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 »
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 »
10 Things I’d LOVE to share with New Homeschoolers So here we are, just you and me. For the moment, my 4 youngest boys are all wonderfully occupied and I thought I would write to you, the new homeschooler. (if you are a seasoned homeschooler, please read and then add your 2 cents at the end of this article). What Advice Would I Give a New Homeschooler? Here is my top ten list of Unsolicited Tips and Encouragement from Me to You… … 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 »
What does a Penny have to do with Homeschool Survival? Have you ever tried to put a penny on train tracks? We used to joke about living in a town quoted by Bugs Bunny. Apparently, this little town was where “Goldilocks was serving time for breaking and entering”. Ah, Tehachapi, Ca. A friend made up this little giggler to help his kids say the name of our little town: Q-“Why did the chicken sit on a pea pod?” A-“To Hatch a Pea!” … 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 »
Homeschool Conference 2018: Right at your Kitchen Table Inside: a personal invite to a homeschool conference in your yoga pants! About 20 years ago, five homeschool moms jumped into a van and went on a journey to our first homeschooling convention. Leaving behind husbands, babies, and small children we were convinced we needed this conference to set us up for success in our school year. … 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.
Copywork, Dictation and Narration for Homeschool Success It just makes sense. If you want to become an expert at anything, find an expert and do what they do. By following this advice I’ve learned to: braid my hair by copying MissySue improve my blogging my following my blog instructor better my cooking skills by mimicking Ree Drummond teach with success by Homeschooling God’s way … Read More »
Wow! When Kids Have a Chance to Shine it’s AMAZING What does it look like when you’re kids find their passion? https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/kids-finding-passions.mp4 As a homeschooler, you want to give your kids a solid foundation in their education and expose them to all kinds of experiences until they find their passion. But exactly what does it look like when they are doing what they are meant to do? It looks the same for everyone. Something switches “on” they lose all their insecurities and they light up. … Read More »
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 »
DIY Trophy for Kiddos: Guaranteed to Bring a Smile! Don’t you LOVE it when you surprise yourself? Just yesterday, he standing in front of the tv mimicking the moves of his favorite Veggie superhero Larry Boy. Today, he left his teens in the dust. I guess I blinked. … 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 »
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 »
{2 Days Only!} How Busy Moms Make Time for Themselves BEST advice: Choose the workshop that speaks MOST to you today. The last thing you need is to overload your brain:) Choice 1: TODAY Workshop description: How Busy Moms Make Time for Themselves (4 strategies for ditching the guilt and making it happen) with Rachel Norman. Date & time: April 9th at 7pm ET Today ONLY!! Registration link: https://us154.isrefer.com/go/maketimeforyou/a10678/ Choice#2 Tuesday AM Workshop description: Making Time for Your Health (4 steps for seamlessly weaving healthy habits into your busy day) with Jen Hoffman. Date & time: April 10th at 11am ET Registration link: https://us154.isrefer.com/go/maketimeforhealth/a10678/ Choice #3 Tuesday Afternoon Workshop description: Finding God in Your Busy Day (creative ways to grow your faith when you don’t have time for devotions) with Jami Balmet Date & time: April 10th at 4pm ET Registration link: https://us154.isrefer.com/go/maketimeforGod/a10678/
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.
Childhood Should be Filled with Joy, Imagination, and WONDER Inside: 6 Questions every parent, teacher, and homeschooler should ask themselves about their kids. It’s 1976. I am super excited to go to my Kindergarten class today! Mrs. House is the best teacher ever. My friend Shelley and I sit next to each other in circle time as the class sings songs and talk about what is a good nutritious breakfast. Mrs. House isn’t too happy that I had a cup of coffee again today! I’m sure she will talk to mom again later! When mom picks me up from the bus stop, I start talking. … Read More »
Free! Super Charged Science Experiments for Homeschoolers Like all great scientific discoveries, this one was an accident. On a whim, I signed our three very different sons up for an online science class. I was skeptical, but not enough to hide my email address. … Read More »
Your Ultimate Community of Homeschooling Supporters Let’s stop trying to be perfect homeschoolers and realize that we need each other on this crazy journey. Okay? photo by Lisa Fotios Come here: When you’re at your wit’s end and need advice from someone who’s been there. When you’re having a hard day and just need to know you’re not alone. For ideas, tips, and lesson plans. When your kid does something unbearably sweet, incredibly brilliant and you don’t want to annoy all your Facebook friends by gushing. … Read More »