Homeschooling Helps

Congratulations! You've had another successful year of homeschooling. In just a few months, or weeks, it will be time to begin again. Now is the time to celebrate your journey and learning accomplishments! It is also time to file your compliance with your county according to the requirements of the Florida Department of Education. How do you do this? You can have your child tested using standardized tests, and mail test scores to the school board in the county you reside in,  or you can choose to meet with an evaluator and for a portfolio assessment. Get Ready:  Gather papers, take photos of projects, and start sorting through the "learning evidence" you've accumulated over the past 7-8 months.   Make lists of books read, field trips taken and other learning experiences.  (Think out of the box! Think of daily learning experiences beyond book work. Did you participate in Co-op, clubs, or P.E.?  Did your child cook a meal, learn how to change the oil i...

Ideas for Intentional Holidays 1. Joy Box. Decorate a shoebox with wrapping paper. Write ideas for a meaningful Christmas on 24 index cards or card stock. (See below for 24 ideas) 2. Focus on the Spiritual meaning of the holiday. 3. Center it around helping others. Volunteer in your community. Take goodies to community workers. (Police or Firefighters etc.) 4. Practice good deeds in your family. 24 ideas for the joy box... 1-Design a manger scene with poster board or Legos. Talk about the Nativity. 2- See a live Christmas Nativity. 3- Make hot cocoa, drive around check out Christmas lights. 4- Go to a Christmas parade. 5- Have a family Dollar Tree gift exchange. 6- Make homemade fudge. 7- Build a fire outside and tell stories of Christmas past. 8- Make s'mores at a campfire. 9- Watch a Christmas movie, eat popcorn, and candy canes. 10- Bake and decorate Christmas cookies together. 11- Paricipate in a Christmas Drama. 12- Watch the movie Elf and decorate the house with snowflakes. 1...

"Hands-on" (Kinesthetic) learning activities are a great way to teach because... 1-Kids enjoy learning this way. 2-Parents enjoy teaching this way. 3-The WHOLE brain is involved in learning. 4-It's a more authentic way to learn. 5-More relationship oriented.  2013 Learning Notebook Field Trip Fun Wonderworks Florida Wiggly friends. Hands-on Gardening. It's fun to watch things grow.   Making the Nile River.  Overflow of the river to the "banks" made our seeds grow.

13 years ago I made the decision.  I decided to homeschool my daughters.  I had experience as a public school teacher and a private school administrator.  However, I had no prior experience for my homeschool journey I was beginning.  Looking down the road, I wish I had known a few things before beginning.  In this blog post, my goal is to help you, as you start your journey. Getting Started with Homeschooling 10 Steps: Step 1:  BE LEGAL. Make sure your child is registered as a homeschooler with the school board of the county you are living in. Step 2:  TRUST YOURSELF.  You can homeschool! You have made the decision. Commit to the decision you have made. Step 3:  GET SET UP:  Set up your school room. Decide where you are going to have most of your learning experiences and get ready for it.  Currently we use a large dining room table that doubles as our formal dining room.  When we were starting out,...

I know that I recently posted about my ideal home school evaluation.  I must say however, the binder/folder method, may be the most institutional way to evaluate, but it is not the only way.  I recently evaluated portfolios for a homeschooling family that was extraordinary.  This family traveled the United States.  They visited Mount Rushmore, Oregon, California, and several national parks.  Their children started a home business, published brochures and were spotted by professional baseball teams and were invited to train with them.  There were no OCD folders with stamped dates, and a mile long paper trail for busy work.  Homeschooling was documented by real life experiences.  Rich, hands-on important "life" things.  The children had each published their own books (through the Apple company) about their schooling experiences.  What an awesome display of excellence and progress! To me this portfolio was a masterpiece.  The bas...