Homeschooling How-to's Archives - Page 2 of 25 - Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

How to Make Your Kids Want to Write (or at Least Grumble a Little Less)

May 14, 2019 By Kris Bales

If motivating your children to write seems like an impossible dream, try these tips to tone down the writing-related grumbling in your homeschool.

“My kid hates to write!” How many times have you said those words or heard another homeschooling parent say them? Reluctant writers are the entire reason we started sharing monthly printable writing prompts.

But, even with writing prompts, how do you get a reluctant writer to like writing…or, at least, not grumble about it quite so much?

Try these tips to make writing more agreeable to the pencil-twirlers and corner-doodlers in your house. [Read more…]

How to Create Simple but Effective Homeschool Language Arts Lessons

May 7, 2019 By Kris Bales

An integrated approach is one of the best ways to teach homeschool language arts lessons. Learn how to create literature-based lessons easily.

Sometimes, we homeschooling parents like to make learning more complicated than it is. We forget about the natural curiosity of children and lose sight of the fact that so much of the information we want to impart is already part of our everyday lives.

For example, we feel that we have to pull together the perfect spelling, phonics, handwriting, vocabulary, and grammar programs. (Guilty.) However, most of us likely have all we need for a great homeschool language arts lesson sitting on {one of our many} our bookshelves.

And, no, I’m not talking about those stacks of dusty, unused-but-I-just-might-need-it-someday homeschool curriculum. (Yes, I have them, too.)

I’m talking about the books that you already own. The ones you snuggle up with for bedtime stories. The ones your voracious reader devours when she’s supposed to be sleeping. And, the ones the whole family gathers around to hear during family read-aloud time. [Read more…]

How to Successfully Sell Used Homeschool Curriculum on eBay

April 16, 2019 By Adrienne Bolton

Homeschooling on a budget? Buying and selling used is where it’s at! Learn how to successfully sell used homeschool curriculum on eBay.

Written by Adrienne Bolton of The Mommy Mess.

I’m always surprised to learn how many people don’t sell used homeschool curriculum on eBay. We’re balling on a budget, so buying and selling used has been part of my shopping process every year, and I check eBay first!

Are you homeschooling on a budget? One great way to stretch your homeschool dollar is reselling used textbooks and supplies at the end of the year. (Purchasing used for the upcoming year saves a ton, too!)

How to Successfully Sell Used Homeschool Curriculum on eBay

Getting Started Selling Used Homeschool Curriculum on eBay

If you don’t already have one, you’ll need an eBay account. It’s simple to set up. [Read more…]

How to Easily Cover All Subjects with Interest-Led Learning

April 9, 2019 By Erin Vincent

Discover how easy it is for children to learn what they need to know in all subject areas while following an interest-led learning approach.

Written by Erin Vincent of Nourishing My Scholars.

Can children really learn all they need to learn by following their interests? Covering all subjects is indeed possible whether you follow an interest-led learning approach all the time, part-time, only in spring and summer, or just in the afternoon.

You can integrate your children’s passions into your homeschool rhythm if you are willing to support and nurture their growing interests. But sometimes you have to think outside the box.

Interest-Led Learning

To make the most of interest-led learning, look for ways to support your children’s interests. For example, one of my son’s interests is the guitar, so I look for ways to nurture that.

He has been taking guitar lessons for several years with Gentle Guitar. His goal when he started was to learn to play Beethoven’s 5th. Now he’s researching the greatest guitarists of all time like B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, and Keith Richards by looking up their most notable songs on YouTube and comparing different techniques.

He is also learning to play by ear the theme songs from his favorite video games and considering the MasterClass, Carlos Santana Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar. [Read more…]

How to Graduate a Homeschooled Student

April 4, 2019 By Kris Bales

As your child nears high school age, you find yourself wondering how to graduate a homeschooled student. Great news! The following article will show you that it doesn’t have to be difficult or intimidating.

Once your kids hit middle school or so, the Homeschool Inquisition usually shifts from the age-old socialization question to inquiries such as “how are they going to graduate high school?” and “what about college?”.

The big difference is that the socialization question is usually a non-issue, but graduation and secondary education are vital considerations for families homeschooling high school.

So, what do you need to know about how to graduate a homeschooled student? Following are some essentials based on my experience.

Know the Homeschooling Law

Most importantly, make sure you understand the homeschool laws governing your state. My go-to sites for a breakdown of homeschool laws are HSLDA and the statewide homeschool support website, GHEA, for where I live. If you’re not sure where to find your state’s homeschool support group, HSLDA maintains a listing of homeschool support groups by state.

Most states don’t maintain guidelines for graduating a homeschooled student. In most cases, the homeschooling parent determines the graduation requirements for your student. Upon completion of those requirements, you issue your graduate a high school diploma. [Read more…]

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