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. Continue reading “How to Use Five in a Row in a Relaxed Homeschool”
Do your kids like to write? Up until about this time last year, my kids hated anything that had to do with putting their thoughts on paper. Tears would flow as they were composing essays and researching reports.
I was at my wit’s end.
Over the years, I had heard of notebooking and knew only that it was similar to lapbooking, which we were already doing. Finally as a last resort, I decided to actually begin to research what it was all about, and I am so glad I did. Continue reading “12 Easy Ways to Use Notebooking in Your Homeschool”
Every year at my children’s physicals, the same question inevitably pops up:
How are their grades?
Now, we’ve used the same pediatrician for almost 18 years, and she knows we homeschool, but it’s the same conversation each year. I usually just respond that their grades are fine (because I honestly don’t feel like having an hour long discussion about the futility of grades), while my kids look on in puzzlement because they know darn well there are no report cards handed out in this house. Continue reading “3 Reasons Why I Don’t Give Grades or Tests in Our Homeschool”
Life is hectic. In this age of constant busyness, it just seems to come at you from all different directions every single day.
It’s exhausting. Continue reading “10 Practical Ways to Shorten Your Homeschool Day”
Boy, time flies when you’re having fun. Today is the last day of my series about large family homeschool hacks. So far this week I’ve shared tips with you about:
Today I’m going to be sharing with you the benefit of relaxing your homeschool by sticking to the 3 R’s and letting your kids follow their interests to their heart’s content. (Click here for my video on this!) Continue reading “Large Family Homeschool Hack #4: Combining the 3 R’s with Self-Directed Learning”
Ages 9-13
Over the past two weeks, I’ve spent some time sharing how to homeschool preschool and the early years in a relaxed, yet effective manner. This laid back approach to learning at home doesn’t stop being beneficial once children begin to achieve more advanced skills. The core foundation of simplicity remains the same, although some additional activities will make their way into the routine as your children’s interests grow. Continue reading “How to Homeschool Simply (The Middle Years)”
If you’ve ever visited this blog before, you are well aware of how passionately I try to spread the message that homeschooling does not have to be a replica of school and how important it is to get out of the schoolish mindset. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately and have come to the realization that homeschool laws and even homeschool curricula can make that very difficult. (Watch my video on this topic here.)
Many states have specific subject requirements that must be fulfilled each year, thus homeschool resource publishers follow suit and produce textbook after textbook covering grammar, writing, spelling, reading, math, social studies, science, and so on and so on.
Countless times I have seen stressed out homeschool moms completely burned out from trying to fit all of these different classes into their day, inevitably erasing the possibility of any enjoyment that might have occurred in their homeschool routine. Continue reading “3 Reasons Not to Worry About Homeschool Subject Requirements”
The other day I wrote about a specific day in our homeschool with the littles. Today I’m going to focus on a recent day of learning with my 9, 10, and 12 year olds.
As with my younger children, I do not consider only our structured homeschool time as our learning time because each day brings so many opportunities for natural learning experiences that I’d be remiss to not mention them.
As you may notice, our middle children’s homeschool day is very similar in structure to their younger siblings’. It is this familiarity that helps me remember everything that has to be done from day to day- and it also helps me keep my sanity! Continue reading “An Inside Look at Our Relaxed Homeschool- Spotlight on the Middles”
One thing that most moms have in common, despite differences in any other areas of life, is a lack of confidence. Too often we doubt our abilities to be adequate parents. Raising children who will one day grow up to be adults is an enormous responsibility. Add to that the prospect of not only raising, but also educating our own kids, and the task seems ten times bigger than before.
As wonderful as it would be if every mother jumped into her homeschooling journey completely prepared, having read every home education book known to man, it just doesn’t work that way. Most of us begin not knowing what we’re supposed to do and how we’re supposed to do it whenever we figure out what it is. Confused? That’s exactly how it feels to be a newbie homeschool mom. Continue reading “Not Sure How to Homeschool? When in Doubt, Just Read!”
Ask any homeschooler what one of the biggest advantages of homeschooling is, and flexibility is sure to have made the cut. To a new or prospective homeschool parent, this notion may seem fanciful but is probably a bit vague, as well. Since it is always my hope to encourage “newbies,” I’ve compiled a list of…
Continue reading “20 Ways to Be Flexible in Your Homeschool”
