Back to (Public) School
My 7 year old son started 2nd grade this week and it’s a big milestone for him because he’s making the transition from homeschooling to public school. We homeschooled last year using the K12 curriculum, which I LOVED by the way, but we’re new to the area and my son wanted the chance to meet more kids (and for some reason he was really, really excited about the chance to eat lunch at school). It’s going to be an adjustment for our family for sure. The first night my son was so excited he couldn’t fall asleep until after midnight. The second morning, I couldn’t drag him out of bed. I’m not sure public school was exactly what he thought it would be but I’m hoping once he adjusts, it will be a good experience.
Tips to Avoid Over Scheduling
Do you find yourself spending more time hustling your children out the front door than you spend enjoying your time together at home? You are not alone. In today’s world, there are so many worthy causes pressing for our time that it becomes very easy to over-commit ourselves with responsibilities and activities. However, when we over schedule ourselves and our children we are not teaching them how to recognize their own limits and prioritize their time.
Recovering from Homeschool Burnout
For many reasons, a parent may feel overwhelmed or exhausted when parenting in general. The same is especially true when the parent is also the full-time teacher. In an ideal world, we would have ample time and energy each day to prepare and implement teach moments, take of the day-to-day parenting, clean the house, get to extra-curricular activities and sports, etc. We would wake each more with a full night’s sleep feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Undoubtedly, this is not the world where you or I live.
Homeschooling for Beginners
Homeschooling was not one of those things that I always knew that I would do. While I had always loved the idea of homeschooling, I wasn’t sure I could handle the day to day demands of homeschooling while raising a young toddler and preschooler and then there was that all consuming questions of socialization. My oldest son went to kindergarten in the public school system and while he loved it and I liked his teacher, many of the things he learned were below his skill level and some things, I found, had to be re-taught at home after school. Life events during the summer between kindergarten and first grade gave our family reason to reconsider our schooling choices and in the end we settled on a happy medium – homeschooling through a charter school program.
Magic School Bus Going Green Science Kit (Closed)
My children and I recently had the opportunity to The Magic School Bus Going Green science kit courtesy of The Young Scientists Club. The kit is a collection of hands-on science experiments for intended for children ages 5-8. It arrives with most of the supplies necessary for each experiment. You will need to supply such things as newspaper and acetone, but most families may already have those items on hand without requiring an extra purchase.
Suddenly Homeschooling
If you find yourself spontaneously homeschooling your children mid-school year, you may be wondering what to do and where to begin. First of all, take a deep breath! No matter the age of your child (or children), no matter the reason you chose homeschooling, you have time to take a deep breath and research your [...]
Pros and Cons of Homeschool Cooperatives
Homeschool co-ops offer many benefits to homeschooling families: a support system, socialization, and educational classes- just to name a few. However, as with any good thing, there are some drawbacks to them as well. Explore both the positive and negative aspects of homeschool cooperatives, before becoming involved, so that you can be confident that your [...]
Scavenger Hunt at the Zoo
The zoo is always a fun place to take the whole family but it can be made even more fun with a little bit of creativity. Consider creating a scavenger hunt for your children to complete while at the zoo (this can also be done at the aquarium or museum). You can visit the zoo’s website before you go and find out more about what they have to offer. This will help you create your scavenger hunt. For really young children you may want to just list the animals and help them cross them off the list as they find them. For children who are a bit older you may want to include some hints rather than using the animal’s names. An example would be, “I’m really big and have large ears and a long trunk that I use to pick things up. What am I?”. You can increase the difficulty of the questions based upon the ages of the children. If you have numerous children of different ages in your group you may want to create a short hunt for each child or create one long one for the whole family with clues of different levels.
The Basics of Scheduling Your Homeschool Day
We all have just twenty-four hours in our day to get everything done. Moms who home educate their children have the challenge of adding teaching, grading, recordkeeping, and other educational activities to their already busy lives.
Frugal Homeschool Field Trips
Field trips are a great way to enhance your child’s education, and break the monotony of your daily routine. However, once the curriculum is bought and all the school supplies are purchased, there may be little left in the budget for extra-curricular activities. Don’t let a tight budget keep you from enjoying hands-on educational experiences.
