If It's Not Your Story to Tell, Don't Tell It!

We all know that one person. The one who is the “bearer of news” even when it isn’t their news or story to tell. I learned a valuable lesson in high school about telling something I saw while in the administrator’s office. I was threatened with suspension, but grace was shown to me, and I am thankful about it, the situation that is and of course for grace. If it is not your story, don’t tell it!

The Three Rs You Should Be Teaching Your Children

As parents, there are many things we need to be teaching our children. Today, I’m sharing the Three Rs you should be teaching your children. And no, these are not what you think. Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic is necessary to get ahead in life. But every youngster should be taught respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness.

20 Classic Children's Books Every Child Should Read

I love books! Real books, not electronic books. There is something about the sound of a hardback book being opened. The smell and feel of the paper as you are turning the pages. Did I mention, I love books? Anytime I enter a thrift store, antique shop, or used bookstore I go to the children's books. I’ve bought vintage children’s books just because. Many times, it’s not because of a special memory, but because it drew me to it. There is something special about classic children's books.

Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten

Preparing your child for kindergarten is a must. Whether you send your little one to a preschool or you teach them yourself, your child will benefit from an early childhood education.

As a kindergarten teacher, I see the difference between the children who attended preschool and those who did not. While I am for keeping children at home as long as possible, parents need to make sure they prepare their children for kindergarten.

40 Bible Verses Every Child Should Memorize

Today I'm sharing 40 Bible verses every child should memorize. This past week I  put together a list to send home of the Bible verses my little kindergarteners will learn this year. As the list grew I remembered learning these verses when I was their age. I count it an honor to be teaching these precious children the verses I remember quoting in my kindergarten class. This year, I’m teaching the Positive Action for Christ curriculum with the added ABC verses from Abeka. I love these little verses because they are easy for little ones to memorize.

4 Things to Consider Before Sending Your Child Back to School

I’m returning to the classroom. I’m excited and yet, I’m nervous. The social and mental makeup of families has changed since I was in the classroom last. While I dealt with many differences in the past, we have a new generation raising children and those children are the ones I will be teaching. And that scares me.

Why does it scare me? Turn on the news and open your social media pages and you’ll see why I’m nervous. If you don’t see a problem, you might need to take a closer look.

8 Things I Would Change in Our Homeschool If I Could Start Over

Thirteen years ago, I never thought I would be here - the mom of a homeschool graduate.  As I look back over the years, I realize if I could have a do-over, there would be things I would change in our homeschool. While I will not worry about those things because they are in the past. I want to share them with you so if you are still in the trenches of homeschooling your children, you can be on the lookout for the same things. Who knows, you may even see yourself in me.

A Look Back: Our Early Years of Homeschool Curriculum

At the beginning of my blogging years, I never thought about sharing our curriculum choices for the early grades. Blogs were just what they sounded like – web logs or online diaries for others to read. I was quickly finding blogging friends through my home life posts; they were basically a peek into our daily lives. I was enjoying peeking into other homes and learning about other families.

When I realized I should share our curriculum choices, I was already in several years of homeschooling, so I started with that year. Over the years, I’ve said I would share what we used in those early years, but I never have, until now.

Today, I will only be sharing our kindergarten through second grade years. All of my notes from these years are in storage, but I remember enough to give you my thoughts on all of them.

Repeating a Grade: 6 Things to Consider

In the twelve years of classroom teaching, I had several instances where I had to recommend a child to be held back. The first set of parents refused to listen to anything the administration or I said but retained the child the very next year (which turned out to be a good thing). I experienced parents, who pulled their children from a private school setting and placed them in the public school to keep them from repeating a grade. A couple quickly followed through with our recommendation with no questions being asked. Then there were the parents who were concerned and wanted to do what was best. But they didn’t want to take drastic measures without covering other options, to make sure retention was the final straw. Each parent had the final say in the matter and each parent took a different route.

10 Hymns Every Child Should Know

There is nothing like the soothing sound of traditional hymns being played from my Spotify account while I write or while my son and I are working on schoolwork. The peaceful sounds the instrumentalist is playing brings a calming peace about our home. Most of these old hymns I grew up singing in church and in Bible class at school. My son knows them through church and hearing them at home. Many adults and children don’t know hymns because churches have left them behind. Hymns are part of our heritage and they need to not be forgotten.

Children need to learn hymns and the story behind them. Hymns tell the foundation of Christianity in the words we sing.

7 Books for the WWII History Lover

My son is captivated by the WWII era. Anything pertaining to air crafts, tanks, and guns he is all in for learning more about them. With his research comes stories of men who served to keep the evil from completely taking over the world. Because of him talking about some of them, I began my own search of these men and found books that told their stories. I literally stumbled over one (Rocky Gause journal) in the bookstore while looking for one Jamie requested. It opened a door for me.

History Learning at the Museum of Aviation

In April our family took a trip to Warner Robins, Georgia, to visit the Museum of Aviation. My son loves aviation history, so we knew we wanted to visit. We wanted to visit several times in past years, but we didn’t feel he was ready for a visit and appreciate all that he would see and learn. I’m so glad we waited because he truly enjoyed history learning at the museum.

Homeschool High School Curriculum Choices

Usually, I would have already rung the bell for the start of the new school year. With this being our last year, my sweet boy asked if he could wait a little longer to start. How could I deny a little more time for summer ramblings to the one who will be graduating next spring? It’s hard to think about my “little” boy about to enter adulthood, but he is and I am happy for him. I’m excited about some of the courses my son will be taking this year because they show him as growing into a fine young man.

Creating a Homeschool High School Plan

Several years ago, I planned our high school years. Those homeschool high school plans were not set in stone, in fact, there are a few things we changed. The reason behind making these plans was so I could see what my son needed to meet graduation requirements. While the state of Montana and Georgia do not have graduation requirements for homeschoolers, I did use the local high school requirements as a planning tool. Because of planning, this final school year will carry a light load so we can enjoy our time together as a family before my son heads off into the adult world.

Homeschooling in Georgia

A look at the homeschooling in the state of Georgia with a list of field trip locations around the state.

 

5 Ways to Save Money While Homeschooling

Budgeting and finances are not the most enjoyable things to think on, but we must or end up in a mess. For most families walking the road of home education saving money is important. Did you know 8 out of 10 families I questioned are on an extremely tight budget for their school?

Evolution and Two Reasons Why I'm Teaching It

Evolution is a word that brings a wide range of emotions in people. For many, fingers crammed into the ears and the refusal to discuss it is an act of behavior because they believe in the Biblical account of creation. Nothing more, nothing less. Then there are those, who believe in evolution and are well versed on the matter. They become loud and boisterous to those who have their fingers crammed in their ears refusing to listen. Name calling and finger pointing comes from both sides of the firing line.

Choosing a Creative Writing Curriculum

When you have a reluctant writer, it’s hard to find encouragement and material to help them. Over the years, I’ve spent money on books that seemed to only cause more problems for my writer. I’ve even searched the internet for free story starters and watched videos of creative writing teachers hoping to bring about more confidence in my son. Nothing has worked for us until now; Creative Writing That Puts You In Their Sandals.

7 Psalms for the Homeschool Mom {Free Printable}

Being a mom is hard. The job of a homeschool mom is on a level all its own and just as hard. Caring for a family and home with the added pressure of children’s education is something that can be overwhelming. I’ve been on this journey for twelve years and I have had my fair share of days when I wanted to pull my hair out and scream. There are times I lost it and I had to ask for forgiveness. But then there are the moments I waited and trusted on the Lord. Moments I leaned on 7 Psalms.

7 Homeschooling Tips and Encouragements

At the first meeting of the local homeschooling families, I was the only one who had been on this journey longer than a year or two. I even heard one lady say in excitement we have a veteran who can answer all of our questions. I couldn’t help but giggle and said I was hardly the one to answer questions, but I would do my best. While most of the questions were about Common Core, I had to admit it was not my biggest concern while ducking the thrown tomatoes. Sadly, the ones who were so against it finished one year and re-enrolled their children back into the public school. Whether you are a veteran home educator, a newbie, or just thinking about it there is always room for more tips and encouragement.