For my little family of five, travel is a family legacy: It’s a priceless inheritance that’s been passed on from one generation to the next. My husband’s family history is filled with trailblazing spirit and adventurous exploration, and the many educational excursions […]
Homeschool Encouragement
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When Tough Circumstances Create Doubt: Should I Continue to Homeschool?
I have been homeschooling for 10 years now, and I’ve never really questioned our decision to homeschool. I have always enjoyed teaching my kids and being there for the “lightbulb” moments on their educational journeys. Don’t get me wrong: Homeschooling is hard, […]
Homeschool Encouragement
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Finding Encouragement & Fellowship at Homeschool Moms Winter Summit
I’ll be completely honest: This past year has been a season of real brokenness for me, and I have mostly been in hiding. But when a friend asked me to attend the Oklahoma Homeschool Moms’ Winter Summit with her, I felt “seen” and I thought, “Why not?” […]
Homeschool Encouragement
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Mother & Teacher: How Do You Wear Both Hats?
When I first started homeschooling my two middle-school-aged daughters more than 10 years ago, I remember really struggling with the mother vs. teacher dynamic right off the bat. I thought that homeschooling my girls would bring us closer by adding “teacher” to the roles […]
NextGen Perspectives
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New Name, Old Game: Is Talent Pipeline a New School to Work — And What’s Next?
When I was in college taking American Government in the early 1990s, I wrote a research paper on the then-new School To Work Opportunities Act of 1994. It was legislation written to link to Goals 2000 in an effort to transition […]
NextGen Perspectives
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Homeschool Graduates: The Next Chapter
Many readers know that our two daughters are homeschool graduates: They both graduated from our homeschool when they were 16. Now that several years have passed, I thought it would be a good time to update everyone on how they are doing post-graduation. Our […]
NextGen Perspectives
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Three Generations at Teach Them Diligently
This was my third year attending a Teach Them Diligently Convention. The biggest blessing of the conference this year was being able to attend with three generations of my family: My mom, who homeschooled us in the 1980s, my homeschooling sister […]
Homeschool Encouragement
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Tools to Help You Bloom as a Homeschool Mama
Although I’m a NextGen homeschooler and had a positive personal experience with homeschooling, I struggled with many of the same doubts and fears — the “big fat lies” — that all homeschool mamas face, and I didn’t homeschool from the […]
Homeschool How-To
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Why a Daily Homeschool Routine Works for Us
As a former editorial manager who juggled a team of writers, editors and varying project deadlines on a wall-sized white board and spreadsheet, I didn’t expect to run into challenges managing our daily homeschool schedule. However, our first two years of homeschooling, […]
Faith & Family / Homeschool Encouragement
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Find Freedom From Your Homeschooling Fears
Fear often holds us back in our homeschooling journey and robs us of the joy God has in store for us as we teach our children and create deeper relationships with them. I have yet to meet a homeschooler who hasn’t struggled […]
Homeschool Encouragement / Real-Life Homeschooling
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Learning Continues Despite Life’s Distractions
Even after 10 years of homeschooling, my biggest challenge is still consistency. Because of our lifestyle — owning two busy donut shops — my plans are interrupted on an almost daily basis. Add to that the recent chaos of building a […]
Homeschool How-To
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Take the Complexity out of Homeschool Co-Ops
Today we wrapped up a semester of Botany with our informal homeschool co-op by taking a scavenger hunt hike with three families who have children close in age to ours. This concept of sharing educational experiences with a few friends is the essential definition of […]
Hands-On Homeschool
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Travel is… the Ultimate Educational Adventure!
This month NextGen Homeschool is joining 30 other family bloggers for the “Travel is…” Family Travel Blogging Series at Word Traveling, where we’ll be providing practical and personal insights into what travel means to us and our families. NextGen Homeschool’s Post: Travel is the Ultimate […]
Homeschool How-To
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Give Your Homeschool New Life: Take it Outside!
Today while my eldest daughter was at the park with me, she noticed a picnic table in a secluded area with trees around it and said, “Look mom — that would be a nice place for us to do school one […]
NextGen Perspectives
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Being Frugal Without Being a Cheapskate
Are homeschoolers cheap? Hopefully, we are frugal — not cheapskates! There’s a difference between being a good financial steward and avoiding paying a fair share of costs or expenses. As homeschoolers, I think we should strive to be frugal, but not […]