First Time Homeschooling? Here is a Little Advice from a Veteran.

 

I’ve had a few people message me asking for some homeschool advice. I’ve been homeschooling since 1998. I have 4 adult homeschool graduates and 3 still learning from home. Here are a few things that I think might help out a new homeschooling parent.

1. School can be done anywhere and at anytime. You don’t have to get up and be dressed for school by 8:00am. The point of school is that your child is learning. One of my kids liked to do their school after dinner, and have more free time during the day. She learned best at that time, and was an all round more happy kid.
2. If it’s a bad day or one of you has a bad attitude, postpone school for a different time that day. Tell yourself or your kid.. we’re going to re-visit this after dinner or after you’ve taken a nap.
3. I try to push each one of my kids to get their school done first, then they can play games, build legos, whatever is their thing.
4. I schedule their school so that Friday is a fun day or light day.

#4, 5 and 6

5. One big shock to me, was that homeschool does not take 8 hours. Have some fun activities that they can learn that will substitute for book time. (free reading, crafts, art, gardening, home ec, woodworking, have an 80’s music lesson, visit an online art gallery, practice good pet ownership, meal planning, bird watching, take a walk somewhere new)
6. Take this time to show your child how to grow up and what it means to be an adult. Teach them how to cook, start a garden, do laundry, clean the bathroom, balance a checkbook, needlepoint, or change a tire. So many people do not know basic life skills.
7. Don’t try to teach or grade when you are angry. Give everyone a break.. or have them do an yoga or exercise video with you. My oldest daughter and I still talk about some of the exercise videos we did.
8. I’ve always worked from home. I involved my children in my work and I feel like that taught them life skills and a good work ethic.
9. I have some really good friends that I homeschooled with. Find yourself a group on social media, text your neighbors. We are all in this together. I would not have made it without my friends.

Schooling your children is serious business, but don’t let that scare you. You’ve been blessed with this time to really get to know your kid, to teach them what it means to be a student and a good human. It was an accident that I became a homeschool mom, but I would not have traded this time for anything. #homeschool #homeschoolmom

#6, 3.5, 2, 3,  5 and 4

#4, 3.5,  3, 6 and 5

First Day of School on a Holiday What kind of Teacher is she?

wpid-wp-1441639733553.jpegSo here they are.. Junior, seventh grader, Junior, 5th grader and not quite a kindergartner.

I’m not sure why I started school on Labor Day.. but it seemed like a good idea, if only because  The Man would be home.. just in case there was a riot.

wpid-wp-1441639722573.jpegThe Man.. The Principal and his students.

wpid-wp-1441639850264.jpgMy Arc planner.. with my Well Planned Day sheets.

I decided this year I wasn’t going to carry around a planner, my homeschool (Well Planned Day) planner and a notebook.  I am working on creating my own planner so that I only have one book to lug around with for homeschool, church meetings and my own personal organization.

Here’s a look a some first days of school in the past..

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Sometimes When You Homeschool.. You Have to Pull Out the Big Guns

I've been homeschooling since 1998.  In that time I've had a couple of children tell me they wanted to go to public school. Usually when this happens I say..

  • Go ask your father.
  • Are you sure you want to get up that early?
  • Do you want to miss out on the stuff we do during school hours?
  • Do you really want to ride a school bus?
  • You know you are not going to be able to snack whenever you want too.. AND they don't have iced tea and lemonade on tap.
  • You can't wear your pj's all day.
  • What about when we go to the American Royal? You'll have to go to school!
  • Won't you miss your mother?
  • What about Netflix? Who will watch Netflix if you are in school?

Sometimes the more brazen children will tell me; "I don't care, I'm want to go!"  When that happens, we practice going to public school the next day.  The school bus arrives at our house between 6:50am and 7:02am. 

I woke #5 up at 6:00am, if you are older and want to go to public school, you will have to get up around 5:00AM. He took a shower, had breakfast, made his lunch, packed up ALL of his textbooks and put them in his backpack and marched outside to wait by the drivers ed car (not at the end of our very long driveway) for the bus to come.

homeschool2#5 going out to wait for the bus.

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While #5 was waiting for the bus… I admired my pink crepe myrtle.

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And the butterfly bush.

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He refused to speak to me while he was waiting…  But I think he's realized this might not be all it's cracked up to be.

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The bus went by…. Can you see the yellow-orange bus?

#5 came in the house, and the plan was for us to go upstairs and start school…. and continue until public school was released. I walked upstairs… and this is what I found.

 

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He was asleep.  When he woke up he said he said; "I don't think I'm cut out for public school."

Showing Respect… AND Being a Smartie Pants

A few weeks ago the big drama in our house involved book reports.. or the lack of them actually.  My 3 oldest children in school (#2, #3 and  #3.5) owed me a book report. I reminded them a month before they were due, and then again several times as the date got closer.  Do you think they turned them in on time? 

NO… they did not… Fast forward to present day… and #5 is asked to draw "How we show respect at school."

 

That reads: "I am showing respect by turning my book report in to mom ON TIME!"