Getting Started

Enjoying a Homeschool Convention This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. We've been homeschooling for ten years, but last year was the first time I ever attended a homeschool convention. I was always afraid that it would be an overwhelming experience, but it ended up being a time of refreshment, encouragement, … [Read more...] about 5 Tips for Enjoying a Homeschool Convention

Incorporating Holidays and Homeschool Learning This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. The holidays are just around the corner (at least according to the stores), and since I like to incorporate them into our school calendar, I plan now for some holiday-related books and activities. I schedule chapter books beginning … [Read more...] about Planning Unit Studies for the Holidays

If you homeschool, do you consider yourself to be a teacher? Do you feel empowered to make decisions for your homeschool and not be at the mercy of what the book says? Well, here is your permission slip: From the day you became a parent, you also became a teacher, and you are equipped to teach your child. A major cause of homeschool failure … [Read more...] about Homeschool Mom Permission Slip

Homeschool Successfully – Perfection Not Required! If you need some encouragement and practical tips for homeschooling, don't miss the Homeschool Successfully Blog Party! This event includes over a month of encouragement, tips, freebies, and giveaways to help you get started. As part of this series, I wrote an article for Proverbial Homemaker … [Read more...] about Homeschool Successfully (Perfection Not Required)

A Homeschool Planner for a Year-Round Schedule This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. After trying many different planners over all of our years of homeschooling, I have found that I need something that I can customize to meet my needs and that comes in a format that allows me to move pages around, add, or remove them … [Read more...] about Homeschool Planner for a Year-Round Schedule

Help for Homeschooling Multiple Ages (How to make it work when there are more of them and only one of you.) I've been getting our curriculum organized for school to start--hopefully we will be ready before the end of this week. So, how do I manage three different ages/grades for school when I'm just one Mommy? That's the question of the century, … [Read more...] about 5 Tips for Homeschooling Multiple Ages

The school supplies section always calls my name this time of year. Can you hear it? Sharp pencils . . . colorful notebooks . . . pretty folders . . . spiffy new backpacks! As tempting as it is to buy yet another new box of Crayolas, the best prevention for overspending this time of year is a little advance preparation. Get Organized. Save Time … [Read more...] about Frugal Planning for Back-to-School

Summer Homeschool Activities Whether you are a year-round homeschooler, or you take a break for the summer, summer (home) school activities are easy and fun to incorporate into your days. A more relaxed schedule and more daylight hours allow time for electives and other subjects that get pushed aside for the essentials during the regular school … [Read more...] about 10 Fun Summer (Home)school Activities

Our Year-Round Homeschooling Journey When we first started our homeschool journey, we pulled my son out of a K5 program three weeks into the school year and started off following the local school calendar. I soon realized that I could cater our calendar to our needs, and not let the school calendar dictate our lives. As the years have gone by … [Read more...] about Year-Round Homeschooling

Whether you're a newbie homeschool or a seasoned veteran, homeschool conventions provide a valuable source of encouragement, information, and fellowship. Hitting the Road: Homeschool Convention Time! The first time I walked into a convention center for a homeschool conference, I had already been homeschooling for nine years, but I was immediately … [Read more...] about Homeschool Convention Survival Tips

White Water Rapid Days I had the best intentions. After squeezing in one last week of summer with my husband’s time off from work, we planned to “start school” full steam ahead on a Monday. Books were stacked and ready, schedules were organized, and the table was cleared off. Still trying to catch up on laundry after a camping trip, I … [Read more...] about Homeschooling: Braving the Rapids

Teach Them Diligently 2017 This blog uses affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Don't miss the Teach Them Diligently homeschool conventions for 2017. I have been fortunate to attend this convention since the first year it started, and the camaraderie and encouraging atmosphere cannot be found anywhere else. This convention is fun … [Read more...] about Teach Them Diligently 2017 Conferences

Every year as summer winds down, inspiration strikes me when I’m shopping at my favorite store. You know, the one with the hypnotizing bull’s-eye and all that inviting redness? When the water guns disappear and are replaced by colorful displays of glue, markers, and folders, I want to pull a school list from the end cap and start pitching notebooks … [Read more...] about Not-Back-to-School Homeschool Supplies

Simplifying Your School Morning When it's time to go back to school, it's not easy to get everyone up, fed, dressed, and ready for school, especially when it still feels like summer outside. If you're not a morning person, it is even harder to think straight when you are rushing around trying to get things done. My boys are not natural early … [Read more...] about Back to School Morning Cheat Sheet

Budgeting for curriculum is on every homeschool mom’s list. But, don’t you just hate it when you buy something you end up not using? What to consider BEFORE buying new curriculum: Hand-me-downs don’t always fit. Chances are each of your kids will have a different learning style. What works with one may not work with the others. Don’t … [Read more...] about 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Buying Curriculum

Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. How do you inspire kids to have a love for the world, while also inspiring them to love reading? Obviously, having access to good books is a start. Jamie Martin makes this job easier with her brand new book, Give Your Child … [Read more...] about Give Your Child the World

Are You a Homeschool Planner Drop Out? Even before I was a homeschool mom I’ve loved planners. Well, I mean I’ve loved the idea of planners. I have purchased big ones and little ones, all beautifully inspiring in their own way. Unfortunately, that’s about where I stop. I’ve had a few successful months of planning, but overall, I’m a planning … [Read more...] about 3 Perfect Planning Tools for Homeschool Planner Drop Outs

When we started homeschooling, we were living in a tiny house. I mean, really tiny. And, the only place I had for “doing school” was our kitchen table, which was in the middle of our small 1930s kitchen and also the center for meals, craft projects, games, and gathering in general. All of my school stuff was stored in a few baskets in the pantry, … [Read more...] about Schoolroom Organizing

What can you do if your curriculum does not work? Many homeschool parents experience stress when their curriculum does not work out. In fact, all homeschool parents probably experience a "curriculum fail" at least once during their journey. The thing is, no curriculum is perfect. What works with one child might not work with another. Points to … [Read more...] about My curriculum does not work! Now what?