The Beauty of the Perfect Picture Book at the Right Moment Inside: A familiar tool to help you when your kids fail in school, at home, or in life. I hate the word pissed. I mean really hate it. It is too harsh, too negative, and downright gross. Yet, in this case, it’s the only word I can use to describe how my sister felt. I had royally pissed her off. What made it so bad, was that I was clueless. One day, we were laughing and talking, the next day she cut me off completely. I spent months trying to figure out why she never answered her phone and was never home. I thought she was simply busy. Boy, was I wrong! … Read More »
Letting Teens Go Too Soon= Disaster By the time our kids reach high school, we can bend to the pressure to “let them go” and “cut the cords”. photo by Erik Scheel Teenagers need the help, guidance, and strength of their parents even more than toddlers do. The transition from middle- schooler to adulthood is like running a medieval gauntlet. … Read More »
Simple Advent Activities that Add Holiday Spirit to Teaching Inside: Christmas and Winter Wrapped into Learning Activities Snow begs to be played in, candy canes plead to be enjoyed, and kids refuse to focus… Crazy Snowman Photo by Matteo Paganelli Sounds like the holidays to me. If you thought is was hard to get your kid’s attention during Thanksgiving, wait until you try during Christmas! I always switch to holiday themed activities during the holidays. Beginning today, let’s snuggle with our kids and slow down. In the flurry of decorations, shopping, and potential holiday madness we need to take the time to share “what really matters” with our kids. … Read More »
Advent Activities 15 Advent and Christmas Activities Math and Reading 3rd-5th Grade Are You ready for Advent? 5 Advent readings for you to use in your weekly Christmas activities, or as your family advent devotionals. 3 language activities using vocabulary from the history of Jesus’ birth. 4 fun math activities that are Jesus/Christmas focused. I made this pack specifically for my fourth grader, but the older kids are already begging to do some of the activities. I have included an advent calendar and a Countdown to Christmas Chain. We always write “prayer requests” and “thanksgiving to God” on our chains. Each day as we tear off a link, we thank god for a specific blessing or lift up family and friends in prayer. The kids love this!! Hope you enjoy this activity pack! Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
What to Give Your Teen After an Epic Failure By the time our kids reach high school, we will be tempted to “let them go” and “cut the cords”. But don’t. My son stood before the crowd. He looked sharp. Before leaving for the speech competition, he discovered how to create the coolest known knot for his tie by searching YouTube. Sharp. Poised. Confident. Ready to win this competition. … Read More »
I have Three Gifts for You THREE is the “Magic Number” I have three gifts for you and a friend!🎁 Watch me unwrap YOUR goodies!!!👇👇 🎁Gift #1 (expired) https://bit.ly/2DQSS4x 🎁🎁Gift #2 a chance to win (Expired) https://bit.ly/2raMpKn 🎁🎁🎁Gift #3 Surprise (still available!!) https://bit.ly/2r9m3rZ Who needs these?!? Homeschooling with Confidence {free}
6 Advent Countdown Ideas: Start Now! I love the holidays! I love our Lord Jesus with all my heart and it simply makes my heart skip a beat that, at this time of year, I can celebrate His coming in creative and unique ways. As a homeschooler, I have to confess that I have an incredibly difficult time focusing on traditional studies during the holidays. I’m simply too distracted by HIM to get too wrapped up in anything else! While we will “do school” we will absolutely spend too much time doing other things… And that is just the way it is:). While I will incorporate “school” ideas soon enough, I want to let you know that if you are like me, distracted by the blinking lights and nativities… It’s OK! Actually, it fantastic. … Read More »
3 Insanely Simply Secrets to Teaching Kids to Write Inside: Simple Secrets to teaching kids to write plus 44 Writing Ideas and a tool to help take the guesswork out of grading writing. There I was, trapped in the back of the car, seatbelted and wind-whipped. I was terrified because the teenage jerk behind the wheel thought it was hilarious to speed down the road at over 100 miles an hour. Out of control, scared and trapped, I tried everything but couldn’t get him to slow down. … Read More »
7 Thanksgiving Science Experiments Kids love science experiments. Me, not so much. I do not know what my problem with science activities is, but I tend to leave them for the end and then run out of time. Thanksgiving week is a perfect time to have a science experiment bonanza! Why not? Why only 7? That’s all I can even think about tackling during a holiday week. I am hoping to get to at least 2:) Drum roll once again… My Top 7 List of “Kid Friendly and Mother Approved” Science Experiments. Solid, Liquid Gas Balloons I am thrilled to have found Ms. Liz’s site and am anxious to do this one with my boys! What a fun way to demonstrate the properties of solids, liquids, and gases! The Domino Effect I have to admit, my boys need very little motivation to set up a fantastic domino display. I guess I never thought about the science behind this fun activity. Jameson’s lab does a great job of helping us set our kids up for science and fun! What’s That Cloud? I love this one! While I have always loved saying big-hard to pronounce words, like cumulonimbus, I never could keep the clouds straight. Smmart Ideas has a brilliant way to teach your kiddo’s (and mine) how to identify the various types of clouds… Make a cloud categorize. Brilliant. Follow the link for the directions. Make your own Electromagnet I totally remember making one of these in the 3rd or 4th grade! I of course, could not remember how it was done, so I am so thankful for The Organized Classroom Blog for coming to my rescue. Follow the link for step by step instructions. Be sure to use the cute mini book! Make Music with Water This one from Prekinders speaks for itself. What does it say? Fun! Are Mittens Warm? This one is more up my alley because it has a literature connection. I love Jan Brett’s The Mitten. Get her book and read it to your kiddos, then do the simple and fun activity that Classroom Freebies put together for us! Mad Scientist Potions I stumbled upon this one at Babble. Too fun! With a little dry ice, you will look like a scientific genius! Have Scienc-y Fun this Thanksgiving! More Thanksgiving Activities Here Thanksgiving Math, Reading, Science Activities for 3rd Grade 30 Thanksgiving Activities, Crafts, and Games for K-2nd Grade 21 Thanksgiving Math Activities for Kindergarten 4 Thanksgiving Jokes Solved with Divisibility Fall Math and Literacy Super Bundle- Grades K-2 Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
5 Magic Steps to Rescue Your Mind During Homeschool Inside: 5 Things you can do today to conquer your homeschooling frustration. (This content may contain affiliate links) Somedays are so hard we pack a backpack and run away. Photo by Jeremy Bishop Have you ever seen those old carnival performers that spin plates on poles? To be awesome at this trick, you must: · Spin a plate fast and place it on the end of a pole. Keep it spinningAdd more plates on poles. Keep all plates spinning: the more plates spinning the better Oh no! Plate one begins to wobble. … Read More »
Should I Homeschool: Am I a Good Enough Teacher to Homeschool My Kids? I wrestle with feelings of insecurity when it comes to homeschooling our boys. Sometimes I wonder if I am the best teacher for my children… Am I alone? Last week I picked up the novel my son was reading to help him with comprehension. He is reading Call it Courage. As I read the first chapter I realized that this book was not about a boy’s struggle with war. (That’s right! I never even noticed the cover) Good Lord, help my children! … Read More »
Your Boring School Day Gets a Magic Makeover Just by changing the way you present your homeschool “to-do’s”! {Yes, this works great in a classroom as well!} On a whim, I declared it a no screen day. Our sons looked a bit stunned because most of their school work needs a screen of some kind to complete. “Finish breakfast, do a few chores and meet me at the table in an hour,” I said as I waved off their questions. … Read More »
How to Unpack Your Curriculum and Keep Your Smile Inside: a Guide to help you unpack your curriculum and plan your school year It’s finally here!! All the math, language, history and science curriculum I need to teach the boys next year. If it were edible, my mouth would be watering. “Just yesterday” I was seven, playing school with my little sisters. Sitting in our classroom made of stuffed animals, coloring books, and crayons, I was the best teacher on the planet. I explained, lectured, and inspired those wild little girls to earn their Ph.D.’s of play-school and loved every second of it. It was one of my favorite games. A bazillion years later, I’m still playing school. Homeschool Moms LOVE to Plan Curriculum. We even jump through a few hoops before we settle on a plan. Attending conferences Listening to homeschool moms at the park Calling all the homeschool moms we know and picking their brains Looking for the best homeschool group on Facebook Spending countless hours online researching Unschooling, Charlotte Mason, Eclectic and all the other styles of homeschooling. Which one is best, right, wrong, do-able? Pulling out hair out as we realize we have a lot to learn, but refusing to give in to overwhelm. Related reading: Top 8 Homeschool Methods With all the choices available, we devote our hearts, souls and a little sweat and tears to finding the perfect mix of resources to teach our kids. And then we click that magic BUY button and wait. Thank you Amazon Prime! Free shipping and everything will be here soon! Related: So, God Made You a Homeschool Mom The anticipation of the new school year is wonderful as we daydream about clean, decluttered, and peaceful homes obedient children snuggled at our feet listening attentively to a read-alouds and skipping joyfully to the kitchen table to do math assignments little faces with twinkling eyes and eager hungry minds. We just KNOW it’s gonna be an incredible year! We walk away from our computers with a smile of confidence and life moves forward. You’ve got this! Until you don’t… The baby is teething, your four-year-old refuses to wear anything but her fairy princess wings, rubber boots, and a sparkly tiara, and your 12-year old thinks this obnoxious t-shirt, weird pool floaty, and book make the perfect gift for your hubby’s birthday. Funny thing is he’s probably right. He did technically follow your rule of: something to read something to wear something fun I guess you can be thankful he forgot the Squatty-potty! Related: Survival Tips for living with a 12-year-old son A blink in time and a few weeks of swimming lessons later, the doorbell rings and the friendly UPS driver asks for your signature on that fancy little pad of hers. She kindly places the 3 huge boxes just inside the door for you since you obviously have your hands full with a fussy baby. You can’t wait. At naptime, you begin to crack open the boxes. So much excitement. So much anticipation. So. Many. Things… You keep reaching in and pulling out more, and more, and more. Textbooks Workbooks Extension activities Teachers manuals Solution keys The first box is endless. Sweat begins to bead on your forehead and your heart begins to race as panic hits. “How the heck do I turn all of this stuff into a fun, exciting, enriching education?” Whether you bought a prepackaged kit, pulled resources from the library, or received a hand-me-down box of goodies, the feelings about a new homeschool year, adventures and curriculum are universal. Excitement. The fantasies about how amazing the next homeschool year will be float around in our peach colored mind. Nervousness. Can I really teach all these subjects without messing up my child’s education? Overwhelm. Wow, where do I start? Panic. Forget it, this is way too hard Resolve. “I guess I need to figure this out all on my own.” In the first couple years of homeschooling, I learned a trick that’s helped me get familiar with a new curriculum, find it’s core and create a plan of attack for teaching all with a smile on my face. (I even unboxed a new curriculum LIVE on Facebook to show you what it looks like) There is no right or wrong way to homeschool, no perfect curriculum, no perfect system…just your way. Unfortunately, it may take a while for you to settle on the “right blend” of goals, expectations, textbooks, curriculum, activities, and coffee. Don’t you wish there was a magic wand to help you? I dropped my magic wand somewhere between my make-believe classroom of stuffed animals and my adult life steeped in boys, Legos, and high hopes. But, I did find a way that makes unpacking and organizing curriculum that helps homeschoolers prepare for their school year, even if they’ve been teaching for years like me. I even made a handy little printable. I am always on the hunt for excellent resources to help me along in my own homeschool journey, and then I condense them down to the best of the best to pass them on to others. When I came home with 4 big boxes of curriculum, I was elated. Another veteran homeschooler called me to say, “I have everything you need to teach high school, you should swing by and take your pick!” She wasn’t kidding! After a few wonderful hours of visiting and talking about kids, health, life, and homeschool I drove away with everything I need to teach math, history, science, and language for the upcoming school year. Then I did something crazy. I did a LIVE facebook video to demonstrate how I approach a new set of curriculum. It was uncut, unedited, and unscripted… But so necessary to show mamas that even veteran homeschoolers get overwhelmed by a big stack of possibilities and need to take a few steps to dig down to the core and develop a plan. 4 Steps to Getting to Know Your Curriculum Work on One Subject and Grade at a time {Grab your complete guide here} #1 Find the main Textbook/Workbook Dig into the box and find the core piece of curriculum: Example the Student Textbook. Open to the table of contents: Ask Your self: How many Chapters or Units? What do I already know? Which topics do I need to study? And now, I’m hungry for more. #2 Table of Contents Using the Table of Contents as a guide, complete the Ways to Explore Worksheet #3 Organize and Activities Organization for step 4. You’re gonna need a way to store and organize your 2-6 weeks of ideas {Examples in the guide} pick and choose activities and resources for each subject’s “unit” or chapter #4 Planner Fill up your lesson planner, files, and student planners! 2-6 weeks at a time. I still have history, science, and language to explore, but my educational tummy is rumbling. You can find those Unboxing videos at https://www.facebook.com/ABetterWayToHomeschool/videos/ I just love this part of homeschooling, don’t you! Links for you: 4 easy steps to getting to know your curriculum {printable} Video Demonstration on facebook as I unbox 2 levels of math White elephant gift set: Shirt, book, pool float, and stool Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets. Enroll in the sneak peek class here.
Father’s Day Craft My dad slowly eyeballed the construction-paper arm. He clipped the threads that held it together and unfolded the flaps. He untied the string that held the accordion folded paper together. When unfolded, the card was a get well greeting from his little girl. Dad had carpel tunnel surgery on his wrist, and my get well card was a mock up of the surgery. He had to remove “stitches” and release the “nerves” to reveal my note. He loved it. Dads appreciate creativity as much as moms, they just do not get to experience it as often. … Read More »
How to Master the Art of Communication .inside: a seat for your kids to help them with communicating! My 14-year old looked at me with huge eyes. He took a deep breath, “mom…” “I was in the middle of talking with a girl. She’s a friend. She smiled and chatted. And I got more and more awkward. I couldn’t figure out what to say. I could feel the blood draining from my face and I started sweating. I knew I needed to walk away, so I said, “you’re creepy.” … Read More »
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A Simple Solution for Internet Safety: WebProtectMe Funny how life and parenting weave together. It was a beautiful chilly day. We had decided to take a hike along the windy and wild Kern River. Such a wonderful day. Right up to the moment that our son fell into the water. … Read More »
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WOW! The Read-Aloud Family is Here! Did You get Yours? “Connecting deeply with our kids can be difficult in our busy, technology-driven lives. Reading aloud offers us a chance to be fully present with our children. It also increases our kids’ academic success, inspires compassion, and fortifies them with the inner strength they need to face life’s challenges. As Sarah Mackenzie has found with her own six children, reading aloud long after kids are able to read to themselves can deepen relationships in a powerful way.” Ok, I haven’t been this excited about a book in a long time. I ordered my copy months ago, and I’ve been stalking the mailbox waiting and waiting and waiting. Because everything Sarah Shares is THAT good. If you are looking to: create a book culture at home master the art of conversation become a literary matchmaker find a master list of books for all ages Then, I highly recommend grabbing a copy. Since gleaning wisdom on the Read Aloud Revival website, I have revamped our whole reading environment at home. The results? The boys devour stories Fall in love with characters Soak up history Absorb vocabulary naturally. Here’s a glimpse into the wonderful world of reading with Sarah Mackenzie. {listen here} So click on the link to the right, and reserve your copy. I believe you will never regret it! Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets. Enroll in the sneak peek class here.
Product Checklist Free Printable Product Checklist Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets. Enroll in the sneak peek class here.