/>Trying homeschooling over the summer? Learn how a “trial” of homeschooling this summer may or may not give you a real picture of how homeschooling will work longer-term in your family. You may think that if homeschooling doesn’t seem to work, your children can enroll in school for the next school year, without any lost academic time. If homeschooling does seem to work, then you can commit to homeschooling fully and begin the next academic year with home education. Many veteran homeschoolers will tell you, though, that a summer trial of homeschooling may not be a great indicator of how homeschooling will work for your family. Continue reading »
20 Fun Things To Do During a Homeschooling Summer
by Rebecca Capuano
/>Whether you school year ’round or take a break during the summer months, June, July, and August are the ideal time to jazz up your homeschooling with a bit of extra fun. Warm weather, sunshine, and summer breaks from regular-year activities all make the middle of the year perfect for a little excitement! Camps and swimming are pretty par-for-the-course for many families, but there are just so many things that homeschoolers can do to get the most out of summer and make some wonderful memories. Here are 20 fun ideas to get you started: Continue reading »
Why My Homeschooling Kids Need Breaks from Each Other and How We Do It
by Vanessa Wright
/>If your homeschooling clan is content to be with each other 24 hours a day with no breaks from each other, then feel free to skip to another blog post. I have nothing but love and high-fives for you because I think it’s amazing when families can do what works for them. If you’re feeling like maybe your homeschooling kids might need some built-in breaks from each other (and you), then read on while I share what’s working for us right now with three adolescents. Continue reading »
Looking Back to Move Forward: A Homeschool Journey Reflection
by Vanessa Wright
/>The homeschooling bug bit me 10 years ago completely out of the blue. It was never our intention to homeschool our gaggle of kids. That said, I always wanted to be a mama and a teacher and a writer. So, here I am juggling all three roles and then some. It’s nothing like I imagined. Continue reading »
A Homeschool Summer Break that Brings Fun, Sun, and Rest for All!
by Vanessa Wright
/>How are you prepping for summer? Do you take a FULL STOP 3-month break with a “See you in September” attitude? Are you year-round homeschoolers? Do you fall somewhere in between? Do you have everything planned for summer and your next school year? Do you fly by the seat of your super cute swimsuit? Guess what? It’s all great! No matter how you “do” summer in your home and homeschool—it’s just perfect. Popsicles, pool days, and playing—sign me up! Summer for our family is a bit different this year. My kids are older now and this means a few things… Continue reading »
How Embracing My Strengths Has Made for a Better Homeschool FLOW
by Vanessa Wright
/>Do you ever get hit in the face with your own weaknesses as a homeschool mom? Here’s my truth: I’m not a huge fan of holidays. If I’m being honest, I’m not great at creating mind-blowing celebrations, whether it be for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Pi Day or Halloween. So, when I woke up last Valentine’s Day morning, I thought: Uh-oh. It’s Valentine’s day. And I’ve got nothing. Continue reading »
Ask Jeanne: Homeschooling When Everything Is Terrible
by Jeanne Faulconer
/>Dear Jeanne – I am stuck in a terrible situation and need some advice. I quit my job to follow my husband to another country. I put my daughter in a public school as my husband wanted, but then I started homeschooling because of poor school quality. While I feel comfortable teaching my daughter, and she has made some progress, I have ill health, and my daughter is still behind in school due to a vision problem. We have financial problems, so I’m teaching to earn money, and my husband is not supportive of homeschooling. It’s all affecting my mental health . . . I feel so lost as of now. What started as a joyous process is turning out to be ugly and unhappy. Continue reading »
Our Favorite Book Series for 8-12 Year Olds
by Vanessa Wright
/>When my husband and I had children, books and reading were naturally part of our day and our routines. When we started homeschooling, I would snuggle up on the couch with the kids or I would sit at the kitchen table and read while they snacked or worked on projects. Some days were easier than others and some books were enjoyed more than others. I polled my kids and we came up with our top 10 favorite book series. Continue reading »
Creating a Teen Book Club to Build Connections
by Vanessa Wright
/>My newly 13 year old son was insisting that he wanted different school projects that didn’t always include his younger siblings (11 year old twins). After discussing, we decided to start a teen book club that would appease my desire for him to branch out into other literary genres AND would give him a social opportunity with his friends. There would, of course, be lots of food too. Continue reading »
10 Ways to Mark the End of the Homeschool Year
by Living Education Contributor
/>Is yours one of the many families whose “school year” has a beginning, an end, and then a break before the next year begins? Schooling at home is something to celebrate, and when the end of the year arrives, it presents an opportunity for joyful recognition and reflection. Here are some ideas for ways to make it memorable and special for your family. Continue reading »
How We Keep a Spring in Our Springtime Homeschooling
by Vanessa Wright
/>Spring might be my favorite time to homeschool. It has quickly replaced the awesomeness of back-to-homeschool in late summer. It’s not necessarily because of the weather—spring just feels different. My kids are all working on different things at this point. It can be overwhelming because I feel like I’m not staying on top of everyone’s everything. In the end, that’s not my job. My role is to be an Educational Opportunity Provider. We can flow with the seasons and our energy levels. It’s spring and it’s a good time to both shake things up and create a flowing routine. Continue reading »
Why I Don’t Do Homeschool Planning in the Spring
by Vanessa Wright
/>When I first started homeschooling, I was ALL about the planning. I would research EVERYTHING to nth degree. I almost broke our printer one summer printing out everything I could find about Charlotte Mason and Ambleside Online. I was pumped. We were going all in on Charlotte Mason—100 percent, friends. It was May and I was feeling awesome about everything. Fall came around, and can you guess what happened? Continue reading »
