How to Organize Digital Homeschool Resources

June 19, 2015 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

As a second-generation homeschooler, my heart belongs with paper books, planners, and notebooks. (There’s just something about the smell of paper and erasers in the morning.)

However, I have seen the need to jump into the digital age and, as a result, I am now the proud owner of a TON of digital homeschool resources. A ton.

But here’s the thing: If you can’t find anything on your computer, then all of your resources don’t really do a lot of good, do they? 🙂 So I came up with a simple way to organize digital homeschool resources, which I’m sharing with you today!

How I Organize Digital Homeschool Resources

Here’s my big secret…

….

…..

I use Windows File Explorer.

That’s it!

It’s really, really simple, but it really, really works. Here’s how:

I have my digital homeschool resources organized by the type of “school” to which they belong: Elementary for PK-5, Middle for 6-8, and High for 9-12 – just like in public school. I also have a separate folder for Planning, which I’ll get to in a minute.

Within each “school” level, I have items separated by grade level. For example, my “Elementary” folder is organized by specific grade. Then for things that aren’t really grade specific, I have individual folders such as “Foreign Language”, “Unit Studies”, and “PE“. I also have a few general subject folders that include resources for several grades.

Within each grade-specific level, files are organized again by subject. This is a look at my second-grade folder. So when it’s time to plan second grade, which I’ll be teaching with Roo this fall, I can just browse through the folder for each subject and plan from there. Much, much better than stockpiling resources and then forgetting about them until a year or two after the grade is finished. (Been there, done that.)

Now, my “Planning” folder is organized a bit differently. I am a total homeschool planner packrat. I have all kinds of planners on my hard drive, so they have their own folder. Then I have a folder for “Notebooking”, one for “Clip Art”, and another for “Teaching Tips”, because those make up the bulk of my downloadable resources that are not directly for the kids to use on their own.

As you can see, I also have two other folders: one for the 2013 Omnibus and another for the 2014 Omnibus from iHomeschool Network. I was thrilled to be a contributing author last year and I’m looking forward to sharing in the sale again this summer.

I mean, look at all those wonderful resources! Whenever I need a homeschool pick-me-up, I click open one of those folders and just read and read and read. 🙂

How I Store Digital Homeschool Resources

Of course, sorting and organizing all of my files won’t matter much if my computer crashes. So, I use a couple of methods to keep my digital homeschool resources safe.

First, I store everything on my computer and on a USB flash drive. I usually have to get one with a decent amount of memory, because I am an admitted digital curriculum hoarder. 🙂

In addition, I back everything on my computer’s hard drive up once each week onto an external hard drive. I like Seagate’s portable external hard drive, because it’s super easy to use and I can take it with me if I go out of town. (Really, it’s so easy to use that I kicked myself for not having gotten one earlier.)

And that’s how I organize digital homeschool resources! If you have any tips or suggestions to share, please do so in the comments!

Ready to get a handle on your homeschool this year? Check out these posts!

Get more tips about how to plan your homeschool on my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board!

How to Make a Year-End Homeschool Assessment

May 19, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

The school year is coming to a close! (If you use a traditional year, that is.) Get ready for the next year by learning how to make a year-end homeschool assessment! Read below to see how you can make one of your own with the help of an article at The Homeschool Post.

Today is Tuesday, so it’s time for another edition of the Laugh and Learn Linky! Haley, Tina, Lindsey, Sarah, and I have chosen our favorites from last week to feature. Be sure to link up your own posts for a chance to be featured next week!

How to Make a Year-End Homeschool Assessment

Making a year-end homeschool assessment can really help you to look back at last year and plan ahead. It’s always good to look back and see what worked and what definitely, definitely didn’t, right? 🙂

I recently got a chance to share a post over at The Homeschool Post about just how to make a year-end homeschool assessment. Check it out and get a jump on your summer planning!

How to Make a Year-End Homeschool Assessment – The Homeschool Post

Linky time! 🙂

Welcome to our 33rd week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our five favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on five blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.

Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!

Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.

Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Haley

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help moms learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids and funny things that happen. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.

Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Pinterest
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

Lindsey

Lindsey is a joyful mother, happy homeschooler, scatterbrained housewife, and passionate blogger. She writes about the joys and challenges of home educating, conscientious parenting, and “loving the simple life”. Get inspired with Lindsey at Simply LindseyLoo.

Find Lindsey at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Instagram
Pinterest

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of May 18th:

Written by Jennifer at Year Round Homeschooling

Find this post at My Bored Toddler

Written by Holly at Keeping Life Sane

Homemade Nature Suncatcher Windchimes by Jamie at Hands On As We Grow

Written by Leanne at The Transplanted Southerner

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.

[bctt tweet=”Come join the #laughlearnlinkup and share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post!”]

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up

How to Keep a Homeschool Tantrum from Derailing Your School Day

September 24, 2014 by Selena Robinson 11 Comments

Homeschooling moms have the dual challenge of serving as parents AND teachers during the day, which means we often have to deal with a homeschool tantrum or two on occasion. Yay! Not.

When a child throws a temper tantrum, it can disrupt the entire school day. And if you’re homeschooling more than one child, it can distract the other kids from their lessons, make you angry, and throw off your whole schedule for the week. Since we’re homeschooling children with ADHD, it’s essential that we stick to our regular school schedule, so I just cannot afford to have the school day disrupted by a temper tantrum.

Today, I thought I’d share a few of the things that have worked for us in keeping a homeschool tantrum at bay. I’ll also be including a few things that did NOT work, just for comparison. 🙂

Image © fasphotographic / Dollar Photo Club

Tips for Dealing with a Homeschool Tantrum

Find out what’s wrong. Before you even attempt to handle the tantrum, try to learn why your child is upset. Trust me, this can be difficult. Especially if they’re screaming incoherently at the time. Is your child frustrated because he can’t understand a concept? Is she feeling overwhelmed? Ask your child what’s wrong and then try to listen patiently as he explains.

What does NOT work: Shouting at your child to “Be quiet!”

Establish a regular schedule. Pooh, our oldest boy, is extremely cranky in the mornings. He tends to sleep restlessly and he frequently has night terrors. As a result, he really needs time to wake up at his own pace without being rushed. So, we decided to begin school a bit later in the day to avoid making him concentrate at an early hour. Before I realized that was a problem, he had tantrums almost every day. When we stick with the schedule, though, he rests better and he behaves better.

What does NOT work: Beginning school at a different time each morning

Keep right on teaching. This one is probably the most important. No matter what you do, continue with your lesson plan to the extent you possibly can. Naturally, if you have a kicking and screaming child in your school room, you may have to stop to remove him or her to a safe place. (I’ve had to do that on occasion.) But, if you drop your lesson plan completely, you’ve just told your child that he or she can make school “stop” by throwing a fit. Once you send that message, you’ll have a hard time teaching every day afterward.

What does NOT work: Stopping your lesson for that day

When I follow these three tips, temper tantrums in our family become minor hiccups instead of major obstacles. How do you handle homeschool tantrums? Do you have any suggestions for how to manage temper tantrums while homeschooling? Let us know in the comments!

Don’t miss these other parenting and homeschooling posts!

Get more parenting tips on my Parenting with Joy board on Pinterest!

Our Simple ADHD Homeschool Schedule

August 25, 2014 by Selena Robinson 15 Comments

We’ve been homeschooling for several years, but we still make adjustments to our homeschool schedule each year. And once we learned that some of our children had ADHD, we had to make some drastic changes to our daily routine.

I’ve been reading some great books on managing ADHD with kids, and I’ve learned some excellent tips about time and school management for kids with ADHD.

As a result, we’ve instituted a simple ADHD homeschool schedule. And it’s made a world of difference in making homeschooling days run more smoothly – for me AND the kids!

Read on to get a look at our typical day. And if you need more flexibility in your homeschool day, check our list of 15 different ADHD homeschool schedule ideas!

A Look at Our ADHD Homeschool Schedule

(This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Image c/o: belchonock / depositphotos

If you look at our ADHD homeschool schedule, you’ll notice that all of the school lessons are limited to 30 minutes MAX. That’s one of the important adjustments of this year, but so far, I’ve already seen improvements.

We also try to cover the basic subjects as early in the morning as possible. It generally makes the afternoon run smoother.

Morning:

7:30 a.m. (ish) – Wake up

I don’t really set a strict wake up time for the kids. They’re generally up by 7:30 a.m., but if they’re not, I let them sleep until they wake on their own. Pooh, in particular, needs time to wake up before he starts his day.

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – Copywork/Handwriting

We go over a different scripture each day and I use that verse as our copywork for the day. The kids clean up the breakfast dishes and bring their notebooks to the table to do copywork. Piglet generally sits in and draws with her Color Wonder markers.

9:00 a.m. – Math

I separate the kids for math. Tigger does her own work on the computer. We use several programs, including A+ Interactive Math, Khan Academy, and TenMarks. I let her go at her own pace, and I generally keep the entire lesson to 30 minutes or less.

The boys and I do a math lesson in the living room using “Life of Fred” and math manipulatives.

9:30 a.m. – Daily chores

The kids do their chores (usually two tasks per person) and then they make their lunches for the day.

10:00 a.m. – Language Arts

I don’t require that we have a structured language arts lesson each day, but we do cover all of the subjects (spelling, English, and writing) several times a week.

10:30 a.m. – Individual Reading

Each child gets to read with me for a few minutes alone. I generally read a short story with Roo first, then Pooh and I read a section of an early reader chapter book. Tigger and I are working our way through the Nancy Drew series and we’re on Book 1: The Secret of the Old Clock.

11:00 a.m. – Family Lesson

Everyday, we have a family lesson where we all cover the same subject together. Monday is Science, Tuesday is History, Wednesday is Geography, Thursday is Art/Music, and Friday is Foreign Language. (More about these in a future post.)

11:30 a.m – Family Unit Study

I try to pick at least one topic per month for our family unit studies. We usually read from a textbook or storybook and do an activity together each day.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, our ADHD homeschool schedule includes more of the “extras”. Unless we don’t finish covering the essentials in the morning.

12:00 p.m. – Lunch

Since they make the lunch themselves earlier in the morning, I don’t have to do much during lunch. Tigger generally helps Piglet with her food and I get a little break.

12:30 p.m. – Clean up and change for P.E.

We’re having the kids “dress for school” this year, so after lunch they change into play clothes for P.E.

1:00 p.m. – P.E.

We use Family Time Fitness for P.E. So far, we’ve been focusing on basic physical movements and helping the kids learn the difference between sports terms like “pass”, “throw”, “jump”, “hop”, etc.

1:45 p.m. – Showers and change clothes

I’ve recently made the decision to start giving showers earlier in the day. By the end of the day, we’re all exhausted and Jay and I just don’t feel up to the task. The kids seem to relax a bit more for quiet time when they’ve had a shower beforehand as well.

2:15 p.m. – Storytime

I generally read a story or part of a story before quiet time. I try to choose calm stories that won’t work them up too much. Otherwise, they’ll get in the bed and play around the whole time…lol.

2:30 p.m. – Quiet Time

This is the first year that I am NOT requiring a longer quiet time for the kids. Tigger is actually sleeping more this year than last. We suspect that it’s because she’s entering puberty and her body needs the rest.

If she goes to sleep, then I don’t wake her. We can always move the other tasks to later in the day. (One of the many perks of homeschooling!)

3:00 p.m. – Workbox Time

We do our workbox time right after Quiet Time, since it’s a quiet activity the older kids can do while Piglet is asleep. She generally naps for an hour and, by the time 3:30 rolls around, she’s up and raring to go!

3:30 p.m. – One-on-One Time with Mom

In my dream world, I’d have individual time with each child everyday. That’s just not practical, though – at least not when we’re following our regular school schedule.

So the kids alternate one-on-one time with me each day. Pooh gets Monday, Roo gets Tuesday, Tigger gets Wednesday, and Piglet gets Thursday. Friday is Mom’s one-on-one time with herself.

4:00 p.m. – Media Time

Media time is saved for the absolute very last part of the day. It’s a treat that they get to enjoy if we’ve gotten everything else done that day.

In the past, I would let them watch some TV around 11:30 p.m., particularly while I was making lunch. But they got so worked up after watching TV that they made a colossal mess while eating. Now I save media time until the end and things are better.

And that’s a look at our ADHD homeschool schedule, for this year at least. I’d love to hear about your daily homeschooling plans this year! Feel free to share them in the comments.

Don’t miss these other ideas for planning your homeschool year!

And see more ways to schedule your homeschool on my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board!

This post is part of the “2014 Not Back to School Hop” from iHomeschool Network! Click on over to read how our fellow bloggers schedule their homeschooling days!

How to Afford Homeschooling eBook Download

10 Free Homeschool Planners for the New School Year

July 16, 2014 by Selena Robinson 48 Comments

We’re quickly approaching back to school time – for public schoolers and homeschoolers.

If you’re a homeschooling family, you are probably in the middle of homeschool planning.

You know, the time of year when you’re up to your neck in curriculum plans, binders, and various storybooks you’ve collected through the years.

Lots of homeschoolers are now using digital lesson planners and they love them.

But, if you prefer pen and paper, I’ve got a list of 10 free homeschool planners that can help you get a jump on the new school year.

And who doesn’t need a little help in that area?

Read on to see the full list. You might find a few that can work for your family!

Are you drowning in homeschooling books? Need a little help narrowing down your choices for this homeschool year?

Take a look at what you can do if you have too much curriculum at home!

Get a jump on the new school year with this list of free homeschool planners for parents!

10 Free Homeschool Planners for the New School Year

Back to school time is one of my favorite times of year.

I love all of the energy around planning the new school year. In fact, I’ve loved it since I was a kid getting ready for school myself.

And I still get excited about new books, new plans, and new curriculum.

But, whether you’re a curriculum and planning junkie like me or if you’re more of a laid-back homeschooler, these free homeschool planners can help.

Take a look at the list below to find one or two you might like!

Would you rather go the DIY route? This tutorial from Homeschooling Down Under is awesome for making your own homeschool planner!

10 Free Homeschool Planners for the New School Year

This list of printable free homeschool planners is excellent for getting your school year in order!

Use these to plan lessons, organize curriculum, and more!

Printable Kids Homeschool Day Planner

Want to help your kids begin planning their own school days? This printable planner they can color is a fun way to get started!

Donna Young's Home School Weekly Lesson Planners

Photo Credit: donnayoung.org

Donna Young is a homeschool planner's paradise. There are loads of printable forms here to get your entire year structured.

Free Homeschool Planning Pages

Photo Credit: www.myjoyfilledlife.com

These printables are so helpful for getting a look at what you want to accomplish this school year!

Free Homeschool Forms to Help You Get Organized

Photo Credit: 123homeschool4me.com

Are you overwhelmed at the idea of planning your school year? These forms can help you get an idea of how to record grades, attendance, and more!

7 Step Free Homeschool Planner

Photo Credit: www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com

Use the lesson plans in this planner to outline your daily lessons for the entire school year!

Weekly Learning Themes with Free Planner Downloads

Photo Credit: karacarrero.com

Teaching little learners? Here is a list of learning themes you can use each week with a printable planner!

Two Fantastic Homeschool Planner Downloads (Plus Transcripts!)

Photo Credit: www.thehomeschoolmom.com

If you're teaching older kids, you'll love these printable homeschool transcripts you can use!

Free Printable Homeschool Planner

Photo Credit: www.livinglifeandlearning.com

This colorful printable homeschool planner is perfect for your homeschool binder!

FREE Homeschool Planner Weekly Checklist

Photo Credit: www.schooltimesnippets.com

If you prefer a minimalist approach to lesson planning, this grid planning checklist is perfect.

Weekly Assignment Sheet for Students

Photo Credit: www.reallifeathome.com

Help your older kids keep up with their weekly assignments with this printable tracker!

Printable Coloring Kids Homeschool Day Planner

Want to help kids start planning their own homeschool days?

This printable coloring homeschool day planner for kids is a great start!

Printable Homeschool Day Planner for Kids

It comes with a color and line art version for kids to fill in on their own. They can even color the line art version too!

To get your set of these homeschool planning pages free, click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter this Sunday night!

>>> Kids’ Homeschool Day Planner <<<

How I Keep My Homeschooling Costs to $250 a Year for Four Kids!

July 14, 2014 by Selena Robinson 29 Comments

It’s homeschool planning season! And that means it’s time to review our homeschooling costs.

If I had my way, we’d have an unlimited budget so I could buy ALL the curriculum, ALL the books, and ALL the resources there are. (Wouldn’t that be wonderful?) But we have to be responsible, so I set a yearly homeschool budget of $250.

For some homeschoolers, that may still be a bit high, but I look at the cost of attending public school and we’re still saving a ton. Between school lunches, uniforms, school supplies (which now include bottles and bottles of hand sanitizer), field trips, fundraisers, class parties, and sporting equipment, I know we’re coming out ahead.

So – here’s a look at how I keep my homeschooling costs for all four kids to $250 per year. And for even more ways to save on homeschooling, don’t miss our ebook “How to Afford Homeschooling“!

How I Reduce My Homeschooling Costs

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

1. Make use of as many free homeschooling resources as possible.

When I set up our homeschooling budget, I start by including as many free homeschooling programs as I can find. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool, a completely free program, has always been a favorite in our home. I use that as the basis for a lot of our subjects and then I supplement as I see fit.

I also use other free educational websites such as Essential Skills Advantage and PBS Learning Media.

Of course, the local library has been a huge help in increasing our reading list and minimizing the number of bookshelves we need each year.

2. Decide what you’re willing to invest in.

Every year, there are a couple of items that I’m willing to pay a little more for. ABC Mouse is one of these.

Our youngest child is an insatiable learner. She wants to learn everything about everything and she wants to have it done YESTERDAY. Now that my boys are older and need more of my time to understand math skills, I like having a program she can use on her own.

And that’s why ABC Mouse has been so great. It’s designed for kids from PreK through Grade 2 and it’s not just for enrichment. It actually is a complete curriculum that kids can navigate through with periodic parental involvement.

We’ve been using it for the past couple of years and, now that she’s entering first grade, we’ll be using it again.

I set aside about $25 for normal school supplies each year. We’ve already purchased our basics for this year, including pencils, markers, crayons, notebooks, and filler paper. Back to school sales, of course, are the best for finding those items.

This year, we don’t have access to a vehicle during the day, so I won’t be purchasing any attraction memberships. However, we usually choose one attraction per year and become members. I can usually find a great deal by browsing Groupon and jumping on a family membership deal.

Since we have that extra amount available in the budget, I’m using Time 4 Learning to strengthen the boys’ ELA and math skills for a couple of months and make sure they’re ready for fifth grade this fall.

3. Buy curriculum you can use for years.

Because we have more than one child, we try to buy non-consumable books that we can use again and again. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why I love anchor charts so much. I make them once and then I have them for future years.

We use Family Time Fitness for our Homeschool PE Curriculum and that’s also a program you can buy once and then use again and again as the kids grow.

Most of Tigger’s storybooks and readers were handed down to Pooh and Roo over the summer, so they’ll be using those this year. I found the vast majority of Tigger’s books for the upcoming year in the $1 bins at Target.

I also pick up a few comprehensive grade-level workbooks, and I use those for workboxes and standardized test preparation.

4. Don’t be afraid of “used” products!

I’m a total school nerd and the smell of new textbooks is enough to make me prefer to purchase a book brand new. Over the years, though, I’ve gotten over that and I’ve fallen in love with used books.

Amazon is a wonderful resource for used books and we’ve found some excellent homeschooling resources over the years by browsing the used books section. Large kids’ consignment sales, which I’ll be talking about in a future post, are excellent for finding books and textbooks as well.

And that’s how I keep my homeschooling costs down each year! Here’s our actual budget:

Basic back to school supplies: $25

Early learning program: $59.99

Annual attraction membership: $95

(This amount is going toward curriculum this year.)

Storybooks and textbooks (mostly used): $50

Comprehensive workbooks: $20

Total: $249.99

I’d love to hear how you set a budget for your homeschooling expenses and stick to it! Tell us about your homeschooling costs and choices in the comments!

Want even more ideas for homeschooling this year? Check out these posts!

Plus, get more tips to plan your homeschool year on my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board!

This post is part of the “How Much Does Homeschooling Actually Cost?” linkup from iHomeschool Network! Stop by to see how our fellow bloggers budget for their homeschooling expenses each year!

Tips for Homeschool Time Management

June 9, 2014 by Selena Robinson 13 Comments

Today we’re talking about homeschool time management, which helps us deal with one of the biggest obstacles to happy homeschooling in our home: NOT ENOUGH TIME!

We have four children, including some with ADHD, plus I’m a full-time minister and I work – so time is extra precious around here. But, I’ve learned a few great tips for managing our homeschooling time and I’m thrilled to share them with you all!

How to Improve Your Homeschool Time Management

1. Make a Schedule and Stick to It

I’ve previously sung the praises of a consistent homeschooling schedule and I’m still a huge fan of scheduling. When time is at a premium, using a daily homeschool schedule can literally save your lesson plan. So if your days are extra busy, block out a regular time for your schooling and hold class at the same time each day.

Tricia over at Hodgepodge has a great homeschool routine that works for her family. It involves a great early morning routine that calls for all of the kids to be up, dressed, and ready for school by 8:45. Genius!

2. Delegate Housekeeping to Your Kids!

What if you’re drowning in housework? Get your kids involved! Assigning daily, age-appropriate chores to your children accomplishes two things: 1) It reduces your workload and 2) It teaches them valuable life skills. With a little planning, you can even incorporate it into your school day. 🙂

Tristan from Our Busy Homeschool is a homeschooling mom of 8. Eight! One of the things that keeps her homeschool on track is having her kids do chores everyday. She even manages to get her toddlers and preschoolers involved!

3. Restructure Your Lessons

One of the many wonderful things about homeschooling is that we don’t have to follow a regimented lesson plan. We can rearrange our lessons whenever we like. For example, Tigger finished her language lessons early last year, so had a chance to double up on math for a few weeks.

Beth at 123 Homeschool 4 Me manages to work in schooling, housework, and errands in a single day! How? She keeps the “school” time to three hours a day and uses other activities to teach, including library visits, storybooks, and educational iPad games. Beth also makes use of the workbox system, which is great for assigning work to each individual child without disturbing the others.

Great Books for Homeschool Time Management

There are a lot of great books for homeschooling parents who need to work on their time management. I’ve enjoyed the tips in these two in particular:

The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling: Barbara Frank

Scheduling – The Secret to Homeschool Sanity: Plan Your Way Back to Mental Health – Lee Binz

Use these tips for better homeschool planning!

For even more homeschool scheduling and planning tips, follow our Homeschool Planning board on Pinterest!

This post is part of the “I Can’t Homeschool Because… linkup at iHomeschool Network ! Click on over to read how some of our fellow bloggers overcome obstacles to homeschooling!

Our Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Routine

December 17, 2012 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Hi everyone! It took me a while to post because we’ve recently welcomed a new baby! Even though the last few days have been pretty much consumed with sleeping and nursing, we’ve been able to maintain a lot of our routine, thanks to following a loose Charlotte Mason routine.

So, what’s Charlotte Mason homeschooling about? How can you schedule it into a homeschool day? Here’s a look at our Charlotte Mason homeschooling routine!

Our Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Routine

The website Simply Charlotte Mason has a great primer on what the complete method entails, but, for this post, I’m going to keep it rather brief. In short, Charlotte Mason homeschooling relies on several specific teaching methods: short lessons, living books, narration and copywork, a classical approach to history, and regular nature study, music study, and picture study.

In our home, we’ve found that the short lessons alone make a huge difference in the effectiveness of our school days, especially since some of our children have ADHD. We also tend to follow a routine of several subjects per day, which keeps the kids interested for a longer period of time than usual.

I also post the subject outline for the day so that Tigger knows what to expect as the day progresses. This seems to help her prepare her mind for what’s to come.

Another of the key CM principles that helps us is copywork. Charlotte Mason believed that young children could learn grammar, spelling, and penmanship simply by doing copywork everyday.

We start each day off with copywork of a Bible verse and we stick with that same verse everyday for a week until Tigger memorizes the verse and she’s able to write it clearly. In this way, we’re taking care of several subjects at once, which saves me time later on.

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Resources

For even more about the Charlotte Mason homeschooling method, check out these great books!

1. When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason’s Philosophy for Today by Elaine Cooper

2. A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola

3. Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass

4. A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-To Manual by Catherine Levison

If you’d like to learn more about the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, visit Ambleside Online or check out the forum at Simply Charlotte Mason.

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