BookShark

What if an opportunity to travel as a family doesn’t align with the studies you are doing at the moment? No problem! As homeschoolers you have the gift of flexibility. And with the right resources, you can go ahead and dig into an area of study so your kids can get the maximum educational benefits of your trip.

That’s exactly what our friends, DeeDee and Ximena of Chips & Salsa Homeschooling did.

When they had the chance to go on an epic Washington D.C. field trip, they decided it was time to take a break from their Estern Hemisphere studies and do a short, but deep, dive into American History using BookShark’s American History 1 Lap Book Kit. They called it their American History Cram Camp.

“Why aren’t you in school?” asks the cashier, the person at the museum, or any adult who sees my nine-year-old with me out of the house on a school day.

My daughter’s answer, “I homeschool,” is always followed by questions, some directed to her, others to me. People want to know why we homeschool, what we like about it, and almost always end the conversation with, “I could never do that; I’m not patient enough.”

It’s true, patience is a good skill to have when you homeschool or parent, but I certainly don’t always have it. And while my answers about homeschooling are often the same—upbeat and encouraging, the truth is some days I don’t love homeschooling. Some days I doubt myself. Some days I, too, wonder why we homeschool.

Outdoor time is scientifically proven to reduce stress and actually improve learning. Unfortunately, many children aren’t getting enough time outside. One of the benefits of homeschooling is that we can get outdoors any time we want to. It's yet another great reason to homeschool!

Below are four ways to create outdoor play areas for your homeschool experience. When you have a dedicated spot, you're more likely to spend that valuable time playing outside.

Does your homeschool learning space have an art center? If not, I encourage you to consider it. An art center does not have to cost a lot. Nor does it have to be Pinterest-worthy.

This tour of my homeschool space demonstrates that an art center need not be fancy, beautiful, or cost a lot of money. But it's functional for our needs, and my kids love it. Hopefully it will inspire you to devise your own homeschool art center so your kids can unleash their crafty side.

Some moms are great at arts and crafts. And that’s wonderful. Me? Not so much. But I still believe including arts in the homeschool is important. Plus my kids absolutely love working on artsy projects.

I pressed the button again, attempting to capture just the perfect image of my daughter working on her science experiment.

Then it dawned on me. I was more concerned with getting an Insta-worthy photograph than in what she was doing. Even my daughter seemed frustrated by it as she rolled her eyes in my direction with the last shot.

“I’m sorry, honey,” I sighed.

I was sorry—sorry that I’d lost the point of why I decided to homeschool in the first place. It certainly wasn’t to parade my daughter's learning adventures to others all over the Internet.

Studying nature is a beloved aspect of homeschooling and a delightful supplement to a science curriculum. Kids love nature. And let’s be real: most parents love nature too. However, for a lot of homeschooling families, it is not realistic to go outside and spend hours upon hours in nature, day in and day out. Would that be fun? Definitely.

But these kinds of expectations are not the norm for most homeschooling families. So how are we solving this conundrum?

With an indoor nature center as part of our homeschool space!

I absolutely don't miss the struggles and stresses I faced when I had to get my kids to school each day. That's why I think one of the greatest benefits of home education has to be peaceful mornings.

The morning often dictates how the rest of your day is going to pan out. So a positive start to the day can mean success, harmony, and, of course, learning. If you can ease into the day with gentle activities, rather than frantically rushing around, you can create a soothing learning environment for your kids and a less stressful day for you.

Everyone knows that reading aloud is one of the most important things parents can do for their children. As parents, we have the best of intentions, but sometimes our reading aloud routine can get thrown off course.

Maybe your children have been under the weather.
Maybe your homeschool routine is in a rut.
Maybe the kids are cranky.
Maybe you are all lacking motivation.

Homeschooling is one of the most rewarding decisions I've ever made as a mom. I cherish the moments I have at home with my daughter. And as a mom of two grown sons, I try to keep in mind that I have only eighteen years with her. It helps me to keep myself in check when the days feel a little long.

I mean, let’s be honest. Homeschooling is amazing, but there are definitely times when it wears on me. There are days when we’re just not feeling it. There are moments, even during the awesome days, when we feel frustrated or just plain tired. It’s easy to get caught up in all of it and let the frustration and fatigue reign if we don’t focus on supporting all four of our energies.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to liven up your school day, grab a bucket of sidewalk chalk and head outside. While it's easy enough to let kids go wild and create whatever they want, consider adding some structure and hands-on education to your outdoor chalk time. Below you’ll find activities focusing on a variety of subjects —math, science, language arts— that have one element in common; they can all be done outside with sidewalk chalk. All of these activities are adaptable, so feel free to use these directions as a springboard for your own fun! Modify the ideas below depending on your child’s age and ability.Read More