Homeschooling Is A Beautiful Thing

As a parent educator, you have the freedom to weave your family's values, your educational goals, and your children's passions into the living journey of homeschooling. You get to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. You do not need to become entangled or even burdened with what the school down the street is up to, because you have the ability to design a program that is perfectly suited for not only each of your children, but your entire family as well.

To be a successful homeschooler you need a foundation, a plan, and sheer determination.

Foundation

This is the most essential piece to the homeschooling puzzle.

You need to lay a solid foundation for your children and your family.

• What does your ideal homeschool environment look like?
• What do imagine your daily routine to look like? How will the house run in the midst of your homeschool day?
• Will your children help around the house?
• What part will both you and your spouse play in their education?
• Will you incorporate your faith into the school day?

If you are a new homeschooler, you should take a few days to consider what your foundation should look like. If you are a brand new homeschooler, understand you may laugh at your ideas a few months from now, but that should not stop you from laying an idea of your foundation.

Plan

It is true, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

The good news is, in homeschooling the plan is fluid and changeable. You do not need to stick with plans that are failing, but you do need a plan.

• What grade levels are your children?
• What subjects are required in your state?
• What topics would you like to teach your children?
• Will you design your own teaching materials or acquire them from a big curriculum company?
• How long will your school day/year be?
• Where will you find coaching, mentoring, and encouragement?

Sheer Determination

Homeschooling is wonderful, but it is also wonderfully hard. It is a huge undertaking to not only educate your child, but keep your home from falling apart simultaneously. There will absolutely be days when you question everything. There will be more than one day, week, or year that you fear that you are ruining your child's education. This is normal.

Before you go any deeper into this thing called homeschooling, you should:

Determine that you will stay the course.

Determine to never quit out of frustration. When those days come that cause you to believe you should quit, declare it a free play day, go to the library, visit a veteran homeschooler, or go to the zoo.

Just determine to never quit out of frustration.

Understand that homeschooling is hard, but that just because it is hard does not mean that you are unqualified. Honestly there is no one more qualified to teach your children than you are. You know their strengths, weaknesses, and passions better than anyone else.

Homeschooling can be extremely fun, rewarding and exhausting. It is worth every bit of effort to be able to see your child blossom into a curious learner.

If what you are currently doing is not working, go back and look at your foundation and plan.
As a veteran homeschooler, I can assure you that it is very common for homeschoolers to go on tangents. It is also common to throw out topics or whole curriculums that are not a good fit for your family.

Change is good.

Homeschooling is good. It is not for everyone, but it is good!

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How To Finish Your Homeschool Year Strong

If you are a homeschool mom, chances are this time of year you are getting the itch to finish things for this school year. It's sunny outside which means the kiddos are not as focused as they were a month ago and let's be honest, we homeschooling mamas are ready for a break too. Summer is so close we can smell it and after a long winter who doesn't want to get some sunshine therapy! However, you probably have a bit more schooling that needs to be completed before you can officially wrap things up which can be grueling to do at times.

Never fear fellow homeschoolers, I have learned a few tips over my last 5 years of homeschooling on how to finish your homeschool year strong and to keep you from pooping out.

1. Do more hands on learning
Those experiments you skipped during winter when your days were packed, now is a great time to do them! Not only will it be fun for the kiddos and a great change of pace for them and you but you'll also be reviewing previous material at the same time. What homeschooler doesn't love that!

2. Get outside
Now that the weather is warmer take the lessons outside. Pack up the books and move the learning outdoors. Hearing the birds singing, getting some Vitamin D and lots a fresh air can be very energizing. Spread a blanket out on your lawn or at a local park. Pack some water and snacks and enjoy learning in a natural setting. (Just don't forget the sunblock!)

3. Get moving
Play learning games that involve moving. For example, if your kids are learning addition write the numbers in chalk on a sidewalk and give them a problem and then have them jump to the correct answer. We are currently doing this with multiplication and division facts. Don't forget to move with them. It's a great way to get some physical activity for yourself too!

4. Take some me time for yourself
This time of year I start to feel burnt out and my child picks up on that quickly. She then starts to feel burnt out as well so over the years I have learned that the best thing that I can do as a mom and a homeschooler is to take a little time and do something I enjoy. You have to fill yourself up before you can pour into others. I take an hour and read on the deck or watch an inspirational sermon. I grab my camera and go for a ride looking for great scenery. Whatever fills your love tank, do that! It will help you to feel better so that you can finish those last few weeks strong.

5. Field Trips
Now is the perfect time to take a few field trips. Visit the zoo, the aquarium, local museums... whatever you like. It will give the kids and you a much needed break from your routine but still allow for lots of fun learning that your children will remember forever.

6. Offer the Kids Extra Motivation
This is the time of year that I like to offer a little extra motivation. Extra screen time, video game time, the promise of a lunch date at a restaurant, extra art time... whatever your child loves. Use those as incentives when it seems that your kiddos are being sluggish and watch them work!

7. Remember that you don't have to finish everything
I taught public school for 10 years and we never finished an entire text book. Many times the material is reviewed at the start of the next school year so don't put extra pressure on yourself to finish every single lesson. Do what you can and when it's time for summer break, pat yourself on the back for what your homeschool did get accomplished.

8. Give Yourself Grace
It's all OK mama. I promise. You and your children have worked hard all year and they have learned more than you probably realize. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you made this year or what might not have gotten covered as much as you wanted it to. Be proud of what you did and take some time to recharge as a family.

Summer is almost here and the school year is almost over so have a little fun, get outside, get moving, get creative with your lessons, do those lost experiments and most importantly celebrate what you got accomplished this year.

Melodye Reynolds

Be sure to visit the blog for more homeschool tips!

Today's Educational System

Today's Educational System

I am reading articles all over the place of children who graduated from High School and do not even know how to read. They cannot even talk or spell properly. The Educational system claims that they "earn" a diploma. How, exactly do you earn a diploma if you cannot even read?

The reality is that children today are not encouraged to learn or memorize but rather they are simply encouraged to show up for so many days out of a school year. They gain no work ethic from this. It is amazing how the numbers that are slapped on paper are what claim the child's potential.

There was a meeting at the network that I work for and it explored how today's youth are not college material and unlike the olden days children do not move out of home at the age of 18, Children tend to still live at home between the ages of 18-25 due to the complete laziness they have been conditioned to in the educational system.

The vast majority of today's youth do not know what accomplishing a goal is thanks to the 36 hours a week, ten months out of every year that they spend in what has become America's educational environment.

Not knowing the meaning of earning something is what this world has come to. Children are being taught that simply going through the motions is what matters. Then when they get out in the real world reality is their biggest slap. They have difficulty not only keeping but finding jobs due to the fact that they cannot even fill out an online job application and properly complete an assessment test. An assessment test shows the work ethic that you have, it shows your ability to work with others as well as your ability to take initiative when needed.

Apparently schools are suffering financially and as far as enrollment for both public and private schools. It is hard to support something that doesn't support your child having the future that they should be helping provide.

I do not condone what goes on today in the schools. Middles school a bully can throw a fit if their victim ignores them and be told by a mediator that they have to be nice to the bully. In High School the Teachers throw fits when the assessment test results show that the children are struggling. Yet, at the same time you see teachers in the news for "fudging" grades to make themselves look good and Principals being arrested for stealing money from the schools.