You are your child’s first teacher.
How many times have you heard that adage? The beautiful thing about it is that it’s true, whether you homeschool your children or not.
Unfortunately, I believe this message has been lost in the shuffle of schooling, experts, and degrees. It’s something that, sadly, isn’t reflected on much anymore. Continue reading “A New Perspective on Homeschooling”
You know what I love about the New Year? Countdowns. How exciting is it to reflect back on some of the most “happening” things of the previous year?
Last week, I shared my 10 most popular blog posts from 2018. This week I’m going to do something I’ve never done before – share my most popular YouTube videos from 2018. I’m actually really excited because, as I write this, I still don’t know what they are!
That’s right. It’s all a surprise to me, too! So let’s get started! Continue reading “My 10 Most Popular Homeschool and Education Videos from 2018”
Yikes! Another year has come and gone. Am I the only one who noticed that it was gone in a flash?! This past year has been a bit of a whirlwind for me, as I’ve been spending a bit less time here on my blog and a bit more on my YouTube channel.
As always, it seems that my more controversial posts are those that have garnered the most attention. Without further ado, here are… Continue reading “My Most Popular Homeschooling and Education Posts from 2018!”
When it comes to homeschooling, there are many temptations that come with it, both good and bad. Unfortunately, as is often the case, we parents will ignore our God-given instincts about what’s best for our children and, instead, try to stick with the status quo of what school is “supposed” to look like.
Think about it.
How often have you been tempted to take the day off and just do something fun, only to give in to guilt and continue with your homeschool routine as planned?
How many times have you suppressed the urge to just let your kids sit and play together quietly in order to interrupt an intense period of play so that your kids could learn about consonant blends?
And how many times have you gone against your instinct as a parent to keep your homeschool simple, and alternatively jammed as many things as possible into your everyday routine?
If you’re anything like I am, probably quite a bit.
Today I just wanted to talk to you about that last one: the oh-so-common pitfall of becoming obsessed with covering everything, only to find that not only does it not work, but it’s likely to impede a child’s learning as a consequence. Continue reading “Are You Overcomplicating Your Homeschool?”
(This post contains affiliate links.)
Yesterday my kids and I watched Wonder for the umpteenth time. As with what usually happens when I’ve watched something once too many times, my mind started drifting and ended up – you guessed it – focusing on how this movie perpetuates some common homeschool stereotypes.
If you’ve seen this film, you might be assuming that I’m referring to the fact that August’s mother has decided to send him to school for “socialization,” and while that does irritate me just a bit, that’s not what I’m referring to today. Continue reading “When Your Homeschooled Child Isn’t a Prodigy”
Ah, self-directed learning. It’s one of my absolute favorite advantages of relaxed homeschooling. There can be no more effective way for children to learn, in my opinion.
In fact, its efficacy is what has enabled me to embrace a simpler homeschool approach for my children. Out of all the “fool-proof” tricks I’ve tried and well-intentioned advice I’ve received, there is no denying the fact that kids (at least, my kids) learn far more successfully and enthusiastically when they themselves are the ones who are given the reins on their education.
However, over the past few months I have realized that there are some who don’t quite understand what self-directed learning actually is, and I’ve found that the most confusion stems from one faulty idea: that self-directed learning is just another name for independent learning.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Continue reading “Self-Directed Learning: It’s Time to Clear Something Up…”
Once upon a time, I quit homeschooling and sent my kids back to school.
Yes, really.
It’s not something I’m proud of, but I’ve come to realize that that dark experience is what gave me the courage to be as – ahem – outspoken about homeschooling and the public education system as I am.
While there were many things that gave me the courage and confidence to take them back out again after two years to begin our homeschool anew, today I’m going to focus on one thing that has kept us grounded: Continue reading “5 Ways Unit Studies Saved Our Homeschool”
Did you ever notice how everyone today seems to be singing the praises of multitasking? Articles, blogs, and books are completely dedicated to the “art” of doing several things at once as if it were actually a good thing.
I beg to differ.
Gone are the days of considering multitasking to be something as simple as answering the phone or changing the baby’s diaper while making dinner. If only that were the case. Continue reading “Traditional Schooling Is Nothing More Than “Educational” Multitasking”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – embarking on a new homeschooling journey can be scary. What can be more intimidating than being in charge of your child’s education when it’s been done by “professionals” for generations?
Well, I’ll tell you what…taking that very first step to begin with.
The fact is, there is so much more to beginning to homeschool than choosing curriculum and praying you get it right. Truth be told, choosing curriculum is actually one of the last things that should happen when getting started. Continue reading “Everything You Need to Know to Start Homeschooling”
I’ve been thinking. If there was one thing I could change about the beginning of our homeschool journey…. okay… strike that. (Because, unfortunately, there’s way more than one thing I’d change.) Okay, let’s rephrase that… one of the things I wish I had done as a new homeschool parent was to take the time to read.
Seems simple enough, right? So simple, in fact, that you may be wondering why I now feel it would have been so important for me then.
I’m going to tell you why. Continue reading “A Must-Follow Reading Plan for Every New Homeschool Parent”
