Blog

Even though homeschooling accounts for just 3% of American schoolchildren (1.5 million of 50.4 million in 2016-17), 7.4% of the 285 contestants in the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee come from homeschools.  This means that twenty- one homeschool students will test...

In the recent ten or twelve months, I’ve noticed many articles and books about slowing down. It seems that the pendulum has hit its max distance. We’ve all seen the effect that over-scheduling has on our kids and families. Now the pendulum is heading back toward...

As summer approaches, one of the big debates is whether or not to do summer school. There are good thoughts on both sides of the conversation. I’ve personally done both depending on our schedules. The benefits to summer homeschooling are obvious: Continued learning...

While the number of U.S. parents homeschooling their children continues to grow, many families depend on two-parent incomes and can't envision managing to homeschool in addition to working full or part time jobs outside the home.  Although combining homeschooling with...

A great advantage to homeschooling is the wonderful blessing – and challenge! – of tailoring educational experiences and opportunities to individual students. Student success and confidence gained by personalized learning are well worth the labor-extensive endeavor....

Once again, the term “school choice” is big news. Regardless of policies and politics, some families practice school choice every day. These families vary greatly – Families whose jobs take them all over the world. Families who live in Smalltown, USA looking for the...

It's another busy week here in our family.  Two new mares at our barn need training.  A friend needs a ride to the hospital.  I have an OB appointment.  There is grocery shopping to do, and I have an art student coming for personal instruction. How is it possible to...

Have you ever listened to someone scratch his fingernails down a chalkboard?  Did it make you shudder and wish you hadn’t heard it?  This is the reflex I have when I listen to mothers and fathers talk about “covering” their homeschool lessons.  I have the same...

We all know what they are. We all have them at least once in a while. We all wonder if anyone else has them. It's “one of those days.” Maybe the toddler is being overly sensitive, and the middle boy is being easily distracted. The oldest is whining that she is the...

Assuming you’re like most of the other homeschool moms I know personally, you are probably wishing for more storage space, money for the school budget and hands with which to get all your tasks completed. Do those things actually exist for anyone, anyway? Since we are...

With Christmas right around the corner, it’s fun to make wish lists of all kinds. For me, this helps prioritize spending and decide between wants and needs. I enlist the kids’ help for a few of the items on our Homeschoolers Christmas Wish List, then I do the rest on...

One thing you can count on most homeschool parents being is resourceful. We take advantage of most learning opportunities that come our way. So, what better learning opportunity can we imagine that history in real life? Our 2016 Presidential Election is certainly full...

Homeschool co-ops offer a great chance to hang out with people that have something in common with you. And a party is a great way to help everyone to connect. If you’ve planned ahead and gotten the event on the calendar, you’re already leaps ahead in the planning...

We are all working hard to provide the best education for our kids while spending the least amount of money. And if you are anything like me, the lure of the office supply aisle at the store is almost too much to handle. So, where do we spend our hard-earned money for...