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 […]
Category: Hands-On Homeschool
Practical homeschooling tips & resources
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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 an educational “co-op” — or at least it should be. However, as homeschooling […]
4 min read
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Ten Things to Let Go of This Year: Not Qualified
One of the top reasons for not homeschooling that I hear from parents is that they don’t feel qualified to teach their children. They believe that if they don’t know Chemistry or Calculus, or whatever the subject, this lack of knowledge will hinder their child’s education. Personally, I don’t struggle with this concern or give it merit because: […]
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Planning Our 1800s America Unit Studies
I decided to spend this entire school year immersed in 1800s American history. To say that I am excited about this would be an understatement! When I started planning for this upcoming rotation of history last year, I was struggling with how to teach through all of American history in one year […]
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Hands-on Homeschool: Medieval Fair Trip
Last Friday we took the kids to the Medieval Fair in Norman, Oklahoma. We had been studying The Middle Ages earlier this year, so the kids were excited to go. When I was researching which fair we wanted to attend, I quickly discovered the difference between a Medieval Fair and […]
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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 […]
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“Freedom Worth Defending” – 29th Annual Oklahoma Homeschool Capitol Day
Our family decided to attend this year’s Oklahoma Homeschool Capitol Day. I took our two daughters to this event seven years ago, when our son Joel was only a year old. Hannah had made homemade apple pies for our Representative and Senator. We hadn’t attended since then because the girls […]
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Hands-On Homeschool: A Backyard Farm?
Last year I wrote about expanding our backyard garden and involving the girls in every step of the process, from choosing what to grow and starting seeds in the house, to transplanting and harvesting. What I left out of the story is the fact that we’d also decided to try […]
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Top Homeschooling Posts of 2013: Hands-On
Welcome to NextGen Homeschool’s Top Homeschooling Posts of 2013 Series! This week we’ll be sharing the top homeschooling topics — and most viewed posts — of last year based on the number of reader views and pins at NextGen Homeschool. Pin this page so you can refer back to each […]
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Christmas Sweet Treats to Make With Kids
This month we’re joining a special series at So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler called, “A Goodie a Day Until Christmas.” Instead of sharing a specific recipe for this series, we wanted to share with you a concept that can be adapted in many ways for Christmas sweet treats that […]
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Homeschooling Through the Holidays: Engaging the Senses
NextGen Homeschool is proud to join 26 fabulous homeschool bloggers for a special Christmas series at UpsideDown Homeschooling called, “The ABCs of Homeschooling Through the Holidays.” Homeschooling during the busy holiday season can be challenging, but it also presents a lot of unique opportunities for the whole family. Every Monday […]
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Autumn Inspiration: Fall Foliage Hikes
When it comes to Autumn inspiration, the scenic mountains of Colorado and Aspen groves turning into blankets of pure gold never fail to take my breath away. One of my family’s most treasured Autumn traditions is taking fall foliage hikes in the high country. This year, the trees are just […]