Showing posts with label 5 days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5 days. Show all posts

Tuesday 13 August 2019

Books About Homeschooling {Not Back to School Blog Hop 2019}


Welcome to day two of the Not Back to School Homeschool Review Crew Blog Hop.  Today on the Crew blog Stephanie is sharing 4 Tips for Your New (Home)School Year. Yesterday we talked about ART in Your Homeschool and today I would like to share about two new books I've been reading. These two books have been encouraging and equipping me on my home education journey and have deeply impacted my life this year.

Teaching From Rest a Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace

Teaching From Rest A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace

Format Hardback | 89 pages
Dimensions 146.05 x 215.9 x 6.35mm | 163.29g
Publication date 15 Sep 2015
Publisher Classical Academic Press
Language English
ISBN10 1600512879
ISBN13 9781600512872

I was gifted this amazing book by a wonderful homeschool Mom whom I met a few years ago and has become an encouraging friend. It was a book on my to read list and recently I added it to my Audible play list in which Sarah reads the book to her audience.

As a veteran homeschooling Mom I am ever so grateful for this beautiful encouraging book.  I have been feeling exhausted and on the edge of burn out for a while now and this book has spoken to my weary home school Mom heart.  Sarah has encouraged me in a deep abiding way.  Her conversational tone is a balm to all home educating Mom's the world over. I have learnt so much from Sarah about living and teaching from a state of rest and what it truly means to do so. 

Publishers Summary - "Those who have made the decision to homeschool their children have done so out of great love for them and a desire to provide them an excellent education in the context of a warm, enriching home. Yet so many parents (mainly mothers) who have taken up this challenge find the enterprise often full of stress, worry, and anxiety. In this practical, faith-based, and inspirational book, Sarah Mackenzie addresses these questions directly, appealing to her own study of restful learning and her struggle to bring restful learning to her (six) children."

You can download 3 Free Sample Chapters over at Read-Aloud Revival. 

 Think Learn Succeed by Dr.Caoline Leaf

Format Paperback | 320 pages
Dimensions 140 x 216 x 25mm | 379g Publication date 31 Jul 2018
Publisher Baker Publishing Group
Imprint Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group
Publication City/Country Ada, MI, United States
Language English
Edition Statement ITPE
Illustrations note Illustrations, black and white
ISBN10 0801093619
ISBN13 9780801093616

This book has changed the way I approach learning and how I teach.  It has inspired and equipped me to be the best I can be and how to help my students.  I highly recommend that every single person read this book.  It will help you not only understand yourself and your potential but understand your children, your spouse and every person you encounter every single day of your life. I have had a few homeschooling learning myths dispelled and I have been empowered with tools to help myself and my students.  This book has the potential to change everyone who reads it!

Publishers Summary: "Our thought lives have incredible power over our mental, emotional, and even physical well-being. In fact, our thoughts can either limit us to what we believe we can do or release us to experience abilities well beyond our expectations. When we choose a mindset that extends our abilities rather than placing limits on ourselves, we will experience greater intellectual satisfaction, emotional control, and physical health. The only question is . . . how? Backed by up-to-date scientific research and biblical insight, Dr. Caroline Leaf empowers readers to take control of their thoughts in order to take control of their lives. In this practical book, readers will learn to use

 - The 5-step Switch on Your Brain Learning Program, to build memory and learn effectively
- The Gift Profile, to discover the unique way they process information
- The Mindfulness Guide, to optimise their thought life and find their inner resilience

 Dr. Leaf shows readers how to combine these powerful tools in order to improve memory, learning, cognitive and intellectual performance, work performance, physical performance, relationships, emotional health, and most importantly a meaningful life well lived. 

Each of us has significant psychological resources at our fingertips that we can use in order to improve our overall well-being. Dr. Leaf shows us how to harness those resources to unlock our hidden potential."

 In the past I have shared and still recommend

I would love to hear which books you recommend for Homeschool Mom's to read.

Blessings
Chareen


There are over thirty home educating mom's participating in this years Not back to School Blog Hop.  Grab a cup of tea and take a look through the linky below for some homeschool Encouragement today.
 

Art in Your Homeschool {Not Back to School Blog Hop 2019}

Welcome to day one of the annual Homeschool Review Crew Not Back to School Blog Hop.  Today's topic is A = Art in Your Homeschool.  I have a confession to make.  I have a love hate relationship with art in our homeschool.  Today I would like to share a list of books, web resources and Art Curriculum that we have used over the last two decades to teach art in our homeschool.



During my time with the Homeschool Review Crew we have been introduced to some amazing products which have made adding Art to our Homeschool so much easier. Here are a few we have enjoyed over the years and are well worth investing in:
  •  ArtAchieve - There are five year levels available.  You are able to purchase single lessons of any project you would like to use in your homeschool.  The lessons are presented in different formats (PowerPoint or video) by John Hofland.  Every lesson has a comprehensive lesson plan available covering many aspects on the topic at hand. Be sure to try a FREE lesson with ArtAchieve: FREE Level I-Art Lesson I-2: The Czech Cat "There is no right or wrong way to draw. One drawing is not better than another.  It's just different - because the people who are drawing are different "- John (ArtAchieve)
  • See The Light -  We have loved using the video based lessons.  Each video contains three step by step lessons.  Lessons are in a step by step format and available as downloads or DVD.  You can request your free lesson from here. We have really enjoyed the Art Projects series and learnt so many great things from pop art (Repeated Sweets - Wayne Thiebaud Artist Study) to pointillism fruit.
  • Last year we did a series of art pieces via the on line art lessons using Creating a Masterpiece. I really liked the way each lesson is broken up into shorter step by step lessons making it easy to accomplish really complex pieces over a number of days or weeks. You can try a free lesson over here.
  • We have also done numerous different art projects and show cased them here on the blog along with links to the source tutorials via the Virtual Fridge
  • SchoolhouseTeachers.com has some  fabulous Art Classes for your homeschool. These lessons are specifically designed to be used in your home.

The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective is an amazing text to use to teach art history.

If you have students that are interested in learning Natural History Illustration be sure to check out the FREE edX course: Drawing Nature, Science and Cultrue: Natural History Illustration 101.

Mondrian Inspired Art
Over the years we have completed a few Artist Unit Studies:

Art Resources on line

 Beautiful Books on Studying Artists
(Libraries are an excellent resource to teach for FREE)
On Pinterest
Picture Study Resources
I asked some homeschool friends what they would recommend and they said:
I would love to hear what YOU have used to teach art in your homeschool.

Blessings
Chareen


There are over thirty home educating mom's participating in this years Not back to School Blog Hop.  Grab a cup of tea and take a look through the linky below for some homeschool Encouragement today.

Friday 2 August 2019

ABC of Homechooling {Not Back to School Blog Hop}

I have had the most wonderful few weeks.  For my birthday my family gifted me a very precious week with my homeschool and life friend Jenny in New Zealand.  One of the most amazing and unplanned happenings was meeting up with three other ladies who were all home educating with me two decades ago!  Between us we have over a century of homeschooling experience.  I was so blessed by each and everyone of these woman!


When we began home educating there was very little on the Internet, no computer programs to homeschool with, we had curriculum catalogues and each others experience.  Today we have the world at our finger tips courtesy of the www.

I have been privileged over the past few years to work alongside incredible home educating families who have a passion to share their homeschool experiences with the homeschooling community over at the Homeschool Review Crew.

Each year these wonderful woman gather together to encourage the home educating community and this year they are busy preparing to share and encourage you during the week of the 12th of August in the Annual Not Back to Homeschool Blog Hop.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the topics being shared during the week:
  • Year-Round Homeschooling
  • Eclectic Homeschooling
  • ABC of Homeschooling
  • Adding Fun to Your Homeschooling
  • Large Family Homeschooling
  • A Quest for a Great Homeschool Year
  • Looking Back on Homeschooling High School
  • Homeschool Life Skills
  • Homeschooling with Autism
  • Homeschool High School
  • Favourite Homeschool Things
  • Relaxed Homeschooling
  • Upper Grade Homeschooling
 I am looking forward to hearing from my fellow Crew members.  Over the past few years I have participated in a few 5 Days of ... blog hops and really enjoyed the experience.

This year I will be writing about the ABC of Homeschooling
  • A = Art in your homeschool
  • B = Books about homeschooling
  • C = Charlotte Mason
  • D =Don't Change a Thing
  • E =Encouragement for the Year Ahead
Mark your calendar and be sure to pop on over daily for some home school encouragement and equipping.

Blessings
Chareen
PS if you are on Pinterest be sure to follow the 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog Hop Board for homeschool encouragement and inspiration.

Thursday 23 August 2018

Benefits of Home Education {Day 4 Thankful Thursday}

As I was considering what to share with you today I began to realise that as a family we have benefited from this journey far more than we actually realise.  Today the Homeschool Review Crew Blog Hop participants are focusing on thankfulness, so grab a cuppa and join us as we encourage you to look at homeschooling and the many things to be thankful for.

Time for Family Relationships

Being married to a zoo keeper who works a rotating roster Paul and I realised that if we had not home educated our children would have only seen him two days a month when his rostered days off fell on a weekend.  Oportunities for relationship building abound.  There is available time to enjoy one another and get to know each other on a deeper and more intimate level within the family.

Because we home educate Paul has been able to take our children on adventures and given them valuable one on one time.

Paul has blessed our home school with his skills.  He has helped us with all the things I am unable to do. His role within our home school in invaluable and our homeschool has benefitted from his life experience, insights, practical help and guidence.

Traveling

When you think of traveling often our first thoughts are interstate or international, however any time you walk out your front door and go anywhere you are traveling and the opportunities to learn abound! The longer we home educate the more I've come to value the depth that this type of immersion provides to our home school. When children experience real life they remember it so much more and are able to use that immersion to help them interpret the world around them. There are many benefits to exploring, here are a few of the things we have done that might give you ideas for your family


Time

  • Homeschooling has given us time.  Time to get to know each other.  Time to choose our own rythm and homeschool year round.   
  • The opportunity to experience my children's successes.  The first time they read and seeing their faces light up with accomplishment. 
  • The time to watch them grow and develop.
  • Time to invest in Mother Culture rather than running from pillar to post (although that has happened when I have mismanaged my time)

Community

  • I have been blessed with amazing friendships over the years.  Some have been seasonal.  Some have come and stayed but each and everyone has invested in my life and left behind footprints that have shaped me.
  • Some of the Homeschool Co-Op opportunities have provided expereinces that my children would have been unable to experience anywhere else.  These have provided people to help share the load of schooling and have both challenged and stretched us educationally and relationally.
  • Mentoring Relationships have been a huge blessing in our homeschool. We have been blessed with help, information, networking opportunities, advice, encouragement and support we could never have had anywhere else.

Looking Back - Benefits from a Homeschool Graduate's Perspective

I asked my daughter what she was felt were benefits of being homeschooled here is her list:
  • Being able to work at her own pace - not too fast not too slow.
  • Having time to pursue subjects she was interrested in.
  • Flexibility.
  • Not wasting time.  She could go from one subject to the next and not have to move between classes or wait for the next class time.
  • Being able to graduate early at 16 with a tertiary qualification.
  • Taking time off for family commitments or travel was never an issue.
  • Having access to tutoring aka Mom!
  • Traveling and learning through immersion.
  • Having time to grow a relationship with my little brother who is ten years younger than me.

This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.

Wednesday 22 August 2018

Guest Posting at the Crew Blog {Work it in Wednesday}

There are three questions I have been repeatedly asked as I've walked the journey of home education and they are:
  1. What about socialisation?
  2. How can you teach and do it all?
  3. Is it leagal to home school?
Today I will be answering the question of:  How do you do it all when you homeschool?  over at the Homeschool Review Crew blog. 


This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.

Wednesday 16 August 2017

Planning & Record Keeping {Homechool Review Crew Blog Hop 2017}

Welcome to day three of the Back to School Blog Hop with the Homeschool Review Crew. Planning and Record Keeping for home eduation need not be a complicated task nor does it need to be a stressful one.  Keeping it simple will illiminate many headaches for you and your family. As a friend recently pointed out: providing too much information is often driven by our need to justify ourselves.  It also can become a stumbling block to successfully passing a review or inspection. 

Planning to Home Educate
If you are in the planning stages of home educating one of the first things you will need to do is find out what the legal requirements are for where you are living.  Home Education is a viable and legal option in most countries/states in the world.

To find out more about the registration requirements take a look at

Home Schooling in Victoria Australia

Legal information
  1. Queensland
  2. Northern Territories
  3. Western Australia
  4. South Australia
  5. Victoria
  6. Australian Capital Territory
  7. New South Wales
  8. Tasmania
Record Keeping
The requirements for record keeping are different everywhere.  Currently in Vicoria we are awaiting to hear about what our new record keeping requirements are going to be. In anticipation of the changes I was introduced to a fabulous app called KeptMe. KeptMe has been optimised for accross platform performance meaning it can be used on all your devices i.e. apple, android and pc.   It is currently being used by many different schools in variouse countries around the world (including in the USA).  I highly recommend this app for it's ease of use and the beautiful report it produces in pdf for you to download and print should you ever require one.

Why do I like KeptMe?
  • I like that it is easy to use.  I simply snap a photo on my phone. Add it to KeptMe.  
  • I can easily select the template (This year I'm using year six Victorian Curriculum) I want to report and within that template ALL the information I need is at my finger tips.
  • It's a fabulous way to show friends and family who want to know what your children have been up to.
  • It's easy to use with multiple children in one family
KeptMe Timeline of Learning

KeptMe keeps a timeline of your entries.  Here is a Learning Timeline I created in less than an hour  with KeptMe.  I like that I can see at a glance which Key Learning Area is needing information in my report by the absence of a little graphic.  Each of the graphics you see within the report page above correlates to a full page report within the document.  This timeline of learning also demostrates the regular nature of our home educating.


 Here is a sample page using the Victorian Curriculum Year 6 template.  As you can see I took a photo of the vidoe we watched and then added in a couple of notes under observation.  I then read through the different Learning Areas and added a tick to the boxes which were relavant to our learning.  KeptMe then added these sentances to the bottom of the page.  These are a direct quote from the official Victorian Curriculum for year six.

Here is another sample.  We did a unit on volcanoe's and covered both geography and science.  You can see that KeptMe has colour coded each subject.

KeptMe can be customed to use anywhere and is so easy to use that your older children can keep records of their own learning.

KeptMe is FREE to sign up to and a breeze to use. Please note you will need to sign up as an EDUCATOR in order to access all these functions.  I will do a full tutorial in a few weeks time and show you how to use KeptMe.

Blessings
Chareen


MEET SOME OF THE CREW PARTICIPATING IN THIS WEEKS BLOG HOP:
  1. Jodi – Insane in the Mombrain – Jodi is blissfully (?!) rocking this homeschooling journey with three punks still at home. It’s “not back to school” time, because she schools year round, but it is time to get organized and refreshed. Let the fun begin!
  2. Karen – Tots and Me…Growing Up Together – I am a homeschool mom of 4 young children. This year I will be teaching a 5th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, and kindergartner doing 1st grade work. I’ve been blogging since my 5th grader was doing home preschooling at 2 1/2 years old. I love sharing what we are doing in our homeschool (lessons, crafts, recipes, books we are reading, and LOTS of pictures). Stop by and see what we are up to. I love making new friends
  3. Kelly – God’s Writer Girl – Kelly is the single mother of a unique teenaged boy with diagnoses of Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, and Learning Disabilities. Her blog, God’s Writer Girl, focuses on offering encouragement for life’s journey for which she draws inspiration from her own life: eight years of homeschooling, her son’s perseverance and abilities, and her own journey with chronic pain and illness.
  4. Kellyann – Walking Home … – I am a homeschool mom of 3 (who are currently in each school bracket – elementary, middle, and high school aged) who is passionate about helping others reach their homeschooling goals and potential through reviews and teaching, training, and mentoring others. I also help co-lead a large homeschool group coordinating field trips, events, classes, and activities.
  5. Kemi – Homemaking Organized – I have been homeschooling for 8 years and have found that one of the best things I can do is to share what I’m discovering along this journey.
  6. Kirsten – Doodle Mom’s Homeschooling Life – Homeschooling mom, former senior market analyst, former Biophysicist. Now I write blog posts about homeschooling and product reviews for the HomeschoolReviewCrew.com while my teens sleep in.
  7. Kristi – Classically Quirky Learning – An overview of what homeschool looks like for a couple of 2e kids.
  8. Kym – Homeschool Coffee Break – I’m about to start my 20th year of homeschooling – wow! My three oldest kids have graduated, and my youngest will be a junior this year. We’re eclectic homeschoolers, and the focus with this youngest student is definitely music and the arts. I love coffee and history, and try to encourage other homeschool moms through the co-ops and fellowship groups I’m in, and through my blog.

Tuesday 15 August 2017

Homeschool Supplies {Review Crew Back to School Blog Hop}

Welcome to day two of the Homeschool Review Crew Back to School Blog Hop 2017. Yesterday we talked about Curriculum/Resource Choices, today's topic is: Homeschool Supplies. Over the years some things have remained a constant and this year I've added two new things which I now consider essential to our homeschool.


Printer
A printer is a huge investment in your home education journey.  We have used all sorts of printers from dot-matrix, ink, and now we have a lazer printer.  I managed to buy this one second hand.  It was a choice between colour or a black only printer.  I settled on a black print only printer as 95% of my printing is in black only.  I love this printer.  It's a wireless printer meaning I can print from any device in the house.  Each page I print costs me less than a cent to print so I print guilt free when ever we need something.


Comb Binding Machine
With the growth and accessability of the internet market for home educating families I recently discovered that I was spending a lot of my homeschool budget on binding digital products after I had downloaded and printed them AND I had growing piles of paper all over my house!  This was begining to annoy me and I finally invested in a comb binding machine.


  I purchase the covers and the combs on eBay.  You can view a two minute how to use a Comb Binding Machine on YouTube here it's a lot easier than you think to bind your own books.

Bookmarks
I have found that over the years my supply list has remained fairly static.  We are a book loving family here and as such book marks are always in demand.  One of my favourites is the Magnetic i-clip.

Details:

Each clip measures 57 mm from tip to tip when open, 18 mm wide and 28 mm from edge to tip when closed.

Because they are magnetic they do not fall out of the book.




Meaning you can use either side to mark the exact spot on the page you stopped reading.


They are 2 mm thick when closed and do not damage the book you are reading.

They are available as 
They are fairly popular and sell out fast but be persistent till you get the ones you want.  I buy mine from Book Depository.  They come in a pack of eight

Glue
Years ago I was introduced to the UHU line of glues by a friend and I have never looked back.  We had tried all sorts of glue sticks and were getting really frustrated.  Some would dry before you even had a chance to adhere it to the page and others would simply peel off a couple of weeks later.  This is no longer a problem since we now use UHU Stic Glue.  I look for this and stock up when it's on special.  We use UHU glue sticks for most of our notebooking and timeline glue needs.


Pencils
One of my pet hates is sharpening a pencil and the lead is broken inside.  Grrrr it frustrates me endlessly.  When my teens were younger this drove me to Warehouse Stationery NZ where I spent a while reading the backs of all the coloured pencil boxes in an effort to find a better pencil that I did not need to sharpen and sharpen and sharpen again!

I discovered that Faber-Castell had a new type of pencil on the market and were advertising SV bonding.


Faber-Castell Tri Grip Colour Pencils
What is SV Bonding ?
SV stands for the German word "Sekuralverfahren" meaning secural bonding or (secure-all bonding). The SV Bonding is a process of gluing the lead to the wood on both sides and the full length of the pencil. This results in strengthening the lead to prevent breakage, provides for better sharpening, which produces a fine point. All Faber-Castell pencils are SV Bonded. SV Bonding is a Faber-Castell trademark.

Scissors
Cheap scissors are a waste of time and your finances.  They don't cut the paper well and end up being the biggest source of frustration to you and your student.  Go to the store and try out the types they have there.
  • See if fingers fit the grips and whether they are comfortable.  
  • Check the blades. Are they sharp ? Straight ? Even ? Well made ?  
Do yourself and your student a favour and spend more than 99 cents and you will get years of happy tidy cutting from your students.  

What are your favourite homeschool supplies?  I'm looking forward to hearing more 

Blessings
Chareen


Meet some of the Crew participating in this weeks blog hop:

  1. Diana – Homeschool Review – Diana has been home schooling since 1992 and has tried many styles of home schooling. Her blog reflects home schooling, crafting, and family life.
  2. Elyse – Oiralinde: Eternal Song – My name is Elyse. When I asked my family to describe me, they said I am an “introverted gypsy made of music.” My online moniker is Oiralinde, which is an elven word meaning “eternal song.” My life is full of music: love, laughter, and memories.
  3. Felicia – Homeschool 4 Life – Well, it’s back to school time and we homeschoolers have more to do than others to get ready. We not only have to gather supplies and plan new schedules, but we have to gather curriculum all while trying to figure out how to keep track of grades, life, and schedules. We all could use a little encouragement and guidance during this transition time from summer to school. That’s why we’re here!
  4. Hillary – Walking Fruitfully – I’m a mama to six, from 7 years old up to 16. We homestead and homeschool our crew in a relaxed, Charlotte Mason-inspired way, even through high school. We strive “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10
  5. Jacqui  – Homestead Bounty Blessings – I am a wife, mother, teacher, homesteader in training, and believer in Jesus, my Savior. My blog, Homestead Bounty Blessings, shares my journey in gardening, chicken keeping, homeschooling and homesteading.
  6. Jacquelin – A Stable Beginning – This blog is my attempt to document our busy but BLESSED lives raising and educating our children for His glory. A child of God, wife to one, and mom to 6 fabulous kids. We are in our 9th year of homeschooling using a Classical ~ Charlotte Mason approach. Come along for the good, the bad & the ugly.
  7. Jenn – Treasuring Life’s Blessings – Jenn is a mom to 8 children. She shares about her everyday life, homeschooling and favorite recipes.
  8. Jennifer – Dear Homeschooler – I am a homeschooling mom of two, sharing my experience of teaching in homes, in schools, with Special Needs, and online ESL to build a community of home educators.


Do you have a blog? If so, you’re invited to share your blog posts about what curriculum you are using or some of your favourite curriculum you have used with your family.

Monday 14 August 2017

Curriculum Choices for Home Education

Welcome to the Annual Back to School Blog Hop. Today the Homeschool Review Crew are sharing their insights on the huge world of Curriculum. Home Education Curriculum and Resources is now a multi million dollar industry and as such can be rather overwhelm maze to navigate.

One of the biggest errors of my home educating journey was trying to add in all these amazing things that I saw when visiting homeschooling families and saw what they did.  It took me many years to realize why I was feeling overwhelmed and what I needed to do to over come that.  You can read about it here: Dear Mom Who is Feeling Overwhelmed.



What is Curriculum?
Curriculum: the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college.

Resources: a stock or supply of money, materials, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person  in order to function effectively.

Based on the word definition of Curriculum I've learned that in actual fact what we are referring to is not curriculum but rather resources to home educate. Over the last few years I have particiapated in a few 5 day blog hops sharing resource lists covering a vast array of curriculum areas.  Here are a few to get you started:

 5 Days of Curriculum Choices



Virtual Curriculum Fairs

2014 Virtual Curriculum Fair

2015 Virtual Curriculum Fair
2016 Virtual Curriculum Fair

 Homeschool 4 FREE


I'm also a little bit of a resource Curriculum junkie and that is why I joined the Homeschool Review Crew.

Here are the links to my reviews:
This year I am continuing my homeschool journey using an ecclectic mix of resources. We are learning about and pursuing a Charlotte Mason approach to learning and using resources from Sonlight.

So I would invite you to grab a cup of your favourite beverage and read what the Crew has to say about Homeschool Curriculum.

Blessings
Chareen

—oOo—

Meet some of the Crew participating in this weeks blog hop:

  1. Amanda – Hopkins Homeschool – I am a homeschool mom to four from High School to Toddler. I love sharing what we do together and individually!
  2. Annette – A Net in Time -Five days to celebrate back to school, curriculum choices, supplies, things to do and encouragement for you. Come join us won’t you?
  3. Ashley  – Gift of Chaos – Join us as we go “back to school” with a First Grader and a Preschooler!
  4. Betty – Let’s Get Real – I am a veteran homeschooling mom. We have 3 children who have graduated our homeschool and 3 we are still homeschooling. Our family’s passion is to glorify God in all we do and say and we pray that God will use our lives for His glory.
  5. Christy  – Unexpected Homeschool – Join us on our journey as we homeschool our only child through her high school years while dealing with chronic illnesses.
  6. Crystal – Living Abundantly – Living Abundantly seeks to help Christian women and homeschooling families live abundantly, even when the thief tries to destroy your joy.
  7. Desiree  – Our Homeschool Notebook – I am Mom to 4 kids, and this is our place to share our family and homeschool adventures. This year we will have children in 11th, 6th, 4th, and 1st grades, and we are all excited to get back to school.


Wednesday 9 August 2017

Back to Homeschool Blog Hop with the Homeschool Review Crew

I am super excited. This will be my fourth Back to School blog hop with the Homeschool Review Crew. I remember when I participated in my very first hop with the Crew it was so very exciting.  Next week I will be joining my team mates as we share some insights on a different topic each day.


  • Curriculum (Physical and Digital options for your family, what we will use, extra resources, manipulatives)
  • School Supplies (Best products for the job, Must have stationary, I can't homeschool without ... )
  • Planning / Record Keeping (lesson planning, daily schedules, Record Keeping, Routines, planning to use my space creatifively,)
  • Outside the Home (co-ops, support groups, part time school, apprenticeships, training, fitting in the extra's)
  • Dear Homeschool Mom ... (A letter of encouragement for the year ahead)

Here are a few of the Crew who will be participating next week*

Annette - A Net in Time -Five days to celebrate back to school, curriculum choices, supplies, things to do and encouragement for you. Come join us won't you?

Ashley  - Gift of Chaos - Join us as we go "back to school" with a First Grader and a Preschooler!

Betty - Let's Get Real - I am a veteran homeschooling mom. We have 3 children who have graduated our homeschool and 3 we are still homeschooling. Our family's passion is to glorify God in all we do and say and we pray that God will use our lives for His glory.

Christy  - Unexpected Homeschool - Join us on our journey as we homeschool our only child through her high school years while dealing with chronic illnesses.

Crystal - Living Abundantly - Living Abundantly seeks to help Christian women and homeschooling families live abundantly, even when the thief tries to destroy your joy.

Desiree  - Our Homeschool Notebook - I am Mom to 4 kids, and this is our place to share our family and homeschool adventures. This year we will have children in 11th, 6th, 4th, and 1st grades, and we are all excited to get back to school.

Elyse - Oiralinde: Eternal Song - My name is Elyse. When I asked my family to describe me, they said I am an “introverted gypsy made of music.” My online moniker is Oiralinde, which is an elven word meaning “eternal song.” My life is full of music: love, laughter, and memories.

Felicia - Homeschool 4 Life - Well, it's back to school time and we homeschoolers have more to do than others to get ready. We not only have to gather supplies and plan new schedules, but we have to gather curriculum all while trying to figure out how to keep track of grades, life, and schedules. We all could use a little encouragement and guidance during this transition time from summer to school. That's why we're here!

Hillary - Walking Fruitfully - I'm a mama to six, from 7 years old up to 16. We homestead and homeschool our crew in a relaxed, Charlotte Mason-inspired way, even through high school. We strive "to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:10

Jacqui  - Homestead Bounty Blessings - I am a wife, mother, teacher, homesteader in training, and believer in Jesus, my Savior. My blog, Homestead Bounty Blessings, shares my journey in gardening, chicken keeping, homeschooling and homesteading.

Jacquelin - A Stable Beginning - This blog is my attempt to document our busy but BLESSED lives raising and educating our children for His glory. A child of God, wife to one, and mom to 6 fabulous kids. We are in our 9th year of homeschooling using a Classical ~ Charlotte Mason approach. Come along for the good, the bad & the ugly.

Jenn - Treasuring Life's Blessings - Jenn is a mom to 8 children. She shares about her everyday life, homeschooling and favorite recipes.

Kelly - God's Writer Girl - Kelly is the single mother of a unique teenaged boy with diagnoses of Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, and Learning Disabilities. Her blog, God's Writer Girl, focuses on offering encouragement for life's journey for which she draws inspiration from her own life: eight years of homeschooling, her son's perseverance and abilities, and her own journey with chronic pain and illness.

Kemi  - Homemaking Organized - I have been homeschooling for 8 years and have found that one of the best things I can do is to share what I'm discovering along this journey.

Kirsten - Doodle Mom's Homeschooling Life - Homeschooling mom, former senior market analyst, former Biophysicist. Now I write blog posts about homeschooling and product reviews for the HomeschoolReviewCrew.com while my teens sleep in.

Kristi - Classically Quirky Learning - An overview of what homeschool looks like for a couple of 2e kids.

Kym - Homeschool Coffee Break - I'm about to start my 20th year of homeschooling - wow! My three oldest kids have graduated, and my youngest will be a junior this year. We're eclectic homeschoolers, and the focus with this youngest student is definitely music and the arts. I love coffee and history, and try to encourage other homeschool moms through the co-ops and fellowship groups I'm in, and through my blog.

Linda  - Apron Strings & other things - Beginning her 27th year educating her children at home, Linda will be sharing her family's homeschooling goals for the coming year and things she's learned

Lisa - Farm Fresh Adventures - Lisa enjoys keeping it real on her blog, as she shares her adventures with homeschooling on a farm in a small town.

Lori  - At Home: where life happens - I am Lori. Wife to an wonderful husband, mother to 3 giggly girls in the throes of growing up, teacher to said 3 giggly girls, and, most importantly, a Christian striving to live life as God tells me to in the Bible. Join us for posts on family, faith, homeschooling, and whatever strikes my fancy.

Meghan - Quiet In The Chaos - Child of Christ, wife, and mama to 4, in my quiet corner I share about our homestead, homeschool, real life, and cooking real {traditional} food, while raising my family simply. Drop in for nutritious recipes, DIY tutorials, and homeschooling fun!

Melanie - Tree Valley Academy - Tree Valley Academy creates and shares lesson ideas and educational printables for homeschooling parents of early elementary-aged children. Our endeavor is to think outside the box, to keep learning fun and be something the kids can be excited about.

Michele - Family Faith and Fridays - Follow our family of 6 on our military moving, God loving, homeschool adventure! Currently homschooling our youngest two (10 and 15) with two homeschool graduates.

Missica - Through The Open Window - I'm a homeschooling mom to a special needs son. My blog reflects our lives, and our journey "through the open window" of autism.

Monique - Mountain of Grace Homeschooling - Hello there, I'm Monique. I'm a Catholic homeschooling mama to 2 amazing kids. We are finishing up the middle school years and heading into our new adventure of navigating the world of high school.

Rebecca - Our Life ~ Home and School - I blog about our homeschool journey and life at home.

Rebekah - There Will Be a $5 Charge For Whining - We are starting our Tenth Year of Homeschooling this year! I want to share with you how I've kept most of my sanity and give you mostly practical advice.

Sabrina - Kids, Crunch, and Christ - Encouragement and resources to help moms live with joy from a crunchy homeschooling mom of five!!

Sheila - troutwife - I'm a mom who homeschools two high school students and one junior high student. We have a busy life, are involved in church and 4-H, enjoy science and each other, and keep learning new things all the time! I so totally don't have it all together! :)

Susan - My Happy Homeschool - Welcome to My Happy Homeschool! My name is Susan Reed and my heart's desire is to encourage the homeschool mom to live out God's calling and stay the course.

Yvie - Gypsy Road - Yvie is a road-schooling mother of two boys. Her blog centers on Charlotte Mason and unit study style learning based on the adventures her family has taken together!

Blessings
Chareen