Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

homeschool

How to Get an Out of Control Homeschool Back on Track

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

Those deep about life conversations with your highschoolers are not only memorable, but can keep you on your toes when your teens ambush you.

Right before his graduation, Mr. Awesome 2015 and I were having a conversation after reading a psychology article about the fascinating inner workings of the brain. I love these types of conversations with my teen.

Anyway, the focus of the article was on what is needed to see something through to the end or in our case how to get an out of control homeschool back on track after our last year of moving overseas.

How to Get an Out of Control Homeschool Back on Track @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Now that Mr. Awesome 2015 has graduated, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on the layers of homeschooling and the grit (or is it) that you need to pant on to the end.

Sometimes it’s not my style to write so contemplative, but it does my soul good when I can share with you and with a few tears as I ponder about my past.

Hopefully, you will be infused with a bit more enthusiasm for this lifestyle choice you have made too.

Three Layers of the Homeschooling Lifestyle

Look at these three levels that you go through as you trek through the homeschool journey.

They are absolute key to the driving force you need to finish homeschooling to the end.

Layer 1. Homeschool pleasure equals instant gratification in learning.

Finding instant relief after escaping from public school is how a lot of homeschoolers feel.

Starting out your journey finding pleasure in learning every day is a strong motivator to begin homeschooling.

Leaving behind the model the public school sets for schooling the masses and creating a unique one of a kind education plan for your family is not only rewarding, but essential.

Meeting with other homeschoolers, taking field trips especially in the spring and fall when you and the kids want to spend every minute outdoors and signing up your children for enrichment classes that suit your homeschooling method are all needed in the beginning.

However, they are just momentary pleasures. What do I mean by that?

Is a Force of Habit Good?

Once you get your homeschool off to a great start, the next cycle is a flow.

Layer 2. It’s about the homeschool flow.

The middle layer of homeschooling (I’m not talking about middle school necessarily) can be longer for some than others because of the number of children you may have.

As each child comes along that you fold into your day and you get restless with the changes you made in the beginning, you soon realize that key to homeschool happiness is a flow to your day.

Giving up some of the things that brought pleasure to me in the beginning was a mistake. I still needed them peppered throughout our year.

However, I soon realized that our homeschool journey wasn’t contingent on others.

Though I would never trade our experience for anything for the active co-op Kelley and I lead, you find that a sense of satisfaction comes from doing things that you and your children like doing regularly.

Routine – Monotony or Momentum?

For us, we looked forward to going together to the park when nobody else was there and we did that on a regular basis. We could take our art supplies and sit under the huge shade trees and soak up the breeze.

Key to pushing me through many of those middle years was my routine though I didn’t realize it then.

I thought I was passed needing that flow to my day because we had done so many activities through the years.

Settling into a routine may seem boring, but it’s not about having a dull day. It’s about fostering determination.

Instead of seeking instant pleasure, which is a great kick start, finding your groove in the middle of the trek and settling into a routine that fits your family is needed so that your children can be prepared for a heavier workload in subjects.

Layer 3. Meaningful homeschooling is lasting. It’s a REAL sweet spot.

The last layer is finding the meaning in what you are doing.

That is the key to be contented once you have shed the comparison trap and is the key to being so very grateful and happy that you chose this road.

I have to admit that though I thought about high school or what I viewed as the end of the journey, life past high school for my sons seemed so far away.

In the beginning, I was so focused on how I was going to teach high school instead of realizing that there is life after high school.

Then, homeschooling takes on a whole new meaning.

When you get to this part in your homeschooling, you treasure the choice you made because you spent every spare minute with your child nurturing them into manhood or womanhood.

What I am trying to say is that time can pass, but it’s what you do with your time that makes homeschooling meaningful.

Trying not to go through a box of kleenex each day now that Mr. Senior 2013 has moved out and started his own life, homeschooling was not about co-ops, park days or even choosing the right math curriculum.

It has been about making moments meaningful.

When we dropped Mr. Senior 2013 off at the airport, I didn’t think about whether or not we did a craft or attended enough field trips, I tearfully thought back to the many moments we had from the first time he finally sit down in my lap to let me read to him until we told him goodbye at the airport.

Homeschooling was the best way to give him the kind of childhood I wanted him to have.

When the time comes for Mr. Awesome 2015 to move out, it will be the conversation we had to today that I will think about. By that time, I should have another box of kleenex in the house too.

Savor each layer of life when homeschooling, the best is always yet to come.

Which layer are you are at right now?

Look at these other posts:

Hugs and love ya,

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

| 2 Comments
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

Look at these other helps:

Hugs and love ya,

Save

Homeschool Co-ops, Support Groups and Regional Groups. How Does It All Fit?

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

There is nothing more confusing when you are new to the homeschooling world than to hear veteran homeschoolers use strange and never before heard terms like homeschool co-ops, support groups and regional groups.

The focus can be so much on curriculum gathering that help for you can get lost.

Knowing which groups are which will help you to decide if one is right for you.

A Look Inside

If a focus of a support group could be narrowed down to a few words it would be socialization (yes we do believe in it as homeschoolers) for the kids and support for mom.

Groups serve a very defined purpose even if they don’t intentionally advertise their purpose.

If homeschool co-ops are more academic than fun, the emphasis is still on camaraderie.

That too is a concern for a lot of new and experienced homeschoolers alike. Will my child know how to socialize in a group? Will he receive cultural experiences that I believe will enhance his love of learning?

These are valid concerns and can be successfully met if you are actively involved in support groups.

Take a look at these definitions so you can understand how each one is used in the homeschooling world.

Regional Group – This is perhaps the biggest and largest of support groups. Just like it says, it is regional.

It could be county wide, most of the state or just a portion of the state or even country.

In some larger states, regional groups may host annual homeschool conventions. In some states where local groups are limited, a regional group may host Bible Bees, Spelling Bees as well as Graduation Ceremonies. There is normally a fee to be a member.

The emphasis for most regional groups is to focus on support for the whole family. Though they most host activities, unlike a local support group, their emphasis normally is on preserving homeschooling rights and giving you support through your whole journey.

Tip: Ask the Regional Group what is their mission. There usually is a Board of Directors and some method to their communication whether it’s email, private e-loop, online newsletter and yes even some groups still prefer snail mail of newsletters. Find out and get that communication.

If a group can define their mission and the way it seeks to accomplish that mission, then prospective new members can see if it is a fit for their family.

Homeschool Co-ops, Support Groups and Regional Groups How Does It All Fit @Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Support Group – This term is perhaps the most general.

A support group can be anything from a private e-loop on yahoo or google plus groups that plans field trips to a meeting at the park each week by a few families.

It can have fees or no fees. Some groups may want you to sign a statement of faith or may indicate that religion is not a factor in their membership.

Some support groups act more like a group that hosts field trips and part like a larger regional group. Again, support group is a very general term, but it too has a defined purpose.

So find out what it is.

Look at some of these general questions to ask any support group:

  • What is the age group preferred?

Some groups plan activities for young and old alike and the whole family is involved.

Some groups are formed specifically for tweens, others for highschoolers or preschoolers.

  • What is the group preference?

For example, is it for gifted children, a specific religion or just Christians or secular?

  • What are the activities hosted?

Some host field trips. Are the field trips set at regular schedules or just when the members plan them?

Examples: Are there activities to focus on a special skill like Lego building or character development or are the activities varied?

  • Do they have a board of directors?

This question you basically are asking here is how organized are you without being so blunt.

Let me explain here too before I go on.

Leaders or Board of Directors are not door mats and don’t get paid normally for their service.

They render these services to the homeschooling community for a love of people.

Most Leaders I know spend countless hours planning and hosting activities (all to the exclusion of spending time with their family on weekends or weeknights).

Some Board of Directors may have been lulled into inactivity. So be sure you see a schedule of events coming up or speak to them to see what is planned.

For example some Board of Directors may be slanted by only meeting the needs of one particular group of their members.

For example, are they meeting the needs of the new homeschoolers and not just the veterans?

Are they meeting the needs of the mom with preschoolers and not just highschoolers or vice versa? It is no easy task .

A group may not possibly be meeting all of these criteria as it takes man power or like most groups woman power to do that. That is fine. As long as they meet your needs, it may be a good fit for you.

One group may not be a fit now in your journey while it may in another couple of years.

Homeschool Co-ops, Support Groups and Regional Groups

Co-op.  A co-op is a class on ANY subject.

It is a group of families that get together for a purpose. Co-ops are as varied as support groups.

They can be informal and just for fun or serious and supervised more like private schools.

They can be on any topic and can form and dissolve each year based on the needs of the area and those that are willing to lead them.

They can be held once a week, once a month, or every day.

Look at some of these specific questions to ask a homeschool co-op group:

  • What is your focus?

The emphasis is on fun and socialization on the co-op I was lead.

We have so many members we feel they each prefer their own method of schooling or academics. So when we meet, we spend more time doing games, listening to speakers about certain topics, learning to square dance or even learning to draw.

Some groups are more academic focus and this can be a huge advantage to a mom that is overwhelmed or feeling unprepared on a subject.

For example, the co-op can meet for preparing for the SAT. It can meet to help homeschoolers with math. Too, for science you may dissect an animal.

  • What is the cost?
  • How long do they meet?
  • Do you want parents involved?

The co-op we lead is not a drop off service. We require parents to be involved. Some co-ops are more like private schools and parents are not required to be present.

You can navigate these groups better by defining what you want too from each group.

Remember there is not a limit on how many groups you can join.

Which groups will you belong to this year?

Hugs and love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

Check out some more tips!
5 Days of a Homeschooling Co-op Convert

When the Homeschooling Honeymoon is Over

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

My wedding ring was frozen in an ice cube and the ice cube was floating in a glass of champagne when the Mr. proposed to me.  And then there were the soft petals of my favorite rose strewn all over the walk way and into our room.

I have so many fond memories of my honeymoon, but quickly realized after marriage that a successful marriage requires a lot of hard work.

A Fresh Start in Homeschool?

It could not be one prolonged honeymoon.

Doing laundry, making a living, cooking meals, setting up a budget, questions like how to raise children that would come along and where we would live were decisions that as partners we had to make.

The scope of the work that was now involved was not easy, no matter how much I prepared my mind and heart.

Truly, the honeymoon was over.

When the Homeschooling Honeymoon Is Over @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Homeschooling is similar in a lot of ways.

We may have had some romantic notions that everything would work out and nothing would go wrong.

Too, we may not have realized the amount of work that is involved in homeschooling.

Perhaps we thought we would pick up where public school left off, but realize now we have to go over information that should have been previously mastered.

When a new bee begins to homeschool, I often think about the period of a couple’s honeymoon.

Before marriage, we can so conveniently overlook the faults of our mates. Whatever bad traits our mates have though can’t be hidden during the honeymoon period.

Though I do feel homeschooling is a perfect solution for the majority of families and there are no hidden faults, there are ones we create or foster because of our lack of experience.

For example, about three months or so into homeschooling, a new homeschooler may now start to question the choice to homeschool or the curriculum that she is using.

How to Go From Thinking to Doing

We may not be as in love with the idea of homeschooling because the day to day grind of reality sets in.

What can be done?

Like a marriage, homeschooling should not be based on idealistic infatuations but on genuine love, caring, devotion and facts.

Loyalty too is a virtue that is missing in so many marriages.

It mean sticking to something even in the face of tough times. Instead of looking at the negative attitudes your children may have developed while away from you, focus on what you want from your children.

Are you loyal to your children and the decision to homeschool?

Do not allow whatever disappointments you may have now in your family or children to keep you from going forward in what you desire your family to be. Work at it. Who is afraid of hard work anyway?

If you need to go back over some material not previously understood by your child, then that is where you are. Begin there and go forward.

Realize too that not every decision you made in the beginning when you started was a bad one also helps to maintain balance.

For example, if you feel like it’s your curricula that is not working out, give it another month instead of pitching that curricula and starting another. Check out Stop Switching Your Curriculum, Switch Your Course of Study.

Don’t start your journey off curriculum hopping. It’s hard to get off that path once you start down it.

It takes at least 3 months to know whether or not a curriculum is working. Remember, it could be something else that is not working right like a schedule or lack of teacher experience.

Give it time and reflect on what brought you to homeschooling.

The same blessings you want to receive are still there. They have to be accomplished with hard work now and not a drawn out honeymoon period.

Time is a precious commodity no matter the age of our child.

It requires time to have a friendship with our children if they are teenagers.

If they are younger, our time is needed to teach them to read, how to hold a pencil and how to pick up after themselves. How your child best learns and processes information may now be more clear to you.

Comparing and contrasting homeschooling approaches like Classical, Unit Studies, Charlotte Mason and Unschooling is enough to make the head spin of any new homeschooling parent. Check out my articles on understanding the different homeschool approaches.

It all requires tedious work and time but successfully homeschooling IS a reachable goal.

Homeschooling, like a well established and loving marriage is built upon every tiny act of love and kindness.

I am glad that my honeymoon has been over for many, many years. Then, I could see the precious beauty of my husband’s inner person and the one very vital element to both a good marriage and successfully homeschooling – commitment!

You can do it!

Hugs and you know I love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

Check Out My Top Reads for New Homeschoolers

Dear New Homeschooler – Are You Making this BIG Mistake? (I Was)

| 11 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When I first started homeschooling, it took me a long time to learn a tiny two letter word – NO.

To this day, I still ask myself if I know how to say No.

Do You Struggle to Find Time to Homeschool?

Dear New Homeschooler - Are You Making this BIG Mistake @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

What do I try to say no to each year?

  • No to over extending myself in activities outside the home.
  • No to unrealistic expectations of myself, my husband and my children as I start off the new year.
  • No to leading more co-ops, groups or field trips than I can do.
  • No to being “the mom” that always needs to be included in hosting every baby shower and wedding shower. (This is a hard one for me because I love to plan.)
  • No to filling our schedule up with so many extracurricular activities.

Homeschooling moms by nature tend to be overachievers. What is our strength can be a potential negative if we don’t keep it in check.

Trying to right all the wrongs of public school, I did plan every minute of our day when I started homeschool.

I didn’t know how to say no to friends popping in at my house unplanned or who interrupted my homeschooling day. Quality time with my kids suffered and I had learned a valuable lesson quickly.

Finding balance was not easy because then I went to extreme lengths by isolating myself from my non-homeschooling friends.

It took another year or so before I learned to graciously just say the tiny two letter  NO and find my center.

The ability to not limit what you physically, emotionally and mentally can do in the homeschooling lifestyle could be a potential pitfall in your journey.

As new homeschoolers, who want to prove how successful they are, we aim too high or over reach by setting unrealistic expectations of what can be done in any given year.

The time will come when you will have smooth sailing and can give back to others. However, that time is not when you are new or struggling.

If we want to avoid pitfalls or traps of homeschooling busyness, we need to remember something very basic – say No.

What have you said no to this year?

Be sure to read my FREE 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

Grab some more courage to say NO!