Back-to-School time is here. As public school families are busy with supply lists and back-to-school shopping, many homeschool families are doing the same. Well, it’s the same but different. For a lot of homeschoolers, the fall is when they re-start their year. Either they’re coming back after a summer off, or they’ve been homeschooling all…
How I Build My Unit Studies
I’ve talked about unit studies before. They seem to be gaining more popularity these days. And for good reason. They are engaging. You can pick topics that your children are interested in. They cover multiple subjects under the umbrella of a topic. For example you can study vikings and cover the subjects of history, geography…
How to Build a Homeschool Routine
Having a solid homeschool routine can make or break a homeschool parent. I would be lost and exhausted if it wasn’t for our homeschool routine. But how do you build a homeschool routine that will work especially when you’ve never done it before. It’s actually easier than you think. I’m walking you through the steps…
Self-Care for Homeschool Parents
Self-care is so important. “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” When you are homeschooling, you are both the parent and the teacher for your children. You’re with your children almost 24/7. It can be exhausting, physically, mentally and emotionally. And a tired, overwhelmed parent isn’t an effective homeschooler. So self-care is super important. We…
Homeschool Schedules 101
There are so many different kinds of homeschool schedules that it can be a little overwhelming. What’s the difference between loop schedules and time-block schedules? And what about a 5-day versus 4-day schedule? Are you going to homeschool during the typical school year or are you going to homeschool all year around? What makes it…
Planning Our Next Homeschool Year
Spring is in the air! We’re starting to wrap up our current curriculum, units and actvities before we take a little summer break in July. But while we’re wrapping up, I’m also planning for next year! With the help and suggestions of the girls, I’m currently coming up with lists of unit study topics, curriculum…
How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum
When you start homeschooling, the one of the first things your do is pick your homeschool style. Then you need to pick curriculum. But with literally thousands of options out there, how to choose homeschool curriculum? Between dozens of subjects, hundreds of companies, each with different values and approaches and a multitude of levels, picking…
When Your Curriculum Isn’t Working…
You’ve spent time researching the prefect curriculum for your homeschool. You’ve spent the money and bought everything you need. And you jumped right in and it was great….for a while. But now your curriculum isn’t working. For a variety of reasons, it’s just not the best fit for your family. But the budget it gone,…
How to Beat a Homeschool Slump
Feeling tired, uninspired and bored with your homeschooling? Do days go by without doing any curriculum or lessons? You’re in a slump. And it’s totally normal. And while it’s discouraging, especially for new homeschool parents, it’s not the end of the world. Falling into a homeschooling slump happens to the best, most experienced homeschoolers. There…
Homeschooling Multiple Grade Levels At The Same Time
Most families are homeschooling multiple grades. Just under a third of homeschool parents have two kids at home while another 49% have three or more kids. This means most people are probably homeschooling at least two or more grades. We have two daughters, which means we’re homeschooling two grades. But luckily, since we’re both teachers,…