Homeschooling help and encouragement from experienced homeschoolers - find out how homeschooling works and how to start, get tips & ideas for when things need adjusting, read curriculum reviews before buying, learn how online schools work, gain confidence about homeschooling high school, and more.
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Has your family recently made a decision to switch gears and begin homeschooling or use a new curriculum? Either way, embarking on a different educational path takes courage and faith, and it may take time to find your rhythm. Here are ten suggestions to ease the way. Continue reading »
With the slow but steady growth of homeschooling across the United States comes a parallel growth in online, distance learning programs and schools. While many parents continue to provide independent, customized instruction to their children, others seek “enrolled homeschooling”—that which provides teacher-guided instruction, report cards/transcripts/credits, and other familiar elements of traditional education. Choosing a provider for this type of schooling naturally leads to an increase in questions about accreditation: what is it exactly, and how does it pertain to homeschooling? Continue reading »
Our 10th grade non-traditional learner stated that he wanted to tackle more challenging content, more in-person classes with homework and projects, and wanted to be in charge of his schedule. I got to work researching local classes, online classes, curricula, and more. We had long conversations, lots of texting back and forth, and finally came up with a plan that worked for him, for me and his dad, and for our budget and schedule. Continue reading »
The concept of kids being differently wired sparked my interest and had me nodding my head as I researched the idea. I knew one of my kids fit this description and I had been at a loss, even after evaluations, recommendations, and hours of researching. Each differently wired child is different in their own special way. These are the materials that I’ve found helpful for homeschooling and parenting differently wired kids. Continue reading »
Resistance and resentment are warning signs that your homeschool could use some tweaking. Here’s how to turn them around to avoid and/or solve problems with homeschooling. Continue reading »
Are you embracing the flexibility of homeschooling to make things better? It sounds like a huge overhaul, almost as big as those first questions you had about curriculum and socialization. It’s actually not. Simply adjusting these three things as needed can get you back on track and/or head off future problems. Continue reading »
Homeschooling is boring, your child is resistant, the curriculum seems “complete” but moves on quickly and without depth. You can improve this kind of homeschool experience by opening yourself to following the rabbit trails. What are rabbit trails? They are the paths you make as you help your child follow an interest or a question from one resource to the next. Continue reading »
Learning stations for homeschooling can often accommodate students of varying levels—activity prompts and supplies can encompass different abilities. Your learning stations can be focused on themes and subjects from the curriculum (such as animal habitats or creative writing), or your spaces could be more freestyle. These ideas for 7 different learning stations will help you to offer space for children to create, explore, and enjoy. Continue reading »
Homeschooling middle school can be a great thing because all the peer pressure, negativity, drama, etc. that comes along with these years can be lessened by choosing to home educate. I’m sharing my top four tips to help make your transition into homeschooling middle school manageable—whether you’re brand new to homeschooling or you’ve been homeschooling from the beginning. Continue reading »
As families turn to homeschooling due to lack of information (or what they see as unacceptable policies) from public school systems about what fall may bring, they have questions. One of the most common questions we are seeing is whether a certain curriculum is accredited. Continue reading »
I really wish I liked homeschool planning. I’ve tried. Trust me. We are nearly a decade into this homeschooling journey and I’ve taken multiple planning courses, have purchased five different types of homeschool planners, spent countless hours planning and planning and buying and buying and organizing all the things. By the time I get around to actually homeschooling, I’m tired. Continue reading »
As schools around the country publish their plans for re-opening in the fall of 2020 after extended spring closures, homeschool advocates continue to see more parents of school kids interested in homeschooling. For real, this time—not the suddenly-home-from-school situation parents faced in the spring. Here are a few suggestions to use or pass on. Continue reading »
Are you using audiobooks in your homeschool? If not, you are missing out on the awesome benefits that come from listening to books. Homeschooling parents embrace the benefits of audiobooks because audiobooks create a shared listening experience, with adults and kids on “the same page,” like watching a movie together… Continue reading »
Sharing audiobooks is a great way for kids and parents to learn together. Hearing the same material at the same time means that moments for discussion are well-synchronized, and kids can ask questions or ponder meaning in real-time—leading to all kinds of opportunities for inquiry-based learning. Best of all, you can access many audiobooks for free! Continue reading »
Early on in our homeschooling journey, we tried many methods and styles of homeschooling. As my kids got older, I had to step back and evaluate what type of learning environment I wanted to create in our home. I had one vision, and it included all of us still sitting around doing as much together as possible because it was easier for me and because I thought that I had to do that in order to be ticking off the boxes for homeschooling the right way. However, my kids had other ideas. And, because it’s their education, I really needed to listen. This felt good and scary. Continue reading »
Dear Homeschool Parent, I say this in the nicest possible way with my sweetest voice: YOU NEED A HOBBY! You need an interest outside of homeschooling. You need time away from planning and teaching and making crafts and blowing up things in your kitchen. You need to rest your voice from all the reading. You need something that is not pre-algebra equations. You need to plan a field trip for yourself and not another one to the zoo. Stay with me… Continue reading »
I don’t know about you, but we love to use YouTube videos to complement various subjects and interests in our homeschool. I’ve polled my kids and some of my trusted homeschooling friends to put together a list of 20 YouTube channels to add fun and learning to your homeschool. There’s something for everyone: art, baking, music, science, engineering, and random facts (our favorite). Continue reading »
One of the most valuable benefits of homeschooling is flexibility. Many families tell us that this flexibility is the reason they are able to “live their learning” in a way that just wouldn’t happen if they were enrolled in traditional school. Continue reading »
Recently, I shared a day in the life of our homeschool with three teens. It was a particularly busy day, but a pretty typical one for our family. You see, even though we homeschool, we’re rarely at home. Recently, life has changed due to statewide “stay home” orders. We are in our home. All the time. Our life is vastly different. This is a day in the life of our homeschool while we are homebound for comparison. Continue reading »
If you’re looking for a unique way to inspire your children’s curiosity and interest in history, consider introducing them to genealogy. You can use your own family tree to make history more relevant and meaningful to children, strengthen their sense of identity, and help them to see where they fit in time and place in this world. Using your family tree to learn about the life and times of grandparents is a great example of “social history,” which studies the experiences of ordinary people. Notice the word experiences — if you portray history in terms of experiences rather than facts, it can help personalize the study of history. This helps children to make sense of the world around them. Continue reading »
All over the world, people are calling the school closing situation “homeschooling.” We even called it “Suddenly Homeschooling” here at TheHomeSchoolMom, but the reality is that this isn’t homeschooling. It’s schooling from home. That’s right. Just like (I hope) most of you are working from home right now. Why not just keep calling it homeschooling? Continue reading »
Are you looking for something to do outside with the kids during this period of social distancing? Taking them to a cemetery to document graves respects social distancing while providing kids with an opportunity to participate in a “treasure” hunt, use photography skills, enjoy nature, and learn about history. Continue reading »
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