Make sure you check out the giveaway at the end of this post!

Start your school bedtime routine early.

To get back into the swing of things – going to bed earlier and waking up earlier – we start getting into the hang of our school bedtime routine about two weeks before school. This slowly helps our bodies readjust.

Get back into the habit of eating breakfast every morning.

In the summer, we very rarely eat breakfast. Throughout the school year, we try to eat breakfast every morning. This prevents snacking during school time. You can also make a quick smoothie to drink during school.

Go back to school shopping.

Going back to school shopping for new colorful pencils, notebooks, and glue is always a fun way to get in the back to school spirit.

Create a daily schedule for each child.

I have began creating a daily checklist for myself. If it’s not on the checklist, it’s most likely forgot about. Creating a basic family spreadsheet with chores, daily subjects, and outside-of-the-house classes makes a back-to-homeschool routine less stressful. Will you all do Bible as a family, and then math individually? Do you know one student who might finish a subject faster than another? What subjects will you do everyday, and which ones only on certain days? Sort out your thoughts, and then make a final “master” spreadsheet to hang on the fridge for the first few weeks.

Our schedule basically went like this:

Monday – Math, English, Spelling, Science

Tuesday – Math, English, History

Wednesday – Math, English, Science

Thursday – Math, English, Piano lessons, catch up History/Science

Friday – Math, English, and any catching up or tests

Order curriculum.

Figure out what curriculum you need for which child. Making a spreadsheet, on Microsoft Excel or on paper, always helps me. Mark your children’s names across the top. Down below, write what subjects you are covering. And in the boxes, list each curriculum, if you need to buy/rent textbooks, if you already have them, or if you’re totally creating your own curriculum.

Here is a sample.

Homeschool Classifieds, Slugbooks, Amazon, eBay, and Facebook groups are great ways to find homeschool curriculum for cheap.

Start reviewing last year’s material.

Although we keep the traditional August-June school schedule, we do learn year round. (I’m addicted to history.) To get back into the school mentality, we recap the past year’s studies. There are so many fun, textbook-free ways to learn and memorize. Instead of hitting the books hard the first day, slowly begin reviewing last year’s material, briefing over old curriculum, and specifically your weak points.

Get organized.

Getting organized always puts me in a more productive mood.

1. Sell or give away old textbooks. (Facebook, Amazon, eBay, etc.)
2. Go through school papers, and purge the unnecessary.
3. Throw away unusable school supplies, and figure out what you need to start the new school year.
4. Sort through books, and get rid of what you don’t need.
5. Invest in a bookshelf or bins, and sort curriculum, supplies, and crafts.
6. Make a list of all the curriculum and supplies you need to buy.
7. If you’re creating your own history/science curriculum, buy a year-at-a-glance calendar, and loosely sort out your Pinterest and blog findings.

Buy a planner

Buying a planner (and using it until it falls apart) can easily organize day-to-day plans. Or get a FREE online one!

What are some of your favorite ways to plan for the new school year?

Back to homeschool giveaway!

Another homeschool year is right around the corner! Many homeschool moms are busy preparing, planning, and finalizing curriculum choices for the upcoming school year. And many are trying to squeeze every last penny out of their homeschool budget, hoping to afford all the books and resources they will need.

Whether you’re living on one income or are buying curriculum for multiple kids, homeschooling can put financial strain and stress on a family. So I’ve gotten together with a great group of homeschool bloggers to give you a chance to win a gift card to a major online homeschool retailer. Our hope is that we can bless a few homeschool families (although we wish we could bless many more) so they can decrease that burden and buy the curriculum and supplies they need.

Three people will win a $250 gift card to either Rainbow Resource Center or Christianbook.com – two great places to shop for homeschool curriculum and resources, with the best prices around!!

To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Now I know this is quite a few entries, but each of these bloggers has generously chipped in their own money to make this giveaway possible, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries. And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends July 19, 2024 at 11:59pm. Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a resident of the U.S. or Canada to enter. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers (see the Terms & Conditions on the Rafflecopter form).

The post Planning a Back to Homeschool Routine – Giveaway! first appeared on True Aim.

How do you do this?

Read the story or book ahead and then either brainstorm an idea or surf the internet for ideas to enhance the story. Just about anything goes! There are endless ways to bring books to life.

Making Summer Reading Adventurous

1. Try a new recipe; from astronaut food to flatbread, there’s always a food activity to be found for any story.
2. Take a trip to a living history museum or book setting; forts, castles, beaches, parks, mountains, plains, forests, etc.
3. Crafts – this is one of our favourites! Paint a picture, make a model of a building, make clay pottery, learn cross stitch, build a bench or sword, there’s no shortage of ideas for this.
4. Dress up as one of the characters and spend the day in their shoes – how would they react to your everyday situations? From superheroes to Vikings, don your cape and horns and have fun.
5. Once you’ve read the book, watch the movie – there are many books based on movies and vice versa. See if the way you pictured the story in your mind’s eye is how it’s been portrayed by the director.
6. If you happen to live near the location of a book, set up a post-card or letter exchange with someone and write to them as if you are one of the characters. What would they say? How would they speak? We recently did this, pretending we were about to set sail on the Titanic for its maiden voyage, using a postcard of the Titanic advertisements.
7. Learn about the author’s life and interests. This may expand the genre of your child if they are stuck in a particular one. To find that their favourite author is inspired by another, can be enlightening.
8. Set up a special reading nook – a tent, bean bag, playhouse, under a tree, a step, or another location. Make it special with a sign, fairy lights, and a bottle of water to keep hydrated.
9. Act it out! Have the kids put on a play for you, their grandparents, friends, or to record and turn into a movie. Have them act out the book. If they are older, they could even write the screenplay and design a set.
10. Check out Castle View Academy, where there are dozens more ideas on specific book activities.

Children can choose their own books or you can help them choose something in a genre they enjoy so they are more interested in the topic. Then set up a reading nook and let them read while you prepare the activities. Double the fun by inviting a friend to join in, too. Once children get the idea that books don’t have to simply be read as a chore, but that you can have fun with them, they’ll be sure to come up with great ideas, too.

What are ways you’ve made summer reading fun for your children? Share your ideas below in the comments!

Check out all the posts in our Summer Reading Series!

Crystal McClean is a Canadian homeschooling her family in Northern Ireland. Her family loves to learn about culture and they find it fun to do this by reading books, creating activities and recipes as well as attending cultural events when they can. When she isn’t home with her family she’ll be at the writing letters at library, taking photos at the local camera club, or counting wildlife along the loughshore with friends. You can learn more about their adventures at Castle View Academy or follow along via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

The post 10 Enhancements to Make Summer Reading Adventurous first appeared on True Aim.

I’ve never met a musician who didn’t start out with one simple chord…and I’ve never met a bibliophile who didn’t read as a kid. Practice is so important to everything we do in life – but struggling readers – especially beyond elementary school – probably don’t have a lot of experience with reading. Historically, it’s been a challenge for them, and so it’s become something they are good at circumventing.

Showing these students the Hi-Lo road will help to foster a love of reading and teach those skills that are necessary for even the most basic of careers. It provides students with a sense of empowerment and confidence as they tackle the challenge of becoming a better reader!

What’s Missing Here?

The post The Hi-Lo Road to Reading Fluency first appeared on True Aim.

Keep Your Children Reading This Summer With Virtual Book Clubs

It’s no secret that homeschooling moms look forward to the summer months just as much as the children. Even if you’ve opted in for the year-round schooling approach, there still may be a few weeks that are considered “low times.”

One of the biggest questions is, “What do I fill these low times with that still pours into their educational tank?” This summer, consider incorporating virtual book clubs to help foster a love for reading in a fun way!

Book clubs aren’t a new thing; however, taking them virtual adds an entirely new kick. For homeschooling families, having the flexibility to go digital aids in being able to homeschool easier and in a more unique way.

There are five distinct benefits to adding virtual book clubs to your children’s reading option this summer.

Socialization

Although homeschoolers are more socialized than people would like to believe, virtual book clubs offer consistent and intentional socialization with others around the same age group.

Children are able to come together and have meaningful dialogue about a particular book and share their own thoughts and opinions about a topic.

Community

Virtual books clubs offer children their own little community built of other little people just like them. This offers them a sense of belonging, which in return fuels their self-esteem.

This type of community also gives them something to look forward to. My 11-year-old looks forward to meeting with his other “dude friends” (as he calls them) in their virtual “clubhouse.”

Accountability

Children may not grasp this concept fully, but virtual book clubs can help with understanding it. Being responsible for keeping up with the meeting schedule, what chapters to read, and being ready for discussion are just a few ways children can learn to be accountable through a virtual book club.

Unique Experience

Today’s children are able to easily pick up on the technological advancements of our time, so being able to meet with a group of friends is a piece of cake… but at the same time offers them a unique experience.

They are able to hang out in real time with other children, and in some cases partake in both voice and type chat. Not to mention, because the book club is virtual, your child can enjoy it from anywhere!

Academic Boost

Virtual book clubs offer children a hidden academic boost that parents absolutely love. Often times, reading (or any Language Arts concept for that matter) can seem like a hit or miss.

Virtual book clubs help to not only foster a love for reading, but it also provides extra practice with:

• word recognition
• sentence structure
• reading pace and speed
• parts of speech
• overall reading ability
• and self-esteem

Children are most likely not paying attention to these important aspects of reading, but they are in fact getting practice with them by participating in virtual books clubs.

Where to Find Virtual Book Clubs

Virtual Book Clubs for Kids is a great option for families with children ages 2 to 5. They send a weekly newsletter with a list of themes, books, and activities to do with your children.

Literary Adventures for Kids is on mission of using virtual book clubs as a way to encourage children to dig deep and be inspired by literature. This club is offered through a self-paced, online book course.

Huddleston Academy offers live book clubs lead by Book Club Leaders with three active age groups to choose from. They are also divided by gender as well. The children meet on a weekly basis in their virtual “clubhouses” and chat about the previous week’s reading.

Whether you are looking to enhance your child’s love for reading, or give them extra reading practice… consider adding a virtual book club to your family’s summer schedule!

Check out 30+ Ideas for Summer Reading!

Michelle Huddleston is a devoted wife, homeschooling mom, and work-from-home mompreneur. It is her desire to see families thrive, and especially women living unapologetically authentic to who God created them to be. You can find Michelle blogging about life at withthehuddlestons.com; teaching children through her online school for homeschoolers, Huddleston Academy; and, helping other mompreneurs find success in their business through her M3 service (Mompreneur Mastermind Mentor). Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!

The post Keep Your Children Reading This Summer With Virtual Book Clubs first appeared on True Aim.

Summer Reading Ideas

Thanks to these amazing moms, we have over 30+ Summer reading ideas for you during this month’s Mom’s Library! Reading is SUCH an important activity for children, not just for the academy benefits, but because it also reduces stress (over 50% from reading just 6 minutes), increases emotional processing skills, and establishes a strong parental bond. Which post do you think will be your favorite? Come back and check them out when they are live! (posts will go live as they are published each week):

Read Through the Summer Using Virtual Book Clubs

Addressing Hi-Lo Readers in the Upper Grades

10 Enhancements to Make Summer Reading Adventurous

10 Ways to reignite your child’s passion for reading!

What Relaxed Summer Reading Looks Like!

Unique Summer Reading Strategy for Homeschoolers!

How to Add Excitement to your Summer Reading

How to host a family summer reading club

Strategies for Helping Children Read Beyond Sound it Out

Travel the World with Your Kids through Books

Using Story Baskets to Make Reading Come to Life

Each mom’s library series includes a fabulous giveaway! This month we are giving 4 sets of best selling books grouped by ages! You can check the list of them out below!

Mom’s Library Giveaway

4 lucky winners of the giveaway will receive one set of books:

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here for more articles in the Mom’s Library Series!

The post (Giveaway) 30+ Summer Reading Ideas! first appeared on True Aim.

Are We There Yet? – A Lesson on Patience

Remember Donkey during his journey to the Kingdom of Far Far Away in the movie Shrek 2, where he repeatedly asked Shrek and Fiona, “Are we there yet?” We may have found that scene amusing, but Donkey’s impatience sure got on Shrek and Fiona’s nerves!

For all of us with kids, I’m sure we’ve been in Shrek and Fiona’s shoes more often than we’d like. So how do we teach our kids to be patient?

Play a Game to Teach Patience

Play a game of dominoes with your kids. Have them arrange the dominoes in a formation (either straight row or any creative pattern). After completing the formation, have fun watching the dominoes fall.

Tip

It is common to accidentally topple the dominoes while arranging the formation. Leave bigger gaps every now and then so that only small sections of the formation will topple (and not the entire formation) when this happens. Go back and carefully fill these gaps after you have completed the rest of the formation.

After the game, talk to your child about the game.

• Was it easy arranging the dominoes in the formation that you wanted?
• What were some difficulties that you encountered?
• How did you feel?

Explain that arranging the dominoes neatly is not easy and it takes time to do it well. When we are impatient and try to hurry, we can accidentally topple the dominoes. This can lead to frustration and we sometimes feel like giving up.

In the same way, in real life, we sometimes feel frustrated and want to give up. But God wants does not want us to give up doing good. God wants us to persevere.

Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Pray for Patience

Pray together with your child. Thank God for his love, patience and continual forgiveness. Confess to God those instances where you and your child have been impatient and ask for God’s forgiveness. Ask the Holy Spirit to produce patience in your lives.

Galatians 5:22-23a (NIV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Model Patience

Don’t forget that actions speak louder than words. Your child will notice those instances where you show impatience to the people around you, especially if he/she is the one bearing the brunt of it.

Don’t make excuses for yourself, but acknowledge your weakness to your child, humbly ask your child for forgiveness and pray together with your child for God’s forgiveness. If we model patience for our kids, there is a higher chance for our kids to learn to be patient!

Being patient is sometimes easy – like when we are doing things that we enjoy or dealing with people we like, or when we have something to look forward. But it can become challenging when we are doing something that is difficult or takes very long to do, or when we are dealing with difficult people or someone we don’t really like.

But God wants us to be patient with ourselves and with one another. If we walk closely with God and yield to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit produces good fruit in our lives, including patience!

View the full character building series here!

Do you have any interesting ideas to teach patience? We’d love to hear from you!

Alvin Gan is the father of three noisy (but lovely) teenagers and founder of www.BibleGamesCentral.com. At Bible Games Central, you will find a variety of fun and captivating games complete with Bible learning points, recommended scripture passages and discussion questions.

The post 3 Easy Ways to Teach Kids Patience first appeared on True Aim.

Up next on our Ask a Homeschool series is Connie Albers! Connie Albers is a homeschooling mom of five. All five of her children ended up graduating college! Connie understands what it’s like being around kids 24/7.

Connie is a speaker for Great Homeschool Conventions and has been a spokesperson for Fortune 500 companies. She uses her knowledge and experience to help homeschool families around the world.

You can find more information about her on her website.

Check out the full Ask a Homeschool series here!

The post Ask a Homeschooler: Q&A with Connie Albers first appeared on True Aim.

Manners as Character Training in a World Gone Tech

Manners may seem like an old fashioned concept but they are one that every successful person in life is familiar with and attuned too.

What are Manners?

Manners are, simply put, “a person’s outward bearing or way of behaving toward others.” It’s just as easy, maybe more so, to have poor manners than pleasant ones. Manners cause you to stand out in a crowd, ear-mark you as a leader and provide appropriate and clear boundaries to people in social situations.

The Importance of Teaching Manners

In an age gone tech, where digital shorthand shortchanges the English language, and often the recipient, it’s important to teach our kids the value of manners- which, at their essence, are showing that one values others as much as oneself.

Teaching our kids manners teaches them that there is an appropriate hierarchy in the world, they are not the center of the universe and that it’s a Godly value to consider others as much as one would consider themselves.

“Good Manners will open doors that the best education cannot.” Clarence Thomas

Manners: Basic Communication

Manners, good, bad or indifferent, are a simple mode of communication, and communication is the foundation of all relationships. Displaying good manners to our family –being kind and helpful, smiling at each other, for instance, is a way to communicate our love and concern for them. Treating other people with good manners is a way to convey that we see and understand that they are created in the image of God, and thus worthy of being treated as one of His Sons or Daughters.

Clothes and manners do not make the man, but when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance ~Arthur Ashe

Basic Manners to teach your kids

1. Say “please” and “thank-you” in your home.
2. Be present when talking to others. Don’t put your phone down. Put your phone away.
3. Make eye contact when meeting and talking to people.
4. Learn to greet people – shake hands, introduce yourself, start a conversation.
5. Learn to introduce others properly; introduce the oldest person first.
6. Smile and extend a greeting.
7. Say “excuse me” when you interrupt or reach across others.
8. Listen well so that the other person knows they are understood.
9. Teach table manners – chew with your mouth closed, use a napkin, don’t reach, pass the food, help clear, thank the cook, engage in polite conversations
10. Be thoughtful and helpful to others; consider them.
11. Show gratitude
12. Take care of personal property
13. Dress appropriately for dfferent occasions
14. Teach the essentials of polite conversations and the art of  small talk
15. Teach proper ways to introduce others.
16. Teach how to earn and show respect
17. Teach appropriate text messaging, email, and texting as well as appropriate social media interaction. Be polite and be G rated.
18. Teach the art of setting boundaries – saying “yes” with grace, and “no with gentle firmness.
19. Don’t come empty handed- bring gifts to the host/ hostess. Flowers, a scented candle, a handwritten note.
20. Don’t be the first one to walk through a door- hold the door open for others.

Manners are the basic building block of civil society. ~ Alexander McCall Smith

Teaching Manners Teaches Character

How does teaching manners teach character?

Manners asks the person:

• to consider and think about others
• serve them and
• to show self-discipline
• to show gratitude.

Teaching manners is the best way to train our kids to be considerate. In a world that is tech saturated, that allows people to work and interact with no personal investment, manners are more important than ever. Manners allow us, demand that, we see and acknowledge the humanity of others.

~A man’s manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

View the full character building series here!

About the Author

Lisa Nehring has 1 husband, 2 graduate degrees, 5 kids and a black -belt in homeschooling having done so for over 25 years.  She owns and operates True North Homeschool Academy, which offers live on-line classes for k-12th graders, clubs, testing and Advising. as well as a one-of-a-kind Special Needs program. Lisa teachers Latin, Writing and History and loves coming alongside fellow homeschoolers to ensure academic success! You can find her blogging at truenorthhomeschoolacademy.com or at one of her FB groups: True North Homeschool Tribe, Survive and Thrive Special Needs Homeschooling and Classical Homeschool. Check out her weekly podcast, on iTunes Soft Skills 101:Life Skills for a Digital Age https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/soft-skills-101/id1454120834

The post Manners as Character Training in a World Gone Tech first appeared on True Aim.

3 Easy Ways to Teach Time Management to Kids

1. Turn your child’s routine into a checklist. 

1. 1. If they’re younger, make the checklist age-appropriate (fun, bubbly, animal, NASA, Albert Einstein quotes, etc). 
   2. Have them co-manage the checklist and review it daily as that gets them in the habit to own the process.  
   3. At the end of the week celebrate what you achieved, and work on what you didn’t, the idea is to keep the process flowing over time – it’s not perfection, but consistency is how you win the game.

2. Establish rules for electronics. 

1. 1. Help them get in the habit to focus on one thing and master it, before they jump to anything else – especially mobile devices. 
   2. Set rules for when they can use mobile devices for anything other than school work – this is setting them up for success because in the workplace if they’re texting their friends during business meetings, you know what will happen.

3. Be a coach, not a micro-manager. 

1. 1. Kids are trying to learn new things and they’re trying to focus, so coach them, don’t micro-manage them. 
   2. Being a coach will help them know it’s ok to make a mistake, and that it’s also ok to think big about ideas. 
   3. Displaying this attribute will allow them to take ownership in their work and feel accountable for whatever they need to achieve, learn, create, build, etc. 

• LessonTrek: Freemium Online Lesson Planner
• What an Online Planner Can Do For Your Homeschool

Author:

Jason Pessemier is a U.S. Navy veteran and grew up as an Air Force brat having lived around the world. He served as an Aviation Electrical Engineer and after he was honorably discharged he used the G.I. Bill to earn follow-on college degrees as well as a Master’s degree from Bob Jones University. He built a fast-growing software company and co-founded a second one along with some friends who were homeschool parents. He has been working full time at Microsoft while growing Lessontrek organically.   

The post 3 Easy Ways to Teach Time Management to Kids first appeared on True Aim.

How to Build Character During a Difficult Time

Sometimes life events prove difficult for adults and must also be shared with our children; the way in which we do that can impact our children’s understanding and reactions. Tragedy or illness, particularly the declining or uncertain health of a loved one, is something that is an almost inevitable part of life, and can be difficult for children to comprehend.

When a family member or close friend becomes seriously ill, it is always a topic that needs to be thought through about whether to tell our children or not. Each family and situation is different, and the developmental stage of the children must also be taken into consideration. We don’t want our children to worry, but they are clever and will always know when we’re stressed. I believe it’s important to involve our children in a truthful and developmentally-appropriate way.

We want to protect our children from worry, but if the outcome isn’t as we’d hoped we cannot protect them from sorrow and pain. By telling our children someone they love is ill, we can help prepare them to come to terms with an undesirable outcome rather than it to be a colossal shock out of the blue. They will have time to think about what they’re feeling and ask questions. Don’t quash those queries from youngsters. They may catch you off guard, and if that happens, ask them to give you a few minutes to think of the best way to explain, and then do so. Creating a veil of secrecy and cover-ups does not set a good example and only helps to harbour the mystery surrounding life and death.

Building Support Systems

Children can be great support in times of stress, and we can teach them how to comfort others in ways that work for them. My son always knows just when I need a hug and will come running into the room unexpectedly and give me a big bear hug, which always puts a smile on my face. A kind hand on an arm, a smile, or even a wink can lift a person’s spirits.

Brainstorm with your children to come up with other ways in which they help both the person who is ill, as well as those around them. Often putting energy into being productive can help everyone feel a little better. What skills do they have that can be used in this situation? Can they help clean, run some errands, help cook meals, read a story, draw a picture, sing, say a prayer? Let your child come up with their own ideas, too, so they feel part of the process.

Building Character Through Honesty and Education

If it’s appropriate, help your children learn about what is happening, and what the doctors are doing to try to remedy the illness. If it’s trouble with the heart, then set up a biology class where they can learn about how the heart works and what has gone wrong with it. What will medications or surgery do? Involving children like this can help them feel more knowledgeable and less powerless. Perhaps this will be the event that sparks the determination to become a future doctor or scientist.

Hopefully everything will be okay and everyone can rejoice; that is always the desired outcome for any illness or tragedy. However, death is a part of life, and life’s only certainty. It isn’t something that anyone looks forward to, but the ways in which we teach our children to come to terms with it can help them now, as well as in the future.

How have you involved your children in difficult times? Share your experience in the comments and we can learn together.

View the full character building series here!

About the Author

Crystal McClean is a Canadian homeschooling her family in Northern Ireland. Her family loves to learn about culture and they find it fun to do this by reading books, creating activities and recipes as well as attending cultural events when they can. When she isn’t home with her family she’ll be at the writing letters at library, taking photos at the local camera club, or counting wildlife along the loughshore with friends. You can learn more about their adventures at Castle View Academy or follow along via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

The post How to Build Character in Kids During a Difficult Time first appeared on True Aim.