Organization & Planning

Lesson plans done. School books organized and tucked neatly on the shelf. Pencils sharpened. Meals planned. Laundry caught up. The conditions are PERFECT for back to (home)school! In my mind, I can see your total look of despair and eye rolling. That’s ok! Looking back on 15 years of homeschooling, this never described my home or life! Guess what? It is ok! Homeschooling happens when life and home aren’t perfect. And part of kicking off the school year right, mom and dad, is for you to give yourself grace. The house won’t be perfect. The laundry may not get done. The pencils break. The books get misplaced. It is called real life, and it is ok!

We fill our lives with a lot of busyness. In the case of homeschool parents, this can put a lot of pressure on mom and dad to do their best multitasking on a day-to-day basis. You always have a multitude of things to accomplish – not only homeschooling your children, but also cleaning, laundry, cooking, errands, paying bills, making calls, and the list goes on and on. If you weren’t tired before you started homeschooling, you certainly are now! Multitasking can be overwhelming and chaotic if there is not some sort of organization to your days, weeks, or homeschool year.

You have made the decision to homeschool! If you are anything like me, the fear, anxiety, and nerves soon start to weigh on your decision. The self-talk begins to chip away at the resolve over the well-researched, prayed-over, and supported decision you just made. Whether your first child is starting out at kindergarten, you have a student coming out of the public school system, or you have a new student joining your established homeschool routine, this is a new year of education, and we can choose to start strong right out of the gate! Doing so means we approach our new year of homeschooling with goals in mind, a plan established, and the flexibility to evaluate.

Although many homeschooling families start from the very beginning, just as many find themselves homeschooling when that was the last thing they ever saw themselves doing. Maybe you started out sure that your schooling choices would serve your child well, only to be sorely disappointed, again and again. Then came the straw that broke the camel’s back, and you made the call. You pulled your child out mid-year, thinking there had to be a better way. So what do you do now?

We live in an age of distractions - from phone alerts to unexpected interruptions - making it hard to focus on what's important! This is a common struggle, especially in a homeschool environment where school tasks can easily get derailed. But what if there was a simple way to reclaim your focus and boost productivity? Let's explore the Pomodoro Technique, a proven method for training your brain to concentrate. Learn how using this simple technique in your homeschool can help both you and your children overcome distractions, manage time effectively, and celebrate accomplishments!

You’ve picked out your curriculum and you’ve unpacked your Rainbow boxes. You’ve got the fresh school supplies. You’ve cleaned off the dining room table and hung up some maps and charts. But as your start day looms closer, you panic and think, exactly how am I going to do this? There’s no one-size-fits-all, unfortunately. But there are several elements of a typical homeschool day to take into consideration as you plan your school day and school year. Your day will be filled with different types of activities!

Are you thinking about homeschooling but unsure if you can take on the task? Lately, we have had a few customers call desiring special training so they can homeschool their children. Even with a college degree, they still feel inadequate to teach their children. Their thought? Get some kind of brief training before attempting to teach. After all, it’s been years since the parent was in elementary school. How could they possibly know how to teach them when they have been removed from it for so long?

Ever given your child a simple job like “Clean your room” or “Go get your math done,” and they respond as if you just asked them to climb Mt. Everest? Many kids (and adults!) today struggle with weak executive functioning skills, making it difficult to get organized, stay focused, and even know where to begin a task. The good news is that you can help them develop these skills, starting with one important strategy: teaching them to break big tasks down into manageable steps.

As homeschooling has exploded, the available educational resources have grown as well. The options are overwhelming, but the real question is which option is better? Do I use the tried and true, that beloved program successfully used for a generation, or will the newer curricula options provide my child with a better education?

With fall soon approaching and a new school year beginning, many of you have great expectations for a wonderful year ahead. After the summer break, some of you may feel a little apprehensive about starting a new year while others are excited and ready to begin! Wherever you stand, one united goal for all of us is to be as organized as possible. Looking back, there are a few things that helped me keep my years running smoothly.