When I was in fourth grade my parents decided to send me to a private Christian school. It wasn't just attending a new school that was hard but leaving behind friends that was heartbreaking. Can any of you relate? I was eight years old and terrified. Growing up on a Native American reservation, I had friends in my community since birth. We went to Headstart, Kindergarten and Elementary school together. And life as I knew it was fast changing. Change is scary. New people? Even more so. Of … [Read more...]
You Know You’re a Soccer Mom When…
This fall my daughter is playing soccer for the first time. She loves it. I am happy because as a homeschooler, she can get out and play with the town's children in a city league. Plus, she's getting exercise, which is always good. So yes, I am now officially a soccer mom. You know you're a soccer mom when: You don't spare any expense on hot pink socks. You decide your kid's black athletic shorts are stylish for any day of the week. You think your kid is the best player on the … [Read more...]
School Is Everywhere: Learn to Homeschool Outside the Classroom
In our home, we're taking a more 21st century approach to schooling as we forego the traditional books and desks. I mean, we certainly use books, and desks (we also use the kitchen counter), but we're venturing outside of the traditional classroom environment to broaden the tools we have at our disposal when it comes to educating our daughters. Museums, book stores, the zoo, and even the grocery store all make for phenomenal learning opportunities, yet most homeschool parents don't realize that … [Read more...]
1st Grade Homeschool: Learning Games
This last school year we completed Homeschool Kindergarten and had a great time. I found out that my daughter would much rather learn through games than by lecture and worksheets. That shouldn't come as a big surprise to any parent. So this school year I am incorporating more games in our learning. What is your child's learning style? I started this school year pretty organized and my week one lesson plan was done about two weeks in advance. I set up our new curriculum and learning games … [Read more...]
Common Core and Homeschooling
Thank you Emma Carey for this guest post. A difficulty that a lot of homeschooling parents have is keeping up with the changes in educational standards and practices. It’s so easy to simply try to teach your elementary kids the same things you remember learning (reading, writing, arithmetic and so on) at the same ages and in the same ways that you remember learning them. It’s something that, even as the homeschooler of someone in kindergarten, has become a challenge. School, though, has … [Read more...]
My Combination for Homeschool Success
We are homeschooling year round with my Princess. We have just finished Kindergarten and now will take a few weeks off before starting first grade. In this first year of homeschooling, I have realized a few things about my teaching style and my daughter's learning style. I think that 1st grade is going to go even more smoothly because of what I've learned this year. Here is my combination of four things for homeschool success: A challenging curriculum. My daughter is smart and she gets … [Read more...]
Budget Friendly Homeschooling
Discover a brand new, budget-friendly way to homeschool with new family and individual plans for Monarch online homeschool curriculum. Now available from Alpha Omega Publications, Monarch Plans provide students with unprecedented access to 50 online courses for one low monthly or yearly price. With our Monarch Plans, we wanted to create an option that made homeschooling easy, convenient, and flexible, said Denise Laudenbach, president at Alpha Omega Publications. Monarch is the first online … [Read more...]
