Modern Homeschool Today

In light of my recent post a bout planning for a new homeschool year , I have put together a homeschool daily p lanner for 2013. Now, don't freak out !  It looks rigid but it is really just a guide to make sure all the imp ortant el ements are included each day . One of the benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility e.g i f maths is going awesome we may go longer and explore their questions or if my children are having a melt-down then we cut i t short and do something else.  T his planner is really the 'bare bones' and allows the kids to have a basic outline of what happens when.  The more detailed lesson planning comes later.  2013 HOMESCHOOL DAILY PLANNER Term 1 – 12 weeks 8:45 – 9:00             Morning Charts / Chores 9:00 – 9:15             Devotion / Bible Study 9:15 – 10:00  ...

I love the period between Christmas and the new year. I love reflecting on all that has happened in the past year with a thankful heart and I love making plans for a new beginning. In reflection, this was the year we began homeschooling - a socially unpopular decision but a choice that we knew was right for our family. It was the beginning of an amazing journey and one that continues to surprise me. In looking ahead, I am excited about a new year! We are making some changes to the way we home educate in our household. I'll admit that at the end of this year I got a little tired and slack and we weren't spending enough time at home. I lost my motivation and was throwing together lessons at the last minute and then wondering why the kids seemed disinterested. So, what changes are we making to the way we homeschool? 1. My planning and organisation My goal is to GET MORE ORGANISED! I'm going to plan a term in advance as a 10 week block and with the exception of...

I'm not entirely sure how my boys ended up collecting AFL football cards.  I think my husband had something to do with it. Surprisingly it has proven a valuable (albeit expensive) learning opportunity. So, here is our experience with football cards and how we've used them. Football cards as motivation & reward In order to receive a packet of cards my boys had to earn them. This was either through extra challenging chores around the home or by displaying consistent good behavior in a particular area. Because the boys were really excited about their collections it wasn't hard to motivate them to work hard to receive their reward! Of course these tasks were additional to their normal chores and household responsibilities. Football cards for organisation Any type of card collection is good for teaching organisation. The cards can be grouped into categories, teams, themes, type of cards and organised and re-organised in different ways. I can't count ...

In preparation for homeschooling I created these morning boards. These are to help DS6 and DS4 get organised for the day and settled into a routine. The idea comes from the site homeschool creations . I printed the pictures from k-3 resources . This is an Australian site that has loads of printables and helpful information. It's only $22.95 a year for membership. Then I whipped out the laminator. I love laminating! Does that make me a nerd? The one above was made for DS4. It's fairly basic as you can see. This is the one I created for DS6. It includes a list of morning chores as well as a yearly calendar. Finally, here is a picture of them up on the wall above the boy's homeschool craft table.  Simple, but effective. I plan to update these morning organisation boards as needed to provide new challenges!