The Homeschool Solutions Show

Have you ever had one of these days… There are just some days you want to join the fussy crowd. You wake up and are feeling confident about the day. Then you walk past your child's room and say, "Good morning!" The response you receive is less than enthusiastic and you think, maybe she will cheer up before breakfast. She just needs to wake up. Then you sit down to eat. She's not in a bad mood. She...

Homeschooling is such a blessing for our family – I really believe it has created a family bond that we would not have had if we'd chosen another educational route for our daughter. But, that doesn't mean it isn't difficult! One of the biggest issues I've found is learning just how hard it is to keep up with all the housekeeping chores while we're homeschooling. Over the years, we've discovered a...

Is this your first week of homeschooling for the year? It is for me. I always start our new homeschool year the week of my youngest child's birthday because I really enjoy adding that kind of stress to the first week of school. Whether the stress in your homeschool week is normal life stuff, like birthdays or long to-do lists, or abnormal life stuff, like surprises and emergencies, the fact remain...

There's a common misconception by many non-homeschoolers that what homeschoolers do all day is stay tucked inside their houses reading classical literature and practicing for the National Spelling Bee. This misconception feeds into the whole socialization myth that continues to plague every homeschool mom who ever lived. Typically the reality is much, much different than the perception for most ho...

We recently had a pool party with a group of Emma's homeschool co-op friends, and I've been told again that I'm a cool mom. I'm not a cool person. I'm kind of nerdy, actually. So how do I get this label? It's not merely that I do these things (although they help): make a monster pan of homemade mac-n-cheese and two giant chocolate chip cookies for a pool party let the kids make a crazy fort in the...

Don't show up to a culture war without a culture. — Professor Carol Reynolds The world is after the hearts of your children. No, I am not saying that to leave you shaking in fear. Don't be afraid, mama, because you've got chocolate and Jesus and a plan. There is no need to fear. Instead I just want you to ponder that statement a while. Make no mistake that there is a culture war going on. The worl...

Quitting homeschool, that is. And I thought I should tell you that. So often, we homeschoolers make this journey sound like its all roses, all the time. We have a tendency to talk up the benefits of homeschooling constantly. After all, there are many: improved academic opportunity, better socialization, increased family time, the ability to weave our values all throughout the curriculum…the list g...

What does homeschooling REALLY require? The current trend seems to be hybrid schools, box programs, online schools, or homeschool communities that claim to be the "answer" to a successful homeschool experience. Granted, all of these things can be great HELPS in homeschooling. I have, however, seen some claim to be all you would need to homeschool your children. I disagree. A successful homeschool...

"Love is the beginning and end of education, because love is the way we become more human." — Stratford Caldecott, Beauty in the Word I've heard the advice, and I'm sure you have too. You should always start your day with math. Kids need to tackle difficult subjects while their brain is fresh. Kids need to get the hardest thing out of the way first. Kids need to eat that frog so they don't procras...

Have I mentioned lately how blessed we are to be a homeschool family? Sure, homeschooling takes work and there are sacrifices to be made. Let's not forget that our home constantly looks lived in, but the gifts we receive in return are priceless. Today, we celebrate the gift of homeschool! Here are just a few reasons homeschooling is a gift to our family.   Listen or read more at http://tablelifebl...

I used to dread kindergarten pick-up. My little guy would board the bus at 7:50 am.  He looked adorable climbing up those big steps with his oversized backpack and book in hand. The book was as oversized as his backpack. In kindergarten, he read big books: Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, The Hobbit. He didn't notice that people noticed. I noticed that they noticed, but I was just so thankful he was c...

Do you ever have one of those mornings? The kind where nobody wants to get moving (including you). Nobody has a good attitude. Nobody can bear the thought of one more day of long division. It happens more than I care to admit around here. Which is why I have a secret weapon for starting school days. No, it's not coffee (ok, it is just a little bit). Instead it is Morning Time. Morning Time is a ti...

Homeschooling has broken me, I think. I didn't realize it until last week. That it has broken my brain. That it's broken the way I think about everything. But I've never been more sure that I'm a homeschooler raising homeschoolers, and I've never felt stronger in my convictions. Like with so many things, I have Dave Grohl to thank. But let me take a step back … When my son was 6, he expressed an i...

It's been quite the school year, there's no question about that. We moved across the country, we hung out for five months with family, did school in their basement, house shopped on the weekend, then moved again to another state. There were many times this year that I questioned everything, but now, looking back, I realize that it's all ok. Even in the craziest of school years, there's been lesson...

You know that awkward moment when your best friend asks you what you thought of her book? And you liked it, you really liked it, but the English teacher in you wants to ask, "Are you sure somebody didn't help you with this?" Because it's just that good. You talk to someone every single day — so much so that your husbands have their eye-rolling synchronized at your antics — and you just never reall...

When I was a kid my two favorite things to make where, drawings of the Rice Krispie characters and to create paper balls. When I say paper balls, I don't mean that I just crumbled a piece of paper into a ball, that would be kind of lame, and not worth writing about. I mean that I soaked strips of paper in water, and carefully laid each piece over the last, forming a 3D paper ball. While I continue...

The role of recitation and memorization has taken on a deeply personal role for me as a homeschool mom over the last several years. I first began to consider recitation while studying various homeschool methods as a new homeschool mom. I could see the value of memorization in education, but it didn't feel like a good fit for my son. His memory was terrible. My daughter on the other hand remembered...

Anytime you write a book there are bound to be misconceptions. Write a book on homeschool planning and there are SURE to be misconceptions. After all, the Internet is filled will homeschooling moms, each one an expert on their own home and their own children — as well they should be! These moms have their own ideas of what works and what doesn't, and they are all exactly right for their families....

I love the Myers-Briggs personality typing. Myers-Briggs – the personality system that gives you four letters – offers a vocabulary for talking about the different ways that people relate to each other and the world around them. It's been so helpful to me in learning how to understand and value other people's responses to ideas and situations – including my children's. I've written before about ho...

I'm not feeling quite as fly-by-the-seat as I often do because I've got a new system for keeping track of school assignments, and it's rocking my world. I love finding ways to simplify homeschooling, and this method really takes the cake. I'll tell you all about it, and then you have every right to say, "Of course, Sarah. Why haven't you done this all along?" like I said to myself when my friend f...

In this world there are two kinds of people. People who buy any old planner and just use it, and people who buy multiple planning products and never really use any of them. There's quite possibly a need for a twelve-step program for that last group. The people in the last group aren't wishy-washy. Instead they are optimists. They are always sure that a better way has to be out there. So they keep...

One of many options is the running of our Academic Year. Traditionally in the US, school runs fall to spring with summers off. This is a wonderful option, one which many homeschoolers follow for their Academic Year. I would like to present another option, which is to align your Academic Year with the calendar. http://ladydusk.blogspot.com/2015/11/aligning-your-academic-year-with.html

Do you know what a curriculum slave is? I'm sure you've met one before — perhaps you've been one before. (Or perhaps you're one now, in which case we'll try to help set you free in the course of this post.) A curriculum slave thinks the curriculum is her master, and she has to follow whatever the curriculum says — to the letter. The curriculum slave doesn't allow herself to think about what is bes...

The search results taunt me. "Creative homeschool: A lot of ideas" "Great homeschool/education ideas" "Using Pinterest as a free homeschool curriculum" (

I wish I could tell you that I have the formula for the perfect homeschool day, but sadly I do not. All I know for sure is that there are no two homeschool days that are exactly alike and whatever you plan, it will often not go exactly as planned. Yes, having a plan in place is important. If we don't, the overwhelming nature of the task before us will paralyze us. So here are my best tips for crea...