Category: All About Homeschooling!

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A Great Honor!

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to a fellow blogger. Sarah over at the Homeschool Base mentioned our blog in her post, 13 of My Favorite Homeschool Bloggers That You Might Not Be Following. That made my day and was such an honor. She mentioned that she really likes our About Us page. If you haven’t already, you can check that out here. It explains how...

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What’s New on the Blog: Homeschool Encouragement

Today I want to share some of the new features we have on the blog. Everyone needs some homeschool encouragement from time to time, right?  Over the weekend I put together a new page called Avoid Homeschool Overwhelm (though it includes so much more than that!!).  It starts off with 10+ Tips for Homeschooling Without Feeling Overwhelmed…. Things like… Don’t compare your reality to your thoughts, plans, and aspirations before...

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Early Elementary Homeschool Science

 A reader sent me an email asking about homeschool science for her daughter who is in kindergarten this year.  She said she was feeling overwhelmed about science and wondered where/how to start. She said she hadn’t done any science yet and wondered if the States of Matter unit was a good place to start.  I wrote her back and shared the free printable resource/checklist I made last year about some...

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Homeschool Schedule & Transitions

Over the weekend I wrote a post about what I might do if I were starting all over again with toddlers and preschoolers in-tow (Homeschooling Multiple Ages).  In today’s post, I wanted to share what our routine looks like these days.  I have two kids in middle school (ie. grades 6 and 8) and one in grade 3.  Our homeschool is considerably more structured than it used to be. When...

Homeschooling Multiple Ages 0

Homeschooling Multiple Ages

Reader Email (abridged): I have five kids from 8 years old down to a 1-year old. I would like homeschool, but I don’t know where to begin.  Do you have any advice for me? This post is for a dear reader who has a very full house with five kids – from an 8-year-old she’s considering homeschooling,  down to a 1-year-old!  This amazing Mom deserves a medal!! She was wondering...

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Our First Day of School! :)

Today was our first official day of school. After all the planning I did this summer, it was fabulous to finally just jump in and start off the year!! This year we’ve set up a more structured schedule for ourselves… at least to start with.  Other years, we covered all of our subjects, but each day was different. This year we’ve decided (together, this wasn’t just my idea) to have...

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Last Day of the Back to School Challenge – First Days of School!

We’ve done it — we’ve talked about our systems, routine, and chores. We’ve double checked that we have the books and supplies we need.  We’re primed and excited for the new school year.  Now… just one thing left… to be ready to jump right in!! Have you decided how you want to mark the first day of school? Will you take back to school photos? Write a time capsule letter...

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Why You Need a Family Meeting!

Back to Homeschool Challenge: Day 9 Family Homeschool Meeting There are so many positive things about holding a family meeting. They give everyone – including the kids- a sense of belonging and ownership of the rules. We want the kids to know that they have a real and important voice in the family. Family meetings give everyone a platform for making your family a better team. And one reason to...

homeschool mistakes to avoid 0

5 common homeschool mistakes to avoid

Back to Homeschool Challenge: Day 8 As we begin the year, don’t let any of these ruin your homeschool day… Comparison – Every homeschool is unique.  Don’t worry about what your friends are doing. Don’t feel like your homeschool has to incorporate every project on Pinterest.  Don’t compare someone’s best day to your worst day.  Remember that when someone tells you about their homeschool day or writes about homeschooling online...

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Sick Days for Home Educators!!

Right now you’re healthy, you’re excited, you’re energized… Motivation is at an all-time HIGH.  But let’s be realistic… there are times when we don’t feel up for homeschooling.  It might be because of a seasonal cold. It might be because we have a series of errands/appointments that fill up the morning. It might be because we’re downright *tired*!! So what do you do when you feel it coming on? When...

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Taking Care of Ourselves

Welcome to Day 6 of the Back to Homeschool Challenge! Last week our challenge was to work on some of the nuts and bolts of our homeschools: Our first challenge was just to spend a few minutes reflecting on the journey we’re on and being grateful for the opportunities we have as homeschoolers Then we spent time Organizing our Homeschool Work Space And we made sure we’re *actually* ready to...

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How Does Your Family Handle Chores?

One of the huge challenges for me is not necessarily the homeschooling itself… It’s keeping on top of everything. Today, your challenge is to think about how your family will handle chores this year.  In this post, I wanted to share a variety of chore systems that other families have tried. Maybe one will work especially well for yours this year. Each year our kids are just a little older....

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Back to Homeschool Challenge, Day 4: Homeschool Shopping List

I love this time of year… fresh pencils, new binders, and colorful fun writing journals.  And apparently I’ve given my joy and excitement of office supplies to my kids.  Today your challenge is two-fold… check to see what you need, but being careful not to OVERSHOP!!!  This is a voice of experience saying this!! 🙂  One year we wound up with so many glue sticks we had to donate a...

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Homeschool Planning: Subject Area Checklists

Welcome to Day 3 of the Back to Homeschool Challenge!! Today, let’s tackle the Subject Planning… I don’t know about you, but I really mull things over in the summer.  I generally have tentative plans at the end of the year for the new school year, but given some time, I often change course slightly. Do you need to add in a different topic?  Last year in history, for example,...