This past week my family traveled to Washington D.C. to attend my favorite homeschooling conference, Teach Them Diligently. However, Teach Them Diligently isn’t just about homeschooling: It’s about the heart of families centered on God’s Word and our calling as parents to disciple our children. Last year was my first […]
Author: Renée Gotcher
Missional Women: Being a Missional Mom
Two weeks ago, I was blessed to attend the Denver Missional Women Conference with my sister-in-law, NextGen Homeschool Author Rosanna Ward, and my first-gen homeschooling mother-in-law Karen Gotcher. Our attendance came together very last minute, however God demonstrated to me that when HE is on a mission, the message is […]
Why I Can’t Wait for Teach Them Diligently D.C.
This year my family is planning to attend the Teach Them Diligently Convention in Washington D.C., taking place May 15-17. Last year, my homeschooling sister-in-law Rosanna and I attended our first Teach Them Diligently in Omaha — and we haven’t been the same homeschoolers since! (See her post on why she’s […]
Part Three: Seeking God’s Direction
When you are faced with major decisions regarding your homeschooling, your family, your own personal role and relationships, seeking God’s direction can be challenging. Even daily decisions can get bogged down with the opinions and advice of others, self doubt, and conflicting messages from our culture. As I shared in […]
Hands-on Homeschool: Garden Prep Field Trip
Last week we took a few days off for a spring garden prep “field trip” at the home of my in-laws in Kansas. Grandpa and Grandma Gotcher are “firstgen” homeschoolers: They began homeschooling my husband and his two sisters in the early 1980s. They needed help getting their orchard and […]
Ask a NextGen Homeschooler: Must I Finish Every Textbook?
“Ask a NextGen Homeschooler” is your turn to ask our authors — formerly homeschooled moms who are now homeschooling our children — to weigh in on your homeschooling questions. We welcome all of your questions, whether you’re looking for practical tips or support and encouragement! This week’s question was brought […]
Whole-Hearted Homeschooling: It’s Not What You Do, But Why
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting 20-year homeschooling veteran Lori Lane, founder of Artios Academies and The End in Mind, a Christian homeschooling encouragement blog. As the guest speaker for my local homeschool support group, Lori shared her personal homeschooling journey and its connection to the foundation of […]
Ask a NextGen Homeschooler: How Can I Breathe Life Into My Homeschool Curriculum?
Welcome to “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler.” It’s your turn to ask the authors of NextGen Homeschool — formerly homeschooled moms who are now homeschooling our children — to weigh in on your homeschooling questions. From the practical to the personal, all questions are welcome! This week’s question comes from a […]
Five Places to Find Spiritual Refreshment
Every journey requires times of rest to regroup and restore physically and mentally. As homeschoolers, we know this all to well: It’s easy to burn out when we don’t pace ourselves and take necessary breaks. It’s no different with our spiritual journey. If we’re running full steam ahead ourselves and […]
Considering Homeschooling? Trust Your Calling
Recently a good friend of mine surprised me by asking if we could get together to talk about homeschooling. I wasn’t surprised that she might consider it, but I was surprised by the timing and eagerness to get it all figured out right now — months before the school year’s […]
Simple Homeschool Co-Op for Tweens: Book Clubs
Last week we kicked off our fourth semester of girls book club with ten other homeschooling moms & their daughters. The girls book club is a homeschool “co-op” (cooperative education group) that I started two years ago and have continued to coordinate since then, chronicling our journey here at NextGen […]
Homeschooling Tweens: Great Group Activities
Today we’re finally celebrating my eldest daughter’s thirteenth birthday with her friends (two weeks late!), and as we prepare to welcome her guests, I’m reminded about how blessed we are to have made such wonderful friendships with other families of “tweens” in our local homeschool support group. This year we […]