I could absolutely be the perfect homeschooler that some moms already think I am if not for these six things:
#1 I have imperfect kids
Besides the usual signs of childhood imperfection like refusing to leave diapers on, disobedience (I told him not to play with slime), and mess-making, my children have maligned my good reputation by:
Peeing all over the pool deck at swimming lessons, necessitating special clean-up
Shooting the little neighbor girl in the back with an Airsoft pellet on two different occasions (after I assured her mother I would protect her)
Arguing against the faith in front of my homeschool friends (They asked, “Which apologetics curriculum are you using again?”)
And those are just the things I feel comfortable telling you. I could be a perfect homeschooler if it weren’t for my kids.
#2 I have an imperfect husband
My husband is our school principal and he works out of our home. Although his self-employment has been a blessing to us in many ways, it has allowed a rather annoying habit to get in the way of my homeschooling: He likes to call off school for good weather. I will be in the middle of teaching when he will come into the school room declaring, “It’s a beautiful day! We’re going for a hike. Everybody outside!” The kids gladly disappear, leaving me holding the books. I could be a perfect homeschooler if it weren’t for my husband.
#3 I have an imperfect house
Having an attractive work environment really does aid learning. Unfortunately, there’s something wrong with my house. For example, I must have really weak drywall, so that when the kids bounced out of their inflatable trampoline, landing on the wall, the drywall just imploded. The wallpaper must not have been adhered well to the wall, because it peeled off so quickly. My furniture must be poor quality, too, because the leather desk chair’s “leather” has peeled off by itself. I could be a perfect homeschooler if it weren’t for my house.
#4 I have imperfect curriculum
My kids would all already have their Ph.D.s if only better curriculum were on the market. The material is too hard or too easy. There is too much to do or too little. It takes too much time or not enough, allowing the kids to become idle. It’s too interesting, making all other subjects unappealing, or it’s too boring. And to top it off, I’ve spent tons of time and money looking for something that doesn’t seem to exist. I could be a perfect homeschooler if it weren’t for our curriculum.
#5 I have imperfect friends
On days when my husband is working out of the house and I can finally teach, we get a phone call from our homeschooling friends asking if we’d like to do something fun. It doesn’t matter if I don’t take the call, because the kids have already gotten a text message from my friend’s kids and they’ll announce that we need to start getting ready for our field trip immediately. I usually agree because the kids’ behavior, my husband’s impending return, my messed-up house, and our imperfect curriculum will surely make the day a loss anyway. I could be a perfect homeschooler if it weren’t for our homeschool friends.
#6 I have some imperfections
This is definitely last on the list, but I have a few very tiny problems of my own, that I have mostly taken care of. Sort of. Like when the kids were little, I would very rarely (no more than once or twice a day) get so caught up in what I was doing on the computer that I wasn’t supervising them and then they would give themselves haircuts. Nothing big.
Then every once-in-a-while I don’t tell my husband that we’re going on field trips (only never) and so he doesn’t really know our schedule. That could explain why he doesn’t know that we’ve been gone every day this week and today isn’t a good day for a hike.
It’s also happened that on those very rare occasions when I wasn’t supervising the kids (for only a few hours at a time), that they’ve used that time to destroy the house. But I still think the house and furniture should be high enough quality to withstand some abuse.
When it comes to curriculum, I have to admit that in a few instances (every six months or so), I will change curriculum, just in case there is something better available. But you know what they say, “If you love a curriculum, set it free…” Wait, that might not be the right saying. But you know what I mean.
Finally, it’s possible that I might have told my friends that we’re fairly flexible (like I might have said, “Any time you want to go, give me a call!”). It’s also remotely possible that I may have been the one to call or text my friends to say, “Hey! It’s a beautiful day! Let’s go for a hike!”
I don’t seem to be the only homeschooler who will never be perfect! Be sure to check out iHomeschool Network’s other articles. Don’t worry about what the kids are doing. I’m sure they’re FINE.
If you’re like most homeschoolers, you’ve come across some great freebies — whether it’s a website, a whole curriculum, or a printable you can use in teaching your children. Maybe you’ve even heard about a book, curriculum, or iPad giveaway that you’ve entered.
The good news is you don’t have to hope that you hear about good deals like these. You can stay informed with this list of the best places to find homeschool freebies and giveaways. Pin it, bookmark it, and share it with your friends.
Your Favorite Curriculum or Website Mailing List
Signing up for the mailing list of your favorite homeschool or educational website will provide you access to exclusive freebies and giveaways. One of my favorite mailing lists is Notgrass. I’ve enjoyed excellent free unit studies from them.
Freebies & Giveaway Websites
Free Homeschool Deals – this site is hosted by Jamerrill Stewart, who not only offers information on great freebies like printables and ebooks (including free Kindle books), but has been very generous with me personally. The Once-and-for-All Meal Plan was featured on Free Homeschool Deals.
Money Saving Mom – Jamerrill also shares the best freebies here, a site where you can find more ways to be a frugal mom.
Homeschool Giveaways – Carrie Fernandez is another generous lady. Subscribing to this site will ensure you get valuable freebies. I got a curriculum I am using this year that sells for over $30!
Blessed Beyond a Doubt – Jill links to others’ printables, creates her own great printables for readers and subscribers, and lists free Kindle books of interest to homeschoolers. I shared the easiest record keeping system ever with her readers.
Are you unsure of how to enter a giveaway? Rafflecopter is a popular means of hosting a giveaway and has an explanation for you: How to Enter a Rafflecopter Giveaway. Some other sites to check for giveaways include:
PunchTab Giveaways app – This app will allow you to search for giveaways using PunchTab rather than Rafflecopter.
Low Entry Giveaways on Mom Bloggers Club – The more popular sites will offer you a lower chance of winning. This site which offers giveaways that are not all homeschool related, only features giveaways that have low entries.
Last Chance Giveaways – On the same theme, this site has low entry giveaways that are not all homeschool related.
Printables
Printables are digital products that you can print at home. Many of the websites above offer free printables, but these sites specialize in them.
Donna Young – featuring printables in many subject areas, her handwriting printables (including every kind of paper) are especially impressive.
Teachers Pay Teachers – this website offers many freebies as well as printables for purchase from teachers who may not be homeschoolers.
Facebook is a great place to find exclusive freebies and giveaways. Like the pages of your favorite curriculum vendor or blogger so you won’t miss out on great deals. Many pages offer a freebie simply for liking. Other pages have Facebook parties where prizes are offered only to attendees. Your odds of winning are excellent! Here’s how to participate in a Facebook party.
Have you liked the Homeschool Sanity page? Some other pages you should be sure to like include:
Pinterest is ideal for finding freebies. You can find giveaways, too, but often you’ll see a pin when the giveaway has ended. Search Pinterest for the exact freebie or giveaway you want, using those terms. You can also follow pinners or boards to have the best deals show up in your Pinterest feed. I pin freebies to subject-specific homeschool boards and to What’s Hot in Homeschooling. Follow me and the following boards so you can pin and share.
Google+, if you’re not familiar, is like Facebook only centered around interests rather than friends. Because there are fewer people using it, your odds of winning giveaways featured here are better. Freebies that may get lost in the fray may also better catch your attention here. As with Pinterest, you can search for freebies and giveaways and find relevant posts. I’d love for you to add me to your homeschool circle. You can also join these two communities:
Search Twitter using these hashtags (#homeschool #freebie #giveaway) and you may discover just what you’re looking for. As with Facebook, consider attending a Twitter party to win a prize reserved for party attendees. Here’s a guide if you’re a Twitter party beginner.
Do you know you can set up Google alerts to find out about exactly the freebies and giveaways you’re looking for? Perhaps you’d really like to win an iPad mini. Just enter iPad mini and giveaway as search terms and new posts that include those terms will be sent to your inbox.
Small Blogs
Smaller blogs are motivated to offer amazing freebies and giveaways to gain new readers. These blogs are likely to have low entries, too. Please remember that bloggers and businesses offer you freebies and giveaways in good faith. Please don’t subscribe, get the freebie, than immediately unsubscribe or share material with friends who haven’t subscribed. Thanks so much for your understanding.
Free Homeschool Resource Lists
I couldn’t possibly list every free website available to homeschoolers, and isn’t that wonderful? I can offer you these lists of the best free websites, however.
The Best Places to Buy or Borrow Used Homeschool Curriculum
Some of the places I listed in this post offer free curriculum. Be sure to check it out, too. Here’s a site I found recently — the sister site to Free Homeschool Deals. Curriculum Share – (members pay shipping only). If you can’t find something you need for free here, you may be able to get it for very little money using the used curriculum list.
Are there other places to find homeschool freebies and giveaways you recommend? Please leave a link in the comments.
1. Decide if homeschooling is right for you. It took me some time to decide to homeschool. I share my story here. Read this list of issues to consider and if you still want to homeschool, continue to step 2.
2. Learn the homeschool laws for your state. You’ll want to be ready with the information when asked. While you are at HSLDA, consider joining to make sure you have an attorney to defend you if needed.
3. Homeschooling is much easier with friends. Contact a local support group. Many of them offer seminars for new homeschoolers.
5. Plan to attend a homeschool conference. The speakers will educate and inspire you and you’ll have a chance to look at lots of curriculum and purchase it without paying shipping. Many events have a new homeschooler track.
6. Share your intention with relatives, friends, and neighbors. Be ready to answer questions without getting defensive. Remember, you were once uneducated about it, too.
8. Buy curriculum if you haven’t already done so. Borrow or buy used while you are still getting your feet wet.
9. Decide which extra-curricular activities you’ll participate in. Limit them or you’ll find you’re doing car schooling instead. Here are a few homeschoolers’ thoughts:
11. Create a homeschool schedule. You may never keep it perfectly, but having a general plan for the day will help you achieve your homeschool goals.
12. Devise a plan for keeping the house clean. Because you will be home most of the time, you will have to do more to tackle messes. Here’s one approach you may like.
14. Make the first day of school special. Have the kids write what they’re looking forward to in school and save it until the end of the year. Check out these ideas.
15. Make plans to stay motivated. The excitement at the beginning of the year won’t last unfortunately. Subscribe to my blog and God bless your school!
One of the things new homeschoolers struggle with most is choosing curriculum. Even after they’ve made their choice, they doubt themselves.
Truth be told, we veterans do the same thing. I know I will even revisit the same decisions I made long ago, just to make sure I made the right choice. In the process of doing this once again, I discovered a means of customizing curriculum that has put my mind at ease.
Start with What You Love
If you have seen an approach at a homeschooling conference, at a friend’s home, or online that you just love, honor that. Years ago, I researched Sonlight as a complete solution for my family. Why? Because we are readers. My husband sells library books and we are happily buried in them. I thought Sonlight would be the perfect fit for us.
But then I saw Konos in a Box at a homeschool conference. As I looked through the fun, hands-on activities I could do with my young boys, I knew I had to use it and we did. I let Sonlight go in lieu of the activities that would make literature and learning come alive. Over the years, our relationship with Konos has matured. We moved from doing the box units to doing almost all of the units and meeting with friends weekly for related co-op activities. Last year we abandoned Konos for a year-long geography unit with our co-op and this coming year we are doing co-op a la carte with each mom choosing a subject to teach.
The shift in curriculum had led us to do less literature, especially with my youngers. The two middle schoolers are using Lightning Literature this year. That got my thinking about my long-lost love, Sonlight. I returned to their site, only to decide once again that while I loved their literature selections, I just couldn’t do their complete program. Then I realized I didn’t have to!
I had found a new writing curriculum for my youngers–Brave Writer, The Arrow. This curriculum offered the best of what I loved about Character Quality Language Arts from last year–specifically, dictation and in-context grammar teaching. It also offered something more–classic literature and free writing. But here is where it gets really exciting. Brave Writer’s Arrow has units on many of the books listed by Sonlight for American History. I chose the books (and honestly there were too many to do in one year) listed by both Sonlight and Brave Writer, focusing on books I already owned.
Use Your Custom Curriculum and Continue Tweaking
I have yet to use my custom curriculum. I have done my best to plan it by day, just as a complete program would do. I have written down how many pages I have to read of each book to finish it that month (even taking into account vacation days, which is more than other programs can do!). I don’t know if it’s going to be just right as planned, but I do know that I can keep making changes until it is.
No one knows you, your kids, and your circumstances better than you do.
If you believe that you’re the problem, instead of the curriculum, you’re operating out of a traditional school mindset. Stop and consider how to customize curriculum so it fits your homeschool, while still providing the best education possible.
What kinds of customized curriculum have you created?
Memory skills are both biological and experiential. In other words, you can be born with good or poor memory skills, but you can also learn to use them to their maximum.
Few things are as boring as memorizing alone. That’s why, even though I have strong memorization skills, I studied anatomy and physiology with friends in college.
The popular Bible Bee succeeds in getting children to memorize large portions of Scripture because of the competitive aspect of the activity. When the kids and I worked through the activities in How to Develop a Brilliant Memory, comparisons were naturally made, though I didn’t encourage them. While it resulted in some tears, it also motivated my kids to improve their skills. If competition doesn’t work for your family, offer a reward. That’s why competition works anyway; the reward is the placing and admiration you receive. My son memorized all the countries in Europe alphabetically to get a sweet treat and to get the appreciation of his peers.
Put it all together
Here is how we memorize in our family. We review together thoroughly and then give individuals who want one an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge. The kids honestly “fight” for the right to do this. We memorize Bible books and Word Roots (using English from the Roots Up Flashcards, Vol. 1) this way and we plan to memorize many facts together next fall using Classical Conversations.
What has helped your children commit things to memory?
Home educators have a lot of demands on their time. We may have multiple children, some of whom are babies or toddlers who require extra care. Some of our children may be teens who aren’t yet driving, yet are involved in numerous outside classes or activities. Then there are homeschooling parents who have a home-based businesses or work outside the home. We want to teach our children well, but we wonder:
Is there a way of providing a quality education in less time?
Some homeschoolers think so. The idea is that you teach the essential material in just one hour a day, leaving the rest of the time for the children to do independent work, related assignments, or pursue their own interests in an unschooling approach.
What Would an Hour a Day Homeschool Look Like?
Teach one subject or do memory work for six subjects, ten minutes each
Teach four subjects (math, language arts, Bible, read aloud) for four subjects, fifteen minutes each
Teach two subjects (math, language arts) for thirty minutes each; these could be switched out daily
Teach one subject for an hour each day on a rotation
Teach an hour for older students and an hour for youngers
Teach for more than one hour using any combination above
Teach this way when you’re pressed for time
I have used the latter approach many, many times. A repair person comes, the phone rings, I have to pick someone up from the airport–you name it–and the time I have left for teaching is down to an hour. I often use the ten-minute per subject approach. Most of the time I teach for three hours using a combination of approaches. I have six children, some of whom require more intensive instruction in reading. As they mature, less of my time will be required.
But Don’t Students Need More of Your Time?
Yes, they often do. That’s why every teacher who uses this method must make themselves available to tutor and answer questions. You may be spending only an hour of focused time “teaching” your students, but they will be spending many hours relying on your tutoring and learning on their own.
Want More Information About Homeschooling in an Hour?
Check out Homeschooling-Ideas and Homeschool.com that reference a father whose six children were homeschooled in an hour a day and attended Stanford. He notes that he used this approach with older children.
You can cover many of the essentials in LESS than an hour a day with Classical Conversations.
What Do You Think? Could You Homeschool in an Hour a Day?
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
