Photo Credit: Jodi Mockabee Hello friends! We live in some very interesting times. Due to the precautions against spreading the Cor...

Hi I’m Darby and I’m an accidental homeschooler. Homeschooling was never on my radar as something that I would even consider as an option for our family. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit, but growing up I was guilty of maintaining a lot of the stereotypes regarding homeschooling families. And here I am now with two little ones (ages 3 & 4 in preschool and kindergarten) that I love homeschooling, and a huge enthusiast and advocate of homeschooling. Isn't the Lord funny like that? ;-) And I must admit, that my preconceived notions, were WRONG! While I never expected to be a homeschooling family, the careers of my husband and I didn't either. We are a homeschooling family where both parents work full-time. We are an anomaly and I'm okay with that because it works for us. How does this full-time working family also homeschool? We juggle. We struggle. We juggle some more. We communicate. We are flexible. We pray. We are continually reaffirmed in our decisions to homeschool. Let me share with you how we are making this work for us. (Disclaimer: I'm not saying that our way is the right way, or the only way. I only express this as what is working for us right now. It might change, but for now, this is how we are managing). We entertained the idea of homeschooling, and ultimately made the decision to homeschool our children, because we wanted control over curriculum where Jesus was taught, to enable deep thinkers, to linger over subjects, and the flexibility of time both in and out of the "classroom". I was also a bit discouraged with the industrial education system, but I am not opening that can of worms today. To cultivate a culture of learning while working full-time, we have firm boundaries; we say "no" to a lot of extra stuff so that we can say "yes" to the learning lifestyle in our home. We feel called to this lifestyle so we do not feel guilty about putting this mission field above all other things. We school non-traditionally throughout the week, and sometimes Saturdays. If we’re not schooling, we take a field trip on Saturdays, but always rest on Sundays. Because we have such flexibility, we also school throughout the summer. I thought initially my kids wouldn’t like that, but it turns out, we all appreciate the structure and atmosphere of year-round schooling. Our approach to homeschooling is, what I would call, a hodgepodge: a combination of Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Classical, and Waldorf. I tend to lean more towards the natural side as far as units & manipulatives. I typically choose natural fibers over plastics or sounds. I like to leave a lot of room for the imagination to blossom. And, of course, I turn to books and I schedule in a lot of time for reading. Scheduling all of this was a little overwhelming at first, but we have established our rhythm and I will share with you what is working for us now, though always subject to change, and I still have so much to learn. My husband works in the oil and gas industry and works very long hours. I am a university professor with an unusual schedule. While I do work full-time, I do not work traditional hours, which provides me flexibility with my time. Every morning I am up at 6 am, to get myself ready for the day, prep breakfast, read something for myself, and answer emails. The kids get up at 8 am, are dressed, and head to the kitchen for breakfast. During breakfast I read the Bible, we practice our memory verse, sing a hymn, and then read a story for something that we are learning about. These activities are standard for every morning, but from this point on, our days differ. When I am at the university during the week, we have someone at home with our children. We call this recess. After breakfast and our standard activities, the kids play a lot and are outside. When I get home, we eat and then have what we call Book Day. In our home, Book Days include getting into my bed, or curled up on a blanket on the living room floor, and spending the afternoon reading aloud over piles of books pertaining to whatever we are learning at the time (insects, music, the solar system, etc.) or just something that we really enjoy. Our Book Days are very relaxed and do not include a single worksheet, just books, discussions, and sometimes tea. This has worked well for us because it is scheduled time for reading that reinforces the content we are covering. We all expect those afternoons and look forward to them. On other days when I'm not at the university in the morning, after breakfast we have Morning Basket. This basket isn't really a basket anymore. It used to be, but now it is more like a bunch of activities that are sprawled out on the kitchen counter for me to quickly grab that I set up the night before. While still at the breakfast table, we spend 1-2 hours going over activities that are mostly review, fun, hands-on, and highly engaging activities (mostly from our book club subscription or pertaining to a current event or holiday). Each child has their own activities but we are all working together. Around 10:30 am the kids get up to have some free play while I clean up the kitchen from breakfast and morning "basket". Around 11:15 am we have Book Time. This is always on the living room floor around a bowl of popcorn. First, I read a picture book aloud to the kids, and then we have quiet reading time with our own stack of books. I set a timer for 10 minutes for quiet reading time. When the timer goes off, if we’re all still okay (with our little wiggles) we keep going. When I first started this exercise, I did small 5-minute increments (because, toddlers), but now we do 10-15 minutes, and usually go up to about 50 minutes of quiet reading together. We do this about 3x a week. I like this because I actually get to read, my kids get to SEE me reading, & they get quiet time to flip through their own books. After our reading time, my youngest goes down for her nap, and then I work one-on-one with my son in our school room. This is the time during the week where new concepts are introduced, where we work on language arts (phonics, reading, handwriting, word families, comprehension, sight words, etc.), math (comparisons, addition/subtraction, time, money, counting, etc.), science (the solar system, life cycle of a frog, nature exploration, etc.), social studies (the pledge, geography, etc.), and the arts (music & art). Around 3pm, he goes to my bed for a quiet time, where he will sleep, rest, or read a book. I quickly clean up his schooling, and pull out what I have prepped for my youngest. She is only 3, so her schooling right now revolves around a book and we cover numbers, phonics, & art mostly. A lot of her school is hands-on and active. Right now, schooling for my kids, and introducing new concepts is conducted one-on-one. I know that will not always be the case, but that works best for us right now. After rest time and one-on-ones, we all come back to the kitchen table for tea time. This always includes art, poetry, and cookies. This lasts about 20-30 minutes, and then the kids are ready for some free play while I cook dinner. After dinner, my husband usually comes home and there is wrestling, golf or tennis in the backyard, something physical and....... loud lol Then it's bath, book, and bed time. My kids are in bed at 8 pm. We live away from family and do not have free childcare, so it is essential that we keep strict bed times so that I can see my husband and have conversations with him. Monday nights are our check-in nights. We always schedule this time. It isn't a formal meeting, but it is a time where we check-in with each other. We have to be very intentional with our time and this "scheduled" time has worked well for us and kept our marriage healthy. Other evenings during the week, I will usually watch a show with my husband before he heads to bed around 9:30/10, or I teach a night class. But when the house is quiet late at night, I am in Go Mode. I don’t think I have always been an introvert, & I don’t think I will be one forever; however, in this season of my life, while homeschooling my young children and working, I am an introvert. I don’t get a lot of time alone where I can refuel, & I really need it. The only time that I have found to refuel is when the world is sleeping. So I stay up late. Like really late. I would rather be sleep-deprived & sane, than rested & crazy. (sidebar- I attribute my ability to work on little sleep to doctoral grad school). I see bedtime for my house as “second morning” for me. I stay up late because I want to answer emails for students, update lectures, prep classroom activities, edit manuscripts, read scholarly journals, prepare advising materials, to zone-out, to read a book, to be creative & write a blog post, to mindlessly scroll through Facebook, to enjoy the silence, to laminate, or to prep the next school day in peace. I find the evening is when I'm most productive with preparation for school but also for my own mental health. I typically head to bed around 2 am. After a day, whether it was a day I was at school or a day where I was at home schooling, I have found that no matter what, I am educating. I am leading and teaching All. The. Time. I don't think it is something that I'm perfect at, but it does come natural to me. It is something I have been called to do and thus I work hard at trying to be better and to serve more. I have great peace using the gift God gave me. I never imagined that I would be a homeschooling mother. I never imagined that I would be a working mother while juggling homeschool. Sometimes I think I’m crazy to try and do it all. But then. But then. But then, there are those moments, where I see my children flourishing, and loving the learning experience, and choosing to linger over subjects because it brings them joy and they want to. And then I am encouraged, and I know that it isn't just about what I want, but what our family is called to do right now. I know that we have made the right decisions to be jugglers. With a huge dose of patience, a dash of flexibility, a deep desire for elaborate learning and critical thinking, and a colossal quantity of Jesus, we are thriving accidental homeschoolers, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

You may have never thought you would consider homeschooling, or maybe you were thinking about starting in the fall, but circumstances are forcing you to consider bringing your child home mid-year. Perhaps it is bullying, a negative school environment, an illness, school anxiety, a stressful family situation, or some other unexpected circumstance causing you to consider pulling your child out before the end of the school year. Regardless of the motivation, your first question is likely, "Can I start homeschooling mid-year?" Continue reading »

Homeschoolng our kids has been a learning experience for me as much as the kids! Today I'd like to share 5 of My Best Homeschool Tips From 31 Years.

Hi I’m Darby and I’m an accidental homeschooler. Homeschooling was never on my radar as something that I would even consider as an option for our family. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit, but growing up I was guilty of maintaining a lot of the stereotypes regarding homeschooling families. And here I am now with two little ones (ages 3 & 4 in preschool and kindergarten) that I love homeschooling, and a huge enthusiast and advocate of homeschooling. Isn't the Lord funny like that? ;-) And I must admit, that my preconceived notions, were WRONG! While I never expected to be a homeschooling family, the careers of my husband and I didn't either. We are a homeschooling family where both parents work full-time. We are an anomaly and I'm okay with that because it works for us. How does this full-time working family also homeschool? We juggle. We struggle. We juggle some more. We communicate. We are flexible. We pray. We are continually reaffirmed in our decisions to homeschool. Let me share with you how we are making this work for us. (Disclaimer: I'm not saying that our way is the right way, or the only way. I only express this as what is working for us right now. It might change, but for now, this is how we are managing). We entertained the idea of homeschooling, and ultimately made the decision to homeschool our children, because we wanted control over curriculum where Jesus was taught, to enable deep thinkers, to linger over subjects, and the flexibility of time both in and out of the "classroom". I was also a bit discouraged with the industrial education system, but I am not opening that can of worms today. To cultivate a culture of learning while working full-time, we have firm boundaries; we say "no" to a lot of extra stuff so that we can say "yes" to the learning lifestyle in our home. We feel called to this lifestyle so we do not feel guilty about putting this mission field above all other things. We school non-traditionally throughout the week, and sometimes Saturdays. If we’re not schooling, we take a field trip on Saturdays, but always rest on Sundays. Because we have such flexibility, we also school throughout the summer. I thought initially my kids wouldn’t like that, but it turns out, we all appreciate the structure and atmosphere of year-round schooling. Our approach to homeschooling is, what I would call, a hodgepodge: a combination of Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Classical, and Waldorf. I tend to lean more towards the natural side as far as units & manipulatives. I typically choose natural fibers over plastics or sounds. I like to leave a lot of room for the imagination to blossom. And, of course, I turn to books and I schedule in a lot of time for reading. Scheduling all of this was a little overwhelming at first, but we have established our rhythm and I will share with you what is working for us now, though always subject to change, and I still have so much to learn. My husband works in the oil and gas industry and works very long hours. I am a university professor with an unusual schedule. While I do work full-time, I do not work traditional hours, which provides me flexibility with my time. Every morning I am up at 6 am, to get myself ready for the day, prep breakfast, read something for myself, and answer emails. The kids get up at 8 am, are dressed, and head to the kitchen for breakfast. During breakfast I read the Bible, we practice our memory verse, sing a hymn, and then read a story for something that we are learning about. These activities are standard for every morning, but from this point on, our days differ. When I am at the university during the week, we have someone at home with our children. We call this recess. After breakfast and our standard activities, the kids play a lot and are outside. When I get home, we eat and then have what we call Book Day. In our home, Book Days include getting into my bed, or curled up on a blanket on the living room floor, and spending the afternoon reading aloud over piles of books pertaining to whatever we are learning at the time (insects, music, the solar system, etc.) or just something that we really enjoy. Our Book Days are very relaxed and do not include a single worksheet, just books, discussions, and sometimes tea. This has worked well for us because it is scheduled time for reading that reinforces the content we are covering. We all expect those afternoons and look forward to them. On other days when I'm not at the university in the morning, after breakfast we have Morning Basket. This basket isn't really a basket anymore. It used to be, but now it is more like a bunch of activities that are sprawled out on the kitchen counter for me to quickly grab that I set up the night before. While still at the breakfast table, we spend 1-2 hours going over activities that are mostly review, fun, hands-on, and highly engaging activities (mostly from our book club subscription or pertaining to a current event or holiday). Each child has their own activities but we are all working together. Around 10:30 am the kids get up to have some free play while I clean up the kitchen from breakfast and morning "basket". Around 11:15 am we have Book Time. This is always on the living room floor around a bowl of popcorn. First, I read a picture book aloud to the kids, and then we have quiet reading time with our own stack of books. I set a timer for 10 minutes for quiet reading time. When the timer goes off, if we’re all still okay (with our little wiggles) we keep going. When I first started this exercise, I did small 5-minute increments (because, toddlers), but now we do 10-15 minutes, and usually go up to about 50 minutes of quiet reading together. We do this about 3x a week. I like this because I actually get to read, my kids get to SEE me reading, & they get quiet time to flip through their own books. After our reading time, my youngest goes down for her nap, and then I work one-on-one with my son in our school room. This is the time during the week where new concepts are introduced, where we work on language arts (phonics, reading, handwriting, word families, comprehension, sight words, etc.), math (comparisons, addition/subtraction, time, money, counting, etc.), science (the solar system, life cycle of a frog, nature exploration, etc.), social studies (the pledge, geography, etc.), and the arts (music & art). Around 3pm, he goes to my bed for a quiet time, where he will sleep, rest, or read a book. I quickly clean up his schooling, and pull out what I have prepped for my youngest. She is only 3, so her schooling right now revolves around a book and we cover numbers, phonics, & art mostly. A lot of her school is hands-on and active. Right now, schooling for my kids, and introducing new concepts is conducted one-on-one. I know that will not always be the case, but that works best for us right now. After rest time and one-on-ones, we all come back to the kitchen table for tea time. This always includes art, poetry, and cookies. This lasts about 20-30 minutes, and then the kids are ready for some free play while I cook dinner. After dinner, my husband usually comes home and there is wrestling, golf or tennis in the backyard, something physical and....... loud lol Then it's bath, book, and bed time. My kids are in bed at 8 pm. We live away from family and do not have free childcare, so it is essential that we keep strict bed times so that I can see my husband and have conversations with him. Monday nights are our check-in nights. We always schedule this time. It isn't a formal meeting, but it is a time where we check-in with each other. We have to be very intentional with our time and this "scheduled" time has worked well for us and kept our marriage healthy. Other evenings during the week, I will usually watch a show with my husband before he heads to bed around 9:30/10, or I teach a night class. But when the house is quiet late at night, I am in Go Mode. I don’t think I have always been an introvert, & I don’t think I will be one forever; however, in this season of my life, while homeschooling my young children and working, I am an introvert. I don’t get a lot of time alone where I can refuel, & I really need it. The only time that I have found to refuel is when the world is sleeping. So I stay up late. Like really late. I would rather be sleep-deprived & sane, than rested & crazy. (sidebar- I attribute my ability to work on little sleep to doctoral grad school). I see bedtime for my house as “second morning” for me. I stay up late because I want to answer emails for students, update lectures, prep classroom activities, edit manuscripts, read scholarly journals, prepare advising materials, to zone-out, to read a book, to be creative & write a blog post, to mindlessly scroll through Facebook, to enjoy the silence, to laminate, or to prep the next school day in peace. I find the evening is when I'm most productive with preparation for school but also for my own mental health. I typically head to bed around 2 am. After a day, whether it was a day I was at school or a day where I was at home schooling, I have found that no matter what, I am educating. I am leading and teaching All. The. Time. I don't think it is something that I'm perfect at, but it does come natural to me. It is something I have been called to do and thus I work hard at trying to be better and to serve more. I have great peace using the gift God gave me. I never imagined that I would be a homeschooling mother. I never imagined that I would be a working mother while juggling homeschool. Sometimes I think I’m crazy to try and do it all. But then. But then. But then, there are those moments, where I see my children flourishing, and loving the learning experience, and choosing to linger over subjects because it brings them joy and they want to. And then I am encouraged, and I know that it isn't just about what I want, but what our family is called to do right now. I know that we have made the right decisions to be jugglers. With a huge dose of patience, a dash of flexibility, a deep desire for elaborate learning and critical thinking, and a colossal quantity of Jesus, we are thriving accidental homeschoolers, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

Hi I’m Darby and I’m an accidental homeschooler. Homeschooling was never on my radar as something that I would even consider as an option for our family. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit, but growing up I was guilty of maintaining a lot of the stereotypes regarding homeschooling families. And here I am now with two little ones (ages 3 & 4 in preschool and kindergarten) that I love homeschooling, and a huge enthusiast and advocate of homeschooling. Isn't the Lord funny like that? ;-) And I must admit, that my preconceived notions, were WRONG! While I never expected to be a homeschooling family, the careers of my husband and I didn't either. We are a homeschooling family where both parents work full-time. We are an anomaly and I'm okay with that because it works for us. How does this full-time working family also homeschool? We juggle. We struggle. We juggle some more. We communicate. We are flexible. We pray. We are continually reaffirmed in our decisions to homeschool. Let me share with you how we are making this work for us. (Disclaimer: I'm not saying that our way is the right way, or the only way. I only express this as what is working for us right now. It might change, but for now, this is how we are managing). We entertained the idea of homeschooling, and ultimately made the decision to homeschool our children, because we wanted control over curriculum where Jesus was taught, to enable deep thinkers, to linger over subjects, and the flexibility of time both in and out of the "classroom". I was also a bit discouraged with the industrial education system, but I am not opening that can of worms today. To cultivate a culture of learning while working full-time, we have firm boundaries; we say "no" to a lot of extra stuff so that we can say "yes" to the learning lifestyle in our home. We feel called to this lifestyle so we do not feel guilty about putting this mission field above all other things. We school non-traditionally throughout the week, and sometimes Saturdays. If we’re not schooling, we take a field trip on Saturdays, but always rest on Sundays. Because we have such flexibility, we also school throughout the summer. I thought initially my kids wouldn’t like that, but it turns out, we all appreciate the structure and atmosphere of year-round schooling. Our approach to homeschooling is, what I would call, a hodgepodge: a combination of Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Classical, and Waldorf. I tend to lean more towards the natural side as far as units & manipulatives. I typically choose natural fibers over plastics or sounds. I like to leave a lot of room for the imagination to blossom. And, of course, I turn to books and I schedule in a lot of time for reading. Scheduling all of this was a little overwhelming at first, but we have established our rhythm and I will share with you what is working for us now, though always subject to change, and I still have so much to learn. My husband works in the oil and gas industry and works very long hours. I am a university professor with an unusual schedule. While I do work full-time, I do not work traditional hours, which provides me flexibility with my time. Every morning I am up at 6 am, to get myself ready for the day, prep breakfast, read something for myself, and answer emails. The kids get up at 8 am, are dressed, and head to the kitchen for breakfast. During breakfast I read the Bible, we practice our memory verse, sing a hymn, and then read a story for something that we are learning about. These activities are standard for every morning, but from this point on, our days differ. When I am at the university during the week, we have someone at home with our children. We call this recess. After breakfast and our standard activities, the kids play a lot and are outside. When I get home, we eat and then have what we call Book Day. In our home, Book Days include getting into my bed, or curled up on a blanket on the living room floor, and spending the afternoon reading aloud over piles of books pertaining to whatever we are learning at the time (insects, music, the solar system, etc.) or just something that we really enjoy. Our Book Days are very relaxed and do not include a single worksheet, just books, discussions, and sometimes tea. This has worked well for us because it is scheduled time for reading that reinforces the content we are covering. We all expect those afternoons and look forward to them. On other days when I'm not at the university in the morning, after breakfast we have Morning Basket. This basket isn't really a basket anymore. It used to be, but now it is more like a bunch of activities that are sprawled out on the kitchen counter for me to quickly grab that I set up the night before. While still at the breakfast table, we spend 1-2 hours going over activities that are mostly review, fun, hands-on, and highly engaging activities (mostly from our book club subscription or pertaining to a current event or holiday). Each child has their own activities but we are all working together. Around 10:30 am the kids get up to have some free play while I clean up the kitchen from breakfast and morning "basket". Around 11:15 am we have Book Time. This is always on the living room floor around a bowl of popcorn. First, I read a picture book aloud to the kids, and then we have quiet reading time with our own stack of books. I set a timer for 10 minutes for quiet reading time. When the timer goes off, if we’re all still okay (with our little wiggles) we keep going. When I first started this exercise, I did small 5-minute increments (because, toddlers), but now we do 10-15 minutes, and usually go up to about 50 minutes of quiet reading together. We do this about 3x a week. I like this because I actually get to read, my kids get to SEE me reading, & they get quiet time to flip through their own books. After our reading time, my youngest goes down for her nap, and then I work one-on-one with my son in our school room. This is the time during the week where new concepts are introduced, where we work on language arts (phonics, reading, handwriting, word families, comprehension, sight words, etc.), math (comparisons, addition/subtraction, time, money, counting, etc.), science (the solar system, life cycle of a frog, nature exploration, etc.), social studies (the pledge, geography, etc.), and the arts (music & art). Around 3pm, he goes to my bed for a quiet time, where he will sleep, rest, or read a book. I quickly clean up his schooling, and pull out what I have prepped for my youngest. She is only 3, so her schooling right now revolves around a book and we cover numbers, phonics, & art mostly. A lot of her school is hands-on and active. Right now, schooling for my kids, and introducing new concepts is conducted one-on-one. I know that will not always be the case, but that works best for us right now. After rest time and one-on-ones, we all come back to the kitchen table for tea time. This always includes art, poetry, and cookies. This lasts about 20-30 minutes, and then the kids are ready for some free play while I cook dinner. After dinner, my husband usually comes home and there is wrestling, golf or tennis in the backyard, something physical and....... loud lol Then it's bath, book, and bed time. My kids are in bed at 8 pm. We live away from family and do not have free childcare, so it is essential that we keep strict bed times so that I can see my husband and have conversations with him. Monday nights are our check-in nights. We always schedule this time. It isn't a formal meeting, but it is a time where we check-in with each other. We have to be very intentional with our time and this "scheduled" time has worked well for us and kept our marriage healthy. Other evenings during the week, I will usually watch a show with my husband before he heads to bed around 9:30/10, or I teach a night class. But when the house is quiet late at night, I am in Go Mode. I don’t think I have always been an introvert, & I don’t think I will be one forever; however, in this season of my life, while homeschooling my young children and working, I am an introvert. I don’t get a lot of time alone where I can refuel, & I really need it. The only time that I have found to refuel is when the world is sleeping. So I stay up late. Like really late. I would rather be sleep-deprived & sane, than rested & crazy. (sidebar- I attribute my ability to work on little sleep to doctoral grad school). I see bedtime for my house as “second morning” for me. I stay up late because I want to answer emails for students, update lectures, prep classroom activities, edit manuscripts, read scholarly journals, prepare advising materials, to zone-out, to read a book, to be creative & write a blog post, to mindlessly scroll through Facebook, to enjoy the silence, to laminate, or to prep the next school day in peace. I find the evening is when I'm most productive with preparation for school but also for my own mental health. I typically head to bed around 2 am. After a day, whether it was a day I was at school or a day where I was at home schooling, I have found that no matter what, I am educating. I am leading and teaching All. The. Time. I don't think it is something that I'm perfect at, but it does come natural to me. It is something I have been called to do and thus I work hard at trying to be better and to serve more. I have great peace using the gift God gave me. I never imagined that I would be a homeschooling mother. I never imagined that I would be a working mother while juggling homeschool. Sometimes I think I’m crazy to try and do it all. But then. But then. But then, there are those moments, where I see my children flourishing, and loving the learning experience, and choosing to linger over subjects because it brings them joy and they want to. And then I am encouraged, and I know that it isn't just about what I want, but what our family is called to do right now. I know that we have made the right decisions to be jugglers. With a huge dose of patience, a dash of flexibility, a deep desire for elaborate learning and critical thinking, and a colossal quantity of Jesus, we are thriving accidental homeschoolers, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

The amazing benefits of homeschooling, both to the student and to the family, I have learned as an accidental homeschooler.

As an accidental homeschooler myself (for the past twelve years) I figured I’d share a few tips on how we manage the homeschool day with various age groups. Hopefully you can look at what works for our family and use that to figure out what will work for yours.

When the public school suddenly didn't measure up to this mom's standard, she found herself an accidental homeschooler. It's been 8 years now and she's not looking back!

Schools around the country are closing due to the coronavirus pandemic. But much can be done and seen online at home.

Photo Credit: Jodi Mockabee Hello friends! We live in some very interesting times. Due to the precautions against spreading the Cor...

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Wondering how to use Amazon Alexa Skills for your homeschool? Your kids will love all the fun games Alexa has to offer! You will love that it is educational and screen free! Be sure to download the free printable so you can remember all of them! #alexahomeschool #alexahomeschoolthekids #homeschool #screenfree #learning

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

An everyday foldable folding knife is compact enough to fit inside your pocket without accidentally injuring yourself.

As an accidental homeschooler myself (for the past twelve years) I figured I’d share a few tips on how we manage the homeschool day with various age groups. Hopefully you can look at what works for our family and use that to figure out what will work for yours.

Here are some practical tips for parents who didn’t know they were going to homeschool in 2020, plus a bonus tip: helpful videos from a biblical worldview.

The SEA secular homechool community talks about reading. A lot. This article features a list of some of our most recommended books, books that will fit on any secular homeschool book list.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Sometimes life is quiet. We can stay at home and relax. There's plenty of time to say such things as "Would you like to watch a Shakespeare play with me?" We read books and drink hot chocolate. We write and chat and work on our individual projects. And as we do all this, I add

Suddenly becoming a homeschooling mom can be a bit overwhelming. Everyone is frazzled and flustered because of the lack of their regular schedule. Maybe

I've reviewed the best unit studies for homeschoolers so your family can learn all the subjects together while staying on one topic!

A homeschooler's guide to deschooling. What is deschooling? Is it important? What happens if you don't deschool? When and how long should you deschool? How do you start? A list of activity ideas.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

I am an accidental homeschooler. I didn't plan on educating my children at home. I didn't plan on joining the ranks of parents who are sometimes viewed as insular and anti-social. Like many others, I thought that all homeschoolers purposely sheltered their kids from the real world. Seven years after my kids have dragged me into this lifestyle, I can wholeheartedly declare that I am more connected to the world than ever before.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

There are many reasons why I homeschool. After 18 years and 6 kids, some of the reasons to homeschool have changed--there are benefits I never imagined.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Every Tuesday, I've been joining up with the fabulous ladies of iHomeschool Network to offer up 10 lists of Top 10. This week we are focusing on our Top 10 favorite Read Alouds. When given that topic, my head nearly exploded! How in the world would I ever pick just 10?! I'm sort of known as the "Closet Librarian." Books are my best friends, especially great children's books. So, I'm taking the liberty of narrowing my topic to my Top 10 American History Read Alouds for Young Learners...phew...that was a mouthful. (If you are a list purist and insist on knowing my Top 10 Favorite Read Alouds of all the time periods and genres, you can check out my list of favorite fictional chapter books. But, I'm warning you, there are more than 10!) (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) I have chosen living literature quality books...books that are not necessarily non-fiction but which are based upon an actual event or era in history...because so much can be learned about the life and times of a people group or event in history from a well-written story. Although most historical fiction is written for older students, even early learners (Pre-K through 3rd graders) can learn valuable historical lessons simply by snuggling on the couch with an age-appropriate historical fiction. The first 10 books are picture books to be read aloud by mom or dad, while the last 10 are early reader chapter books to be enjoyed by emergent readers (or crazy thirty-something moms, like me, that just can't get enough of great children's books!) Many of these authors have written other wonderful historical fictions. So if you find one that you like, be sure to check out their other titles. Here's my Top 10 American History Read Alouds in chronological order... Top 10 Picture Books 1. Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters 2. The Hatmaker's Sign retold by Candace Fleming 3. The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Fleming 4. Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson & Nancy Carpenter 5. Nine For California by Sonia Levitin 6. The Promise Quilt by Candice F. Ransom 7. Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell 8. Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming 9. The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco 10. The Bicycle Man by Allen Say Top 10 Emergent Readers 1. Good Hunting, Blue Sky by Peggy Parish 2. Finding Providence: The Story of Roger Williams by Avi 3. Buttons for General Washington by Peter and Connie Roop 4. Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley 5. George Washington and the General's Dog by Frank Murphey 6. The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Goerr 7. Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express by Eleanor Goerr 8. Abe Lincoln's Hat by Martha Brenner 9. Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Smiler Levinson 10. Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race by Monica Kulling If you are looking for more American History titles for early learners, check out these GREAT American History authors: Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire David A. Adler Steven Kellogg Alice Dalgliesh For more great book suggestions, be sure to head to iHomeschool Network and check out the Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists! Set your homeschool day on autopilot! Thank you! Your task cards will be sent to your inbox shortly. Set your homeschool day on autopilot! No more nagging your kids to do their work. Grab my free Task Cards today. Yes, send me the Task Cards!

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Even before becoming a homeschooler I knew the importance of reading aloud. I vividly remember reading books to my ginormous pregnant belly (yes I was that mom). But it was not until I became a homeschooler and read Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook then subsequently stumbled upon the amazing Sarah Mackenzie at Read Aloud Revival that I...

Explore the best homeschool history curriculum for all ages. From elementary to high school, find the perfect fit for your family.

I needed a relax read after I finished school, so I decided to read The Accidental Guardian by Mary Connealy. It was just what I wanted.

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

Photo Credit: Jodi Mockabee Hello friends! We live in some very interesting times. Due to the precautions against spreading the Cor...

Today we are going to cover some tips for how to homeschool an active child. For some kids sitting quietly learning is pure torture.

It's BACK TO HOME-SCHOOL TIME! If your plans include the American Girl History Units this year, this post is just for YOU! A friend recently asked me i ...

I'm always looking for new books for homeschool parents, not only for continuing education purposes, but also for encouragement for our homeschool journey.

Explore best homeschooling curriculum options by grade. Includes an overview of what homeschooling parents can expect for their children by grade level.

Homeschooling middle school is a new season of life - I had to acknowledge that my kids were growing up and had developed their own interests.

Whether intentional or accidental, we all have an atmosphere in our home. Mine does. Yours does. Some homeschoolers put a lot of thought into their homeschool atmosphere. The concept has never even crossed the mind of others. The atmosphere will include a wide variety of things including: Faith & Values Food & Meals Learning Music