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.

I see a lot of parents who want to homeschool their kids stricken by unsubstantiated fears about the time, energy, and money. They are overthinking the whole process; recreating school at home in their mind. There are only 4 easy steps to take, so let’s go!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information read my full disclosure.

How to Homeschool in 4 Easy Steps

The first step to homeschooling is like that saying, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” (Lao-Tzu) Deciding you are going to go against the majority and educate at home is a big decision; the most difficult hill to get over in this process. Once you decide you are going to do it, defining your “why” is the most important thing you can do!

Step 1: Your “Why”

Why do you want to homeschool? Answer that question correctly and it will drive you through any obstacle you face. We homeschool because we think that is what God has commanded us to do. You might choose something totally different. There are so many reasons to choose from, but it has to be something that really sets the home apart from school in your mind and beliefs. If you need some help discovering the differences between home and school, check out our book Revealing School to discover what happens to kids in public school.

Step 2: Laws

Following the rules isn’t fun, but where our children are concerned, you can never be too careful. Check out our homeschooling state by state article to find more information about the laws in your state or visit the HSLDA. Some of the most unregulated states are Idaho, Texas, Alaska, Oklahoma, and Connecticut.  The most regulated are New York, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania. 

Step 3: Curriculum or No Curriculum

This is the fun part! Time to choose your curriculum or choose not to use a curriculum! You might think this is a difficult task, but it really isn’t. First, you’ll want to decide what you want your children to learn. If your children aren’t at an upper elementary grade level yet, the most important things are reading, writing and math! You can get an amazing start using Blue Manor’s digital preschool curriculum.

If they are in upper elementary, find what kind of requirements do children in your area have to know in order to pass a certain grade level. Gather that information and start circling or crossing off things that you think are important or aren’t important. Then find a curriculum or free resource that helps you teach those things.

Or maybe you would rather let your children lead the educational process? What kind of things interest them? Are they great at math & science? Do they like history or art? Take a more relaxed approach and give them access to materials and resources so they can learn what they want.

I bet most of what you learned in school you don’t remember do you? That should tell you a lot! Keep things simple and essential. Think about what you wish you would have learned. What would have really helped you as an adult? We think character development is paramount and it is almost non-existent in schools.

You really are your child’s first and best teacher! Be confident in your abilities as a parent because that is what makes you uniquely over-qualified. There really is no reason you can’t homeschool because of the amazing free resources and awesome communities. If you are consistent and faithful, you’ll see the rewards in time.

Need more help? Free Homeschool For Greatness workshop!

Find more resources below or join us on Facebook and post your question to our community!

More Teaching Tips!

Lesson Planning

Learning Styles Debunked

How Children Learn

How to Homeschool Preschool

5 Teaching Strategies that Change Everything

9 Tips for Teaching History

Building Vocabulary

Homeschooling through the Holidays

Make Learning Fun: One Trick to Get them to Learn Anything!

6 More Ways to Make Learning Fun

Top 10 Flash Card Games

How to Make your Own Homeschool Curriculum

Tips on Organizing

10 Bible Verses for your Homeschool

Best Books for Homeschools

The post How to Homeschool: Beginner’s Guide first appeared on True Aim.

I never thought that I would ever NOT plan our homeschool days. I lived for putting together an entire homeschool year’s lesson plans, field trips and activities. Yet, I had to stop because it was not working for our family. We needed a more flexible homeschool schedule that allowed us the freedom to take unexpected days (or a month!) off as our family or family business required.

Since I’ve stopped planning our homeschool days there are quite a few benefits that I had not considered or even imagined! If you are struggling to keep up with your daily homeschool plans or find yourself in need of a change for the upcoming homeschool year, consider the following!

• Everyone is Less Stressed

Every homeschool mom needs less stress in her life and not planning your homeschool days definitely helps that! When you don’t have specific lessons, activities and resources already listed out for the day it gives you (and your kids!) the freedom to complete what is possible for that day! All too often homeschool moms over plan their homeschool days and end up frustrated and stressed when the day’s lessons/activities are not completed. When there is no daily homeschool plan, you simply record what your children accomplish that day and move on tomorrow.

• Children Can Easily Lead Their Education

When you have no daily homeschool plans your children have the freedom to learn about things that they are interested in currently. If we are too strict with our homeschool lesson plans our children can’t discover new things because we are concerned about them completing their curriculum for this year. Without a set homeschool lesson plan if your child is interested in butterflies or airplanes, you can spend the day learning all about them and record that in your planner!

• There is No Need for Make Up Lessons or Days

Without planning your homeschool days there is no need to have to make up lessons or days. If you need a day off from homeschooling, you simply take the days off that you need to and pick up the next day (or later if need be). Since you don’t create lesson plans your child won’t have make up any lessons tomorrow that they didn’t complete today.

• The Best Homeschool Days are Unplanned

Homeschooling often happens best on the days when we don’t make plans, so be sure to pay attention to the times when your children are out discovering nature on their own, when they are checking out science experiments/videos on Netflix or when they spend the day in the kitchen baking and cooking for the family! These are the moments that make homeschooling a life changing journey!

Letting go of planning out our homeschool lessons was not an easy step, but it was a great decision for our family. We need the freedom to take days off without the concern of make up days and I needed less stress in my busy days. My children are enjoying the ability to learn about something new without it messing up our homeschool lesson plans. I don’t miss writing our homeschool lesson plans at all. I love the added freedom that this step on our homeschool journey has given my family!

Why do you or do you not plan your homeschool days?

The post 5 Benefits to Not Planning Your Homeschool Days first appeared on True Aim.

8 Tips for Successful Homeschool Organization

1. Get rid of old curriculum you no longer need.

As kids enter another grade, take a day to go through old curriculum and educational materials you have. Make three piles; save, sell, or trash. One of my favorite ways to sell old curriculum is through Homeschool Curriculum Facebook groups and eBay, where you get to keep the biggest percentage. If you’re looking for a fast way to sell curriculum, I’d recommend Amazon, but they take out a bigger chunk.

2. Make a list of everything you need to buy for the upcoming season.

As you go through old homeschool material, make a list of everything you need to buy for the upcoming season. With your list, price match on sites like Amazon, eBay, or Homeschool Facebook groups for the best bang for your buck. Slugbooks allows you to easily search up books and find the best deal on multiple sites.

If you enjoy personalizing your studies, many homeschool blogs have free or low cost unit studies from subjects ranging from math to history. Pinterest has great resources from hundreds of experienced homeschool moms just like you. These unit studies, free or low cost, are especially helpful if you’re on a budget; specifically with science, art, history and PreK-5th grade language.

3. Create labelled bins for pens, pencils, markers, glue, paper, etc.

As homeschoolers, it’s easy to accumulate tons of writing utensils, notebooks, and glue. Involve your kids by having them go through markers that no longer work, sharpen pencils, scrap paper, or empty glue bottles. Take a rubbermaid storage container and keep a drawer for each.

4. Plan a weekly schedule.

Flexibility is one of my favorite things about homeschooling. Still, I love the structure of a schedule and an idea of what I want to accomplish each day. This will be different for each family, but creating a to-do list worked best for our family. We would have a general to-do list of the subjects we wanted to cover, and worked on them accordingly.

5. Organize binders and categories by subject.

Organize bins; one for math textbooks, math flashcards, and math manipulative. Keep another for language arts, science, and so on. We love using plastic milk crates, because they’re easy to stack and pretty sturdy.

6. Make sure everything has a place.

The secret to successful homeschool organization is simple: after you’re done with one subject during a homeschool day, put everything back in its place. Make a rule to keep out only one subject at a time, or one subject out per child. Putting everything back keeps this less messy, and decreases the likelihood of not being able to find a pair of scissors.

7. Get a filing system down.

I use Thirty One’s Fold N Files for organizing papers. Throughout my busy week, I throw all of my papers in my Fold N File; a receipt, something I need to file in my portfolio, or a paper needing to be finished. Then, when I have a few minutes of spare time, I put everything in the file in its new home.

8. Know what you need for homeschool records, portfolios, and personal favorites.

A three ring punch was one of the best things we ever bought. If your state requires you to send records of your homeschool, grab a large binder and put all required information in there throughout the year. Do the same thing with a portfolio, and a collection of your favorite homeschool projects and accomplishments to look back on.

Use these free homeschool binder printables to help kickstart your homeschool organization this season!

Click here to download these binder printables!

The post 8 Homeschool Organization Tips For a New School Year first appeared on True Aim.

Try these simple tips for an organized homeschool and peaceful start to the new year.

5 Tips for Organizing Your Homeschool

1. Create a Schedule

A new schedule is a great way to start the new year. There’s no reason to create a rigorous schedule that wears you out before noon everyday. Instead try a gentle one with large time blocks. These gentle schedules tend to quickly transform into homeschool routines.

For instance, my own schedule has 7-9am allotted for breakfast and chores. This leaves me plenty of time to chat with my husband over our morning cups of coffee before the day begins.

Our formal homeschool day begins at 9am. If we’re a few minutes late, the schedule won’t be affected. On the other hand if we’re running an hour late, I know something needs to be adjusted.

2. Papers printed

There’s nothing worse than scrambling to get the papers and worksheets you need bright and early Monday morning. Instead of a weekly scramble, try printing and filing all the papers you need for the quarter or semester ahead of time.

You’ll enjoy a calm Monday morning no matter what chaos the weekend bring.

3. Stock Up on School Supplies

After homeschooling through the fall, I’ve found we’re often running short on needed homeschool supplies such as pencils, crayons, and papers.

Before you start homeschooling again in January, take a moment to glance through your school supplies and check that you have the needed pens, pencils, and paper for the new year. Make a point of stopping by the store to pick up your needed homeschool supplies before you start schooling again.

Nothing is worse than searching the house on the first day of school for a lost pencil when a little organization would have seen the supply drawer filled.

4. Purchase Supplies for Projects

What projects do you have planned for January? Are you building a pyramid out of cardboard boxes or planning to build a model of the Earth? Go ahead and make your supply list and purchase as many items now that you can.

You’ll save hours of frustration having the supplies on hand rather than needing to run to the store every few days.

5. Tidy the Homeschool Room or Area

There’s nothing worse than trying to homeschool in a cluttered space. You can’t find pencils. Kids go on a search for their math book. Make a peaceful start to your year by tidying up the homeschool area and organizing your curriculum.

Give each child a crate or shelf. Put supplies in easy to reach spots. File old schoolwork, tests, and artwork away in portfolios or boxes. Have your children help and let them decorate their favorite spot for school.

Using these 5 tips for organizing your homeschool, you’ll set the stage for a calm and peaceful start to homeschooling in 2016.

What’s your favorite tip for organizing your homeschool?

The post 5 Tips for Organizing Your Homeschool first appeared on True Aim.

A New Year is Great for Your Homeschool

Getting back into the swing of things in the new year can be challenging, but often it is just what your homeschool needs! Following the holidays moms and kids are ready to get back into their routine, the chaos that holidays provide can only be fun for so long. Take advantage of the need for routine and give your homeschool a fresh start!

• Assess what was and what wasn’t working in your homeschool before the holidays

As your kids continue to grow you’ll need to make adjustments to their schedule, homeschool studies and more. Before the new year arrives, look back over the first quarter of your homeschool year and determine what needs to be changed and what works well for each of your students.

• Encourage your kids to love learning

Ask them what they would like to do throughout the winter months, keep them moving forward with their education by involving them in what they study! The wintertime is a hard time to plan fun homeschool ideas and field trips for many because of the weather. Some great ideas for winter homeschooling fun are; winter sports, board games, indoor P.E., movie vs. literature studies and arts and crafts.

• Add more quality, learning time together with your kids

Homeschooling is a family journey, you can always add more quality time to learn with your kids no matter what time of the year it is. Ensure that you aren’t just handing them textbooks and lesson plans, experience homeschooling with your kids more this year!

• Be flexible and willing to change

Sometimes homeschool moms have great ideas to jump start their homeschool in the new year, but there are times our ideas backfire. It’s important that we remain flexible and willing to change, if something isn’t working in our homeschool we must ready and willing to move on and try something else. Don’t try to make something fit that just doesn’t, find what works for you and your kids and embrace it!

Homeschool moms tend to be creative and are excited easily in regards to their children’s education, we need to take those things and apply them throughout the year! When we remain optimistic and enthusiastic our children are more likely to enjoy learning!

Before the new year arrives take time to write down ideas to start your homeschool fresh, then make a plan to incorporate them into your homeschool days for the first week or two. See how it goes and then reassess. Don’t be afraid to try something new in your homeschool. Just ensure you’re ready to change if it doesn’t work! 

What are you looking forward to trying new in your homeschoool in the new year?

The post A New Year: A Fresh Start to Your Homeschool first appeared on True Aim.

That was years ago.  Now, I plan out most everything including our homeschooling day.  God has given me a limited amount of time and I want to use it wisely.  Plus, it’s just easier and helps me get more done.  For years, I used printable planners and excel worksheets.  That’s why I’m so excited to show you how to make easy lesson plans online with Lessontrek.

I was sponsored by Lessontrek to review their homeschool lesson planning tool and am excited to share my experience as well as an awesome giveaway!  All opinions are mine alone.  For more information please read my full disclosure.

Why Plan Lessons?

Even though we have a relaxed homeschool schedule, I want my daughters to develop a healthy routine and get used to planning their day.  That way they don’t run into the same problems I used to.  By planning out our week, everyone knows what they should be doing that day and we never miss an important date.

You might not want to plan every detail, but it certainly helps meet goals and keep track of activities.  Remember that lesson plans are to help you, not to be your master.  Don’t think of it as the rule and get frustrated for not completing it.  Think of it as a compass; it will help guide you in the right direction if you need it.

Why Lessontrek?

Lessontrek helps you plan lessons quickly and easily.  You never have to worry about losing them, spilling something on them, or having to spend a lot of money to recover them from a broken computer.  There are no papers to deal with if you don’t want to and it takes half the time to complete.

With Lessontrek, I simply map out my routine for the week and copy and paste that routine onto the whole year.  Then, I fill out individual assignments for the month.  I like to do it monthly that way I can adjust if my child is moving fast or if she needs extra time on a subject.

After I have everything scheduled.  I can print it out as a guide for my eldest daughter.  She feels independent being able to manage and check off her tasks each day.  I also use it to plan learning activities for my 2 preschool aged children.

The tool has drag and drop features that makes it easier than any other tool to reschedule your week.  It took me just minutes to learn how to use Lessontrek and plan out my first week.  It is the most affordable planning tool on the market and you can try it for FREE with a trial account. Don’t wait to get started managing your time and getting more done with Lessontrek.

Special offer!

Get a lifetime membership for free when you subscribe to our newsletter!  Or, get the full version for just $20 a year! Use code EBK20 under the Annual plan option.

How to Make Easy Lesson Plans

To see just how easy it is to set up your lesson plans, watch the video below and meet the founder!

The post How to Make Easy Lesson Plans first appeared on True Aim.