Have you mapped out your upcoming school year? Did you cover all the bases?
I always start by making a big list of EVERYTHING we could possibly do … and then pairing it waaaaaay back.
In fact, just the other day a brand-new homeschool mom asked me what was my top piece of advice going into her first year.
I told her to do less than HALF of what she had planned. She said it was the best advice she’d received. 🙂
Still — I like to have a sense of what different grade levels and ages cover.
That’s why I use Home Learning Year-by-Year EVERY YEAR to help me check in with what my kids can be learning.
I love how it focuses on topics, not philosophy, and gives me lots of ideas. Another little gem to make my homeschool planning that much easier.
Click HERE to check it out for your homeschool.
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This book RADICALLY shifted my understanding of dyslexia. No longer did I see it as a simple "disability" with flipping letters.
Instead I saw it as a different and beautiful and AMAZING way of thinking ... one that literally keeps changing the world every day.
By the time I was done reading, I realized I had three kids who had some form of dyslexia.
AND I felt like they had a SUPERPOWER, and I was actually just a little jealous by what their amazing brains could do!
So if dyslexia is possibly showing up in your home, or if you have a kid who you know has dyslexia ... OR if you have a kid that just seems to think a little differently ...
The Dyslexic Advantage is definitely one that you'll want to pick up and read!
Click HERE to check Dyslexic Advantage out for your homeschool.
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Are you free?
As in … are you free to occasionally do something just for you?
Free time can sometimes feel like a mirage for busy homeschool moms. There’s just soooo much that you have to do (even in the summer!).
But making sure you get free time as a mom is super duper important!
In fact, I would be willing to bet that any homeschool mom who makes it more than two or three years homeschooling without burning out has figured out how to fit free time into her day.
Without free time, you’ll find that your stress is higher, your tolerance is lower, and your patience is non-existent.
As your planning your school year, please …. PLEASE … plan some time in for yourself! If that means you do one less project, read one less book, or do one less fieldtrip, that’s okay!
The difference it makes in your home will more than make up for whatever you leave out!
This past week, I took a chunk of free time (5 days!) and celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary with my awesome hubbie, Josh.
During our trip to Costco (because that’s TOTALLY part of what you do when you’ve been married for 20 years and have free time!), I saw my FAVORITE early readers.
Of course, I had to stop and make a video for all of you!
In this video, I talk about how I used these readers to help my beginning readers, and I share some of the ones that we’ve loved.
(I also make it tougher on the Costco employees part way through the video … can you catch what happened?!?)
Free time and early readers … pretty awesome!
In my house, I've always used "monsters" to make learning and working fun. For some reason, friendly monsters always inspired my kids.
We've played ...
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Alphabet Monster -- a chase and tickle game when a monster showed up in a deck of phonics cards.
Vacuum Monster -- where I vacuumed the floor making monster noises and the kids tried to avoid the vacuum cleaner by jumping over it.
Bed Monster -- can you make your bed before the covers eat you?
Garbage Monster -- draw a monster face on the garbage sack with sharpie and then that big bag eats all the garbage from the cans around the house.
So you can imagine my delight when several years ago, I discovered that we could do MATH with monsters!
Beast Academy is graphic novel meets solid math for Grades 2 to 6.
While we've never used it as our main curriculum, my kids have LOVED reading the graphic novels in their free time (yes ... even my non-mathy 12 year old has read them all!).
And I've used exercises from the practice workbooks to supplement our regular math programs.
Yea for monsters that make math fun!
Click HERE to check it out for your homeschool.
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Confident Homeschool Secrets
7 Ways to Create a Homeschool That Works (and you LOVE!)
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With all the new ways to learn things … from apps to videos to virtual reality … does an “old” way still have a place?
I think it does.
Yes, there are apps to learn how to read and how to spell and how to do math facts.
And we use all of those in our homeschool.
But I still pulled out the handheld flashcards to review music notes with my 10 year old today. And I still believe that writing spelling words on paper has a place (even if you can also type them on the computer).
As you consider the “best” way to teach your kids any topic, keep in mind that mixing old techniques with new can actually enhance the learning that your kids are doing.
The brain learns best when learning is varied and spaced out.
So use your iPad or your kindle — but also keep some paper and pencils handy. Turns out BOTH are really valuable.
[Update: After I did this review, I realized that there is an even NEWER version of this book.
I highly recommend you check it out for your homeschool!]
Do you ever get bored?
Whether it's the same meals over and over ... or the same clothing in your closet ... or the same homeschool workbook.
If you're like me, your brain at some point starts to say ... "Seriously ... can we do something different!?!"
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That's why I'm constantly on the lookout for new and interesting ways to teach the same subjects.
And after 4 kids, basic math facts are DEFINITELY something that I want to do differently.
That's why I LOVE 7Ate9 ... a simple card game that review addition and subtraction in an exciting and different way.
While it's designed to be a speed game (which is awesome because I want those facts to be automatic), I've also slowed it down for kids who are still learning or who get stressed over having to go too fast.
Now that my kids are older, it's still a game that we pull out and play -- because it's fun even when you already KNOW your facts.
And who doesn't need a good basic review now and then?
Click HERE to check out 7Ate9 for your homeschool.
Ready to feel Confident and Successful as you homeschool?
Register below to watch my FREE CLASS
Confident Homeschool Secrets
7 Ways to Create a Homeschool That Works (and you LOVE!)
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School is out for the summer … or you’re awfully close.
(If you’re like me, you haven’t done a ton for most of May. I just shift into a different head space when the weather gets nice!)
But that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about learning and how my kids can STILL be learning amazing things even when I’m not planning a complete homeschool day.
And I’m already starting to look toward fall (just a little!) and think about what we’re going to do next year.
That’s why I LOVE resources like Liberty Kids. They’re fun to grab and watch during the summer … but I can also put them on during the school year when I can’t bring myself to plan one more subject.
And I’m always on the hunt for resources that work for all my kids — and all their ages. Because I’m busy just like you. And I need things that work for my homeschool without fail — even when I’m tired, or the kids are sick, or we’re burned out from our regular stuff.
As you begin planning for next year, build in some of the “fun” stuff. They take the pressure off you and helps your homeschooling be just a little easier. 🙂
Click HERE to check out Liberty Kids for your homeschool.
Do your kids solve problems well? Or do they tend to get stuck and fall apart?
Problem-solving is an essential skill to be successful in school and in life — and it’s one you ABSOLUTELY can help teach.
In our family, I use hard work and games to reinforce problem solving.
My kids like the games more than the hard work … go figure!
Problem-solving games require perserverance, learning how to deal with failure and frustration AND the ability to look outside the box.
Good thing games are also fun!
We have these kinds of games scattered around our home … and different games appeal to different kids.
The game I’m telling you about today — Laser Maze — is one that has really appealed to my mathy 10 yr old, but the others enjoy it too.
And I don’t mind playing, which is totally a win-win!
Click HERE to check Laser Maze for your homeschool.
QUESTION:
What’s more fun than quizzing your kids on what they know?
ANSWER: When your kids get to quiz you!
Right now in our homeschool, we are having a BLAST with a book called “The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy.”
My kids open up to a random page, ask me a question, and wait to see if I can pull the answer out of my brain …
Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.
Either way … amazing learning is happening.
I’m always pleasantly surprised when the simplest things inspire fantastic learning in my home … even after all these years.
Check out the video for more details about the book and more awesome ways that you can use it to inspire learning in your home!
Click HERE to get one for your homeschool.
