I Never Thought I'd Ever Homeschool {an honest confession}

Written by Talvi McCuskey.

I never thought that I'd ever homeschool my children. I was not homeschooled, and none of my friends were either. I went to a private, Christian school from first grade through graduation. I enjoyed it and was grateful for the opportunity.

I then went on to Baylor University and eventually the University of Colorado School of Law. I practiced law for five years and always assumed I would work after I had children, and that my wonderful mother would take care of them while I was at work.

Fast-forward a few years. I got pregnant and eventually looked into the eyes of my girl for the first time. My world stopped and I fell in love with that sweet baby.

I knew I could not leave her.

When the Homeschool Year Gets Derailed: A Cautionary Tale

Written by Jessica.

Last September, I was anticipating our best homeschool year yet. I had years of homeschooling experience and for once felt confident. I’d researched and purchased what I thought was the just-right curriculum for my kids and was ready and organized. I had ideas and plans to keep my kids busy in their waiting times, to schedule our day, and to add in some fun. I was eager to start the year.

We had a happy and awesome first day and a few really productive early weeks of homeschooling. But then the year took a dramatic turn and our homeschool slowly started unraveling. I didn’t know it yet at that time, but our entire year would be quite the challenge.

A Former Homeschooler Turned Roadschooling Mom: Meet Chelsea Gonzales

Written by Chelsea Gonzales of Wonder Wherever We Wander.

When I was about 10 years old, my parents asked me the craziest question: 

“What if we did school at home?” 

It seemed so ridiculous—a thought no kid would ever actually get to entertain. Yet there it was, being offered as if it were perfectly normal.

I had never heard of homeschooling before, and there weren't many homeschooling families to be found in our area even if a person knew where to look. I was intrigued, but I did take an extra cautious look at the idea before jumping on board. 

A Dozen Homeschool Favorites from 2016-2017

Written by Jessica.

The summer is in sight here in our homeschool, and I know that is the case for many of you too! Now's the time for gathering ideas and making plans for next school year. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of our family’s favorite things from our 2016-2017 homeschool:

The Nitty-Gritty of a 4-Day Homeschool Week

Written by Jessica.

In our homeschool, we do a four-day school week. We have four days of regular lessons and one lighter day. The fifth day is not a day off, but a day that is spent learning differently.

Doing a four-day school week can have many benefits. It can allow you to do valuable social activities during regular school hours such as field trips, local classes specifically for homeschoolers, or a homeschool co-op. It can provide a day at home for catching up on loose school ends, reviewing, or getting in those fun activities we all intend to do but that sometimes get squeezed out. It can also change up the week, giving everyone a needed break from the routine and creating intentional time to spend on other kinds of learning.

Why I'm Wasting My Master's in Education to Homeschool: Meet Jessica

Written by Jessica.

I am a former elementary school teacher.
Turned stay-at-home.

Mama to three children under eight.
And I'm "wasting" my master's degree to homeschool.

Confessions of a Homeschool Convert: Meet Gretchen Ronnevik

Written by Gretchen of Gretchen Ronnevik.

Confession

Walking hand in hand on our way to meet our pastor for premarital counseling, my guy and I each carried a little marriage workbook. We had each written under the question: “If you plan on having children, where do you intend to send them to school? Public, private, or homeschool?” the answer:

“1st choice: Public school, because we want our kids to not live in a bubble, but help them learn how to live their faith in the real world. 2nd choice: Private Christian school, but only if necessary and if our child wasn’t thriving in the public schools. 3rd choice: We are against homeschooling.”

3 years earlier, I was in a freshman speech class at Moody Bible Institute, where I gave my first speech: “Why Christians Shouldn’t Homeschool.”

A Day in the Life of My Homeschool

Come on in! I'm glad you're here. Pull up a chair and join us for a look at one random day in our homeschool. 

Before you hunker down and get too comfy, let me just fill you in on a couple of details which might make the controlled chaos of this particular day make a little more sense. 

5 Tips for a Peaceful Start to the Homeschool Day {with a video}

The first ten minutes of a homeschool morning really can set the course for the rest of the day. Chances are, if you stumble out of the gate in sluggish lethargy instead of launching out with purpose and a plan, you are dooming your day before it has even begun.

You don't have to stand idly by and watch as all your well-laid plans get derailed. You don't have to end the day in frustration or with feelings of failure. 

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

By creating a peaceful start to each homeschool day and beginning with the things that REALLY MATTER, you can stand prepared for all the rest knowing that your day has been pointed in the right direction. (But, of course, this holds true for every area of your life, not just homeschooling. I've been reading quite a bit about starting the day out right in THIS BOOK.  But, I digress...)

10 Last-Day-of-School Ideas for Homeschool

Can you keep a secret? I've got some fun plans up my sleeve. But the kiddos don't know about them. So, mum's the word!

Our school year ends in T minus 15 days, 4 hours, 32 minutes, and 22 seconds...but, who's counting?! (Scratch that last part. It kind of sounds like a momma desperate to reach the finish line in one piece. And while that MAY or may not be the case {ahem!}, I probably don't need to tell you that, right?!)

Anywho...back to the big plans...

I've made a reservation for the kids and me (along with our co-op families) at a living history museum located about two hours away. We will spend the afternoon helping to run a REAL working 1860s farm. We'll feed the pigs, milk the cows, and help "Ma" make supper on the woodstove all while gleaning lots of historical tidbits from our tour guide.

A Podcast Interview of Little ol' Me: A Peek Into My Gloriously-Filled Days

One of my most favorite things to do as a homeschool momma is sit down with other homeschool mommas and unpack this crazy adventure called homeschooling...all while sipping a brimming mug of coffee, of course!

I love the camaraderie.
I love the inside jokes.
I love the mutual understanding.

Recently, I had a chance to chat with fellow homeschooling mom and host of The Homeschool Snapshots Podcast, Pam Barnhill, about the wonderful fulness of my days. I shared with her my love of doing-things-my-own-way and my passion for raising kids who follow God with abandon.

Working At Home and Homeschooling: What My Schedule REALLY Looks Like

Three years ago, when I sat down to plunk out a chronicle of our homeschool days, I never dreamed of the kind of community that would build, the kind of catharsis I would gain, and the kind of personal and professional growth I would experience.

God took my little corner of the Web and my desire to minister to mommas on the journey and crafted a ministry and side-income like only He could.

I have gotten to meet and walk real-life with a few of my readers.
I have shared God's love and His story to women all around the globe.
I have helped to write a book and launch a much-needed ministry.

First Day Traditions (For Homeschool) 2014-2015

When blending learning with living, it's easy to just START the year...with no fanfare...with no fuss. But beginnings should always be marked with a bit of pageantry, in my opinion anyway.  To me, a monumental, memory-making first day is the curly-cue flourish on the otherwise straight line of the school year.  

Over the years, I've tried to make each first day a memorable one.  (Yes, EACH!  Around here, we have a first day dedicated to each one of our kids...because doesn't everyone deserve to be celebrated individually? For more on the HOWS and WHYS of our many first days, head here>>)

It took us nearly a whole week, but we've had a very successful start to 2014-2015.  Here's what occupied our days.

Our Homeschool Places and Spaces 2014

I'd had hopes that my 2014-2015 homeschool "tour" would be in a NEW space and a NEW place. But alas, our house still hasn't sold yet. So, we'll press on and be content with cottage-schooling for another year.

As I've mentioned many times before, we live in a teensy-weensy little home (One bathroom...seven people...'nough said!). But, we are so grateful to have a lovely, memory-filled place to call our own and have learned to use every square inch of it.

Last Day, Hooray! 2014

This past Friday, we said our farewells to the 2013-2014 school year and joyously welcomed summer and its carefree days.  

As is our tradition, our last day of school was anything but ordinary...and the best part was, the kids had no idea what was on the agenda.  The entire day was full of surprises.  

Here's a quick recap of our fun.  

The first surprise was a hot plate of cinnamon rolls...the fam favorite breakfast.  

What Reading Time Looks Like In My Homeschool

What does reading time look like at your home?  Do you make your kids read out loud to you?  Do you have particular reading books they have to read from or do you just let them read whatever they want?

I've received these and other reading-type questions lately.

While our reading time has morphed a bit over the years due to the dynamic and differing personalities of my children, this is what reading currently looks like in my home.

Project Based Learning When You Live in a Tiny House

Water color paintings

Here's a simple homeschool math story problem to start your day...

If you crammed seven people into an acutely tiny house and encouraged the smallest five of those people to create and explore through a daily process of delight-directed learning, how likely are you to have project supplies covering every inch of the dining room table when it is time to eat a meal?

If you guessed "three times a day, nearly every day," you are correct!

Our Start-the-Day-Together Basket

With five little learners ranging from a fifth grader doing junior-high-level work to a tiny tot, stacking blocks and sorting colored pom-poms in muffin tins, my home is a daily frenzy of activity. Couple that activity with the INDEPENDENT spirit of nearly all of my kids, and you have the makings of a school day that could easily become disjointed.  

A Wordless "I Love You"

In a rush of morning frenzy, I yanked open the door of the refrigerator.  Peering in with droopy, pre-coffee eyes, I reached for the juice and was greeted by a love note from The Hubs.  It read...

I love you, Jamie.  I'm thinking of you right now and am praying you have a wonderful day.  I can't wait to see you when I get home from work.  Until then, remember that you are such a gift to me.

{wistful sigh!}

Ok, so it didn't really say that.  In fact it didn't say anything at all.  It was wordless.  Wordless.  And yet, it spoke volumes.

Easy Encouragement for the Struggling Reader

I wouldn't say that he HATES reading.

I think "It's not his favorite thing to do" paints a more accurate picture.

But part of that apprehension has developed because he has watched his sister's reading blossom while his SEEMS to remain stagnant.  Or, at least that's what HE thinks.  

The truth is, so often a child who is "struggling" to learn to read can't see a steady progression of improvement.  What they read yesterday seemed hard.  What they are reading today seems hard. And (in their mind), what they will read tomorrow will be harder still.