homeschool tips Archives - Look! We're Learning!

25 Veteran Tips for Happy Homeschooling

October 22, 2018 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

How many of you out there are either homeschooling or thinking of homeschooling? How many of you are homeschooling happily?

Making the decision to homeschool is a tough one, but one that usually brings a lot of excitement. As your homeschooling journey continues, though, you’ll start to face some challenges that can make learning at home feel…not awesome. In fact, it can get downright miserable if you’re not careful.

Which is why I wanted to share some veteran tips for happy homeschooling. After all, we’re teaching our kids at home because we want them to have the best education possible. If they’re unhappy while they learn, that’s not the best education, is it?

These suggestions cover some of the common challenges you’ll face as a homeschooler, but there are also tips and tricks for keeping your homeschool organized, feeding your hungry learners during the day, and teaching multiple kids at once (like we do).

Need some more homeschooling how-tos? Check out our list of homeschool planning tips to get your school year started right!

25 Veteran Tips for Happy Homeschooling

Image c/o: habovka / depositphotos

1. 10 of the Best Tips for Homeschooling Kids with ADHD – Look! We’re Learning!

2. How to Start Strong Each Homeschool Week – Table Life Blog

3. How to Stop and Smell the Roses – Rock Your Homeschool

4. When You Fear Your Homeschooled Teen is Behind – Annie and Everything

5. 9 Ways to Help Boys With Too Much Energy – Homeschool Your Boys

6. How to Start a Homeschool Routine with Young Children – Hodgepodge

7. Fun Math Books for Middle Schoolers – Look! We’re Learning!

8. 10 Tips for Starting to Homeschool – Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

9. Our Top Ten Lunches for Homeschool – iHomeschool Network

10. Tips for Changing Your Homeschool Curriculum – Triumphant Learning

11. 100 Ways to Have a Fun Homeschool Day – Rock Your Homeschool

12. How to Get Homeschooled Kids to Want to Learn – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

13. 3 Essential Keys to Homeschooling Multiple Ages – Preschoolers and Peace

14. Practical Ways to Deal with Homeschool Burnout – iHomeschool Network

15. How to Keep Your Happy Through Winter – Nourishing My Scholar

16. Homeschooling Gifts You Don’t Want to Take for Granted – Look! We’re Learning!

17. The Best Way to End a Homeschool Day – Table Life Blog

18. The Power of Play: Using Game in Your Homeschool – My Little Poppies

19. 36 Ways to Organize Your Homeschool – Annie and Everything

20. How to Use Morning Time for a Happier Homeschool – Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

21. Easy Ways to Homeschool On the Go – Rock Your Homeschool

22. 100 Educational Shows to Stream on Netflix – Homeschool Hideout

23. What to Do When Gifted Kids Struggle – Raising Lifelong Learners

24. 3 Ways to Instantly Gain More Time in Your Homeschool Day – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

25. 5 Ways to Make Geography Fun – Look! We’re Learning!

Want even more tips for happy homeschooling? Liven up your learning with these ideas!

And follow my Help for Homeschoolers board on Pinterest for even more helpful suggestions!

How to Afford Homeschooling eBook Download

Should You Homeschool Year Round or Not?

August 13, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

If you’ve been around the homeschooling world for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve heard of families who homeschool year round. In fact, we’re one of those families, so if you haven’t met someone before, you have now!

Choosing whether to homeschool year round can be a tough decision to make. Which is why it’s normal to seek the guidance of experienced homeschooling parents when you’re considering this topic.

But the beauty of homeschooling is that you can do works best for you and your child. So whether you homeschool year round or not is totally up to you and yours.

If you’re considering homeschooling, then it’s clear that you want to understand your children and provide them with a good education. Homeschooling not only allows more family and bonding time, but it also creates an environment that supports the learning habits and needs of your child.

If you find that you are racking your brain with trying to decide if you should homeschool year round or not, here are a few things to consider before choosing one way or another.

Are you thinking of homeschooling but unsure you can do it? See how you can homeschool your own children, even if you’re not a teacher!

Image c/o: belchonock / depositphotos

Should You Homeschool Year Round or Not?

Homeschooling Year Round Does NOT Mean Schooling All the Time

While learning and education are important, it is also just as important to make certain that your little one doesn’t get burnt out from not being able to take a break.

If you choose to homeschool year round, a good alternative to a full summer break could be to take a couple of weeks off intermittently throughout the school year. This way, your child gets a little rest time (as do you!) and time for them to recoup and have a little fun in the sun as well.

Homeschooling Year Round Can Help You Avoid the Summer Slide

One of the biggest concerns that many public school teachers have is that it takes kids a few weeks after returning from summer break to get back into the swing of things at school. If you choose to homeschool year round, you’ll never have to worry about getting out of sync and schedule.

Being able to teach your child in an atmosphere and classroom setting that works perfectly for them and their learning needs is what homeschooling is all about. When you’re able to provide that education year round, you’re setting your child up for a great learning environment!

Homeschooling Year Round Doesn’t Have to Interrupt Family Vacations

Do you and your family have any traveling plans during the summer months or do people come to visit you and your family during the year? If so, consider that before deciding to keep up with the curriculum full-time.

While it doesn’t mean that you still can’t homeschool year round, it’s just important to understand that there may be times when you’ll be traveling or have guests over and you and your child will still need to get through your lessons and your work planned.

Talk It Over With the Kids

Instead of making this decision entirely on your own, talk to your child about their thoughts. You may be surprised by their answer in regards to what they prefer!

Some children like the scheduling and every day being the same, while others prefer a bit of time to recharge. Whatever the choice, rest assured that it will be the best one for you and your child.

How We Homeschool Year Round

We’ve been homeschooling year round for several years and here’s what we do:

We follow a typical school year for our start. We generally get started with our next grade in August, but we only school for three days per week. Every few months, we take a break for a week or two.

Over the summer, we take a very relaxed approach. We’re still homeschooling, but the majority of our learning comes from summer camps, field trips, and online courses. So far, this approach has worked well for our kids.

What about you? Do any of you homeschool year round? I’d love to hear how you make it work in the comments!

Still planning your homeschool year? Take a look at these posts!

Get more ideas for structuring your homeschool year on my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board!

25 Helpful Homeschool Planning Tips for the New School Year

July 16, 2018 by Selena Robinson 6 Comments

I just love homeschool planning season. Many homeschoolers start planning for the new school year during late spring and early summer.

In our family, though, homeschool planning season is practically a year-round event. Even after almost ten years of homeschooling, I’m always looking for new homeschool planning tips that will help us along our journey. After all, each child is different and each grade level is different, so what worked in the past may not work as you go along.

Get your new homeschool year started on the right foot with these tried-and-tested homeschool planning tips that work! There are 25 here – all from veteran homeschooling moms (including me!) – and they’re great for any age and stage you’re teaching.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by your homeschooling journey? Take a breather with this article about the things you don’t need to homeschool!

*Don’t miss the fabulous Rainbow Resource curriculum giveaway at the bottom of the post!*

Image c/o: habovka / depositphotos

25 Helpful Homeschool Planning Tips for the New School Year

1. Simple Lesson Planning for Minimalist Homeschoolers – Look! We’re Learning!

2. My Super Simple Homeschool Planning Method – Homeschool Your Boys

3. Make a Homeschool Schedule – Homeschooling Ideas

4. Printable 2018-19 Homeschool Planning Form – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

5. How to Use Mind Maps for Homeschool Planning – Triumphant Learning

6. Free Printable Homeschool Planner Pages for Relaxed Homeschoolers – This Simple Balance

7. Printable Homeschool Quarterly Planning Form – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

8. Step-by-Step Instructions to Plan A Homeschool Year – Preschoolers and Peace

9. Planning for the Non-Planning Homeschool Mom – Homeschooling Without Training Wheels

10. How to Hold a Weekly Homeschool Planning Meeting – Hodgepodge

11. Five Simple Tips to Help You Schedule Your Homeschool Day – Finding Joy In the Journey

12. How to Plan Homeschool One Quarter At A Time – Lara Molettiere

13. 15 Homeschool Schedule Ideas for Kids with ADHD – Look! We’re Learning!

14. How to Pre-Plan A Homeschool Year – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

15. How to Frugally Plan Your Homeschool with Folders – Rock Your Homeschool

16. 2018 Weekly Homeschool Planning Worksheets – Table Life Blog

17. How to Plan A Homeschool Week – Blossom and Root

18. 7 Steps to Simplify Homeschool Planning – Triumphant Learning

19. The Ultimate Guide to Low-Stress Homeschool Planning and Scheduling – Hide the Chocolate

20. 7 Step Homeschool Curriculum Planner – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

21. How to Create a Flexible Homeschool Schedule – Look! We’re Learning!

22. The Tools You Need to Plan Your Homeschool Year – Finding Joy In the Journey

23. How to Make Your Homeschool Planner Work for You – Rock Your Homeschool

24. Homeschool Planning with a Spiral Notebook – Blog, She Wrote

25. Free Printable Homeschool Planning Pages – Classically Homeschooling

These homeschool planning tips are awesome for jump starting your new school year! But if you need a little more help to plan your homeschooling lessons, check out these other suggestions!

Follow my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board for even more suggestions!

And now for the Rainbow Resource Back to Homeschool Giveaway!

Whether you’re an early bird who already started your new school year or you homeschool year-round (like we do), I’m pretty sure you could use a little extra money for homeschool curriculum. Right???

I’m thrilled to share an awesome giveaway that I’m offering with a group of education bloggers. We’re giving away $250 to help parents buy curriculum, educational supplies, and more to stock up their learning library!

Well, actually, we’re giving away $250 twice. Two people will win a $250 gift card to Rainbow Resource Center!!

To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. The more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends July 27th, 2018 at 11:59pm ET. Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a resident of U.S. or Canada to enter. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. Please be sure to read the Terms & Conditions upon entering the giveaway.

10 New School Year Resolutions for Homeschoolers

December 26, 2017 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

It’s common to start a new homeschool year in August or September, which is the same time of year when public schoolers go back to class. But I still like to reset my homeschool every January.

By that point, I’m almost halfway through the school year and I can take a look at which resources are working and which are…not. I can also see how my kids are progressing and adjust our goals to suit their ability.

Every year, I make a list of things I’d like to change about my teaching method or our homeschool routine and I try to apply those throughout the year. This time, I thought I’d share of my new school year resolutions with you and hopefully get to read some of your plans as well!

Feeling overwhelmed in your homeschool journey? See what to do when homeschooling feels like too much!

10 New School Year Resolutions for Homeschoolers

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1. Establish a daily routine.

As much as I like the idea of a “go with the flow” mentality, that simply does not work for our family, especially since some of us are living with ADHD. Instead of attempting to schedule every single minute, though, we’re going to stick with our minimalist homeschool schedule and strive for consistency.

2. Spend more time outdoors.

I’m really not an outdoors person. I’d rather be inside with a thick novel than outside any day. However, we have active kids who love the outdoors, so we’ll be working in more outside time this year. We’ve gotten a chance to share some great nature activities as a family and I’d like to make time for that on a regular basis. Even I feel more relaxed after we spend time outside together.

3. Make good use of lapbooks.

We’ve used a few lapbooks with the kids in the past and we’ve enjoyed them quite a bit. But I’ve tended to shy away from using them much because they take so much time to prepare. After the initial preparation, though, they are wonderful homeschooling tools that kids can use on their own. We still have lapbooks from years ago and the kids can grab them and complete an activity any time. They’re certainly worth the initial time investment.

4. Encourage independence.

My husband was the first one to teach this in our home, so I have to give credit to him for this resolution. He believed strongly that our kids should learn to take care of themselves as early as possible. As a result, our three oldest kids (ages 13, 9, 8) can wash their own laundry, prepare their own breakfast and lunch meals, and clean their rooms. This year, I’ll start helping our youngest (age 5) to do the same.

5. Slow down.

When I first started homeschooling years ago, I felt pressure to do ALL THE THINGS AT ONCE. I planned every minute of our homeschooling day. I made a list of every single important children’s book with dates to read each one. I collected every piece of homeschooling curriculum I could find. Then I almost killed myself trying to do it all. Now that we’ve been at this for years, I’ve learned that it’s so much better to slow down, focus on what’s most important, and enjoy teaching the children.

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