In our homeschool this week… we took a last-minute “field trip” to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, tagging along with my husband who had business there. This type of homeschool travel opportunity […]
Tuesday’s Tip: Create a Unit Study on the Fly
It took me a couple of years of adjusting to the homeschooling life to realize that homeschooling is about so much more than cracking open curriculum at the dining room […]
Hands-on Homeschool: Living History Days
Today my family attended Living History Days hosted by Vision Heirs in Colorado. They are offered twice a year in our state, and I know that similar opportunities take place […]
Do I need a homeschool mission statement?
As homeschoolers, we are used to being asked “why” on a regular basis — why did we decide to homeschool? It’s not a difficult question to answer, because we wouldn’t […]
Homeschool Conventions 101: How to Plan
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 […]
Tuesday’s Tip: Must I finish every textbook?
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 […]
Friday Flashback: “Spring” break… or was it?
In our homeschool this week… we never took an official spring break, so we planned to take Monday-Wednesday off this week to head up to the mountains before most of […]
Spring “break” or homeschool burnout?
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 […]
Seeing holidays through my son’s eyes
I have a son that loves holidays. He’s seven. He never was into trucks or sports, but he can single-handedly decorate our yard, door, and every surface in our 825-square-foot […]
Ask a NextGen Homeschooler: What Textbooks or Curriculum Do You Use?
Welcome to “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler…” It’s your turn to ask the writers at NextGen Homeschool — four formerly homeschooled moms who are now homeschooling our children — to weigh in […]
Friday Flashback: Projects, lapbooks & more!
In my life this week… it was non-stop action at the Gotcher household! A week ago today, I was driving down to Colorado Springs for a last-minute trip to see […]
Tuesday’s Tip: Host a Moms Resources Swap
Last night my local homeschool group dedicated a portion of our monthly meeting to a “resources swap.” Similar to a curriculum/book swap or clothing swap, the idea was for moms […]
Friday Flashback: Sunshine, golf & gladiators
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 […]
Identifying the learning styles of your children
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 […]
Friday Flashback: A week of surprises
My theme for this week is… Surprise! In my life this week… My husband had to take a last-minute trip to Dallas for work, leaving Sunday afternoon. I found out […]
Tuesday’s Tip: Survival skills for solo parent days
In last week’s Friday Flashback post, I shared some of the ways that I juggle homeschooling, working from home, and solo parenting when my husband is traveling for work. Although […]
Friday Flashback: My solo parent juggling act
In my life this week… It was time for another round of the “solo parent juggling act” — when hubby’s out of town for work and some of his contributions […]
What’s Working: The Story of the World
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 […]
Hands-On Homeschool: Making corn husk dolls
I recently wrote about how the girls book club co-op I host has chosen to read The Little House Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder this semester. Another change we made was […]
What’s Working: Group presentation days
Back when my mom began homeschooling, I was the eldest child and a junior in high school with lots of prior experience in public speaking. I was in drama club […]
Tuesday’s Tip: Find bargain curriculum, tools
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 […]
How we manage working while homeschooling
Recently the writers at NextGen Homeschool addressed the question “Can you work and homeschool?” in an “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler” post. If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you’ll know […]
When in doubt, seek support!
One of the most common feelings expressed to me by other homeschooling moms is self-doubt. Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right? Am I organized enough? Am I […]
What’s Working: A daily routine vs. schedule
I am one of those list-making/calendar-posting/digital-app-loading recovering perfectionist moms who has tried to keep it all together seven ways ’til Sunday since we started homeschooling. I wouldn’t have expected otherwise […]
Tuesday’s Tip: Why you’ll love a laminator
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 […]
What’s Working: Girls Book Club co-op takes off
I have written in the past about how I started my own homeschool co-op last fall — a tween and young readers girls book club — and I feel very […]
Learning goes on when life interrupts schooling
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 […]
Friday Flashback: A week of highs and lows
This week was an exhausting rollercoaster ride for my family, complete with exhilarating highs, unexpected turns, and stomach-dropping lows. I debated whether I was still motivated to write today, but […]
Tuesday’s Tip: Must-have electronics kit for kids
By Rosanna Ward My son Joel, age 7, enjoys taking old electronics apart, such as DVD players, cable boxes, and more. My best friend was here a few weeks ago, […]
Ask a NextGen Homeschooler: Can you work while homeschooling?
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 […]