Blog Archives | Page 3 of 34 | TheHomeSchoolMom

Can You Start Homeschooling in the Middle of the Year?

You may have never thought you would consider homeschooling, or maybe you were thinking about starting in the fall, but circumstances are forcing you to consider bringing your child home mid-year. Perhaps it is bullying, a negative school environment, an illness, school anxiety, a stressful family situation, or some other unexpected circumstance causing you to consider pulling your child out before the end of the school year. Regardless of the motivation, your first question is likely, “Can I start homeschooling mid-year?” Continue reading »

Mid-Year Homeschooling: Connection, Not Curriculum

Did you or someone you know just start homeschooling “after the holidays” – right in the middle of the school year? “What curriculum should I use?” Even among experienced homeschoolers, January ruminations run toward assessing the curriculum and whether it is working. I know you don’t want to hear this – but your homeschool priority should be connection, not curriculum. Continue reading »

Making the Mid-Year Homeschool Switch Successful

For whatever reason, and there are many possible reasons, you are choosing the homeschooling option this mid-year. Maybe your child has a learning disability and the teachers can’t give him or her the necessary attention, or you don’t agree with the curriculum, or perhaps there are bullying issues. The list goes on for parents but whatever your reason, remember this—it’s the right reason for you. It may not be the easiest decision, especially mid-year with so much going on, but if it will help enhance your child’s educational experience then go for it! But before you get started, review these tips for making your transition a smooth and successful one. Continue reading »

Are You a Type B Homeschooler?

I don’t particularly love labels—they can be too general or cause assumptions and are likely not 100% accurate. That said, labels can be helpful when you’re searching for information on various topics. Google is better when you’re using key words, which is how I heard of Type B homeschooling a few years ago. A good old Google search brought me to a few articles, which I read and breathed a sigh of relief. I felt like I discovered a secret society of homeschoolers. I was not alone. Fast forward to this past summer, when a good friend and I were chatting, and we both realized we were talking about the same thing. Type B Homeschooling. Continue reading »

Holiday Homeschooling with Tweens & Teens

Make the Most of Holiday Homeschooling with Tweens and Teens (with Activity Ideas)

Does the holiday season bring a sense of excitement? Or does it make your head spin with all the amazing possibilities for homeschooling piled on top of all the holiday festivities, food, and fun? The holidays can be a double-edge sword for homeschoolers. We have the freedom to schedule our days how we please or not please. We can sip hot cocoa and read, decorate the house, and take time for special family celebrations. Continue reading »

How to Start a Homeschool Geography Club

Create an Engaging Homeschool Geography Club

Geography. It was not my favorite subject growing up in traditional schools, and I wanted to teach homeschool geography differently from the way I learned it in school. Sure, I knew my states, could identify other countries, large bodies of water, various cities, etc. But, the process was lots of memorizing, spitting out facts, and then promptly forgetting everything. I didn’t want that for my kids. When we began homeschooling, I knew I wanted my kids to have a natural curiosity about out our world. I wanted our homeschool geography study to be something that we naturally discussed in fun and hands-on ways, using a variety of resources. Continue reading »

Right-Brained Reading

Kids with right-brain characteristics have hit the jackpot when it comes to homeschooling! Although students with a right-brain orientation often struggle in traditional school environments, homeschooling provides the perfect flexibility and individualization to help these children shine! Previous articles explore specific techniques and strategies to help these learners be successful in math. But what about reading? Continue reading »

Right-Brained Reading Strategies, Part 2

Children with right-brain characteristics can learn to read effectively! These holistic thinkers often just need a different approach – one with plenty of visual and kinesthetic stimuli, and a whole-to-part perspective. A previous article provided an overview of the characteristics of the right-brained reader, and Right-brained Reading Strategies detailed a variety of approaches and resources to help these kids read effectively. Don’t stress out, homeschool moms – use some of these additional strategies to help your right-brained reader maximize his or her potential. Continue reading »

Right-Brained Reading Strategies

Children with right brain characteristics often need a different approach to reading. These children, who tend to be visually-spatially oriented, holistic, and “big picture” rather than detail-oriented, and tend to create meaning from words by developing three-dimensional pictures in their minds. It is not unusual for traditional decoding phonics programs or decoding strategies to be ineffective for right-brain oriented kids. Previous articles provided strategies for helping right-brain learners with math, and gave a general overview of how the right-brained student processes information for reading. If you have a right-brained reader, consider the following curricula and strategies Continue reading »

Right-Brained Math Curriculum

Arithmetic operations are foundational to future math learning, so it is critical that kids master math facts. Yet often homeschoolers find that at least one child has difficulty with math, and that they have hit a wall. For a large majority of children who find arithmetic difficult, it is simply a matter of how the child processes information. Learning specialist Dianne Craft has found that 80% of struggling learners are right brain dominant, due to the fact that most curriculum and learning settings are oriented toward the left-brain oriented individual. Continue reading »

Right-Brained Learners

Does your child skip around when doing math problems? Have trouble reviewing work or checking over details? Find spelling challenging? Require a tremendous amount of interaction during homeschooling? If the answer to many of these questions is “yes”, you may have a right-brain oriented child! Continue reading »

More Right-Brain Math Ideas

While arithmetic may seem simple to children with left-brain characteristics, right-brain oriented learners often struggle with basic math in traditional classroom settings, which are more geared toward left-brained learners. Fortunately, math does not have to be difficult for these learners! Homeschoolers can use curricula, techniques, and strategies that can help the right-brained child learn math effectively. Continue reading »

Thanksgiving Family Traditions

Turkey and stuffing might be the staples of Thanksgiving, but for many families the holiday means much more. Homeschoolers often seek to go beyond simply a festive meal to create a culture within the home that encapsulates a sense of belonging, security, and love. One important way families do this is through creating Thanksgiving traditions. Continue reading »

Is Your Child Right-Brain Oriented?

While research has demonstrated that we use all of our brain in processing information, children tend to display characteristics associated with the different hemispheres of the brain, depending on whether they are more right-brain oriented, or left-brain oriented. Understanding these different characteristics can have a strong impact on how children learn. Fortunately, homeschoolers have endless opportunities for being creative, individualized, and effective at meeting the needs of children with right-brain characteristics. Continue reading »

Ready to Use Thanksgiving Downloads - Pumpkin background

Fun Thanksgiving Unit Studies for November

Well, it’s already into the first week of November, and I’m realizing that I am supposed to be doing something Thanksgiving-y with my kids. I mean, I even write for TheHomeSchoolMom on creative ways to celebrate the holiday with the family, fun Thanksgiving activities, and ways to express gratitude. You’d kind of think that I would have this whole Thanksgiving-focus-during-the-month-of-November thing down. But, here I am, already into November, and realizing I’m not prepared. Have no fear, Thanksgiving homeschooling procrastinators, all is not lost. Continue reading »

Accreditation & Homeschooling - Woman wondering, "Does my homeschool need to be accredited?"

What Is Accreditation? Should My Homeschool Be Accredited?

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 »

Instead of Curriculum: Boomerang Audio Magazine

Those of us who have been homeschooling a while know that sometimes the best resources aren’t the newest or flashiest. That’s the case with Boomerang Audio Magazine for kids. A big benefit of these audio resources is that kids can be busy doing other things with their hands or bodies while listening. For some kids, this actually enhances learning, because they’re not focused on having to keep still, which can take a lot of energy. Continue reading »

December Writing Prompt Calendar

The December writing prompt calendar is full of winter and holiday-themed writing prompts. Each month we are offering writing prompts (you will be able to find them all on the main Homeschool Writing Prompts page), and you can download our December-themed prompts below. Continue reading »

November Writing Prompts for Homeschoolers

November Writing Prompt Calendar

This month’s calendar is full of autumn- and Thanksgiving-themed writing prompts, including menu planning for Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers. Each month we are offering writing prompts (you will be able to find them all on the main Homeschool Writing Prompts page), and you can download our November-themed starters here. Continue reading »

Tips for Homeschooling an Anxious Child

Just attending school doesn’t, by itself, help kids overcome abnormal anxiety because they are “sticking it out.” Just homeschooling doesn’t prevent, treat, or cure abnormal anxiety. These tips can help you move past just homeschooling to helping your anxious child cope with their anxiety. Ways to get help: Combine homeschooling with professional treatment for abnormal anxiety. Consider cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for your child, which helps many people manage abnormal anxiety. Seek a counselor or therapist who is knowledgeable and unbiased about homeschooling. Know that homeschooling brings with it the “Power of Now” – you can do what’s right for your child now, even if that means you prioritize mental health over academics. Continue reading »

Homeschooling for School Anxiety / School Refusal

Can you homeschool your child who refuses to go to school due to school anxiety? Should you? Kids in crisis who are too anxious to go to school are in a challenge called school resistance or school refusal. What if school refusers are telling us something through their refusal? What can we do to help? This post covers reasons we might homeschool a child with school anxiety along with concerns that might arise and tips to make the best of homeschooling in such a situation. Continue reading »

7 Ways to Embrace Homeschooling Your Polar Opposite Child

My three kids are very different from me. They are their own people. They have a mix of me and their dad and HUGE dollops of their own uniqueness. However, what happens when one of your kiddos is basically the South to your North? The Oil to your Water? The Day to your Night? As the kids got older, I noticed that I was struggling a bit more with one of my children. They would basically do the exact opposite of whatever I had planned for the day. Or question everything. This was really hard for a rules-following, go-by-the-book, authority respecting, uber-feeler to understand. Continue reading »