How To - - -

From Homeschooling One to Multiple Ages and Back to One

May 10, 2015 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Our lives have change when we started homeschooling but changes seem to come faster than I have time to wrap my emotions around them.

From Homeschooling One

Did I ever tell you about the time I called Kelley in tears when beginning to homeschool my first child, Mr. Senior 2013?

It was one of those awful, can’t hardly talk cries where I was almost embarrassed I called.

Feeling overwhelmed and afraid of messing him up for life even though it was Kindergarten, I had moments of feeling paralyzed.

After a rocky start, I gained confidence as Mr. Senior 2013 thrived with one-to-one tutoring.
I have another vulnerable confession to make.

When it was time to fold Mr. Awesome into my homeschool routine, I called Kelley again in tears.

I promise I am not a cry baby but I felt that way when I went from homeschooling one child to multiple ages.

to Homeschooling Multiple Ages

Homeschooling multiple ages for many years feels more comfortable, relaxed and way easier than I ever imagined it to be.

Learning to embrace the different ages, I learned to allow it to be a strength in my teaching instead of a shortcoming.

I figured out along the way the oldest child could work independently while I helped one or two of the younger boys on school.

I figured out that I could homeschool happily with one child on my hip, one at my foot playing and teaching the other one how to read.

I figured out that my oldest son could take time to entertain the baby and care for him while I schooled the middle son. He wasn’t doing my babysitting for me, but he was forming a sibling bond that lasts to this day now that the baby is almost ready for high school.

I figured out that while it may seem ideal to have down time when I had one child and he took a nap that I didn’t need that time when homeschooling multiple children.

I was much stronger than I realized. I could take advantage of nap time to keep schooling my older boys and working hard.

I figured out that I could be that homeschool mom who could have it all together. It was okay to actually thrive with teaching multiple ages and not always struggle because having multiple children is a natural part of parenting and homeschooling.

I figured out that I didn’t have to stick to things comfortable for me as a teacher when homeschooling multiple children like using the same curriculum for all of my children or keeping them all on the same schedule.

and Back to Homeschooling One Again

What I have not figured out is how I will feel now that Mr. Awesome will be graduating this year and my days will go back to homeschooling just one.

Will homeschooling an only be different now that I have homeschooled for many years?

What advantages or disadvantages will I be facing this next year?

Will it be more taxing on my time because I will be the one interacting with him more now than his siblings?

Does this mean that I will get done more in the day?

I will no longer have tears for the fear of homeschooling when I start next year, but I will have happy tears for the memorable and precious moments and downright privilege of homeschooling multiple children.

If you have an only child or have gone from teaching one to multiple children and are now teaching the last child, what words of wisdom can you give me?

Hugs and love ya,

How Can I Achieve Simple Homeschooling?
Eliminating 3 Non-Essentials In Homeschooling

Linking up @ these awesome places:
Thoughtful Spot|Motivation Monday|Mama Reads Monday|

7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer

May 9, 2015 | 6 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When I started my summer homeschool year, we still enjoyed summer fun like outdoor barbecues with traditional tasty Texas beef brisket, swimming parties and some putt-putt golf. Besides knowing how to homeschool means you learn flexibility quickly.

Did you know that it was not until my sons started high school that I started my homeschool year in the more traditional month of August?

7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer

There are 7 advantages of starting your home school year in the summer for both seasoned and new homeschoolers.

Seven Advantages to Starting Your Year In the Summer

When the first day of school is in August, it feels like a race from the beginning.

1. Euphoric Feeling of Being Ahead.

Being able to dawdle at the beginning of the summer school year feels like a luxury and it sets a relaxed pace.

2. Curriculum Not a Good Fit?

One of the most important reasons I liked starting in summer was that it allowed me time to use a new curriculum for a few months to see if it was a fit for me and my kids.

This is a priceless perk because if it’s not working, nothing is really lost.

There is still time to switch curriculum and keep on schedule.

3. Complete Shipments.

We use many physical books and I get my shipment complete and in record time because companies are not really busy yet.

Too, I am able to telephone and chat if I need to with a curriculum vendor about his or her product because the early part of summer is not as busy.

4.Slower Start Equals Greater Momentum Later.

Another insider tip is that there is no need to start all of your new homeschool curriculum on the first day. Why do we think that we have to do that?

The more children you have the more stressful this can be.

Start with one new curriculum and then gradually fold the others in. Until I started doing that, I was not really reading the instructions on the best way how to use my new gems.

Each week, I folded in another new resource savoring the tips shared, making adjustments to our schedule until we found a schedule that would work for the new year.

5. Meaningful Break from Co-ops and Classes.

A lot of co-ops and classes follow a traditional public school schedule.

This can be a peaceful break from the stress of having to be on the road each week.

With no piano classes to take the kids to or co-ops to attend, those few months of meaningful school without having to break up the day have been some of our best teaching moments.

6. History and Science Immersion.

What do kids clamor for more of and we struggle the most with?

Getting to the best part of homeschooling, which is hands-on activities for science and history.

Taking a few days here and there, without covering any other subject, we immersed ourselves the whole day into history or science projects.

Being able to sprawl out our crafts, books, maps or play-doh for the day and make one activity after the other was a welcomed changed to the fast pace of a traditional school year.

7. School Supplies Binges.

Okay, shopping early before school supplies are all picked over may not be an advantage for those that don’t gush over new office supplies, organizational thinga-ma-jigs, pens, binders and folders.

You know I have a ~~sickness~~ passion for cool supplies, new notebooks and notebook binders.

Don’t give up the fun and long lazy days of summer.

Use them to kick start your homeschool year in a relaxed way.

What do you like best about starting your homeschool year in the summer?

Look at these other tips:

7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

When He Wants to Go Back to Public School

May 5, 2015 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

As homeschool parents it seems that we can face one set of tough decisions after the other.

At the top of things that can divide a homeschool family is when a child wants to return to public school.

When a child is unhappy at home, why do we take a poll of our parenting skills?

How to Measure Homeschool Success?

It’s normal because we care.

There is nothing wrong with checking our emotions because we can’t let pride hold us back from doing what is best for our child.

Does a 10 year old really know what he wants to do?

Is a 16 year old capable of making a decision that will make him happy?

How can we determine what is best for our child?

Instead of being judgmental when someone is faced with the decision of whether or not to return a child to public school, I want to share a few points to ponder when facing this gut wrenching decision.

Determine the root cause.

I have seen many scenarios through the years of homeschoolers who returned their kids to public school.

Getting to the root cause of the unhappiness in our child is a must.

One homeschool family I mentored had kids that were unhappy because their family made many moves and changes during the year.

The children were craving routine and stability in their lives.

Their son struggled horribly in public school before bringing him home.

That wasn’t going to change if they decided to put him back in school.

The family made a faithful attempt from then on to keep things the same and add routine to what was too much of a relaxed schedule for their son.

Do You Accept that Your Best is Good Enough?

Another example of discontentment in our children can be the fact that mom might have to work.

Even if mom does not work full time, a part time job still takes time.

I have helped homeschool moms working part time as a bus driver for public school, running a day care in her home, working as a night nurse and selling products by going to other people’s homes.

Do your best to give your children what they need as far as field trips and making new friends while you also provide a living for them. Then, accept the fact that you are giving your very best to your children.

We would never ask our children to give anymore then what they could, then we shouldn’t set a negative example by doing that to our self.

Let go of feelings of guilt.

Though a child may not want you to go to work at night or babysit other kids in your home, as they grow older they will appreciate your dedication, deep love and conviction to provide for them.

Can you give your child some of your exclusive time? Little ones take naps if you have a day care in your home and the mom that drove the public school bus had a good amount of time off during her lunch time, which she spent exclusively with her kids.

Both of these families realized that their kids needed some exclusive time during the day.

List It.

Like us, kid sometimes want to believe in the grass is greener attitude.

I have found that by sitting down and listing exactly what they think they are missing out on because of homeschooling, then the true effects of any potential decision can be weighed.

What do they like about traditional public school? What do they like about homeschooling?

Looking at it this way also helps a child learn how to weigh out decisions not just now but in the future when decisions are more significant.

Seeing pros and cons written down concretely versus what floats around in our mind can be an eye opener.

It also solidifies any decision you have to make.

Instead of failing at homeschool when a child is unhappy, I have often found too that a family just hasn’t quite found what works for their particular circumstance.

It may be a need for change in their routine. They may need a more relaxed one or they may need to buckle up and buckle down on their routine.

Too, circumstances are ever changing and only each family can ask questions like:

Is the extra income worth it?
Can I carve out time, even one hour, to be with the child that is unhappy?
Can I implement the suggestions that my child made?

A lot of children are just too young to make a decision for their happiness.

As parents we are not looking for just momentary happiness but the decision that is best for them lifelong.

What will they say when they get older and look back at their education?

Finding the root cause of a child’s unhappiness, being content with the very best we can give our kids if our time is split and helping our children to get real about what they think they are actually missing out in traditional school gives you a solid starting point for making the best decision for your family.

Though in my heart, I believe that homeschooling is the best decision for any family, I know that there are just some things that can’t be controlled.

I encourage you to make the best of your homeschooling circumstances.

Sometimes when we think we want relief by sending them to public school, we find that what drew us to homeschooling in the first place still exists.

What advice do you give somebody that is thinking about sending their kids back to public school?

Hugs and love ya,

Check out these resources for when homeschooling gets tough:

Look at these articles too:

Homeschooling – A Trial Run?
Cultivating the Desire to Homeschool
Finding Joy in Homeschool When You’re Not Really Feeling It

How Grandparents Can Inspire Your Homeschool Journey

May 3, 2015 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Not living close to either set of grandparents right now has touched a sentimental chord in me.

Reflecting on how grandparents can inspire your homeschool journey, I am grateful that I have had my parent’s influence on my sons.

Adding grandparents into our homeschool journey has been such a precious tool that I didn’t even realize in the beginning of my homeschool journey what I had.

{My parents took the day to have over all the grandsons to tell them about their “roots”. You can see an old family portrait of us on the table.}

Too, with the view this world takes sometimes that grandparents are out of touch, I have always known that my parents have been the very foundation of my family.

In times past, older ones use to be honored and rightly so because of their experience, age and wisdom.

What I am saying is that if you live anywhere near your parents, include them in your homeschool.

Even if they doubt your ability to homeschool, including them in your journey forges the bond between your child and grandparent.

Too, grandparents get a glimpse of what one-to-one tutoring looks like.

Look at this list of how to include grandparents in your homeschooling.

When in good health, my parents were part of the audience at the end of the year wrap up. They don’t mind a bit listening to all the things your children have learned.
My parents went to most of the music recitals and boosted my sons’ confidence and fed their love of music.
My mother was a source of huge encouragement to me when I had one of those days where the little yellow school bus was looking real good.
My father has spent time with the boys when I needed a break from them.
Does your mom have a craft or skill she enjoys that she can pass on to your girls or boys?
My mother steered me toward good books for read alouds and even purchased books I might not have purchased.
My dad was the best “gopher” for that one itty bitty thing I needed for a science experiment and couldn’t get because I had one or two kids sick at home. Dad to the rescue to gather the rest of my supplies.
Did I mention my dad’s garage housed enough implements to keep my boys busy for days trying to figure them all out? Does that count as hands-on science?
Though my mother was not in good health, she came on field trips with us and attended our homeschool co-ops when possible. At our field trips, I even noticed other grandparents there helping with the little ones so that mom could spend with the older kids on the field trip.
At our 50’s co-op, my mom taught a few of the kids how to jitterbug. Priceless!
Thank goodness my mother loves gardening because gardening doesn’t particularly get my adrenaline pumping. She was able to share some of her expertise with my boys.

{My parents even attended informal ceremonies when the boys received an award for finishing a co-op about learning Spanish.}

Though my parents have always been supportive of homeschooling, the boys’ paternal grandmother wasn’t so confident.

It’s important to remember that grandparents went to public school and public school looked different back then. When grandparents went to school, it seems there was still a focus on a well-rounded out education.

Nowadays, with more and more public schools deleting enrichment programs, it is important to utilize one of the best and most precious homeschooling tools – grandparents.

Have you included grandparents in your journey?

What are some ways you include them?

Hugs and love ya,

Linking up @ these awesome places:
|Mama Reads Monday|

The Dos and Don’ts of Homeschool Objectives

April 27, 2015 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Knowing the dos and don’ts of homeschool objectives boosts your teaching ability. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

Homeschooling objectives for me have never really been about meeting the legalities of homeschooling but it has been about plotting a course.

Today, in the dos and don’ts of homeschooling objectives, I am using my homeschool objectives for fourth grade writing to show you what I did one year.

The Dos and Don'ts of Homeschool Objectives @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Before I do that though, I want you to understand that unlike the pressure the educational world puts on public school teachers, we do not have to use complicated language or try to mimic some fancy formula.

You need breathing room to plan for your own unique family and not some institution.

Too, arming you with details are important in helping you to move forward.

Key to understanding objectives is knowing how they relate to goals.

Goals and objectives are two different things though similar in purpose. They both chart a course.

Goals are general plans. However, objectives are clear steps to reaching a goal and are more specific when you need them.

Look at my copy of my objectives for Mr. Senior 2013 when he was in fourth grade.

4th Grade Writing Objectives in Homeschool @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

First, I didn’t have my 7 step homeschool planner that I do now with useful forms so I kept a black hardbound book and wrote my specific objectives in it.

Too, I wrote a few personal notes on it about my oldest son’s writing and because I am not looking to embarrass my son when showing you my work, I whited out a few spots.

Look at my dos of homeschool objectives:

Do list your overall goal. My goal was to have him write 3 paragraphs by the end of the year.
Do be specific to list the time allowed. I would allow 40 minutes for writing each day.
Do list the specific outline or steps to accomplish the objective. I noted what I knew then as the 4 stage process of writing.
Do list things to remind you of what not to do. I wanted to strengthen his writing skills and hone in on changing his sentence variety that year by encouraging him to not always use “I” to start a sentence. Varying topic sentences was another point to focus on for the year.
Do list what will be new that year. I was going to try out a planner or graphic organizer that year.
Do list your resources or curriculum help. I was using several resources at the time, but there were some writing examples in Rod and Staff that were more significant to me to follow that year. This was part of my action plan to getting my objective accomplished.
Do list other helps you will create or find to accomplish the objective. I created a checklist for him to check his writing.
Do individualize the objectives for your kids and for the year.

MORE FOURTH GRADE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

Look at my don’ts of homeschool objectives:

Don’t try to follow public school by using educationalese.
Don’t worry about it being right or wrong from a public school point of view, grade or age. It is right because it is the road map for your child.
Don’t try to be too specific if you don’t need to be. I only used my 4th grade writing objectives because I was very specific and wanted to show you a detailed list.

Goals and objectives can quickly become intertwined in homeschooling and that is okay.

Sometimes, you just don’t need such a specific plan.

Just remember the main difference between general goals and homeschool objectives is that objectives have 2 parts to them to make them more specific.

The first part is explaining what will be accomplished for that term, which could be a semester or year and the second part is explaining how it will be done.

If you were writing objectives, for example, about history and wanted to keep them general, look at this one.

To introduce and become familiar with the world of Ancient Civilization. This will be done through hands-on activities, role playing, timelines, making time period recipes, lapbooking and living books.

Again, noting what I was going to do and how I will accomplish it was all that I needed that one year.

Even simple objectives are meaningful and significant.

The dos and don’ts of homeschooling objectives are making them fit your use for whatever school term you need.

Do you find drafting homeschool objectives an easy part of homeschool planning?

Also, look at how homeschool objectives can easily be made for unit studies too.

How To - - -

From Homeschooling One to Multiple Ages and Back to One

From Homeschooling One

to Homeschooling Multiple Ages

and Back to Homeschooling One Again

7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer