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You are here: Home / Archives for planning

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5 Tips to Balance Busyness in Your Homeschool

August 15, 2018 By Crafty Team Leave a Comment

5 Tips to Balance Homeschool Busyness

The demands on moms today, especially homeschool moms, are overwhelming. The truth is, most of those demands we create for ourselves. Do you find yourself say, “I’m so busy!” or even, “I’m way too busy.” I understand.

Here are five tips to find homeschool balance and why super mom is not busy mom.

Tip One: Create a Homeschool Mission Statement

Before you balk, thinking this is one more thing you have to do, this can be super helpful. It doesn’t need to be fancy or overly complicated. A simple paragraph of what you want to accomplish this year in your homeschool can help keep you on track. For example, “Our homeschooling goal for this school year is to be consistent with read-alouds, complete all textbook work planned out, be consistent with our daily schedule, and participate in one out-of-the-house activity.”

That doesn’t seem like a big deal, right? But this is a powerful little paragraph as the other tips will show. If you want, you can also have a family mission statement. This can help you keep homeschooling in perspective, too.

Tip Two: Recognize Your Limits

Let’s face it. We can’t do all.the.things. And we certainly can’t honor our mission statement and still get them all done. We have to be honest with ourselves and recognize that there’s no way we can do more than we can do. We can always do what we should do, if we are careful to honor what we should do first. 

If you’re the mom of littles, recognizing your limits will help you to spend your best energy on your own little family. Small children require great physical stamina!

As your kids grow, they demand more emotional energy. Knowing that you can’t pour from an empty cup will help you be available to them. Fill your cup with self-care and recognize when you’re moving into the burnout danger zone.

Tip Three: Learn to Say No (without explanation)

There are so many things that want our time and attention. A lot of them good things. Extracurricular activities, church, extended family, and friends. But hear me on this, you can’t say yes to everything without burning yourself out. If you’ve neglected your appearance, your health, or most importantly- your spiritual health, by saying yes to everything, it’s time to learn the power of no.

You can really say no without explanation. Ninety-nine percent of the time, no explanation is warranted anyway. Just say no. If it doesn’t help you honor your homeschool mission statement, you can turn it down. You have the power to do that.

Tip Four: Plan to Succeed

It doesn’t matter how you plan, as long as you do. In general, things don’t just happen.

Without a plan you’re more likely to overextend, say yes, and stray far from the good things you hope to accomplish. Our cell phones, Facebook, and boredom can distract us from our mission.

If you’re not a planner, creating a repeatable rhythm in your home can go a long way. Same wake-up times, same bed times, meals, and schooling.

If you fall somewhere between ninja planner and rhythm keeper, you can keep a simple calendar and a daily to-do list.  Print our FREE (SIMPLE) Homeschool Planning Pack Here

Tip Five: Ask for Help

There are going to be times, despite your best efforts, where you just can’t get the important things done without asking for help. Just ask.

Whether it’s your mom-in-law, sister, or spouse, be specific about where you need help and let them share your burden for a bit. This can be humbling if we’re used to doing all the things ourselves, but no one who loves you would want you to tough it through burn out.

There are no awards to be won for being busy for the sake of being busy. It’s totally fine to let others pitch in so you can rest when you need to, or simply get caught up.

The homeschool year may be just starting for you. I hope that these five tips to go from super busy, mythical super mom to peaceful and productive and present mom, bless you.

What tip can you use today to bring peace to your own homeschool?


Homeschool Helps

There are days when having something fun and educational to do can be a life-saver!  The Bible ABC Curriculum to the rescue.

Over 600 pages of downloadable resources for teaching children the Alphabet one week at a time. For each letter of the alphabet, you’ll receive 24 pages of Bible activities, games, worksheets, charts, coloring pages, math explorations and more. Designed to keep the prep work to a minimum, our Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook can be spread over 26 weeks.  View the sample pages above for a detailed course outline and a suggested 4-day schedule.  Suggested age range is Preschool to K4.

Bible ABC Curriculum Notebook

Filed Under: Homeschool Classroom, Homeschool Schedule Tagged With: balance, busy, family, homeschool, homeschool mission statement, mission statement, peaceful, planning

10 Tips for Homeschooling around Holidays

December 20, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Life can get hectic at any point during the year, but this is especially true during the holidays.  While most of these tips are written with Christmas in mind, they can apply anytime your school year gets busy.

1) Learn to say NO.

Volunteer opportunities abound during the Holidays, particularly at church.  Homeschooling takes as much time as a fulltime job.  Be very cognizant of not putting too much extra on your plate during this busy time.  It’s okay to just say no.

2) Plan for The Time Off That You Will Need

It’s best if you plan for time off during the Holidays before you even begin the school year.  Working a vacation into your lesson schedule will be a major sanity saver.  Try your best to make it happen if you can.  Read tips on Homeschool Scheduling Here.

3) Work on Your Kid’s Favorite Subjects

When kids are dreaming of Santa and sugar plums it will be harder for them to concentrate on their lessons.  Getting ahead in favorite subjects can be a fantastic way to make this distractible time work for everyone.  Better yet, try out our Holiday SMART Packs.  They provide you with fun, thematic, educational content for an entire week.

4) Extra Reading Time

Even when your kids aren’t in classes, independent reading time is a great way to keep them in learning mode.  Take a trip to the local library and pack in some holiday themed books!  I know my children love to learn about the origination of each holiday or holidays in other countries for example.

5) Play Math and Reading Games

There are plenty of ideas online with learning games for every grade.  Put some prep work in the night before and get your kids playing games that will teach them at the same time.   ABCya and MathPlayground are two of our favorites.

6) Eliminate Non-Essential Chores

If there are any chores you feel comfortable eliminating for a few weeks, do it.  There are plenty of nonessential things that can wait until the holidays blow over.

7) Swap sitting or hire a sitter.

Between parties, and Christmas gifts sometimes you just need extra help.  If a sitter isn’t in your budget consider swapping sitting time with another family.

8) Shop Online

I love getting out of the house and shopping for presents, but let’s be honest online shopping can be a huge time saver.  When you’re trying to homeschool through the holidays Amazon Prime is worth the price.  Try Amazon Prime Free for 30 days Here.

9) Let Someone Else Host the Party

Logistically, sometimes it’s easiest to have the family with the biggest family, or smallest baby host the Christmas party.  Consider however the amount of time and deep cleaning that will go into hosting your event.  If someone else is willing to host, consider letting them.

10) Relax, and Enjoy.

Don’t let life get too hectic.  Take time to sing, bake cookies, read books, make art project and absorb the season.  Get plenty of pictures, and try to remember the smiles for years to come.

 

BONUS TIP:  Try out our Holiday S.M.A.R.T. Packs for an entire week’s worth of engaging holiday learning!

Filed Under: Holiday Printables, Homeschool Schedule Tagged With: christmas, holidays, homeschooling, planning, scheduling, unit study

All About Me Worksheet

August 7, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick 3 Comments

BacktoSchoolPin

If you have a young child entering a new school year, this is a great opportunity for them to share about all their favorites and what makes them unique.  Today I’ve designed two different keepsake worksheets (one for a boy and one for a girl) for children to color and fill in with all their favorites.

All About Me Boy

All About Me Girl

There are lots of spots to fill in, I suggest younger children can draw most of their answers or you can write them in for them.

Find more free Preschool Printables Here

Filed Under: Alphabet Printables, Homeschool Schedule, Preschool Printables, Worksheets Tagged With: all abut me, back to school, homeschool, planning, preschool

Free Homeschool Planning Printables

August 23, 2015 By Valerie Mcclintick 3 Comments

HomeschoolPlanningPin

Well, I’ve done it again.

I’ve waited until the last two weeks before really coming up with a solid Homeschool Plan.

Sure I’ve been collecting various eBooks and curriculum resources over the Summer, but it’s been more like a Homeschool Curriculum feeding frenzy instead of an organized and thoughful process.

It’s time to load everything on the table and see what I’m working with here folks

Classroom.

That is not even this years photo.

I’m so far behind, I haven’t even made the obligatory mess of dining room table yet.

It’s going to be a busy week folks.

So to keep myself invested in this process I decided to update our Independent Weekly Homeschool Calendar, as well as our Goals and Planing sheets.  You can still print the older versions here and here if you like them, but this year I needed a little Color Pop to get my act in gear.  If you’re struggling to wrap your head around how to schedule your curriculum, try this simple tip for each subject.  How to make a list of Goals, Resources, and Action Plan

SimplePlanner

Homeschool Planning Pack

Simple homeschool planning resources you will actually use!  Less is more when it comes to organizing and planning out your homeschool year.  These resources will help you set goals, keep track of curriculum decisions and orders, and teach your student to keep an independent weekly calendar.

  • Homeschool Goals
  • Homeschool Curriculum Planning
  • Independent Student Calendar

I’ll be using these with my younger children this year for sure!  My older children are going to try Lesson Trek, mostly because I thought Middle School would be a great time to learn how to keep an online calendar as well.  We’re always looking for real life scenarios to add in that Technology requirement!

If you’re still curriculum shopping like me be sure to check out our Curriculum Reviews and our Homeschool eBooks!

ACNBooksTransparentSmall

I’ve just finished our Letter of the Week Preschool Curriulum, and it’s very low-prep, so grab that if you need a quick fix for your kiddo too.

Filed Under: Homeschool Budget, Homeschool Classroom, Homeschool Curriculum, Homeschool Schedule Tagged With: calendar, homeschool, planner, planning, weekly, worksheet

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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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#worksheetsforkids #numbermats Fine Motor Number C #worksheetsforkids #numbermats Fine Motor Number Charts, numbers 0-30. Our number charts will help your students learn one-to-one correspondence, numbers in order from 0-30, patterns, numerals, and their names. Our number charts are colorful and fun, making them a great first step to getting your students to count. Add them now to your math center! (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fine-Motor-Numbers-Charts-6734309?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=thecraftyclassroom&utm_content=Fine%20Motor%20Numbers%3A%20Charts
#worksheetsforkids #numbermats Fine Motor Number C #worksheetsforkids #numbermats Fine Motor Number Charts, numbers 0-30. Our number charts will help your students learn one-to-one correspondence, numbers in order from 0-30, patterns, numerals, and their names. Our number charts are colorful and fun, making them a great first step to getting your students to count. Add them now to your math center! (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fine-Motor-Numbers-Charts-6734309?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=thecraftyclassroom&utm_content=Fine%20Motor%20Numbers%3A%20Charts
Our HUGE Maze Activity Bundle includes a wide vari Our HUGE Maze Activity Bundle includes a wide variety of hands-on learning opportunities for your students!  Includes 15 maze activity packs filled with differentiated learning material for multiple ages and abilities.  Includes our popular Editable Word Mazes set that will allow you to create your own mazes using spelling words, sight words, student names, and more! (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom https://craftyclassroom.com/product/maze-activity-bundle/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=thecraftyclassroom&utm_content=Printable%20Mazes%20for%20Kids
A-Z Beginning Letter Alphabet Mazes: This set incl A-Z Beginning Letter Alphabet Mazes: This set includes 26 individual letter mazes for students to practice the beginning letter sound. Students will follow this letter from start to finish by identifying different beginning letter sound pictures.
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