Valentine’s Day Present for Homeschooling Moms: Winter Fun Ideas

Picture of terrier dyed blue for winter fun

Mom asks: Do you have any ideas for winter fun?Help! Any suggestions for activities for the kids to make it through the winter blues of February? or a muddy Spring?

Mallory:  Every. Single. Homeschooling. Mom is wondering the same things 😜. Seriously can’t wait for spring to get here so we can go outside regularly.

Andrea: February is so hard.

Continue reading “Valentine’s Day Present for Homeschooling Moms: Winter Fun Ideas”

Reasons to Homeschool This Year

Reasons to Homeschool, photo shows girls crying, other girls pointing at her and laughing

You Should Homeschool Your Children This Year. Homeschooling is Reasonable. 

That means that there are good reasons for you to homeschool this year. 
It is a reasonable decision people make on behalf of their children considering their other school options.
I  know you can homeschool successfully and do a great job with your child academically. How do I know this?
I’m an ordinary mom.
With a lot of determination.
I did it. We did it.
My husband was supportive and I taught.
With 4 strong-willed kids, a limited budget, and a lot of determination. 
My children then conquered college and careers.
They are successful.
The best part?
They love and serve the Lord as adults.
They are the amazing people they are because of homeschooling.

Homeschooling Successfully-

I did it so I know you can, too.

Here are good reasons to homeschool.

Continue reading “Reasons to Homeschool This Year”

Homeschooling Isn’t A Safe Decision

Homeschooling Isn’t A Safe Decision.

It isn’t safe to decide to homeschool.
You will get a lot of unasked for advice.
Criticism.
Doubt.
But if the Lord is leading you to homeschool,
GO FOR IT!

You are Safe to Homeschool with the Lord!

If the Lord is leading you
and your spouse is supportive,
if you are determined to do what it takes for your child’s success,
then
you can successfully homeschool your child.

Homeschooling isn’t a safe decision, but it may be the best decision for your family.

It is easier to keep your child where they are for education and then complain about it. Homeschooling isn’t a safe decision, but it allows you to make the educational choices your children need.
Many of the moms in my co-op over the 24 years chose homeschooling because their children had special needs. They were determined to help their children maximize their potential- whatever that looked like.
If you have a special needs child, I highly recommend the book Special Education: A Biblical Approach edited by Joe P. Sutton.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “The knowledge that every one of us has everything he needs to do the will of God for his life is truly the hidden treasure.” p.30.
It is easier to talk about what is going wrong in the school and culture than it is to decide to do something about it. Homeschooling isn’t a safe decision, but it allows you time to address cultural issues with your children from a biblical perspective.
It is easier to put other things ahead of your child’s education. Homeschooling isn’t a safe decision as it will require sacrifices of you and your family.
Rant: Frankly, I am tired of parents whining that they don’t have any free time to do what they want. Parenting is not about free time. There is no EASY button for parenting and it is not about you for the 18 plus or minus years that you have to influence your children. Take responsibility for the children you have brought into the world and do your best to raise them for the Lord.
Be careful! Those sacrifices, that additional time teaching truth to your children,  and those conversations are going to lead to something you will never expect.
You are going to enjoy homeschooling WAY MORE than you think you will, meet some incredible people, and raise some incredible people!
Please join my FB group Homeschool Christian Mom for homeschool support and <bonus> artprojects!
https://homeschoolchristianmom.com/homeschooling-basics-getting-started/

There are very good boxed all-in-one curriculums out there. I used and recommend BJU Press Homeschool curriculum for all my kids K thru 12. You can do parent led where you teach or purchase the DVD’s or get the same material through the computer. For any of those ways, there are recommendations for grading or they do it for you.

I love the BJU curriculum because they have thought of everything. Subjects are well put together, they list tons of extra resources if you need it and all the prep work is done. On day one, you teach lesson one, etc. So the value of that kind of complete curriculum was worth every penny to me.This post contains affiliate links.  Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.

If you are purchasing the curriculum for your children, I have some reviews of materials on Youtube Homeschool Christian Mom. I teach a lesson during my review and give you an idea of how a lesson or subject works.

There is no perfect curriculum! The public school teachers use what they have and make it work. You can do the same thing- use the best curriculum you can get.

My own philosophy is to buy a good, all-inclusive curriculum and use it. If it doesn’t quite fit your child or his needs, it is much easier and less expensive to modify a good curriculum than to buy and buy and buy trying to find the perfect books. I do recommend using a complete program such at BJU Press Homeschool, whether parent-led, on-line, or on DVD’s.  For me, it made homeschooling through high school not only doable but wildly successful.

It is a great blessing that there are such good curriculums available: as parent-led (you teach the material using the teacher’s book and your child has the student text), DVD’s (you watch the lessons and use the student books to do the work) or Distance Learning On-line programs (Daily video lessons are delivered to your child by expert teachers. Lessons, eTextbooks, and assignments can be accessed from the web.)

Here are some curriculum reviews to help you:

Review of Footsteps for Fours: BJU Press Homeschool

6th Grade Spelling, BJU Press

Biblical Worldview textbook

Art Porthole Project and Art Text Review

Even if you go with a different company, BJU Press Homeschool curriculum is recognized as one of the best Christian curriculums in the world and a look at these books will help you evaluate any other curriculums.

I am more than glad to help you as well. Please join me on Facebook group Homeschool Christian Mom and get the assistance you need to be a successful teacher and  parent, no matter what reasons you have for beginning your homeschooling now.

Join me! Homeschool Christian Mom FREE Facebook group with tips on grading, scheduling and more!

Homeschool Christian Mom Facebook page: We discuss the ins and outs of our homeschooling days and offer great ideas to help each other succeed.

Youtube: Homeschool Christian Mom These videos discuss homeschool scheduling, working with your Littles, thinking long term, and many other topics.

Let’s connect:

Join me! Homeschool Christian Mom FREE Facebook group with tips on grading, scheduling and more!

Let’s connect:

Join me! Homeschool Christian Mom FREE Facebook group with tips on grading, scheduling and more!

Youtube: Homeschool Christian Mom These videos discuss homeschool scheduling, working with your Littles, thinking long term, and many other topics.

For additional home schooling support, work with me!

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Twitter   @hmschchristnmom

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Do you need some extra homeschooling help? Use this link to get on my calendar and let’s chat! Move from being a hesitant homeschool mom to a happy homeschool family.