At the beginning of the summer I installed a countdown application on my cell phone. I set the app to count down the number of days until we begin school again in September. I thought that by regularly seeing the number of days remaining in our summer vacation each time that I looked at my phone, I…
Choosing a curriculum can seem like a daunting task, but sometimes the task is not even necessary. Before learning about and entering the world of homeschooling, my son attended a public preschool for a few hours each week. I thought that's what you were “supposed” to do when your child reached a certain age. Sure, he already…
So, the school year is officially over in our home and I’m already thinking about next year. It seems I’m not alone because in the past week two moms have asked me about curriculum choices. In particular, they were both asking about online courses. This has been on my mind lately as well. How do I choose an appropriate online class or curriculum for our homeschool? (more…)
As the school year winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on the overall health of your homeschool. How are you doing? How are your kids doing? It’s also a good time to think about the decisions that you’ve made this year. How many of those decisions were made out of fear? (more…)
As I sat and listened to each of the children read their short stories, I was amazed. These kids had excellent writing skills. It didn’t take long for my enjoyment and wonder to turn to negativity as my inner critic emerged. “My kids can’t write like that,” I thought, “I must be a failure.” Oh, how quickly the enemy creeps in! (more…)
As spring sets in, thoughts about finishing the school year may surface. This is a great time to refocus and look toward the finish. This may be a source of excitement or stress. Are you on track? Are you frustrated with the school year? (more…)
One of my goals in homeschooling is to encourage my children to become lifelong learners. I desire that my kids pursue their interests and learn continually throughout their lives. Completing an independent study is a great way for students to learn about something outside of their regular curriculum or to expand on a topic that they have learned. (more…)
The new year brings with it the promise of a fresh start. We make goals and write resolutions. We edit lesson plans and evaluate our students’ progress. Then, we forge full-steam ahead into the new year convinced that our efforts will be fruitful. But, what happens before winter’s end? (more…)
Through the years, I have found that the way I approach choosing curriculum has changed. When my children were young, I used a thematic unit study approach to teach most of their subjects. It required some research on my part, but it was a simple strategy. It provided for many opportunities to expand on topics and follow…
More often than not, the holiday season comes and goes in a whirlwind with activities and events that seem to fill every available hour. In some homeschools, schoolwork takes a back seat until January. Instead of carrying on with traditional assignments, time is spent on making crafts for gift giving or preparing special meals. But, is this ok? Should we feel remorse if we take “time off” from homeschooling to focus on the holidays? You will need to answer that question for yourself, but I suggest that if you’re struggling with an answer right now, then you need to think about what homeschooling means to you. (more…)