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Checklist and tips for the end of the homeschool Year clean out. When it’s time to clean up your homeschool room/area before you can enjoy summer break, follow the checklist and tips.

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

End of the School Year

It is almost that time of year. Your reaching the end of that math book. You and your kids are feeling the end is drawing near to your homeschool year. For those of us that follow a traditional school schedule, May represents the drawing near of school ending and the beginning of summer. I am all ready to start getting rid of things that I will no longer need.

It’s time to pack up the curriculum and move onto summer. It is a much welcomed time for our family. We homeschool with a lot of pizazz and go full force, but there is something about May that makes us ready to “ring the school bell” one last time. We are ready for summer. Trips to the mountains, beaches, museums, parks, friends houses…. Anything but the routines of the school year.

Here Comes Summer!

One of my favorite aspects of the school year ending is purging and cleaning out our homeschool goodies. Piled in our home is nine months of art projects, math worksheets, manipulatives, books that are now too simple, dioramas, “inventions”, old dried out glue, finished curriculum, broken crayons, dried out markers, scraps of papers, oh my crazy list of too much school stuff could go on and on.

These things need to get out of my house and into the donation bag, the trash can, or up for resell on Ebay. I welcome the feelings of joy that come from the clear out! Sometimes it is not easy to know where to start

I put together this summer homeschool cleaning list for those of you who like a little bit of direction and that oh so good feeling of checking off a list. Print it up, put it on a clipboard, and begin the summer clean-out of your homeschool room (or cabinet).

Get your Free Homeschool Summer Cleaning Checklist Here

I don’t know about you, but cleaning seems much more rewarding when I can check items off a list! It just feels good, doesn’t it? Having a checklist for some reason makes me feel more productive

Yearbooks, Memory Books, Portfolios, OH MY!

Keeping a memory book has been my favorite addition to our homeschooling. We work on it throughout the year. We add pictures and collect our favorite work samples. My children always enjoy looking through them and sharing them with grandparents and friends. I wish I would have started sooner. But I guess it is better late than never.

In regards to portfolios, I have never kept an official one. What I do is have a file folder for each child where I place additional work that they are proud of. For Science and History, I have always kept art notebooks where we place all of our corresponding projects (that is for another post however).

Here is a link to the article on memory books that you mind find helpful.

Materials and Supplies List

What Do I Do With School Materials That I No Longer Need?

There are so many options when it comes to leftover curriculum and books. Below is a list of options for you:

Give the curriculum away!

Are there any other homeschooling families that may be in need of the curriculum that you used with your children? Some families struggle to afford curriculum, so passing it on to them can be a true blessing.

Sell your USED curriculum

I often sell my used curriculum on Ebay.com. Listing it during the summer months is best because that is when other homeschool families are looking to get their curriculum for the next year. Your buyers are saving money by purchasing used curriculum and you are able to make money to purchase your new curriculum (or used :-))

Anther great place to sell your used curriculum is a yard sale or to a group of other homeschool families. You can organize a used curriculum sale and trade with one another.

Donate Your Used Books and Curriculum to Your Local Thrift Store

Get a tax deduction by itemizing your donations to your local thrift store.

Recycle Your Used Curriculum

If the curriculum is consumable, then it may be best to recycle it.

The Difficulty in Cleaning

One area where we continue to struggle is parting with art projects. My daughter who is super artistic gives special attention to the art she creates. Tossing any of them is not easy for her. I do encourage her to only keep her favorites, but I am allowing for slow growth in this area. Taking pictures of her creations does help. I do forget to put the pictures in her memory books, however.

Let me know of tips or tricks you have to cleaning up your homeschooling year and getting ready for the summer.

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“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

The life of a migraineur is one of uncertainty and often fear not knowing when the next big migraine is going to strike. Mix that with being a mother that homeschools and you have an unfortunate mix.

First, let me encourage you that you are not alone. While you may feel alone in the darkness of migraines. There is a world of others that suffer from migraines. I am one of those people.

How Do You Survive Homeschooling When You Have Migraines?

Don’t be too hard on yourself

You need to remember that as a homeschool family your teaching day isn’t just from 8:00 am- 2:00pm Monday through Friday. You are constantly teaching your children throughout the entire day. So when you need to take a “day off” remember that your children live in an atmosphere of learning. Therefore, when you need to take a day off, they are not going to fall behind.

How to Plan for the unexpected migraine

If your kids are anything like mine, then they know migraines can come out of nowhere. I have suffered from chronic migraines for years. God has been gracious to me in that the severity and frequency has gone down for me. Nevertheless, when one strikes, I am often withdrawn to my bed. Lights out. Quiet please.

While migraines are horrible, I have seen some benefits from them. My children are sympathetic to others and helpful when they see someone in pain.  Having a mother with chronic pain, although frustrating, prepares your children for empathy towards others.

Migraines cause you to appreciate every moment that you feel well. I have learned to wake up and thank God for the days that I wake up feeling well and I do not take them for granted.

It is important to be prepared and not be caught off guard when a migraine strikes

Creating an Emergency Migraine Homeschool Kit

When you are “prepared” for your migraine or a sick day, the school day will feel a bit easier. I recommend creating an “Emergency Migraine Homeschool Kit” for those days you wake up with the dreaded migraine. Here are the essential items you need for your DIY Emergency Migraine/Sick Day Kit:

Depending Upon the Ages of Your Children You Can Create Your Own Emergency Migraine Kit

Some items to consider putting in your emergency kit. If your kids are very young, this may not be the best option, you know your kids best, so here are the ideas.

Books on CD

Having books on CD readily available is a great idea because they are using their listening skills and imagination. My children were ages 2 and 4 when I discovered audio books at the public library . Some of our favorites are: The Chronicles or Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, and any of the short stories by Jim Weiss. You can even search for small picture books that come with CDs. We have the Toy Story collection book and it came with a CD that my kids follow along with. They can even listen to it with you in bed (if you are up for it).

DVDs that are educational

I have a set of “Wild Kratts” DVDs that we continually go back to. I bought them online. I know when they watch these DVDs that they are getting some type of education. Some other good educational videos are: “The Magic School Bus Series”, and “Octonauts”.

Word searches

Print up some word searches from this site: Discoveryeducation.com. You can even offer a small prize for finishing (or not).

Review workbooks that are independent level

Choosing some review workbooks for math, spelling, or any other subject is great so that they can review skills that they already have. Your children can practice multiplication or addition or anything else they have been working on in school. You can even allow them to check each others work by putting in stickers and stamps that they can put on when they are finished. (Don’t forget to add some stickers to your kit.

Novel toys

Have some toys set aside for when you are having a migraine. If these toys are novel, they will keep your kids busier longer. For example, you can have a new lego set or something random from the Dollar Tree or the 99 Cents Store.

New Books

Set aside some fun books that your children have never read. Make sure that they are at their reading level or at least they enjoy looking at the pictures. Where’s waldo and I spy books are great for independent time.

Sticker books

My daughter in particular loves these types of books. We recently purchased some “Timeline Sticker Books” and she loves them. So, I stuck one in my migraine kit.

Easy card games/board games

Having a pack of playing cards for kids to play go fish, war, or other simple games is a great idea. Other games that you can include are Bingo, Go Nuts for Donuts, Sushi Go, and Rummicube. Make sure these are games that your kids know well, so that they don’t have to come to you and ask for instructions. You want the games to be an indendent level.

Easy no mess crafts

The 99 Cents Store and the dollar tree are your best friends. They have so many easy and fun crafts for 99 cents. Put a couple of these into your Emergency Migraine Homeschool Kit to keep your kids occupied during your migraine. My Dollar Tree has a selection of easy wood crafts. While they may create a small mess with glue, I know that the benefits of these kits outweigh the mess.

Coloring pages and coloring supplies

I like to stock up on extra school supplies at the beginning of the school year when they are on sale. I stick a couple of them in the emergency kit so that they are new and crisp. Kids always seem to enjoy a new pack of crayons.

I have created some coloring books. You can see them by clicking here.

Easy Age appropriate snacks

Use your discretion for this one :-).

Plastic Tub or cardboard box to keep your DIY kit. You can even have the kids decorate it and make it special for when that dreaded day comes.

Store your Emergency Migraine Homeschool kit in an easy to reach place for your kids when migraine strikes.

**Note** You will notice that I have CDs and DVDs in the Emergency kit. I purposely put them in there because the last thing I want is to have my children freely looking online for material (movies, books, etc.) without supervision. I know firsthand that a child doesn’t need to be actively “looking” for inappropriate material to find it. In order to safeguard my children, I only allow searching on the internet when I am supervising them.

Be Flexible With Your Homeschooling Plans

I admit that I am a super planner. I love having my homeschooling lessons planned out and organized. When a Migraine strikes, I find that letting go of my plans for the day are the hardest part for me emotionally. It brings me down and it frustrates me. Once I start feeling better, I can’t wait to readjust and catch up with our learning lessons.

Remember to Not Be Too Hard on Yourself

Migraines are not your fault. Let me repeat. Migraines are not your fault. Please do not be hard on yourself.

While Migraines have been a part of my life since my childhood, I still haven’t been able to fully figure out what causes them and what triggers them. I have been able to figure out ways to naturally cope with the pain. I thought I would share them with you below.

Ways That Help Me Cope With Migraine Pain- My List.

The List FOR MOM

Pelegrino water – I know this sounds silly, but I feel like it helps me. It hydrates well because of all of the naturally occurring minerals found in it.

Keeping my water bottle filled at all times. I use the Takeya water bottle to keep my drink cool all day long and I make sure that I fill it up first thing in the morning so I do not get sidetracked and forget to drink water.

Menthol or peppermint ointment to rub my neck and shoulders

Getting to bed on time

Neck support pillow

Warm compress “Bed Buddy”

Wearing sunglasses (yes in the house)

Not drinking too much coffee

Watching my diet for triggers

Drinking Electrolyte water

Keep a migraine journal. You can find free ones online. Print one up, staple it and get to work recording when you have a migraine and what you  did differently or ate differently.

Ask for Help from friends and family

If you are able, ask for help from trusted family and friends. While others may not fully understand your migraines, those that love you are there to comfort and help you in your time of need.

If you suffer from Migraines or chronic pain, I hope that these homeschooling tips and tricks have helped you. If anything, I hope that you know that you are not alone in your suffering. I am right there in the battle with you. While I have found many ways to cope with Migraines, I still have room to grow. If you have any suggestions of what helps you, leave a comment below. We are in this together!

Living With Migraines- MY STORY

I wanted to include an excerpt from my Migraine journal. It hops around and is disjointed, but that is because it is straight from my journal. I hope that it is encouraging to know that you are not alone.

“It’s one of those days… again.”

You know how it is. You wake up and something is not right. Your brain isn’t quite working like it usually does. You’re crankier than usual. That wrinkle between your eyes is a bit more obvious, the light is hurting your eyes, the fact that your kids didn’t put their cereal bowl away annoys you more today. There is a dull pain in your head. It is bearable; nothing to write home about. But, you know that the other symptoms you are beginning to experience are none other than a prodrome. —a migraine is brewing, like a storm.

“If you are like me, then the fear begins to settle in. You know today might get pretty bad. Do you stay home, or do you ignore the symptoms of your migraine and go about your normal day?

“You hate that this is another one of those days. You end up laying down and closing your eyes because the pain is increasing. It has become unbearable. Your brain feels like it is on fire. You want to sleep, to try and pass the day as quickly as possible, but the reality of sleeping is a joke. There will be no sleep with a migraine like this. You can’t read, your eyes hurt too bad. You can’t watch T.V. because that light that emits from the screen seems to penetrate your eyes like a laser beam. You can’t check your phone for the same reason. Your kids seem so loud to that it also hurts your brain (even though they are just being normal kids).

“I cry sometimes during a migraine episode (even though it hurts to cry). I see how much my children and husband love me and it makes me cry. You see, they lose out on days too. Not because of pain or an aura, but because they lose their mama. I cry because they come to my bedside to comfort me. My 6 year old son quietly kisses me on the cheek and does his best to massage my neck. I cry because my 8 year old daughter has become accustomed to keeping things quiet in the house when mom has a “headache.” I pray that my children do not inherit this misery. I want them to have a brain that doesn’t fight them with pain and inconsistencies.

This is part of my migraine journey

*** Side Note***

It was interesting that During the couple of days that I was writing this article, I came down with one of the worst migraines I have had in a long time. It was a staunch reminder to me how horribly these affect our lives. While each person’s migraine has differences, the consistent aspect is that they impact our lives.

What things do you do to cope with Migraines when you are homeschooling?

Do you think that putting together a Emergency Migraine Kit for your kids is helpful? What are some things that you do to cope with migraines when homeschooling?

The post How to Survive Homeschooling When You Have a Migraine appeared first on .

If you are anything like me, planning for school (or anything really) is a highlight! Nothing brings me more satisfaction than filling in boxes and writing in my plans for school and for our year. I LOVE PLANNING!

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

Simple Homeschool Planner

I just love the simplicity of this planner. I created this to include the basics of what a homeschooling mama would need to keep organized as she homeschools her children. Print it up and organize it in a way that suits you.

What is included in this freebie:

Front Cover
Page 2: Planning out your Educational Purpose and Mission
Page 4: Growing in your knowledge as a homeschool mom
Page 5: Child Information page. Use this to help your child achieve their educational and
personal goals, encourage habits, etc. Keep track of their curriculums as well.
Page 6: Blank Chore Chart
Page 7: Blank Assignment Chart
Page 8: Blank monthly planner. Print multiple copies of these.
Pages 9-10: These pages are your weekly lesson plans for your homeschooling and I think the
most important. Print up the corresponding number of weeks that you will be homeschooling.
You may want to print these up separately and print them Front and back so that they lay
nicely in your planning book.
Page 11: This is a Monthly planning page for all subjects. Having this on one sheet, allows you
to see how your subjects coincide for the month.
Page 12 : Lesson Planning Page. Use this page when you have your own lessons you want to
plan out and teach your child.
Page 13: Master Read Aloud book list to help you keep track of the books that you are
reading
Page 14: List your favorite websites here
Page 15 : Note taking page

Supplies to Help You Plan For Your Homeschool Year

I love having nice pens and paperclips to help me plan and organize for my year. Here are my amazon choices.

HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream – 500 Sheets | 100 Bright | Made in USA – FSC Certified | 113100R

SHARPIE Felt Tip Pens, Fine Point (0.4mm), Black, 4 Count

Samsill Earth’s Choice, 1-Inch Durable D-Ring View Binder 4 Pack, USDA Certified Biobased, Eco-Friendly, Boho Assortment

Avery 8-Tab Binder Dividers, Write & Erase White Big Tabs, 1 Set (23078)

Swingline 3 Hole Punch, 20 Sheet Capacity Three Hole Puncher 3 Ring, Paper Punch, SmartTouch Low Effort, Black & Silver (74133)

Some Suggestions for your Minimalist Planner:

I suggest printing up this planner on a high quality paper and binding it or placing it in a 3-ring binder with tabs to separate sections.

The Perfect Minimalist Homeschool Planner was designed with the busy homeschool mom in mind. I know what it is like to worry about all the tasks of home, a small business, and homeschooling. It helps to have a simple way to plan out the curriculum you are using and lessons needed for your child.

Looking for a more detailed planner?

Get the free Charlotte Mason Inspired Planner by subscribing today.

Looking for a Unit Study Planner?

If you are a homeschool mom that enjoys digging deep into subjects with your kiddos, you may find that this Unit Study Planner is just what you need to keep your unit study focused planned and organized. This Homeschool Unit Study Planner is available for Purchase in my TeachersPayTeachers and Etsy Stores.

NOW…. For your Free Minimalist Homeschool Planner. Simply Subscribe today and receive your FREE PDF Download.

Get the Free Minimalist Homeschool Planner and Get Organized Today!

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It is a new year, try keeping your homeschool year planned with this Perfect minimalist Homeschool Planner.

Why should I use a planner?

Using a planner in your homeschooling helps you to keep focused and on track. While we don’t always complete everything that we write down in our planners, it still helps us meet both short term and long term goals.

Join my mailing list for this limited time offer for the Perfect Minimalist Homeschool Planner.

14 amazing pages to keep you organized in 2023 and it is FREE!

How do you keep organized and ready for teaching at home? Do you have any tips or recommendations for other homeschool families?

Are there any suggestions that you have to make this minimalist planner even better?

Thanks again for stopping by!

IF you are new to homeschooling you may enjoy this post about the best books for homeschool moms!

You may also like:

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A Creative Teaching Series

When I started teaching my kids at home, there was nothing better than watching them light up and get excited when they were learning. History was not always easy to get them excited about until I took the approach of making it come alive. One way that we did that was through dressing up for the time period or historical event we were learning about… or Costumeschooling.

Reading about history, especially through a dry textbook, is anything but engaging. “Mom, why do I have to learn about these people that lived hundreds/thousands of years ago???” is a question that sometimes is asked by children. (I know I asked that question of my teachers).

But when we make history come alive and show them the importance of understanding our past, the desire to learn increases in children. The imagination of children is amazing, so including this into history lessons by dressing up is a way to help them get excited about history.

Another way to make history come alive is through living books (you can read this article here)

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.

As homeschool parents, it is important to engage all the senses when teaching and learning. That is why I encourage costume wearing when we are learning. It creates lasting memories. And boy, is it fun!

Most kids enjoy dressing up and living in a world of make-believe, that is why integrating dress-up into homeschooling lessons is so essential and beneficial. Emotionally and physically connecting to moments in history through costumes and dress up can help children appreciate and remember those events. The best part is that it involves their imagination and intellect and you can’t go wrong there!

What is Costumeschooling?

Well, it is a word that I made up to encompass a style of homeschooling where the children dress up for whatever time period they are learning about. Kids feel like they are a part of the history they are learning about.

We even dress up in character with literature that we are reading. Think about it…What is more fun then wearing attire of Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe while we do a unit study on Anne of Green Gables??? Throw in some linament cake and raspberry cordial while you read L.M. Montgomery’s classic and you have for yourself a deep rooted memory of what you are learning. Not to mention fun family memory building time as well.

You can add to the excitement by getting other homeschoolers involved from your community. Host a dress up Civil war era party and invite others to dress up in the time period clothing. Have kids give speeches as different people in history. AND don’t forget to take lots of pictures.

Costumeschooling for History

The possibilities are endless here. You can dress up as often as you would like (or as little) based on whatever history you are learning about. You can attend museums or historical sites in costume and take lots of pictures.

Recite famous speeches in costume.

Memorizing good content has long been popular in homeschool circles. Memory work is often found during morning time (that is when my family does it). After you memorize and amazing speech such as Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” Speech,  Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”, or Elizabeth I “Tilbury Speech.” Have your child dress up in character and recite it. Invite a group of people over to witness this momentous time in history or record it on video to watch as a family. I guarantee that your child will never forget the time they gave a speech as Elizabeth I!!!

Costumeschooling for Language arts

Like I mentioned earlier, your children can dress up in character as someone from a book that you are reading. The costumes don’t have to be anything expensive. Simply google or look up on Pinterest for ideas for diy simple costumes that you are trying to create. Go to thrift stores and look for after Halloween deals on constumes.

Constumeschooling for Science

My kids dressed up as important figures in science, Marie Curie and Benjamin Franklin. Each learned important facts from their lives and then we did a short documentary style video of them being interviewed as that person. Because they were so young, it was the cutest thing ever. We laughed till our stomachs hurt as we watched them act on video and answer questions as if they were that important historical figure. Years later, we watch that video and let me tell you, they will never forget who Marie Curie or Benjamin Franklin were or what they accomplished.

Again, this is an opportunity to invite others over and allow the historical figure to present who they are to the others. You can encourage acting and getting into character if the child is comfortable. Try getting involved as a parent. Dress up as your favorite scientist and present who you are to your children

As a teacher, I often dress up as well for the co-op classes that I teach. The children love it. Add in a fun accent and make their learning come alive.

Costumeschooling in Art History

Dressing up and recreating famous art

We did this activity during a covid-19 quarantine challenge. My kids and I (and dad too) really got into this fun idea. We perused through art books and thought about the costumes and clothes that we already had and were able to recreate some pretty famous art. Now, I could have extended the learning, but my kids are young, so we really just had fun with it. In the future I plan to spend more time studying the artist before we re-create it.

Search the internet for ideas from other families.

Here are some of our recreations:

Tips for Creating an Amazing Costumeschooling Environment

Here are a few tips to add dress up to your curriculum:

List out all the major historical periods that you will be covering. If your children are older, have them work out this part with you. Talk about what was worn and start brainstorming possible costumes you can create. You can search online or go to the library for books that have LOTS of pictures.

Visit Living Museums in time period attire

Depending on where you live, there are living museums that you can attend in costume. We have a field trip planned to a colonial farm where we will make butter and do other time period activities. Since we have been learning about early American History, adding the costumeschooling component will add to the richness of this learning field trip. We will take lots of pictures and most likely turn our adventures into our own book. The book will become a fun keepsake that we will reference over and over as we enjoy it through the years.

Don’t Forget the Food!

What is better than eating time period food while dressed up in costume? This is great for both young and older children. Getting them involved in the planning and baking of the food. Allow them to be creative in the presentation of the food. I have collected inexpensive dishes along the way at yard sales and thrift stores that way I can give my children the opportunity to use them without the fear of them breaking great grandma’s wedding china…

Costumeschooling doesn’t have to be expensive

While it is fun to purchase new costumes online or go to a costume store, it isn’t necessary.

I have found some of the best costume attire at thrift stores and yard sales! It is important to have a rough sketch or list of items that you are on the lookout for. I keep a tub and a clothes rack available for all of our costumes readily available so that my children can dress up whenever they would like.

If I am looking for a particular historical era of clothing, I search for authentic pictures and then screen clip them on my phone. I reference them when I go out.

I have found that the Goodwill and Salvation Army are reasonably priced during the Halloween season, so go around that time for good deals.

Make thrift store and yard sale rounds and do some searching often. Get a babysitter or take your kiddos along for the search. Pack your cup of coffee and a snack and have fun. You can even plan a friend date and have some down time while you search for costume treasures :-). Don’t forget to be hunting for used books as well!!!

If you DO have the funding to buy or make costumes (or you want to splurge on a couple), here are my suggestions:

How Do We Store Our Costumes?

I have a smaller house, so we don’t have a ton of space to store things in the house. I keep a rolling clothes rack in the garage of all of our costumes. Some costume accessories are stored in clear plastic tubs and labeled for ease of locating.

DON’T FORGET YOUR CAMERA!!!

Take lots of pictures of your children dressing up. You will not regret it! Even taking videos of them reenacting scenes from history is a fabulous idea.

Some of my fondest memories of school (I went to public school) was when we had dress up days. I remember it like it was yesterday… We had just learned about the California Gold Rush, and my teacher planned an entire week of festivities to celebrate. We planned and organized events, food, songs, plays, and so much more. We dressed up in attire from that time period and had such a wonderful time recreating history. I think of all the reasons why I remember that week like it was yesterday. There are so many reasons but dressing up made the emotional connection for me very real and memorable.

One More Thing…

You can extend your child’s learning by creating books about the historical event or scientist that you are dressed up as. See my post about making books to extend learning.

Chat with me:

Let me know if costumeschooling is a part of your homeschooling routine? Could you add it if not?

The post Costumeschooling: What it is and Why you Need to Add it to your Homeschooling appeared first on .

With everything being virtual right now because of Covid-19, putting together ways for your child to display their art creations needs to be creative. That is why I started using YouTube for my creative and artistic child. This allows my child to share their art with their family, friends, and other artistic kiddos!

Want to know how to create a virtual art expo for your artistic child on YouTube? I will give you step by step information on how to do just that.

Important YouTube note:

This is just my preference and how I view YouTube: I do not like showing my child’s face on YouTube, so I never showcase my child, just their art.

Also, I do not allow my child to be the one to check comments or view anything without me first doing so. I have had inappropriate comments made on my child’s art videos, which is sad.

I NEVER allow my child on YouTube without me first checking and then sitting by their side. YouTube can be used for good, however, sadly there is a lot of bad uses as well. PLEASE take caution. You can even set your videos to PRIVATE (which I sometimes do as well) and share them only with your specified audience.

What you need to make a YouTube Art Video:

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.

iPhone or iPad (you can use any camera, however I will be using iMovie to edit the video, so you will need to use a different editing tool if you use something other than apple products.

a stand (I got mine from the 99cents store!!)

Paper

Art supplies

Your child’s creative and artistic mind

a YouTube channel (super simple to set up if you have an email account

Decide whether your videos will be private or public—A VERY IMPORTANT DECISION!!!

Steps to Make Your Virtual Art Show Using YouTube

Step 1. Allow your child to choose what they will draw. They need to be in the mood for this. (Never make your child to draw when they are not in the creative mood.)

Step 2. Once they have decided on what they will draw, set up their station. Pick a nice quiet place in your home with lots of natural lighting.

Step 3. Gather all their supplies: Art tools, art paper, etc.

Step 4. Set up the stand on a table and attach your iPhone to the stand.

Step 5. Make sure that the camera is turned around and that the drawing space is centered on the art paper.

Step 6. I put the camera on time-lapse, but you don’t have to.

Step 7. Record your child (only their hands) drawing their art piece.

Step 8. Periodically check the phone to make sure it is still recording and that the art is still centered. Sometimes our kids move the paper around, so check this often.

Step 9. When they are finished, stop recording, and take a picture of their finished art. You will use this final picture as their YouTube thumbnail.

Step 10. Upload your video into iMovie.

Step 11. Allow your child to choose from the free music available on iMovie and add it to their art video.

Step 12. Save video and upload it to your YouTube channel.

Step 12b. I do not have YouTube loaded on my phone, so I email the final video product to myself and do the YouTube work on my PC. Or I share it with dropbox.

Step 13. Add a fun title and decide whether you want your child’s video to be PUBLIC or PRIVATE. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!

Step 13b. Choose that the video is for kids for added safety.

Step 14. Share with Friends and Family!

Here is another example of my child’s art process videos:

Creating a Virtual Art Expo on YouTube Final Thoughts

YouTube is an easy platform to share your child’s art with friends and family (even the whole world). However, it is a platform that needs to be carefully monitored. We have successfully been able to share our child’s fun and creative art with others, inspiring other kids to be artists. We never allow our child to go on YouTube without one of us parents sitting by their side and we never allow our child to view comments made by others without us first seeing those comments.

I would recommend you set your video to “PRIVATE” and “Just for kids”

There have been times where we have only allowed her videos to be private, and other times where we have allowed them to be public. Again, we have decided to never show our child’s face. This is a decision you must carefully make for you and your family.

We have had a lot of fun watching the videos ourselves as a family, being proud of the gift of art that God has given to our child. Grandma and Grandpa also love being able to see videos that are sometimes too long to share via text or email.

Have you made any videos of your child’s art process?

What types of art have you posted on YouTube?

Can you share any tips on making videos?

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You Can Design a Science Curriculum Tailored to your Elementary School Age Child

Keep in mind that science in the younger years should be focused on exploration and excitement. This is an essential component of the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Children are naturally curious about the world so you need to provide abundant learning opportunities for them. A great way to do that is to have access to beautiful living science books that cover a variety of topics. Also, be willing to go outside and explore. This will allow your children to fall in love with the natural world around them!

How do I Design My Own Science Curriculum Based on My Child’s Interests?

If you are anything like me, you struggle to fit your kids into a box of pre-packaged science curriculum. I have decided to be the creator of my children’s science education. Now I know that not everyone wants to take the time to do this, but for those of you homeschool moms who are able, you first need to be open minded and flexible. You can put together a fun science curriculum that works with your child’s interests.

You can put together a FUN science curriculum that works with your child’s interests.

What Made Me Change My Mind-from textbook to Living Picture Books:

When I started homeschooling my kids, I was a firm believer in the need to use textbooks to teach science to my kids (I was coming from a career as a public School educator). It didn’t go so well, though. Trying to get my young children to sit still while I read from the science textbook was nearly impossible.

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to start teaching classes once a week at a learning center. The purpose of these classes was to provide enriching learning opportunities-not what I was used to as a public school teacher. Using my background in curriculum instruction, I designed a buffet-style class around unique and rare animals as well as mysterious places. I called it “Mysteries and Marvels in Our World.”

The class introduced newly discovered creatures, unique creatures, and mysterious places to the children. For example, we learned about the Crooked Forest in Poland, the Cone Snail, Bombardier Beetle, and so many other amazing places and animals. The kids (and me too) were in awe of what we were learning about. It quickly became super popular and I was able to teach it 3 semesters in a row and each semester it was full. I loved that class for so many reasons. One of the main reasons I loved it was because it taught me that I could teach about so many subjects and content areas using these fun creatures and interesting places. Kids learn best when they fall in love with what they are learning. Who doesn’t love the adorable Blobfish?

The Blobfish was one of the first unique animals that we learned about. I had never even heard about this animal until I did the research for the class curriculum. It quickly fascinated me. Using this creature as a “learning base” we covered habitat, density, depth, geography (where it lives using maps), food chain, art (we had to draw it :-), classification, and so much more.

So I figured I could plan out my science curriculum for my own children in that same way. And that is just what I did and you can too.

Now I organize and plan out my own children’s science curriculum (as well as history- but that is another post and I integrate other subjects that they are learning. I even enjoy occasionally creating worksheets and activities that better suit my children’s interests. I am working on a tutorial that teaches other moms how to do that and will update a link to this post once I finish it (this will be especially for my fellow creative mamas!)

What is great about this strategy is that it also saves time in my homeschooling day. I don’t have to teach each subject separately. I can integrate reading, phonics, writing and so much more with core subjects like science and history. It also works for multiple ages.

Children LOVE Animals- Especially Unique and Interesting Ones- You Can Use that as a Hook!

This is a coloring book that I put together for my kids to go with the unique creatures we were learning about.

Creative Science- Learning about unusual creatures to cover a variety of science standards as well as other content areas.

Like I mentioned earlier, rather than teaching about animal habitats and adaptations as their own separate lessons. You can use content your child will be interested in and build their learning around that. First, go over the science topics and standards you want to teach over the year or semester for your child, then choose something that your child is super interested in. For example, you can choose an animal that your kids love. Use this animal as the “learning base” and make their education connected to what they enjoy.

Here are a couple of books that I used to teach about unique and creative creatures

Planning Out Your Year

When I plan for science for the year, I choose a couple of topics. I first talk to my kids and get an idea of what they are interested in. I take that into account, but I also know that there are some topics I will choose for them and I know that once they are exposed to the new topics and we learn about them in a creative and fun way, that they will fall in love with them. I use this planner to help guide what I teach my kids and make all the subjects connect as best as I can. It also helps me to focus on why I teach the way I teach.

You can also use this book by Rebecca Rupp called “Home Learning Year by Year”. It is a fantastic resource to help you organize and plan out your years of homeschooling.

Connected and Cohesive Learning

While what I am about to cover is often more work for the parent or teacher, it is important that your child’s learning be connected and cohesive. Connected and cohesive learning is when cross-curriculum learning goes on. Allowing subjects to cross in your child’s learning such as history, science, reading, phonics, and even math. When learning is disjointed, it not only takes longer to complete your school day, your child is left with thinking that each subject is separate. This is unfortunate because in learning science, you can teach writing, phonics, grammar, history, etc.

I have created a Homeschool Unit Study Planner where you can plan your own unit studies based on your kids interest. See the post and access your Planner by clicking here.

But Shouldn’t I use a textbook?

I do not use textbooks to teach my kids science. I will leave that for Middle School and High School. However, I do purchase science textbooks to help guide me when necessary, such as a when we are learning about human anatomy. I believe it is important to use beautifully illustrated living picture books to teach science to young children, however. Either going to the local library or investing in new and used books online or at the thrift store is essential to exposing amazing content to your kids. Here is a youtube video where I explain the five ways to build your homeschool library on a budget.

Textbooks in my opinion shouldn’t be used as your primary teaching tool. They are often dull and dry and lack beautiful engaging content (not always, but usually that is the case). Quality picture books and other living books that teach science content are much more appropriate for younger children.

Here are just a couple of science picture book that I like, however you can check out a more complete list here or scroll down to see picture book lists by subject area.

I am a BIOLOGY NUT!!!! I could study biology every year with my kids. Last year I designed a biology curriculum for my kindergartner and second grader. While I used the textbook personally, how I taught each topic to my children was through living picture books. I followed a set of topics that I wanted to cover over the year, however I tried to engage my child’s interests whenever possible. And we slowed down when they came to a topic they were fascinated by.

We purchased a high powered microscope and began to learn about the microscopic world. We went on field trips that connected our learning even further. Opportunities for digging deeper into subjects will come often. For us it came when we arrived at the Kingdom Protista during our learning about the classification of living things. We purchased amoebas, paramecium, and euglena. We watched them move around under our microscope. Then we sketched them into our nature journals. Now that was memorable learning!

I created this printable for my kids to record their microscope observations. It is available on TeachersPayTeachers.com

Side note: Nature journaling can be done with the microscopic world too. Things unseen are fascinating!!!

If you are able and interested, investing in a high quality microscope is a great way to get your children interested in the microscopic world around them. I use an Amscope microscope, which is an amazing brand.

Some Microscope Essentials if you are interested:

Quality Living Picture Books are a GREAT Way to Teach Science Content to Your Child

This year we are continuing our life science learning. My kids who are now first and third will be delving into anatomy and physiology. I have a textbook for my own reference. A textbook allows me to have a better understanding of what I want to basically cover even some of the technical words we may come across. The textbook is NOT for my kids, however. The goal of my science instruction is to provide a buffet style education. I offer the content and we slow down and explore when their is a high interest. We checkout or purchase books that correlate to the topics we are covering and then do hands-on activities and labs.

We are also going to do a brief overview of Chemistry this year (my daughter asked for this because to her chemistry means experiments). I have planned it into our school year, but I may be a bit over zealous. I was able to find a basic chemistry textbook to guide me as I plan out my children’s lessons, however, we will be using living science picture books to learn the concepts as well as LOTS of hands-on learning. I will let you know how it goes

Use Real and Technical Words When you Teach or Talk About Science

It is always tempting to simplify the vocabulary from science. I admit, some words are tough. We wonder if our child can even understand them. While at first your child may look at you puzzled when you say a difficult science word. With repetition in context, your child will begin to pick these more difficult words up. I have been using the scientific technical words since the beginning.

I have a funny memory of being in the hospital after having my son and my daughter, who was two at the time pointing at the doctor and saying “stethoscope”. It left the doctor shocked and he even asked her to repeat what she had said. I just thought it was so cute to hear her cute little voice saying it.

From the beginning I used real technical words to interact with my children about our surroundings. I don’t do it so they sound smart (remember Charlotte Mason encourages a humility in learning :-). Rather, I firmly believe that they are capable of using the real words that we all use daily.

Here Are Some of My Favorite Homeschool Planning Books

Get Creative

When teaching science get creative! Make lapbooks or fun books so that your child can document their learning. Check out this list of ways to get creative with science:

• dioramas
• stories
• newspapers
• news report for TV
• lapbook
• book
• art piece
• stop motion video
• song
• making their own board game or card game
• blog

You will notice that with each of these activities you can integrate your writing standards, reading standards, art, History, and so much more. At the end you will have an amazing contribution to your child’s learning portfolio. Let your child help pick out the best way to show their learning and allow some time for creativity.

SLOW DOWN and Let Children Take Their Time

Often textbooks chunk subjects into separate time blocks: 6 weeks for plants, 6 weeks for weather, etc. This is not how children’s minds learn. They need to be given their own time to explore and dive deeper into subjects that they find interesting. The goal is to make them fall in love with learning!

Where Do I Find Activities and Labs That Go With My Science Curriculum?

I like to research activities that I think my kids will enjoy. Pinterest is a great resource for homeschool science activities. It can be overwhelming however. Check out my Pinterest Board.

I am currently putting my Mysteries and Marvels Curriculum together so that I can share it with the world- well at least for those who love animals:-). Once that is ready I will post it.

Great Websites With More Fun and Creative Science Ideas

Creative Educator This site is full of fun ideas that you can integrate into your science teaching.

Home Science Tools is a fantastic resource for science activities. They are all about hands-on learning.

Check out these tips to build your homeschooling library on a budget:

How do you teach your children Science?

Have you found a curriculum that fits your kids? Have you found a textbook that your kids enjoy or that is useful to you as the educator?

Do you design your own science curriculum? What tips can you offer a homeschooling mom to help with teaching science to her children?

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

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This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.

The 9 Best Tips to Teach Your Child at Home

Many of us find ourselves in a new position of opportunity this year. The Coronavirus or Covid19 has brought upon many in our world to think of an alternative way to school our children. Some of us look at this alternative as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds within our family. Homeschooling is the option that many families are choosing this year. Are you one of those families?

I have been homeschooling for 5 years and I want to offer these tips for families who may be new to homeschooling. I remember the doubt and questions that began when I started. Let me encourage you and tell you that your are capable and are the perfect person to teach your own child!

Here are some important tips to keep in mind as you move your child from the classroom to your home:

Tip #1 Focus on Relationship

This is your child and you clearly love them and want the best for them. Sometimes we don’t focus on our relationships as much as we should, though. Homeschooling allows you to bond over learning. Read alouds are a perfect way to snuggle up with your kiddos, laugh, and enjoy one another. Don’t let frustration and anger seep into your homeschooling day. Remember that you are teaching someone who may struggle to understand a concept or not perform as you expect them too. Don’t belittle, put down, or shame them. But take every opportunity to encourage, love, and direct them.

There is so much freedom in homeschooling to allow for relationship building and to create beautiful lasting memories. While we are still confined to our homes because of Covid, we can get creative with learning opportunities (link to creative homeschool ideas).

Tip #2 Don’t Expect to be teaching 6-7 hours a day

School for your child will NOT take 7 hours!!! I used to teach in a traditional public school. A math lesson in my classroom, for example, could last up to 45 minutes (or more). However a math lesson for my daughter might only be 15 minutes (or less). There are several reasons for this. First, much of the time in a classroom is taken up for classroom management: passing out papers, making sure everyone has their supplies, maintaining order, etc. A teacher must pause often to check for understanding and address behavior issues in a class of 30-40 students.

How Long Should Our Homeschooling Day Be?

When you are homeschooling your own child, you only have 1 (or maybe a couple of more depending on the size of your family) to be concerned about. Because you are their teacher, you know when they understand a concept, if they need further explanation, and so on. You can teach a math concept to your child, practice the concept with them, and check for understanding in as little as 10 minutes. So, by the time you have touched on all of the core subjects (math, reading, writing, history, science, elective), your school day may be anywhere from 2-4 hours long.

Should I follow a Schedule?

As a former elementary, middle school, and high school teacher, I know the importance of structure for kids. Having a schedule is nice so that you know what you are trying to accomplish in your day. But keep in mind that flexibility is important as well. Teaching at home allows for you to dig deeper into a subject than you originally planned for. For example, you are doing a science lesson on birds. You planned to work on science for about 30 minutes. However you notice that your child is super engaged, excited, asking questions, and is completely fascinated with hawks. Do you stop them because you have to follow your schedule? I say no!! You roll with your child’s excitement and press on with science. Get more books out (if you have them) about hawks. Help your child find the answers to their many questions about this species. Don’t move past this amazing learning opportunity.

Remember that your science lesson doesn’t just have to be a science lesson. You can incorporate some history, phonics or sight word searching, etc. When my daughter became fascinated with birds, specifically hawks and other raptors, it trailed into many other subject areas. She wrote stories about them, learned how to draw them, and researched them whenever she had a free moment. She even to this day has the dream of one day becoming a falconer (a dream that still lives today). This is all because we allowed for the freedom of a flexible learning schedule.

So, Should you follow a schedule? Yes, have a schedule, but don’t let it own you. You own it, so make it work for your family.

Here is a sample of my homeschooling schedule:

So, What Do I Do With All of this Extra Time???

Oh my friend, all of this extra time allows your child the freedom to be creative, explore their interests in a deeper way, and allows for playtime. Your child’s brain is developing in such an amazing way, so giving them this free time to think and explore is essential for their development.

Tip #3 Follow these Money Saving Tips for Homeschooling Curriculum and Supplies

There are a variety of ways to save money while homeschooling. There are several homeschooling websites that offer free curriculum and ideas. You can purchase used curriculum on sites like Ebay (check out my store here) for a better deal. Just remember that prices of used items will go up as the school year begins. The best time to buy used curriculum (I have found) is from November-February. The dollar tree is an amazing resource for supplies and materials. (See my post on Dollar tree hacks (coming soon).

Allinonehomeschool.com is an amazing website that offers free Christian curriculum.

KahnAcademy.org is free content for multiple subject areas and is a great resource for Homeschooling.

www.Ck-12.org is a website that offers LOADS of free curriculum and textbooks. This is a fabulous resource. I have used it mainly at the high school level, but I know resources are available k-12.

Guesthollow.com offers science curriculums mostly for free. There are a couple of items you may have to pay for but the site is very helpful.

Tip #4 Have the Right Supplies For Teaching Your Child at Home

Here is a list of supplies that every homeschooler should have:

1. Books, books, and more books! (link to our favorite homeschooling books)
2. Good quality art supplies (Click here for a link to my art and homeschooling article)
3. Pencils and sharpener (I am obsessed with Ticonderoga)
4. Lots of blank paper of all types (Colored, lined, blank, art paper)
5. Personal white board and markers (a magnetic whiteboard is a plus!)
6. Whiteboard markers
7. Journal
8. Art Notebook
9. How to Art Books
10. Curriculum (see above for free resources)

How to Organize your materials and Supplies

Depending on if you are a minimalist homeschooler, an eclectic homeschooler, or a very organized homeschooler, there are a few simple tips that will help you keep your supplies organized. I love the cube organizers for my books and baskets. I also love using rolling carts like this one, and this one. click here to see my youtube video (coming soon showing how I use this amazing rolling cart for my homeschool organization.

Tip #5 Create a Space Dedicated to Homeschooling

A homeschooling space doesn’t have to be an entire room, but make sure that you have a space where you can easily access your materials and books. I started homeschooling in my dining room when I began several years ago. I liked that we were schooling in a central area. I could make lunch in the kitchen and talk with my kids while they did their work. We invested in a small shelf and boxes for organizing and then we used a rolling cart for all of our supplies. This worked for us for a couple of years. However, when my husband was required to work from home due to Covid, we had to move into a spare bedroom because we were too loud for the conference calls my husband was on for work.

Being in a separate room has its advantages. We can make a mess and close the door behind us. We can stop at a lesson and carry on with it the next day. However the draw back for me was feeling like schooling was disconnected from the main part of our house. If I had to make lunch, I had to walk to a separate part of our home. If the children had questions, I wasn’t readily available.

Tip #6 Seek out Encouraging People as you Embark on this Homeschooling Journey

This is super important. Right now during the pandemic homeschooling is a bit more of an “accepted” form of school, but when things are normal, be prepared for contention from others as they learn about your choice to homeschool. I have heard it all from loved ones to complete strangers at the store. My favorite was my pharmacist handing me my medication and letting me know that my children would be socially awkward if I continued to homeschool them. When you face adversity or are having a bad season in your homeschooling, it is nice to have a place of refuge where you can share your heartache. I have a handful of friends and two family members that I know will encourage me when things get tough.

Some of your encouragement may come from friends that you know, however you can also look for online resources such as blogs and professional websites about homeschooling. I have also received a lot of encouragement from Reading good homeschooling books as well. I always try to have one book about homeschooling on my nightstand. Right now I am reading through: “Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of your Child,” By Anthony Esolen

Here are some other amazing homeschooling books that I recommend. Let me know what you think about them or what your favorite homeschooling book is.

Tip #7 Be Willing to Change

Sometimes we choose a curriculum and have high hopes, but as we get into the school year, the reality is that the curriculum just doesn’t fit our child’s learning style. When My daughter started kindergarten I purchased a particular reading program that was recommended by a friend. I put everything together and began to use it. After a couple of months it became obvious that it was too redundant for my daughter. She was bored and didn’t want to do the lessons and the activities that came with it. Because we had already informally completed some reading and phonics lessons prior to kindergarten, the curriculum wasn’t meeting her educational needs. I kept with it as long as possible because I didn’t want to waste the money, but in the end, we moved on to something more challenging and at her level. I was glad we did. I saw a positive change in my daughter and she had a renewed desire to read and be challenged.

So, it is okay to switch your curriculum if it isn’t working for you. Try to stick with it for a couple of months and if there is no improvement, start asking around and researching for something better suited to your child’s needs.

Tip #8 Don’t Forget Breaks and Snack Time

It is so fun to take a break from learning and eat a tasty snack. This can be something simple like water in teacups with pretzels on the side, or something a bit more fancy such as homemade donuts with tea. Whatever it is your family likes to serve up and eat, don’t forget to take those little breaks from learning to refuel. Go outside and eat a snack and play. You can even resume some of your lessons outside if the weather is nice.

Tip #9 Have Fun!

This seems so easy, but it takes some of us moms a little more effort. I admit, I tend to be more serious and task oriented. This is unfortunate for my playful and happy children. I say things like: “hurry up, just get this done, we need to finish, blah blah blah.” I need to keep my eyes open to have fun while we learn. One of the goals of homeschooling my children is to create a love for lifelong learning. I desire for my kids to never look at learning as a boring task. This sometimes requires me to go a bit above and beyond to make sure that we are having fun learning. Can I turn our lesson concept into a song? Can we play a learning game to memorize math facts? Can I play dress up with my kids to act out a time in history? There are so many fun and engaging ways to make homeschooling fun for our children. There are so many resources to help you out as well.

Read this Article about simple ways to add creativity to your homeschooling day.

Click here for my Sample PDF Schedule

Teaching your children at home doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Follow these tips as you get started. Don’t be too hard on yourself to learn everything at once. Give yourself grace as you figure out what works for your family. Once you get into a homeschooling groove you will be able to take a step back and see what a privilege it is to be your child’s teacher. My hope is that homeschooling will draw your family closer together and that you will see the silver lining in choosing an alternative style of schooling during the pandemic.

So, although life will be different for everyone during this coronavirus pandemic, take heart, you can teach your child at home! You are qualified for this important job.

Let me know how your homeschooling year begins? Do you have any tips for others that are new to homeschooling? Do you have any questions? I am here to help!

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