When our oldest was approaching school age. I started feeling the pressure if you will, about how our son would be educated. I didn’t know a lot about homeschooling back in those days.
In fact I didn’t really know anything at all. I had heard the term about homeschooling but that was about it.
I thought about putting him in a private school. Yet, we wouldn’t have been able to afford a Christian School. Afterall, those schools can cost thousands to go to them. If you have more than one children, let’s not even think about it.
That is what I wanted though, “a Christian education”, but how?
Somehow the term homeschooling had hit my radar screen.
Now maybe you are much like we were back then. Maybe you are filled with question after question. Don’t worry. I totally I get it. I really do.
Maybe you are wondering if you know enough or are good enough
The answer is you don’t have to have a teaching degree to school your kids. There are so many resources and programs to help with gaps you may be missing or subjects that you aren’t sure about teaching.
There really has never been a better time to homeschool your kids. There is a wealth of information at your fingertips. I mean literally…
Some websites help with math or writing skills. Also, YouTube is a great resource for learning.
There are books, online programs, online private schools, free websites and more.
When we decided to homeschool. My husband and I didn’t know what that would look like or even what we were doing. I mean we didn’t know anyone who personally homeschooled their children.
Just as the Lord would have it. He put me on the path of someone that could help us.
I went to the grocery store, and (well you know how us women are) I started talking with the lady in the bakery. In our conversation somehow it came up that she homeschooled her child.
She just happened to be in a homeschool support group. A homeschool support group is one that you can hook your kids up with and do fun stuff. Co ops, field trips, 4 H etc.
After learning about this group, this is just what my husband and I needed to help us on our journey to begin homeschooling our son.
This group of parents helped us get a better understanding of what homeschooling was all about and what we needed to do.
We had looked into and were considering purchasing the Abeka Books Video curriculum for him.
However, those classes were almost $1000 at the time.
Now for a good education that’s not a terrible price. Though if you are on a tight budget, it’s also not necessary.
My son was only starting kindergarten.
The experienced parents there let us know, it wasn’t necessary in kindergarten to pay that kind of money for a program.
You can do little workbooks, crafts, and other hands on activities for teaching your littles. Also you can make counting fund by using marbles, for counting or little soldiers to teach about history. There are so many creative ways to make learning fun and the children enjoy it so much.
For fun ideas Moms, go to Pinterest. There are so many creative moms and teachers on there. You will never run out of ideas for teaching your kids.
Just make it fun and your little ones will pick it up like a sponge. No expensive video’s needed. Those folks were a lot of help to me in those early years and I hope to be able to pass that on.
How will you go about homeschooling?
In beginning your journey to homeschooling. The very first thing you want to do is check with local homeschooling laws in your area. Visiting the Homeschool Legal Defense Association is a great place to find laws in your area.
Where will I get the curriculum?
Have you ever heard the sky is the limit? Well, when it comes to searching out for curriculum, the options seem to be endless.
https://largefamilyarrows.com/new-to-homeschooling/
https://largefamilyarrows.com/ready-to-begin-homeschooling-steps-to-get-you-started/
- Always check on eBay for new and gently used curriculums.
Do you feel like you are always running behind and never have enough time? Are you struggling to find a way to balance homeschooling with your family responsibilities? Or do you work from home or outside the home? It can be tough to try and figure out a schedule that works for everyone.
In this blog post, we will discuss some tips and tricks for creating a working homeschool schedule that will help make your life a little bit easier!
BLOCK SCHEDULES VS HOURLY SCHEDULES
When creating a homeschool schedule, one of the first decisions you will have to make is whether you want to use a block schedule or an hourly schedule to plan your homeschool day. A block schedule is where you plan the specific things that need to take place in your morning block, afternoon block, and evening block. For example, getting up and getting dressed would be in your morning block. However, perhaps you want to do your personal devotions, exercise, make your bed, do some laundry and if you work from home, you may do some work during this time. Many times this block takes place when the children are still sleeping, When everyone else wakes, this block would also include breakfast and beginning your school.
Your afternoon block might include lunch, chores, planning your dinner, running errands, or paying bills. It might also include making phone calls and checking emails. Of course, if your kids haven’t finished all their school. Then helping them with school would probably be in this block.
The evening block is going to have dinner, showers, and maybe time that you do things together with your family. You might also pick out your clothes for the next day, maybe get some more housework or business work if that’s something that is in your schedule. Lastly spending time with your husband would be in this block.
This is an example of blocking out your time or a block schedule.
Block Scheduling 101: What It Is, Why It Works And How To Get Started
A regular hourly schedule or planner is just that. You would schedule what you are needing to be doing, and in the hour that this needs to take place.
Such as 7:00 am you wake up, get ready, exercise, and take a shower. Then at 8:00 you would eat breakfast, do devotions, clean up your kitchen, and so forth. Each hour you would move on to something different until you have accomplished each thing you need to be doing for the day.
There are pros and cons to both methods. A block schedule can be helpful in that it allows you and your students the flexibility of planning their day but, being able to make changes if things arise.
An hourly schedule isn’t as flexible. You need to be changing your day, all day, and on the hour.
For me, I have tried both types of schedules. Now what works for me, may not work for you.
I found that trying to follow an hourly schedule made me feel stressed and overwhelmed in trying to keep up with what me and the kids were supposed to be doing all day.
A block schedule has worked better for me because I know what things need to happen within a certain block. If something comes up and we get off our schedule, we can always jump right back in when we can because we can check the block that we are in.
In order to decide which is best, here are some tips to get you started.
– Make a list of your family’s priorities and try to fit homeschooling into that timeframe.
– Decide what type of homeschool schedule will work best for your family- block or hourly
– Choose a curriculum that is interesting to your child and fits well with the type of homeschool schedule you have chosen.
– Create a weekly or daily routine and stick to it as closely as possible.
– Include breaks and downtime in your homeschool schedule to allow for some relaxation and family time.
– Use a schedule or planner to help keep you organized and on track.
Both block and hourly homeschooling schedules have their own benefits and drawbacks. You will need to decide what is best for your family.
When creating your homeschool schedule, be sure to also include breaks for rest and relaxation. This can help keep everyone in the family happy and motivated!
DECIDE HOW YOU WILL PLAN YOUR HOMESCHOOL SCHEDULE
When creating your homeschool schedule, it can be helpful to plan your days, weeks, or months ahead of time. This will help keep you on track and prevent homeschooling from becoming overwhelming. When planning your schedule. Having not only a daily schedule but planning even monthly can help you plan for those times that events will come up that will affect class time.
For example, if you have a vacation planned around Christmas time, you can plan your daily and monthly schedule around the time you will be out of town. Or if you have family coming in the middle of the school term, then you can already have that time planned in advance. Homeschooling is very flexible and you have options of planning classes around life events.
THE BENEFITS OF YEAR-ROUND HOMESCHOOLING: PROS AND CONS
ALTERNATE ON SCHOOL SUBJECTS
It can be helpful to alternate school subjects. If your children are older, doing Math and Science on one day then doing Language Arts and History on another day might be an option. . Following this kind of schedule is more like the college schedule and will get your older kids into the hang of attending classes that way.
over-commit your day. This will help prevent homeschooling from becoming overwhelming.
It can be helpful to have a designated “read aloud” time each day where you all read together. This can be a great opportunity for family bonding and discussion!
CHORE TIME
In order to make homeschooling work, it is important to designate time for chores. This will help keep your home clean and organized.
It can be helpful to have a designated “chore time” each day where everyone in the family helps out. This can be a great way to teach your children responsibility!
MAKE SURE TO SCHEDULE BREAK TIME
When homeschooling, it is important to schedule break time. This can assist in making homeschooling less daunting.
It can be helpful to have a designated “break time” each day where you can relax and rejuvenate. This can help keep you energized for the rest of the day!
SCHEDULE FREE PLAYTIME
You know they say all work and no play makes you dull. So just remember moms, the kids, and the moms need downtime. It can get easy to be so focused on getting things done, that we forget our kids need breaks and so do we.
You know how it is moms, we always have things to do and sometimes we need reminding to slow down and smell the roses so to speak. We where a lot of hats and we have a lot of responsibilities, taking care of our kiddos and making sure they get their education.
“It’s important to give everyone some breaks including yourself mom.”
PLAN SUBJECTS THAT CAN BE DONE WITH MULTIPLE AGES
When homeschooling, it can be helpful to plan subjects that can be done with multiple ages. This will help when teaching several children.
Unit studies are a great way to do this. Some unit studies are designed with different age groups in mind. They will have lessons for the younger kids and then the lessons can be taken deeper for older students. This is a great way to do classes like History together. This can help when planning your homeschool schedule.
ALWAYS BE FLEXIBLE
When homeschooling, it is important to be flexible. Always being flexible allows events to come up in life.
For example, if your child is struggling with a particular subject, it may be necessary to adjust your homeschool schedule. This will allow time for your student to be able to go over a topic again until he or she has a good understanding of a lesson. Instead of pushing through when that student isn’t ready.
Moreover, if someone is sick, has an appointment or something comes up that you didn’t plan for. If you keep your homeschool schedule flexible. It won’t get too behind or overwhelmed thinking you are behind. You can always jump back on your planner and see where you need to continue at.
USE A HOMESCHOOL PLANNER TO ORGANIZE LESSONS
When homeschooling, it can be helpful to use a homeschool planner to organize your lessons. This can include space for you to track what has been completed, what needs to be done next, and how long each lesson should take.
This can help keep you on track and help you keep working toward the goal.
IN CLOSING…
When planning your homeschool schedule, it is important to be flexible and to always keep in mind what works best for your family. Also, be sure to include breaks for meals, rest, and play. Everyone will be happier and more driven when they know that everyone else in the family is being rewarded for their hard work!
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Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
- There are multiple catalogs. One popular catalog is Christian Bookstore Homeschooling Page . This catalog has various curriculums and resources for your educational needs.
- Check out Marketplace on Facebook
- Check for homeschool sales in your local area
- Ask other homeschooling parents if they have any books or curriculums for sale
- Visit your local library for old books that are for sale, some of these books would make a great addition to your lessons and programs.
- In addition to these options above, just google homeschool curriculums. You will find many options there as well.
What about schedules
When we were kids. We were always trained to get up and go to school the first thing in the morning.
While it is true that early in the morning is best because everyone is fresh and awake, however. it not the only time kids can do their schoolwork.
I knew of a single Mom who adjusted her schooling around her work schedule.
If you need to work, that’s ok. You can still homeschool your children with the schedule that works best for you and your kids.
If you work from home, run a business ,or even work outside of the home. You can still teach your children.
If home education is what you desire for your family, you can make it happen.
It may take a little juggling of time but homeschooling can be flexible.
You must do what works for your family. I currently am schooling on a 4-day school schedule.
However, we do additional work during the week to make sure the same amount of work is completed.
According to Thoughtco homeschooling has been legal in all 50 U.S. states since 1993. According to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, home education was illegal in most states as recently as the early 1980s. By 1989, only three states, Michigan, North Dakota, and Iowa, still considered homeschooling a crime.
After homeschooling became legal. Many options and choices have become available to parents and their students.
The same options give all children a chance at great opportunities for learning according to their learning style and needs.
If you have always wanted to homeschool, or you feel God leading you that direction to step out in faith in this area, today is a good day to start.
Homeschooling can be hard work and maybe a little scary. However, it is also very rewarding to be able to train and teach your children at home.
What is your greatest concern about homeschooling?
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https://www.happyteachermama.com/homeschooling-journey-lessons/
https://www.happinessishomemade.net/new-journey-homeschooling/