This year we’re embarking on our 6th year of homeschooling, and I can honestly say that each year has been a completely different adventure! The mission — our “why” — is the same, but…
Back to School: Joining Artios Academies & Homeschooling High School
Last Monday was back-to-school week for my family, and our week started out with our first day at Artios Academies, a once-a-week integrated academic and arts program for homeschoolers that we’re participating in along…
Back to School at Guardian Academy: Curriculum & Plans for 2015-2016
We will soon be back to school at Guardian Academy, and lots of changes are taking place this year in our homeschool plans and curriculum choices. Last May we moved…
Review: HEDUA High School Planners
The idea of homeschooling high school can seem daunting even to the most organized and experienced homeschooling mom. In fact, one of the biggest concerns I hear from new and…
Homeschool Mother’s Journal: August 15th
Welcome to the August 15th edition of The Homeschool Mother’s Journal at NextGen Homeschool! This week was all about getting myself organized and our homeschool area prepped for the new homeschool year. My daughters…
Homeschool Mother’s Journal: August 8th
Welcome to the August 8th edition of The Homeschool Mother’s Journal at NextGen Homeschool! While many families in Colorado sent their children back to school this week, my family had another week of “great escape”…
Homeschool Mother’s Journal: August 1st
Welcome to the August 1st edition of The Homeschool Mother’s Journal at NextGen Homeschool! Can you believe it’s August already?!? Maybe you are ready for summer to be over, but I feel like summer…
Back to School at Guardian Academy, First Day
If I had to sum up our first day of school here at the Ward house in one word, it would be “hectic.” But hey, that is just my life…
When Back-to-School Isn’t Picture Perfect
What do you remember most about the back-to-school season of your youth? The smell of freshly sharpened pencils, perfectly tipped crayons and a clean backpack? Picking out a cooler lunchbox? Laying…
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…
Homeschooling in a Dual-Purpose Room
Welcome to our family front room slash dining room slash daily homeschool area! We have been homeschooling in a dual-purpose room for the past four years, and I have reorganized this room…
Guardian Academy Curriculum Plan, Part 1
I love new beginnings! I had started planning for this new school year even before the last one ended. This coming year I will be teaching my son Joel (4th…
Revisiting Our Homeschool Mission
When we first started homeschooling, I believed I was homeschooling for the right reason… and I was. More than anything else, I wanted my children to love God, to have…
Encouragement From Teach Them Diligently
It’s my turn to share about the encouragement I received from this year’s Teach Them Diligently Convention. I realize this is coming late: Teach Them Diligently Dallas was about a month ago!…
Review: Well Planned Day Wall Calendar
COLUMBUS DAY SALE: Home Educating Family is taking 50% OFF all products in its homeschool planner, calendar, software and publishing store TODAY ONLY! Pick up a Well Planned Day Wall…
Preparing our Homeschool for a New Year
I love starting a new year. I am a big fan of resolutions, goals and dreams as well. For me, the new year feels like a chance at a new…
Flashback Friday: Guardian Academy’s Unit Study Presentation Day
In our homeschool this year… This year we at Guardian Academy (the little homeschool co-op I’m doing with my sister Elizabeth and her girls) are studying the Middle Ages using…
What’s Working: Preschool Busy Boxes
I was inspired last week by a vlog on Rachael Carman’s blog, HisSunflower.com, where she showed how she kept her younger children busy when she needed to spend time teaching…
An Open Letter to the Doubting Mama
Unlike most homeschooling mamas today, I had opinions — and concerns — about homeschooling years before I became a mother. I was homeschooled in high school, so the idea of…
What’s Working Wednesday Link-Up: Week 28
NextGen Homeschool has another fabulous FREE GIVEAWAY for you this week as part of the Ultimate Homeschool Giveaway Link-Up! Click here to enter to win a Room to Grow Utility Bin…
First Day of Homeschool at Guardian Academy
In our homeschool this week… Today was officially our first day of homeschool here at Guardian Academy, as well as our first little co-op day, when my sister Elizabeth’s family…
Starting a Homeschool Co-Op: Getting into the Groove
Last month I wrote a post about starting my own homeschool co-op for the first time — a tween-age Girls Book Club — after my sisters and I addressed the…
Starting a Homeschool Co-Op: Girls Book Club
A couple of weeks ago, my sisters and I addressed the question of cooperative schooling — aka “co-ops” — in an “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler” post. Since that time, the…
Lessons from the meeting my schedule forgot
Gotcher Family Homeschool — Day 13 — September 18, 2012 We’ve been “back to school” for several weeks now — we did schoolwork three days a week those last two…
Ask a NextGen Homeschooler: What about “co-op” schooling?
Welcome to “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler…” It’s your turn to ask the authors of NextGen Homeschool — four formerly homeschooled moms who are now homeschooling our children — to weigh…
Gearing up for Back-to-School: Gotcher Family
This past week — per my three girls’ eager request — we started school a few weeks earlier than I had planned. I’m sure the fact that their neighborhood friends…
Gearing up for Back-to-School: Ward Family
Although my son Joel and I have been reading and doing math facts practice all summer, along with golf and swim lessons, August 6th will be our “official” back-to-school start…
Ask a NextGen Homeschooler: How do you save money on school expenses?
Welcome to “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler…“ It’s your turn to ask the authors of NextGen Homeschool — four formerly homeschooled moms who are now homeschooling our children — to weigh…
A New Relationship With Learning: Charlotte Mason & Heart of Wisdom
After completing a fairly successful “warm-up to school” agenda the week of Sept. 12, my girls and I were ready to dive into our new curriculum from Heart of Wisdom…
Our First Week: Getting Back in the Swing
The Sunday before our first “scheduled” day of the new school year, our family spent about eight hours driving back home from Telluride, Colorado — pulling into our driveway as…