Remember Your "Why" - Day 5 Tip

This week members of The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be sharing 5 Days of Tips For Homeschool Parents.  There were some great tips yesterday!
We are finishing up our 8th year of homeschooling and have a 7th grader, 9th grader and a graduating Senior this year! 
Today's Tip
Never forget your "why".  Why did you start homeschooling? What was your main reason?  Do you have a mission statement?  It doesn't have to be elaborate.  Just a statement of why you are homeschooling.  Write it down, post it in your teacher planner, print it out and frame it on your wall, put it on your whiteboard or chalkboard.  Then, when those hard days come and believe me they will!  Read it and remember so you can refocus and get back to your "why".

Our why has always been to allow each of us more time to grow closer to God first, and then to each other.  I have always known that if my children could even glimpse at how much God loves them and live their lives for Him, the rest would follow.  He would equip them with what they need to know when they need to know it.  That's my why!  What is yours?

Here are just a few of the homeschools participating this week! I'll share a new set each day. Take a break and enjoy!!

Other tips I shared are Take A Break, If It Ain't Broke - Don't Fix It, Read Aloud To All Ages, and Weekly Planning Keeps Me Sane.  

Hope you have been encouraged this week but and really the best tip of all is to do what works best for you family!

Dawn @ Double O Farms

Dawn @ Guiding Light Homeschool

Debbie @ Debbie's Homeschool Corner

Desiree @ Our Homeschool Notebook

Diana @ Busy Homeschool Days

Diana @ Homeschool Review

Elyse @ Oiralinde: Eternal Song

Emilee @ Pea of Sweetness

Erin @ For Him and My Family

Jen @ Chestnut Grove Academy

Weekly Planning Time Keeps Me Sane - Day 4 Tip

This week members of The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be sharing 5 Days of Tips For Homeschool Parents.  
We are finishing up our 8th year of homeschooling and have a 7th grader, 9th grader and a graduating Senior this year! 


Today's Tip
Decide on a day to complete your weekly planning and do it! I choose Saturday but let's face it sometimes it's Sunday or Monday before I actually get it done.  When I do take the time to get it done the weekend before, I already feel one step ahead of the game come Monday morning.  

Depending on your curriculum and needs, your planning time may look different but the point is to get it done!
Here is an older video of my weekly planning time.  The only thing I changed is making the kids fill out their own checklists for the week.  I think it helps them to fill accountable to what will be accomplished during the week.

Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 tips in case you missed them.  Here is an older post on my brain that may give you some ideas too.

Bonus Tip - FriXion pens rock for homeschool planning!!

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Here are just a few of the homeschools participating this week! I'll share a new set each day. Take a break and enjoy!!

Jeniffer @ Thou Shall Not Whine

Jennifer @ A Peace of Mind

Jennifer @ Faithful Homestead

Joelle @ homeschooling for His Glory

Joesette @ Learning Curve

Kari @ Random Acts of Boyhood

Katie @ Katie's Daily Life

Kemi @ Homemaking Organized

Kim @ Homestead Acres

Kylie @ Our Worldwide Classroom

Read Alouds Are Important For All Ages - Tip Day 3

This week members of The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be sharing 5 Days of Tips For Homeschool Parents.  There were some great tips on Monday and Tuesday!
We are finishing up our 8th year of homeschooling and have a 7th grader, 9th grader and a graduating Senior this year! 

Today's Tip
Begin read alouds with your children from the beginning and don't stop until they've graduated.  I still read aloud to all my children.  The Senior could really give or take our reading aloud time but I think it's an important part of our day.  We also find ourselves talking about the books we've read in general conversations which I love.  

Some of our favorite read aloud books are from YWAM Publishing.  We love reading about missionaries, presidents, and historical figures that we're learning about. I also love that most of them offer curriculum study guides for further learning as well.  I really love that these books reinforce what we're already learning in our daily studies so I'm sneaking in a little review too!
The time we have found that works best for our read aloud time is right after lunch.  We miss some days but for the most part, you can find bodies all over the living room floor, chairs, and couches listening to mom read directly after lunch.  Even hubby gets to hear a little before having to head off to work.
In case you missed them, click the days to read my practical tips for Day 1 and Day 2.

Here are just a few of the homeschools participating this week! I'll share a new set each day. Take a break and enjoy!!

Annette @ A Net In Time
Brandy @ Kingdom Academy Homeschool
Brenda @ Counting Pinecones
Carol @ Home Sweet Life
Cassandra @ A Glimpse of Normal
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Cristi @ Through the Calm and Through the Storm
Crystal @ Crystal Starr
DaLynn @ Biblical Womanhood
Danielle @ Sensible Whimsy

If It Ain't Broke...Day 2 of Tips

This week members of The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be sharing 5 Days of Tips For Homeschool Parents.  There were some great tips yesterday!
We are finishing up our 8th year of homeschooling and have a 7th grader, 9th grader and a graduating Senior this year! 
Today's Tip
Today's tip is if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  You know, your child is doing beautifully using Curriculum A and all of a sudden you start reading and you see how this same Curriculum A is not working for others so you doubt.  Is he getting what he needs?  Is there more he should be learning? 

Then you see how curriculum B is working so well for so many so again you wonder.  Maybe this one will help him get higher test scores?  Maybe this has more to offer?
So, you change from Curriculum A to Curriculum B and guess what?  It does not work for your child!  You've spent another small fortune and why?  
Your child was not screaming or crying when he was told to do Curriculum A so please, please take my advice on this one and hold on to that old saying of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"  I know from experience!

Here are just a few of the homeschools participating this week!  I'll share a new set each day.  Take a break and enjoy!!

Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays

Missica @ Through the Open Window

Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling

Rebekah @ There Will Be A $5 Charge For Whining

Renita @ Krazy Kuehner Days

Sarah @ Renaissance Mama

Sasha @ Such a Time as This

Tawnee @ Adventures in Homeschooling

Tiffany @ The Crafty Home

Tina @ Desperate Homeschoolers

5 Days of Tips For Homeschool Parents - Day 1

This week members of The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be sharing 5 Days of Tips For Homeschool Parents.  I can't wait to read them all myself!  
We are finishing up our 8th year of homeschooling and have a 7th grader, 9th grader and a graduating Senior this year! 
Today's Tip
Today's tip is to take scheduled breaks.  It sounds like such a simple tip but I cannot tell you enough how important these are.  We have had times when we would want to finish so we would plow through and eventually we would always hit a brick wall and be forced to take a break anyway because nothing was getting done.  Ironically, I ignored this advice for our last term this school year and we are all feeling quite weary at the moment so it's probably why it stands out for me as my favorite and most important tip.  Skipping one break will be okay usually but don't make a habit of it because it usually will backfire.

I've also found for me that it isn't enough just to schedule breaks for the children, I also need them for me!  I need teacher workdays.  I need days when I can file, grade, plan, catch up on making copies for the upcoming semester, etc.   Scheduled teacher workdays keep our homeschool flowing more consistently and keep me from that nagging feeling of always being behind!   
Attitudes change and efficiency rises just by taking breaks!  If you find that your children are rebelling or can't seem to answer a question that they've answered fluently before - take a break!  If you find yourself snapping that they should know the answer to that question - take a break!  Even better skip both of those and go ahead and schedule in your break times today!
We typically work for 6 weeks and then take a week off.  If a holiday week is coming soon we may go for 7 weeks or 5 and then break but I use a yearly calendar to schedule in our breaks at the beginning of the school year.  
Here are a few more quick tips that may seem obvious and simple but have helped me tremendously each year! Here are just a few of the homeschools participating this week!  I'll share a new set each day.  Take a break and enjoy!!
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break Latonya @ Joy in the Ordinary Laura @ Day by Day in Our World Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures Lori @ At Home: where life happens Meg @ Adventures with Jude Megan @ My Full Heart  Melanie @ finchnwren Melissa @ Mom's Plans