Tag Archives: home learning

Let me introduce myself… and my family!

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summer homeschool

Over the past two years, we’ve been sharing a wealth of information about homeschooling here at MomSCHOOL. I appreciate the comments that you have made and hope that I have

been able to answer your questions! I like to think of all of you as my online friends. So, just between friends… I’d like to introduce you to my family.

My husband of twenty years and I have six children. We started homeschooling in 2004, and just recently graduated our oldest daughter. Homeschooling is probably the most rewarding task I have taken on… but it is also the most challenging! I am a veteran school teacher of 14 years, I also have 3 college degrees… all that to say that homeschooling is still challenging even for the educated parent. Again, though challenging it is vastly rewarding! I encourage you, even if you haven’t gone to college or even finished high school you can homeschool. If you are intimidated, there are great resources out there that do all the hard work for you. Many of them are video based or online homeschool programs, but each of them make it a simple task to homeschool your child.

We have six children ages 17, 15, 12, 12, 8, and 6. Needless to say our house is always busy, always crazy, and we are always headed to the grocery store! I retired from teaching when w

e made the decision to homeschool all of our children. It was a good decision, and though I still tutor and teach college courses… we never looked back! My husband works for a local charter school and is a great supporter and encourager of our homeschool endeavors!

When we started out, we used an “out of the box” curriculum called ABEKA. We simply ordered the entire thing for the grades we needed. We did this simply because this was the curriculum I was used to as a teacher and what I had used when I was in school. This is an awesome curriculum, and one that is very challenging. However, not every child does well with this curriculum, and it isn’t the easiest to use for a large family. Those first two years were pretty insane. I was trying to homeschool at 5 different levels as well as care for a toddler. It wasn’t working to say the least! I finally stumbled across a few options that were great for large families. One of the best was Vocabulary and Spelling City. This online program allowed me to put each of my  different students in their own account with their own individual assignments that would be automatically tracked by the program. This one resource saved me hours each week!

The second homeschooling resource that I fell in love with was Apologia. I began using this curriculum (one book) for all of my elementary level students, and an individual book for my highschool student. It worked great. I could augment the curriculum with additional assignments for the older students while requiring a lap book for the younger ones. All of this with only one well written science text geared specifically for homeschoolers! It was getting better and better!

I have used a variety of curriculum over the years, some written for homeschool and some not. We typically have a blended schedule each year, finding the best curriculum to meet the varying needs of each of my children. In fact, I might use Saxon for one of my children in 5th grade and then use Singapore Math for another child when they reach 5th grade. I try to monitor their likes and dislikes, passions and interests, and then fire them up with homeschool curriculum that targets those strengths.

I have to say that with each new year, I learn more about my children and homeschooling. I hope that if you are “on the fence” about homeschooling… our blog may help you see what a great blessing it is!

Bridging the Gaps!

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summer learningEveryone has struggles now and again… even the best of homeschoolers. So, don’t let it get you down if your kids have a few learning gaps.  I know when I find out my children have a few weak areas it really gets me down.  There isn’t any one else to point your finger at and say – Why? There is only yourself and your thoughts of “What could I have done different?”  I have been there many times, but I realized that it happens. The question is, now that we know there are some issues… what are we going to do about it?

Summer is the perfect time to bridge those gaps in your child’s learning. If you found that they have weak areas as a result of a standardized test, then most of your work is already done for you. You simply need to take the test and find the sub sets where your child scored low. You can focus on those particular areas during the summer to try to strengthen the areas that were troublesome.

I like to do this with my own children each summer. Yet, I personally also like to have the summer as a time for me to recoup and refresh myself. If I can’t recover and refill my mother’s heart I will be of no use. I seriously use the summer to do that. That doesn’t mean that my kids get off scott free with no schooling. Ohhh… no way! I have tried to find ways that they can still get the remedial work they need without it stressing me out or requiring much thought on my part. I love to use online summer programs that fit the areas that were troublesome especially homeschool science.  I set it up on each of their computers that the favorites bar on their browser has all the link to the summer review programs that I want them to use. This allows them to individually access these websites without asking me for help. Granted, they don’t do school everyday, but they do it whenever they are bored or it is raining! I look at it as automated summer homeschooling!

What do you do to help your kiddos bridge their gaps during the summer?

Carnival of Homeschooling – Spring Refreshment Edition

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homeschool encouragement

I don’t know if you are anything like me, but as a homeschooling mom of six… there are times that I just need a bit of refreshment. Schoolwork becomes overwhelming, housework becomes tedious, and patience runs thin… it is then that I know I need to get my “cup filled” back up. How can I continue to give to my children and my family when my cup is empty. Frankly, it’s nearly impossible. That’s where these carnival of homeschooling editions come in. There have been so many times that I have felt exhausted and my homeschool motivation level way past E… that I’ve opened up one of these Homeschool Carnival blog posts and have found refreshment and encouragement in so many areas of my life. It is my hope and goal to return the favor for each of you this week. I hope that somewhere in the posts of this blog carnival you will find the refreshment, motivation, inspiration, or just plain old laughter that will help you get through the next few months of school! It really is so great when the homeschool community helps each other…


So, sit back, relax… and get your cup filled today…

Sometimes refreshing can come in different forms. There are times when I can read a fellow homeschool mom’s blog post and immediately I can see that I am not alone in this daily struggle to make sure my children go forward and not backward. At other times, just hearing about a new curriculum can give me hope that it might possibly be the one that will help us turn the corner! In any case, I hope that these posts inspire you with a breath of fresh air…

homeschool tipsLaura Grace Weldon gives us a new perspective on Respecting a Child’s Urge to Discover in her blog post about encouraging our children to discover on their own.

Dewey’s Tree House reminds us of some great time tested homeschooling “tools” in Tools of an Old Homeschool Mom: “Key to” Math and more.

Remember, You Are Not Alone! is a great post by the Read Aloud Dad… he encourages us to keep up the “good work” of reading to our children daily!

Here’s something that was fresh for me… Dorothy Sayers and the Lost Tools of Learning by Petticoat Government present a different perspective on how to compare the study of math and science at home to this book.

Sometimes we can see the “big picture” when we look at the pros and cons of something… The Drawbacks of Homeschooling is presented this week by Letters from Nebby.

How we teach affects how our children learn… The Thinking Mother encourages us to …Stop Telling Students, “Said is Dead.”

New Curriculum ideas are another great way to add some freshness to your homeschool. Just because it’s spring doesn’t mean you can’t start something new! In fact, that may be “just what the doctor ordered.”

Online Education for Kids submits a post delineating all the homeschool greats… in their post The Super Heroes of Elementary Homeschool Curriculum.

A great way to get a fresh perspective is to get outside! Gardening – Project Based Learning You Can Eat!  is a great blog post by the Time4Learning Community Blog to encourage you to do just that!

I love to look at making plans for next year and Homeschool vs. Public School encourages us to do so with their post Homeschool Plans for Next Year by giving us a glimpse of unschooling.

DenSchool provides much needed inspiration in her post about a March Homeschooler of the Month. You can read about this achievement and learn how to submit an entry for another Homeschooler of the Month award!

Fill Your Bookshelf has a great idea for a new unit study, read her post John James Audubon unit study and see if your family might like to try this!

homeschooling

Sometimes refreshment just has to come through taking a look at things that are bigger than ourselves and even our homeschool. Sometimes it just takes a word from a friend… I often realize that my struggles are very small in light of what so many others have to face. Getting a look at the “bigger pictures” often cures our frustration with the little things!

Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness really makes it plain on how we can “finish the race” well in their post, Don’t Be Blue; Strategies for Fighting the Winter Blues.

Katherine over at No Fighting No Biting helps us take a look at why we have an epidemic of underachieving boys and men who don’t want to grow up through her post Underachieving Boys.

Nerd Family Things presents a great post called 10 Math Card Games. It gives us 10 math card games to try with our kids.

I love a recipe for new things… In fact, craft recipes are such fun I know that whenever I pull one of those out –  my kids are usually thrilled!

Homemade Goodness sends us a post about Two Easy Homemade Glue Recipes that would work great for your next craft session with the kids… or if the wiggles get really bad… you could even use it to glue them to their chairs.

Sometimes we have to respond to negativity… Alasandra does this over at her blog Alasandra’s Homeschool Blog.

I’m so glad  that you stopped by, and I hope that this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling “filled your cup” and refreshed you today!

carnival of homeschooling

Next week the carnival of homeschooling will be hosted by Home Grown Mommy.

If you want to find out more about the Carnival of Homeschooling you can visit the link, submit a post, or even host – if you are brave enough!

Tips for Keeping Burn out at bay…

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homeschool stressI know homeschooling isn’t the easiest job I’ve ever done. Though it is very rewarding, it requires so much of me… personally, physically, emotionally, etc. Sometimes, I need to just step back and review what I’m doing and how my life is going. If I don’t… well, let’s just say I feel like I’m holding my breath!

Here are a few things that I do on a regular basis to keep myself sane, and to keep the stress at bay… (You can find more along these lines at Time4Learning)

1) Make time for the important things in your life… your family, God, your spouse. Don’t just mark off a time slot in your busy schedule, slow down, take a walk, play a game, do something completely relaxing and enjoyable and TALK with those your love! Seriously… take time to smell the roses! Don’t just rush through your day, live in every moment.

2) Don’t allow the small pesky things that will tend to keep us crazy busy… to build up. Say “no” to things that aren’t all that important… (just don’t forget to return the 40 library items that you checked out last month… or you might have a $30 bill!)

3) Adjust your educational goals if they are just not doable for the time being… (You won’t believe how freeing this can be. If you have set goals and are not able to make them, an automatic level of stress accompanies this. Formally change your goals. Write it down if you need to. You won’t believe how big of a difference it makes!) Make a no stress plan for your life.

4) Take a moment to just enjoy life… take a warm bath… sip a cup of cappuccino… light some candles…paint your toenails a wild shade of purple…take a bike ride and enjoy that sunset… do something completely relaxing! Enjoy the blessing of life!

7 Steps to Making Great Homeschool Writers

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homeschooling, homeschool writing

I love the freshness that a new year brings! I love the feeling that I have a clean page… and can start anew. In review of what we had done in our homeschool last year I felt that we were really lacking in the area of creative writing. I felt that my kids needed a greater challenge this spring, and that is exactly what I hope to do. So, today I’m just gonna take a minute to share my plans for integrating a better fostering of creative writing.

Here are a few of my New Year’s plans for writing at our house…

1) Write more frequently. Like any skill, it only gets better with practice.

2) Use creative writing prompts like these.

3) Purchase special paper – colorful, bordered, or make your own… to make your child’s writing experience a little more exciting. You can print your own here.

4) Do pre reading activities. Read a story, or talk about something that interests them, and then have them tell you what they think orally. For older kids, have them go write it down.

5) Sign your children up for an online writing course. You can take a couple minutes to watch a tutorial of what is taught on Time4Writing. This is a good solid way to give your kids foundational writing skills.

6) Give your older elementary children the essential essay writing format. Review it frequently and write at least one essay per week. I started doing this just a little when mine were in fifth grade. This year, they are sixth graders and we are trying to incorporate essay writing frequently into our daily schedule. I’ve also just

home school writing

purchased “Don’t forget to Write.” We are hoping that this will boost our resolution to write more and better this year.

7) Every good writer must be a reader! Encourage your children to read, read, read!

The New Year’s Resolution for Homeschooling!

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homeschool new year resolutionI love to learn how to do things better! In fact, I always enjoy learning new things and applying them to our homeschool. The better I can be as a teacher, the better I can teach my children. So, when the end of a year rolls around I like to review the year and examine whether or not I was able to reach my goals and IF the method I used to reach my goals was effective. Sometimes the year has been great, and sometimes there are alot of things that I could improve! So, when I make a New Year’s Resolution for my homeschool, what I’m really doing is trying to effect a change in behavior somewhere. You know most resolutions just simply get forgotten or are broken as easily as they are made. I don’t want that. I want good change, the benefits will be lasting! Since all of us homeschool parents are essentially teachers… here’s some education theory…to effect a change of behavior we need to make it become a habit. Once the good behavior becomes a habit… it is truly hard to break!

So, apply that to New Year’s Resolutions… make the resolution into a habit that you practice daily. Just like exercising these new habits will be hard to form at first, but once you’ve practiced it every day… it’ll be easy – no sweat right? Also, when we want to form a good habit we begin with small easy steps. A single behavior at a time is what we can handle successfully. Yet, most people set New Year’s Resolutions that are huge leaps of faith, and essentially set themselves up for disaster from the beginning. Take small steps, and work on small behaviors until they become good habits.

You’ll see your Resolutions still in force come this December if you take it one step at a time!

Homeschool Grammar with Schoolhouse Rock

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I have had to teach homeschool grammar 4 times so far, and am now working on my fifth child. Getting grammar concepts across to an early elementary school child is never easy… But I just realized who my best friend needs to be right now!

You guessed it… school house rock.  We went over subjects and verbs  with my second grader today, and it just was not clicking.  I tried all my teaching repertoire tools… To no avail… finally, I remembered how much I loved schoolhouse Rock when I was a kid, and how much those silly little songs helped me remember my parts of speech. We tried it, and I was amazed at how the light bulb went on.

I like to introduce grammar with some light Latin concepts while they are still young. For my other children it seemed to enable them to have a good foundation when the more complex concepts are being introduced. So far, with the help of Schoolhouse Rock videos we are well on our way to understanding the 4 basic parts of speech. Hooray!

Here are links to our favorites.

A Noun is a person, place, or thing!

Verb – that’s what’s a happening!

Adjectives

Adverbs

Conjunctions

Pronouns

Prepositions

Interjections

Out of the Loop… Sick and Tired…

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homeschool sick daysI can’t believe it has been several weeks since I posted. We have all had the nasty yucky cold/flu thing that seems to be going around. Of course, mama got it the worst, and I have been fighting it for 3 weeks now! So, needless to say… it’s been difficult to try to post anything.

Yet, while I was sick and tired… I realized how important it is to have a few “aces in my pocket” to help us make it through a homeschool sick day. At our house, when I’m sick it doesn’t pay to just do nothing all day. That usually makes me nervous and on edge. My children area active and busy… so if they don’t have something to occupy their minds, they will simply… get in trouble! ( or drive me crazy in the process)

I think having an emergency list of things to do in those situations can be a life saver. Things like pre copied logic puzzles,  lists of activities, educational videos, and even an online web search can make a sick day a little less crazy! So, in the next few weeks, I will be working on my “emergency plan!” So, stay tuned!

Losing Your Mind Shouldn’t Be Part of the Equation…

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Homeschooling, motherhood, being a wife … it can all be alot of stress. It doesn’t help that most of us self inflict that stress. I, for one,  am very guilty of that. I get it in my head that I have to something at a certain time, or in a certain way and if I can’t… Boy am I stressed!!! That isn’t anyone’s fault but my own. I don’t REALLY have to do those things in a set time frame, especially since I homeschool! I guess that comes from having a goal in mind that I think I should reach by a certain time. I usually let it really get to me… recently my precious Lord and even my family has been helping realize that this is not a healthy way of thinking. You see, I not only let that stress ME out… but it affects my family too!

Changing how I view my life is the first step, the second step is to change how I view homeschooling.  I must put my personal relationship with God and my family first. Any thing else is of secondary importance. If my family can’t see by my actions that they are more important than these other things… then I am inadvertently telling them that other things are more important than they are. These other things may be good – even great things. It could even be church related activities…  but if it takes away from necessary time with your family it could be too much. I have known missionaries who labored for Christ in distant lands,  but sent their children to boarding schools and lost them to bitterness and even a hatred for God. God is my strength, and in Him I find joy and peace. Yet, HE has given me my family – that is my DIRECT mandate from Him.

Secondly, I have to consciously MAKE time to cultivate relationships with those that I love. It seems like everyone is busy these days, and making time to show someone you care is even more important.  Time means so much…

Third, organize yourself. Organize your personal space, your home, and your homeschool. You can be more efficient when you can find what you need to complete a task. Organize your time – use a calendar that you can get to easily and put everything on it! Print out a calendar with important dates and place it on the fridge. Then everyone in the family can be on the same page.

Finally, make homeschooling work for you. Don’t allow homeschooling to be your task master. Yes, there should be goals and objectives and we should strive to help our children learn at their maximum potential… but that can be done without stress and worry! Make your goals, but be flexible to allow life to happen… and enjoy those different seasons of life before they are gone!

 

Carnival of Homeschooling – Homeschool Makeover Edition

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Can you believe we are already saying “goodbye” to summer and “hello” to fall? With fall comes cooler weather and spending more time inside. Whenever, the weather starts to turn cool I always want to get my house cleaned, organized, and ready for us to be there most of the time. With this in mind, I typically do a household and home school makeover. I go through closets pulling out things that have been pushed to the back and forgotten. I go through shelves of school books removing things we haven’t used in years. I clean off the tables, chairs, shelves, and even go through all of our stockpiled supplies.

We makeover everything in our schoolroom including how the furniture is arranged. Because we spend so much time in our home school room-  making it different each year helps keep us from HATING it. Here are some great ideas to makeover how your school room looks!

Hannah Anderson at Full Time Nanny helps us makeover our school room by planting a flower box for kids.

1. rearrange furniture

2. Put up things that the children have gotten “bored” with – pull them out six months from now and they’ll be new again…

3. Put up some bright posters, make some decorations together

4. Organize their personal belongings into crates, tubs, boxes, etc… and then let them personalize their own space

Our school room isn’t the only thing that needs a makeover. I run out of ideas throughout the year, and am always in need of fresh fun things to do with the children. Here are some awesome ideas from fellow bloggers that just might give you the inspiration that you require… (I had a hard time getting this carnival written – because I spent so much time reading all these great posts!!!)

Homeschool Online shares their concerns about homeschooling a senior in the post Back to School… With a Senior.

Cristina at Homes Spun Juggling tells us about how her homeschooling has changed over the years in Not “Write”, Just a Rough Sketch Right Now.

Christine of The Thinking Mother answers the question: “Will my kids turn out alright if they quit school and begin homeschooling?”

Henry helps us tie it all together with Relearned Lessons – Using the Right Tool over at his blog Why Homeschool.

Summer Nanny Jobs gives us some great advice on how to keep our kids entertained on a rainy day with their blog post 10 Things Your Kids Can Do on a Rainy Day.

After I finish organizing all of the physical things in the room and freshen up our outlook. I then turn to WHAT I use to teach. For me, the appearance of the room is the easy part. Reviewing and determining what we’ll use for our curriculum requires so much more thought… that I usually put it off til last. (Not a good practice…to say the least.) Sometimes the curriculum that we used last year is awesome, and we want to stick with it. Then there are times, that … well…we just don’t fit together. Usually, we sell or donate that curriculum and find something more suitable to meet our needs. Here are some experienced homeschoolers thoughts on different types of curriculum…

Roberta at Letters from Nebby gives us some great ideas for math curriculum in her post Life of Fred Math.

Annie at Learn at Every Turn encourages us to take advantage of keeping good homeschooling records in her post Homeschool Organization and Record Keeping.

Nerdwallet has launched a personal finance management contest. A great way to teach your kids to manage their finances.

Misty  from Homeschoolbytes shows us that there is lots to learn from 4H clubs in her post Amazing Homeschool Adventures with 4H.

The Great Wall of Krispies posted by Karyn gives us a great idea on how to make history come alive for our children.Check out her blog at Teach Beside Me.

Of course, there are always Good Reasons for Teaching the Basics While Homeschooling. Find out while reading this post by Barbara Frank.

Kathleen really gives some practical pointers in finding What Curriculum to Use? over at her blog Art’s Chilli Pepper.

Another great way to update your homeschool is to get up close and personal… that’s just what Baby Steps Blog did in their post Visiting the Hive!

Nutrition for Healthy Kids shares with us some great ideas on teaching kids their ABC’s in a fun and engaging way with their post entitled Alphabet Soup.

Chris gives us a great idea for curriculum in his post Use This Book to Design Your Curriculum over at his blog Homeschool vs. Public School.

Are you wondering How to Teach a Toddler Spanish? Martina tells all at her blog Become a Nanny.

Kaye gives us insight on how to have Artful Fun for the Sandwich Generation at her blog SandwichINK.

Once I’ve gone through organizing the room and organizing our curriculum, I then take a look at our schedule. It’s so easy to get caught up doing too much, and it’s so hard to say “No” to someone who needs a little help. We have found that if we keep our focus on the few things that are most important in our lives (like our family) and say “no” to anything that detracts from that, then we can stay sane. To make sure we aren’t letting too much extra stuff creep back in, each fall we do a schedule makeover as well! We streamline our week to make sure that everything from school – to sports – to work all flows well together. Make sure you check out these blogs for great ideas on how to make your schedule work for you.

Escape is Possible asks the question To Cram or Not To Cram? It’s never easy to decide if it’s worthwhile cramming one more thing into our busy lives.

It seems like many of us must have this on our mind… Lisa shares her thoughts on How to Avoid Homeschool Burnout at her blog Golden Grasses.

Liz from Homeschooling in Buffalo helps us focus on our purpose while she shares hers in Reunions and My Decision to Homeschool.

Erin from Nirvana Homeschooling gives us some great ideas about scheduling in her post Our Homeschool Plan for Kindergarten.

Susan at Corn and Oil encourages us to think about our homeschooling freedoms and take action to keep them in her post about Over-Compliance Demands for Homeschoolers.

If you still aren’t sure about your schedule… here’s one for you. Annie shares her Un-Schedule with Grades 12,10, 7, and 5 at her blog Tea Time with Annie Kate.

Ever have those that share their negative opinions about homeschooling? Shirley shares

10 Reasons Why Homeschooling With A New Baby Is Going To Be Do-able at her blog “Homeschool is not a Typo.“

Does scheduling our homeschool day help us get into a routine or a rut? Let’s find out…

Last, but not least in importance is the fact that sometimes our friendships need a little “makeover” as well. Phyllis posts about that in How to Cultivate Proverbs 13 Friendships on her blog Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness.

It’s been so fun hosting the Home School Blog Carnival here… hope that you got plenty of great ideas to start your own Homeschool Makeover!

Carnival of Homeschooling