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You are here: Home / Archives for homeschool encouragement

homeschool encouragement

Homeschool Burnout: Why You Should Plan to Fail

September 18, 2020 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

You have been planning for weeks, maybe months. The pencils are all sharpened, the textbooks are nice and shiny, and you have your schedule all laid out. What could do wrong? The truth is anything! Just as in life, things can and will go wrong. Does that mean you have failed? Not really. Every homeschooling mom faces challenges and failures. So the key is to prepare for them before it happens. Difficulties can easily lead to burnout unless you plan to fail! Here are the many ways you can plan to fail, so you can pull through and succeed.

Schedule Fails

On paper, your schedule looks perfect. You envision the day running smoothly from one subject to another, then enjoying an afternoon with the kids or tackling your own work while the happily play. However, even the best designed schedule can fail. Maybe starting at 8 AM is never going to work. Perhaps, by the time you get to history or science the kids are spent. Or what happens when language arts takes 45 mins instead of the 20 you plan? Instead of beating yourself up that you can’t stick to the schedule, make the schedule stick to your homeschool. A schedule is a tool, be willing to revise and adapt. Use the first couple of weeks to get a feel for how your homeschool works and then set a schedule, remember to be flexible, though. Scheduling failures will happen, re-evaluate your plan periodically to adjust for seasonal and family changes.

SIMPLE Homeschool Planner

Curriculum Fails

So, you spent 24,578 hours researching curriculum. You consulted all the experts, and checked out what your favorite influencers on Instagram are using. You know this is THE BEST curriculum for your family and homeschooling is going to be amazing. That is until it isn’t. What happens when the textbook or course that “everyone” is raving about becomes what you dread every morning as you open your eyes? The truth is that there are no bad curriculum choices, only bad choices for your family. That top rated math program or celebrated history book could be great but if it doesn’t work for you family, it really doesn’t matter. Give yourself grace and be willing to walk away. The frustration from trying to make curriculum work can easily spill into overall overwhelm with homeschooling. Then, the burnout will begin. Instead, be willing to make a change, sell the curriculum or shelve it for later. Either way, look at this as a new possibility and learning experience.

Life Fails

Life happens! Right? So don’t be surprised when life happens in your homeschool. The sink may get clogged or the dog get loose. You could easily fall behind on the laundry or lose power because of a storm. Then there are the unexpected interruptions. Remember, life isn’t perfect and it’s the challenges and surprises that keep it interesting. So, plan on the best-laid plans often going astray. Leave some wiggle room in your planning so you have built-in catch up time and aren’t scrambling at the end or a quarter or end of the year to fit everything in.

How to Fail At Homeschool (And What You Can Do Instead)

Behavior Fails

Sometimes the moon is full, the sugar levels are high, or kids just are being silly. All of these can make getting through a lesson really difficult. You may begin to question if you have what it takes to homeschool. How can you really make it work if you can’t get Johnny to just finish his math work without you reminding him a million times? Kids will be kids and sometimes they just won’t love doing homeschool work. Other times, there may be growing pains or personal struggles to deal with. Be patient, work it out, and take a deep breath. You can do this, just take a step back instead of going down the rabbit hole of overwhelm and exasperation. That is the surest way to burnout.

Mom Fails

Ok, mom, even you are going to have bad days. There are going to be times when you just don’t feel like doing school. There may be times when you feel lonely, or maybe you are tired or sick. That’s okay. Just as with life, challenges will come. Some days, mom just need a day off, too! So, consider taking a snow day, rain day, or even a sun day! Pick an educational movie, pop some popcorn, and veg out with the kids on the couch. Also, realize that homeschool moms need support, you can’t do this alone. Find another homeschool mom to connect with so you can give each other pep talks when needed.

Homeschooling Without a Classroom

Classroom Fails

In a high-tech classroom, failure is inevitable. As great as technology is, it is prone to problems. You never really know when the computer will decide to do a 2-hour update or the Internet will go out. Does that mean you shouldn’t use technology to make your school day run more smoothly? No, just plan for things to go wrong. If most of your lessons are online, have a set of off-line activities and books to use when you can’t get online. The key is to be flexible and realize that the minor setback does not have to derail your entire year.

Some other Ways to Prepare to Fail:

  • Join a co-op so you don’t have to teach every class and have activities all in one place
  • Build a community for social activities, fun, and support
  • Have a back up plan for days that don’t go as planned
  • Take a step back and make decisions objectively instead of with high emotions
  • Realize that no decision has to last forever
  • Remember even experienced homeschoolers have failures during the year, the trick is planning to fail before it happens.
Homeschool Failure Meme

Filed Under: Homeschool Schedule Tagged With: homeschool encouragement

Homeschooling Through The Winter: Tips & Tricks to Make it Through

January 31, 2020 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Winter is here and the homeschool year is beginning to drag on. With the colder temperatures and shorter days, homeschooling through winter can be a challenge. This is the perfect time to have some fun, experience new things, and build precious memories. Here are some tips and tricks for making it through winter this year.

Winter Field Trips for Homeschooling

Leave the classroom behind! It is easy to focus on “doing school” and forget one of the best benefits of homeschooling–educating on your terms. Homeschooling shouldn’t be about plowing through checklists. It is really more about home than school! 

Take some field trips (see below), participate in a service project or visit family. Give your children so hands-on, real life experience. These memories will stick with them for years to come. Plus, they will have a chance to practice everything they are learning during school hours.

Schedule a Reading Week

Sometimes you just need a break. However, you don’t want to lose momentum and have to regroup everyone, especially after the holiday season. Reading week to the rescue!  For reading week, everyone has to read during school hours. It could be something specific or just anything they choose. You can mix assigned readings with free choice. 

Have everyone put together a pile of books, and then take a reading vacation. This maintains the rhythm of school without the burden of lessons. Make sure mom and dad get in on the act.  Print these FREE Reading Bookmarks, Charts and More for your Homeschool Reading Week!

Have a Snow Day

Every public school kid looks forward to snow days. Sometimes, homeschoolers just need to do the same. Close your school for the day, light a fire, mix up some hot chocolate, and let the kids just play in the snow. This will help burn off some steam in the middle of winter. Plus, they will be exploring nature, every moment is a learning opportunity.

Don’t get snow?  You can still take a day off.  Try whipping up a batch of this Super Soft & Sparkly Wintermint Playdough! Schools take off for all kinds of reasons. Pick your own and enjoy hours of play. Homeschool life is not meant to be all work and no fun! Try these fun Fine Motor Snow Man activity pages for some hands-on fun!

Mix It Up with Some Delicious Winter Cooking Lessons

Cook up some fun and tasty treats this winter. The kitchen is the best place to learn about science, math, geography, history, and nutrition. So, put down the books and notebooks, and take out the pots and pans.

Here are a few Kid-Friendly Winter Recipes to get you started:

  • Candy Cane Popcorn
  • Winter Salad Recipe
    Popcorn Snowmen
  • Banana Berry & Yogurt Muffins

You don’t have to be a master chef to teach through cooking. There are plenty of YouTube channels and cookbooks to guide you. Start where you feel comfortable and grow from there…or take on a challenge and learn together.

Winter Field Trip Ideas for homeschooling in winter

Winter is a great time for field trips, here are some ideas:

  • Museums
  • Art Gallery
  • Underground Mine Tour
  • Aquarium
  • Winter Nature Walk
  • Ice Skating
  • Factory tour
  • Town Hall
  • Fire Station
  • Tour of Your Town or County
  • A New Library
  • Skiing
  • Snow Tubing
  • Craft Studio
  • Train trip (near or far)

Homeschool Encouragement for Mom

Homeschooling through the winter can be hardest for mom. The excitement of the new year has worn off, the holidays are over, and summer feels very far away. It’s important to realize that homeschooling in winter is hard on every homeschool mom. You are not alone. Let’s look at some other self-care tips and tricks to make it through for mom. Here are some encouraging homeschool mom ideas:

  • Take care of your health. Get plenty of sleep and eat well. Sometimes getting sick is impossible to avoid. However, do what you can to keep yourself healthy and avoid the added pressure of homeschooling while sick.
  • Be willing to take time out and catch your breath. Sometimes, you just need 30 seconds to take a deep breath and move on. Giving yourself space and a bit of time is healthy and useful.
  • Get moving. Even if exercise is just a walk around your house or a quick workout on your stairs, getting your body moving will help you deal with the added stress.
  • Find a bit of comfort. Homeschool moms don’t have much time for pampering. However, make a routine of doing something nice for yourself each day. Enjoy a cup of tea. Use a nice body butter to smooth rough winter skin. Listen to a podcast. It doesn’t have to be big to have a big impact.
  • Connect with other moms. Whether it is online or in real life, having other moms on your side is therapeutic. Everyone has difficult homeschool days. And every homeschool mom is just trying to make it through the long winter. Get inspired by others, vent if you have to, and know that you are doing an amazing job!

Filed Under: Homeschool Tools, Winter Tagged With: encouraging words for moms, homeschool encouragement, homeschool field trip ideas

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I am a Christian mother of four, with over 13-years experience homeschooling in Southern Oregon. The resources and products I create are designed to keep the prep to a minimum while also bringing a little educational fun to your classroom

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