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  • Homeschooling 101
    • Homeschool How-To
    • Hands-On Homeschool
    • Real-Life Homeschooling
  • Ask a NextGen Homeschooler
    • Your Questions Answered
    • NextGen Perspectives
    • Why We Homeschool
  • Homeschool Encouragement
    • Faith & Family
    • Ten Things to Let Go of This Year
  • Conquering the Homeschool Conference: Five Smart Strategies
    Homeschool How-To - NextGen Perspectives

    Conquering the Homeschool Conference: Five Smart Strategies to Leave Equipped, Not Exhausted

    - By Renée Gotcher

    Last month, I shared the top five reasons I believe all homeschooling parents should consider attending a homeschool conference—especially if it’s local. However, I also understand that many aspects of attending a conference can be daunting for even the most organized homeschooler. Decisions such as how to simplify travel, stay…

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  • Feeling Stuck in Your Homeschooling Journey?
    Homeschool Encouragement - NextGen Perspectives

    Feeling Stuck in Your Homeschooling Journey? Three Steps to Move Forward With Confidence in Your Current Season

    - By Renée Gotcher

    Whether you’re just finding your footing or you’ve been on this road for a while, we all know the homeschooling journey isn’t exactly a straight line. All homeschoolers go through different seasons — some years are full of energy and excitement, and in others we’re just doing our best to…

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  • Why Use an Independent School (Umbrella School) if It’s Not Required?
    Homeschool How-To - NextGen Perspectives

    Why Use an Independent School (Umbrella School) if It’s Not Required?

    - By Renée Gotcher

    When my mom decided to start homeschooling in 1988, I was just two years away from finishing high school. We had moved too far from my public high school for me to continue attending, so she included me in this sweeping decision, despite my initial resistance. From my questioning teenage…

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  • Am I Preparing My Teen for Success After High School?
    Homeschool Encouragement - Homeschool How-To

    Am I Preparing My Teen for Success After High School?

    - By Renée Gotcher

    Whether you are new to homeschooling teens, a few years into your journey with high school on the horizon, or still considering whether to homeschool through the high school years, you are probably struggling with concerns like: What if I’m not qualified to equip my teen for academic success? If…

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  • Looking for homeschool community? Start a simple homeschool co-op!
    Homeschool How-To - Hands-On Homeschool

    Looking for homeschool community? Start a simple homeschool co-op!

    - By Renée Gotcher

    The foundational idea of a homeschool co-op is to “cooperate” with one or more families to share any part of the home education process. Co-ops can be as simple as two families meeting regularly to cover one subject or as complex as a large, organized, fee-based program covering a myriad…

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  • Homeschooling With the End in Mind
    Homeschool Encouragement - Homeschool How-To

    Homeschooling With the End in Mind

    - By Renée Gotcher

    If you’ve been homeschooling for any amount of time, I’m sure you’ve encountered at least one person who has questioned your decision to do so. I remember when we began homeschooling in 2010, every time I met someone new and introduced myself as a homeschooling mom, the response would be,…

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  • Multi-generational Travel
    Faith & Family - NextGen Perspectives - Real-Life Homeschooling

    Why Multi-Generational Travel Matters

    - By Renée Gotcher

    For us, family travel is a legacy: It’s a priceless inheritance that’s been passed on from one generation to the next. From immigrant families that established new roots in the United States to pioneering families who headed west and farming families who settled down across the plains, my husband’s family…

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  • Why a Daily Homeschool Routine Works for Us
    Homeschool How-To

    Why a Daily Homeschool Routine Works for Us

    - By Renée Gotcher

    As a former editorial manager who juggled a team of writers, editors, and various project deadlines on a wall-sized whiteboard and spreadsheet, I didn’t expect to encounter challenges managing our daily homeschool schedule. However, our first two years of homeschooling, it seemed that no matter what fabulous recommended scheduling system…

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  • Find Freedom from Your Homeschooling Fears
    Faith & Family - Homeschool Encouragement

    Find Freedom From Your Homeschooling Fears

    - By Renée Gotcher

    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 with some of these fears — myself included. I find…

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  • Homeschool How-To - Hands-On Homeschool

    Take the Complexity out of Homeschool Co-Ops

    - By Renée Gotcher

    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 an educational “co-op” — or at least it should be. However, as homeschooling…

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  • Must We Finish Curriculum?
    Homeschool Encouragement - Homeschool How-To - Real-Life Homeschooling

    Spring Dilemma: Must We Finish Curriculum?

    - By Renée Gotcher

    With the joy and sunshine of spring comes this very familiar reader question each year: “I feel like the end of this school year is coming much faster that I want it to, and I’m worried that I need to finish every textbook and lesson from the curriculum that we’re using…

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  • Homeschool Encouragement - Faith & Family

    Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Fear

    - By Renée Gotcher

    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 with some of these fears — myself included. I find…

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