A Schedule Just for You

Unless you are mandated by law to use them in a particular fashion feel free to use them to suit your needs. Please always be sure to check your state laws concerning homeschooling before following advice or directions from an article or person. If your state does not require hours of school to be used in a particular time frame either by hours or months of year, then please do not feel confined to follow the traditional school year or school hours. During my 10 years of homeschooling my lifestyle has changed and a traditional school calendar was not always … Continue reading →

The Basics of Year Round Homeschooling

The Basics of Year Round Homeschooling Now, I hate to sound wishy washy, but here is the rub: you have many options and basically the world is your oyster. Some start the school year in January while others chose June and still others chose July. Just pick a “J” month….got ya…you can pick whatever month works best for you…even traditional ole September. Now, since you will not take three solid months off you will schedule weeks off based on your preference. You can take one week off every 3 weeks. You can take one week off every 6 weeks. Is … Continue reading →

My Home School Grades

Not all states require homeschoolers to keep records but all homeschoolers should require it of themselves. Even a personal log of what your children have done and accomplished is valuable. Your child may want to keep track for herself, laws in your state may change, your child may attend school or college, you may want to keep track for yourself to know what your child has done and what worked best in your homeschool. For all those reasons and more, you will want to an easy to use, thorough, and affordable tracking system. One such system that you may want … Continue reading →

Ultimate Daily Planner for Students

Yesterday, I introduced you to the Ultimate Homeschool Planner. It is one of my favorite planners because it addresses all my needs for my homeschool including preparing spiritually. Today, I have another introduction. Coming alongside the Ultimate Homeschool Planner is the Ultimate Daily Planner for Students.for $19.00. The planner is intended for middle school students but can accommodate younger or older students if necessary. However, if you have an older student you may want to incorporate The Ultimate Weekly Planner for Teens. The Ultimate Daily Planner for Students is a first step into independent planning and time management. Features: sturdy … Continue reading →

Ultimate Homeschool Planner

Is the Ultimate Homeschool Planner really the ultimate? Count your blessings while charting your family’s homeschool journey with this gorgeous day planner from best-selling author Debra Bell. The Ultimate Homeschool Planner will help you prayerfully prioritize your family’s lessons, assignments, and activities as well as academic and personal growth goals for each of your children. Includes teaching helps, record-keeping, and pages to document God’s faithfulness throughout the year. The Ultimate Homeschool Planner ~$28.00 I collect planners like Pooh collects pots of honey. Like Pooh, the inside is normally empty. You see, I know how to use a planner but … Continue reading →

iPad App: Homeschool Helper

When I was in the market for a planner, I could not find the right one. I also knew that I did not want one more book to at my desk. So, after reading about the Homeschool Helper app, I decided to splurge and spend the $4.99 and give it a try. After all, $4.99 for a planner is a pretty good deal and especially so for this app. I highly recommend it if you enjoy using your iPad for homeschooling. Some may still prefer the pen and paper method over the type and iPad method. Normally, I would agree … Continue reading →

Scheduling Tips

Any endeavor that requires organization and scheduling on a regular basis is fragile in the hands of a flawed human. Homeschooling is one such endeavor which can turn from calm sunny skies to a thunderstorm with little warning. The storms come to every homeschool family at one time or another. Yet, a state of chaos should be the exception and not the rule. If you are living in a chaotic homeschool situation, it will frustrate everyone involved, and that is does not make for a proper educational atmosphere. Homeschooling is busy, crazy, fun, exhausting, amazing, and full of ups and … Continue reading →

Take a Teacher Work Day!

Have you ever taken a Teacher Work Day? As homeschooling moms we are in charge of a lot from laundry to grading spelling tests. Our jobs can get overwhelming and we can often get behind in our planning and organizing. Now, if you are someone who does not understand how anyone can get behind on laundry or loses track of a plan for the day then kudos to you and please let me know how you do it. I, for one, am far from organized and easily get behind on laundry. I run a home, a homeschool and I work. … Continue reading →

Planning for a New Year

The New Year is upon us and it is time to re-evaluate our homeschools. If you follow the traditional calendar then you have around five to six months left of school. Start the year off right by determining what needs to be changed to make the most of the last part of the school year. As homeschoolers we have the ability to be flexible and cut out what doesn’t work while keeping what does. Homeschoolers need to constantly evaluate the needs of our children and our homeschool. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you come off of winter … Continue reading →

Quiet Time

I lived for naptimes when my children were young enough to make naps. It was my time to go over lessons, plan the next day, or just sit with a cup of tea and do my devotions or read a book. It was like an hour lunch break that I desperately needed. When it was over I felt energized and ready to take on the rest of the afternoon and evening. Of course there were times I did not want to see it end. As time went on my children no longer needed naps but my need for them to … Continue reading →