The Essential Best Buys for Starting Your Homeschool on the Right Foot No matter where you live or how many children you are homeschooling, there are many must-have items to get started. Here are our picks as the essentials and best buys to get started: Best Buy: Printer Our Pick: Brother Printer Our Brother Printer is a bit older model but is still working after years and years of use. Pros Cons Best Buys: Notebooks & Binders Our Picks: Walmart…
Whether you are a married couple, single or are grandparents going through the journey of homeschooling, there are times that it will be frustrating. Whether you are a seasoned homeschooler or brand new, there are always challenges and frustrations that get in the way of homeschooling. But hang on and persevere. Here are some tried and true tips to get you through those tough seasons. Frustrated! Curriculum/Subject Issues Frustrated! Organization Issues It’s Normal to Be Frustrated It’s normal to feel…
Are you finding that your kids are getting done with school too quickly? Are they bored or advancing through the lessons at a rapid rate? Do some of the subjects gets done very quickly because the child just loves that subject? There will always be those subjects that become too easy or too simple for a child because they are better at it or like it more. For some curriculums, the lessons aren’t the right age or the child advances…
Is your house or apartment messy? Are papers everywhere and books in disarray? Not sure of your goals or schedule? Life flying by and you are trying to potty train or spouse is away at work for a long trip or someone sick? Messy doesn’t always mean physical mess either. It could be a crazy schedule or a messy bookshelf. A child who doesn’t want to focus or a day you are interrupted a thousand times. We’ve all been there….
Are you scared to homeschool? Asking What if’s? It’s okay. That’s actually a good sign. See Why! If you are already worried about homeschooling and feeling a little trepidation or fear, that’s a good sign. Because that means you CARE. It means that something has triggered you to invest in your children’s education and you are committed to their best interests. Here are some common fears we’ve heard and answers/solutions: Don’t Be Scared – Just Breathe – There’s Support Everywhere!…
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…
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…
For your child who is a tinkerer, there may be a variety of ways they approach the day to day. Is the house filled with half done projects or experiments all over? For us, life with a tinkerer is: How you teach a tinkerer Guide them and give them structure but allow them to figure out how to safely experiment within their means and within their age range and capacity while also building autonomy and finding out how things work….
Yes for Homeschooling Year-Round While most public school kids are spending months winding down the year and doing activities or year-end parties to end for the summer, year-round homeschoolers continue as normal. While it may make you stand out more or provide questioning glances, year-round has always been a yes for our family, and I will tell you some great reasons why. Maybe you are already a homeschool family and homeschool year round or are a “school year” family with…
Many families choose to start homeschooling their child around the 3-4 year mark because pre-school is coming up and many of the learning is already taking place in the home. Whether you are intentionally teaching your Pre-K & K child or not, your child is learning and growing. There are not many major concepts that your pre-school or kindergarten child needs to know so don’t worry, it’s all about creating a loose schedule and establishing a foundation for learning. The…