Archives for January 2017

January 30, 2017 by: Lesli

10 Tools We Use for Notebooking

Have you heard the terms notebooking and lapbooking in reference to homeschooling?

Notebooking is basically creating a journal through your child’s school experience. Anything can go in a notebook, but it is generally built with narrations, timelines, notes from a reading, and less about filling it with worksheets. Visit this link for more info.

Lapbooking is the idea of creating small books that are then placed into one larger book and used as a means to solidify a concept and create an easy review tool. Visit this link for more info.

We use both concepts in our school time, especially during our history, social studies, and science group times. There are several tools we use to make the process easy for everyone involved:

(By the way, the photos below are affiliate links. Click on them to visit Amazon and easily order these supplies for notebooking and lapbooking in your homeschool.)

1) 1″ Clear View Binder – We use TONS of these! The 1″ size is perfect for the kids, and the clear view covers make it easy to label and relabel as our lessons change.

2) Three Hole Punch – We are constantly printing pages and creating items to insert, and we hole punch everything. Going with a high quality hole punch makes all the difference!

3) 11″ by 17″ Cardstock – I will admit, I trained as a teacher and I want our classroom to look neat and tidy. I can’t handle the look of using a manila folder to create a lapbook. I order a set of large cardstock and we fold it in half. We then will tie all the books together when we finish a book or study to create an easy review tool.

4) Glue Sticks – We use glue sticks all the time! We don’t use liquid glue, since the youngest member of our school is 5, and liquid glue is just messy! Also….make sure to get washable glue sticks. I found the base of one in our washer last week when I did laundry!

5) Twistable Crayons – We keep a bucket of crayons in the middle of our table during group time. The Twistable Crayons are perfect for us, as the kids are able to adjust their crayons while we are in the middle of a lesson. It simply makes things easier on all of us.

6) Mechanical Pencils – We also have a cup of pencils on the shelf next to our table, and I keep it full so a new pencil can easily be grabbed in the middle of what we are working on.

7) Clipboards – We don’t just to school at the table. We might take a couple pages with us on a field trip for drawing, or simply bring our work into the living room to work together on the sofa. Clipboards help us be mobile.

8) Good Scissors – We are always cutting something out to glue into a lapbook or some other addition to our notebook pages. Good scissors are a must….now if I could just make sure they stay in the schoolroom!

8) Plastic Dividers – Each child generally keeps their science, geography, and history pages all in the same notebook during the school year. With the plastic dividers, the kids can quickly turn to the right spot and put their own pages away. Plastic dividers have also proven to be much more durable and long lasting in our homeschool.

9) Sharpies – We use permanent markers to label our notebooks and dividers. The ink is bold, clear, and sticks well to the plastic binders and dividers. We’ve also realized that it takes about a year for the sharpie to wear off the notebook or divider when we use them frequently. This works perfectly, as we can reuse the items again the next year.

10) Cardstock – When we are making a project to insert into their notebooks, we frequently use cardstock as the base for our project, simply for the durability it provides.

Notebooking and Lapbooking have been a huge advantage to our homeschool. This was especially true over the last two years as we renovated a home and then relocated two states away. We had several interruptions as we worked through several levels of science and history, and the notebooks and lapbooks helped us spend a day or two on review, and then we could pick right up where we left off and move on. I’ve been very happy to discover this method of learning for our home.

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This post is a part of a series on the iHomeschool Network. Visit the post to see more everyday tools moms use for their homeschools!

Your Solution to the Paper Aftermath of a Homeschool Convention

You’ve gone to a great convention, you’ve learned so much, and now you’re home with a whole bag full of flyers. You’ve found some great resources, so what do you do to cut down the clutter, and make sure you don’t lose any of flyers you want to have one hand?

I’ve created a simple system that will tame your clutter and organize your flyers for the entirety of your homeschool career.

What you’ll need:
(By the way, the photos below are affiliate links. Click on them to visit Amazon and easily order these supplies for your flyer notebook or homeschool.)

1) A 1″ Notebook

2) 5 Dividers

3) 15 – 20 Page Protectors

How you’ll start narrowing down your convention clutter:

Sit down with your pile of flyers and sort through them. Make three piles –
A) Trash. You are not going to need 50 – 75% of them for your school. Know your homeschool vision and mission. If a company or opportunity does not line up with your ideals, throw it out. It’s not worth hanging on to flyers or clutter if it’s not something that will work well for your family.
B) Pinterest. Create a board on your Pinterest account for convention information. If there’s a company or opportunity you would like to simply save for later because it may line up with your vision and mission, pin the home page of that company’s website to your board. Once you’ve pinned the website, throw away the flyers.
C) Notebook. This pile is for any flyer or handout that you want to keep for your homeschool. Make sure these are high quality opportunities or companies that line up with your mission and vision.

How you create your flyer filing system:

1) Label your dividers: Current Year, 1 – 2 Years, 3 – 4 Years, 5 – 8 Years, 9 + Years
2) Place your dividers into your notebook, adding 2-3 page protectors in between each divider.
3) After sorting, insert the handouts into the page protectors according to the time frame when you will need them.

How to use your notebook:

Once you’ve created your flyer notebook, simply check through it at the end of each semester in preparation for the next few months of schooling your children. Use any resources that add value to your year and remove any flyers that are no longer relevant. When you flip through your notebook, make a point to also visit your convention Pinterest board and check for relevant resources there as well. Sit down and repeat the system after every convention or event, and update your dividers at the end of every school year. Your system will stay up to date and remain useful when you follow this process.

This method keeps your clutter to a minimum, assures you don’t miss out on opportunities that line up with your mission and vision, and helps your homeschool stay focused through the years.

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20 Books That Will Improve Your Homeschool Experience

I’m incredibly grateful for those that have gone before me in the homeschool and parenting world. I want our family to have a wonderful homeschool experience. Sometimes, the idea of being completely responsible for my children’s education can be especially terrifying! I’m a huge reader and have found great wisdom in the writings of many authors that cover multiple aspects of homeschooling.

I’ve found suggestions that have solidified our experiences as a homeschool family, and I’ve found methods that have solved multiple issues for us. I’ve put together a list of books that have been helpful to us and to the families that surround us.

(By the way, this post contains affiliate links, click here for more info.)

20 books that will improve your homeschool experience:

New Homeschoolers:

New to the world of homeschooling? Start your journey with confidence after reading from some of the best known authors in the homeschool world.
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Fourth Edition)

Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners

The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling

Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher’s Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling

Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child’s Education(This one is a bonus, as it is not available on Kindle at the moment. It is available from third party sellers.)

General Parenting:

Homeschooling isn’t just about educating a child’s mind. Learn about building your child’s heart, world view, and building stellar adults for the future.
Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

101 Things You Should Do Before Your Kids Leave Home

Launching Your Kids for Life: A Successful Journey to Adulthood Doesn’t Just Happen by Accident

Lifestyle:

What do you want your homeschool life to look like? Are you a tea time at 4 pm family, or would you rather gallivant the globe? Learn more about building the lifestyle that is perfect for the people in your home!
Educating the WholeHearted Child — Third Edition

100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life: From Your Backyard to the Ends of the Earth

Preschool:

The Read-Aloud Handbook: Seventh Edition

The Homegrown Preschooler: Teaching Your Kids in the Places They Live

Elementary:

Honey for a Child’s Heart

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully: Grades 4-8

Middle and High School:

The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (Updated and Expanded)

Honey for a Teen’s Heart

Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

For the Homeschool Mom:

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace

Simply Homeschool: Second Edition: Have Less Fluff and Bear More Fruit

Homeschooling: what to do when you want to quit

*A Note: Some of these books are faith based. Please read the descriptions to be sure your are comfortable reading the material.

Be sure to join the hundreds of other families that are a part of the This Crazy Homeschool Life Newsletter family! Improve your homeschool experience, and get homeschool tips, tricks, and freebies delivered directly to your inbox by filling out the form below:

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This post is a part of a series on the iHomeschool Network. Visit the post to see more reading lists for your homeschool!

5 Ways to Keep a Speaker from Ruining Your Homeschool

It can happen so easily! You find yourself on your third session of the day, after attending two classes with speakers who ignited your passion for teaching your kids science and math. You’ve loved the convention you’re attending, but then…the speaker starts discussing something that is working beautifully in your home….and starts bashing it. You thought you had that aspect of this homeschool craziness covered, but now you’re not so sure and doubting yourself.

Ugh! What a tough place to find yourself during what you thought would be a great, encouraging, and uplifting weekend! The fact of the matter is, 99% of the time, your homeschool convention experience is going to be great and encouraging. Unfortunately, there will likely come a time when you sit in on a session that undermines where you are as a homeschool parent. You have the ability to decide whether that speaker is going to have any influence on how you teach your children, and your confidence to do so.

There are several things to keep in mind when you are attending a homeschool convention that will keep a speaker’s presentation from disrupting your homeschool experience.

1. First and foremost, you are the parent. You know your child and school best. If a presenter is extolling the virtue of a certain method, but you know that it would not work well with your particular child, don’t use the method. Just because it worked well for one family, or even a large amount of families, doesn’t mean whatever the method or idea is would work well in your home. You are the guard to your school and you get to control what enters. Don’t jump into something just because a speaker is selling you on the idea. Conversely, if a routine or system is working well in your home, but the speaker is talking about how it would not work, don’t abandon what’s working!

2. Don’t run out and buy a curriculum just because you’ve sat in a session and the speaker has sold the idea to the audience. The only time to immediately visit a speaker’s table and purchase a curriculum is if you are already researching a curriculum and you wanted to hear from the speaker before actually buying it. If you’re in a session and the curriculum the speaker is discussing sounds like a really good idea, research it. Take a few minutes and look for reviews online. Was that curriculum on your list of things to purchase at the convention? Will adding it to your days cause a strain on your school? Does it line up with your beliefs, both educationally and faith-wise? Pause and consider the long-term before buying an item just because it was recommended. I can’t tell you how many books sit on our shelf just because they sounded good at the time!

3. Don’t let a curriculum that sounded like a great idea in the session become a burden on your school, if you do purchase one. Many times it may not work well for your family, or can be too much added to your calendar. It is completely fine to start a curriculum and realize that it’s not going to work well, and abandon it. This is especially true in your first 3 – 4 years of homeschooling. There is a lot of trial and error as you figure out what works. Just because it worked well for the speaker or for other families doesn’t mean you are obligated to finish that course. Box it up and put it on the shelf until later, sell it to a friend, or sell it in a used curriculum sale. You may lose out on some money, but losing a small amount of money is better than creating a burden on your school.

4. Acknowledge that you’re not going to agree with every speaker. The homeschool world is growing by leaps and bounds in the U.S.A. and around the world. There are homeschoolers from every walk of life, and homeschool speakers from every walk of life. At some point you are going to very likely end up in a session that looked good on paper….but was different when you attended. It’s O.K. to have that happen. You are not obligated to agree with each presenter. Convention organizers generally cast as wide a net as possible to bring in as many attendees as possible. If you don’t agree, let it roll off your back, tear up your notes, and simply move on.

5. Don’t abandon a system that’s working just because you were in a session and the speaker went on and on about his or her system and how great it worked for him or her. If you have already built a system that is effective in your home, keep it going. There is no perfection in homeschooling, and abandoning what works in pursuit of what sounds like a perfect system, can easily leave you in a frustrated mess. Make tweaks slowly instead of the day after you return from a convention! The best time to implement changes is at the beginning of a new school year, after you’ve had time to prepare in advance.

Bonus: * One more note for our faith based readers: Don’t allow your homeschool to become hijacked by a charismatic speaker. Especially for Christian homeschoolers, there are many great faith-based curriculums that can be used to give your children a strong foundation in the Bible. Sadly, there are also many that will twist scripture and can be extremely harmful to your family unit and your children as they grow. Many families have been sold on using harmful curriculums or programs because a speaker was charismatic and promised well behaved, God-fearing children. As with other curriculums, do your research. Look for reviews, testimonials, etc. Also, make sure you’re spending more than a few minutes researching any faith-based program. Comb the web for both the good and bad sides of families’ experiences with the curriculum you’re interested in. You can’t always trust the first three or four reviews you come across. As a Christian homeschooler myself, it is my firm belief that any educational program that demands complete and total allegiance in the name of “Godly kids” cannot possibly deliver on what it is selling. It is not an educational program that will draw our children to making the choice to follow Christ in their lives. It is our job to live out our faith while teaching them God’s Word, and His job to draw them to him. Forcing kids to follow a prescribed curriculum will only serve to drive them away. Exercise extreme caution when it comes to purchasing faith-based curriculum.

Again, you will most likely have a great experience at the convention you’re attending. Just keep these points in mind to protect your school, and you will be ready to thrive as a homeschool parent!

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10 Things to Do After You Register for a Homeschool Convention

Congratulations, you’re going to a homeschool convention!

You’ve made the decision to attend a homeschool convention soon, but what now? How do you get the most out of your experience?

I’ve been attending homeschool conventions for 8 years, and have several tips for you to get the most out of your experience:

1. If you are attending from out of town, secure your lodging as soon as you have purchased your conference package. Many conferences work with hotels in the area and have discounted rates for attendees. These fill fast, so be sure to book quickly.

2. Figure out childcare well in advance. Many conferences offer children’s programs, so find out if your children are eligible to attend if that is something you desire. If you are not taking the children with you, figure out care and plan it as soon as possible.

3. Figure out your main “pain points” in your current homeschool experience. What are you looking to learn more about at this conference? Are you a new homeschooler looking to establish a strong school experience for your children? Are you looking for help with a special needs child? Do you just need a breather and some encouragement in your teaching? Determine your current needs to focus your planning.

4. Visit the conference website and plan which classes you would like to attend. Don’t plan more than 3 – 4 classes in a day, so you’ll have time for shopping, meals, and reading material. Most conferences offer recordings of the sessions for sale, at a cost of around $6 each class. You can always pick up recordings to take home with you and listen later.

5. Look through the website and find the list of vendors that will be attending the conference. By looking through them, you can get an idea about what supplies and curriculums will be for sale in the vendor hall. Make a list of items you will be shopping for while you are there. If you go in with a plan you will be less likely to overspend or make purchases you regret.

6. Figure out what you will do for meals. Will you bring your food, eat at the convention hall, or go off-site for meals? Many halls will have concessions or restaurants on-site, but are fairly expensive. It’s a good idea to bring your own snacks and water bottle if you will be on-site for the day.

7. Bring something with you to carry your purchases and items for the day. You will be in sessions for (generally) an hour at a time, then shopping in a large hall of vendors. You will also possibly have lunch for you and your children. Bring some kind of rolling tote that you can lug everything in together. (One note: Check the convention website and make sure a cart is allowed!)

8. Bring a notebook for taking notes during the sessions. Bring a clipboard as well. Most homeschool conventions are held in convention centers or hotel ballrooms and the classes are simply rooms full of chairs, no desks. You will most likely want to take notes and a clipboard will make that much easier!

9. Use the back pages of your notebook to plan your purchases in the vendor hall. Don’t ever buy anything on your way through the first time. Gather brochures or write down ideas and prices, and then find a place to look them over outside of the vendor hall. Only buy items on your original list, things you know will line up directly with what you are already doing, or books that you know will be used if they are put on your bookshelf.

10. Enjoy your time. A homeschool convention is a great place to refresh your batteries and reenergize your school year. Let yourself simply enjoy your time there. Don’t feel like you have to experience every single little aspect of the convention your first, second, or even sixth time there. You simply can not attend every class, and there will always be more time to attend other conventions. Attend what is most relevant to you where you are at this point in your homeschool journey. Homeschooling is a marathon, you don’t have to absorb every bit of information on every part of homeschooling at one time.

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Your FREE Homeschool Convention Checklist Set

There’s so much to think about when you’re attending a homeschool convention! It can be completely overwhelming!

We’ve got a way to narrow down all the noise and help you focus on enjoying your experience.

Introducing your FREE Homeschool Convention Checklist Set:

The set includes:
– A Checklist of things to do to prepare for your convention.
– A Shopping List so you can prepare to shop in the vendor hall.
– A Session Plan page where you can narrow the list of classes down to what you want to attend.

Simply enter your email in the following box and your FREE Convention Checklist Set will be on the way to you!

Get Your FREE Convention Checklist Set!

Join the newsletter and receive your FREE Homeschool Convention Checklist Set!

*If you are already a member of our Newsletter Family, check you inbox! The Homeschool Convention Checklist Set is already there, along with a little bonus.

Your Homeschool Quote of the Month – January

Every homeschool parent needs a little boost occasionally! This homeschool life is an awesome adventure, but it can also have its frustrating days. One thing I have found to be a big boost to my days is to have quotes on homeschooling and education handy for inspiration. A little blurb here and there can be a big pick-me-up when I’m trying not to go to sleep on another read through of a BOB book!

This year, I’ll be featuring a quote that is speaking to my soul as a homeschool mom every month as part of the iHomeschool Network’s Homeschool Mother’s Journal.

January’s quote is by Clay P. Bedford:

This quote resonates with me because it is one of the principle reasons we chose to homeschool. I’ve seen so many children lose their love of learning and innate curiosity because of the distractions and constraints surrounding them due to our modern way of life. We make it a priority to encourage exploration and creativity in our school and in our lives. I want them to remain curious, and want to continue learning once they are done with their assignments and diplomas/degrees. I see it as my job now to plant the seeds of curiosity through every lesson that we learn together.

Want more inspiration for your days? Check out more quotes that have been posted and discussed on our Instagram account:

“Childhood is not a race….”

“The whole art of teaching…”

“Home-based education is not an experiment….”

Would you like to download your own copy of January’s quote?

Visit this link!

While you’re here, make sure to join the hundreds of other families that are a part of the This Crazy Homeschool Life Newsletter family! Get homeschool tips, tricks, and freebies delivered directly to your inbox by filling out the form below:

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Find more posts in the Homeschool Mother’s Journal on the iHomeschool Network.

Other This Crazy Homeschool Life posts to visit:

Your family’s homeschool mission statement is the foundation of your homeschool life. Use our 5 easy steps to create a strong mission for your family to focus on during your homeschool years.

A list and links to 100 Historic places your family can visit while homeschooling in the United States.

January 8, 2017 by: Lesli

How to Create Your Family’s Homeschool Vision

How do you want your days to go? What do you want your child’s education to look like? What type of learning works best for your children? Where will your learning occur?

There are so many opportunities and experiences available in the homeschool world, that figuring out where to start is simply overwhelming. By creating your vision for your family’s homeschool, you can tune out much of the noise and focus on creating the homeschool life you want to live with your family. Your Homeschool Vision then becomes the gatekeeper to your homeschool. Once you’ve created your Homeschool Mission and your Homeschool Vision, you’ll be able to focus on what needs to be accomplished and then thrive in your school as you work towards fulfilling your mission and vision.

How do you create your Homeschool Vision? You probably already have a good idea of what you’d like your homeschool to look like, writing it down solidifies what you’re already thinking, and gives you a roadmap through the years. Keep your ideas in mind and work through our list of steps for creating your vision.

5 Steps for creating your Homeschool Vision:

1. Spend a day or two truly considering what you want your homeschool to look like. Look through blogs about homeschooling, talk to friends who homeschool, or search Pinterest for ideas on how families all over the world homeschool.
2. Create a list of ideas that you find attractive or things you want to do in your homeschool. Include items that you know will work well for you children’s learning styles.
3. Once you have spent time considering what you want your family’s homeschool life to look like, begin narrowing down your list and combining items. (Example: If your list includes “special reading times each day” and “listen to audiobooks before dinner,” you can combine them into “a place where the joy of reading is celebrated.”
4. Create a bullet list of 8 to 12 items that encompass your desires for your homeschool. See the example below:

The Donovan Family Homeschool will:

Be a place where the joy of reading is celebrated.
Include learning activities we all share.
Be a place of active, engaging learning.
Include travel for first-hand experience.
Be a place where our children will find and improve their gifts.
Include social, life, and entrepreneurial experiences.
Be a place where it’s okay to get messy and make mistakes.
Include learning a second language.
Be a place where the joy of childhood is celebrated.
Include practical life skills along with strong academics.

5. Once you’ve created your Homeschool Vision, print it and display it next to your Homeschool Mission. Make a second copy to keep with your records so you’ve always got it in easy reach.

How do you use your vision as a gatekeeper for your homeschool?

1. Use your vision to figure out which homeschool method will work the best for your homeschool.
2. Once you’ve figured out your method, you can narrow down your curriculum.
3. You can hold every activity and opportunity up against your vision. If it fits your vision and mission, great! Enjoy the activity and benefit from it. If it doesn’t fit your vision or mission, then pass on the opportunity. (Example: We have had the opportunity several times for different sport teams, but my children are not particularly gifted in sports. Signing them up for the teams would not fit our vision, as we would lose the freedom to travel and engage in active learning because of the time constraints of the sport.)

One note: Your mission will not change much over your homeschool years. It’s like the underlying foundation to your home. To change the foundation takes a lot of expensive work and will always cause a disruption to the lives of anyone in the house. Your vision is much like the walls of your home. You live within them, find the best paint and décor for them, but every now and then they need a little repair or updating. Every couple years, sit down and review your vision. Your kids will grow, life will change. You may need to rethink how school works for your family. The general structure will likely stay pretty close to your original design, but a tweak here or there could simply make it all work better. (Example: Changing “Be a place where the joy of childhood is celebrated” will likely morph into “Be a place where relationships will grow during the teen years” as the children grew into teens.

As a homeschool parent, you will be pulled in 34,897,623,408,912,750,182,361,897,354 different directions if you allow yourself to be. Creating your mission, then narrowing down your vision for your homeschool days will allow you to say “yes” to the opportunities that will allow your family to flourish and help you say “no” to the things that will distract your family and pull you apart.

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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Other This Crazy Homeschool Life posts to visit:

Your family’s homeschool mission statement is the foundation of your homeschool life. Use our 5 easy steps to create a strong mission for your family to focus on during your homeschool years.

The secret to planning an entire homeschool school year at one time.

FREE Planning Pages

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January 8, 2017 by: Lesli

How to Easily Create Your Family’s Homeschool Mission Statement

What’s a homeschool mission statement? Is that any different from a homeschool vision? Why would I need these for my school? It’s just us…doing school…why would we need anything other than curriculum?

Have you been asking these questions? I know I did when we first started homeschooling! After living in the homeschool world for eight years, I have some answers for you.

Your Homeschool Mission Statement

A Homeschool Mission Statement is simply a concise way of writing down the why behind what you are doing, or are planning to do, every day in your classroom. Writing down your mission statement for your homeschool is the most important step you will ever take as a homeschool parent!

Why?

Well, your Homeschool Mission Statement becomes the foundation the rest of your homeschool is built upon. When you have your why written down and posted where you can refer to it, it keeps you on track. You have a reason to get up, go through the routine, and focus on your school time with your kids. You have a target to work towards.

When you are focused on your mission, you’re not going to fail at homeschooling. You will be able to pare down the multitude of options into what is necessary to complete your mission.

How do you create your mission? It’s pretty straightforward, and simply contains your top few reasons to homeschool along with where you want your family to be once you finish schooling your children.

5 Steps to writing your family’s Homeschool Mission Statement:

1. On a sheet of paper, write down every reason you are homeschooling that you can think of. Think through where you want your homeschool to go, what you want your children to be capable of by the time you’re done, etc. Write it all down.

2. Go through your list and highlight the top 3-4 reasons your family is homeschooling. If you are married, work with your spouse on this step.

3. Discuss the reasons with your children(if they are old enough), and all agree on your family’s most important homeschooling reasons.

4. Take your top reasons and write a 3 to 4 sentence paragraph including them. You could also write a bullet point list that takes your top reasons and states them in the form of an action. See examples below.

5. Type up your mission statement and post it. Post it in your schoolroom, post it in your kitchen, post it where ever you may need a quick, visual reset.

Mission Statement Examples:

Paragraph Form:

The Mission of the Jones Family School is to create lifelong learners who see the world through the eyes of Christ. The students of our school 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.

Bullet Point Form:

The Twain Family Homeschool Mission:
1. To raise children who understand their worth as members of our family and the community.
2. To raise children in an environment that fosters learning at every opportunity.
3. To graduate driven individuals who are capable of conquering any challenge that comes their way.

If your Homeschool Mission is your WHY, your Homeschool Vision is your HOW. Click here to learn more about creating your Homeschool Vision.

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!

Join our FREE newsletter!

Join the This Crazy Homeschool Life blog family to get updates, free printables, and more!

Other This Crazy Homeschool Life posts to visit:

Your family's homeschool vision is the how of your homeschool life. Use our 5 easy steps to create a strong vision for your family to focus on during your homeschool years.

How to Create Your Family’s Homeschool Vision – Your family’s homeschool vision is the how of your homeschool life. Use our 5 easy steps to create a strong vision for your family to focus on during your homeschool years.

An Overview of Homeschool Methods – A brief overview of homeschooling methods to help you figure out your homeschool style.l

January 1, 2017 by: Lesli

Your January Family Challenge

Oh, it’s so easy to forget to take time for just having fun and working together because our homeschool lives are so full. For this reason, the Family Challenge was born!

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 prize 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 on the link below to download your January Family Challenge Printable:

TCHSL January Family Challenge Printable

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