Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

Tina Robertson

Homeschooling Book for New Homeschoolers – When You Don’t Know Where to Begin

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m over the top excited about my book for new homeschoolers. Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin is a book I wrote especially to help new homeschoolers get started with homeschooling.

New Homeschooler Homeschooling How-Tos

Look at the 4 ways this book is unique from other homeschool books:

  • I don’t claim to have a very unique homeschool journey from other seasoned veterans of 20+ years of homeschooling, but I do claim it’s my attention to the unique needs of new homeschoolers that sets my book apart.
  • My book is also set apart because not only do you get the benefit of my many years of experience, but I conducted workshops with ONLY new homeschoolers for 10 years.
  • Prior to writing my book, I organized about 5 homeschool groups in various larger cities in Texas where my leaders who were trained by me conducted monthly workshops for new bees. You get the benefit in my book of my many years of helping new homeschoolers.
  • Although I know the popular questions new homeschoolers are asking when they begin, I also know that many things they don’t know. I address those unknown things in my new book
    Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin
Must Read Book for New Homeschoolers Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers @ Tina's Dynamic

You’ll love these 3 special features in my new book:

  • Knowing the needs of the new homeschoolers, I carefully chose the order of the chapters or topics. What you want to know and what is essential to know your first year are organized with your immediate needs and long-term goals in mind.
  • It’s written with the first year homeschooler in mind. That may seem an obvious fact, but it has been my experience that seasoned veterans give advice based on what they now know. It may not be helpful, but cause more stress when seasoned veterans makes absolute statements as to what works and what does not work. One example is the encouragement by some seasoned veterans to not use a boxed curriculum. In reality, a seasoned veteran needs to know more about a new homeschooler’s circumstances to know if purchasing a boxed curriculum will bring stress or alleviate it. I give details in my book to explain how that works.
  • Because new homeschoolers can be quite overwhelmed, I have a HIGHLIGHT Section every seventh chapter so that important foundational points are understood and not overlooked. This section helps the new bee homeschooler to glean quickly what she needs to do to get started homeschooling.

How to Homeschool Book

Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers. A UNIQUE book written for new homeschoolers @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

If you’re looking to begin homeschooling, my online self-paced boot camp may be for you.

Want more? You’ll love my DETAILED self-paced Boot Camp

It will benefit the 1st and 2nd year homeschooler the most. And of course I always welcome your questions. Click here to read about the self-paced online homeschool boot camp.

Look at these other helps for new homeschoolers:

New to Homeschooling? There's a plethora of knowledge out there, and not all of it is good or helpful, and a lot of it is scary and confusing. But not in Tina's book. Grab it now and be in the know!

Do you have a friend that needs this new book? Can you help me to make it number 1?

Free 2019-2020 Academic Calendars – Homeschool Planner

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m rolling out the two color choices for the 2019-2020 academic year calendars that go in your 7 Step Homeschool Planner.

CURRICULUM PLANNERS

Don’t forget when putting together your homeschool planner that I have calendar pages like the ones today which are to be used for reference purposes.

Also, I have completely different forms for homeschool planning calendars which are to be used for tracking school week and 2 page per month appointment keepers for tracking appointments.

As mentioned, I do three DIFFERENT calendar type of pages each year.

The ones today are used as a reference page for checking dates. You’ll want to print one or more of them for your planner.

You’ll love these two color choices for the 2019 to 2020 academic year calendars to add to your free 7 Step Homeschool Planner. CLICK HERE to grab these free and AWESOME calendars!

I print one or more in the front of my homeschool planner and I print another one or two toward the back. Also, these calendar pages can also be used for a front cover although I have created AWESOME Front Covers on STEP 1. You decide what works best for your planner.

UNIQUE HOMESCHOOL PLANNER

If you’re wanting to grab an appointment keeper for the 2019 to 2020 school year you can grab them below or visit STEP 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers.

Download here 2019 to 2020 Aqua color choice calendar.

Download here 2019 to 2020 Raspberry Curd color choice calendar.

You’ll love these two color choices for the 2019 to 2020 academic year calendars to add to your free 7 Step Homeschool Planner. CLICK HERE to grab these free and AWESOME calendars!

Look at these other fun planner pages.

7 Easy Steps – Tons of Options & Pretty Color

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! Not a kazillion other people

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

Free 2019-2020 Year Round Homeschool Planning Form (Color Luv)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have the second color choice for the 2019 to 2020 Year Round Homeschool Planning form. Some color choices I just love too much to not bring them back. Color luv is one of those color schemes I love.

Long range planning is key to sticking to homeschool, so I know you’ll love getting this color choice.

Curriculum Planning Pages

Remember that I create both academic and planning calendars. Although they may seem similar, they are not.

When you take a closer look, you’ll see that each calendar has a different purpose.

The form today is for you to PLAN your school year and track the number of days and weeks your kids are doing school.

I have all 12 months on one page which means you can start on any month that you begin homeschooling and move forward to plan your year.

Plain calendars (okay, they are not so plain) are just for noting dates and for your reference. I don’t create them to write appointments on them OR to track your school.

Plain calendars are always on Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers. 

The 2 page spread appointment keepers are for appointments and have more room for writing.

The form today is to plan your homeschool year with days off, teacher planning days and holidays to take off. It gives you a glimpse of your homeschool year. Plan and track your school year on it.

Because this form is not a calendar but more of a planning tool, I keep it each year at Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You!

If you need to see how to use it go to that step Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! to look at my sample copy.

This form today is NOT the 2 page spread calendar. You can grab that too.

step-2-of-the-7-step-free-homeschool-planner-tinas-dynamic-homeschool-plus

Download here free (Color Luv) 2019 to 2020 Year Round Homeschool.

Grab this 2019 to 2020 Homeschool Planning Schedule at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Homeschool Planning Form

7 Easy Steps – “Tons of Options & Pretty Color” Begin building your planner

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectivesur

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! Not a kazillion other people

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

How to Determine an EZ Homeschool Grading System

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Are grading systems really necessary for homeschool families? How can you accurately demonstrate progress and comprehension without using grades? How do you determine a homeschool grading system?

Let’s take a look at some alternatives to the standard letter grading systems used in traditional schools.

Age and ability obviously can make a difference and factor into our homeschool evaluations. For that reason, these ideas are categorized by age level.

Early Years Homeschool Grading System

When talking to homeschool moms, the consensus on grades for the early years is — no grades at all! It’s not really necessary for the littlest learners to be graded on any kind of formal scale.

The most important thing to keep in mind during the early years is to instill that love of learning, encourage curiosity, and cover the basics.

Ideas for tracking progress include:

  • Use tests when necessary, but only as a means to see areas that need work, not as a measurement of success or failure
  • Review work, such as math and spelling, until they achieve mastery
  • Incentives such as stickers earned or recording number of books read in a reading log

Grade System for Homeschooling Middle Years

Many homeschool families use these middle years as a time of transition to more independent work for their kids so they begin using a grading system as a means of feedback.

Ideas for tracking progress include:

  • 4 point rubric (satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory, excellent)
  • Percentage points grading scale, especially for spelling and math
  • No grades, but reviewing and correcting work until it is 100% understood and accurate

Look here at Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You on my 7 Step Homeschool Planner to find my free grading charts and grading keepers.

High School Years: Homeschool Grades Matter

Whether your child is choosing a career or college track can make a difference in the grading system for the high school years.

If you’re preparing a transcript for college admission, sometimes standard grades are the only choice.

Most of the ideas that work for the middle years also work in the high school years, so bear that in mind.

There are a few others that can be used as your kids demonstrate their maturity and ability to handle the responsibility.

How to Determine an EZ Homeschool Grading System. Are grading systems really necessary for homeschool families? How can you accurately demonstrate progress and comprehension without using grades? How do you determine a homeschool grading system?

Ideas for tracking progress include:

  • Allow the teen to grade themselves so they take responsibility for their education and their work
  • Take online courses with built-in review and grading
  • Standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT

Of course, it’s perfectly acceptable to enjoy the freedom of homeschooling and forgo any kind of grading system.

Once again, it’s always best to do what works for your family and what is required by the state you live in.

You’ll love these other tips

Hugs and love ya,

Essential Life Skills – A Homeschooler’s Other Curriculum

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

More and more parents these days are dropping their kids off at the front door of public school and are expecting teachers to do it all — teach the three Rs and life skills necessary for kids to live as functioning adults in society. As homeschoolers we have an advantage; we know that essential life skills are a crucial part of our curriculum.

With the growing concept of adulting – when young adults are learning life skills for the first time as they move out on their own – it would seem that the formula public school tends to use which is an academic approach isn’t working. And homeschoolers aren’t immune to this problem.

Essential Life Skills a Homeschoolers Other Curriculum @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

No matter in what form they educate their children, parents who try to do and be all things for their kids are doing them a great disservice. Additionally, if parents are trusting (aka hoping) that life skills will be caught, rather than taught that only seems to work out when they pick up something we don’t want them to, right?

As homeschooling families we have not only the privilege, but the responsibility to teach our kids these all-important life skill sets that make for a well-rounded and capable grown-up.

Too, we all know that skills taught like this should begin early. I focus on the teen part of life in this article because really it’s the time to maximize what we’ve been teaching them all throughout the years.

From the mouths of homeschoolin’ mommas who have been traditionally schooled comes this list of skills they didn’t learn in school. The teen years are a great time to make sure your kiddo gets these skills down while still living under your roof. And even if they’re in high school, it’s never too late for a crash course.

And they will thank you for it down the road!

And if you’re looking for curriculum to help you teach life skills, you’ll love Skill Trekker. There are 500+ skills (and counting) in the program.

Domestic Life Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • basic cooking and cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, grocery shopping (online and in real life)
  • how to sort laundry properly
  • basic and advance home maintenance
  • basics of human anatomy and well-being
  • how to access home services
  • how to garden or at least grow and care for one plant
  • how to care for pets, their health and animal CPR
  • how to sew is not a lost skill about homeschoolers and basic alterations
  • how tos of basic couponing
  • how to change a diaper
  • lawn maintenance
  • simple electrical and plumbing know how
  • how to menu plan

Auto Care Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • how to buy a car and basic car care (oil and filter changes, how to check oil, change a tire, etc)
  • determining the value of a car using the Kelley Blue Book
  • how to keep an auto compliant with local law
  • how to pump gas

Workplace Skills For Homeschooled Kids

  • learn how to fill out a job application
  • learn how to prepare a resume
  • prepare for a job interview
  • understand how to work with others in a workplace environment
  • how to be on time for a job

Small business management, which is so relevant to many of today’s entrepreneurial homeschoolers, was and still is often reserved for college, or at least specialized trade school programs.

Your entrepreneurial kids may enjoy the boxes from Boss Club which teach kids how to be entrepreneurs. You can click on the picture below to see how they build skills for helping your kids.

Health Care Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • basic hygiene
  • understand how to take care of their basic health
  • understand differences in how food is grown or processed
  • how to give consent for procedures
  • CPR and basic first aid
  • understand how to use medicine versus natural remedies
  • how to notice and be caring when others have special needs like dementia, seizures, or panic attacks
  • how to give basic elder care

Financial Education for Homeschooled Kids

Last, but certainly not least, many homeschool moms failed to receive an adequate, or sometimes any, financial education while in school.

  • how to handle and maintain a checking account how to prepare and file taxes
  • how to create and stick to a budget
  • how credit works
  • the basics of a mortgage and how it works
  • value of saving and preparing for retirement
  • how to apply for insurance and discern what’s necessary

So there you have it, skills that haven’t been taught in school in the past, and most likely aren’t today.

As homeschoolers we have an advantage; we know that essential life skills are a crucial part of our curriculum. Click here to grab this list!

These aren’t fluff topics; these are concepts and abilities that will enable your teen to be a fully functioning adult and even perhaps put him ahead of many of his peers.

Don’t make your teen fumble with adulting when you can arm him with these basic essentials!

You’ll also love these other tips:

Hugs and love ya