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11 Tried and True Ways to Tame the Home When You Homeschool

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

With the new school year comes different grade levels for kids. It may mean more relief for mom or it could mean more work when adding in younger children to the day.

Add a few preschoolers that need naps in the afternoons and a newborn baby and I was left many days wondering how I was going to fit in grocery buying, cleaning the house, menu planning and running errands.

11 Tried and True Ways to Tame the Home When You Homeschool @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

It didn’t take too long into the school year before I was behind on cleaning the house and preparing for meals.

Tips and Tricks for Making a Messy House Clean

Though I thrived with schedules, my do-a-little-each-day method to cleaning wasn’t working.

Stepping back to examine even my method of cleaning, I want to share these sanity-saving tips that I used through the years.

  • If your kids are real young and you are outnumbered, make your shopping day Saturday or when Dad is off work.

For a few years, I took my oldest to the store while my husband took care of the youngest boys. It just had to be or otherwise my whole day was wasted getting only a small portion of what we needed.

  • As the boys got a bit bigger, I joined a local co-op in my neighborhood where I get could get fresh fruits and vegetables.

That was awfully convenient and I didn’t really need much preparation when they showed up in the neighborhood.

  • Also, the Mr. didn’t mind a bit stopping by the store after work and grabbing a few things.

So I would go about once every two weeks for the big items and the Mr. would grab perishable items if we ran out.

  • Limit your days to the grocery store. You only have so many days in the week.

It’s exhausting to not plan meals and go to the grocery store every other day.

I never wanted to do that and didn’t. When I could, I went once every two weeks, but sometimes I had to go weekly but not every day or every other day.

  • Then as the boys grew older and entered middle school, I was able to go to the store weekly and more on a schedule, but it had to wait until after school or about 2:00 or so.

This still gave me time to shop and get back before dinner.

  • As the boys approached high school, I made sure my grocery list was organized by aisles so that when Mr. Senior 2013 learned to drive, he could take over the grocery shopping.

There was no guessing what items or brands we liked because he had been shopping with me for many years since he was little.

Now, just organize your grocery list and let your highschooler do it.

  • Another tip that saved me countless of hours was investing in more than one crock-pot.

I would have 3 crock-pots going at one time.

Sometimes it would be two meals and one side dish and then sometimes it would be 3 meals and one of them a breakfast for the next day.

There is no such rule that you have to have only one crock-pot.

Our lives are very different from most families and we need to think outside of the box.

  • Did I mention that I even ordered once in a while from the Schwan’s delivery grocery? They have a few great tasting dishes.
  • Nowadays, you can even shop at Walmart and with free delivery, things can be delivered straight to your door.

My sister does this all the time. It’s a great way to shop with no stress and everything comes to your door.

  • As far as cleaning, I learned to have less products to clean with so that I could do all of the rooms in the house quicker instead of a different cleaner for each room.

I had to change the way I liked doing laundry too.

  • I tried to do a one day laundry day and get a majority of it over with.

I saved back things like linen and towels, which could be washed and dried, but could wait on being folded.

Those kinds of clothes I did while we did school and of course the baby’s clothes were washed just about every day.

I learned that by washing a bulk of them on one day, I made a dent for the week and could focus on school.

Those are just a few quick tips that saved me during the time school booted back up and during the year when I felt like I was getting behind.

What do you do to get it all in for the day?

Hugs and love  ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

Also, look at:
Inspiring Your Homeschooled Kids to Do Chores
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Narration – Telling Back or Testing? Books that Make Teaching Narration Easy Peazy.

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

Gauging homeschool progress is only natural. Besides, we do need to know what our children are retaining.

Narration not only works for filling a child’s mind with useful facts, but it is a gentle way of measuring progress.

Narration Telling Back or Testing. Books That MakeTeaching Narration Easy @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Instead of administering a test, try narration.

What is narration? It is simply telling back what they have read or what you have read to them. It is telling back what a child knows.

A child doesn’t really own the information until he or she can tell it back.

Gentle Art of Narration – Equals Meaningful Progress

This is a Charlotte Mason technique that has produced positive results in children of all ages and learning styles.

In addition, it can be a useful tool to use when you have recently taken your child out of public school and has test burnout.

True, it can be used a lot of times with younger children, but for children that are having trouble comprehending, it is a great tool.

Start off small with a few lines from one paragraph, move to one paragraph to two short paragraphs, to a page and eventually the whole story.

I used the The Classic Treasury of Aesop’s Fables for longer stories and then for funand to fill my boys’ mind with beautiful thoughts, I used a A Child’s Garden of Verses.When they were real young, I used a higher elementary age book like American Tall Tales and A Child’s History of the World, which was a nifty way of adding history to the day too.
Instead of dumbing down the answers by making a child choose a multiple choice question for a story, have them tell you all the details or facts.

In time, as the child grows, help them to learn techniques like summarization. For now, narration is a very useful tool to find out exactly what the child knows.

They can delight in the love of being read to or enjoy good literature without the fear of reducing it to a worksheet that is dull and boring.

The next time you are wondering if your child is understanding what you are teaching them, ask them to tell back the story to you or to a friend.

Start off small and by letting them narrate to you, they can give the whole scope of their understanding instead of being limited by a few multiple choice questions.

Have you tried narration?

Hugs and love ya,

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3 Tips from the Pros Before You Become a Homeschool Educator!

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

I’ve read dozens of articles on what makes a great public school teacher.

The articles usually tout some facts about high ratio of student to teacher, classroom burnout, building some kind of strong network for the teachers and otherwise taking measures to retain good teachers for some long period of time. Does this sound familiar to you too?

Is Homeschooling Really ALL About the Children?

As homeschool teachers do we have different needs? How do we measure up as teachers? What makes a great or exceptional homeschool teacher?

When I started to homeschool, I read all kinds of books about how to teach and tutor. This was a good thing at first.

Soon though I realized I was relying on them to teach instead of what I was given naturally. The truth of it was I was not a public school teacher. I had no background in teaching as a public school teacher.

What I did learn was that teaching at home is totally different than teaching in a classroom.

3 Tips from the Pros Before You Become a Homeschool Educator @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusHow do I know this if I have never taught in a classroom? Because I don’t compete with public school teachers. What I mean by this is that instructing can be the same for any good teacher, however, it’s the method that is different.

Methods for learning at home couldn’t be more opposite than a public school setting.

It’s not my style to bash public school teachers as I care for all people and each deserves dignity.

I will say though that no matter how well-intentioned public school teachers are, the students are not their children. Why is this so paramount? Because love is the strongest motivator in the universe to get the help that your children need.

Too, public school teaching is a relatively new concept. Homeschooling is not. “Home, not the school, was the original educational system,” Raymond and Dorothy Moore wrote in their book Home-Spun Schools.

Contrary to what both public school advocates and even homeschooling families may think, classroom burnout does not have to exist.

We are not trying to be public school teachers modeling our learning environment after a public school setting, using the same teaching tools or teaching to a test. We are at home teaching, living and learning together.

Parents are the most important educators of their children.

3 Tips from the Pros

However well meaning intentions do not necessarily make us superior homeschool teachers either.

What is required to be a good homeschool teacher?

1. Conviction. You don’t have to have a teaching degree to have conviction.

Conviction has been defined as an unshakable belief in something.

Conviction comes from the heart and our conviction is not based purely on emotion but on knowledge.

The knowledge is that Proverbs 22:16 says to “train up a child”. It really is that simple.

Our conviction comes from the fact that we have been given the obligation as parents to train our children. Our emotion or heart moves us to be unshakable in that belief because of our love for our children.

2. Teaching is an Art.

This means we need to continue to strive to develop our methods.

Teaching requires a lot of work and skill. Education has to be relevant to our everyday living.

A child needs to see the direct relation between learning and living practically.

As homeschool teachers we will need to continually read, educate ourselves at conventions and put into practice what we are learning.

Appreciating that each of our children learn differently heightens our attempts to become better teachers. As good teachers we constantly strive to improve our methods and not stick to one plan.

3. Enthusiasm.

Using boring curricula can hamper any progress but worst yet is a boring teacher.

Enthusiasm is contagious. It’s true not every moment in our journey we are just bubbling with enthusiasm so that is why it’s important our children learn to be self motivated.

In order for self motivation to take root, our positive attitude, motivation, and spark towards what we teach is a must. Our children are so very smart and can detect when we are sincere or not about our teaching.

Practice what you teach, model what you want your children to learn, instill values for hard work and practical living, pray for wisdom, love your children for who they are and best of all realize you are qualified to teach.

Hugs to you today,

Tina Signature 2015c

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Do You Need to Know What A Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool

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

Do you need to know what a scope and sequence is when you homeschool? Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips!

No term seems as daunting to grasp to a new homeschooler than a scope and sequence.

You don’t have to have a teaching degree to understand new terms.

Too, sometimes there is just too much hype in trying to understand new terms and I feel scope and sequence can fall into one of those types of things.

I don’t want to minimize the importance of understanding the term.

But it’s not necessary to completely understand all the details of a scope and sequence before you embark on your new career as home educator.

Do You Need to Know What A Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool

A simplified definition of scope and sequence is this:

Scope means the range of knowledge in an area or subject that will be covered and sequence means the order in which that area will be covered. That’s it, simple enough.

If you choose something that is laid out lesson by lesson, which is called a boxed curriculum in the homeschool world, then the publisher has already determined what will be covered in that grade level and when or what days it will be covered.

I would prefer that you focus on how advanced or how much help your child needs instead of worrying right now at which grade level to cover which subjects.

You will have plenty of time to be educated about all the education-ese.

For example, look at the scope and sequence of each grade.

And then determine which grade your child fits into and not determine your child’s grade first and then buy that level.

There is a huge difference here.

Are You Making this First-Timer Mistake

The first way of selecting a grade level will set you up for a course that will make your first year more successful and the second way may set you up for a more stressful year.

Assuming your child is ready for the scope and sequence in a grade level because that is his grade level is a common first year mistake I want you to avoid like no other.

Let me say it again and that is don’t buy curriculum based on your child’s current grade level.

There is a time when a scope and sequence will weigh in heavier on your choices for curriculum.

That time is when you decide to play a larger role in lesson planning.

Then, it becomes more important to understand how extensive a subject should be taught in a grade and in what order it should be introduced or mastered by your child.

I encourage you for your summer reading to study and become somewhat familiar with both free online scopes and sequences.

Too become familiar some books that I will share with you at the bottom of this post.

Hear my heart on this.

Key to not getting overwhelmed is to not study all 12 grades.

What insane crazy person does that? I did.

FOURTH GRADE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

I almost gave up homeschooling in the beginning because I put myself under too much pressure.

Study the grade level your child will be in, the one above and the one below it.

That is enough for now.

That will give you a bigger picture skill wise, to see where your child’s level is compared to a scope and sequence.

I assure you instead of stressing you out, getting familiar with the set of skills a child is generally introduced to in each grade level will do quite the opposite for you in the long run.

It will empower you to be a teacher that is a cut above those that don’t take time to understand the learning process.

Do You Need to Know What a Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool

Look at my list below and one last reminder before you jump into some of this not so light reading is that this is just a “map” designed by curriculum providers.

What I don’t want you to take away from the reading is that your child has to cover x in x grade.

Eventually, I will share some posts about some significant milestones to look for in certain grades which is of far more importance than keeping up with each grade level.

Do Homeschoolers Need to Know What is a Scope and Sequence? Click here to grab these AWESOME tips!

Each child, barring any developmental issues will reach each educational milestone at their own time.

Look at these free online scope and sequences:

Books to read that I think help through your whole homeschooling journey:

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home Even though you may or may not follow this homeschool approach, she has great tips for valuable resources in all areas.

Pick and choose what works for you. For example, I used her reading suggestions when teaching my sons to read and write.

Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School

Again look at some of the resources instead of honing in on exactly all that needs to be covered.

What Your Preschooler Needs to Know: Get Ready for Kindergarten (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know

What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Second Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Second Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series

What Your Third Grader Needs to Know (Revised Edition): Fundamentals of a Good Third-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of A Good Fourth-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know (Core Knowledge Series)

What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know (Revised) (Core Knowledge Series)

Books to Build On: A Grade-by-Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers (Core Knowledge Series)

Slow and Steady Get Me Ready I used this book for my boys when they were babies and again, didn’t get stressed out if my boys were behind some of these things or some of them were easy.

It gave me a heads up about what to expect at each age.

When is Knowledge Power

Too, this series below is the set of books I much more preferred to use along with the ones written above by other homeschoolers.

I did glance at the Core Knowledge Series above and use some from those books.

But I loved the fact that the books below had ideas of how to teach concepts and it also came with an envelope in the back of the book that had a test I could give.

I know, I know, I couldn’t help myself about testing.

I was worried and had to test for a year or two, but after that I realized I was on track.

Do Homeschoolers Need to Know What is a Scope and Sequence? Click here to grab these AWESOME tips!

You will too. So if it gives you comfort, it’s okay to test, just don’t stress over them in the younger years.

How Is My First Grader Doing in School? What to Expect and How to Help
How Is My Second Grader Doing In School? What to Expect and How to Help
How Is My Third Grader Doing in School? What to Expect and How to Help
. . . . My Fourth Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help
. . . Is My Fifth Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help
How Is My Sixth Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help

Try to remember that as you join with the other thousands of homeschoolers who have been down the road for several years now that we too have expressed some of the same feelings of not wanting our child to get behind or wanting to do this “right”.

So instead of following a scope and sequence, just use it as a guide to enlighten yourself about the general educational needs of all children. 

But focus on how unique your children are and know that what you will eventually be teaching them through all the years won’t be able to be contained in any set of scope and sequences.

What do you think? Do you feel a little more empowerment from this foundation of knowledge?

Do You Need to Know What a Scope and Sequence Is When You Homeschool. Tips for the Beginner. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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Hugs and love ya,

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Inspiring Your Homeschooled Kids to Do Chores – Cleaning or Character Building?

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

Teaching parents about how to inspire homeschooled kids to do chores was one of those hotly debated topics always in my workshops.

Answers varied on motivating kids from stars on a sticker chart to a treasure trunk of surprises to pick from at the end of the day to more device time.

Though this can be a delicate subject because topics of this nature head straight toward parenting skills or the lack thereof, sharing a few things that worked for me may make your path a bit smoother.

I too was counted among those that tried all of the “solutions” mentioned above and a whole host of others.

Inspiring Homeschooled Kids to Do Chores - Is It About Clearning or Character Building @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

See, I wanted my kids motivated, but what I hadn’t realized yet was that what is appropriate at one age is not the same at another.

On top of that, something else much more significant was being developed than worrying about an age appropriate reward system. More on that in a minute.

Looking back now, I can say it is perfectly acceptable to reward children for work well done.

I think about when my husband was in sales and he got bonuses for staying on task and completing his work. Rewards are a natural part of life.

However, what I have really come to appreciate more is that type of reward is momentary.

A reward only lasts a short time and doesn’t really build in our children, as they grow older, a sacrificing spirit of love.

If we don’t teach our sons and daughters from an early age to have a spirit of serving others, no amount of academics can make up for it. Who cares what you know then?

Have you ever heard nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care? It’s true.

So how do we motivate our children?

3 Ways to Inspire Our Homeschooled Kids to Do Chores

The same way we are.

  • It comes from the intrinsic value we receive from seeing our family members cared for and knowing they are loved.

Thanking kids for their support after they cleaned their rooms or did some other chore may seem like a little thing, but it is not.

This is the way I instilled compassion into my sons because they too want to be part of something greater and feel that they matter. As a side point, independence and confidence is built when they independently handle chores.

So not only do they get that good feeling that comes from helping others, but chores foster self-reliance.

  • If our children receive loving, not harsh words from us when tending to their chores and see how the rest of the family benefits, then they are happy and satisfied.

This is not idealistic, but realistic. This is not an attitude that exists in the world today where the me first attitude exists.

  • In addition, it is much better to give them simple chores each day than to take one or two days sporadically where there is nothing but drastic top to bottom to cleaning.

I am not talking about those times we have to do that to the house, but I am talking about on a regular basis to keep chores simple and regular.

When I look at chores now I don’t see chores, but I see more character building.

I am grateful that on days when I cried because I was outnumbered by little ones and the house looked the same way in the late evening like it did early morning, that I took time to make my sons do chores.  Progress was barely visible, but the positive impact it made on them as they reached adulthood are beyond what I can hardly put into words.

Not only are they hard working, but enjoy chores and know that chores are a valuable part of each day.

Cleaning is about seizing timeless moments to build and mold the “gems” of the kind of persons I wanted my sons to be.

I really have come to appreciate that chores are about more than just cleaning house, taking out the garbage, feeding the pets, washing clothes and cooking.

They are ways that character is built and no amount of curriculum can make up for the time we spend with our children teaching them chores each day.

I encourage you to NOT just focus on your curriculum, but on teaching your children.

In the long run you get a clean house, but realize it’s not just about the chores, but the person you are raising.

Are you tired today? I promise, stay after it because it’s so worth it in the end.

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