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The Truth About Delaying a Start to Homeschooling

March 29, 2016 | 6 Comments
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From the depths of my heart, I feel that homeschooling is the ideal choice for any family. Reality is though, that there are just some people who are not willing or don’t have the circumstances to homeschool – yet. Kids being bullied, kids that have a compelling desire to move ahead academically and kids struggling with learning especially benefit from homeschooling.

Is Homeschooling The Last-Ditch Effort?

However, I have on more than one occasion discouraged parents from starting to homeschool because the truth about delaying a start to homeschooling is that there are 3 things that you want to consider before you dive into homeschooling.

Look at these 3 reasons why you should consider delaying a start to homeschool until you have time to address them.

1. If there is more of a discipline problem than an educational problem.

Several times as a homeschool leader, I have spoken to lawyers, locked horns with public school counselors who were not informed of current homeschooling laws and even testified in court one time. Most of the time the parents had behavioral problems with their kids.

Disciplining desperation led parents to homeschooling.

I had to think about testifying in court on behalf of two families that wanted their 15 year old children homeschooled because the daughter of one family was pregnant by the son of the other family.

Now, they wanted to homeschool. That is what I call the ugly side of homeschooling because families are not embracing homeschooling because they believe in the value of it or they are trying to head off some disciplinary problems before they happen.

I wouldn’t take parents in my homeschool workshop that are now wanting to homeschool because their child were in drugs or mischief. It may sound harsh, but there are two very different classes of parents who come to homeschool.

There is the class that believes in it because of all the advantages a child has (and I don’t mean those parents who thought they never would homeschool and are homeschooling) and then there are those that come to it because they don’t have a choice because they were not involved parents.

Parenting is a hard job and sometimes no matter what we do, teens will make their own choices.

It may be no fault of the parent, but then again the relationship with the child is what needs to be worked on now instead of the educational system.

In the end, I decided to testify for those two families that wanted to “homeschool” because they were both expecting their first grandchild from two 15 year old kids and because I knew they didn’t have many options.

My heart was absolutely broken for both families. It was not homeschooling like it should be, it was just being homebound. Look at my article, What is REAL Homeschooling? Homebound, Co-op or Public School at Home.

2. When one parent is completely against it.

I am not talking about a scenario when Dad may be skeptical and wants you to prove it to him the year you start, but where he is flat out against it.

Having a family and successful marriage is tough enough these days without adding to the stress of it. Marriage doesn’t afford you the luxury of avoiding controversial subjects.

If homeschooling is a controversial subject now, then it will always be until you both see eye to eye on it. If your husband is against homeschooling, don’t nag him, but graciously keep showing him all your well thought out research.

As long as he wants to continue talking about it, then keep on discussing it. But I have never encouraged a spouse, husband or wife, to go against the wishes of the other.

There are more things than academics to teach kids when you bring them home to school and one very important thing is teaching them how to work out things in a marriage. Agree first to homeschool and then homeschool in peace.

3. Lack of support system.

Sad to say, I have seen many parents bring their teens home to school only to leave them alone at home every day while they work. Teens are at various levels of maturity and while some can stay home and stay self-motivated each day, others still need some kind of support.

A support system doesn’t have to be a whole lot of people. It can be just one family member or a trusted close friend that will help you when you need it. By the teen years, most kids can work independently. Independently doesn’t mean always being alone or not having someone to supervise their work or monitor their success or lack of it.

Ideally, a family will meet with more success if the main homeschooling parent, which normally is mom in a lot of cases can dole out a bit of time each week to go over the child’s assignment.

Even if she has to work full time, spending a bit of time each week with her children, no matter how self-sufficient her children are is the best gift you can give to your children. Your kids still need parental guidance and supervision to make the shift to being responsible adults.

I have helped single moms and single dads learn how to begin to homeschool their children while they worked because they had a plan in place which is to get grandpa or grandma to help so their children were not alone all day.

One single mom that I helped even gave up some of her independence and made the decision to move back in with her parents (of course her parents were on board with it too). Her daughter would not be alone during the day and the grandparents and homeschooling mom worked out an arrangement where the homeschooling mom provided a good amount of income for all of them.

When the Going Gets Tough Do the Tough Really Need to Get Going?

Many years later after her daughter graduated, I heard from that mom as she came to me with tears of appreciation in her eyes.

I am no good when somebody else is crying, I have to join in too. I told her then that I was the one grateful for her friendship and that she taught me the power of a strong-willed parent and the value of a support system.

Homeschooling is not always about what we want, but what we are willing to give up so that we can homeschool. I learned so much from that single homeschooling mom.

Too, homeschooling is not about educating at all costs even at the cost of your marriage or sacrificing the relationship with your children.

Have you carefully weighed the cost of homeschooling?

Hugs and love ya,

In the meantime, go through my 31 Day Free Homeschool Boot Camp and look at Go Ahead and Make a Mistake: Homeschool Without Fear and Homeschooling – Beginnings are Usually Scary, Endings are Usually Sad, but It’s What’s In the Middle that Counts!

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.
Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

10 Homeschool Co-op Subjects That Are Better Learned With a Group

March 27, 2016 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschool co-ops may not be a good fit for some homeschoolers. And though I feel co-ops can be an ill fit when they are ran more like private schools than a homeschool meet up, there are 10 homeschool co-ops subjects that are better learned with a group.

Look at these 10 things, which are more fun to learn with other homeschoolers.

One| History Projects.

When we did our history lapbooks in our co-op, the kids couldn’t wait to get together and work on their lapbooks.

Some of the work they did at home, but a lot of it they did together. This helped my boys who were interested in the history topic, may not particularly like putting a lapbook together.

Two| Learning to Dance.

One of our co-ops to learn about Texas we kicked off the school year by hiring a professional square dance caller. Not only did the kids enjoy it, but grandparents and parents could get involved.

It was a fun activity for all ages, from K to gray, and it set the tone for learning about Texas.

Three| Art project.

Art is another activity which is fun by doing it with a group. Whether it was drawing or making a collage, my boys were inspired when they got together with other homeschoolers.

Four| Book Challenge.

A book challenge is one where I wished we would have done. It was on our list to do but we had so many ideas that it was hard to fit it all in.

But presenting the characters of a book, the plot and telling about the author would make for a great group project.

Not only would reluctant readers benefit, but advanced readers would be challenged to find a new genre to get hooked on.

Five| Around the World Geography Project.

Whether you decide to do a dish from around the world geography project or have each family take a country and present facts about it like we did, this was so much more fun when we did it as a group.

Six| Learning a Foreign Language.

When the kids were little I wasn’t sure if a group sitting was the best way to get an introduction to Spanish. I was proved wrong.

Not only was the homeschool teacher exceptional that taught the class, but she made learning come alive as the kids worked together on presenting a simple play as they learned new words and phrases.

Learning a foreign language was not only natural, but exciting to learn in a group setting.

Seven| Host a Critter Show and Tell.

Just like anything in homeschooling, some of the best things I learned were stumbled upon.

For example, we started off one co-op learning about reptiles and amphibians and realized that having a bring your critter to show and tell about it was the perfect ending to the co-op.

Exciting or Exhausting When Meeting with a Homeschool Co-op?

Looking back now and because the kids were young, it would have been the perfect topic for the whole co-op. Make learning relevant by tying it to a child’s pet. Learning about critters is the perfect activity in a group.

Too, the other kids got to experience a variety of pets from different families.

Eight| Writing Classes.

If your child loathes writing, then a class with other students can sometimes be the best way to inspire him. This is especially advantageous for a kid that is in high school and struggles with writing.

A group setting can be the perfect prod a child needs to bring his writing up to par.

Nine| Photography Classes.

When the boys were little we would go to another homeschool mom’s house to learn basic photography. I can’t imagine my boys learning this by sitting in a class.

Showing up at different hours each time we went, the boys learned about lighting tips during the day and evening and techniques for taking pictures. Of course taking pictures of each other was a big hit.

Ten| Learning to Cook.

Many homeschoolers in one of the groups we were in got together frequently to teach their kids how to cook. My boys were real young then.

At the time I remember being impressed because one of the high school boys was the one that was leading the co-op.

He had a natural talent for cooking and many years later, I learned he went on to be a professional chef.

From humble homeschool co-ops, kids can find a life time profession or just be propelled outside of their comfort zone for learning.

What co-op topics do you find learned best in a homeschool co-op setting?

If you are looking on tips for starting a co-op, then check out my series on Homeschool Co-ops.

Hugs and love ya,

Have you seen this book that I co-authored?

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

3 Things a Homeschool Mom Wants From Her Husband (Besides Support)

March 26, 2016 | 19 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Though I was a teenager, I clearly remember my mom visiting a homeschool mom to ask questions about homeschooling. This was back in the 80’s when homeschooled kids had to duck down in the backseat of the car if they were out during public school hours. Curriculum was not easy to find, organized field trips with a group were almost impossible and finding support for a homeschool mom was flat out hard.

However, out of all the things that seasoned homeschool mom could talk about, she ended up spending more time talking about the ways her husband helped her.

The Challenge Homeschool Dads Face

The longer I homeschool, the more I treasure those priceless tidbits shared by that seasoned homeschooling mom because they have been the same things that have kept me going though homeschool times have changed significantly.

Look at 3 things a homeschool mom wants from her husband (besides support).

1.Take the kids and leave.

Yes, taking the kids and leaving the house sounded harsh when that seasoned homeschool mom told my mother, but it’s so very true.

My husband, like a lot of other husbands who wholeheartedly support homeschooling felt like I wanted to leave the house to be by myself. Sometimes I did. A hair appointment without kids was the ultimate treat.

However, I soon realized that I was never at my home alone, with my thoughts, and at the place where I ultimately rested best.

This was especially true when the kids were all very little. When my husband took the kids and left the house, I felt an immediate stress release.

Some days I would catch up on things I wanted to around the house, but many times I just relaxed. Not that superficial relaxing where you know the kids will be back, but I fixated on making myself calm down completely so that I could rest and recuperate.

Of course, it matters how long they are gone, but even a few hours were enough to rejuvenate me.

2. Not just play with the kids, but find ways to roughhouse.

No, I don’t mean the kind of playing that most dads do naturally, but I mean the kind of playing and entertaining where kids can really let off some steam.

I thought it was just important when they kids were little, but I have learned that it is equally important when they are teens.

Let’s just face it, though we love our kids to pieces, we all get sick of looking at each other every day. Besides the normal getting outside to play, kids need time to roughhouse.

From what I have seen, it’s not just boys that like roughhousing. Girls can be just as active and need more than just playing outside or with dad too.

When Mr. Senior 2013 hit that real active stage, my husband cleared out the garage and set up a weight lifting bench and other exercise equipment in the garage. What a life saver for me from those raging hormones. That hadn’t even crossed my mind to set up an area like that because I was so hyper focused on homeschooling.

My niece wanted to jog every day and so she needed a way to get to the track since it was safer there. Dad to the rescue. That is one less thing for a homeschool mom to do at the end of the day when she is already tired.

3. Accept simple meals.

My father admits it. He never liked leftovers and my mom always tried to accommodate his wishes since my dad worked so very hard to provide us. That same mindset followed me to marriage and trickled over into my homeschooling.

However, there is one huge difference between my mom and myself and that is my mother only homeschooled one out of four kids. Too, my younger sister was in elementary school when my mom started and my mom had three other teen children at home who were quite capable of cooking and cleaning. She had a lot of help.

It is quite different when you homeschool more than one child and you start homeschooling all of your littles from the very beginning.

Completely stressed about meal planning, homeschooling and all the 1001 things I needed to do each day, I discussed it with my husband.

I was shocked because one thing I had not learned in all our years of being married is that he is all in for simple meals. Unlike my father, he was pretty easy going. With my dad, I too learned why he felt that way about food and things were just very different back in his day.

Of course, because my husband was easy going didn’t mean I was going to go overboard by not making delicious meals. He too works hard for us. It did, however, mean that some nights I needed a break and he believed that too.

Soon, I realized that simple meals could be just as delicious.

Things like having a quick breakfast for supper, hot sandwiches and soups and making one night a themed night like Italian food night gave me permission to stress less about simple meal planning.

There are a few other things I learned along the way about the help a homeschool mom needs, but these ways stood out to me today.

Clearly, I needed my husband involved in homeschooling besides just his general support.

Ideally, it would be great if dads could do projects or even school, but not all dads have that kind of time.

Instead of pining over what a dad can’t do because a lot of dads work full time, savor the times that your husband helps steer you through the challenges of homescooling.

Homeschool support from my husband goes beyond just approval, but it is shown in action.

Things that might seem little and natural to a homeschool father to do are meaningful and large ways to support to his wife.

What ways does your husband support you that you want to tell to the world?

Let other family members support you too.

Look at How Grandparents Can Inspire Your Homeschool Journey.

Hugs and love ya,

Grab some more go juice.

Homeschool Quitters, Dropouts and Wimps (Want to Join Me?)

Top 5 Tips for Homeschooling Parents

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

31 Days of Dinner Ideas for April

March 25, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I hope you’re hanging with me on planning meals so that your homeschool day is less stressful. Remember my tip, which is if you don’t struggle with all meals, just plan for the time of the day where you are tired, busiest or want to think less about meal preparing.

31 Day Planning means Flexibility, Saving Money and Being Healthier. That Equals Smarter.

For me that time happens to be supper. It’s not that I am not interested in cooking or eating something delicious and healthy, it’s just that I am ready to slow the day down. So I plan my dinners because I am a stickler for avoiding stress when I can control it.

It’s not the time for me to run to the grocery store or begin cooking something to realize that I am missing one ingredient to complete the meal.

I simply follow the directions and keep evening time low stress and high on taste.

Today, I am sharing 31 days of dinner ideas for April so that you have it early for next month too.

Download here April 31 Days of dinner

Remember you can grab any 31 day dinner ideas I have done so far because instead of trying to match up days with our activities for the month, I just do a straight list of 31 days of ideas regardless if the month has 31 days or not. This way, I can have options and mix and match too.

Grab January dinner ideas along with an editable menu planner here, grab February dinner ideas here, and grab March dinner ideas here.

Surely, one of these menus will impress you enough to inspire you. Plus I have done the hard part for you which is coming up with ideas and not repeating dinners. (Oh I repeated one or two meals because we loved them, but for the most part variety is the key to enjoying both the meal and planning.)

Which meals are you finding hard to prepare?

Hugs and love ya,

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

10 Tips When Teaching Grammar to Your Homeschooled Child

March 21, 2016 | 6 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When should you start teaching grammar? How much grammar is enough or too much? What is the purpose of grammar?

When I started homeschooling, I had more questions about grammar than I got answers for when I was in school. And though I would not call myself a total grammarian, like Kelley, who feels like all writing is the beginning of a treasure hunt to unearth errors (oh the sheer delight), I do love me some grammar.

Look at these 10 tips when teaching grammar to your homeschooled child because I hope to lighten your load about the stress of teaching grammar and give you some helpful insight.

1. Grammar is not too late when you start later.

Although I started teaching grammar in third grade, quickly I learned that teaching grammar could have waited until fifth or sixth grade because it’s easier then to grasp complex issues of grammar rules.

It does not mean that the mechanics of writing like spelling and capitalization should not be immediately corrected. Modeling correct grammar is a good teacher.

2. Grammar is not really about improving ideas for writing.

Yes, I know this may sound far-fetched. You can, however, have a child that is an advanced writer but lags behind in grammar structure. A child or an adult may clearly communicate his thoughts but may not be aware of proper tenses.

Too, roles can be flipped. For example, I know people with a linguistic background who can make my writing shine in no time. Their eye to detail is unmatched and I love that about them.

However, they would also be the first one to admit that knowing technical details doesn’t always mean that you can write well or with confidence.

Creating worthy and valuable writing content is a learned skill.

I often wonder if people with a strong English background fear writing less or more than somebody that does not have a strong grammar background? It still intrigues me.

3. It is important to learn the vocabulary of grammar.

The vocabulary of grammar was something I did not learn in school. And like any language, English too has beginning vocabulary terms like is what a basic tense and advanced vocabulary terms like conditional tenses.

This brings me to my next point.

4. Advanced grammar helps with learning foreign languages.

When teaching Latin to my first son, I realized that if I had not used Memoria Press, which guided us with basic grammar tips and then connected basic information to advanced, I would have struggled notably with helping my son study a foreign language.

What I am saying is that it is hard to compare a foreign language with your native tongue if you don’t have a full scope of advanced English terms.

The beauty of learning grammar is clearly shown when you start teaching and learning a foreign language.

In helping my son study a foreign language, I learned more details about my native English language than I did in just studying it each year.

5. Writing classes can improve grammar.

Writing classes should focus primarily on content, creativity of ideas and clarity.

Applying grammar to troubled areas like their vs they’re and our vs are makes grammar a crucial part of writing. But this doesn’t mean that writing curriculum should stifle the creative writing process or overshadow it with many rules.

Is this why so many kids hate writing? Again, grammar should enhance writing and help a budding writer choose words more carefully.

6. A well-written grammar course can be completed by 10th grade or so.

Using Rod and Staff English in high school helped me to understand that studying grammar as a separate subject didn’t have to span all four years of high school.

Of course, stopping a formal study of grammar would depend on how much previous grammar instruction your child had in school.

Grammar is Alright (oh, oh, scratch that, I meant) All Right

Too, I learned that if I chose an advanced grammar course in the beginning high school years, then the next few years could be focused on helping my student find his writing voice while applying grammar as a priceless tool.

7. Attack grammar with the same powers of observations used in science.

I vividly remember a tip shared many years ago by an intuitive homeschool mom. She said studying grammar should be like a scientist examining something under a microscope.

By magnifying a feather, salt or sand, a scientist brings items up for a closer look. Zooming in on them gives them a different perspective and shows how the pieces fit the whole.

Attack the parts of grammar with the same enthusiasm that a scientist scrutinizes infinitesimal pieces under a high powered lens until you get comfortable teaching grammar.

8. Basic grammar is vital to an excellent education.

Don’t get caught up in all the hype of advanced grammar that you don’t teach your child the essentials of grammar.

Teaching concepts like the parts of speech and effective sentences and paragraphs are mainstays of grammar. From there, a child can build on it in later years.

Fearing that I would make a mistake in each sentence I wrote, I overly stressed about writing. That mindset trickled down to teaching grammar.

9. Don’t make grammar boring and blah.

When grammar is learned through games and with a group, it can be fun.

I did treasures hunts in my home for the parts of speech when the boys were little.

We still do mad libs when we have had enough of formal grammar and I buy copious amounts of grammar games at conventions when I can find them.

10. Practice good grammar every day.

Don’t let the fear of grammar hold you back from letting your writing ideas overflow or trickle. Practicing good grammar each day makes it easier to pen your thoughts to paper or to share what you know with others.

I still struggle with grammar but the basic human need to communicate is a powerful motivator to learning complex grammar concepts. Find the joy in teaching grammar because it should be exhilarating and not exhausting.

What has been your experience with teaching grammar?

Hugs and love ya,

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

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The Truth About Delaying a Start to Homeschooling