Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

Making Homeschool Happen on Busy Days

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Written by Alicia Hutchinson of Learning Well Community.

When we send our kids to public or private school, there’s no question. They will do school while they are there. Sure, there might be distractions and interruptions in a classroom, but at home there are many.

One of the most significant differences I’ve found between homeschooling and public or private school is the chance that school might not happen some days. Making homeschool happen isn’t as simple and easy as it may seem.

Making Homeschool Happen on Busy Days

There are things like sick kiddos, phone calls, or the meter reader knocking at the door. Some days include taking the teenager to his job, a colicky baby, or a trip for car repairs.

You might get thrown off routine by a home renovation project that’s taking much longer than expected. Or your kid (or you) might feel unmotivated and sluggish.

Many things can throw a homeschool day off schedule, but these ideas that will help you make sure you get in some school every single day.

Making Homeschool Happen During Busy Seasons

December and May are both busy months for us–probably for you too. But we all have busy seasons throughout the years for different reasons. Here are a few ways to make sure school happens even in your busiest months.

  • Scale back to the basics. Don’t worry so much about fancy science projects or extras. Focus on the main subjects: reading (like read alouds and individual reading), math, and language arts.
  • Keep educational resources in the car like audiobooks or easy-to-play-on-the-go games, so you’ve always got something educational to do.
  • Don’t feel guilty for relying on resources like educational apps or TV shows in the midst of a busy season. Your kids keep learning, and you can focus on the thing that’s making life busy. We love CuriosityStream for educational TV. It’s like Netflix, but all documentaries!
Easy travel games for homeschool

Making Homeschool Happen Despite Constant Interruptions

Doing school at home is a lot different than in a traditional school setting. Home isn’t supposed to be like school, so expect interruptions. Try these tips for rolling with those interruptions and still getting school done.

  • Put your phone away. My phone is often one of my biggest distractions. How about you? I remedy this by putting it in a drawer while we’re doing the most focused part of our school day. Not seeing it sitting there helps keep it out of mind!
  • Have a basket of things your child can do without your help while you’re tending to other things. Whether you are helping another child, paying a bill you forgot about, or answering the door, it’s easy to lose your audience! Having a basket of things your child can do without your assistance helps if you get called away. Some ideas: card games, a doodle book, flash cards, or copywork.
  • Assess your days and weeks. You might be spinning your wheels trying to get things done during the busiest time of your day. Adjust your routine a bit to clear the calendar. For example: plan all your errands for the same day to avoid constantly running around. Try to schedule doctor or dental visits on the same day. Guard your school time by not planning other activities and errands during that time. Make calls, appointments, and other commitments before or after school time.
  • Let school time be just for school. Don’t try to get 100 things done. Instead, focus on one thing at a time and doing that one thing well.
Educational activities for homeschool

Making Homeschool Happen When You’re Unmotivated

Springtime is one of those times for me. Something about spring makes me feel tired and not so motivated to do school. Try these ideas that help me make homeschool happen when we’re short on motivation.

  • Make a monthly plan! When I’m unmotivated for school, I’m unmotivated planning for school too. So, I sit down once a month and plan out the whole month. I write in pencil in case I have to adjust. I designed a simple grid layout that makes planning easy. It really helps me to just follow the plan without thinking about what we’re going to do every day!
  • Shake things up! Put the math books away for a while and play math games.
  • Work toward something as a family. Maybe make a goal of going out to a favorite restaurant on Friday night after a week of focused schoolwork. Or getting milkshakes after you finish a challenging chapter of the science book. Be creative and come up with something fun you can work towards together!
Family homeschooling goals

And If All Else Fails, Remember This

My biggest tip, especially for those hard days where it feels like you’re accomplishing nothing is this: Keep a record of what you do complete in your homeschool each day. Each day, make a quick list of all the things you did, both big and small. Make notes such as: watched a documentary, read a chapter of the read aloud, had a conversation about politics, and cooked a meal together.

These are all learning experiences that add up to so much! Record them! The growing list provides proof that you really are getting a lot done in your homeschool!

Making Homeschool Happen on Busy Days

We all go through seasons where homeschool is clicking along nicely. We also go through seasons where we continuously feel off routine. When we’re at home, this is bound to happen. Keep things loose. Know that there will be periods of “off-kilter” and interruptions.

Home isn’t supposed to be like school, so expect interruptions.
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If you’re flexible with your days, you’re less apt to feel disappointed when things don’t go exactly according to plan.

You’ve got this, mama!

What do you do to make sure homeschooling happens during busy seasons?

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What Is an Umbrella School?

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Homeschooling families have some unusual vocabulary that can be confusing when you’re just getting started. One of those weird terms is umbrella school. You may also hear it called a cover school or church-related school (CRS).

What is an umbrella school and why would a homeschooling family need one?

What Is an Umbrella School?

What Is an Umbrella School?

An umbrella school is an entity, typically considered a private school, which serves to oversee homeschooling families and help them meet the requirements of their state’s homeschooling laws.

Sometimes the umbrella school is an actual physical private school with which homeschooling families can partner. In other cases, an umbrella school is more of an organization established to help homeschoolers comply with the law.

Why Use an Umbrella School?

Some families use an umbrella school as one of their state’s legal homeschooling options. Others use a cover school to make some aspects of homeschooling, such as transcripts and graduation, easier.

We live in Georgia, which doesn’t require umbrella schools. However, my family, like many others I know, opted to use one for the last 5 years. Why on earth would we do that, you ask? One word: convenience.

Because we live so close to Tennessee, my kids are likely to attend a college or trade school there. Since the schools are used to seeing records from umbrella schools, we decided to use one for Josh and Megan’s high school years. (We graduated Brianna on our own.)

Cover schools in this area are relatively inexpensive. Plus, it seemed an easier option than possibly gearing up for a legal battle with an uninformed school in the future. Because y’all know I hate confrontation, right?

People use umbrella schools for many reasons including:

  • Compliance with homeschooling laws
  • The convenience of maintaining records (transcripts, attendance)
  • Having a diploma (or report card) issued by a more official-looking entity
  • Guidance on curriculum and course options
What Is an Umbrella School?

What Does an Umbrella School Do?

An umbrella school provides oversight and maintains records for homeschooling families. Some offer more oversight than others, so ask around to find a cover school that is right for your family.

The umbrella school we chose (HomeLife Academy for those who are curious) wanted a little more detail than I was used to providing, but not so much that it was stifling. We have to submit grades and attendance at the end of each semester and an education plan when enrolling each year.

Submitting the education plan is what I find most tedious. The school wants to know the courses the kids will be taking and the curriculum we’ll be using so that they are in compliance with the law. I don’t always know as early as they’d like, and they won’t “approve” an education plan with words like undecided listed in the materials section. (I have used the term self-directed with no issues.)

However, the umbrella school doesn’t actually dictate what we use. They won’t reject one resource over another, for example. (The school did allow only 0.5 credit hours for a class I that I’d intended to be a full credit.) If I’m not 100% sure what we’ll be using when we enroll, I just list one of my options and update later. No big deal.

It’s my understanding that some umbrella schools do expect more say-so in what you use. And, they actually do have to approve your curriculum. However, for all my loathing of confrontation, I’m a bit of a non-conformist rebel. And, my state laws don’t require an umbrella school, so I don’t have any experience with those types. If I wanted someone telling me what and how to teach my kids, they’d be in public school.

Some of the services that umbrella schools may offer include:

  • Guidance in choosing curriculum
  • Maintaining records (attendance, grades, course descriptions)
  • Testing (for states that require it)
  • Teacher and student ID cards (nice for getting teacher discounts)
  • Graduation ceremonies
  • Issuing diplomas
  • Offering clubs, field trips, and scholarships
  • Discounts for other organizations (such as HSLDA membership)

If your state offers umbrella schools as a homeschooling option, they are often the choice that provides the most freedom. Even if your state doesn’t require an umbrella school, the benefits and services they offer often make it worth enrolling.

Are you part of an umbrella school? What was your experience?

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How to Start Roadschooling (No RV Required!)

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Written by Chelsea Gonzales of Wonder Wherever We Wander.

Many homeschoolers dream of traveling and schooling on the road, but can’t commit to full-time travel. Roadschooling doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing venture. You can start roadschooling without trading your home for an RV.

How to Start Roadschooling

We are a roadschooling family. What that means is that we homeschool on the road, learning through our travel experiences.

Although it’s what we do, you don’t have to commit to fulltime living and traveling in an RV to start roadschooling. There are many forms of roadschooling, and I’m going to give you some tips to help get started in a way that suits your family and lifestyle.

That’s right! There is no reason you have to completely change everything about the way you live to start learning through travel. In fact, I recommend starting right where you are and making small, relatively easy changes that fit into your life.

By choosing to make small changes, you’re much more likely to give roadschooling a try. From that starting point, if you like how things are going, you can make more significant changes. If it is your goal, you could even take up full-time travel sometime in the future.

The following tips will help you start roadschooling – no RV required!

Change Your Mindset about Learning

The first step to beginning any roadschooling adventure is to change the way you think about learning. If you find yourself gravitating toward workbooks to “prove” your kids are getting an education, make some changes during your travels. Instead of book work, encourage your kids to explore and discuss their findings. You might be surprised at how much they pick up.

Roadschooling doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing venture. You can start roadschooling without trading your home for an RV.
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Take Up Camping

To make your adventure affordable, I highly recommend taking up camping. It is much less expensive than staying in hotels every night.

Those who don’t want or can’t afford to invest in an RV should look into a pop-up trailer or a quality tent. If you’re considering camping on a regular basis, check out camping memberships to lower the camping costs significantly. My personal favorites are the Thousand Trails and Passport America memberships.

Invest in Reciprocal Memberships

Of course, if you’re traveling, you’re going to want to see things along the way. Unfortunately, attraction admission prices can add up super quickly. This is where reciprocal memberships can help.

There are dozens of reciprocal membership program options to choose from, and by investing in a few, you’ll have countless attraction options to choose from. This means you can see museums, zoos, and even amusement parks for far less than you would’ve paid otherwise. In many cases, admission is free with your reciprocal benefits!

Be sure to gather as much information as possible to ensure you’re purchasing the right membership for your family.

You don't have to become full-time roadschoolers to enjoy the benefits of learning through travel.

Make Plans Together for Your Roadschooling Venture

Travel planning is an education in and of itself. Budgeting is a great way to practice real-world math. Planning your route together gives your students hands-on map experience. Packing can provide excellent problem-solving practice. Finally, allowing children to choose the attractions you visit will encourage them to do some research to learn about their options.

Travel planning is an education in and of itself. Budgeting is a great way to practice real-world math. Planning your route together gives your students hands-on map experience. Packing can provide excellent problem-solving practice.
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Read – a Lot

Nightly reading is a fabulous way to expand upon what you’ve learned or will be learning during your journey. For instance, if you’ll be visiting the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum or the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, you might choose to pick up a few books about Abraham Lincoln to expand on the experience.

There are many ways to enjoy books while traveling without packing boxes of them.

Download Some Podcasts

Let’s face it; long car rides with kids can be absolute torture for everyone involved. This is why my family listens to podcasts. Podcasts are the perfect way to pass the time without resorting to screens. They entertain while educating, and many podcasts are great for all ages. I highly recommend the Brains On! And Tumble podcasts, but I’m always on the lookout for new options.

Hit the Road

The last step is to hit the road! Do your best to relax and soak up every moment of your travels. Encourage your kids to try new things, help them connect the dots between one attraction or site and the next, read as much as possible, meet new people, and have fun.

The learning will happen naturally, and you’ll have bright, well-traveled kids who genuinely appreciate the world around them.

Have you done any roadschooling? What tips would you add?

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The Choice to Be Different: What Homeschoolers Need to Understand

How to Make Life Skills Part of Homeschooling

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Written by Sara Jordan Panning of Heart and Soul Homeschooling

When it comes to providing children with a well-rounded education, we tend to focus on academics and extracurricular activities. Both are important, but, they aren’t the only things that we should be concerned about.

Our children need to master academics and pursue their hobbies and passions, but it is also essential that we teach them a variety of necessary life skills.

Homeschooling Life Skills

Life skills are those things that we all use to navigate life, society, and the world. They are the skills that make life easier and more enjoyable and enable us to function as productive members of society.

So what are some of the life skills that our children should learn?

Communication Skills

Being able to communicate with others effectively is essential. These skills include active listening, being able to express oneself clearly, reading social cues, and knowing how to take turns in a conversation.

Teach communication skills by using presentations and providing opportunities to participate in debates and give speeches. These activities are usually available through local homeschool groups. If that isn’t available to you, think outside the box and look to local community colleges, Toastmasters groups (for older students), or community theater.

For younger kids, you can do things like play telephone (which is excellent for getting them to listen carefully and convey messages) or even have a verbal, directions-based scavenger hunt. My youngest daughter loves scavenger hunts, and they help her learn to listen carefully and follow directions.

Money Management

Another essential life skill is money management. As adults, we spend a great deal of time either trying to figure out how to earn money, earning money, spending money, or trying to figure out how to spend less money.

However, many people only start learning these things as adults. It benefits our children if they learn at an early age. You can start teaching them very young – even when they are toddlers.

Take your children with you on shopping trips, to pay bills, and to the bank. Teach them what money is and what it is used for. Show them how to earn and save money, budget, and invest. You can give them an allowance or let them earn money for completing jobs around the house. Teach them how to balance a checkbook, help them open their first bank account, and teach them about credit and loans.

Entrepreneurship

You should also consider teaching your child about how to build a business. You can do this by helping them to figure out how to monetize one of their hobbies or passions. For example, if your child loves to draw, perhaps they can do caricatures at local family events. If they enjoy cooking, maybe they can have bake sales. The opportunities are endless!

My oldest daughter enjoys web design and coding. She is planning to run her own business, so we’ve focused on introductory business courses online to get her started. She has also done some Virtual Assistant work for me to learn how to blog and use social media for business purposes. All of these are valuable life skills that have become part of our homeschooling curriculum.

Homeschooling Life Skills

Grocery Shopping

Of course, we all have to eat. Your child should know the basics of nutrition and keeping their home well-stocked with healthy foods. You should make a point of taking them grocery shopping with you sometimes. Extra points if you teach them how to shop from a grocery list and stick to a set budget.

Cooking

Grocery shopping leads to cooking. Start early by allowing your child to help you in the kitchen by measuring (which is a great way to integrate math), pouring, and mixing. As they get older, you can teach them how to create a meal plan, and put them in charge of preparing meals one or two days each week.

Critical Thinking

This is a “critical” skill. (See what I did there?) Without the ability to analyze and reason, your child might fall prey to faulty logic and the inability to problem solve or think for himself. You can teach critical thinking skills in a variety of ways. Riddles, puzzles, and mystery books are fun ways to teach critical thinking from an early age.

As your children get older, discussing current events and the books they’ve read can help them think through the issues and formulate their own opinions.

Time Management

I’m sure that I don’t have to explain why time management is such an important (yet often difficult) skill to master. You can teach your child time management skills by giving them more control over their schedule. Help them create to-do lists, prioritize the items, and create schedules and routines. They might dislike it now, but they will appreciate it later.

Goal Setting

Another important skill is goal-setting. This is a skill that your kids will use all throughout their lives. You can teach them about goal-setting through exercises such as creating a vision board and then figuring out what they need to do to achieve those goals. This could also be an exercise in perseverance and delayed gratification.

What skills would you add to this list?

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How to Homeschool Through Summer

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Written by KT Brison of Lit Mama.

One of the many advantages of homeschooling is that we get to choose our own schedule. When we decided to give this thing a try 8 years ago, we would be pulling both our young boys out of public school. I had teaching experience and had even taught both boys to read and write before they entered kindergarten, but I wasn’t sure I could do it.

 

How to Homeschool Through Summer

My doubts included things like: Would they take it seriously? Would I know what to teach them? Was I going to turn them into uneducated weirdos? (Yes, on the weirdos part. I’m quite proud.)

I discussed it with their father, probably to the point of distraction, and we decided to have a summer test course. I chose science because we could do a lot of outdoor science projects that would ease them into learning from me.

And you know what? They learned. They took it seriously. It was the best six weeks of my life up to that point.

Summer Homeschooling Perks

We dove into homeschooling entirely the following year and have never regretted it.

Summer Homeschooling

The result of that first summer is that we decided to keep doing a six-week summer science course. And that left us with extra time to take off during the traditional school year. So we take two weeks off at Thanksgiving and Christmas and get an extra week off in February when I’m suffering from the winter blahs.

Can I just tell you how much that break helps me get through the winter months?

The boys have never complained about having school during the summer. They get five weeks off before summer school begins and five weeks off after it ends, and they really don’t mind having lessons in between.

Everybody wins.

How to Homeschool Through Summer

How to Homeschool Through Summer

We kept the science portion of our program through their elementary school years, but once the boys hit middle and high school, we started adding history and other subjects.

And always, always we read.

I still read aloud to them, even though they are entering the 8th and 10th grades this summer. It gives us an opportunity to have deep discussions about our books and follow rabbit trails such as politics, sociology, history, and psychology. That’s the good stuff.

If you want to homeschool through summer here are some tips:

Have shorter days. The boys and I have lessons for about 2 hours during summer school, but they are concentrated and pack a punch.

Choose topics that truly interest your kids. You’re asking them to do school at a time when all the public school kids are having fun. Teaching about things they truly want to learn is going to ease their pain.

Have class outside as often as possible. When we studied dragonflies and butterflies one year, we threw a blanket down on the edge of our meadow and had class there. That way we could actually see the insects in their natural habitat while we studied.

We always read outside during the summer, too, preferably early in the morning under a shade tree. If you’ve chosen a science topic to study, find some projects you can do outdoors. It feels less like school and more like fun that way. And they’re still learning!

Don’t press your regular schedule. We still do school during the morning during the summer, but I’m not so strict about them being seated and ready to go at 8 am. It’s summertime, it’s a more relaxed atmosphere, so if they want to sleep in a bit, I let them.

Take field trips. Summer is the best time for outdoor field trips. Try the zoo, a living museum, a bird or animal sanctuary, or the local forestry’s nature center. We love that those fun trips totally count as school.

We’ve found that homeschooling in summer is more fun, and often more educational, than our traditional homeschool year. Because it’s more relaxed, we get to bond even more as a family by injecting so much liveliness into our learning.

Plus, we get that week off in February.

Do you school through the summer? What does it look like for your family?

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