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Homeschooling

What is REAL Homeschooling? Homebound, Co-op or Public School at Home

March 22, 2015 | 12 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

To the world outside of homeschooling, it is hard to define the “normal homeschooler”.  Is it a family who raises chickens and who milks their own cows?

Is it a family who believes in the conveniences of city life or a family that loves fast food?

Is it a family that loves homesteading and eating only organic or is it a family who loves traveling?

We know as homeschoolers we embrace families from all backgrounds as the norm.

Satellite Schools, Cyber Schools, Independent Study Programs – Homeschooling?

More important, we understand the one common weave among so many different homeschooling families is that we all respect the right we have as parents to make the educational choices for our children.

However, as important as that choice is, it can cause quite a bit of stir in the homeschooling community to define what is real homeschooling.

Too, many new homeschoolers are joining our ranks by the hundreds and bringing with them their definition of what they may feel is homeschooling.
It is important to not only sharpen their definition of homeschooling but to remind us as veterans what is real homeschooling especially if we have seen times when homeschooling was not so freely allowed.

For example, when I was a high school freshman in public school, I got real sick and was homebound for a year.

Some people have never heard of being homebound.

What is REAL Homeschooling @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschooling Plus

My mom was not homeschooling at that time and we understood as a family that learning at home was an exception made for me because of my health. I would have to do my public school work at home.

I was simply changing the location of where I did my school.

My lessons were issued by the teacher and my parents had no say over the lessons I did and also, like a public school, the cost was free.

Did I consider myself homeschooled then? Absolutely not. Just being at home did not make me a homeschooler.

There are two very fundamental things that define what is real homeschooling.

The first significant factor is that all teaching is parent-led or parent directed.

You notice, I did not say all teaching is parent taught.

It does not have to be and that becomes important as you homeschool the upper grades where you may want to receive some outside help.

Classes offered online, private tutors, co-ops and homeschool events are all chosen by the parent.

Parent-led means that the education and instruction of the children falls squarely on the shoulders of the parent, free of government input, which is the key to understanding the very fine but clear-cut difference.

The way a parent uses a homeschool co-op too, for example, can be quite controversial today though it wasn’t that way before I started homeschooling.

I didn’t take my son out of public school to only enroll him in a 5 day “homeschool” co-op which was ran more like a private school.

I would be exchanging one task master for another had I put my son in a 5 day homeschooling co-op.

All I really would be doing would be enrolling my son in a private school and “helping” him with his homework.

I could see the difference in using a homeschooling co-op to supplement and add enrichment and relinquishing all teaching over to somebody else.

The second important point of what is real homeschooling I touched on briefly and that is you are free of public school or governmental control.

If you are newer to homeschooling, you may not fully appreciate the bristling of homeschooling parents who when they hear a family solely using a free, government backed, full online public school say that they are homeschoolers.

The second definition is not meant to put homeschoolers at odds but it is to remind all of us of our homeschooling roots and what we hold dear when it comes to homeschooling unencumbered.

Homeschooling options, like having cyber schools, have changed tremendously even since I started homeschooling.



This is a good thing because it allows more families to homeschool.  However, even with online schools, there is almost always an option to choose what is not free.

Why would a family make that choice? Because free for online public schools is not really free. You are giving up something.

Free of charge is different than freedom to educate in the way you feel is right for your family.

Homebound, Co-op or Public School at Home – Homeschooling?

Free for a lot of online public school means you are required to test, “attend” online parent teacher conference, join in live classes and more than not have a workload that has taken some homeschoolers 6 or more hours to complete.

More importantly, you are not picking and choosing the lesson planning day to day.

I have helped numerous new homeschoolers get out of on line schools because they thought they would be stress free to only find out that again, they have exchanged one taskmaster in public school for another one online.

Though free may sound inviting in the beginning, you are given up something else valuable, which is the right for your children’s education to be parent-led or directed.

This does not mean that online schools are to be avoided but it means that you want to maintain control over what your children learn day to day.

Most online schools or boxed curriculum providers have options for you to pay for the program as well or to enroll in their “free” program.

If it does not have an option for you to pay for the program then it is just an online public school.

Did you know that some states only consider a family homeschooling by law if it’s parent funded and parent directed?  Even they recognize the two fundamental differences.

Using outside sources is for sure part of homeschooling, but turning over full control of your children’s education has not ever been a definition of what is real homeschooling.

In sharing today, I am encouraging you to value and to not give up so easily the time tested methods that have worked for years and years in graduating well-educated children.

Giving over control of your homeschool changes the dynamics of your homeschooling and it’s worth every effort to be sure our homeschooling stays parent-led.

What about you? Do you think the dynamics of homeschooling has changed over the last few years?

Hugs and love ya,

 

What is NOT Homeschooling?

What Do You Fear Most About Homeschooling?

Should You Really Give Homeschooling a Trial Run?

12 CommentsFiled Under: Begin Homeschooling, Homeschooling Tagged With: new homeschooler

When You Feel Like a Homeschool Failure

February 28, 2015 | 12 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Admitting homeschool failure is not easy. Homeschooling has always been the right choice for our family although many years I wasn’t sure if I was the right teacher for the job.

When You Feel Like a Homeschool Failure

When you feel like a homeschool failure as a teacher, it can be a pretty gray period because you feel like you have really messed up your children.

I was a contributing factor for Mr. Senior 2013 getting behind in math.

Yep I did, I messed him up. First, let me tell what I did and then tell you what I learned.

Homeschool Failure or Wrong Ways to Homeschool?

We had been using Math U See and I didn’t think he was absorbing the formulas as well as I thought he should; I switched him to Teaching Textbooks right before high school.

Shortly after we started using it during high school, I realized that Teaching Textbooks put him behind and that he was actually ahead of where I thought he was. 

So we switched back to Math U See.

Can I just tell you how bad I felt?

Although I had been homeschooling for a while, I still didn’t recognize that Mr. Senior 2013 was just at a plateau and that some of the concepts he would soon understand.

Look at some of these tips that helped me to sort through the feelings of failure I had and get us back on track.

What if they are not just getting it? 

This is a tough one because each child is different and many factors affect whether or not your child is understanding a certain subject or curriculum.

Looking back now, I should have backed up to the point where Mr. Senior 2013 understood the curriculum and isolate the math concept instead of right thinking it was the total curriculum.

When I did this later on after I made the switch of course, I realized he was getting most of Math U See, but had only reached some upper level math that required a bit more time to understand.

Questioning Your Homeschool

I knew Mr. Senior’s 2013 ability to work at higher levels and instead of accepting his difficulties as part of his development, I thought he needed to keep sprinting forward. Pushing was the mistake on my part.

I knew Mr. Senior 2013 excelled at math and did not need constant repetition.

Instead of trusting his learning style, I was afraid that I was going to hold him back and in the process I did.

What I am trying to say is that his learning style was not going to change over night and I should have looked at other things that affected him instead of just the curriculum.

What do I feel like we are going backwards? That was another question I had to ask myself.

I had to analyze everything we were doing. Was I not spending enough time with him because the younger boys were tugging at my time?

Was his schedule too full?

Knowing that Mr. Senior 2013 flourished with routine, was I allowing too many outside activities to interfere with our routine.  These were all questions I had to go back and answer.

As I have learned now, one solution would have been to take off a month and do review and go back over previous mastered material.

I could have easily grabbed one of those inexpensive work texts and just let him sat at his comfortable level for a bit until the frustration passed.

It was hard for me to come up with that solution because math is one of his best subjects.

I just didn’t realize then that my kids would even need to step back in subjects they excelled in.

Last thing I wanted to do was to bore him with previous mastered material.

That was just the thing he needed as he was going through a period of physical growth.

School had to to take a second seat to allow time for his physical and emotional development.

Is the problem in just one subject? This is another tell-tale sign of how I knew it was developmental.

When we had problems before, it was normally one subject and that is a clue that maybe I needed to switch out that one curriculum.

Other things were going on in my son’s life that helped me to see that the curriculum was not the culprit.

He pretty much struggled with the everyday basics of doing school.

I didn’t take this lightly because this was my kid who was such a joy to teach because he loved routine and didn’t have to be told to start school.

Again, it’s easier to look back now. At the time I felt like I pretty much was failing my child because I didn’t have the luxury of looking forward.

Mr. Senior 2013 was going through changes when I did a honest self-evaluation.

He was getting real mouthy, disagreeing pretty much with everything I said, started looking for a job and expressed his concern about supporting himself.

I finally understood that when I felt like a homeschool failure that my son needed me more than ever. Not all failures are a “curriculum thing”.

He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with our homeschooling because of his inexperience. 

I needed to step up and help us sort through it without my son feeling like I was going to send him to public school or throw in the towel either one.

Instead of feeling like a homeschool failure, I realized the time was closing in on how much time I would have with Mr. Senior 2013.

Mistake I Will Never Make Again

I focused on the satisfaction of knowing that his changes in puberty was a part of his life that I was proud to be part of as me and my husband guided him along.

When You Feel Like a Homeschool Failure

Experiences like feeling like a homeschool failure build a deep down resolve and dogged determination to keep on homeschooling when you come through them and can finally pinpoint the problem.

Update 2020: As I write this, my three kids have graduated and are now adults. I’m mentoring a preschooler.

All the tears, all the worry, all the stress pales into comparison to how well-rounded and successful each of my kids are. What I’ve learned is that teaching my kids about defeat, how to get up, and move on have been of way more value in their every day life than being behind.

I’ve learned it was IMPOSSIBLE to teach everything, but I taught them how to research everything they wanted to know. When they have perceived gaps now as adults, they are not intimidated. I can’t hold back my happy tears.

Moms, you GOT THIS!

Look at these other tips about how to find solutions when you feel like nothing is working.

  • The Dos and Don’ts When You Hit A Learning Plateau in Homeschooling
  • When You Are Afraid of Homeschool Science Gaps
  • First Time Homeschool Mom: Am I Doing This Right?
  • 65 Best Teaching Tips for Embracing Homeschooling Multiple Ages and Ideas You Wished You Knew Earlier
  • 15 Old-Fashioned Useful Skills Homeschoolers Love To Teach
  • How to Mesh Your Personality With Homeschooling When They Collide
  • 100 Reasons Why Homeschooling is a SUPERIOR Education
  • How to Know What A Homeschooled Child Should Learn Yearly?
  • Homeschool Critics: How Do You Know You’re on Track?

What about you? Does this resonate with you?

Hug and love ya,

Tina 2015 Signature
When You Feel Like a Homeschool Failure @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

12 CommentsFiled Under: Begin Homeschooling, Homeschooling Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschool crisis, homeschool joy, homeschool joys, homeschool mistakes

Skill Subjects vs. Content Subjects: What’s the Difference?

February 24, 2015 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I can’t help it, but my heart sinks each time I read or hear about a family sending their kids back to public school.

t’s true that we don’t really know another family’s problems or struggles and that may be their only choice, but a lot of times it’s because we all struggle with how to simplify our homeschool day.

Sharing about skill subjects vs. content subjects: what’s the difference, I don’t want to weigh you down with one more must do in your day, but I want to show you how to lighten up without compromising on your standard.

I don’t say this thoughtlessly either, but homeschooling does not have to be stressful, time sensitive, and always overwhelming.

Uncovering the secret to a simple and relaxing day with your younger kids and teens is to understand the difference between skill subjects and content subjects.

Skill Subjects vs. Content Subjects What's the Difference

Getting down to the nitty-gritty of teaching is what lightens your load because then you will be able to prioritize subjects.

For example, when a struggling homeschooler shared with me her list of school subjects for the year, it looked like this: (a real case example)

Composition, singing class, gymnastics, penmanship, science, Bible study, math, violin practice, learning Spanish, phonics, history, co-op class and Spelling Power.
She asked me if she had missed anything.

I wanted to reply, “Uhmm, you may be missing out on a good night’s sleep from now on with that list.”
I don’t say things like that though because I can sympathize with the tug on us as home educators to fall into the trap that more means more meaningful. It does not.

Too, children are just like us in a lot of ways when it comes to mounting pressure. They long for a simplified day or list.

Homeschool Zen – Skill-Based Subjects Versus Content Subjects

The secret to covering more in the day is to organize or separate the skills-based subjects from content subjects.

They simply do not have the same importance or can be covered differently.

Just what exactly is the difference between skill-based subjects and content-based subjects?

Skill-based subjects are those subjects that without them they could possibly handicap your child from learning anything at all or impair your child from learning about other subjects.

They are the very essentials, backbone and framework of any education.

For example, it’s hard to learn about history or the Bible when you can’t read.

Too, our children will have very little appreciation for the wonder of science if they can’t write anything in a science journal.

How will a child learn to budget or secure a well paying job if he doesn’t understand the basic 4 operations of arithmetic?

Can you take a guess at which subjects should rule your day?

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are considered your skills-based subjects. 

Too, another identifying mark of the skills-based subjects is that they need to be presented in a sequential order.  Introducing a letter of the alphabet, with the sound it makes to stringing the letters together to form a word are the foundational skills to learning to read.

Math is similar.  We teach from basic operations to meaningful formulas.

Can you see that every other subject, other than the three Rs, is a content subject?

That slices your schedule to just about half the subjects that you may think your child needs to cover.

Now that I explained the difference, I don’t want you to think that the other subjects are not important or that you shouldn’t cover them at all.

However, I am here to tell you from experience now that Mr. Senior 2013 is pursuing courses on his own that covering less history, less science, and less art with him have not been hindrances at all.

Because of his love for reading and learning, he has continued to learn about subjects that he is interested in or that we may not have had as much time to cover.

It’s his job now to continue to self-educate, I just gave him the foundational tools and did not get sidetracked.

Understanding the difference between the two types of subjects does not mean that I would encourage you to spend the whole day on just those subjects.

The point of explaining this though is for you to try this before you give up or feel like a failure because you may not be the bomb mom.

Looking back at my example of the struggling homeschooler, look at how I sliced and diced her day:

Cover Each DayCover When Your Routine Returns Back to Normal from Insane
compositionsinging class
penmanshipgymnastics
phonicsscience
Bibleviolin practice
spellinglearning Spanish
history
co-op class

Sure, kids may be a bit disappointed if we have to cut back some of their activities.  However, helping them to learn the value of priorities and modesty, which means understanding limits, will be a valuable life skilled learned better earlier than as an adult.

When Homeschooling is Challenging

Too, help your kids to appreciate that circumstances are mostly temporarily and that you will try to return to the normal schedule soon.

After all, missing a dance class or piano lesson or two is a small price to pay when our homeschool foundation is threatened.

If you are thinking about returning your children to public school, please shoot me an email or post your concerns here if the reasons are not private. I am here to help you stay the course because homeschooling is a superior education in every way if you have the circumstances to do it.

In an upcoming blog post I want to expand more about when and how to fold in content subjects because the knowledge gained from those subjects make up the very necessary skills that our children need as adults.

Can you see where you may need to lighten your load for a while at least?

Grab some more tips here:

  • What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them? Part 1 of 3 
  • Biggest Challenges to Homeschooling
  • Controlling the Time Spent on Homeschool Subjects or Running a Homeschooling Boot Camp

Hugs and love ya,

4 CommentsFiled Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: contentsubjects, fearless homeschooling, homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschool grades, skillsubjects

Is Homeschooling Expensive?

February 23, 2015 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Sooner normally than later most homeschool dads get around to asking is homeschooling expensive when you begin to homeschool.

Even the most seasoned homeschooler has to step back and get real about homeschooling when it comes to spending money.

How to homeschool well on a budget is not only an art but is in the reach of the most inexperienced budding budget shopper.

Though I would not encourage anybody to start homeschooling because it is cheaper, it certainly is a perk.

It doesn’t seem easy at first to be budget conscious because there are so many things that you need.

For example, after I spent a few months printing off tons of unit studies for free and failing at my first attempt in unit studies, I swung the other way and went overboard as I spent about $300.00 to $600.00 per child and that is in pre k, k and first grade. (ouch)

Learn from my mistake as I share where your hard earned dollars will be well spent and glean some tips as I share when your budget just does not exist because there is very little to budget.

Just remember, homeschooling costs something whether you pay by your time researching for free resources or whether you pay by with your dollars.

Some years I had more time than money and other years I had more money in my budget.

Key to homeschooling well on a budget is to determine first the true cost of a curriculum.

Homeschooling Costs – Compare Apples to Apples

Many times I hear homeschoolers shriek in terror when a curriculum may cost more than they may think it should.For example, a history program may cost $30.00.

However, the terms and conditions may allow the history program to be used for multiple children.

If you have 3 children like me, that is a well spent $10.00 per child per year.

If you have more children divide the number of your children by the cost of the curriculum to find the true cost per child per year.
Too, if a curriculum is to be used for multiple years even with one child, then dividing the cost by the number of years you will be using the curriculum is the true cost of the curriculum.
Begin budgeting well by accurately jotting down the price.  It is hard to price shop when comparing two unlike curriculum or when you do not start with accurate pricing.

Another tip in making your dollars stretch is to understand that not all curriculum has the same priority level.

Start by spending money in your budget on the 3 R’s and working your way from there to subjects like history, geography, art, science, crafts and foreign languages.
The 3R’s are foundational and it’s important to take your time in finding curriculum in reading, writing and arithmetic that is a good fit for your child.
Spend your dollars on those vital subjects first. The highest priority is finding a curriculum for the subject that your child struggles with the most.

Most other subjects like history, science, geography, foreign language,art and etc. can be covered with a little creativity by you and using free online resources, the library and swapping resources with others in a homeschool group.

Thrifty Tips & Places to Find Homeschool Curriculum on a Budget

Free Textbooks

When I left public school, the principal told me about textbooks they throw away each year that have been discontinued.

I took the textbooks, flipped through them and tore out pages that related to the unit studies I planned and added those pages to my unit study binders.

Free Clip Art Without Printing a Thing

To find things for the kids to cut out and to decorate lapbooks or notebooks with make a stop by your local wall paper store.
My friend Cynthia put me on those wall paper sample books years ago and it’s such a thrifty find.

Wall paper stores will be throwing out samples of discontinued wall paper books and some of them have the best photos of history, science, landscape scenes and all other kinds of pictures to use for free clip art.

When you run short on dollars for printing color clip art, wall paper sample books are a genius find.
They are also a thrifty find when needing to keep young ones occupied as they spend hours flipping through the books and honing their fine motor skills.

Attend Homeschool Conventions for Free

Don’t fret if you don’t have the money to go to a local homeschool convention.

Most conventions, will in exchange for you working at the convention, give you free entrance into the convention.

Too, this applies to your teens.  It is a great way to get into a homeschool convention without paying for anything other than your time and a few cents for gas if you live close by.

Attend Museums for Free

Museums and libraries both look for volunteers.

Attending a museum for free in exchange for volunteer hours is a creative way to attend a field trip for free.  Some museums even have volunteer programs for teens.
In my area back home in Texas, our local library would get rid of books by doing dollar day bags. I made sure we showed up on those days to fill our library with some great buys in books

Other School Supplies

Did I tell you that when I worked in high school at a law office that I was real close to a coworker whose husband was an auctioneer? Judy, my coworker was fond of auctions, yard sales and thrift shops.

Every Friday, during lunch time she had a line up of some really neat places for us to visit and I did not realize the valuable tips I was learning then as she shared about how she purchased her items.

I attended my first auction in high school as Judy’s husband shared all the dos and don’ts of buying at an auction.

Their auctions were held outside on the grounds of the house that they were selling and I was able to learn how to bid.  To this day, those thrifty tips remain with me and thrifty buying is still in my blood.

As I had my own children, those fond memories and useful tips came back to me. I purchased many school items at auctions and yard sales when I started to homeschool.

There are not many people looking for globes, educational board games for kids or small bags of various assortment of cool items that make great manipulatives.  I purchased desks, whole set of readers, atlases and plenty of crafty materials for very few dollars.

It is easier than ever to budget well for homeschool because of the abundance of free online material made available by bloggers and other homeschoolers who are willing to share for free.

Take a look at the round up of free homeschool resources I have gathered below.

Free Homeschool Curriculum Guides

Ambleside OnlineAmbleside Online is a curriculum guide and booklist designed to follow the Charlotte Mason’s method of homeschooling. Grade K to 12.

Old Fashioned EducationGrades K-12. With links to older books.

Easy Peasy All In One HomeschoolNote: This is not an online free school but a free online resource with curriculum from preschool to high school.  It is a great resource.

Ron Paul CurriculumFree for grades K-5.

Guest HollowFree resource for all subjects.

3 R’s Free Homeschool Guides

The Ultimate Guide to Spelling Practice

The Ultimate Guide to Free Kindle Classic Books

The Ultimate Guide to Mathematics Lessons for Homeschooling

The Ultimate Guide to Free Graded Reader eBooks

The Ultimate Guide to Free Copywork

Free Math Resources For All AgesPreschool to College.

Free Literature Resources for Great Classics!

Homeschool Science Free Guides

The Ultimate Guide to Studying Plants and Flowers

The Ultimate Guide to Studying Space

One Humongous List of Online Education Games

The Ultimate Guide to Studying Insects

The Ultimate Guide to Science for the Frightened Mom

Homeschooling with Netflix {Health Class}

Homeschool History Free Guides

America’s Heritage – An Adventure in Liberty. Three free levels to download; Elementary, Middle School and High School.

Free Unit Studies

Free Online History Resources For Homeschoolers!

Bringing Up Learners. A treasure trove of free history in a laid out and organized way.

Free 27 Week American History Study through Lapbooking In Chronological Order

50 Free History Unit Studies–History Lover’s Round Up 

Foreign Language Free Guides

The Ultimate Guide to Foreign Language Lessons for Kids

Homeschool Preschool Free Guides

The Ultimate List of Free Preschool Curriculum Resources

Homeschool Middle School and High School Free Guides

Middle School Homeschool Science 50 Free Spring Activities

Free Middle and High School Homeschool Language Arts

Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazine

100 Not Boring Writing Prompts for Middle and High School

Free Kindle Books: Free Middle School and Highschool Textbooks from CK-12

MIT OpenCourseware Free online library of course materials used to teach MIT undergraduate and graduate courses.

Expensive and a superior education are not necessarily synonymous. Costly does not always mean better and in the same vein sometimes you need to let loose of dollars to get something of better quality.

How to homeschool well on a budget just means sticking to the amount of money or to the expenses that have been allowed in your budget.

Making up a budget is the easy part. Living within a budget is the hard part.

Nowadays, it is easier than ever to make a budget work when homeschooling.

Cutting out non-essentials, being creative and resourceful are key to homeschooling well on a budget.

What about you? What are some of your best tips for keeping homeschooling affordable?

Hugs and love ya,

Tina 2015 Signature

This is also a blog hop.  I am a proud member of iHomeschool Network and this blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.   Visit us on Pinterest, Twitter and Google Plus. And of course, click the image below to visit all the other blog articles from the homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network.

Linking up @ these awesome places:

4 CommentsFiled Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: homeschoolingcosts

Top 10 Favorites

January 1, 2015 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I don’t try to get too sappy here on my blog with the new year and all because I like to keep it to helping you with homeschool how-tos, unit studies, and of course my love for planners.  But before I list the top 10 favorites places and posts you loved this past year, I just wanted to say THANK YOU from my heart!

This past year has been a huge change for our family in moving from Texas to South America and downsizing, selling our house, packing and being on a whirlwind adventure took up a good part of the year.  It has been exciting, but exhausting. 

We are loving it here in South America more than we even imagined and are grateful for however long we can stay. I can’t wait to share more posts about the everyday life here along with all the other topics I love to blog about.

Too, though I shared articles on my New Bee Homeschooler site, the end of this past summer finished my first official year of blogging.  I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your comments and emails.  Truly, I am touched by each one and you are the best followers.

Each comment and email means a lot to me and I try to answer each one because without you my new little blog would not have seen the tremendous growth it has seen this past year.

I am also grateful that you support my products in my new store.  I have many things planned for 2015 and one of them is a book along with other things.  I look forward to telling you more about them this year and my other goals. 

Soon, I will be posting the top curriculum planner favorites, but check out these top 10 favorites y’all visited.

My Ancient Civilizations Unit Study and Lapbooks which includes Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Ancient China, Phoenicia, Assyria, Ancient Babylon, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome continues to be my number 1 unit study and free printables.

 

Though I posted 50 Keep Me Learning Activities During the Long Cold Winter Days roundup at the end of 2013 when I first started my blog, it was the 2nd most popular one in 2014.

Then, we all loved the 50 Free History Unit Studies–History Lover’s Round Up to give us more ideas for keeping history fun. It took the number 3 spot.

Then I am loving that my first series of my blog my 31 Day Free Boot Camp for  New Homeschoolers stayed at my number 4 spot.

Even if you are not new, have you gone through it yet? You may find a tidbit or two to help you if you are struggling with homeschooling.  We all need encouragement and on some days more so than others.

Then feeling a little crafty and making it the center of the pack, how to make an Eazy Peazy Roman Costume and Free Printable Set of Wings post took center stage at number 5.

And then my Tropical Rainforest South America Unit Study and Lapbooks for older and younger children along with the page for the Rain Forest Animals of the Amazon comes in 6th place.

 

Y’all are loving these seasonal roundups.  And again, though I posted this in the first few months of blogging in 2013, Free Fall Unit Study Ideas– For Older Kids Too grew to the 7th spot in 2014.

Loving to read about homeschool organization, my post Homeschool Organization + {Storage, Spaces and Learning Places Part 1} came in at number 8.

Then you are loving this Free 8 Page Fan Book–Animals of the Galapagos Islands for number 9.

Then last, but not least, you are visiting my American Revolution Unit Study and lapbook.

What do you think? Were any of these your favorites or did you miss any?

Hugs and love ya,

Tina 2015 Signature

 

 

Top 10 Favorites Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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