Category Archives: Homeschooling and Home Learning

A Homeschool Mom Schedule is Not for Wimps

“It’s morning, Mommy!”
As usual, I start the day with my 4-year-old daughter’s cheerful greeting. After a hug and a kiss, she runs off to get ready for the day and “make her bed,” and I hop in the shower. Since my homeschool day with almost 9-year-old, 4-year-old, and almost 1-year-old kids (Raisin, Strawberry, and Kitty) is about to begin, it’s best I squeeze in time to get myself ready before I face the day running. My homeschool mom schedule is not for wimps.
With three kids aged 9, 4, and 1, my homeschool day is a bit busy. Continue reading →

Preschool at Home for 2016-2017 (with a Baby Underfoot)

It was a difficult decision to not do a community preschool again. Strawberry thrived in preschool last year. She loved her teachers. She loved the people. She loved the crafts, the toys, and the anticipation that she was going again. Our choice to do preschool at home came down to the fact that I missed having a free homeschool schedule, and preschool was a huge cost each month.
With community preschool, we had to say no to playdates and field trips. We had to make sure to be somewhere at a certain time. We could not do storytime at the library. We could not take impromptu walks or bake cookies on days when we felt like it. Instead, we had to make sure to keep preschool schedules on the calendar. This year we’ll be doing preschool at home and with friends, and I hope the atmosphere of spontaneous learning, reading, and playing will translate into a love for learning at home.
Our goal of preschool this year is to learn to love reading and learning together, but especially to build an atmosphere of love in our home! Continue reading →

Homeschool Curriculum Choices for Fourth Grade for 2016-2017

It’s that time of year again: time to examine what homeschool curriculum choices we have for fourth grade for 2016-2017. In our busy house, self-directed learning is paramount! With a fourth grader, a preschooler, and a soon-to-be toddling baby, it’s sure to be an active year. Using various tools for self-directed learning is a key focus of our choices for the fourth grader.
My fourth grader, Raisin, has showed lots of initiative in working independently this year. I think it helps that we have dropped regular handwriting assignments from his schoolwork. Instead of asking him to handwrite answers, he is able to type and print them out, taping them into the notebook. This eliminated lots of the battles. He will do another year of Keyboarding without Tears. Already, at age 8, he is typing 14 wpm. Not too shabby!

 Fourth grade is a year of greater self-direction for my son in his homeschool work and our curriculum choices.

Continue reading →

4 Homeschooling Lessons I Learn the Hard Way

4 Homeschooling Lessons I Learn the Hard WayI’ve recently begun my fourth year of homeschool, and yet, I find myself learning the same lessons every year. Of course, every homeschooling family is different. You may find some of the things that never work for me do work for you.
Nevertheless, I think I may not be alone in having to relearn these lessons frequently. Some day maybe I’ll learn! Continue reading →

Teaching as Christ Teaches

Teaching as Christ TeachesIn Chapter Two of Stephanie Dibb Sorensen’s book Covenant Motherhood: Reflecting the Role of Christ in Our Lives, Sister Sorensen talks about how as mothers, we regularly emulate Jesus Christ as we teach our children.
Sister Sorenson knows

Teaching is not easy. Mother days are often busy and noisy and demanding. Sometimes we don’t even know we are teaching. One thing mothers can learn from the example of Jesus Christ is that He did not shy away from opportunities to teach. He recognized teaching moments and open His mouth. (page 14)

Sister Sorensen is not a home schooling mother, but I was really impressed by all the different opportunities she mentions that we can use as teaching opportunities: in the line at the super market, in crowds, at the dinner table, driving places, and on and on. As mothers we have the same opportunity to teach our kids. (Even when we’re not home schooling!)
One of the greatest things I got out of Sister Sorensen’s chapter is the reminder that all of these things work together. We will be teaching our kids, even if we don’t feel like we are. Continue reading →

Sending My Child Away All Day is Overrated

I am very glad that normally my child can stay home and learn with me, rather than wearing himself out all day long with someone else!

I am very glad that normally my child can stay home and learn with me, rather than wearing himself out all day long with someone else!


I remember when Raisin was in his can’t-talk-only-scream terrible two’s and I dreamed of the day that I’d get a break from it all: elementary school!
At that time, I did not know then that I would end up homeschooling him, and that in some respects I’d never get a true break.
I’ve always wondered how it would be to have a day with my son gone, delegated in to someone else’s care. Some moms get a break from their elementary-aged kids from 8 or 9 in the morning until 3 or 4 every single day! What would it be like? How much would I get done? Wouldn’t it be wonderful?
For the last two weeks, I had my chance for the first time. My son had summer day camp. He had beach time, field trips, and other structured activities with his counselor and age group for 10 full days, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. I was free of his constant care for those two weeks!
And to tell the truth, the break from my son was overrated. Here’s what I learned from sending my child away for just two weeks. Continue reading →

Why I Don’t Care about Preschool Academics

I Don't Care about Preschool AcademicsMy daughter is going to start going to preschool at the beginning of September. I choose a park district program very close to my house, simply for convenience. The facility is nice, the teacher-student ratio is small, and I now she is going to love her time to explore and learn.
But I was taken aback when the preschool teacher began talking to me about the “curriculum.”
“Do you have an questions about our academics?”
I get it. I know teachers in Kindergarten these days are teaching early reading. But preschool should still be for fun!  Continue reading →

Making an Unfinished Basement into a Homeschool Room

Making an Unfinished Basement into a Homeschool RoomIt has taken many months, and it’s still not a polished product, but I feel really good starting our next school year with our new basement homeschool room!
We have a large home, with four bedrooms. Because we will soon have three children and my husband frequently works from home and needs a private office, we cannot afford an upstairs room for school work. In the past, we’ve been moving around: from the kitchen to the couch, to the play room. But we need a space to store all of the supplies and resources, as well as a place to do school work.
I struggled last year, as my toddler constantly wanted attention in the play room (which is a small semi-finished carpeted area in the basement) and my son wanted help with school work while he sat at a desk. It did not work to have him in the same room as the playing toddler!
In January, we began the transition in to making our unfinished “storage” area of the basement into a school room. Here are some preliminaries to keep in mind if you too want to have school in an unfinished concrete-floor basement. I also share some of the ways I’ve organized the area! Continue reading →

Homeschool Curriculum 3rd Grade Plans for 2015-2016

Homeschool Curriculum 3rd Grade PlansAs much as we have loved having a summer break with no required school work, it is definitely time to start planning for the new year. Since I’m expecting a baby in October, I definitely want to get started sooner rather than later so that we can take an extended break during October and the following months as needed.
This school year, I will be doing third grade with Raisin. Strawberry is 3 and a half and will be starting at a local preschool in September. Continue reading →

A Workbox for a Big Kid (Workbox Wednesday)

A Workbox for a Big KidMy toddler is ill today, so I thought I’d focus on how I organize my older child’s daily work in a workbox instead of the little ones!
Raisin is in second grade this year. This is a difficult grade for me to get my mind around, simply because I know what he is capable of doing independently, but he does not always approach school with the confidence I know he can. He still needs parent guidance in getting all daily goals finished before the day is over! Thus, this year has still been parent intensive, more so than I would have liked. I need to be realistic, though: it is still second grade! Continue reading →