The Homeschooling Mom’s Guide to Middle School Boys
I’ve dragged four sons through middle school. Four very different sons! In hindsight, there are a few things I wish I had known prior to middle school. One, I wish I had read The Wonder of Boys as well as The Minds of Boys. I’m not on board with everything author Michael Guerian says, but […]
Tips for homeschoolers who are planning for college!
Planning for your homeschool kids to go to college. Homeschooling high school can be challenging and even a little scary for parents. If your child is planning to attend college after high school many parents begin feeling anxious as early as seventh grade. To make things even more stressful, with few exceptions, your homeschooled middle/high […]
Advantages Of Year Round Homeschooling!
If you are homeschooling kids in the elementary school age group, it is worth taking a serious look at year-round homeschooling. Some families like to use a three or four day school week along with year-round homeschooling. Other families opt for a traditional five day week with a six-week on/two-week off kind of situation. There […]
Middle School – A Time for Basics
As you begin middle school with your first child, it’s easy to get ambitious and create a plan that not only challenges your child but overwhelms them. Been there, done that. After dragging four young men through middle school, my advice to find their weaknesses and work on those. Middle school is three years that […]
How to encourage your child to read.
Parents are inundated with reasons their children should love books. If you are a parent who does love books, it can be intimidating to consider the world our kids live in. The demands on the time of children born after 2000 are immense. They have to worry about fitting in regular playing, play date […]
The Four R’s of Middle School
Middle school provides three years of transition before high school. Your child will experience decided changes physically, emotionally and mentally. In classical education the middle school years are when kids enter the “logical” stage. Around sixth grade (will vary from child to child) your child will begin to move from needing to learn and memorize […]
How Screen Time Can Be Beneficial To Your Kids
Screen time can be beneficial for your children. If you are (or will be) homeschooling your 6th -8th grader it might be time for a reality check. No matter your homeschool style – unschooling to classical – it’s time to take a look at today’s technology and see: If you’re using it to your best […]
Apprenticeships /Internships for Your High School Student
As you homeschool through high school you will notice that your teen’s interests are becoming decidedly more focused. By the time he’s a junior he may not know what he wants to be when he grows up, but he probably knows what he definitely does not want to be! Designing a high school plan that […]
Dual Enrollment, Part II
Be sure to check out part 1 here! So, you are seriously considering dual-enrolling your child when he is a junior in high school? There are terrific advantages to enrolling your child in a local college while he is still in high school. There are some potential downsides. Having had three kids go through dual-enrollment, […]
Shhhh . . . It’s a Secret – Dual Enrollment, Pass It On, Part I
If you are looking at homeschooling high school (or if you are planning to send your kids to a traditional school for high school) one of the biggest things people do not talk about is dual enrollment. Dual enrollment is when kids take classes at a local college (usually a community college) or in a […]
Combine Science, Math and Holiday Baking!
One of the best things about homeschooling is the freedom you have to build lessons into fun, real-life activities. Why not incorporate a mini-chemistry/math lesson into your holiday baking this year? It’s easy to adjust your lessons to suit any age and the results are delicious. Whether you homeschool or not, teaching your kidsthe basics […]
How to keep records for high school homeschoolers.
Keeping Records for High School If you’re preparing to homeschool through high school, now is the time to get yourself truly and forever organized. Think of that box of pictures in the back of your closet – the one you’ve always said you’re going to put into beautiful scrapbooks. When you look at the pictures […]
Homeschooling and the Holidays
With Halloween coming up in a week, you’ll in the midst of the holiday crunch before you know it. If you’re homeschooling, you already know how difficult it can be to keep the house liveable, much less company-ready. Many homeschoolers plan to take the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day off – focusing […]
How To Start A Bullet Journal
If you’re reading this blog, it is likely that you are a mom and the odds are that your car and purse are full of paper scraps with the never-ending lists of things to do. Until August, I was you! But, now, I have a “magic” notebook and the scraps are gone. Yes, I have […]
5 Common Homeschooling Mistakes!
MimHomeschooling, while more popular and acceptable than ever, comes with pitfalls. There seem to be a few common mistakes among homeschooling parents teaching kids of all ages. I was tempted to put a “How To Avoid Them” into the title, but I don’t know that avoiding these mistakes are all bad. And I am not […]
The Transition From Public to Homeschool
Making the transition from public school to homeschooling is difficult for the entire family. Parents struggle with the decision to accept the responsibility of homeschooling. This decision may have financial implications if one parent leaves a job or goes down to a part-time job. I always recommend the book Home Learning Year By Year for […]
Teaching Active Kids: Ten Tips for Teaching Energetic Children!
Some kids are simply unable to contain themselves. They are constantly in motion and half of the time they are not aware of it. Homeschooling the energetic child is a challenge, but think of how miserable your energetic child would be in a traditional classroom setting. Feeling motivated? Give these tips a try and see […]
3 Things to know about choosing extracurricular activities for middle school!
Homeschooling through middle school is a challenge for a number of reasons. In addition to academics, it’s a time to start examining your child’s extracurricular activities or lack thereof. It is also a great time for you to revisit the reasons you are homeschooling. You might find yourself paring down your child’s activities as academics […]