Welcome to NextGen Homeschool’s Homeschool Conventions 2013 Series! This year the authors of NextGen Homeschool are covering several conferences all across the country, and we’ll be posting on the experience, the curriculum news, and the big-picture issues discussed at each conference. We’ve also posted a wonderful planning tutorial — Homeschool…
Welcome to NextGen Homeschool’s Homeschool Conventions 2013 Series! This year the authors of NextGen Homeschool are covering several conferences all across the country, and we’ll be posting on the experience, the vendor hall, and the big-picture issues discussed at each conference. We’ve also posted a convention planning tutorial — Homeschool…
We are quickly approaching the homeschool conventions season. I love this time of year, and every year I eagerly anticipate our local homeschool convention in Oklahoma. This year is going to be even better: I am also planning to go to the “Teach Them Diligently” convention in Omaha, Nebraska. Teach…
Spring is in the air — at least in some parts of the country — and as you start counting the few weeks left until summer, you might be asking yourself: Must I finish all these textbooks? In a word, no. For one thing, public school classrooms rarely finish a…
Once again, it is spring break! Every year at about this time, I find myself needing the break. But I also get worried that taking one may put us behind (or further behind than I already feel). I count the weeks left until my arbitrary “school’s out” date and worry…
In my life this week… The past few days have been gorgeous here in Northeast Oklahoma. Today it is in the mid 70s and sunny. My husband came home from working at the Daylight Donuts shops we own and took our son Joel golfing. On Thursday mornings, Joel goes with…
When I first started homeschooling eight years ago, I didn’t really know much about learning styles. I also didn’t consider the differences in my girls learning styles when choosing our first curriculum. However, I soon discovered that the way I learn was not the way my daughters learn. I am…
When my two eldest girls were in high school, we used and loved Diana Waring’s History Alive unit studies. I fully intended to continue to use the same curriculum this year with my seven-year-old son Joel. But I discovered that it was much more involved than he was ready for,…
I remember that when I was in third grade in public school (way back in 1980), I memorized math facts. My family had moved to Iowa from Oklahoma halfway through the fall semester, and the new school had a room at the end of the hall with a dinosaur of…
I live in the homeschool-rich state of Oklahoma. There are an abundance of homeschoolers here because the freedom to homeschool is written into our state constitution. Therefore there is an abundance of curriculum, books and resources in circulation that you can purchase for bargain prices — and even find for…
One invaluable tool that I have had on hand for several years is an at-home laminator. I have found so many uses for it when homeschooling, as well as for business and home management. For homeschooling, I laminate items such as schedules, timed math fact sheets, rules, chores, geography flash…
I used to feel guilty when life got in the way of our school lessons. When I homeschooled the girls, we would sometimes have days or even weeks when our lessons got put on hold because of some crazy life interruption. I was worried that because of the interruption, the…