Homeschool Management Bundle

By All-Star Homeshoolers

71% OFF  -Value $69.94

Price $19.99 

Downloadable Files

• Encouragement for Homeschool Moms
• Homemade Convenience Foods
• Homeschool & Family Calendar
• Homeschooling with a Purpose
• Listening to Learn: Using Audio Files in Your Homeschool
• Mom’s Home Management Binder for all Seasons (Calendars)
• Mom’s Home Management Binder for all Seasons (Dividers)
• Mom’s Home Management Binder for all Seasons (Holidays)
• Mom’s Home Management Binder for all Seasons (Homeschool)
• Mom’s Home Management Binder for all Seasons (Lists)
• My Book of Thanks: A 25 Day Gratitude Journal for Kids
• The Homemaker’s Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule

 

Homeschool Room

 

What's that on your fingers? Yes, it's that time of year again when our little ones (and us) wear dried glue on our hands with smidgen of marker, pencil smudges and paint residue! And how exciting! It's time for school. It is my intent for this post to give you a glimpse of some trendy, inexpensive and practical ways to create a homeschool room or space in your home sweet home. Kristi, our homeschool author, and myself are teaming up on this one to show you two different types of spaces to meet the different needs of different age children and utilizing different resources available to our different families. Maybe you can find some ideas to spruce up your space. So let's take a gander together.

1. Homeschool rooms and spaces should change as your kids change and grow. Just like a classroom,

they need to accommodate what you need to make learning fun and "switch" on those little brains to school mode. My girls are small- 3 and 1, so right now, what we really need is hardly anything! Your space also need to accommodate whatever else is going to take place in the room. Our homeschool room is a home office space as well right now. (We are still under construction so not everything is shown here, just the school space in the room.) These are pics of Kristi's homeschool room (a separate room from the rest of the house).  Her children are in the primary grades right now. They have a lot of freedom in how creative they can been with paint and soft spaces to read. Where you put your homeschool room is so important!

 

I personally love the inventive framed chalkboard farmhouse window look with the shudders around it. So cute! Also, look at the way a room's shape and structure (ie. the triangle leading up to the raised ceiling). Kristi used the the shape to hang work in a triangular format. She truly is the most creative person I know! :)

2. A space can motivate! We know learning at home is not always the most exciting place to be, but why can't your space be? Know what your kids need. Do they need bright colors or calm? What are they motivated by? What can motivate you as well? I really love the bright colored balls hanging from their ceiling for decoration!  We both are using small bin shelves the kids can reach. Bins are so versatile and can be mixed, matched and redecorate a room by choosing a different color.  Hanging children's work (not everything, but their most memorable pieces) can be a great way to motivate them and help them work hard to achieve a certain level of accomplishment. Yarn, ribbon, or string with some dollar clothes pins is an easy way to accomplish this.

  

You have to be there and just like a classroom at a school, a teacher would have little meaningful things to help motivate him/her as well. I have printed signs on the wall to help me stay focused on what my goals are as a homeschool mom. I gathered these into a zipfile for you. They are our second FEEBIE, Homeschool Signs are available through the hyperlink! Just click the link then click on the ellipses at the top right corner of the dropbox; then click on download as zip file. 

3. Be thoughtful when creating this space and considerate as to where the space is located. It is part of your home and you do have to see it daily, so make it aesthetically pleasing to you as well.  When we created our homeschool room, I originally thought it would be similar to a classroom in some respects- having just come from six years of teaching. However, because our room is locate off the kitchen and family room area, all who enter our humble abode can see this room! I wanted it to coordinate somewhat with the rest of the house. 

If our room moves to a bedroom down the hallway later, we'll have more freedom to make it a little more like a classroom.

 We used these labels to add some environmental print to our homeschool space. They are strategically colored to go with other areas in our home too. The neutral color bins wouldn't have been my first choice for a school type space, but again, it is soft to the eye and keeps in conjunction with the nearby kitchen.  These labels are available for FREE from Tools for School Teacher Resources and were featured inside a previous post, The Most Important List for a Homeschool Mom.

4. Be creative! We used these spice racks from IKEA a friend got for us for our room as bookshelves. I like this idea- which I found on pinterest of course- because it allows the books to stand up and the kiddies can look through them easily. It's like their on display! (Which makes books look extra amazing and naturally draws young eyes and little fingers. At our house, we think books are pretty special!)

 We also used these hook racks from a salvage store and these glass jars from the clearance at a local craft shop. They are great for hanging all the little school supplies we'll use.

 Kristi used a traditional bookshelf, painted white for their homeschool room. I really love white. It makes something special- like books- pop! She also placed a train table area for their youngest little guy to be creatively entertained during school time for the older ones. It can be really easy and obvious to provide ways to keep the little ones busy during school- just provide for them what they like! Kristi also uses a "busy box" which I've implemented as well. Inside are constructive independent activties and toys for our little ones.

We loved creating this space and our girls are really enjoying the new room as well. Sending creative sparkly dust thoughts your way! Have fun with your homeschool room too!

Teacher Resources

The Teacher's Top 10 for Back to School

Don't you just get a little giddy when they start putting out  all the new school supplies? They deck the isles with bright yellow and reds and stickers that say ninety- eight cents for glue. Maybe that's just the teacher in me that loves the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and there is no better desk decor than a recycled soup can with a ribbon tied round it and a bushel of new yellow number two pencils within.

Starting the school year is exciting because it always means a new start, a fresh look, a new chance. Both my husband and I are educators and I chuckled the other day when I purchased a calendar notebook and moved the inserts so that the year began with August- as all years do if you're a teacher. August is spelled- organization. It smells of pencil shavings and folders, blank calendars and new lesson plan books.  The local school supply store is budding with excited teachers and shiny new supplies. Teachers and homeschool moms alike are getting organized for the new school year. So let's get out our freshly sharpened brand new no.2 and take inventory to see if you have everything you need this year. Here we go!

1. Get a Positive Outlook.- If we don't have this, we need to stand in the school supply aisle a little longer. No, really, this is essential for a successful school year. Take your calendar or lesson plan book and write in or paste typed phrases throughout the weeks so that you have a little ray of sunshine and motivation when things get gloomy. It will also help you remember that you determined to be positive back in sunny August. 

2. Get Real Expectations. -As teachers we tend to be over the top sometimes with a hat for every possible job. Let's make a decision to focus on one goal this year. It may be- be more organized, have more fun, know your students better, be more helpful to colleagues,  or plan ahead.  Focusing on one thing will allow you to achieve that goal and end your year on a positive note as well.

3. Get Prioritization- Stephen Covey provides a useful organization tool in his book, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People".  I've recreated it here for you to help you organize and prioritize before you get too far into your school year. If you have a clear focus of what you will allow yourself to be focused on and when, you will minimize your chance of becoming stressed and increase your chance of becoming productively peaceful! Hey, that sounds great! This is something I'm learning to do and it DOES make a difference!

4. Get your Goody Bag Stocked- No joke, as a teacher, sometimes you need a "pick me up". So make sure you use some of your back to school bucks to buy your favorite healthy snacks, candies, water bottles and tea bags, sodas (we call it Coke here in the South) and more to help you get through those days that aren't so peachy.  No matter what comes unglued, I can always have my Dum-Dum sucker which are happily placed in a mason jar on my window sill. ;) 

5. Get Encouragement- Ask your friends and family to write you little notes of encouragement for you to stash when you need a word of cheer to keep you going. (Hey, and you write one for a teacher friend as well. You might start something.) Put up pictures of your family and friends around your classroom. Your students like to know you're human and not some strange back breaking space alien who lives at school all year round. (Yes, that is what they think.)

6. Get a good Planner. - It never ceases to amaze me how hard it is to find the perfect planner. It's like buying the right purse! In case you do not have a planner, I have a couple of styles that might appeal to you via Tools for School Teacher Resources. They are downloadable and you can print them on your own paper. This one is free!

7. Get your first day in order. - The first day is by far the most important day of the year. It's the first impression and will set the stage for a great year or shake you up for a while if it goes array.  So while you're sifting through new faces, papers and other first day stuff, make sure your students are loving what they're doing. Provide plenty of fun time for them and expect very little the first day. Make it easy for them to obey and to love what they are doing! Here are two FREEBIES for you!

8. Get your YEAR in gear. - The more pre-work you have done in getting things ready for the year, the more smoothly your year will go. Having things in place like file folders with seasonal activities and newsletter templates can really help.  Planning your field trips ahead of time and even having a folder for each month will help you feel in control and calm. Here are some newsletter templates to help you out.

9. Get your Escape Days.- No, I do not mean to skip school! I mean days you put on the calendar during breaks or weekends where you plan a date with your hubby or a day out with your friend, a family picnic or a vacation. These are important and seeing them already tentatively planned on your choice planner will give you a little something outside of school to look forward to.

10. Get Some Love. - The most important thing is to care about your students and when you do, they know it! Send them a card and tell them you're glad they're in your class. They are much more likely to be motivated or at least compliant if they respect you and they respect you more often when they know you respect them and value them. Find the good in each one and see what you can inspire. Isn't that why you're teaching after all? :)

Hopefully, you'll have a checklist full of checks the beginning of this school year that you can feel good about! There are a lot of things to do to get your year in gear, so get going! Oh...and here's your first "thank you": Thank you for being an educator; whether or not you see it, you are making a difference! Here's to a wonderful year!

The Most Important Supply List for the Homeschool Mom

It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's a clean slate, figuratively and literally. It's a brand new school year, a time for new resolutions and new beginnings. Around our house, we have fully enjoyed these long summer days. We have been free of any formal routine or schedule. In fact, we have been so free of it that we are actually longing for our days to

become structured once again.  The kids haven't verbally told me they are ready for a scheduled day, but their behavior lets me know loud and clear that IT IS TIME.  

I've been working on scheduling our school days in 30 minute blocks. My little guy, Jake, may or may not be going to a morning preschool. So I've made a schedule that includes him in our school day at home.This schedule allows me one-on-one time with each child. I took advice from another homeschool mom who follows the titus2.com home management plan. She advised that I take individual time with each child by allowing the other child(ren) to play with the younger one during that time. For instance, I'll be helping Mae (age 7) with math while Nate (age 5) is in another room entertaining Jake (age 2). Then, they will swap and Mae will be playing with Jake while Nate sits with me for his lesson. My older two will have some seatwork that will allow them to work independently, so that means I can have some special time with Jake as well. 
 I've tried a few different methods for scheduling our day, but my kids and I work best off a checklist.  We like charts, schedules and to-do lists.  My amazing friend Shelley, who owns this blog and TPT store, made some blank schedule cards.  My kids were excited about the graphics on these cute little cards, and I can use any help I can get to get them excited about starting school.  Here's the plan:  Print and laminate the cards.  Use a dry erase marker to write a task on each card. (You can actually purchase these for $3.50 at Tools for Schools Teacher Resources; just click on them.)

 Attach Velcro dots to the back of each card and also attach an envelope to the schedule board.  Each day I will put the cards on the schedule board for the kids and they will take down each card as the task is completed.  They will put the card in the envelope labeled "Done!".  I think they will enjoy watching their progress as they make all their tasks "disappear" throughout the day.  Like I said, my kids thrive on checklists.  I thought of some other uses for these cards as well.  Since they're blank I can use them for a lot of other purposes like name plates/cards, labels for classroom organization or even note cards.  If your child goes to school away from home you can use them for lunch box notes or even print them off for your kids to send notes to friends.  They would also work well as a gift tag for a birthday gift.  There are lots of good uses for the adorable little cards!
 

Here is what I ended up with for Nate's schedule cards.  I introduced these cards to you in this earlier post. Nowadays, I become very resourceful when I want to complete a project without taking three kids to Hobby Lobby for supplies.  So, in my attempts to avoid that dreadful scenario I found some long lost borders hiding behind a bookshelf.  I decided they would make a nice tree trunk if they were painted brown.  Then I decided to use some

notebook paper for the "palm leaves".  Jake and I enjoyed scribbling on the notebook paper with green crayons.  I think I was inspired by peg + cat illustrations.  I love how the background is always graphing paper in that show.  So cute.  Anyway, I "borrowed" some green yarn from my daughter's yarn collection and weaved it through the holes in the notebook paper.  It's supposed to look like vines.  I have an abundance of clothes pins so I decided to use those to hold up the schedule cards.  This can also help with Nate's fine motor skills as he take down the cards and clips the pin back on the "tree".  Below a picture of the end result.  Nothing too glamorous here, but I think Nate will like it.  Happy Homeschooling!

I've also put together a supply list for moms as we get ready for another year of home educating.  I hope you find it helpful and encouraging. 

Supply List for Homeschool Moms:

1. Patience                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The first day, week, month or possibly year(s) of homeschooling will not go well. I'm not usually a pessimist, but I am realistic. Homeschooling (and parenting in general) is going to be a long, hard road. We may have to change things along the way on our homeschooling journeys. If something's not working, take a break, try something different, be patient.  Remember patience is not something we can create in ourselves, it's a fruit of the spirit.  When I hear people comment, "I just don't have the patience for homeschooling!", I often reply with, "Me neither!".  I don't have it within my own self to create a patient attitude.  Apart from the strength and grace of God, I can't do anything. This includes homeschooling.  If you are a Believer, you have patience.  You just have to "put it on."  Colossians 3:12 tells us to, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.                         
   Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." -Ephesians 3:20                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
2. Unity
                                                                                                                                                      Talk to you kids about some of your struggles and concerns. Let them know you are in this together and you are on their side, not against them. Your husband is your partner in all things, even in homeschooling. He must be on board with the homeschooling decision. If your decision to homeschool goes against your husbands wishes, you need to reconsider. If your children don't see a united front in Mom and Dad, homeschooling is useless. You will not be teaching them one of the fundamentals about a healthy relationship and a Biblical marriage. One of the common goals Christian homeschoolers share is that we are teaching our kids how to live a Godly life based on Biblical values. It will be difficult to achieve this goal if we are not following biblical guidelines ourselves.  Refer to Ephesians 5 for review on these guidelines.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
3. Determination and resolve
                                                                                                                                                   There will be many, many, many days you want to give up. You will find yourself at one point or another considering the pros and cons of enrolling your kids in a public or private school. If God has called you to homeschool, resolve to be determined. You will not succeed at homeschooling if you take the approach that says, “We will just see how it goes, if we don't like it or it doesn't work we will put the kids in school. We are just taking it a year at a time.” There are days the kids are not going to like it, it's not going to work. You have to be determined that this is the calling God has placed on your family. Resolve that it's going to be difficult and unpleasant at times, but you are going to push through with God's strength on your side. Write out a family mission statement, a resolution to homeschool. List the reasons you decided to take this path and refer back to that list as needed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. -2 Thessalonians 3:13                                                                                                                                  
4. Encouraging friends                                                                                                      You may find friends through a homeschool group or you may find it in your non-homeschooling friends. Your family may be the greatest source of encouragement or they may be just the opposite (If the latter is the case, you will need to refer to your mission statement before and after family gatherings) Mostly when I tell people we homeschool they are highly encouraging. I can only remember one negative reaction from someone when I've told them we homeschool. A homeschool group, especially a like-minded group, is a valuable resource. I cannot tell you how many times I've been brought out of a pit of despair through emails, conversations and observations from my local homeschool group. Find a support group NOW!  A simple Google search may turn up a few groups in your area.                               

5. Jesus.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Yes, I know, the Sunday School answer. But surely I'm not the only one who tries to survive without His help and think I'm the one accomplishing this homeschooling thing. He is the teacher, the principal, the superintendent. Let us not forget that.                                                                                                    
6. Sticks and Sand                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Curriculum is SO much fun. There are so many choices!  It's so exciting to get new books at the beginning of the year (or throughout the year as the case may be). But don't forget those teachable moments that come that don't follow a lesson plan. Honestly, those are the lessons our kids will learn from and remember the most. 

Speaking of teachable moments, I leave you with this one brought to you by my seven and a half year old daughter. A few days ago, I was busy about my housework and Mae comes down the stairs and says, “Mom, I have a bible lesson about this rock!”. I said, “Oh, really?”, as I headed towards the laundry room. Thankfully, the Lord stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and sat down on the stairs with the laundry basket on my lap. It was there that she explained that the rock was really ugly on the outside, but when you broke it open it was filled with a beautiful shade of quartz. My girl is an aspiring geologist, by the way. She went on to explain that it reminded her of how God looks on the inside, at our hearts. I agreed with her and we read 1 Peter 3:3-4 together which states:

3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

You know what that moment taught me??? Parenting and homeschooling can be ugly, it's tough and we hardly see the fruit of our labor when our kids are so young. But we are doing our part to help create a beautiful heart in our children and in our family. Hopefully, we will see the precious gem of a life for the Lord shine forth when our children are grown. Occasionally, like this time on the stairs with Mae, we get a glimpse of the heart and life God is forming in our children. What a blessing. I'm so thankful the Holy Spirit reminded me to take this time with my child and hear what she had to say. I pray for many, many more of these moments.  

My friend, Shelley, has also included a homemade designer set of homeschool labels for FREE! Just click on the picture!