple overview of Dali. I liked it because it showed his quirky paintings and his famous silly mustache (which my middle child later tried to mimic with pipe…