Homeschooling Helps

Helpful Links If you home school in Florida here are links to the yearly evaluation forms for Lake, Dade and Orange County School Board. Lake County: http://lake.k12.fl.us/page/1315 Miami Dade County: http://forms.dadeschools.net/webpdf/7296.pdf Orange County: https://www.ocps.net/cs/services/options/schoolchoice/HomeEducation/Documents/Home%20Ed%20Evaluation%20Form%2009-19-2013.pdf More to come...

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...

As a 17 year + homeschooling mom, I experience the same thing every year.  If you are homeschooling, maybe you can empathize with me.  I get to the month of April every year and fight a major burnout crisis.  So what do you do to get through the "Aprils" in the homeschooling year? I keep talking to myself, crazy--I know! But I'm the one who determines my destiny. I choose my own happiness.  I tell myself: 1. We've almost successfully completed another school year. 2. My children are learning a lot. 3. My standards can always be higher, but look at what we've already accomplished.  (Overachieving isn't always a good thing...balance is.) 4. I will set goals next year to meet whatever it was I felt like I lacked this year. 5. Happy is chosen! Homeschooling is chosen! Everyday isn't perfect but we are happy with the choice we've made that is best for our family. 6. Life isn't perfect.  There is no drowning in laundry and housework, it even...

If you homeschool in the State of Florida your children will need to have a test or a portfolio assessment.   Testing: Students need to sign up to take a standardized test like the FCAT or Stanford Achievement test. Sign up at a local public school as assigned by your County School Board. or Sign up with a homeschool group in the area who is administering a standardized test. The Testing Alternative : Portfolio Assessment Call a certified teacher to evaluate and sign for your completed school year. Prepare a portfolio or gather documentation for your school year. I have reviewed portfolios for almost 20 years.  The best "A+" portfolios that I have evaluated include the following:  All papers and samples organized in a 3 ring binder or file box. Documentation of attendance.  A formal attendance log or log of hours completed with dates of the school year.  Papers that are dated documenting that daily schooling/learning was taking pl...

Homeschooling.   A challenging and the best  educational decision we've made. Homeschooling is... Discipline, letting go, rethinking, creative, tried & true learning, Faith in the unseen--- seeds planted, Harvest ...a well lived life.