10 Reasons Why You Don’t Need a Teaching Degree to Homeschool

Several times a year without fail, I have a conversation with someone that goes something like this:

So where do your kids go to school?

We homeschool.

Are you a teacher?

No.

Do you have a teaching degree?

No.

Then, are you qualified to teach your children?

Sigh.  

Same Kind of Different As Me- A Free Mini Unit Study!

Summertime is right around the corner, and chances are your summer vacation may have even started already. Although it’s such a relief to get a bit of a break for a while, sometimes after just a week or two, you may begin to hear the dreaded,

I’m booored.

Mini unit studies can be the perfect solution for this. They’re long enough to keep the kids occupied for a bit, but short enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re actually doing school already. 

10 Lies About Homeschooling You Need to Ignore

As someone who has been around the homeschooling community both in real life and online for the past eight years, I’ve come across some real whoppers about homeschooling. 

While those of us who actually know what this life is all about may roll our eyes at these falsehoods, they can actually pose a real problem for those who are either considering homeschooling or who may have just started.  (I made a YouTube video about this here.)

A Relaxed Homeschool Approach to KONOS Character Curriculum

I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have mentioned KONOS Character Curriculum on my blog. This unit study resource is not only just about my favorite tool in our homeschool, but it’s also a symbol.

You see, after I burned out, sent my kids back to school, and then withdrew them again, KONOS was the first curriculum I used after I finally decided to never replicate school again.

Ever. 

Teach Your Kids History Through Literature with Beautiful Feet Books

I love history. 

Let me rephrase that. I love history now. As a student, it was probably my least favorite subject (besides math, of course).

All of those boring textbook assignments left me feeling like I didn’t care if I never read another history book again. And the memorization. Oh my Lord. In my opinion, if you’re looking for an effective way to kill any desire your child might have to learn about the past, make them memorize a slew of dates that have no meaning to them.

I didn’t want that for my kids. One of my main reasons for homeschooling is that I want my kids to actually want to learn. 

How to Use Five in a Row in a Relaxed Homeschool

Over the past eight years, we have tried out a lot of curriculum. Some of it we loved, some of it we hated, and some of it became a staple in our home education routine from the moment we opened the first page. (If you’re interested in seeing our full curriculum for our littles this past year, you can find that on YouTube.)

Five in a Row is one of them. 

3 Reasons to Avoid Overcompliance with State Homeschool Laws

Here we are in the middle of May. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

For those of us who homeschool in states that require some sort of end-of-the-year reporting to our school districts, right about now is when we start scampering around collecting work samples, finishing up portfolios, and having our kids interviewed by our homeschool evaluators.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Not.

As we finish up our 8th year of homeschooling one very important issue keeps creeping up on me again and again- overcompliance. (Watch my video on this subject here.)

How to Find One-on-One Time When You’re a Mom of Many

Other than being a wife, being a mom of many is my favorite thing in the world. There’s just nothing like a house full of laughter, noise, and…yes, clutter.

One of the drawbacks of having this number of kids (11 for those who don’t know…) is the number of times I’ve had people insinuate that they feel sorry for my kids because I must never get time alone with them. 

10 Things You Need to Know If You Have Family Who Homeschools

Anyone who knows anything about homeschooling is aware that this adventure can come in all shapes and sizes. As different as what a typical homeschool day looks like from one house to the next may be, one thing I’m finding many of us have in common (besides a deep-seated love for our children) is that it is quite recurrent to have extended family members who don’t fully grasp the enormity of what we’ve set out to do. 

What Exactly IS a Homeschool Expert?

Last summer I was asked to write an article on homeschooling for a parenting website. One of their stipulations was that since I am not a “homeschool expert,” I had to include citations from resources written by people who are.

The first thing I thought was, “Umm…is there such a thing as a homeschool expert?”

It’s not exactly something you can get a degree in, you know?