Category Archives: Homeschooling

Tips for Homeschooling Through the Holidays

I’m not sure when I went from enjoying and anticipating the holidays to gradually tolerating and even dreading them.

It was probably some time after birthing and starting to homeschool eight children, running a home, serving at church and helping my entrepreneurial husband with his multitude of business ideas. I imagine that I am not alone in this lack of enthusiasm. It is easy to get anxious about the holidays when you consider all of the extras that will be added to your already overflowing plate with shopping, cooking, wrapping, and social commitments.

As a busy mom of many, one verse that I memorized, internalized and clung to from the early days is where Jesus said in Matthew 11:30,

“For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Which leaves a harried and overburdened soul with one simple conclusion… I must be carrying someone else’s load!

Tips for Homeschooling Through the Holidays

Pray
I suppose it is more natural in our humanness to look around for cues as to what to do with our families during the holiday season. If everyone else is doing it and appearing to enjoy it, maybe we should do it too. By praying about our family’s holiday celebrations, gift-giving, calendar and school schedule our family has been led to celebrate in lots of different ways. Some years we have continued schooling along with the public school schedule, other years we have taken off from Thanksgiving through the new year. Some years we have entertained, other years we have taken a family get away to the local mountains for some peace and quiet. Although at times we wondered about our decisions, in the end we were always blessed to seek and follow God’s promptings.

Relax
For many of us coming out of the public school system, there is a process of letting go of the school-at-home mentality. It makes us anxious to take a break from formal schooling for four weeks. In our home, we have settled on a small amount of core schooling (mainly math and phonics) during the holidays. We fill the rest of our days with read alouds, service opportunities, baking, crafting, shopping, letter writing and what ever else God lays on our hearts. For example, every year our family makes a calendar for our business clients. The kids help choose the photos, the layout and the captions. We have made homemade gifts and ornaments by searching online for ideas and choosing the ones that would apeal to our friends and families. The kids are busy baking and planning and wrapping – thinking of others and how to be a blessing. Moms who know will tell that building life skills and learning to serve as a family are just as important as academic skills.

Still worried about falling behind? Maybe it will encourage you to remember that the public schools have a lighter load during the holidays as well, often having holiday concerts, class parties, field trips as well as taking two or more weeks off. Don’t underestimate the power of working and playing together to prepare for the holidays. Holiday preparations are some of our children’s’ most memorable experiences of homeschooling.

Reflect
Taking time at the end of the year to reflect on the ups and downs your family has experienced can be a great way to refresh your vision and goals for your family. If you have never taken the time to create a family homeschool mission statement, you may want to do so now. A quick Google search will provide many ideas for simple ways to document your vision for your family.

Traditions
There is great value in fostering family traditions. They provide our kids with a strong sense of family identity, values, and generate wonderful memories.

Rather than have this become one more thing on your plate, consider simple things that you can do that don’t require great time or expense. Is there a special food your family can look forward to? Maybe you watch a classic Christmas movie together as a family each year. One thing our family does every year is to bake mountains of gingerbread cookies and invite the neighborhood kids over for a decorating fest. Easy, inexpensive and, really, who doesn’t like to decorate {and eat} a cookie or two?

Flexibility
Ask any veteran homeschool mom about planning for the holidays and the first thing she will tell you is to remain flexible. Every year is different. Every family is different. There will be illness, financial strains, family struggles, and any number of other variables to get in the way of your idea of a perfect holiday celebration. Don’t let these things trip you up and steal your joy. God uses these struggles to grow you and your children. As your children see you seeking God and finding peace in the storm, they will learn a lesson far more valuable than any traditional school subject.

Don’t let friends, family, your church or even your textbooks dictate how you will celebrate the holidays with your family. Ask God how He wants you to celebrate and let go of the rest.

Indoor Nature Study on Apples

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I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I don’t like to be outside. I love to be indoors where there’s no critters that attack you and leave you covered in itchy red bumps. I don’t like to be outside, but God gave me to boys that LOVE the outdoors. This year I committed to doing more nature studies and nature walks with my guys. The calendar may see that it’s Fall but where I live it’s still Summer. It can be too hot to be outside so I’ve started doing some nature studies with my boys indoors.

When I think of fall I think of the leaves changing and pumpkins and apples. I thought it would be fun to do a quick nature study with my boys about apples. They are one of our favorite fruits so it was fun to learn about how they grow. I started off with a short story called “How the Apple Blossom Came Back” from Outdoor Secrets. I also asked both my boys for a narration and then we headed to the table for some hands on fun!

Our short story explained to us that you can find a blossom on the inside of an apple. I never realized this because I typically cut our apples the other way. My boys were very excited to see the blossom in the center of the apple once it was sliced. The trick is to cut the apple from side to side and not top to bottom.

I had one more activity for my boys before I was going to let them eat their apples: apple stamping. This is the first year that we have been keeping nature journals and I love them. My plan was to have them stamp the apples on a page so that we could still see the blossom in the center. It didn’t work out that well but they still had a lot of fun. Also both my boys wrote short poems that I copied at the bottom of their pages.

While my boys enjoyed apples for a snack we read some books about apples and apple trees. I wish that we had an apple orchard to visit, but we grow citrus where we live. We spend some time reading books about apples, orchards and farms. I even threw in some fun picture books and stories about Johnny Appleseed. I found some pictures of apple orchards and blossoms online and we had fun looking at the beautiful pictures. Here are some of the books that we enjoyed:

How Do Apples Grow by Betsy Maestro
Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh
Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Life on an Apple Orchard by Judy Wolfman
A Tree is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla

We have actually gone on ~~a few~~ one nature walk so far this school year. But we have done several indoor nature studies. My boys found a frog by our front door and we spent some time looking up different frog species. We were able to identify our little friend and my oldest son even drew pictures of the life cycle of the frog.

What about you? Do you get outside and explore God’s creation with your children? Do you have a favorite indoor study that you’ve done? I’d love some more ideas.

Organizing your Homeschool {Blog Hop}

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homeschooling

When I first began homeschooling, the most challenging thing for me was figuring out how I was going to do “that” on top of all my other household responsibilities. I saw all those “other moms” who looked like that had it all together—and I felt less than qualified. After all, I didn’t bake my own bread from wheat that I grew and ground into flour. I didn’t have the uniform. And I didn’t speak the language.

I soon figured out that I was right to be a little nervous. Homeschoolers, as it turns out, DO have a language all their own. The trick, though, is to learn to speak your language. And that takes time.

Last month, after much reluctance, I wrote a series on homeschooling. I was reluctant, because I’ve learned that homeschool moms like me are easily guilted into thinking we’re doing it wrong. I don’t want to share our strategies and them have them become someone else’s burden (if that makes any sense.) Truthfully, we’ve tried just about every method and schedule out there from year to year. Why? Because things move at the speed of life. And you’ve got to be flexible and move with them if you’re going to stay in the game long term.

Homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. You wouldn’t just sign up for a marathon without training and planning, would you? Homeschooling is the same way. It requires some up front planning and thought, but once you get the hang of what generally works for you, you’ll just change it up and essentially repeat the process the next year.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t worry about failure. Keep trying until you find a rhythm that works for you and your family. Here are my five “essentials” to getting organized for a new year of homeschooling. Click on the image to read the entire post.

Need more encouragement and ideas? You might like:

Homeschooling with Toddlers
Notebooking
The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight: Managing Your Days Through the Homeschool Years
Lapbooking Made Simple (eBook)

You can do this!

Read all of the posts “Organizing Your Homeschooling” on these blogs! And read all about the Blog Hop going on HERE!

It Doesn’t Get Better Than This

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It’s back to school time. Time for school supplies and math books. Time for meeting new teachers. Time for ordering curriculum. Time for lists and lunch boxes, kleenex boxes and juice boxes. A new season is here.

All those people who told me that it would go by fast—those irritating older people at the grocery store who told me to “enjoy it” while I tried to juggle a fussy toddler and keep my 4 yr old out of the bubble gum, those older moms at the library and in church who looked at my little ones with a longing in their eyes that I could not understand—they were right. Continue reading →

Scheduling: Three Tips to Prioritizing Your Day

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Years ago, I came up with three priorities to help me decide where I would invest the time I had each day. Today, I use it as a guideline of sorts—a determiner that helps me choose how I will prioritize the time God gives me each day.

With 10 people in our busy household each day, the fact is: I either have a plan or I don’t. If I don’t, chances are good that the day will run me over and leave me on the side of the road for dead.

And we can’t have that.

I am also a fan of something I call “training wheel” schedules. That means that I start out our year with a schedule with the understanding that the job of the schedule is to help me get through the day, not to dictate my day for me. [THIS WAS A HARD-LEARNED LESSON.]

Here are my three priorities each day:

Now, I know that some of you can’t fathom “scheduling” something like time in the Bible, but for me, well, let’s just say it is the gas in my little Mom Car. I need it. As mothers, we are constantly pouring out into the lives of our children and families. We need to recharge our batteries. For me, this means rising early (something that I don’t believe is a biblical mandate but I highly recommend it), getting dressed in my workout clothes and spending a few minutes of solitude with the Lord.

Were there seasons when this was impossible, or at least unlikely? You know it! After seven babies, I can assure you, there have been times when I was lucky to get OUT of bed at all, let alone get up early—but now, with our youngest at 2 and 1/2, I I have found that if I’m self-disciplined, I can do it. Most mornings, I struggle to wake up … but being up early is a gift. The house is quiet. I can think. Pray. Breathe. It makes a huge difference in my life, those precious few moments of quiet each morning.

I can’t stress this enough: good marriages require nurturing. A good marriage is like the “glue” that holds the family tightly bound together. I know this is not always popular but at the end of the day (pun intended), your marriage is the priority relationship in your home. Nurture it. Protect it. Enjoy it.

Honestly, this is an entirely separate post—I’ve written about this before—and I will again; because it’s just.that.important. Don’t sacrifice your marriage on the altar of good parenting. Your kids need your marriage to succeed as much as the two of you do.

This is the “big one,” the one that everyone really wants to talk about. I know it sounds boring and stuffy to some people, but here’s the truth: iSchedule. Scheduling has saved my bacon on more than one occasion. On days when I feel to tired to think straight, out comes the schedule—and the kids know exactly what they are supposed to be doing without me telling them over and over … and over.

On other days, we might have time and energy for some spontaneous unscheduling and I’ll ditch the schedule altogether in favor of reading longer with the children or catching my husband for an impromptu lunch date. Either way, that schedule is there to help keep us moving in the direction we want to go.

Having a system or schedule in place allows my mind to let go of things that would otherwise drive me completely out onto a limb, such as handwriting practice or memory work. If I have it on the schedule, I know it’s going to get done.

Here’s the key to successful scheduling though: there’s not one right way to do it. You’ve got to give yourself freedom to try new things. Your schedule should be as unique as your family is. One season it will work for you, and the next it may not. That, as they say, “is life.”

I make my schedules using TABLES on my computer. It takes some time to figure out the best way to do it—so give yourself time to play with it. I also use planners and I’m a journaling junkie—so much so, that a few years ago, I released a journal just for busy moms like me.

The form you see above available in a editable version, too. If you dare—download it and tweak it for your family. Customize it! Make it your own. You can do it! Remember: the schedule is supposed to help you; not rule you.

At the end of the day, busy mom, only YOU can manage your days well. Be intentional about your time. See your time as a commodity—something you need to spend wisely.

Schedule—with the harvest in mind,

Want to see more? You can find all my books, as well as CD’s MP3’s and other great things for busy moms here:

This post contains affiliate links.

Homeschooling High Schoolers: FREE Webinar with The Home Scholar!

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Are you thinking about homeschooling a high schooler, or have you decided to but still have some questions? I’ve been homeschooling for many years—and we have graduated our two oldest daughters, who are now 19 and 21. My husband and I are always telling parents that homeschooling is the “hardest, best” thing we have ever done with our kids.

It’s worth it—but I couldn’t have done it without people like Lee Binz.

A week or so ago, I hosted Lee Binz’s free webinar on “A Homeschool Parent’s Guide to High School Grades, Credits and Transcripts.” I’ve heard Lee speak many times on this topic, and she is excellent! Other parents are benefiting from Lee’s help, too. One mom summed it up this way: “Thank you for all of your time in organizing and blazing a trail for us trying to get through the high school years. You are like a parent’s ‘Guidance Counselor.’”

Lee Binz is not only my friend, she’s a real (I love real!) homeschool mom, who has been there and done that and got incredible results. I know her webinar will educate and encourage you. I joined Lee for a little while too, 🙂 so I hope you’ll take a few minutes and listen if you missed us the first time around.

LISTEN TO WEBINAR RECORDING HERE!

Here’s more information from Lee:
Dear Homeschool Parent,

Hi, my name is Lee Binz, The HomeScholar. Have you noticed how it is becoming more and more “socially acceptable” to homeschool your younger children? A few years ago, it was not uncommon for parents to feel like sociopaths for denying their children the “academic and social advantages of a public education” (my favorite phrase from the past).

Social acceptance has been slower coming for parents who choose to homeschool through high school. Change is happening, but there is still a lot of hostility out there from public school parents, special interests and government agencies who are dead set against homeschool parents who choose this path.

My goal is to help parents who are committed to giving their teens the best possible high school education and providing them their best shot at college. I want to take away any fear and replace it with the knowledge you need to ensure homeschool high school success.

I want to empower and educate you to be the best high school teacher, parent and guidance counselor possible. That is why I am so excited to be hosting a FREE one-hour educational webinar , exclusively for readers of Heidi St. John.

“A Homeschool Parent’s Guide to High School Grades, Credits and Transcripts” covers all the essentials you need to know to calculate credits, determine grades and create transcripts. In this webinar you learn:

– 5 sure-fire ways to determine high school credit
– How to let go of “grade anxiety” in your homeschool
– The one factor that will give you ABSOLUTE FREEDOM in your high school
– How you, as the homeschool parent, can help the colleges with their “nightmare scenario”…and how helping them will also help you!
– 5 killer advantages of a properly-crafted homeschool transcript
– 3 transcript pitfalls that can cripple your child’s chances for college admission and scholarships.

LISTEN TO WEBINAR RECORDING HERE!

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar helps parents homeschool for high school and is a leading internet home school resource helping parents homeschool to college. She is an expert in how to craft a winning homeschool transcript. She has an award-winning Christian homeschool blog and one of the most popular homeschool newsletters available. Lee is a dynamic speaker at homeschooling conventions as well as homeschooling support groups. Check out her homeschool online free mini-course and training webinar on how to give homeschool credit in high school.

You can find Lee online at www.TheHomeScholar.com and on Facebook.com/TheHomeScholar

Click on the image to hear Jay and Heidi St. John talk about what it’s like to homeschool their seven children.

Trending Now: 21st Century Homeschooling

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When I started homeschooling—during the last century—I got a lot of flak from all corners. My former elementary school teachers took up a collection and gave my twin sons a Little People School Bus for Christmas in the hopes of sparking a rebellion. My Christian pediatrician lectured me on the perils of undertaking such a reactionary experiment. My school superintendent called me in for a meeting to dissuade me from “homebound instruction,” (as if my kids were tied and gagged in the kitchen).

Funny thing is most those folks changed their tune along the way—I even had a nice note from the superintendent when my sons graduated from homeschooling. Have you noticed the same shift in attitude? Do most people take your choice to homeschool with less alarm and maybe even a nod of support these days?

That’s because the road less traveled is getting busier every day… homeschooling is on the rise in every corner of the globe and among all segments of the population. And the list of reasons folks give for choosing to homeschool is getting longer. Religious convictions still figures largely into the equation, but now school bullying and the opportunity for individualized instruction vie for the top spot. And “convenience” is a newly-cited motivation.

Convenience!? How in the world did homeschooling become a convenient choice?

Well, I have a theory about that – fueled largely by the technology revolution; barriers to homeschooling have been falling rapidly:

1. It costs too much to homeschool.

Not anymore. Just a few mouse clicks away is a free and world class education. Tell the truth now: the first place you look for information is Wikipedia, right? Back in the dark ages of homeschooling, a set of encyclopedias was considered a necessary and costly investment. Rumors of homeschool moms fighting over used copies at library sales were not exaggerated (I might have participated in a couple of those brawls). Wikipedia was just the first to light the fire under the demand for free content on the web. Now you can find excellent lectures at Academic Earth, great tutorials at Khan Academy, and entire courses streaming free at Learner.org. And as I type, free textbooks are being built at CK-12.org.

2. I’m not confident I can teach my child.

It’s been ages since I’ve heard a parent make this statement. If there is one word I would use to describe the difference between 20^th century homeschoolers and those in the 21^st it is “empowered.” This is a generation that rightly questions the need for “experts” and “professionals” to teach their kids. We use WebMD to diagnosis our illnesses before we call the doctor, we disregard Consumer Reports in lieu of crowdsourced reviews, and our favorite bloggers and YouTube are all we need to figure out how to help a child who is struggling or how to explain the Pythagorean Theorem.

3. It’s so isolating.

Are you kidding? It’s so crowded, is more like it. Most of us have to choose between multiple co-ops in our area and even the most remotely located families can jump online to find a plethora of classes and support groups to join.

Which brings me to my question for The Busy Mom’s readers: What do you think God is up to here? Why is homeschooling gaining broad acceptance and getting
easier to opt into every day? Hmmm….I wonder.

Debra Bell is the best-selling author of The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling and other products published by Apologia Press. Her four children—all graduates of homeschooling— are married, degreed and employed (and also love Jesus). After homeschooling, she completed a doctorate in educational psychology. She blogs about brain science and 21^st century homeschooling at debrabell.com. Find Debra on Facebook as well.