My two sons are close in age—12 months and 3 weeks apart, to be exact. While this closeness has benefited many aspects of our homeschooling journey, it’s also handed us a few challenges as well.
If your kids are close in age, it’s common to find they’re able to do their subjects together using the same curriculum or study.
Of course you have already heard a myriad of reasons why homeschooling is such a great educational option. Your probably have your own extensive list of the advantages you've discovered through personal experience. On my own list, I would cite these perks of homeschooling:the freedom to teach what I want when I want, time to allow my children to learn at their own pace, and increased family time.
There is one reason that doesn't always make it on the lists of reasons to homeschool. But I think it's one of the biggest advantages homeschoolers have over those who educate in a more traditional setting.
Many homeschooling parents are afraid to teach art, claiming that they are not creative and don’t have artistic ability of their own. So they avoid art altogether in favor of more accessible subjects like science and math. Adding art to any homeschooling day doesn’t need to be intimidating —even if you aren't artistic yourself. Plunge in alongside your kids and learn with them, using these fifteen simple ways to add art to any homeschool day.
Homeschooling parents may rely on routines to keep their children organized and on schedule. After a while, though, even the best homeschooling routine can begin to feel a bit stale. And that’s the time when parents (and children) are the most likely to experience homeschool burnout.
An easy way to break out of a homeschool rut is to shake up the routine. A simple change or two can breathe new life into homeschooling even if it’s only used for a few days. These five ways to shake up a homeschool are easy ways to get everyone excited about learning again.
One of the most classic tools for learning information through repetition is flashcards. They can be useful in subjects like math, science, history, as well as basics for young students, but sitting down flipping through a bunch of cards can make anyone’s eyes glaze over.
How can you harness the powerful potential of flashcards but make them more interactive? Grab a stack of index cards as I explain how to make flashcards exciting.
We are a Christian homeschooling family, but you won’t find our bookshelves lined with books from Christian publishers. The majority of our home library is made up of curriculum choices which are neutral on things of faith. Here are reasons why I lean towards secular materials for my homeschool.
Living near the Gulf Coast during hurricane season brings a heightened sense of preparedness and anxiety. One year as a hurricane slammed the Texas Gulf Coast near our home, we fled and took shelter in a hotel.
It was important to me to homeschool gently so that my boys would feel a sense of calm and normalcy. As soon as we moved into the hotel, I located a beautiful and serene state park nearby with a waterfall, clear pond, and walking trails.
If you’re using BookShark as your main homeschool curriculum, you and your children likely love to read inspiring, educational literature. While BookShark provides plenty of literature as part of the curriculum, some homeschoolers also enjoy incorporating a morning basket into their daily routine.
A morning basket is simply a collection of books on a variety of topics (beyond the ones you’re already using with your curriculum) that you store in a basket and work with daily.
When people find out you are homeschooling, you tend to get asked the same questions over and over:
What about socialization? Do you give homework? How will you teach difficult high school subjects? Do you stay home all day long? Do you issue report cards and grades?
Let's camp out on that last question about grading. Do all homeschool parents grade homeschool work? Nope! Homeschoolers are a varied bunch.
In my house. it seems a crisis pops up every few weeks which interferes with homeschool. The sink gets clogged. The baby spent the night teething. The kids are feeling run down.
Sometimes the crisis is wonderful. Family and friends from out of state make a sudden visit in the middle of the week. It’s delightful to see them again, but what about homeschool?
