The Homeschool Solutions Show

I always feel pulled in two different directions in February. One on hand, the  Fun Mom  in me wants to live large. She wants to shake up the daily routine, toss out the boring old schoolbooks, and spend February setting the kids' enthusiasm afire with fascinating hands-on projects from Pinterest. But on the other hand, the  Responsible Mom  in me would really like to get the math book done by the...

Ask any veteran homeschool mom whose kids have already graduated from high school, and she will reassure you: She had the  same  fears you have now. She realizes  now  how pointless most of those fears were. What a difference 10-15 years of hindsight makes! But you don't have to wait that long. Let's look right now at ten of the biggest and most common homeschool fears so you can face—and more imp...

I hear it all the time. We're having self-editing issues. For some reason, my children believe they are perfect writers! They can never find any spelling or grammar mistakes. Surprise, surprise! Most children simply don't get the whole editing thing. They like what they wrote and can't understand why you want them to— gasp!— look for ways to improve it. Listen or read more at https://writeshop.com...

Do you ever have bad attitudes in your homeschool? I love homeschooling and my children usually do, too. But, sometimes the homeschooling attitudes in our house just stink. Have you ever wanted to wring the necks of grumpy kids who whine about every single task set before them. Or dole out about a hundred chores every time you run up against obstinate behavior?  Me, too. Listen or read more at htt...

In my earliest days of homeschooling, I had ideas about what our homeschool would actually look like. You know what I mean… right? And then we actually started homeschooling. And it just never looked quite like that initial vision. Listen or read more at https://readaloudrevival.com/jbwc/

About five years ago the days in our homeschool were simply learning math facts, phonics, and letter formation. Yawn. Sure we read a picture book or two, but  I had a two-year-old who sapped all the energy I used to have for putting together elaborate unit studies. In addition my kids had informed me in no uncertain terms that they wanted nothing to do with making another lapbook thank.you.very.mu...

I am not a morning person. My kids are not morning people. Unfortunately, my husband IS a morning person. This became very apparent when we all went on a week-long homeschool field trip. My husband would wake early, run to the gym, and return to the hotel very chipper — and talkative (ugg!). Listen or read more at https://www.hidethechocolate.com/homeschool-morning-meeting/

Long before I was asked to speak at the Great Homeschool Conventions I was an attendee. In fact, convention time each year made me rather giddy. I almost always went with friends. We would make a road trip and a weekend of it. I would plot my speaker schedule like a general manages an attack, walk every single aisle of the vendor hall just to make sure I didn't miss anything, and I still have my r...

When my daughter was two years old she had the cutest habit of picking up her toy cell phone, holding it to her ear, and making a noise somewhere between a growl and disgusted sigh. "Look," we would laugh. "Where did she learn that?" Until one day I was driving down a stretch of rural highway we often traveled and my phone dropped a call yet again. The noise of disgust was barely out of my mouth w...

"Everyone was up late and needs just a quiet day." "We've been working so hard, a day off is just what we need. " "We missed lessons yesterday, I'm not motivated today." Do any of these sound familiar to you? They used to be all-too-familiar to me. Not only that, some of them are still tempting from time to time. But now I know a truth: schooling consistency breeds consistency. Listen or read more...

The morning light was thin, blue, and cold. It was cozy under my blanket though as I sipped my coffee. I had an edifying book in my lap — who am I kidding — I was scrolling Facebook on my phone. One kid was asleep, two were upstairs watching "educational" cartoons, and frankly, I was in no hurry to start my school day. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/sabotage-your-homeschool/

I have been a somewhat lonely homeschooler for the past several years. It began when we chose to homeschool high school — and most of our homeschooling friends did not. True story: out of the 20-30 families we knew who homeschooled back when our children were in the early elementary grades, I can think of only a handful of them that continued homeschooling through the high school years. I confess...

There's a common adage that says if you lose your why, you lose your way. In other words, if you forget why you're doing what you're doing, you're not going to get very far. You'll be easily sidetracked by distractions, discouragement, and disappointments. If you don't have a firm grasp on your reason for following your chosen path, you can get derailed. This is part of why I believe in purposeful...

Being a mom is tough work. Being a homeschool mom is crazy tough work! Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned homeschool mom, these 25 practical tips and words of encouragement will keep you trekking along in your homeschooling journey with your chin up! Listen or read more at http://rulethisroost.com/25-ways-to-rule-your-homeschool/

Did you recently meet a homeschooler for the first time? Did a friend or family member just shock you by announcing they will be homeschooling their children? Are you concerned but don't know just what to say? Look, I get it. When we decided to homeschool I knew exactly one homeschool family. It's different. It's weird. You don't quite understand it. I mean,  why would anyone want to do this ? It...

I think my family has entered the golden age of Morning Time. My three kids range in age from 6 to 10. We have no toddlers to disrupt us (though don't be fooled in thinking things are too quiet) and we have no teens who need to rush away to complete a list of requirements to earn credits. It is just us, together, learning to love beauty. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/morning-time-...

Somehow over the years I have become the pie cook for our family holiday gatherings.   I would like to think it is because I make the best pies. More likely it is because my mom thinks there are always other deserts around if I happen to ruin the pies. If I ruined the cornbread dressing? Well that's another story, isn't it?   My secret to perfect pie crust? I buy it from the little doughboy in the...

Repetitio mater memoriae. This Latin motto, which apparently is used within the Latin classroom primarily and not embraced as a defining motto like the others so far, means Repetition is the mother of memory. This is supposed to spur you on to chant those declensions, but I think the truth contained therein should spur us on in much more than language acquisition. Listen or read more at  https://w...

Out of control. Disorganized. Fly by the seat of my pants. Does the start of the school year always feel this way? I don't think it does. I am pretty sure that our past school years have followed the plan a bit more closely. But I can't be sure. What I am sure of is that the kick-off for this 2016 school year was far from a touchdown. It feels more like life intercepted the ball and ran the other...

As the holidays descend upon us, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the tasks that fill your to-do lists each day. You might question whether it's all worth it in the end, but rest assured that the extra work surrounding this time of year really does pay off, since these traditions have an extremely positive impact on a preschooler's life. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/blessings...

Recently we had a great time by having friends over for our very first picture book Christmas cookie exchange. We had a few good friends over on a balmy December afternoon to share some of our favorite picture books and picture-book inspired cookies. This party was so easy to plan and hold. All we did was invite a few friends over and ask them to bring their favorite Christmas picture book, plus a...

If you've been around the Homeschooling With Dyslexia web site or Facebook page for long, you know how I love to learn about learning. Since I learn completely differently than 7 of the 8 kids that I homeschool, you could say it is a bit of a necessity. Good thing I have learned to enjoy it! Listen or read more at https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/motivate-kids-growth-mindset/

With each new school year that rolls around, I always seem find a renewed energy and vision for homeschooling. Rather than wait until Thanksgiving or when the blahs of winter kick in (when it seems to make sense to write a post about why I'm thankful for homeschooling), I thought I'd harness this joyful beginning-of-the-school-year energy to list all those reasons now. Listen or read more at https...

Homeschooling preschool doesn't have to be complicated. It took me at least one child to figure that out, but once I did we enjoyed our preschool days so much more. Have a listen!

I will freely admit that our children have missed out on some things because we homeschool high school. There is no doubt that there are experiences that the public school provides that we just cannot replicate in our home. Some people even quit homeschooling at this level, because they don't want their children to miss out on anything. Listen or read more at https://www.annieandeverything.com/hom...