• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

dy•nam•ic constant change, progress, activity

  • HOME
  • About
  • Planner
  • Reviews
tina robertson
  • 7 Step Planner
    • DIY Best Student Planner
    • DIY Easy Home Management Binder
  • Unit Studies
    • Creation to Ancients
    • Middle Ages to Reform
    • Exploring to Revolution
    • World Wars to Today
    • Science
    • Free Art Curriculum Grades 1 – 8
  • Self-Paced Homeschool Courses
  • Shop
  • Homeschool Helps
    • Dynamic Subscriber Freebies
    • Exclusive Subscribers Library
    • Ultimate Unit Study Planner

new homeschool year

A 20+ Year Homeschool Mom’s 5 TOP Tips for First Time Homeschoolers

April 25, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Nothing compares to being equally excited and equally needing encouragement than beginning to homeschool. In my 5 top tips for first-time homeschoolers, you’ll get my BEST tips in my 25 years of homeschooling.

Oh sure, I have way more to tell you, but this is about the TOP tips’ you don’t get weighed down with too much information.

Too, in conducting in person workshops with new homeschoolers for 10 years, my set of tips will look different than many you read. Why? They work.

And it’s hard to get all your concerns answered for the next year in one or two conversations with a seasoned veteran.

Don’t miss opportunities to discuss with others, but take time to educate yourself as well.

See, what happens is that first-time homeschoolers can overcomplicate the beginning. How? You can bring rigid standards on you and your kids which are not implemented by your local law.

A 20+ Year Homeschool Mom's 5 TOP Tips for First Time Homeschoolers

First Time Homeschooler

Over scheduling, over buying, over planning can be avoided by know exactly how to meet your state law. After that, it’s freedom to set up your day like you choose. Do NOT begin by buying curriculum just yet but by being familiar with your local law.

Look at my 5 top tips for first-time homeschoolers.

1. Knowing your local law is not enough as many veterans tout.
You need to know how to meet it EASILY.

For example, if you live in a state with less laws and not much record keeping required, you can choose what is best for your children. If you live in a state with more stringent record keeping, then you can easily meet that law by using laid out curriculum.

See, other seasoned veterans may say you don’t need curriculum at all. Eventually, that could be your goal.

However, for your first year when you have so many things to adjust to, it can be less stressful to follow a laid our plain and tweak it to suit you.

HSLD which has a clickable map to explain your local homeschool law is a good place to start.
Too, you can comment here, and I WILL reply and help you understand that part first.

Next, homeschooling is a completely different approach than public school.

You’ll love my video What You REALLY Need to Know When You Begin Homeschooling where I take you through more steps.

2. Do not recreate public school at home and bring unneeded stress on your family.

I made this mistake when I started homeschooling. Although my children were all very young, I tried to run my homeschool like a public school. Remember there is NOTHING you have to prove to anybody.

It will take time to adjust to the freedom you get with homeschooling. There is a line between relaxed and rigid. Relaxed is not lazy.

I failed in learning that and sent my Kindergarten son to public school. A year didn’t even go by before I pulled him out and had to train myself to relax and trust the process.

New Homeschooler Tips

Then, over buying curriculum is the next top mistake to avoid.

3. Do buy JUST a framework of homeschool curriculum like math and language arts or use free online curriculum.

Most new homeschoolers feel more comfortable with laid out curriculum. Buying curriculum can wait until you have time to research it.

I have some ways to help you understand first how to choose curriculum.

My video How To Easily Choose and Distinguish between Homeschool Educational Approaches will help you to narrow down how to homeschool.

My point is do NOT buy a lot of curriculum in the beginning until you have time to get to know your children. Save some of your budget to buy the fun things or do classes your children are interested in taken.

Overbuying curriculum almost seems a rite of passage, but avoid overbuying.

New to Homeschool

Math and language arts are essential subjects needed all the way to high school. However, there are many ways to meet each of the needs of your children. Below I have some posts which will help to give you a starting point.

  • How to Build Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Directly From Amazon
  • How to Build Middle School Curriculum Directly From Amazon
  • How to Build High School Curriculum Directly From Amazon

In addition, you can use free online curriculum until you decide if you want to purchase curriculum. Easy Peasy all in one by Lee Giles was created years ago. It’s a great way to start.

A 20+ Year Homeschool Mom's 5 TOP Tips for First Time Homeschoolers

Another one of my TOP tips for first-time homeschoolers is understanding how to deschool.

4. You ABSOLUTELY have to deschool.

It’s hard to deschool when you don’t what it is or why. Even families whose kids will never go to public school need to deschool. Definitions will vary; here is mine.

It’s the time to unlearn what you think education should be as taught from a public-school mindset and to be open to new, natural, and creative ways to teach your kids.

It’s realizing that taking your kids out of school one day and doing the exact thing at home the next day which wasn’t working in public-school is the definition of insanity (ouch).

It’s letting go and letting in something new in your life; it’s accepting the homeschool lifestyle which is opposite of the public-school lifestyle.

Girl, I want to learn from a homeschool expert instead of taking years to learn the in/out of homeschooling.

In short, deschooling is a tool both for the first-time homeschooler and long-term homeschooler. When you first begin to homeschool, you need to rethink your view of education. As you homeschool longer, you are subject to burn out and need to return to your deschooling habits.

As I mentioned even if your children will never go to public school, you still need to adopt your view of what is homeschooling. That takes time. The amount of time each family deschools will be different.

How to Deschool – Are You Doomed If You’ve Never Deschooled is another video I have for you.

If your kids have been in public school, you need to take time to educate yourself to what is available in the homeschooling world.

Sure, you can research, but through my many years of teaching new homeschoolers in person I created a course focused just on the unique needs of first-time homeschoolers.

If you don’t want to wait on the ins/outs of how to homeschool, look at my online self-paced KickStarter course. You’ll be in the KNOW NOW.

What Is Included in the Homeschool Kickstarter Course for
First-Time Homeschoolers

MODULE 1

 What I DIDN’T Learn From My Homeschooling Mother, But Should Have
(1 workshop & Printables)

Support is important and you should trust your ability to teach. You’ll walk away from this workshop knowing you’re capable of teaching your kids and why you’re capable. The nuggets in this workshop are golden for the beginner.MODULE 3

How to Choose Curriculum (Wisely)
(9 workshops & printables)

The BIGGEST mistake new homeschoolers make is buying curriculum without knowing how to buy it other than the looks good method. Avoid stress two or three months into your journey by knowing EXACTLY what to choose for your children.MODULE 5

How to Organize it ALL 
( 5 workshops & printables)

Finding balance with all the new hats you’ll be wearing and time management are not easy. Using the AWESOME sample schedules in this module and the step by step plan, I walk you through creating a routine or schedule UNIQUE to your family. Beginning homeschooling by stuffing it into an already busy life is not the way to begin. Did I mention as an organized person I have many tidbits of organization help sprinkled throughout the workshops?MODULE 2

Diving In (Leave Your Public School Mindset Here)
(3 workshops & printables)

If you’re struggling with your public school mindset or that there is one right way to succeed you’ll understand what it means to homeschool and why it’s not public school at home. Homeschooling is a superior approach for a reason.MODULE 4

Teaching the Stages of Homeschool 
(8 workshops & printables)

Jammed packed with great information on understanding the transitions children go through from PreK to High School prepares you to homeschool for the long run. Each learning stage is broken down for you so that you gain the best tips for how to teach and what to teach.MODULE 6

Facing Your BIGGEST Fears Not If But WHEN They Happen 
(1 workshop & printables)

There is a GREAT BIG list of wrong things you’re focusing on in your first or second year which will suck the life out of your homeschool journey.
Begin your journey with the wisdom of the past which has worked successfully for thousands of homeschool families who have gone before you.

Girl, I want to learn from a homeschool expert instead of taking years to learn the in/out of homeschooling.

Lastly, my fifth top tip for new homeschoolers is learning when to say yes and when to say no.

5. When to say NO and when to say YES is a must learn quickly your first year.

And it’s not easy to know when to say yes and when to say no. So, here a few tips to help you use your time wisely and focus on what is important.

  • When completely curriculum suddenly becomes the focus instead of your child’s needs, it’s time to say no.
  • Trying to right all the wrongs of public school by putting your children in every enrichment activity available is a huge no. You will have time to understand the homeschool world, but you need time with your children to heal. Especially if your child was bullied, has anxiety, or is flat out exhausted, your healing time should come first.
  • Say yes to seizing unplanned moments in your year to learn like packing up the books and heading to the park for a beautiful day outside.
  • Another yes is when your significant other has off from work, savor that time because it’s family time.
  • Taking time to educate YOURSELF is another huge yes. It’s easier and smoother your first year when you know how to schedule more efficiently, learn how to choose curriculum, and know how to teach to your children’s learning style. There is no need to take years doing that. If you want the fasttrack, I am here to help you through my Kickstarter program for first-time homeschoolers.

IF you have any questions email me at tinahomeschools at gmail dot com. I am here for you!

Look at these other tips you’ll love:

  • Dear New Homeschooler – Are You Making this BIG Mistake? (I Was)
  • New Homeschooler – Mustering the Courage to Face THE 4 Homeschool Biggies – Part 1.
  • Top 10 Tips For New Homeschoolers – Curriculum, curriculum, curriculum – Isn’t that how to begin homeschooling? Part 1
  • When You Don’t Know Where to Begin in Homeschooling. The 3 R’s for New Homeschoolers. Part 2

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Begin Homeschooling, Choose Curriculum, Homeschool Simply, How To - - -, New Homeschooler Help Tagged With: homeschool, new homeschool year, new homeschooler, new homeschooler homeschool room, newbeehomeschooler, newhomeschoolyear

The NOT To Do List: 32 Things New Homeschoolers Should Avoid

December 13, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Asking a group of seasoned homeschool moms is the best way to find out 32 things new homeschoolers should avoid.

I’m reminded of what my homeschooling mother used to say. You learn new things one of two ways. One is by example and other is by experience.

Instead of learning the homeschooling ropes the hard way by having to experiment on your kids, learn how to homeschool from those who’ve gone ahead of you or from their example.

Mistakes New Homeschoolers Should Avoid

Besides, nobody wants to experiment on their kids, but it happens.

The NOT To Do List: 32 Things New Homeschoolers Should Avoid

Hoping to lessen your stress of beginning new to homeschool, look at these 32 things new homeschoolers should avoid.

  • Remember your WHY or what brought you to homeschooling. Write it down somewhere so you don’t forget when times are tough.
  • Do not worry if the shiny new curriculum is not working. You can change anytime, even mid-year. Look at my posts How to Build Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Directly From Amazon, How to Build Middle School Curriculum Directly From Amazon and You’ve Pitched the Homeschool Curriculum – Now What?.
  • Do not recreate public school at home.
  • Do not overbuy curriculum. Use inexpensive or free curriculum until you know how your children learn best. Look at my posts Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazine, Free Middle and High School Homeschool Language Arts, and BEST Digital Homeschool Curriculum – Big Ol’ List.
  • Comparing your children, your home, and your spouse to other homeschooling families is a huge joy sucking trap. Your family is unique and homeschooling needs to fit your family’s needs.

Homeschooling Mistakes

Beginning to homeschool with unrealistic expectations is joy zapping and it’s huge among things new homeschoolers should avoid.

  • You don’t have to run your homeschool day like other homeschool moms although they may tout only one way works.
  • Keep pushing curriculum which isn’t working is another big do not do.
  • Thinking your kids will all learn the same way is another hurdle. It’s okay to use various programs to meet each child’s needs.
  • Curriculum is a tool, not the boss. You are the boss.
  • Do not jump into a rigid schedule. Give yourself AND your kids time to adjust to homeschooling. Look at my post The Sticking Power of a Solid Homeschool Schedule.

Mistakes to Avoid When Homeschooling for the First Time

  • Thinking your school needs to look like public school with tons of worksheets and textbooks is another mistake. Your school doesn’t have to look like public school. Look at my post The Great Homeschool Hoax – Public School At Home.
  • Don’t stress over the small stuff. Learning doesn’t just happen with a book in a kid’s face. Learning happens through everyday interaction and meaningful conversations. Take time to deschool and understand what it means for your family.
  • Do not think you have to cram everything a child needs to learn in a day. Take it one day at a time.
  • You’re not a one act entertaining committee. Sometimes learning is not always fun, it’s just learning. Constantly feeling like everyday has to be over the top fun is exhausting and can zap the joy out of the day.
  • Don’t forget to ask your kids what they want to learn. It’s their education. When you have a willing participant in homeschooling, kids work harder and retain what they’re learning. That makes your job easier.

Homeschooling Potholes to Avoid

  • Do not skip field trips. They are essential to bringing learning to life. Kids learn by being out in the world.
  • Don’t underestimate the value of play. Playing is the first introduction to self-education.
  • Assuming homeschooling will be expensive is another mistake. You can spend as little or as much as you want depending on your needs.
  • Know the difference between homeschooling and public school at home. Don’t assume you have to purchase a government based online public school. Look at my post Transitioning from a Public School Mindset to a Relaxed Homeschooling Lifestyle.
  • Using curriculum because somebody else uses it is a costly mistake.

What NOT to Do When You Begin Homeschooling

Also, why do we focus only our kids’ needs when beginning to homeschool? When you focus on your education which doesn’t have to take long you truly can help each child meet his potential.

  • Forcing socialization is another mistake to avoid. Over worrying how to socialize your kids is consuming. It’s like saying after kids graduate they’ll never make friends. Kids make friends through their whole journey and on into adulthood. Look at my posts Is Homeschooling Right for Your Family? Hear From the Kids and Socialization – A Homeschool Hallucination.
  • Don’t be a perfectionist. You’ll mess up, your kids will mess up. Tomorrow starts a new and fresh day.
  • Homeschooled kids don’t need to be in class the same amount of time as public schooled kids. We simply do not have the same distractions.
  • You don’t have to follow state educational standards. Knowing your state homeschool laws is the first place to start.
  • Don’t give up in February because the winter slump is real. Spring will come soon. Hang in there. Look at my post 10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope).
The NOT To Do List: 32 Things New Homeschoolers Should Avoid

New to Homeschooling

  • Instead of jumping to buy curriculum, take time to know how your child learns best. Look at my post How to Choose the BEST Homeschool Curriculum to Fit a Child’s Natural Abilities.
  • Don’t rush. Get outdoors and go to the library. Nothing has to be timed.
  • Don’t be put off when it takes you longer than a year for you or your child to adjust to homeschooling.
  • There is no need to rush out and buy curriculum. Do your research and if you can try your friend’s curriculum before you buy. Look at my post BEST Curriculum by Homeschoolers for Homeschoolers.
  • Do not think it’s not okay to step away and take a break.
  • Don’t write your lesson plans in pen. The first sick day and you’re feeling behind. Plan just a few weeks out.

And finally, do NOT think you can’t do this. You absolutely one hundred percent can.

You’ll love my book, Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin.

You’ll experience one or two mistakes, but they can be minimized. There seems to only be two mindsets when new homeschoolers start.

There are over achievers who are looking to right all the wrongs in a few months or under achievers who feel a rich learning environment just happens with no intentional effort of the parent.

Neither mindset works, but it can set you for failure. Achieving balance is absolutely key in your first year of homeschooling.

Do you find you’re making some of these mistakes already?

You’ll love some more tips below about how to start homeschooling:

  • First Time Homeschool Mom: Am I Doing This Right?
  • Is Homeschooling Right for Your Family? Hear From the Kids!
  • What to Expect When You Expect to Homeschool (25 Silliest Questions Ever)
  • Homeschool Critics: How Do You Know You’re on Track?
  • 100 Ways to Silence the Homeschool Naysayers (Maybe!)
  • Deschooling: Step One for the New Homeschooler (the Definitions, the Dangers, and the Delight)
  • 12 Easy Ways Homeschooled Teens and Tweens Socialize

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Begin Homeschooling, Homeschool Simply, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year, New Homeschooler Help Tagged With: homeschool challenges, homeschool joy, homeschool joys, homeschoolchallenges, homeschoolplanning, new homeschool year, new homeschooler, new homeschooler homeschool organization, newbeehomeschooler, newhomeschoolyear

First Time Homeschool Mom: Am I Doing This Right?

September 7, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

To the first time homeschool mom, gaining confidence to take control and learning how to shape your journey are priority.

Quickly, I’m going to show you the most valuable how-tos, but there are a few important things I need you to know about me first.

This IS about you, but it’s important for you to know where this tried and true advice is coming from so your foundation is stable, solid, and works for the long-term.

Don’t set up your homeschool course on wild guesses, but on what works.

Although you get the benefit of my numerous years of homeschooling (well past 22+ years) and successfully graduating three homeschooled teens, I have also successfully mentored new homeschoolers.

First Time Homeschool Mom

For ten years, I conducted workshops in person with new homeschoolers.

That experience is priceless in knowing exactly what you need now and what can wait until later. Right now, everything may seem important, but organizing your priorities is how to successfully make it through your first year and beyond.

Look at these SOLID 5 steps for new homeschool moms which you may or may not know.

Step 1.
Know What IS and What IS NOT Homeschooling

(don’t buy curriculum yet)

Wait! Don’t buy curriculum.

Also, be sure to watch my videos on my YouTube channel. Look at What You REALLY Need to Know When You Begin Homeschooling.

I want to save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars by you knowing what is and what is not homeschooling.

Many first time homeschool parents have a very narrow view of what is education and to many it looks a lot like public school.

Although, I’m not telling you to throw caution to the wind, I’m saying you need to know if you’re truly homeschooling or just following the public school model at home.

With Covid present now, new homeschoolers are getting a clearer picture of what is public school at home. However, many are not sure what is homeschooling.

Look at this quick list of 4 ways to identify the homeschool lifestyle; you want to fully benefit from the voluminous information about homeschooling.

Tips for First Time Homeschoolers

  • The BIGGEST difference from knowing if you’re just changing the geography of where your child learn is who is in CONTROL. Yes, YOU want to be in control of your time, your curriculum, your approach, and your schedule. This doesn’t mean you can’t get all the help you need from curriculum with daily lesson plans. However you decide what is best for your family instead of an online public school official deciding for your kids. For a more in-depth explanation, read The Great Homeschool Hoax – Public School At Home.
  • Homeschooling means that you can use ANY means available to you to teach your child and not just workbooks. Look at 45 Ways to Define Homeschool Curriculum – Is Your Definition Holding You Back to expand your definition. Use the resources you already have available.
  • Homeschooling or learning takes place many times outside four walls and not in front of a computer always. Again, you decide based on your family’s need.
  • Homeschooling means that curriculum doesn’t teach anything, but that YOU do. It’s not as scary as it sounds. The scary part is choosing which laid out curriculum to use. You have lots of excellent curriculum choices which take you by the hand and are great for new beginners. Here is a Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed) which has subjects laid out day by day.

After getting a pulse for what is truly homeschooling so you benefit from the freedom, you need to know your homeschool state laws.

Step 2. Not Just Know Your State Law, But Know How to Meet It.

(don’t buy curriculum yet)

It’s quite easy for me to tell you to go look up your law, but that does you no good when you’re not sure how it works day to day.

I have a list of different state laws I created on my Facebook Group. It not only has homeschoolers from each state explain the homeschool law, but they also give you practical how -tos on how to meet it.

Too, you can find the homeschool laws on HSLDA by clicking on the map for your state.

IF you don’t have facebook or need more help to know how to meet your state law, email me, PM me, or comment here and I will help you to understand it.

Step 3. Learn that Homeschool Curriculum is Organized by Homeschool Approach.

(don’t buy curriculum yet)

Next, this step is the most overlooked of ALL the steps and it’s the one that is the most sanity-saving tip for the first time homeschool mom.

Conquer the overwhelm of choices in the homeschool world by knowing that curriculum is organized by homeschool approach will save you tons of grief, time, stress, AND dollars. Believe me, take a bit of time to read them and know them.

I know you’re eager to get started homeschooling, but the worst mistake you can make is to use a resource which brings you daily stress.

Homeschooling for Beginners

Learning which approach suits your family gives you time to cut the curriculum hunt to manageable.

For example, if you know the workbook approach did not work for your wiggly learner, but that a Charlotte Mason or Unit Study approach may, then you’ve narrowed your curriculum choices.

Increasing your success the first year comes from knowing which homeschool approach aligns closer to your child’s needs.

Although there are many approaches in the homeschool world, not all are equally popular for various reasons.

Here are the most popular Top 5 Approaches New Homeschoolers Need to Know which will get you off to a much better start.

Another step to ensure that you’re doing this right is to assume that you’re child is in the current grade level.

Step 4. Don’t Assume Your Child Is In the Next Grade Level Just Because He Was in that Grade Level In Public School. (BIG Mistake)

(don’t buy expensive curriculum yet, but do use easy or free curriculum in the beginning)

I know countless new homeschool families I’ve helped which feel that reviewing lower grade levels is a waste of time. It is not.

I’ve now brought my New Homeschooler Boot Camp online to help many more new homeschoolers. You will benefit from learning the detailed how-tos.

How to Start Homeschooling

Look at these superior reasons why beginning your homeschool journey by reviewing lower grade levels or easy concepts solidifies a strong start;

  • Kids become masters of material by reviewing concepts they may or may not have mastered. I’m not saying do this for the whole year. Take it easy in the beginning so you know exactly what your child knows and doesn’t know;
  • When kids can quickly master concepts, it builds their confidence for starting something new;
  • Many homeschool teachers are surprised by what their child does not know. Using inexpensive or cheap curriculum gives you time to explore and delve into what your child knows and doesn’t know;
  • Using cheap or inexpensive curriculum allows you a longer period of assessment which does not include testing. Tests are one way, but they don’t give you a larger picture; and
  • When you use inexpensive curriculum in the beginning as you learn the weaknesses and strengths of each of your children, you’ll spend your hard-earned dollars wisely.

Practical Advice For First Time Homeschoolers

Last, but not the least important reason to use inexpensive or free curriculum is that you get your teaching feet wet without wasting valuable resources.

Learning which subjects your child’s need to review and which subjects he may be one or even two grades ahead in makes for a successful start. That is how you know you’re doing it right!

Look at this list of inexpensive or free curriculum to help you gauge the true progress of each child, get your teaching feet wet, and understand the big picture of what your child knows and doesn’t know.

Inexpensive Resources for New Homeschoolers

  • Discovery K12
  • Ambleside Online
  • Easy Peasy All-in-One
  • Easy Peasy High School
  • Khan Academy
  • Starfall
  • Old Fashioned Education

Although any inexpensive workbook will give you a place to start while not spending a lot of money, some homeschool families prefer the ones I have listed below.

Don’t forget too that the Dollar Store, Sam’s, and Wal-mart are great places for finding inexpensive worktexts to start guiding you on what your child knows and doesn’t know.

Another one i love to recommend is like a Summer series which most public school parents would use during the summer to keep their kids’ skills sharpened.

The summer bridge series is great to use to kick off your year because they have a bit of each subjects area in the book. You get a better pulse of what your child struggles with.

Too, I find the series give parents an idea of what their child wants to learn or piques his interest.

Also, Evan-Moor , Spectrum, and Brain Quest cover a wide range of subjects and concepts. Some homeschoolers end up keeping a few books for review, to round out other subjects a child may be struggling in, or to use stand alone in a subject.

Brand New Homeschooler

Lastly, the most important step of all while you’re doing this is to deschool.

Step 5. Deschool.

(buy SOME curriculum NOW)

Take the kids out of public school one day, begin homeschooling the next day; it’s a common rookie mistake. And it seems almost impossible to change to a relaxed mindset when you jump from one stressful situation into another one. Deschooling is the first step for any new homeschool family.

Watch my video How to Deschool – Are You Doomed If You’ve Never Deschooled. Ins/Outs of How to Deschool! Are you doomed if you never have deschooled.

Also, my post Deschooling: Step One for the New Homeschooler (the Definitions, the Dangers, and the Delight) gives you the reasons why deschooling is important.

I would love to mentor you through my online self-paced New Homeschooler Boot Camp as I’ve had for numerous new homeschoolers who a decade later are still on the road homeschooling.

There is definitely a right and wrong way to begin your homeschool journey and you’re already taking the road less well traveled. Don’t make it harder than it has to be by adding stress and jumping into it.

Taking time to educate yourself first will save you tons of stress and money down the road.

I am here for you if you need my help. What is your current struggle right now?

Also, look at these other super practical, tried and true tips!

  • The Ultimate Guide for New Homeschoolers – An Easy Beginning!
  • How to Mesh Your Personality With Homeschooling When They Collide
  • Homeschool Critics: How Do You Know You’re on Track?
  • 100 Reasons Why Homeschooling is a SUPERIOR Education
  • What to Expect When You Expect to Homeschool (25 Silliest Questions Ever)
  • Why Buying Curriculum Won’t Make You a Homeschooler (But What Will)
  • Is Homeschooling Making the Grade? It’s in and the Grade is ALL Fs!
  • 10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope)

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Begin Homeschooling, New Homeschooler Help Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschool joy, homeschool joys, homeschoolchallenges, homeschoolplanning, new homeschool year, new homeschooler, new homeschooler homeschool curriculum, new homeschooler homeschool organization, newbeehomeschooler, newhomeschoolyear

Homeschool Critics: How Do You Know You’re on Track?

January 8, 2019 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It’s time once again to answer the naysayers, homeschool critics, and homeschool hecklers! We all know those people who never have anything good to say about homeschooling or who just like to heckle us while we’re out shopping at the grocery store. It seems they always have a prepared list of questions and criticisms, right?
How do you know your child is on track and doing enough is a question we seem to get quite a bit. We may even have self-doubt.
Homeschool Critics: How Do You Know You're on Track?

Trackless Homeschooled Kids

Whether you need a little bit of conviction yourself or want to be prepared for homeschool critics, here is a list of possible answers for you, depending on if you’re feeling snarky or serious.
  • What track are you referring to? They’re kids, not trains!
  • What is enough? Can you define that?
  • By whose standards and expectations?
  • “Education should focus on how to learn, not what.”  ~ Sam Sorbo
  • Just laugh and walk away.
  • I’ve seen the track and I don’t want my kids running on it.
  • They don’t stay on track because they are learning to fly!
  • We’re not following the track. We’re braving new territory!
  • There is no track. There’s a path and it’s winding.
  • I appreciate your concern, but we are not accountable to you.

Should We Keeping Homeschooled Kids on Track

  • You worry about your kids and let me worry about mine.
  • We choose quality over quantity in our homeschool. We’re not trying to keep up with the herd.
  • We’re doing just fine, thank you.
  • Sounds more like an assembly line than a track. No thank you!
  • We work at our own pace.
  • We’re actually ahead. Thanks for asking.
  • I have a comprehensive scope and sequence planned out.

Whatever you choose to answer — or not answer — remember to embrace the freedom and individualized education that homeschooling offers!

You’ll love these other ways to prepare for the homeschool naysayers:

  • 100 Ways to Silence the Homeschool Naysayers (Maybe!)
  • Deschooling: Step One for the New Homeschooler (the Definitions, the Dangers, and the Delight)
  • Homeschooling STARTS When You STOP Caring What Others Think
  • 10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope)
  • Wipe Out Self-Doubt: 13 Ways to Show Homeschool Progress (And How I Know My Sons Got It)

Hugs and love ya,

2 CommentsFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Begin Homeschooling, Homeschool During Crisis, Homeschool Simply, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschool crisis, homeschool joy, homeschool lifestyle, new homeschool year, new homeschooler, newbeehomeschooler

Deschooling: Step One for the New Homeschooler (the Definitions, the Dangers, and the Delight)

March 9, 2018 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Take the kids out of public school one day, begin homeschooling the next day; it’s a common rookie mistake. And it seems almost impossible to change to a relaxed mindset when you jump from one stressful situation into another one. Deschooling is the first step for any new homeschool family.

Public school kids turned homeschooled kids are not the only ones that  benefit from a deschooling process. Parents who’ve never sent their kids to public school need a deschooling period and need to resist the challenge of beginning public school at home.

How to Shove Back at the Rigidity of Public School

Newbies who follow a deschooling process minimize beginner’s stress and maximize the best beginner’s moments and have good memories for a lifetime.

Homeschoolers, on the other hand, who take no time to understand and implement a plan for the transitional period can set themselves up for a hard road. There are a few guidelines you’ll want to follow.

Start with the basics first. Look the definitions below and then I’m sharing the dangers and how to make this time period a delight.

Deschooling Defined – And No It’s Not Unschooling

Deschooling is a process and unschooling is a homeschool approach.

Regardless of which homeschool approach, i.e. classical, unschooling, unit studies, or Charlotte Mason you follow, deschooling is the first step.

Definitions vary, but most of them include these critical pieces of information.

Deschooling is a period of time when all family members rest both physically and mentally from a public school lifestyle. Resting is the first phase. Even if you have a child that has never attended public school, it’s about defining your understanding of what is homeschooling.

It’s the time to unlearn what you think education should be as taught from a public school mindset and to be open to new, natural, and creative ways to teach your kids.

It’s realizing that taking your kids out of school one day and doing the exact thing at home  the next day that wasn’t working in public school is the definition of insanity (ouch).

It’s letting go and letting in something new in your life; it’s accepting the homeschool lifestyle which is opposite of the public school lifestyle.

It’s having humility to start over learning a new educational approach. More important, it means taking time to get to know your child unlike you have before when he was away from you for eight hours.

Moving away from focusing just on curriculum and focusing on the needs first of your family is at the core of the process.

Embracing tears and fears and excitement and eagerness all at once is the norm. It’s not just filtering and embracing raw emotions, but it’s being active in learning everything about how to homeschool.

During the deschooling process, some families take a much needed family vacation, others fill their days with trips to the museum, to the beach, to the library and try to learn another pace.

How to Determine the Length of Deschooling

What to do during the relaxation period and how long to deschool varies for each family, ages of your kids, and circumstances. One rule of thumb says that for every year the child is in public school take off a month.

That may seem excessive to some, but my experience has been it’s pretty close.

During the deschooling period, it does not mean a family is not learning. It does mean they’re learning in a relaxed pace set to the rhythm of the family.

It doesn’t mean rigidity; it does mean routine. Throwing all caution to the wind is not the purpose of deschooling.

In helping many new homeschoolers to transition to the homeschool lifestyle, I know that older children feel more comfortable with a routine pretty quickly. Just don’t saddle them with many worksheets and subjects while you’re investigating together what they want to learn.

A transitional period requires time to allow each member of the family time to unlearn old ways of learning and focus on the interests of each kid.

This also includes you. Stepping back and analyzing what type of teacher you want to be and assessing what are the current needs of each child takes time and you have it.

Part of the deschooling process is not feeling hurried to keep pace of public school to begin in August and end in May.

Many states have relaxed homeschool laws and you have time to start up your school year. Too, as you’ll learn, most homeschool families have a formal start and stop to their year,  but we also know that learning takes place naturally pretty well everyday. There are many opportunities to learn that don’t have to be scheduled.

The longer the child has been in public school, the longer it takes.

It’s true too that sometimes it’s harder to take the public school mentality out of the parents than it is to take it out of the kids. Like any other significant change in your life, a job change, adding a newborn to your family, or moving, you can’t fast forward the deschooling or adjustment period. It takes time.

Activities for a Meaningful Deschooling Period 

How active or not a family is when they’ve stepped off the public school treadmill varies according to each circumstance.

If your child has been bullied and you’ve fought daily for him at school, you’ll want more time at home healing and being together. If you have a young child that has not been in public school too long, but long enough to be bored, you may want to find local classes for him to join.

Like I mentioned before, deschooling is a relaxed pace or process and it doesn’t mean a state of nothingness. You want to take back the control of teaching and start by feeding your children’s desire to learn subjects or do activities that interests them.

Rekindle the spark of learning and that doesn’t happen by throwing a workbook at a kid or putting them in front of a computer. It just doesn’t.

Kids need you, they need their family, and they need to take ownership of their learning. Start by asking them what they want to learn. Then, research it on the computer or go to the library – together.

Field trips, zoos, living history reenactments, and museums have a way of igniting that dwindling spark.

Activities don’t have to be expensive. A walk on the beach, a trip the local nature reserve, camping together as a family, taking an art class together, taking a cooking class, going to the movies, trips to the library, lounging around reading stories that interests your children, craft time, and park time are just a very few possibilities all now opened to your family.

When Are You Finally Cured of the Public School Mindset?

There is probably not a time that you won’t think about public school because we’re infected by the educational madness and unbalanced view of how much time it really takes to teach a child.

But there does come a time when you see all family members naturally putting their needs and wants for learning ahead of popular opinion on what a child needs to learn.

We all know kids need the three Rs – reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Beyond the core subjects, the rest of what we learn and how we learn it is subjective.

To illustrate: A relaxed homeschool educator knows that learning how to write (a core subject) mixed with reading a history story or doing a hands-on science activity (the fun subjects) makes learning meaningful.

While the core subjects are absolutely essential, it’s valuable to teach them only to the extent they’re practical, useful, and make learning come alive.

When that method for teaching a child is followed year after year, you win over your child as a partner to his learning.

Instead of being passive learners, they’re an active participant in it. Therein lies the subtle, but significant difference between spoon feeding a child to high school ( not recommended and won’t work) and gently guiding your child’s love for learning.

Are You Bulldozing Ahead to Deschooling Danger?

Most all homeschool families have and want rigorous academic standards, but not all of them have abandoned the archaic ways of the past like torture and confinement. Just kidding, although some days I wonder when I read how parents charge ahead to purchase curriculum as if curriculum infuses what was lost at public school.

Curriculum is just one piece of the homeschooling puzzle.

It’s so much easier throwing a workbook at your child than it is to jump in and determine the best learning approach for him, the best schedule, and how to determine the order of the subjects.  I’m not saying we can’t start by using workbooks, but it has to be a tool and not the teacher.

Jumping from one stressful situation in public school to another stressful situation at home equals a great big ole’ heap of unneeded stress.

It’s not a waste of time to step back, relax, and read about homeschooling while learning together.

Deschooling Resources

Look at some of these resources that will help you to deschool.

  • My free 31 Day Boot Camp on my blog for New Homeschoolers.
  • Be sure you know the law of your area and are not homeschooling or choosing curriculum in fear and ignorance. How I can count the ways that a new homeschooler thought she wanted teacher help and grading from a provider to only regret it later. Click here on HSLDA and click on the map to find your state.
  • Don’t forget to join my private facebook group with other homeschoolers to get more ideas on how to deschool.
  • Grab this guide, Deschooling Gently, as a guide to beginning your deschooling journey.
  • The Unhurried Homeschooler: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling reminds you to not forget the reasons that brought you to homeschooling. 
  • Real Homeschool: Letting Go of the Pinterest-Perfect and Instagram-Ideal Homeschool is about keeping it real from the beginning.
  • Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace reminds you to start from a point of peace.
  • Staying Sane as You Homeschool (Learn Differently).
  • Homeschool Helps. Curriculum that worked for me.
  • For the Children’s Sake is a reminder of the joy, freedom, and beauty possible in life and learning.

If you’ll thoroughly grasp the homeschool laws of where you live, fold in family activities that suit your family, begin slowly, read everything you can read while you start slow, you’ll avoid a unrecoverable crash and burn.

Telling you that you won’t have problems or burn out is untruthful.

Deschooling: Step One for the New Homeschooler (the Definitions, the Dangers, and the Delight). Take the kids out of public school one day, begin homeschooling the next day; it's a common rookie mistake. And it seems almost impossible to change to a relaxed mindset when you jump from one stressful situation into another one. Deschooling is the first step for any new homeschool family. CLICK HERE to grab these AWESOME tips from a seasoned veteran!

I’m telling you that you’ll need many times to come back to deschooling to get readjusted and then your journey will be memorable for the right reasons.Do you have any questions about deschooling?

Also, you’ll love these other helps:

  • Deschool – Get off the Public School Treadmill!
  • Day 3: What is Not Homeschooling! {31 Day Blog Boot Camp For New Homeschoolers}
  • Transitioning from a Public School Mindset to a Relaxed Homeschooling Lifestyle 
  • Homeschooling for the Love of Learning – Does It Really Work?

Hugs and love ya,

1 CommentFiled Under: Homeschool Simply, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year Tagged With: deschooling, fearless homeschooling, homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschool crisis, new homeschool year, new homeschooler, newbeehomeschooler

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 6
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Footer

PRIVACY POLICY | ADVERTISE | CONTACT

Categories

Archives

Tina Robertson is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 · 5 TNT LLC · Log in · Privacy Policy