homeschooling Archives

Minimalist Homeschooling: Stick to the Basics

July 17, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Homeschoolers, let’s have a little chat, shall we?

One of the huge draws to homeschooling is that we have the freedom to teach lessons and subjects the way that we see fit. But, to quote Uncle Ben from Spiderman, “with great freedom comes great responsibility”. Okay, I’ve totally just told you my age. 🙂

We have a LOT of options and a LOT of flexibility, but we also have the sole responsibility of educating our kids. And sometimes the endless options and choices can shift our focus from providing a good education to providing the bestest, most complete education ever – which is probably impossible.

It’s easy to start with a few school subjects at first. Then you add more and more. Next thing you know, your lesson plan has 15 or 20 slots to accommodate extra subjects such as Latin, crafting, foreign language, engineering, and technology. That may work for some, but it has become overwhelming for me.

So – this year, I’m sticking with the basics only when it comes to teaching school subjects. Here’s how.

Minimalist Homeschooling: Focus on the Basics

Look at your state requirements. What subjects are you required to teach? Start with those! In our state, we are required to teach math, ELA, science, social studies, and reading. When I started to really look at those subjects, I realized that covering them each day is plenty enough for us.
Add in other subjects and interests, but sparingly. Say you want your child to study Latin. That’s fine. But do they really need to learn it every single day? Do you even have time to teach it every day? If not, do it once a week and let that be enough. Or: If you finish your required subjects for the year by summer, use the summer for those elective subjects.
Leave room for your kids’ interests! Homeschooling isn’t homeschooling if the kids don’t have a little say in the planning, right? Leave a slot or two open for them to explore something they want to learn about. Your day will go much, much better that way.

Want to simplify your lesson planning? Take a look at how we’re doing that this year!

Get more ideas for organizing your homeschool on my Homeschool Organization Tips Pinterest board!

This post is part of the How to Homeschool as a Minimalist series! Stop by tomorrow for Day 8: Teaching Several Kids at Once!

Minimalist Homeschooling: Digital Decluttering

July 14, 2016 by Selena Robinson 10 Comments

Do you think of yourself as a hoarder? Have you ever watched Hoarders and thought “That’s not me. I would never keep all that stuff.”

I have. In fact, one of the reasons I’m slowly embracing minimalism in my homeschool is because I prefer to keep a smaller house with fewer possessions to take care of. When I talk about having too many books or feeling overloaded with paper, I’m really speaking about the amount that feels like a lot to me. To others, though, it never seems like much.

But I recently came to a rather surprising conclusion: I am a digital curriculum hoarder. Over the years, I have downloaded so many homeschooling printables and curriculum helps that I will never use them all. There’s just no way.

And now, I don’t even look at them because I get overwhelmed by it all. Guess what? It’s time to do some digital decluttering.

How to Declutter Digital Resources

Step 1: Organize the digital homeschool resources you have.

Open up the folder in which you keep all of your homeschooling downloads. And slowly start organizing them into smaller folders. Whether you choose to do it by grade level, subject, or type, just get them all organized so that you can see where they are.

Also, if the files have funny download names that include symbols or letters, rename the files to the actual name of the product. That way, you’ll know what they are without having to open each file.

Step 2: Look at your grade objectives and decide which resources you will use for each child.

Use a notepad or an open file on your computer to jot down which resources you intend to use for which child during this school year. If you don’t think you’ll need a specific resource this year but you might use it the next year, store it in a separate folder.

If you think you won’t need it for several years, delete it. By the time you need it, you’ll probably have found something more up-to-date.

Step 3: Do a purge at the end of the school year.

When you’re wrapping up your school year, take a look back at the resources you used. Did you love them? Keep them for the next child! Did you never get around to using them at all? You can probably delete those. If there were any that you were on the fence about, toss those as well. And make sure that every resource you get going forward is one that you really want to use.

Need help organizing your digital homeschool resources? See a simple way to do it with File Explorer!

Get more ideas for organizing your homeschool on my Homeschool Organization Tips Pinterest Board!

This post is part of the How to Homeschool as a Minimalist series! Stop by tomorrow for Day 5: Cutting Down on Craft Supplies!

Minimalist Homeschooling: Dealing with Paper Overload

July 13, 2016 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

If you’re at home right now, go into your homeschooling space and take a gander around. If your room is anything like mine, you probably have more items made up of one material than all others: paper.

I had no idea how much paper I had accumulated over the past seven years of homeschooling until I started trying to simply our homeschool. And, oh boy, is there paper everywhere.

Worksheets, construction paper, writing paper, contact paper, butcher paper, drawing paper, graphing paper, planning paper – just paper as far as the eye can see.

This will probably seem unreal, but it’s absolutely true. I actually have planning pages that I printed FIVE YEARS AGO and have yet to use. I have no idea how much money I’ve spent in printer ink over the years, but I can guarantee it’s been a lot.

In this entry in the Minimalist Homeschooling series, we’re talking about how to deal with paper overload and free yourself of the paper trail!

Minimalist Homeschooling: Dealing with Paper Overload

First – I just want to clarify: I am not talking about getting rid of paper entirely. In our state, we have to keep certain records each school year and there are a few activities the kids completed that I’m saving for sentimental reasons. But a lot of this paper is just taking up space in my life.

So we probably (read: definitely) have too much paper on our hands. What do we do about it? We get real.

In yesterday’s post, I shared the tip that has been helping me declutter the most. Ask yourself: “Does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t, get rid of it.

With papers, we might tweak that approach to ask: “Do I really want to use this?” If you don’t really want to use it, put it in the “Get Rid of This” pile.

Personally, my pile consists mostly of extra drawing paper, old worksheets I printed but never used, old lesson planning pages that no longer fit our homeschooling approach, teachers’ guides I really thought I needed but will never, ever have the time to implement, and so on.

And guess what? If you’re feeling guilty about tossing all this paper, just take it to your local recycling center. They’ll be happy to take it off your hands!

Going forward, I’ll be printing worksheets, planners, and other pages on a strict need-to-use basis. If I don’t need it that week, I’m not printing it. Period.

Need some non-paper related homeschool planning ideas? Check out Homeschool Planning board on Pinterest!

This post is part of the How to Homeschool as a Minimalist series! Stop by tomorrow for Day 4: Digital Decluttering!

Minimalist Homeschooling: How to Declutter Books

July 12, 2016 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

I never thought I’d ever utter this next sentence, but: I have too many books.

There. I said it.

That was tough.

If there was an organization for Book Collectors Anonymous, I’d be at my meeting every week.

I’ve always loved to read and, when my husband and I decided to homeschool our children, I was off and running to the bookstore. Books about homeschooling, books with homeschooling activities, classics I’d read as a child that I now wanted my kids to read, new children’s books that were written by promising authors, out-of-print books featuring wonderful hobbies I still wanted my kids to learn…you get the idea.

But after seven years of homeschooling, I realized that I just have way too many books. As part of my experience with minimalist homeschooling, I’m..gasp…getting rid of some of my books. If you’re ready to learn how to declutter books, here’s a look at how I’m doing it.

Minimalist Homeschooling: How to Declutter Books

I’m going to borrow from the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up to explain how I decide it’s time for a book to leave my home. In that book (and, yes, I realize the irony of quoting a book about getting rid of books), the author says to touch each item in your home and ask yourself: “Does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t, out it goes.

For me, I look at a book and think “Do I really want to use this book for our homeschool or do I feel like I should use this book for our homeschool?” If it’s there just because I think I should use it, it heads out the door.

Pictured: A look into my storage closet (almost)

Some homeschooling books are super, duper famous. And they are wonderful resources for many families. But, over time, I’ve realized that some of them are just not a good fit for us, especially since we’re homeschooling kids with ADHD. So there’s no point in keeping a homeschool library that won’t help with our specific educational goals.

“If a homeschooling book is in my closet just because I think I should use it, it heads out the door.”

Now, this is not to say that I won’t keep buying books. But buying them because I only think I need them or, worse, keeping them long after they’ve served their purpose, ends now.

So, what have I been doing instead of hoarding more and more books? Why, visiting my local library, of course! And there are so many great and trusted tips for homeschooling available online now, that I don’t really need as many homeschooling and education books as I did years ago.

Do you have a way to declutter books? How do you decide what to keep and what to get rid of? Share your tips!

Don’t miss these great homeschool organization posts!

Need more ideas to get your homeschool organized? Follow my Homeschool Organization Tips board on Pinterest!

This post is part of the How to Homeschool as a Minimalist series! See all of our minimalist homeschooling tips by clicking the image below!

What is Minimalist Homeschooling?

July 11, 2016 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

Confession time: I’ve struggled off and on with homeschool hoarding for YEARS.

I didn’t get a lot of support when I was a homeschooled student and I swore that my children would have all the books, resources, and materials they’d ever need. As a result, our bookshelves and closets are stacked to the gills with homeschooling supplies.

Here’s the problem: I will never in my life ever use all of those things. In fact, I’ve had things put away for years that I have found after my children are too old to use them. For example: I have a book full of toddler activities that I haven’t opened in nearly nine years (since Tigger was a toddler). Guess what? I no longer have any toddlers.

As my kids get older and my confidence in homeschooling grows, I’m finding that I don’t need nearly as much things as I thought to give them a quality education. So I’m stepping into the world of minimalist homeschooling.

What is minimalist homeschooling? And can a confirmed homeschool hoarder really embrace minimalism?

What is Minimalist Homeschooling?

Here’s where it gets a little dicey: what minimalist homeschooling actually is looks different in each family. For me, minimalism refers to a lifestyle that challenges people to make the most of what they have without buying more things. In short, it’s simplifying your life by getting rid of unnecessary possessions.

This lifestyle is well supported by the Bible. 1 Timothy 6:7, 8 encourages us to be content with “sustenance and covering”. Well, when it comes to homeschooling, I’ve got plenty to be content with. Too much, in fact.

So, it’s time to get rid of my unnecessary homeschooling things, no matter how much they may mean to me personally or how much money they may have cost me.

Can a Homeschooling Hoarder Become a Minimalist?

Since I’m a hoarder (when it comes to homeschool stuff), I know that embracing minimalist homeschooling is going to be tough. The challenge for me is letting go of my fear that I won’t have something my kids need when they need it. Which brings me to the most important reason why I’m venturing into this lifestyle.

I do not want to homeschool out of fear.

I’ve never been one to homeschool out of fear of the public school system. Nor do I homeschool out of fear that my children will do “something wrong” if they’re out of my sight. But I have been hoarding homeschooling materials out of fear that I won’t be a good enough teacher. And that fear has been draining the joy out of the homeschooling experience.

My hope is that homeschooling with the bare necessities will help me see that I am teacher enough for my kids, even without a closet full of supplies.

I’m looking forward to sharing more of my journey with you all in the next few days! Do any of you homeschool with a minimalist perspective? I’d love to hear how it’s going for you!

Need to homeschool on a budget? Grab my ebook How to Afford Homeschooling for just 99 cents!

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

This post is part of the 10 Days of Minimalist Homeschooling series! Stop by tomorrow for Day 2: Books, Books, Books!

Simple Turtles Unit Study for Kids

June 21, 2016 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Today, we’re talking turtles!

Turtles are super cute animals, but they are also wonderfully designed. They come in several species, including box turtles, sea turtles, and loggerhead turtles.

There’s a lot more to learn about turtles and we’re sharing plenty of books, crafts, and learning ideas in this simple turtles unit study.

If you’re looking for a simple way to turn turtles into a simple unit study for homeschool or for early grades, you’ll love the turtle activities and lessons below.

Plus, there’s a printable collective animal nouns matching activity you can score for free!

Read on to see the full list of turtle learning ideas.

And, for more ways to learn about animals, take a look at our printable Animal Diets and Habitats Sorting Activity!

This simple turtles unit study is a fun way to teach kids about these shelled creatures!

Turtles Unit Study for Kids

Sea Turtle Facts for Kids

Watch this video about sea turtles and ask your kids to answer the following questions.

Where do sea turtles like to live? Answer: In warm, shallow water
What is the only reason female turtles go onto land? Answer: To lay eggs
How do sea turtles use their shells? Answer: As protection
How much do leatherback sea turtles weigh when fully grown? Answer: As much as a small car!
Why do we need to be careful where we throw garbage? Answer: Sea turtles can confuse plastic bags with food

Fun Kids’ Books about Turtles

Read these books about turtles with kids of all ages! (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

See even more books about turtles for kids to read at the link below!

>>> 10 Children’s Books about Turtles <<<

Fun Turtle Crafts for Kids to Make

These turtle crafts are so adorable and fun to make.

They make a wonderful addition to your turtles unit study, especially if you’re looking to add an arts and crafts project.

Collective Animal Nouns Matching Activity

Turtles in a group are called a “bale”. Did you know that?

I sure didn’t.

And that got us curious about other names for groups of animals.

Animal Collective Nouns Sorting Activity

This printable collective animal noun matching activity is an easy way to learn about plural nouns and animals at the same time!

It would make a super addition to this turtles unit study too.

An answer key is also included for easy grading!

To get your copy, just click the link or the image below to have it sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter this Sunday.

>>> Animal Collective Noun Matching Activity <<<

Don’t miss these other fun ways to learn about animals!

Help early learners recognize animals with these printable zoo animal flashcards!

Use the print or digital version of this nocturnal and diurnal animals sorting activity to teach students about animal sleep habits!

Teach students about animals with this animal diets and habitats sorting activity! Such an easy way to learn about animal science with young learners!

This post is part of the A to Z Animals Blog Hop! Click the image below to see plenty of other animal learning posts!

Superhero Free Student Planner Pages

June 16, 2016 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

Getting ready for the new school year typically involves lots of planning for the parents. But as kids get older, they can start to take more responsibility for their school schedule, whether they’re in public school or homeschool.

My boys are nuts about superheroes right now, so I just knew they’d love these Superhero Free Student Planner Pages! Read on to get them for your little superheroes too!

If your kids aren’t really digging the whole superhero motif, take a look at our Strawberry Friends Printable Student Planner Pages too! And for more tips to get your new homeschool year going, check out my list of things you DON’T need to homeschool!

Superhero Free Student Planner Pages

To use these free student planner pages, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This pack includes free student planner pages for each weekday (Monday through Friday).

Since they’re unlabeled, you can use them to schedule subjects or assignments or chores or whatever else you’d like for your kids!

The pages have spaces for items from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which is typically the timeframe that students need to schedule.

And each page features a different superhero, including Superman, Batman, and Spiderman!

We structure our day like this for early elementary learners. But you can schedule yours however you see fit! Since each line is fairly long, you could even place more than one item on each line.

And, if you want to encourage your children to work independently, print a set for them to use and create their own schedule!

Scroll down to get your Superhero Free Student Planner Pages!

Don’t miss our other homeschool planning posts!

And get ready for the new homeschool year with the ideas on my Homeschool Planning board on Pinterest!

To get your free Superhero Student Planner Pages, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get access to it and lots of other exclusive printables after you subscribe. 🙂

This post is part of the Superhero Unit Study roundup! Click over to read other superhero learning ideas from my fellow bloggers!

Batman Books for Kids from The Jenny Evolution

Preschool Super Hero Printable Pack from Schooling a Monkey

Superheroes Coloring Pages from Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading

Superhero Obstacle Course in Nature from Frog Mom

Strawberry Friends Printable Student Planner Free Pages

May 27, 2016 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

Homeschool planning season is here!

Planning season is the bestest season of all. It’s time to think about the new school year, the grades our kids are going into (6th, 3rd, 2nd, and PreK here), and all the awesome lesson plans we’ll write down and never complete…lol.

This year, our oldest is going into middle grades, so I figured it was time to give her a bit more responsibility for her education. So I made up these Strawberry Friends Printable Student Planner Free Pages! Read on to get a set for your kids absolutely free!

Looking for more ways to help kids get ready for the new school year? Don’t miss our Superhero Student Planner Pages!

And, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list for the new homeschool year, take a look at my list of things you DON’T need in order to get started!

Strawberry Friends Printable Student Planner Free Pages

To use these student planner free pages, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

I had Tigger in mind when I made these. She loves Strawberry Shortcake and her friends, so I just knew she’d like these Strawberry Friends planner printables.

She took one look and fell in love with them. Let’s hope she falls in love with actually sticking to her weekly schedule. 🙂

This planner includes one page for each day of the week and there are scheduled time blocks from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. How you use these is up to you!

You might have your child write down a subject for each time block or use them to schedule out chores, activities, or field trips. The choice is yours!

We structure our days pretty loosely for early elementary grades, but for middle school, this list will be a bit more comprehensive. Since we alternate subjects, Tuesday’s schedule doesn’t resemble Wednesday’s or Thursday’s. Which is why it’s all the more important to keep up with the daily lesson plan!

Scroll down to get your copy of our free Strawberry Friends Printable Student Planner Pages!

Check out these other tips for planning your homeschool year!

And see even more suggestions on my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board!

To get your set of our Strawberry Friends Printable Student Planner Free Pages, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get access to them and lots of other exclusive printables when you subscribe. 🙂

This post is part of the Strawberry Unit Study blog hop! Check out all the great strawberry-themed learning resources below!

Find the Letter: S is for Strawberries from 3 Boys and a Dog

Strawberries Nature Study from The Usual Mayhem

Strawberry and Gardening Books for Kids from CraftCreateCalm

Fun & Easy Strawberry Paper Craft with Handprint Stem from Crafty Mama in ME

Strawberry Number Recognition Free Printable from Something 2 Offer

Strawberry Moon Outdoor Activities for Kids from FrogMom

How To Make Strawberry Shortcake from Tales of Education at Home

Strawberry Picking Sight Word Games from Books and Giggles

S is for Strawberry Letter Maze from Simple Fun for Kids

How to Make Strawberry Lemonade from The Jenny Evolution

Preschool Strawberry Math from Schooling a Monkey

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling ADHD Students

April 25, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We’re parenting three children who have ADHD/ADD in our family. (The jury’s still out on the toddler, so far.) To add to our unique situation, both my husband and I also have ADD. Fun!

Naturally, we have to make use of a LOT of creative tips and ideas for homeschooling ADHD students. We’ve shared lots of posts on this topic over the years and I’ve gotten some great suggestions from other websites as well.

So – without further ado – here is the Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling ADHD Students! I hope that these resources are just as helpful to you as they’ve been to us!

Image c/o: Rawpixel via depositphotos

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling ADHD Students

How to Deal with a Homeschooling Dawdler

Homeschooling with ADD and ADHD

Managing Expectations for ADHD Students

How We Homeschooled My Kiddo with ADHD

Adapting as a Teacher to ADHD Kids

When Traditional School Fails: Homeschooling May Be a Better Option

Preparing Kids with ADHD to Learn

Homeschooling Kids with ADHD

Making Lifestyle Changes to Homeschool Kids with ADHD

Why Special Needs Kids Thrive in a Homeschool Environment

How to Consider Other Kids When ADHD Homeschooling

How to Work with ADHD in Your Homeschool

Homeschooling as a Mom with ADHD

Small Muscle Handwriting Practice for Kids with ADHD

Our ADHD-Friendly Homeschool Room

How We Did Spelling In Our ADHD Homeschool

3 Tips for Raising Boys with ADHD

Pages: 1 2 3 4

The Secret to Homeschooling and Working Full Time

March 14, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

I’ve been a homeschooling parent – except for a brief flirtation with public school – for the past several years. For six of those years, I’ve also been a work-at-home mom.

Recently, though, something has changed – I’ve become a homeschooling mom who works full-time.

If you’d told me years ago when I left the workforce that I’d end up returning along WITH my four children, I’d have thought you were insane. But eleven years later, here we are.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: It’s been challenging to adjust to this new lifestyle. But I really think I’ve found the secret to homeschooling and working full time and I’m sharing it today!

Image: c/o Tinatin1 / depositphotos

Why Homeschooling and Working Full Time is So Hard

This is a no-brainer, right? It’s hard because there’s only one you and there are kids, lesson plans, work deadlines, clients, assignments, grades, exams, and state reports to deal with – and that’s not all!

In the past when I’ve worked from home, I’ve had to pull full-time shifts for a short amount of time. But in those situations, I had the freedom to move my schedule around and get my work done when the kids were sleeping.

Now, though, I’m working both inside and outside the home. So I have less flexibility than I did before. Plus, my children accompany me to work. (I have a very understanding supervisor.) But that means keeping them still and quiet while I try to do my job. And that’s not easy.

The Secret to Homeschooling and Working Full Time

It’s really taken a few months to get the hang of this and I still can’t say that I’ve totally “got it”. But I have uncovered a huge secret that makes homeschooling and working full time easier. Are you ready to learn what it is?

It’s…outsourcing.

I outsource every single task I can to my children. And that includes choosing school assignments, doing housework, making meals, and completing lessons. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I only spend about five hours a week actually “teaching”. And that has greatly freed up my time to get my other responsibilities done.

After I started working outside the home, I explained to the kids that I would be contributing to the household in a new way: by earning additional money we could use to take a vacation, go to the aquarium, buy clothes, and so on. And that it was time for them to contribute to the household a bit more as well. 😉

For example, when it comes to housework, there are three chores that have to be done every single day and were taking up way too much of my time: laundry, cooking, and dishes. I rotate these tasks among my three oldest kids each week.

So one week, Tigger will prepare breakfast and lunch during the day, Roo will do the laundry, and Pooh will wash the dishes. Then the next week, they rotate.

Of course, they’re not skilled enough to be left to do all of these things without supervision, so I’m always nearby to keep an eye on them. But their daily chores are part of their school day, which is a win-win for everyone!

For more tips on planning and scheduling your homeschool, check out some of our other posts!

How I Homeschool Four Kids for $250 a Year!

Our Year-Round Homeschool Schedule

Get even more encouragement for planning your homeschool year from my Homeschool Planning board on Pinterest!

Are you homeschooling and working full time? Let us know how you do it!

This linkup is part of the Balancing Your Life & Homeschooling linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click over to read how my fellow bloggers keep everything together!