Showing posts with label homeschool mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool mom. Show all posts

3.25.2021

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Homeschooling

7:21 AM 2 Comments

 


Today I'm sharing the ten things I wish I knew before I started homeschooling my children. Thank you to Babbel for sponsoring today's video. Babbel is the #1 language app in the world with over 10 million subscribers. 





We are finishing up our fourth year of homeschooling and I am reflecting on the things I've learned and what I wish I knew before embarking on this journey. I elaborate on each of these topics in today's video, which I hope you enjoy. 

1. Consistency is key. The #1 tip I hear from veteran homeschoolers is to keep it consistent. We have been very consistent with math and the results show. With other curriculums we have experimented with finding the "perfect" one. What I've learned is that there is no perfect curriculum! Sometimes it's better to stick with the same one. Keep in mind that, over time, the consistent work will pay off. 

2. Don’t be afraid of different ways and modes of learning. Desk learning, nature study, learning in the kitchen... there are so many ways and locations to learn. I discuss the Babbel app here as well. I was shocked to discover that 15 hours of Babbel has been proven to equal one semester of college Spanish. 

3. Love of learning is the most important goal. The goal is not to score a high grade on a test or memorize this or that. The goal is get your kids to love learning and that they will hopefully stay curious for the rest of their life. 

4. Never say never! I used to turn my nose up at online curriculum. Now I have put aside my preconceived notions and we have given it a try for certain subjects and have been pleased with the results. The old adage, "Don't knock it 'till you've tried it" is really true! 

5. Don’t be afraid to veer off the curriculum. The longer you homeschool, the more comfortable you get veering off the curriculum. You don't have to follow everything the teacher guide says to the letter. If you want to drive a point home or if your child is struggling with something, don't be afraid to explore a better way to teach the concept. 

6. When they show interest, capitalize on it! Some days you might have to set your schedule aside and do a deep-dive into a subject your child is showing interest in. This keeps the excitement alive with learning. 

7. Make your life easier with meal planning. This tip doesn't have to do with teaching, but it can certainly help your day run smoother. Figure out a plan for how to provide lunch every day. You can make it ahead of time with meal prep, do a crock pot meal in the morning, or have the children make lunch. Whatever you choose, having a plan for lunch will make your homeschool days run so much smoother. 

8. Encourage your students to be as independent as possible. Many parents (me) want to be involved every step of the way with school, but truly fostering independence in our children is the best thing we can do for them. 

9. When I took to the community tab on YouTube to ask what you wish you had known, the top comment was by B Brundage, who wrote, "I wish I had known that we could spend more time exploring and not doing so much book work in the younger grades making for more enjoyable days."
 
10. A second comment that received a lot of support was from Julie, who wrote, "There is a lot of “keep students busy” work in most curriculum; use wisdom to spend time on the very most important things. Life skills, social skills within the family, character and independent learning skills are just as important as learning from books. Julie 🌷"

I hope you enjoy today's video. I would love to know if you would add anything to this list. Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog. 

⚜️ Featured in the video
Chewy Marmot book by S.E. Spracher
Beautiful Feet Books (a favorite curriculum)
A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
Karen from Our House has a Homeschool YouTube channel
Tina Hugall (a Daily Connoisseur) teaches history through biography on Outschool

News

📍Please note: I am currently in the process of having my blog not only redesigned, but moved to Wordpress. Please be patient during the process as the blog might be temporarily disabled over the course of this month. You can always stay au courant with me over on YouTube to never miss a video. I'm excited to work on the blog and make it a better experience for you, dear reader! 

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Comment of the Week

Christine M. writes, "Hi from England. i enjoyed the Zoom meeting on Saturday, really fun. Christina Rossetti has been my favourite poet since childhood. We lived in south west Scotland for a couple of years and not far from where we were was a rather grand house. I found out from a neighbour that in the 1800s it was owned by one of the Pre-Raphaelites and Christina and her brother were regular visitors. The icing on the cake, she reportedly wrote In the Bleak Mid Winter whilst she was staying there. The fact always make the poem/carol special. Thank you for doing these videos."


Christine, I would love to visit that house. I was reading up on the home that Dante Gabriel Rossetti lived in when he was in London. How neat to step into history like that. Thanks for commenting!


I hope you enjoyed today's video. I would love to know your thoughts on all of the subjects we discussed.


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FTC: This post is sponsored by Babbel.  I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for your support. 
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9.26.2020

Homeschool Schedule Ideas + FREE Homeschool Planner Printables

6:19 AM 3 Comments




 According to this article from The Associated Press, interest in homeschooling has "exploded" amid the pandemic. 

"As parents nationwide prepare to help their children with more distance learning, a small but quickly growing number are deciding to take matters entirely into their own hands and begin homeschooling."



 

We are well into our fourth year of homeschooling and I am excited to see so many families embrace this lifestyle and try it out for themselves. Many new homeschool parents often ask for scheduling help. While homeschool schedules are free and less rigid than traditional schedules, they can also be tough to plan for this very reason. 


I have created two free printables for you to use in your own homeschool. So whether you are temporarily distance learning or have decided to homeschool full time, I hope these schedules prove useful to you.


Here are the free printables I have created for you. The green printable is for one day and the floral printable is for the week. Feel free to download one or both printables to help you schedule your day. 





Here is the Homeschool Schedule for One Day. You can download this one here. 



Here the Homeschool Schedule that is formatted for the week. You can download it here.

On a final note: I would like to address a common misconception. The online distance learning that is taking place across the world right now due to the pandemic is not the same as homeschooling. Many parents have expressed frustration with this model of learning. I am not knowledgeable in it and only know first-hand accounts of what my friends have told me about it. True homeschooling is different. You set your own schedule, use your own chosen curriculum and get that one-on-one instruction with your children. Lessons are often concentrated and less time is spent doing desk work (or in the case of distance learning, computer work). True homeschooling is fun and liberating and makes your children excited about learning. If you are a homeschooling parent, I hope you'll leave a comment encouraging others in the journey.

Here are the YouTube channels I recommend in the video:

I hope you enjoy today's video. I'll see you on Monday for the ten-item wardrobe video!
Thank you to Zyro for sponsoring this post today. I appreciate my sponsors very much for helping to keep this blog and my YouTube channel going. Use the code DAILYC for 30% off your order to build your own website. 


*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home
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# Daily Connoisseur homeschool # free printable
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