Making homeschool decisions easy
The prospect of getting homeschooled kids into university can seem quite frightening. I was recently talking with a mom who is going to do online public school so that her children will have ‘the right courses’ to enter university. She was cheerfully determined to follow this course, so I didn’t try to dissuade her, but really, it’s not necessary. Instead, she could have continued the
The resource I’m sharing this month isn’t actually curriculum, but it is helping me with the home part of homeschooling. I’ve tried various chore charts, including one with tabs and tokens and hooks. It was a good idea, but it was so complicated I quickly tired of it. Then set up a filing box divided by task frequency: daily, weekly, monthly. That, too, worked for
One of our favorite educational tools is lapbooking. Whether we create the traditional lapbook in a file folder or put the pieces on cardstock in a notebook, we love recording the things we learn in a lapbook. We have created our own lapbooks, found free lapbooks online, and bought lapbook files from several companies. The newest lapbook my eight year old, Makayla, has completed is
Apologia’s Exploring Creation with General Science has been a perfect fit for our son, Nathanael, who’s in the eighth grade (age 13/14) this year. It is the first course of the Exploring Creation with… upper level Creation-based science curriculum series written by former University Professor, Dr. Jay Wile, especially for homeschool students. Here’s a description of the course from Apologia’s website: This course is designed
The Well Planned Day is this homeschooling mother’s dream! I have searched high and low for a complete, comprehensive planner that offered both homeschooling and household planning in once space, without a zillion separate forms. I was thrilled when I stumbled upon the Well Planned Day. The planner is created by “Home Educating Family” which offers three different planners, depending on the needs and ages
I like to fancy myself an organized mom. But I must admit that I am not. I have good intentions but they don’t always materialize. I came across a book that has helped me think I could actually get my act together. Homeschooling at the Speed of Life, by Marilyn Rockett, is currently my favorite book on this topic. There are a TON of books
Being a mother of five, I am often asked how I manage our homeschooling day. Some are just curious and others are hoping to see if there is anything that we do differently that might help them manage their day. Each family functions differently, and each mother desires a smooth-running home. But the consistant theme that I have seen with unhappy homeschool mothers is that
Something I always recommend to new homeschoolers is to write a family mission statement. The value of a mission statement for a new homeschooling family is irreplaceable. I also strongly believe that Mom and Dad need to sit down apart from each other (or vow not to peek) and write separate lists of what is important to them. Then, convene together and take the time
