One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the freedom it allows my kids to explore their passions and interests. Here is a list of resources for you to check out if you have a teen and that likes technology, learning new skills, and exploring their interests. Continue reading »
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Homeschooling Not Working? Overcome Resistance by Changing Your Strategy
If your homeschooling is taking too long, and it’s having a negative effect, you missed the moment to quit while you were ahead. Demanding more than children can give in a single day or a single session doesn’t actually help you stay on pace. Try this shift in strategy to reverse setbacks. Continue reading »
What's on Your Summer Bucket List?
Now’s the time to make your summer bucket list or bingo card! Over some pancakes or smoothies, you and the kids can brainstorm experiences you don’t want to miss this summer. If you live in an area that has opened up, checking things off your bucket list will feel especially good. Here are some ideas to get your started. Continue reading »
Homeschooling with Book Lists
The single most important thing you can do as a homeschooling parent is read to your kids every day. But what to read? Try consulting some high quality book lists and recommendations to learn about the books librarians, educators, book bloggers, and families have loved. Pin or print a book list that appeals to you, or mix and match suggestions from multiple lists. You can find book titles grouped into checklists, lists with descriptions, lists by year, lists by topic, and more. Continue reading »
Make Your Own Bird Unit Study
Winter is the perfect time for a bird unit study! Birds can provide you and your kids with a wild distraction from current events, a connection to the natural world, and a chance to be grounded in an off-screen reality. If you’re in a winter climate, the leafless trees, snow, and dormant vegetation provide a crisp backdrop for spotting birds. In moderate climates, your locale may be the recipient of migratory birds, providing an ideal opportunity to spot species that aren’t around during other times of the year. Continue reading »
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Flexibility of Homeschooling: Adapting When Homeschooling Isn't Working
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 »
Help Your Homeschool with Rabbit Trails
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. Continue reading »
My Top 4 Tips for Getting Started Homeschooling Your Middle Schooler
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 »
Connect with History & Geography Using Family History
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 »
Suddenly Homeschooling: Resources for When Schools Close
Because of social distancing, school systems across the country are closing for weeks or months, and parents everywhere are asking about how to homeschool or help their children learn at home. Short-term homeschooling is not new—it has existed alongside long-term homeschooling for many years, and parents may be reassured to know that this option has worked well for families for lots of different reasons. If you have kids at home unexpectedly, or if you’re advising a family member or friend with kids who are out of school, here are a few things to keep in mind. Continue reading »
50+ Free Educational Resources To Use Online During Social Distancing
Whether you’re home because school has been cancelled (Hi! Welcome!) or you’re an experienced homeschooler who is actually staying home now, you probably suddenly have hours upon hours on your hands. For those extra hours, check out these free educational resources to use online while you are practicing social distancing. Continue reading »
The Magic, Mayhem, and Mostly Awesomeness of Middle School Homeschooling
When I decided to tackle a blog post about our 7th grade plans for my twins, I had to pause and catch my breath. How are they already in 7th grade? Why are they taller than me? Will they notice if we do Five In A Row again for old time’s sake? My oldest, a rising high schooler, made his way through middle school homeschool. Sometimes, his learning looked super structured, but often it looked more unschool-ish than I had anticipated. Here are my three key insights about homeschooling middle school . . . Continue reading »
Why My Homeschooling Kids Need Breaks from Each Other and How We Do It
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 »
How We Keep a Spring in Our Springtime Homeschooling
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 »
Tips for Feeding the Homeschool Family
Have you discovered that feeding the kids is the homeschooling challenge nobody warned you about? For homeschooling to work, home has to work, including the food. Especially the food! We've put together some tips for keeping your sanity while feeding your homeschooled kids. Continue reading »
The Homeschool Challenge Nobody Warns You About
When I started homeschooling, I knew my big challenge was going to be helping my kids learn. Having them become academically prepared was my overriding goal. Choosing the right curriculum and the right educational philosophy were paramount. Imagine my surprise when it turned out they were pretty good learners once I refined our approach to homeschooling. My real challenge turned out to be the unexpected one. Continue reading »
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 »
Middle School Mania: How We’re Transitioning to Homeschooling Middle School
Homeschooling middle school is a new season of life. I prepared by buying a new prepackaged curriculum, and while I loved everything about this curriculum, I had forgotten to take my kids' learning styles and desires into account. I assumed they would be happy to go along with whatever I put on the table. I had to accept that we were in a new season of homeschooling. I had to acknowledge that my kids were growing up and had developed their own interests. They had their own strengths and weaknesses. They were ready to let go of some anchors in our days that I was clinging to for dear life. Anchors that I thought were required to have a “good” or “productive” homeschool. Continue reading »
Should I Continue Homeschooling: Hard Education Choices
The yellow legal pad had a line down the middle: the pros and cons of homeschooling were written on opposite sides of the blue-inked vertical line. Not content with that, I flipped to the next page and drew another line down the middle: pros of public school to the left and cons of school to the right. Continue reading »
Government Class (High School)
American government class requirements don't need to be based on dry curriculum. Try this activities approach to earning US government credits for high school. Continue reading »
Holiday Crafts with Kids
Holidays offer such a wonderful opportunity for crafting and creating. Thoughtfully handmade decorations and gifts always seem to have a willing recipient or admirer, and there is something special about creating something that will be seen and enjoyed by others. Whether you are someone for whom crafting comes naturally or someone who wants to find a way to make more creative opportunities for your children, there are many ways to weave crafts and activities into the holiday season. Continue reading »
Finding Friends at Homeschool Park Days
Want to meet other homeschoolers? Park day is the activity that has the lowest barrier to entry for new homeschooling families. Here are some hints for joining in. Continue reading »
Poetry, Percentages, and Pups
Do you want to boost your children's learning? Homeschooling with your dog can work wonders. The beauty of homeschooling is the freedom to learn anywhere, any time, and alongside your favorite pup. Kids and dogs share a strong bond. Continue reading »
Learning with the Olympics
I'm cautious about twisting every interesting thing into a "learning opportunity" that can turn off otherwise interested kids, but the Olympic Games are compelling, and your kids will probably want to know more.
Watching actual competitions on television or via internet is surely the hook. Competition is its own drama, and the personal stories of athletes who have trained for so many years are interesting.
But with the 2016 Olympics in Rio set for August 5 - 21, what are some good resources for additional learning? Continue reading »
Finding Community as a Homeschooler
Have you wondered about how best to find other homeschoolers in your area? Here are some suggestions for where to look. Continue reading »
You Decided to Start Homeschooling. Now What?
When you've suddenly taken your kids out of school to homeschool, there is a long list of things to do, and it all seems like it needs to be done quickly so your kids won't be behind.
When you start homeschooling, one often overlooked aspect -- especially if you hadn't planned to homeschool -- is the need for you and your child to come to terms with the school experience and the reasons you find yourself homeschooling.
To help you process the big change that comes with suddenly starting homeschooling, I recommend this... Continue reading »
8 Questions to Ask When Starting a Homeschool Co-op
Homeschool co-ops work well as part of the educational landscape of some families. However, you may not be able to find an existing co-op that is near enough your home to be practical, or it may not meet the academic, creative, or social goals you have for a co-op. The other problem may be that there is a flourishing co-op nearby, but the co-op is full and has a waiting list.
You can organize a new homeschool co-op yourself, and these 8 questions will help you decide the best way to do so. Continue reading »
Talking To Your Teen About College Debt
I'm a fan of natural consequences, but sometimes the lessons are too big - with consequences that last a lifetime - for the maturity level of the child. One such example is when a child wants to take on significant debt in the form of college loans. Most 17 year old high school students do not have the life experience to be able to understand the impact that taking on tens of thousands of dollars in debt will have on their lives.
While I encourage young adults to have freedom in making their own decisions, wise and carefully presented parental input is imperative in this issue. Most people would never consider advising a 17-18 year old to purchase a $80K house with payments deferred for 4 years (and a home loan has collateral -- if you go into default, they foreclose and the debt is gone), yet are comfortable with student loans that have even more of a financial impact. Continue reading »
Ask Jeanne: Speech Delay and Reading Comprehension
My question is this: in your opinion would speech delay in a child directly affect the child's ability to comprehend and read simultaneously - meaning, the ability to read words is good, however the understanding while reading seems to be disconnected. My little girl is turning 6 at the end of the month and although had a speech delay which was identified at 3, she is now within the "normal" spectrum ... translated as: her speech and language therapist says she has caught up with her peers but still has some pronunciation issues. Continue reading »
Instead of Curriculum: Lies and Statistics
One of my favorite "instead of curriculum" titles is the book Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists by Joel Best.
This book is a great book for your high schooler to read. While it can be paired with a traditional study of statistics, it also works well on its own for kids who need to understand statistics from either a consumer point of view or for fact-checking research or stories in the media. Continue reading »
What Curriculum Should I Use For My 4 Year Old?
You don't need a formal curriculum for your preschooler. The best way for small children to learn is through play. We have some ideas to encourage your preschooler's love of learning. Continue reading »
Two Vital Factors for Homeschooling Teens
The teenaged years are actually the most rewarding of the homeschooling years. That's what we've found with our four homeschooled kids. And that's what I was told by many of the 110 families I interviewed for my book Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything. People in Ireland, Australia, India, and the U.S. described coming to this realization in similar ways. Their concerns about helping a young child master the basics or their struggles to find the right homeschooling style gradually resolved. Parents grew to trust the process of learning much more completely and, perhaps as a result, they saw their children mature into capable and self-directed young people. Continue reading »
Kids Blogging Unit Studies
What do you get when your child combines a unit study and notebooking with a blog? You get the homeschool version of a Virtual Learning Environment (a fancy way of saying learning that is enhanced by the Internet). In my role as a homeschool evaluator in Virginia, I teach about and encourage other uses of blogs—most commonly as documentation of learning—a blogfolio or electronic portfolio. The two uses are slightly different, because the blog as a portfolio is an evaluation tool (to be used by "others"), and the blog as an online unit study—a virtual homeschooling notebooking project—is actually a learning tool (used by the learner). Of course, sometimes there is a cross-over.
How to Start Homeschooling: Tips for Deschooling
For children who are starting homeschooling after an experience in a traditional school setting, deschooling is an important part of the transition. Here's how to start homeschooling after a traditional school experience with tips for deschooling. Continue reading »
The Homeschool Parent-Teacher Conference
My first t-shirt as a homeschooling parent proclaimed, "Don't bother me. I'm having a parent-teacher conference."
This expressed well my initial thoughts about the roles of mother and teacher while homeschooling. I could see my "teacher self" talking to my "mother self," echoing the familiar adult roles in education that involves public school...
Past my first few months of homeschooling more than a decade and a half ago, I have not separated a "teacher self" from my "mom self." At the same time, I found it was important for me to set boundaries of time and space that made my family function well. Continue reading »
What Have You Done for Homeschooling Lately?
Chances are you have benefited from homeschoolers who have gone before you. They have started homeschool organizations, lobbied to keep homeschooling free and legal, blogged thousands of the ever popular "day in the life of a homeschooler" posts, organized conferences, published homeschooling magazines, arranged park days, started geography clubs, shared curriculum ideas, and written homeschool help books. How can you pay it forward?
Continue reading »
Balancing Homeschooling and Working Full Time or Part Time
"Can I work full or part time and homeschool my kids? What has worked for people?" Many Oak Meadow families responded with their own stories and helpful tips about what has worked for them.
They recognize that finding balance is a work in progress, requiring flexibility and patience, determination, and a sense of humor! Here are some tips to help you move forward with your decision to homeschool while working outside the home. Continue reading »
Our Favorite Homeschooling Christmas Tradition
It’s like fall comes and then… Boom! You’re getting ready for Christmas. Now, I’m certain that many of you homeschoolers out there already have your December homeschool-worthy Christmas plans in the works before Thanksgiving rolls around, and, well...yay for you. Me? The thought of Christmas plans doesn’t usually seriously cross my mind until the turkey Continue reading »
Reading, Writing, and Rhythm
A new year has arrived for our homeschool co-op, and I'm delighted to have a new bunch of kids to write with. Last year, I led ongoing weekly writing workshops for our high schoolers and middle schoolers. This quarter, I get to work with our elementary age writers. This gave me a chance to get started with my unorthodox approach to helping kids with their writing. Continue reading »