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3 Keys to Increasing Communication with Your Children About How and What They Would Like to Learn

January 30, 2014 by

Welcome to the fifth and final week in this series on Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year.  I’m excited to share with you today about communicating with your children regarding learning methods and topics!

3 Keys to Increasing Communication with Your Children About How and What They Would Like to Learn www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #communication

For a while after we began homeschooling, we followed a packaged curriculum and really enjoyed it. In fact, even though we don’t currently use a full packaged curriculum, I do have a favorite and may go back to it with my littlest two girls in the fall. I have such fond memories of our learning time with our books from Heart of Dakota Publishing!

When my 4th child was born, we began to move away from the full package of curriculum. I needed my children to work more independently at that time. My children were also getting a bit older and they had expressed the desire to begin learning about their individual interests more, as well. This is the plan I came up with to meet their needs.

3 Keys to Increasing Communication with Your Children About How and What They Would Like to Learn www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #communication

3 Keys to Increasing Communication with Your Children About How and What They Would Like to Learn

  1. Talk with each of your children about what he or she is interested in learning more about. Keep in mind that these things may be academic in nature, but could also include topics such as cooking, art, beadwork, photography, writing a novel, and more. The sky is the limit! You will be able to find a way to incorporate almost any topic of interest into your learning day.
  2. Take your children to the library, the local bookstore, or used curriculum sales to search for books and/or curriculum that covers their topics of interest. Alternatively, you may also peruse catalogs at home or get online together to search curriculum or other learning web sites and blogs for the perfect learning tools for your family.
  3. Once you have your materials in hand, help your child to come up with a schedule or workable plan for using them to learn as much as possible about the topics he chose.

That’s it. Try using these keys in your homeschool, see how they work for you, and please do come back here and share with me how it’s going!

Do you have tips for increasing communication with your homeschooled child? Please do share in the comments below!

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH, Homeschooling Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

5 Ways to Prepare a Homeschool Schedule

January 16, 2014 by

Welcome to Part 3 our series, Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year! I’m so glad you are here, and I hope to help you learn more about scheduling this week with some tips from me, as well as a few links and recommended resources for your homeschool.

5 Ways to Prepare a Homeschool Schedule www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschoolorganization

In Part 1 of this series we discussed decluttering and in Part 2 we talked about getting rid of curriculum. If you missed either post, be sure to go back and read them before tackling this third step.

After decluttering and getting rid of ‘extra’ curriculum and other unneeded items, in my home it is then time for creating a schedule of sorts.

I have talked before about our unschooling tendencies; our desire to be more child-led in our learning pursuits. Still, we do have a bit of a routine that we follow.

5 Ways to Prepare a Homeschool Schedule www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #homeschoolorganization #organization

Currently we have a large marker board that is located just above my desk near the kitchen. On it are written all of the chores for each child; our weekly menu along with our Dinner Time (6:30), for easy reference when a child invariably asks “what’s for dinner” at 5 p.m. each day; and a current quote or Bible verse which we are trying to live by. Our routine is not written on the board, as everyone already knows what it is. It goes something like this:

  • wake/shower/dress
  • eat breakfast/complete kitchen chores
  • feed pets
  • complete other assigned chores
  • begin any assigned lessons
  • check ongoing chores (such as trash, wiping down table, washing dishes) at key times throughout the day, such as after breakfast, after lunch, and before dinner
  • be sure all chores are complete BEFORE asking for computer/iPad/video game time

This looks great written out, but please know we do not have it all down pat. We have great days, and some are not as great, as far as staying on task goes. We are a work in progress, much like the rest of you.

Are you looking for tips for creating a schedule or routine for your homeschool? Keep reading.

5 Ways to Prepare a Homeschool Schedule

  1. Routine A routine is simply an order of doing things, much like the list I shared above. Decide what needs to be done, list it out, and then instruct your children to follow it in order. For me, this works well, because I have a list to follow but without times listed I do not feel overwhelmed or stressed if we do not finish ‘on time’.
  2. Time Schedule This method is exactly what it says; creating a schedule that lists out exactly what needs to be done and during which timeframes. This may be your preferred method if you do not get stressed trying to be on time or if you need a little nudge to improve punctuality in either yourself or your children.
  3. By curriculum program Using your curriculum exactly as written, following the provided schedule, and sticking to the suggested hours of instruction for each day. This method works for many and if it is what you and your children prefer, I say go for it!
  4. By subject You may choose to have your child complete assignments or learning pursuits by subject. Simply choose one subject per day to study. Perhaps Mondays will be science, Tuesdays will consist of art projects, and so on down the list. This could be a fun way to spend your days, learning about any given subject for hours at a time, never needing to stop to move on to the next subject.
  5. Wing it  Study whatever you want, however you want, anyplace you want, and for as long as you want. No pressure. We use this method a bit, but I am hoping to get to the point where I am completely comfortable and confident enough to wholly embrace it!

Need to see more samples and resources to help you to determine what will work for you? Check out these posts from some of my blogging friends!

Why a Daily Schedule Doesn’t Work for Me ( What We Do Instead) Sarah Mueller

Extra Freebie – Curriculum Planner Sandra Modersohn

Homeschooling Plans, Charts, and Ideas Tonia Lyons

Do you have tips and tricks for scheduling your homeschool day? Please share in the comments! And be sure to visit again next week for Part 4 of this series, Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year!

 

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH, Homeschooling Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Six Steps to Ridding Your Shelves of Extra Homeschool Curriculum

January 9, 2014 by

Six Steps to Ridding Your Shelves of Extra Homeschool Curriculum www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #homeschool #organizing

Welcome back to part 2 of Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year! This week we will tackle what to do with your extra curriculum and other items that were not cleared out last week.

Ridding Your Shelves of Extra Homeschool Curriculum www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschool

Six Steps to Ridding Your Shelves of Extra Homeschool Curriculum 

  1. Determine which items you want to sell and which you would like to donate.
  2. List items on Ebay, hold a garage sale, find a local consignment shop or sale to participate in, or post them on Facebook or your blog as For Sale. Or collect your items all year and participate in your local homeschool curriculum sale at the end of the school year. Often, there are several taking place in any area.
  3. Take boxes and bags of the items you will not try to sell to your local Goodwill, or donate to a church or neighborhood family you know that could use extra clothing, toys, and books. There may be a local shelter or daycare that needs what you have.
  4. Check with local churches if you do not know of anyone in need. My church has a section on their web site for posting items needed or items being offered for sale or donation.
  5. Post a notice in your local homeschool group’s forum or in any Facebook groups you may be a part of (if allowed) about items you would like to donate to homeschool families. I often hear of or from people looking for free or low-cost items because they don’t want to spend a lot before trying, or they just don’t have the extra money to spend at the time. You have the opportunity to be a huge blessing to another homeschooling family by donating your gently used books.
  6. Another possibility is to offer your books and homeschool curriculum for loan or rent. I do not know the ins and outs of this myself, but I feel sure you could do a little research to find out more. Many families simply do not have room to store curriculum permanently, or perhaps they just don’t care to. This could be a workable solution for you and them!

Do you have more suggestions for clearing off your homeschool shelves? Please share in the comments. If you missed Part 1 of this series, please be sure to visit Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year. 


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Interested in joining us for our next Online Bible Study that starts on January 13, 2014?   Click HERE for more details!

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH, Homeschooling Tagged With: , , , , , ,

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering

January 2, 2014 by

Each year, as we enter the new year, many of us begin to set goals or make resolutions. Personally, I don’t make resolutions. I choose a few goals and try to meet those throughout the year. For me, changing the wording helps with that feeling of less-than that often comes when I don’t meet the goal. This way, I still have the rest of the year to succeed!

This month I will be writing a series of posts for At Home w/ GCH that discuss getting our homeschools organized for the new year. With this series, I am hoping to help many of you, as well of myself, as we focus on just one task each week. Feel free to take more than one week to complete each task, though. It will probably take longer than that for me here, since I am also in the midst of homeschooling and working each day, too!

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschool

This week our task is decluttering. I am sorry to say that my home is often cluttered. The job of decluttering seems to be a constant work in progress, and can very easily get me overwhelmed if I don’t focus.

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschool

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering

  1. Set a timer and work for a specific amount of time, then take a break. You will be impressed with how much you actually accomplish in that concentrated amount of time.
  2. Start with one small space. A desk, a drawer, a shelf. Simply beginning is half the battle.
  3. Throw away extraneous papers that are lying around.
  4. File bills, pay stubs, and other important documents.
  5. Purchase plastic or cloth bins to use as storage (found at places like Target, Walmart, or Goodwill and other thrift stores).
  6. Sort toys and books into ‘like’ piles and place them in bins together. This simple step helps so much when it is time for you and your children to clean up!
  7. Label the bins according to the item—blocks, books, Mr. Potato Head, cars, etc.

Do you have tips and tricks for decluttering? Please leave your suggestions in the comments section below! Be sure to check Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year  for other posts as we move forward with this organizational series throughout the month of January.

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH, Homeschooling Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,