Archives for August 2016

August 30, 2016 by: Lesli

How to Start Your Homeschool in 5 Easy Steps

The further I get into homeschooling, the more and more I’m asked, “How exactly do I homeschool?” Well….It’s pretty easy, actually! We have 5 steps to help you start your homeschool off on the right foot.

While covering the basics of homeschooling is not really discussing the craziness of homeschooling, when you have a firm foundation, you can enjoy the rest of the journey!

We will start with a step-by-step guide to starting your homeschool:

1. Make the decision to homeschool, then commit to that decision. Once you’ve made that decision, you can start changing your entire mindset. You probably had an idea about what life would look like when your oldest started Kindergarten, or you’ve already got kids in school and know what a life with them in school during the day feels like. Take a few days and really wear your decision. Think through what your days will look like now with the kids with you.

Once you’ve committed and really, truly decide to homeschool, take care of the legalities and make your homeschool official. If you are not in the school system yet, check your state laws and find out when(what age/school year) exactly you need to register your child or homeschool to stay compliant with the laws. If your child is already in the school system, learn the process you need to abide by to remove your child from the school system. It’s NEVER a good idea to simply pull a child out of school or ignore the notification laws when it comes to homeschooling. It is legal in all 50 US States. Follow the letter of the law and you shouldn’t have to worry about unnecessary government intervention. If you are in the US, you can click here for the HSLDA Summary of Homeschool Laws by State.

(Note: While looking at state laws, it may be necessary to follow the next couple steps before making your homeschool legal. A few of the states require you to submit educational plans or materials, which must be decided upon before submitting paperwork. Follow the guide referenced above for more information.)

2. Think through your Why. Why are you stepping away from the crowd and doing things differently? Why are you changing the make up of your daily life? Why are you committed to homeschooling your kids? What do you hope to accomplish for your family/your children through this decision?

Once you know your why, write it down. Many families take writing it down one step further and come up with a family homeschool mission statement. Writing down your why/your mission statement will help you narrow your school decisions down to what really matters to you as a family. We will talk more about this in a later post, as I’m working on some printables that will walk you through this step.

3. Now that you’ve committed to this educational plan, and know your reasoning, it’s time to narrow down your How. This is generally called your Homeschool Method. Now, there are many different methods, and it may seem overwhelming to narrow it down. There are several quizzes and worksheets all over the web for you to help narrow down the methods to what will work for your family. Keep in mind, you don’t have to hold hard and fast to one method for homeschooling to work. You also may choose further down the road to use another method to school your kids. Choosing your starting method simply narrows down your curriculum choices and eliminates many of the extras that can be very distracting at first. (Click here for an overview of homeschool methods.)

4. Once you’ve figured out all the background information, your next step is to select your curriculum. This is one of the hardest and most overwhelming steps for most families, but it doesn’t have to be! First, start with your state/governing body’s laws for homeschooling. Each state has different laws and requirements for what needs to be covered during the school year. (Visit the link earlier in this post for more information!)

To pick your curriculum, start with the list of subjects that are required by the state. After that, it’s time to google. If you’re looking for a math curriculum that aligns with the Classical method, google classical math curriculum. Take the top several that come up when you google and research them. If Math-U-See is one of your results, google Math-U-See reviews or Math-U-See blog posts. Narrow it down to the curriculum you feel would be the best fit for your child and you as the teacher.

Work your way through the requirements, then stop once you’ve figured out your required curriculums. For your first year, do what is required, and don’t add in any extra subjects, unless they are something you and your kids simply enjoy. You are going to need time to get your “sea legs” as a homeschooler. Don’t destroy your homeschool right out of the gate by choosing an extra 5 curriculums and forcing yourself and your kids to finish all of them!

5. Your last step to starting your homeschool is to put your homeschooling space together. Your homeschool space could be anything from an extra shelf in the dining room to an entire room of your home devoted to schooling. Think through how your family functions in your home, and how you can make homeschooling work in that space. Once you’ve designated your space, gather what you will need for that school year. Keep only what you need to have for the subjects you are covering in your homeschool space, unless your home’s design demands that you keep all educational materials in one space. If you’ve got ten extra curriculums or tons of materials crowding your school space, you are going to feel overwhelmed and not want to be in that space. Keep your visible supplies and extras to a minimum and set your school up in a manner that everything you are going to need is easily accessible and organized.

It’s pretty easy to set up your homeschool once you’ve made the decision to teach your children at home. It is a commitment, but it’s a commitment that gives your family the freedom to learn in the method and manner that works best for the individuals in your home. Once you’ve made the decision to homeschool, you’ve decided to take a ride on one of the best adventures that your family will ever take! The best part about this decision will not be the lessons that you do on a daily basis with your child, but the relationships you build throughout your homeschool journey, with your children and with the community around you. Any new homeschoolers are welcome in this community, as well! We welcome you to ask questions, comment, or message the publisher for assistance and recommendations.

For daily inspiration and discussion, check out the Crazy Homeschool Life Instagram

This is the first in a series devoted to helping you have a firm foundation for your homeschool adventures. Visit the Homeschool Basics page for more information on how to set your homeschool up to thrive!

By the way, I want to stay in touch with you! Fill out the form below, and join the This Crazy Homeschool Life family so I can keep in touch, and send you lots of fun stuff! Thanks!

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August 25, 2016 by: Lesli

Kindle Fire Winner

We have a winner for the Blog Launch Giveaway!

Angela C. from SC, USA has won the Kindle Fire!

She is a new homeschooling mom, and asks, “What are some great games, activities, and books that we can use the Kindle for in our schooling?” If you have an app you love, let her know in the comments!

Congratulations, Angela!

Thank you all for entering the giveaway! Keep an eye out for more giveaways down the road!

August 23, 2016 by: Lesli

Your September Family Challenge

Homeschool families are together all the time, so they don’t even have to worry about taking time for each other, right?

No way!!

This homeschool life is soo full! We are all doing our best to make sure the kids are getting their lessons or opportunities for learning in, and that’s just part of our life. If you’re anything like our family, you’ve also got to worry about work schedules, church commitments, activities, and family obligations. Most of us live in a society where busyness is completely normal. We can argue all day long about whether a busy life is good or bad, but in the long run it’s the normal we all deal with.

One thing we’ve got to keep in mind though is that we aren’t going to live this lifestyle forever. One day these little people that take up so much of our time will be grown, and we won’t have the overwhelmingly busy days that we have now. Sadly though, when that time comes, we also will have passed the opportunity to do daily life with these little people. It’s what we do now, in the middle of the messiness, that will be the foundation for those years. I don’t know about you, but I want my family to have a foundation that includes times together enjoying each other, not just the snatched moments in the car running from place to place.

For this reason, we’ve come up with the This Crazy Homeschool Life Family Challenge.

Here’s how it works:

Each month, a “bucket list” of sorts will be published for the next month.
Your family can choose 4 or more items to complete for that month.
You and your family document your challenge items through photography or journaling.
In the last week of the month, an entry form will be posted on This Crazy Homeschool Life. Fill out the form and submit your entry.
One winner will be chosen from those that complete the Challenge. The winning family will be profiled on This Crazy Homeschool Life, and will win a family fun package from this site or one of our sponsors.

The purpose of this challenge is for us to take an intentional breather in our routine and simply be together as a family. There will be one or two larger challenge items, but most will be smaller and take no more than 30 to 45 minutes. The point is not to see who does the most spectacular entry to the challenge, but to work on building and strengthening the relationships we have with the people that live in our homes with us.

One note: The publisher of This Crazy Homeschool Life understands that everyone has different comfort levels with posting photos of their family online. If your family does not share photos of your children around the internet, you are still welcome to participate. If you are choosing to document your entry through photographs, simply take photos of the what that you are completing, not the who. It’s more important to share the bonding your family experiences than it is for us to see photos of your children!

Click below to download your September Family Challenge Printable

TCHSL September Family Challenge

August 19, 2016 by: Lesli

How to Get the MOST Educational Value Out of Family Travel

Why are we talking about travel on a homeschool blog? Well, it’s because children(and really – adults as well!) learn by doing. They learn when they get their hands dirty, when they are deep in the woods on a hike, when they are walking in the same place Native Americans walked hundreds of years before, when they are looking out over the shore where the English settlers came aground, and when they are in the middle of a city experiencing the business world. You can learn great things in books. You can get deep meaning while notebooking your way through Ancient Greece, but you are going to always grasp something better when you are doing it.

A manta ray, a whale shark, and a scuba diver in the Ocean Voyager tank at the Georgia Aquarium.

You don’t have to travel from one end of the country to the other to learn how to be a responsible adult. You don’t have to fly to Rome to understand the size of the Coliseum. You don’t have to take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty to understand what the Irish immigrants felt at their entry to New York.

However, if you have the chance, take it! We have the opportunity to travel when everyone else is in a classroom, and many companies are now even seeing the chance to increase their business by discounting travel in off times just for us. We are homeschooling in a time when the opportunities abound, and as this site grows, we will be posting as many opportunities and tips as we can so that you can live an adventure filled life with your munchkins!

To start with, here are our top five tips for getting the most educational value out of any trip you take with your family:

Let your children help with planning the travel portion of your journey.
Use paper maps or Google Maps and have them help plan the journey. Give them timelines and schedules, and allow them to pick a stop along the way if you are driving a long distance. If you are flying, use the maps to figure out what your flight track will look like and what cities they can find along the way. Several of the airlines also have apps that will allow you to track your plane in flight. It’s one thing to see a city on a map, it’s a whole new perspective to see an entire city from the air!

An antique Japanese Maple at botanical gardens in Richmond, VA

Let your children help with planning the itinerary of your trip.

If you have time before your trip, request brochures and travel guides for your destination. Most states will mail them at no cost, or will publish downloadable ones that are free. Visit this link to find links to US state tourism websites!

Allow your children to look through them and discuss the different opportunities where you are going. Allow each person to pick one activity or destination that they really want to experience while you are there – if possible. Then, let your child work with you to plan the itinerary once you’ve included everyone’s choices. Your itinerary can be as strict or loose as you desire, but planning a framework beforehand will give you the chance to discuss the “what” of the trip with your children before you go.

Find books related to your stops and read them before you go.

Depending on the nature of your trip, you could spend anywhere from a few hours to a few months preparing the knowledge side of your trip. If you are taking a trip only for the educational value, plan to spend a longer time prepping before you leave. If you are simply including a stop or two while visiting family a state away, take one or two books and read them on the way.

When choosing books, keep in mind what you want the child to grasp from the experience. If you’re going to Gettysburg and want the children to understand the ebb and flow of the battle, you’re going to want to find books that focus on the battle. If you’re going to be visiting a national park and hiking, find books that cover the natural flora and fauna and help them learn to identify a couple species. Preparing your children before the trip will be the glue that helps the experience and knowledge stick for them.

A new butterfly ready for release at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO.

When you pack, take a notebook for your child….and one for yourself!

While you are on your trip and at your activities, focus on being in the moment with your children. Enjoy the experience with them, while discussing what you learned from your reading. At the end of the day, take a few minutes and let them record what they saw before they head to bed. (This is a great activity if you are traveling and eating out. When everyone is tired it gives them something to focus on while they are waiting for food!) Don’t make this burdensome for the kids or yourself. Let them write or record in the manner they want, whether it’s a cartoon, bullet points, or some type of drawing, and do the same thing in your notebook. The point is to help everyone digest the experience.

Caveat: If you know your kids are going to absolutely HATE this step, skip it and choose some other way to record the day. I’ll have more travel recording tips later!

When you get home, get out your notebooks and discuss the trip.

Don’t take a trip then come home and forget about it. If you’ve done the notebooks or another recording method, take time to go over what your kids wrote down/saw and what impressions they took from your travels. They are going to see the trip and the travel from their own perspective, and it’s so much fun to hear what they take away from the adventure. The memories they have of their travels will be cemented by talking them over and discussing what they saw and what they learned. As you move through your school years, find chances to refer to the places you’ve been or the things they’ve seen, and it will reinforce what they have learned on the trips you’ve taken.

Now, these are tips that will squeeze every bit of educational value out of a travel experience. Am I saying that you need to do every one of the things listed above every time you travel or you’re not going to be a successful traveling homeschool family? No way! These are tips and ideas on how to help parents and children grow through travel. Take what works for the stage you are in as a family, then enjoy the journey!

I’ll be sharing much more in the future about traveling as a homeschool family, both from my experience and the experience of other homeschooling moms. Tell me about the biggest challenges you deal with while traveling in the comments below!

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August 17, 2016 by: Lesli

Meet Lesli’s Family

To kick off our featured family series, we are starting with our publisher’s family! She wants everyone to get to know her and her family a little, but wants to be clear that this blog is not about her or her family. Her goal with this site is to create a community of families that “Do Life” together and support each other.

Lesli is the publisher of www.crazyhomeschoollife.com. Meet her family!

Lesli and her family.

We will start with the makeup of her family. She and her husband live in a suburb of Atlanta with their three children and her mother-in-law. Her husband is in the electrical field, and she is a mom, publisher, social networker, language teacher, homeschool teacher, and natural living advocate. Their children are 10, 7, and 4 – two girls and a boy.

Lesli and her husband began to investigate the idea of homeschooling almost 10 years ago. See, she had finished her degree in Elementary Education, and then decided not to teach in the school system. The system they lived in at the time was steadily heading downhill, and they could not trust their children’s education to that system. They began to look at all the options and homeschooling was the one that made the most sense. Lesli says, “I could not justify going back to work and putting my younger children in daycare, just to afford the cost of private school tuition, when I could teach my children one on one at home.” They made the decision to homeschool when their oldest was under two, so their children have never been a part of the school system.

Their approach to homeschooling is very eclectic, and has elements from almost every method thrown in. Lesli says that she struggles at times to get out of the “school system” mindset due to her education training. “It’s hard sometimes,” she says, “I have a hard time shifting my focus from checking lessons off the to do list to enjoying the experience.”

As for their purpose in homeschooling, Lesli says her family’s mission is to create lifelong learners who see the world through the eyes of Christ. Their goal for their children is that they will graduate knowing they are smart, valuable, capable individuals who can work within their gifts to complete the calling God has placed on their lives.

They are a family that does most of their schoolwork in the morning, with individual work completed in the afternoon. She says they work on the subjects of science, history, art, Bible, and Spanish together, with each child working at their individual level. Most work is done through read aloud books, note taking, making lapbooks(they call them casefiles!), coloring, and practicing with flashcards. During the afternoons, her oldest works on reading and math, and her younger two are working together to learn how to read. Everyone loves science, especially zoology, and geography. They are a Christian family, and Bible memory and Awanas practice are a part of their school days.

Lesli says that their homeschool journey has been a joy, but has also had its share of challenges. The biggest challenge so far is discovering one of their children is dealing with dyslexia. Lesli says it’s been hard to figure out what to do with this child who learns so differently than how she learns and processes information. She’s very glad that they had already made the choice to homeschool, as this child would be one lost in the mix if they were dealing with the public system.

Her favorite part of homeschooling is the adventures they’ve been able to have along the way. Most of her husband’s family is in the Midwest, so they’ve been able to travel and see family for long periods of time, without worrying about the school schedule. She says, “I am a huge bookworm, and grew up on the Little House series. Having the opportunity to take my children to Mansfield and buy them their own set of Little House books was one of my favorite homeschooling memories.” Lesli and her family spend a lot of time traveling, frequently taking trips with other homeschooling families.

Nana recently moved in and joined Lesli’s household. They are enjoying life as a multigenerational family.

Lesli says that the best part of homeschooling for her as a mom has been the friendships she’s made with other homeschooling moms. “We’ve had the blessing of being part of a class that started when my oldest was three. It was a homeschool gymnastics class, and the moms all became close friends over the years while our kids were playing in the gym. We are all from different walks of life, but we’ve found common ground in supporting each other through our different challenges as homeschool families. I don’t know where I’d be without these ladies that have been by my side.”

When asked what advice she’d tell a new mom starting out, her answer was, “I would say to start with the basics. Look up the state law for what is required of you as a homeschooler, then start there. In the state of Georgia, we have five subjects we have to cover. In the beginning, I would just cover those five subjects and then add other items as I got my ‘sea legs.'”

She advocates doing the best you can, without feeling like you have to do it all, especially when children are in the early elementary years. “Children learn best through play and engagement. If you feel like you have to do eight subjects with a five year old, you’re going to be frustrated, the child will be frustrated, and you’re going to feel like homeschooling is a failure. Instead, set aside time daily to work on your reading program, begin introducing math concepts, and just go from there. When you go to the library, pick up books on a science or history subject, and read two to three a week. By incorporating learning into your lifestyle, your child will learn much more than he or she would in a classroom. As they grow, you can begin more structured lessons, but you don’t have to have a third grader writing a three thousand word research paper to be successful as a homeschool teacher!”

She hopes that her readers will find a growing community of encouragement and information on this site as they walk their homeschool journey!

If you are interested in having your family featured on This Crazy Homeschool Life, Click Here.

Photos by Lisa Crates Photography. If you are in the Charlotte, NC area – Check her out!

August 16, 2016 by: Lesli

This Blog has Officially Been Launched!

Welcome to This Crazy Homeschool Life! We are so glad you’ve found us, and are extremely excited about the journey we are on together! This site exists to encourage families to let go of what society says is normal and to simply embrace the adventure that is homeschooling. Homeschooling our children is a choice that sets us outside of the “norm” but it’s a choice that opens the world wide to opportunities and adventures. It’s time to celebrate this lifestyle that we have the chance to live!

What will you find around here? Well, the goal of this site is to create a community. We will be a community that encourages each other, helps each other, and celebrates this life we are all living. This community is open to every type of homeschooler, from those that sit in desks for 8 hours a day, to those who swim in mud puddles 3 times a week. You will see family profiles from all over the world, curriculum suggestions, helpful hints for both new and veteran homeschoolers, giveaways, family challenges, photo contests, and travel reviews and suggestions.

If you’re wondering why this blog is called “This Crazy Homeschool Life,” we’ve got a whole post about it!

If you are interested in having your family featured on our site, please visit this page and fill out the form.

Now, it’s time for some fun stuff!!

This Crazy Homeschool Life is giving away a Kindle Fire to celebrate our launch!!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Blog Launch Giveaway! This giveaway is now closed. Keep an eye on the blog and our social media for more giveaways and fun stuff!

August 13, 2016 by: Lesli

This Homeschool Life is Crazy!

Why in the world is this blog named “This Crazy Homeschool Life?”

What kind of blogger names their blog “Crazy?”

Why would she ever do that?

Why is she telling the world that homeschoolers are crazy?

Is it even politically correct to use the term “crazy”?

I know these are some of the questions you’re asking as you’ve landed here! It’s ok, I have already talked them over with my husband when he gave me the “Huh?” face the first time I said, “I think I’m going to name the blog This Crazy Homeschool Life!” After a long conversation, he agreed that I might still be a little on the weird side, but I was on the right track with the name.

The name of this site came about in May while he was out of town on a business trip. The kids and I had gone to see friends who live a couple states away from us and were staying with them for the week. She has six kids, I have three, and we were traveling around her area in her 15 passenger van. The back of the van says “Homeschool Bus” and we were getting weird looks all over the place. However, we were also having a downright BLAST. The kids were all with buddies they hadn’t seen in a couple months, she and I were enjoying talking to another adult, and we were all exploring new places. As we pulled into a pizza place for dinner and saw the faces of the group of people sitting on the patio, we started laughing and one of us said, “Sometimes, you’ve just got to embrace the crazy!!”!

Well, I started thinking about that statement. From the beginning of my parenting journey, there’s always been someone saying, “You’re crazy!” when we have made parenting decisions that were best for our family. We had two of our three at home after years of research, and it was the right decision for our family, but we still heard that crazy statement. We lived in NC and had family in Missouri, and every time we would drive to visit our family, we’d hear that statement again. When we looked at the educational options in our county and realized that homeschooling would be the best option for us, the peanut gallery got even louder with their crazy statements. I’ve realized something though. They were right.

One of the definitions of “crazy” is “extremely enthusiastic” and another is “extreme.” I can say without any problem, “I’m extremely enthusiastic about giving my kids the best start and education that I possibly can.” I can change that sentence to “I’m crazy about giving my kids the best start and education.” I, by definition, am crazy. I have stepped outside the normal framework for our society, and am now living an extreme life. My family is now living an extreme life. We are different from 95% of the people that we interact with on a daily basis, but that’s ok!

It’s ok because this life is awesome! We get to do things most families don’t get to do. We get to travel when most families don’t get to travel. My kids get to have friends from all parts of the age spectrum. I don’t have to worry about the PTA or the EOGs or any other part of the school system alphabet soup. We stay within the legal definition of homeschooling for our state, then we get to LIVE! We have friends that are more like cousins because they get to play together – not sit in a classroom worrying about the testing at the end of the year. My kids are going to be able to function in real life, because they live it every day! We are embracing and thriving on the adventure that’s the result of choosing “This Crazy Homeschool Life.”

I have been very, very blessed to have several other moms that have been a support system for me since my oldest was three months old. That support system has only grown as we have started our homeschool journey and gotten to know other families in our community. There has been more than one time when our life has gotten hard or frustrating, and this community has been there to encourage and support us. It’s been that community that in large part makes our crazy homeschool life so wonderful and doable. As I was discussing this with my husband and several close friends, the idea of this blog was born. The purpose of this blog is to support our crazy families and celebrate this journey together. It’s one awesome journey, and I can’t wait to get to know all of you along the way!

-Lesli

*One little note: I realized that there is a definition of the word “Crazy” that means mentally deranged. There will be absolutely no use of that definition of the word on this site. All use of the word crazy refers to the definition that means extreme, extremely enthusiastic. We in no way are demeaning or degrading any part of the population.

Want to join in on the adventure and be a part of our family? Fill out the form below to become part of our blog family and receive FREE updates, printables, and more!

August 7, 2016 by: Lesli

Feature Your Family

Would you like to see your family featured on This Crazy Homeschool Life?

Fill out the form below and you will be contacted for more information.

*Filling out the form is not a guarantee that your family will be featured on TCHSL. We will contact you about an interview and the blog schedule within one week. Thank you for your interest!

August 7, 2016 by: Lesli