Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

Welcome

Beautiful And Colorful Printable Calendars 2026 to 2027

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

I have printable calendars 2026 to 2027 ready. Grab other gorgeous planning pages on my Homeschool Planner and 7 Step Curriculum Planner page.

This bubbles color option is the first of two color choices for the Appointment Keeper. It is a two page per month spread for your appointments for the month.

And every appointment keeper download has 12 months whether I do an academic or physical year calendar.

Beautiful And Colorful Printable Calendars 2026 to 2027

Also, this two page spread can be used in a home management binder, blogging planner, financial planner or fitness planner.

And the calendar begins July, 2026 and goes through June, 2027. One of my very favorite parts is instead of flipping between pages or squinting at tiny boxes, you can immediately see the month at glance.

For example, you can see which weeks are overloaded, which week you have a field trip planned and where doctors appointments are.

OTHER HOMESCHOOL PLANNER PRODUCTS YOU’LL LOVE

Also, you may love some of these other products to pair with this two page appointment keeper calendar for 2026 to 2027 academic year.

You can organize your homeschool planner by using my free homeschool planner pages and deciding which printables you need in your planner for this year.

Beautiful And Colorful Printable Calendars 2026 to 2027

For example, not every year will have the same printables because your kids grow each year.

This means that your planner should change too.

ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL AND COLORFUL PRINTABLE CALENDAR 2026 TO 2027

Because I create 3 different types of calendars each year, here are the differences in each type of calendar.

The color choice I have today is for your main calendar meaning ALL appointments are noted on this calendar. Do not write on the other two calendars I offer because they’re not big enough.

This calendar has bigger boxes. Whether field trip, family time or personal time, you want to jot them all down on this calendar which has ample room for appointments.

This calendar is NOT for planning. (wink) I have the planning your schedule calendars for that. They are kept on Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You!

And I also have a 1 page per year calendar which is a quick view or glance, and they can be found on STEP 2. Choose Calendar/Appointment Keepers.

EVEN MORE PLANNING FORMS

Moreover, here are more planner printables.

Look at the free forms for each STEP. Be sure to go to each link to get the free printables offered at each step.

HOW TO GET THE TWO PAGE MONTHLY CALENDAR – BUBBLES COLOR SCHEME

You can download the monthly printable calendar 2026-2027 now!

TOU

Important: READ THIS FIRST.
Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar.

.• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.

• The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.

Beautiful And Colorful Printable Calendars 2026 to 2027

• Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (take out the space and substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant.

When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles

| 7 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When a homeschooled sophomore struggles was my reality check at this grade when my first high school teen was unsure of his goals. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School for more tips.

What is it about the second year in high school that makes a homeschooled sophomore struggle?

Mr. Senior 2013 was a sophomore who struggled. When Mr. Awesome 2015 was a sophomore we were bouncing along just fine or so I thought. He too had the sophomore tussle.

When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles

Looking back now, I see with both of my older sons that there was just an itch in the sophomore year that they both had to get past.

I learned a few things about helping them past this middle hump in their high school years.

  • The sophomore year is a time to re-plan.

Part of the problem in the sophomore year was that what we started using for curriculum in the freshman year was not a good match now for both of my boys.

For example, Mr. Senior 2013 wanted to be introduced to Mandarin Chinese, He was not interested in Spanish that I so hoped he would lap up.

When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles

Mr. Awesome 2015 wasn’t interested in any foreign language study at all, but wanted more focus on computers.

Adjusting to fit their growing academic strengths was a must.

When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles

Letting go of what I had planned for all four years was necessary because they were coming into their own persons.

  • They wrestled with the slump of hormones.

Some days they were on top of the world, other days they felt overwhelmed.

Boys and girls both deal with not only the changes in the brain, but with their body needing more rest.

I was surprised at how much sleep they needed, but also equally surprised that they could go through their day pretty quickly and focus when they had to.

Listening to them when they talked to me about their stress of getting their work done for the day, I had to decipher when they just felt the pressure of pending adulthood and when they really needed input on switching around their day.

  • Adding extra curricular activities had to be analyzed.

At first, I thought the solution was to let go of things they enjoyed like ball room dancing and piano.

However, I am glad I didn’t so easily cave when they told me they were overwhelmed.

Isolating the problem wasn’t easy either because sometimes they weren’t quite sure what didn’t feel right.

The solution wasn’t limiting their physical activity or the social interaction.

Activities with other teens wasn’t something they didn’t just look forward to, but was a huge motivator in the week for getting their school done.

Balance was not easy because academics are such a heavy load in high school, but paramount to a sophomore too is a change of pace for the week and something to look forward to each week.

I realized that some of the math that Mr. Senior 2013 was doing, he was flying through and so he cut back some of the lessons to move  on to something more challenging.

Conversation with a Homeschooled Teen is An Art

  • I wasn’t having no stranger in my house.

As your teen starts driving, having a job and spending more time away from you, which too is normal and preparation for adulthood, that is the time they need you the most.

Talking with my frustrated teens took not only patience, but it seemed like some decoding prowess on my part.

Meaningful conversations were the only way I knew that something was or was not working.

For example, Mr. Senior 2013 liked having the options to switch out curriculum mid-year and lounge around in his learning. On the other hand Mr. Awesome 2015 needed a clear cut plan because his plan was to finish as fast as he could get through high school.

Not having the choices to switch mid-year stressed Mr. Senior 2013. Too many academic choices with no clear cut end in sight was a stress inducer for Mr. Awesome 2015.

Try to figure that one out over a year or two.

Homeschool High School

I eventually figured out their budding personalities. It changed in the sophomore years.

Struggling for us seems easier to take at times than it does for our children. And to us, our teens still feel like little children. But I learned that when my teens coped with struggles it was part of the metamorphosis into adulthood.

They come out of a struggle with coping ability. And the best thing of all is that they come out with a better understanding of who they are, which serves them well into adulthood.

Are you struggling with a homeschooled tenth grader this year?

When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles

Lastly, I hope these tips help you to not let them give up so easily. And don’t return to public school and don’t give up things they have a passion for either.

Read more tips below:

When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

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

Unit study curriculum has ten key benefits. Too, look at my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more unit study tips and ideas.

Today, I will identify what is unit study curriculum, how long a unit study should last, and what makes a good unit study curriculum.

Besides identifying what a unit study means, you need to know how to use unit study curriculum with your multiple aged children.

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

And knowing how to identify what is not a unit study or unit study curriculum keeps you from wasting your time.

First, knowing what is unit study curriculum will help you to see the benefits of it.

Unit Study Curriculum

Unit study curriculum takes one topic and includes as many subjects as possible. It builds an entire curriculum around the topic covering subjects like language arts, math, reading, art, history, science, and geography with hands-on application.

Also, unit study curriculum can build lesson plans around a piece of literature, a famous author or person.

For a history slant, a unit study can be created using an event or learning about a famous person. Regarding science, a unit study can use topics from past or current events, inventions, or focus on a scientist.

Studying character traits is another way to build unit study curriculum. On top of that art can tie in history, science, crafts, and math when art is the main topic.

Extensive Unit Study Curriculum

Next, identifying the differences in extensive versus limited unit studies will help you to make a better choice.

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

Extensive unit study curriculum can include lesson plans or lesson plan ideas, language arts and maybe math. Math is the only component for both extensive and limited unit study that is normally purchased separately as well as including some aspects of it in daily learning.

In addition, it should include components of hands-on activities and project ideas.

As you can see the topics can be endless, which is a huge appeal to learners of all ages.

A few choices I like for extensive unit study curriculum are:

  • Five in a Row which now includes ages up to middle school and is based on beautiful literature;
  • Konos is another extensive curriculum and is for learners all the way to high school and is based on character traits;
  • Gather Round Homeschool is fairly new to the homeschool world and is for learners to high school and takes more of a Charlotte Mason approach;
  • Tapestry of Grace is another favorite of mine built around the main topic of history, but also has a classical approach intertwined. It too is geared for all ages up to high school;
  • Christian Cottage blends history time periods with science and lots of hands-on activities. Like KONOS and Five in a Row, it has been around for years. Although initially it was up to middle school, it is aimed for use up to high school and is still a wonderful resource; and
  • Trail Guide to Learning blends another favorite subject of ours which is geography with language arts and science. When it launched back in the day it was aimed for middle school and still is a great fit for middle school learners.

Limited Unit Study Curriculum

Next, don’t think because a unit study curriculum is limited that it can’t be of value.

The ideas or content may be excellent starting points or give extensive background knowledge. Perhaps limited unit study curriculum just gives an idea for the day versus a daily lesson plan.

Furthermore, the focus of some unit studies are narrow; that is a huge benefit when too much information is overwhelming.

Not everyone wants day-to-day hand holding, especially if you have an eager learner. You may just want a framework of knowledge on the topic. There are many ways to use limited unit study curriculum.

A few of the ones I like are below;

  • Beautiful Feet Literature is another favorite that I’ve used through the years. Although the history is deep, the focus on other subjects can be limited. For example, Beautiful Feet has a science unit study and learning geography through picture books.

In my 25 years of homeschooling, I’ve seen an explosion of unit studies. Some welcomed by me, others not so much.

What is NOT Unit Study Curriculum

What is not a homeschool unit study is busy work and it’s not an approach you do alongside another approach.

Because there are no rules, you can be as detailed or loose in your planning as you desire. There is no one way to do a unit study.

Additionally, because it’s an integrated thematic study, prepared laid our boxed curriculum doesn’t usually align with this approach. You need less all-in-one curriculum and more topical or thematic guides and books.

What Makes Good Unit Study Curriculum

With that being said, what makes a good unit study curriculum is one that makes your job easier. Too, it should give you support to create a richer education for your children while saving you time and stress.

How Long Should a Unit Study Last

Then, depending on the ages of your children and their interests, your unit study could last anywhere from two weeks to several months.

A few topics my children wanted to study longer, I wanted to move on to cover other topics for the year. Just know that sometimes you’re the one that wants to move on.

However, I’ve had topics planned to do for a month which only lasted two weeks.

A good rule of thumb is to plan for at least two unit studies a month. That way if your children lose interest in one topic which you had planned to do longer, you can easily move on to your next topic.

Another tip for you is to use unit studies with all your children. Having these solid tips will show you how to use unit study curriculum with all your children.

Using Unit Study Curriculum with Multiple Aged Children

  1. Aim for a resource which targets the age of your middle child or most mature learner. Tweaking assignments to meet the needs of younger learners is easier than crafting ideas for older learners. Especially if you’re new to unit studies, this sanity-saving tip will help.
  2. Doing unit studies together does not mean you have to be on the same subtopic. For example, your family may be studying about sharks. An older learner could write a research paper, your middle learner could practice his reading on a book he or she has selected, and your kindergartner may be coloring a picture or crafting a shark. Different activities while you’re on the same topic is the sanity-saving secret. All doing the same lesson plan is not.
  3. Let each younger learner stop when he or she is immersed. The unit study approach is immersion into the topic. Like everything else, your youngest learner has limits when interest has piqued. Keep going with your older learners until their interest is piqued as well. Chances are you’ll cover the topic again later in your journey and the younger ones will pick up where they left off.

10 Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum

Lastly, the best part of unit studies and unit study curriculum are the benefits.

  1. Including all of your children together with each working at their individual levels, maximizes time.
  2. Children are immersed in a topic which they chose or better known as delight-directed studies.
  3. Willing participants in learning instead of forced learning nurtures independent learning.
  4. Moving at your family’s pace allows each child to be masters of their material. They are working individually for mastering not in comparison to other children their age.
  5. Through hands-on activities and living books, learning sticks. Retention is higher because children are doing and not just reading about the topic.
  6. Instead of learning bits and pieces about topics, children stay on a topic long enough to connect their knowledge to the greater body of knowledge.
  7. Separated curriculum with various topics have no unifying effect unlike the unit study approach.
  8. One giant reference book which spans many ages can be used with your multiple children saving a budget strain. In addition, the books can be used for several years unlike grade level curriculum.
  9. Learning is a privilege and should not be rushed to stay in step with scope and sequence. Using the unit study approach makes the approach fit your family, not keep up with a curriculum schedule.
  10. My favorite benefit is that the whole family is together with a relaxed pace and fostering sibling togetherness. The focus is on maximizing the time and your kids can easily lose track of the time spent learning. Fabulous!
10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

ULTIMATE UNIT STUDY PLANNER FREE PAGE

I would love to give you a copy of one of my pages from my Ultimate Unit Study Planner! It is a page I start with when I call bubble planning. I plan my thoughts and possible subjects around the main theme. You can see a sample of it here How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study – Step 2: Separation.

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

Now, how to grab the freebie.  It’s a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE UNIT STUDY PLANNER PAGE

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

What do you think? Are you ready to give unit study curriculum a try?

Here are some more unit study helps:

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

Explore The Great Outdoors: Nature STEM Activities For Homeschool Freebie

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

I have a free printable with fun nature stem activities for homeschool. Besides, too much indoor activity can be the cause of burnout.

And nature stem learning combines creativity, curiosity and hands-on for a science study that is hard to beat.

When studying nature is confined to worksheets, it can feel abstract. However when kids interact with bird feeders, trees and track moon phases they are actively engaging in learning.

Explore The Great Outdoors: Nature STEM Activities For Homeschool Freebie

This freebie helps you turn everyday outdoor moments into meaningful STEM learning.

And instead of memorizing facts, children practice recording results observing, predicting and testing.

One of my favorite reasons for sharing this STEM in the wild freebie is that you can use it for multiple ages to teach at once.

NATURE STUDY BOOKS FOR KIDS

Next, here are some fun books to use with your kids and to add to your home library.

10 Nature Study Books for Young Kids

Add these fun books to your home library or to introduce nature study to your little learners.

Then, look at more stem inspired activities.

STEM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Also, look at more nature activities.

NATURE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Explore The Great Outdoors: Nature STEM Activities For Homeschool Freebie

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE PRINTABLE NATURE POWERED PROJECTS FOR LEARNING

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

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

I’m sharing 10 homeschool kindergarten curriculum. You’ll love my other tip for kindergarten homeschool curriculum.

Besides homeschool kindergarten curriculum should be both affordable and complete, so you set a strong foundation for learning.

However, it’s hard to know which curriculum is better when you’re just beginning. There are many choices and you want to have some basic guidelines so you know what is the difference between them.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

In addition, curriculum providers follow different homeschool approaches. Charlotte Mason, workbook, unit study and classical are a few homeschool approaches.

It’s important for you to know a few subtle differences because each family has different circumstances.

For example, some families may only have one child while others may have several children under five years of age.

So your time may be divided when you’re managing more during the day.

In addition, some families prefer to not have all days planned while others prefer plans.

While affordable and complete kindergarten homeschool curriculum varies with opinion, learning at this age shouldn’t.

Learning hands-on, through movement, and playing are three of the things I look for in a curriculum at this level.

Kindergarten Curriculum Supplements

Too, not all curriculum providers supply all the crafts and supplies you’ll need or want.

And if you’re teaching several children under 5 or 6 years of age, you want extra supplies and crafts.

For example, games for kindergarten should be at least half of your day along with reading aloud.

A few board games to get you started for kindergarten are

Also, fill your home with other kinds of writing materials besides pencils.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

Children this age need practice with fine motor skills but that doesn’t happen by holding a regular pencil.

We used crayon rocks quite a bit because they’re fun to do arts and crafts with while strengthening fine motor skills.

Beginner Reading Choices

Also, here are some great books to get your child reading.

Beginner Reading Books For Kindergarten

A homeschooled kindergarten child’s reading diet should still be a mix of repeated texts or phonics readers and beginner readers.

This way your child’s basic reading skills continue to be strengthened while your child’s reading level is advancing.

Next, look at these affordable homeschool curriculum for your kindergartner.

KINDERGARTEN HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM

You determine what else you may want to add.

1. Blossom and Root.

One reason Blossom and Root is affordable is because there is a list of books you buy or check out from the library.

So unlike other complete curriculum, you don’t get hard copy books. In addition, the math is light.

For some kids this works great, but for other kids they may need a stand math program.

But I love this curriculum because it’s play based, and nature based.

2. Rod and Staff.

Rod and Staff is a no fluff, straightforward and wonderful program.

It has been around for years and parents who want to add more crafts and play based ideas love this curriculum.

3. Five in a Row

Five in a Row is yet another we’ve used in the early years because I love using beautiful literature from the beginning.

Although your child learns math, you will want to add a solid math program.

4. The Good and the Beautiful.

We used The Good and The Beautiful for part of kindergarten and love their approach and price.

It had just the right balance of hands-on activities with teacher help.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

5. Oak Meadow.

Oak Meadow is another provider that is based on individual opinion regarding price.

Although not the cheapest, they are play based and have options for your purchase. This too is all inclusive.

6. Christian Liberty Press.

In addition, Christian Liberty Press is another no fluff straightforward curriculum.

A lot of providers similar to Christian Liberty Press have options for enrolling on line or buying the kit.

Unless you live in a state with restrictive homeschool laws, you should be able to purchase the kit and go your own pace.

7. MasterBooks.

Next, Masterbooks is another favorite. While it’s not only affordable but has options for what you want to purchase.

With their Charlotte Mason approach and gentle fun activities for kindergarten, it’s a great choice

8. Horizons.

Additionally, Horizons is another one we have used and loved.

I wanted everything laid out and had a framework where we could add our own activities.

9. Easy Peasy All In One.

Easy Peasy All In One is a free online curriculum.

If you want to take a slow start to kindergarten while learning the ropes, then having this laid out curriculum will give you a solid boost.

10. Lifepac.

We have used lifepac too for concise worktexts when we needed them.

Not only are they complete, but laid out.

Other Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Resources

You’ll love these other resources

Moreover, add more of these homeschool curriculum resources.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum