Simple Summer Homeschool Routine Ideas

Having consistent daily routines helps children thrive. Kids like to know what is happening next and adults don’t want to answer the question, “What are we doing next?” a thousand times a day.

Oh, I’ve been there and that’s why I am such a strong advocate of routines and why I love them so much.

It helps kids feel at ease and know when the next meal is happening. Let’s face it, kids live from meal to meal and from snack time to snack time.

Summer deserves its own special rhythm, don’t you think? If you are finding that your kids are staying up too late, missing naptime, and are always bored or cranky, it might be time to set up a new routine.

Here are some super quick ideas and easy tips to freshen up your summer routine, whether you are homeschooling or not.

1. Choose days of the week to do certain things. For example, Monday is Pool Day, Tuesday is Park Day, etc. I like to schedule these types of activities at the same time each day (usually in the morning) so we are home for lunch and subsequent quiet time. This way, kids develop a natural rhythm and aren’t restless.
2. Plan in a quiet time each day. Summer activities and spending more time outdoors can be exhausting. A daily quiet time is refreshing for both parents and children.
3. Rotate the toys. Kids get easily bored and switching out their toys or adding some summer fun toys can help them to play creatively and independently.
4. Eat meals outdoors. Charlotte Mason was a huge advocate of eating as many meals as possible outdoors. It also means less mess indoors. That’s a win-win in my books!
5. Join a summer reading challenge to keep up literacy skills and avoid summer learning loss.
6. Include educational games and more physical activities to improve physical and mental health.
7. Get enough sleep. Even if bedtimes are a bit off and everyone is staying up longer, kids still need to get about the same amount of sleep, regardless of the season. When kids are cranky, no one has fun.
8. Relax. Summer comes and goes so quickly. Taking time to nap on a blanket under a tree or going for evening walks can help you to feel rejuvenated and ready to start a new school year in the fall.

The post Simple Summer Homeschool Routine Ideas appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

As a mom who has used both, I am going to do my best to give you an unbiased look at the pros and cons of both options. There is no “one size fits all” approach to homeschooling. In my experience, there are benefits to both and you are the lucky one who gets to decide which one is best for your family at the moment.

It has been said that choosing a curriculum is making an educated guess. You never know what obstacles or challenges the next school year will bring. Whatever you choose, please know that you aren’t stuck with that decision and that it’s ok to change from one to the other if you need to.

Is a Boxed Curriculum right for you?

A boxed curriculum might be right for you if you want to save time in the planning stages. An all-in-one boxed curriculum often has ready-made lesson plans, activities, tests, and some even provide transcripts and diplomas.

If you are looking for structure and want to save yourself the stress of having to choose what to teach next, a boxed curriculum might work well for you. The lesson plans conveniently lay out the days and weeks in a way that you never have to guess what comes next.

If you buy from the same company year after year, you don’t have to worry about filling gaps that might otherwise occur. Another advantage is that the subjects often interweave with each other. The period of history often corresponds to several other subjects such as reading, art, and music.

Most of the choices are made for you, but oftentimes there is some flexibility to choose a different math or reading curriculum. You just have to choose the grade levels, possible substitutions, and electives, and all of the books and plans are sent to you for the whole year. Depending on the provider, you can get everything down to the colored pencils and the science kits.

We have had some good and some not-so-great experiences using a boxed curriculum. Some of the different ones we’ve tried include:

• Seton Home Study School
• Catholic Heritage Curricula
• Sonlight
• The Good and The Beautiful
• Timberdoodle

The problem that we’ve had with some boxed curriculums is that some subjects weren’t a good fit for one child or another. It is important to do your research and see if it will be a good fit before shelling over the money. In the early years, I based my choices on what worked for others and what was popular and didn’t even consider my child’s needs.

It is really helpful to know what type of learner your child is. A visual learner, an auditory learner, and a kinesthetic learner are all going to have different needs and challenges. I could have saved myself a lot of money and stress had I known to consider these first.

Some boxed curriculums are really expensive and others require you to enroll in order to get the lesson plans. This is really important to find out. You may not need the lesson plans, but sometimes they contain the answer key and if you get stuck, you are out of luck.

Some boxed curriculums can feel like school at home. If this is something you are trying to avoid, stay away from those that look like school at home. Chances are pretty high that if it looks like school at home, it will feel like it.

Although a boxed curriculum can save you time researching and writing plans, you will likely have fewer options for child-led learning and going down rabbit trails. I know this is something that we struggled with a lot. If you are trying to stay on track with the lesson plans, you might feel conflicted if your children have sparked an interest in something that is worth learning about BUT isn’t in the weekly lesson plan.

Some boxed curriculum providers have a team of advisors that can help you put together a curriculum that is tailored to your family’s unique needs. This can be a great way to check if a boxed curriculum approach meets your needs and expectations and save you a lot of headaches in the future.

Should you choose an eclectic approach to homeschooling?

If you are new to homeschooling, this can feel like the scarier option. I know, because it can be overwhelming to look at all of the options and wonder how you are going to make this work for your family as an inexperienced homeschool mom. I’ve been there.

A lot of families start with a boxed curriculum and move away from it when it doesn’t meet the needs of one or all of their children. No decision is final and you can always change your mind.

If you want some flexibility, but aren’t ready to make all of the decisions, you can always start with the boxed curriculum and swap out subjects or specific books to better fit your needs. The lesson plans might need a little adjusting BUT at least you won’t have to write everything out on your own.

Choosing an eclectic style can be more cost-effective. You can use a free curriculum and resources such as Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool in combination with your library card. This can be a great option if you are on a tight budget.

We like to think of ourselves as a life schooling family. A lot of learning in our home is taught by doing everyday things and exploring interests, and that means not everything is learned from a book. We live on a farm, so animal husbandry is one of our subjects. Sometimes, we will do a unit study that corresponds to something that we are learning on the farm, but not always.

With an eclectic approach, you have the freedom to be much more flexible in terms of how and what you study. A co-op or group learning experience is easier to do when you aren’t using a full boxed curriculum. You can also choose to read more books or take your homeschool on the road and be a road schooling family.

Initially, it will take more time and research to find all of the options that you want to try with your children. Cathy Duffy’s Homeschool Reviews Website is an invaluable resource.

An eclectic approach can involve more time spent outdoors and involve more child-led learning. Wild Schooling and Forest Schooling are homeschool approaches that involve time outdoors in a very different learning environment.

There is less pressure to keep up with the lesson plans in an eclectic approach. Depending on your personality type, this can be a good or a bad thing.

Struggling students and neurodiverse children often do better using a more eclectic approach as their needs can be specifically met through a wide variety of resources.

It is also easier to choose courses that might not be offered in a boxed curriculum. However, it is worth it to check with your boxed curriculum provider if they offer support for your student’s needs before you rule out this option.

In our home, my children have taken a number of alternative courses which include Auto Upkeep, photography & videography, stop-motion animation, writing historical fiction, and online piano lessons. Using logic games, coding, and exploring different interests and hobbies can also be an integral part of an eclectic approach.

Some things to consider when choosing

Before you choose to use a boxed curriculum or a more eclectic approach, you need to know the laws and requirements for your area. This might be a deciding factor when making your choice.

Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to find your sweet spot. There is no one right way to homeschool. There are also seasons where you might choose one method over another, such as during pregnancy, or prolonged illness.

Also, consider the time you need to take care of your needs and wants. You need to choose based on what works for you and your personality. What makes you feel more confident? What aligns with your values? Are you working outside or in the home? Do you have help?

Pray about it. I know this may sound cliché to some people, BUT this is a great place to start if you are a believer. In prayer, you can discover what your heart needs. God is the giver of wisdom. Let him guide you and show you the path.

No matter what you choose, you are doing the best you can for your child. Let me know in the comments below what type of homeschooler you are. Do you prefer a boxed curriculum or a more eclectic approach?

The post Boxed Curriculum vs. An Eclectic Mix – Unbiased Guide to Help You Choose What is Best for You appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

Stop siblings from fighting before it starts

Kids squabble. Sometimes we need to give them room to work out their differences. As parents, it is our goal to raise respectable and confident adults, not doormats or bullies. It is all too easy to jump in and diffuse a situation before it starts, but is that always the best method?

You know your kids better than anyone. Assess the situation and let kids work it out unless it gets out of hand. Arguing builds life skills and helps children develop social skills and conflict resolution. I’ll touch on that in a bit. However, it helps if there are ground rules.

To stop siblings from fighting, consider the following strategies:

1. Set house rules for arguing in your home. Some of these could include, no name-calling, no physical interaction (hitting, biting, kicking, etc.), and being respectful. Allow the children to help set the rules and remind them of the rules when it is necessary.
2. Set up routines so that everyone knows who is responsible or whose turn it is to do chores, take turns playing a video game, or choosing the movie on movie night. Many arguments can be avoided if there are clear guidelines.
3. Don’t take sides. Be non-partisan when it comes to sibling squabbles. Taking sides can cause jealousy which can escalate the situation.
4. Also, try not to compare your children. This too leads to jealousy.
5. Focus on each child’s needs. What do they need? Oftentimes, one sibling feels less worthy, talented, etc., and out of this inadequacy feels triggered and instigates trouble against another sibling. By focusing on each child’s needs, you make them feel worthy and connected. Connection is important when it comes to mental health.
6. Model healthy arguments. When arguing with your spouse or loved ones, check that you argue respectably. Do you raise your voice or do you argue calmly? Do you respect your differences and apologize sincerely? Children pick up more on our actions than our words, unfortunately. How you argue matters.
7. Catch your kids being good. Comment on how well they are getting along. Also, compliment them on positive conflict resolution.
8. Teach conflict resolution when they are not arguing. Think up scenarios and ask your kids for possible resolutions. Kids are smart and are way more intuitive than we give them credit for.

But what happens if it escalates?

It happens. I have eight kids and even my best efforts can’t stop every squabble from escalating. I am human and my kids happen to be human, too.

First off, don’t take it personally. You are not a bad parent. You haven’t done anything wrong. We are emotional, living beings with feelings and are passionate about some things.

Sometimes we are irrational. Our thoughts trigger our emotions and our behaviours. Children are still growing and their brains are making neuro connections and are learning social skills and as a result, they act irrationally.

But what should you do when sibling squabbles get out of hand? What is the best way to stop siblings from fighting?

I have a list of go-to solutions in my arsenal that I have to pull out from time to time. Some solutions to stop siblings from fighting will really depend on the age and the personalities of your children.

Personality types and love languages can be useful in determining your action plan. I highly recommend learning about reading personality types and love languages as tools for all homeschool parents.

Possible ways to stop siblings from fighting include:

1. Send them outside. Give them a job to do in different areas of the yard. It doesn’t really matter if they do the job, it is giving them the opportunity to cool off. Outdoors is a good place to cool off and get distracted.
2. Make them hold hands. Boys usually don’t like this one. Often times they end up goofing off and sometimes it makes the situation worse.
3. Make them clean something. Kids will catch on quickly that cleaning is not the preferred option or you will have a sparkling clean house. Whichever happens, it’s a win-win for the parents.
4. Coach each child to express their feelings without attacking the other person. You will need to mediate and have to stay neutral. You are Switzerland. Remember the ground rules for arguing and see if things were based on a misunderstanding.
5. Make them solve a problem together. Give them something that they have to work on together.
6. Use a scenario dialogue. You can use task cards or come up with your own. It is often easier to analyze someone else’s problems and come up with rational solutions. Kids are great at this.

These are just a few of the many ways that we can stop siblings from fighting. If your children are fighting constantly, it might be worth getting to the root of the problem. Behaviors are often caused by emotions which are caused by inner thoughts and feelings.

Spending one-on-one time with each child is a good way to gain insight into what your child is thinking about and where their behaviors are coming from.

Conflict isn’t a bad thing. Growing up, you may have been taught that conflict should be avoided at all costs. Especially women have been taught that their voice or opinion isn’t important and that they should be submissive.

Actually, conflict can be a great teacher. Sibling squabbles are important in the development of our child’s mental health. We want our children to become who they were called to be and to be able to stand up for what they believe in.

As a Growth Mindset Coach, I like to point out the positive sides of things in order to help others to move forward and become more resilient and gain mental strength.

So the next time that your children are arguing, assist them if you can in resolving their conflict so that they can be:

1. Better listeners. Conflict allows us to see things from another perspective and listen to a point of view that is not ours.
2. Flexible. Conflict resolution especially requires flexibility. Children can learn to give and take. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
3. Open to new ideas. Conflict sometimes opens our eyes to new opportunities. We can be very narrowminded in the heat of the moment, but if we open ourselves to new ideas we can grow and possibly have even better outcomes. It’s like the saying, “Two heads are better than one.”
4. Able to set limits. Conflict allows the opportunity to set personal boundaries and to stick up for oneself. This is an important social skill to learn, especially for children who are easily bullied and are naturally submissive by nature. We are not raising doormats. Kids need to learn how to set limits and personal boundaries.
5. Better communicators. Children who learn conflict resolution in a positive way will become better communicators. They will learn how to negotiate and work as team players.
6. Problem solvers. Conflict forces us to solve problems. Children can learn to find peaceful resolutions to their problems.
7. Aware of their needs and learn to verbalize them. Conflict allows our children to become aware of their needs and to verbalize them. This will likely have to be facilitated at first.
8. Emotionally in control. Conflict resolution is a prime opportunity to help children practice emotional control and how to resolve situations with their heads and not their emotions.
9. Authentic. Conflict allows a person to be authentic and to speak their truth. It helps a person realize their beliefs and what is dear to their heart.
10. Be good friends with their siblings. If conflict is handled in a healthy way, siblings will be bonded in a special way. They will learn to respect their sibling and value their opinions.

Stop siblings from fighting when it is necessary, but remember that not all conflict is bad. It is a great learning tool and an opportunity to teach your children valuable life skills.

Do you have a strategy that you use to diffuse sibling squabbles to stop your kids from fighting? I would love to hear it. Leave a comment below.

The post Sibling Squabbles – Can You Stop Them from Fighting? appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

It is a great time to take a little extra time out for yourself and try some of these spring self-care ideas. They might just be what you need to refresh a little and finish the year strong.

1. Nothing says spring than a spring cleaning & decluttering. This might not seem like self-care for some homeschool moms out there, but there are moms who thrive on clean and decluttered homes. Take a few days off and clean up your homeschool area. Clean spaces reduce stress and help productivity. Who says you can’t have a little spring-cleaning break?
2. Read a book. Have you been neglecting your own reading time in order to cater to everyone else? Buy or borrow a book that’s on your wish list and escape reality for a bit. Read when your kids are reading or riding their bikes and don’t forget to pour yourself a cup of your favorite drink.
3. Speaking of coffee, this spring self-care idea involves going out for coffee. Go by yourself, or with a friend or your spouse on a date. Treat yourself, you have worked hard and deserve it.
4. Listen to a podcast. Find one that is uplifting and builds you up and pop in the earbuds and tune out the world for a little.
5. Go for a new haircut. A new haircut and style is just the thing to get rid of the dry winter split ends and freshen up your look.
6. Get a new houseplant or two. Houseplants are great for improving air quality and look nice, too. Look for the ones that are hard to kill and that don’t mind being neglected.
7. Eat more fresh fruits and veggies. In your meal planning and grocery shopping, add a few extra healthy fruits and veggies. Your body will thank you.
8. Buy yourself some flowers or pick some if you have a garden. Fresh flowers are a great way to bring spring indoors and you are worth it.
9. It’s time to sort through the winter wardrobe and pack away the bulky sweaters.
10. Now that you’ve sorted through your wardrobe, you are sure to need a few new pieces. Bring out the light and flowy pieces and get yourself something new.
11. Go on a picnic or eat outdoors.
12. Try a new hobby.
13. Make a spring playlist.
14. Take care of your skin. Now that the winter is over, your skin might be a little dry and dull. Take the time to exfoliate and hydrate.
15. Make your home smell good. Open the windows and diffuse some essential oils.
16. Go for a walk in nature or for a bike ride through the woods. The exercise is good for you and nature has healing powers. It can lower stress and blood pressure and enhance immune function.
17. Tidy up your favorite outdoor space. Make the outdoors an inviting place to be. Dig out those cushions and wipe down the dusty patio furniture. After all, you’re going to need a comfy place to read your book.
18. Bring spring into your space. Decorate for the season. Keep it simple. Add new pillows or flowers to your space.
19. Limit your screen time. We all know that spending time on screens all day has negative effects on our body, mind, and soul.
20. Start a journal. It can be a gratitude journal, a mindset journal, or a brain dump and write down whatever-makes-me feel-better kind of journal. Journaling can be helpful in reducing stress and healing past traumas.
21. Re-visit your daily routine. Are you feeling like you aren’t getting enough done in a day? Are you always stressed and exhausted? Maybe it’s time to work on setting up a daily routine that refreshes you and leaves you feeling accomplished instead of exhausted.
22. Wash your car and give it a good cleaning. If you can afford it, get it detailed. If not, clean out all the junk and vacuum out the remnants of winter road debris. Drive it through the car wash and enjoy it before your kids totally trash it again.
23. Plan a day out. Go somewhere for the day. This should be somewhere that refreshes you. You know what you need. Go for it.
24. Take up gardening. Get outside and plant a few flowers. Gardening is good for you if it doesn’t stress you out.
25. Start a fitness routine and drink more water. Spring is a great time to get back on the fitness wagon. Working out sucks until your workout is over and then you feel amazing.
26. Learn something new. Maybe you’ve been wanting to learn a new language or how to hang-glide. Now is as good a time as any to learn something new.
27. Book yourself a massage. If you have never gone for a massage, you are missing out. A massage can be so relaxing and who deserves a massage more than a busy homeschool mom?
28. Go on a date. Sometimes as homeschool moms, we get so involved with our kids that our spouse doesn’t get the best of us. It is important to tend the marriage garden and spend time taking care of the marriage. Time away from the kids is important and can be refreshing.
29. Spring is a great time to visit your favorite shop for a manicure and pedicure. 
30. The last spring self-care idea is a little cliché, but what the heck! Fill the tub and take a bubble bath. No, a bubble bath won’t solve all of your problems, but it can be relaxing. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy.

Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. You’ve probably heard that one before. Spring self-care is as important as self-care any other time of the year.

For a long time, I thought that self-care was a luxury for the rich and famous. It led to burnout and severe adrenal fatigue.

Do you have a favorite way to relax? Which spring self-care ideas are you going to try? Leave me a comment below.

The post 30 Easy Spring Self-Care Ideas for Homeschool Moms appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

When you set intentional habits, you are taking action on what is important to you and get clear upfront on what you want to achieve. You live with purpose and set yourself up for success.

Being a homeschool mom of eight, I unfortunately have had to learn the hard way. I hate confrontation and I am pretty laid back, but this has bit me in the behind more times than I care to admit.

However, it is never too late to get your homeschool back on track. Actually, it will benefit from a check-up every now and then to look at what is working and what is not. I have come up with a list of 20 intentional habits that will make your homeschool life better.

1. Set boundaries and learn to say no – Children need boundaries and they need to hear the word ‘NO.’ When children know the ground rules and know what to expect in terms of what is acceptable and what is not they are less likely to challenge you. When they think they might get you to change your mind, they will come after you like a wild animal and nag until you give in.
2. Know your why – Do you know why you are homeschooling? Do you know what your goals are for this year? Make it a habit to write down your why so that when you have a tough day you know what you are working for. I use the Rule of Six to work through my why. 
3. Focus on what matters – Sometimes we feel like we are being pulled in a million directions as a homeschool mom. It helps if we focus on what matters at the moment. This will look different in your homeschool than in mine, but it will also look very different from one year to the next depending on the ages and stages of your children. I use the Daily Mindset Journal to keep me focused on what matters.
4. Make health & wellbeing a priority – I feel like this one always feels so overrated. I know that if I don’t drink enough water, I end up with migraines. Let me tell you, I don’t handle anything well with a migraine. If anyone in our house doesn’t get enough sleep, it ends up less than productive. When we eat better, sleep better and consciously make an effort to live a healthy lifestyle, we feed our body and our brain. It sets the stage for being able to learn well and cope well with the challenges we daily face.
5. Take time for self-sare – Above and beyond just taking care of the basics, we need to make a conscious effort to recharge our battery by taking good care of our mind, body, and soul. Self-care is more than just a bubble bath, although that is quite nice. It actually means that you care for yourself. Instead of asking yourself, “What should I do for self-care?” ask yourself, “What do I need?.” You are a professional. You are your child’s teacher among a million other things. Ask yourself, “Would I drop my child off at school to a teacher who looked like a hot mess?” Probably not. The consequence of not taking care of yourself can be resentment, impatience, jealously, and burnout. I ignored self-care and hit rock bottom. Believe me, you don’t want to go there.
6. Declutter regularly – Oh boy, can kids cause a mess. They don’t always do it intentionally, it just happens. When you declutter regularly, you reduce stress and overwhelm.
7. Spend time wisely – Make a schedule that works for your family. Cut out the stuff that derails your day and do what’s important first. You will feel like you have accomplished more. Your brain needs to feel success and it helps when you have goals, action plans, and planned leisure time. Chances are that you are homeschooling because you like to have the freedom to do fun things. Schedule in the fun and breaks to help increase productivity and peace.
8. Go out into nature – This is a big one. Being out in nature is so healthy and helps brighten everyone’s mood. It has been shown to reduce stress, blood pressure as well as increase our immunity.
9. Spend time doing something you love – This one is not just for the kids. All homeschool moms should spend time doing something they love. It not only helps you feel like you are more than ‘just a mom,’ but it is inspirational to your children. When you learn something new or do something you love, you model lifelong learning, perseverance, patience, creativity, and your children see that you value yourself.
10. Limit screen time – Intentional habits sometimes require some tough boundaries. By limiting your own screen time, you are able to say yes to other things. Children love to spend time with screens, and while they can be used as educational tools, they can’t replace real human interaction. Studies show that screens can have negative effects on children.
11. Practice gratitude – When you practice gratitude, it actually alters your brain. People who write in a gratitude journal and make it a habit to practise gratitude experience more joy. My kids really like to use these Gratitude Journals for Kids.
12. Prioritize relationships – Your homeschool will make everyone happier when relationships are more important than academics. Children learn better when there is a strong parent-child bond and when they feel connected. If you find yourself engaged in too many power struggles, or bickering has become a problem, take a time out and work on the relationship. 
13. Replace negative self-talk – This one is such a tough one. We live in our heads so much of the time. Listen carefully to what you say to yourself and what your children say when they encounter struggles in their school work. What do you say? What do they say? Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’m not good at Math, English or enter the subject of your choice?” Has your child ever said, “I’m too stupid” or “I can’t do this?” Did you know that you can rewire your brain? You can train your brain to use a growth mindset when you replace negative self-talk with positive self-talk. Replacing negative self-talk with positive self-talk builds confidence and cuts down on the crying and frustration.
14. Slow down – It is so easy to overload your homeschool schedule. It is a conscious choice and increases awareness of your surroundings. Taking time to recharge and relax can benefit your homeschool in so many ways. Enjoy reading aloud together, watch a documentary, enjoy poetry, tea time, or simply enjoy the outdoors; feeding the birds or going on a nature walk. Children will teach you how to do this. They will notice things and show you things and turn over every little rock and pinecone from here to Nebraska.
15. Focus on what you can control – There are so many things out of our control and we shouldn’t waste our time and energy on those. We can’t control the weather, but we can dress for it. Shifting our energy focus away from the things we can’t control takes the pressure off you to perform. Consider the six-year-old child that isn’t reading yet. You could stress about it, but nothing you can do will make your child read faster. You can, however, read to your child, present your child with plenty of opportunities to practise reading skills and play games that encourage phonetic mastery. Think of the things you have control over like your emotions, your enthusiasm, your self-talk, creating a positive learning environment and work on those and watch your stress levels decrease.
16. Set goals – Successful people use intentional habits to set goals and plan out how to achieve them. Make realistic goals, like working towards mastery of a skill, or a certain amount of time spent doing something instead of meeting a certain page deadline by a certain date. Help your children set goals. When kids are allowed to be involved in the planning process, they are more likely to meet their goals. Use rewards at certain milestones and celebrate successes.
17. Buying on purpose – The intentional habit of buying on purpose can go a long way. When you know your why, and what your goals are, then you can plan your homeschool budget accordingly. It is easy to want to try out the latest shiny curriculum. Only buy what you need and sell what you don’t. It can be stressful when you feel like you don’t have the budget to homeschool. I buy a lot less now than I did in the beginning. I thought I needed all of the things to homeschool well, but the truth is that you don’t need as much as you think. Try to borrow or buy second-hand if it is a larger purchase and really only try to buy what you think you will need.
18. Have something you look forward to – Everyone needs a break from the monotony of the everyday. Having something to look forward to can raise morale on the homeschool front. Plan field trips, art & crafts, picnics, playdates, visits with family and outings to get ice cream or a special park. Plan some days for you too, mom. You need to go on a date with your husband or get your hair done once in a while. Go for coffee with a friend and leave the kids with dad.
19. Surround yourself with like-minded people – Nobody likes to have to defend themselves or their decisions every time they are with people. Be sure to find some like-minded folks to join you on the homeschool journey. This will make homeschooling a whole lot better.
20. Pray together – We like to begin and end our day in prayer together. They say that a family that prays together, stays together. It can be as formal or as informal as you like. It became an intentional habit one year when we were praying together during Advent. It anchors the day and takes the focus off of us and gives praise and gratitude towards God, our creator.

Intentional habits don’t happen overnight. Don’t try to do everything every day. Instead, come up with a framework that works for your family. Try a few things on the list and add more as you feel comfortable.

You will see that over time, your good days will outweigh the bad days and that the bad days won’t seem so terrible after all. Everyone is a work in progress and your homeschool is the same.

Even after almost 15 years of homeschooling, I trip up and have to refocus on a regular basis. What intentional habits are you working on in your homeschool right now?

Is there anything that I haven’t mentioned that you feel should be on this list? Leave a comment below.

The post 20 Intentional Habits That Will Make Homeschool Life Better appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

You might have a mix of both boys and girls of varying ages, but you don’t really want to take on different read-alouds for each child. The good news is that there are always books out there that will fit most of your needs. They may not interest all of your children, but the following list of family-friendly book series are ones that are most likely to entertain everyone. 

Books series are a good choice for family read-aloud time because if you find that the first book in a series works for your family, then you can simply pick up the next book. This reduces the time spent searching for new books.

The following list of family-friendly book series are ones that are most likely to be enjoyed by both girls and boys between the ages of K to 6. 

Family Friendly Book Series

The Latsch Valley Farm series by Anne Pellowski

The Latsch Valley Farm series is a charming set of books about a Polish family that immigrated to America in the mid-1800s.

These books are a multi-generational series; each book focuses on a different generation of the author’s own family. Many adventures and misadventures are in store for each member of the family, making sure that children of all ages will fall in love with these books. 

• First Farm in the Valley
• Winding Valley Farm
• Stairstep Farm
• Willow Wind Farm
• Betsy’s Up-and-Down Year

The Mitchells series by Hilda van Stockum 

The Mitchells series by Hilda van Stockum follows the story of a family living in Washington D. C. in the 1940s.

The first book begins with Mr. Mitchell leaving home to go fight in the war. While he is gone, the children begin collecting a menagerie, something they know their father wouldn’t approve of, so they work to reduce the animal count before their father returns. In the meantime, they befriend a refugee girl and have many adventures together. 

All three books in the series are fun and entertaining and are appropriate for various ages and interests. 

• The Mitchells: Five for Victory
• Canadian Summer
• Friendly Gables

The Bantry Bay series by Hilda van Stockum

Hilda van Stockum works her magic once again, whisking her readers far away to another world. This time the destination is Ireland, in the 1930s, where you will be introduced to the instantly loveable O’Sullivan Family.

Life with the young twins, Liam and Francie, ensures that father, mother, Michael, and Bridgid never know a boring moment. This exciting trilogy is one that your family is sure to fall in love with.

• The Cottage at Bantry Bay
• Francie on the Run
• Pegeen

The Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright

The Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright has been and continues to be one of my very favorite family-friendly books series. Another World War Two era, family-centered book series, the Melendy Quartet tells the story of the Melendy siblings and their adventures living in New York and later moving out to the countryside. Every time I re-read these books, it feels like I am visiting old friends. 

• The Saturdays
• The Four-Story-Mistake
• Then There Were Five
• A Spiderweb for Two

The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser is a more modern book series. Once again set in New York, the Vanderbeekers are a band of siblings who work together to save their home. There are currently four books in the series, but a fifth is on the way!

• The Vanderbeekers on 141st Street
• The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden
• The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue 
• The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found

Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder is a classic family-friendly book series to read aloud. Boys will particularly enjoy Farmer Boy. I would recommend reading just the first six books in the series with the whole family if your children are within the K to 6 age range. 

• Little House in the Big Woods
• Farmer Boy
• Little House on the Prairie
• On the Banks of Plum Creek
• By the Shores of Silver Lake
• The Long Winter

The Moffats series by Eleanor Estes

The Moffats series by Eleanor Estes is another charming series about a family working together to overcome adversity. This particular series is filled with plenty of funny and entertaining occurrences that kids are sure to enjoy.

• The Moffats
• The Middle Moffat
• Rufus M.
• The Moffat Museum

The Story Girl series by Lucy Maud Montgomery

If you are looking for books by L. M. Montgomery to read with the whole family, consider The Story Girl series. The Anne series and Emily Starr trilogy, though much beloved, are both for perhaps slightly older audiences and likely less popular with the boys.

The Story Girl series is actually ‘narrated’ by a boy and follows his adventures, as well as, the adventures of his younger brother and several of his cousins. The Story Girl and its sequel The Golden Road were the inspiration for Road to Avonlea (a tv series.)

• The Story Girl
• The Golden Road

The Adventures of Nick and Sam by Paul McCusker

The Adventures of Nick and Sam by Paul McCusker are great Catholic books. Children can follow the adventures of the Perry twins, Nick and Sam, as they learn more about their faith. 

• Perfect Gifts
• Hidden Treasures
• The Best Advent Ever
• Trouble With Lent
• A World of Wonder
• View from the Top

Winnie-the-Pooh series by A. A. Milne

The Winnie-the-Pooh series by A. A. Milne is certainly geared for a younger audience. However, a few weeks ago I was reading Winnie-the-Pooh to my three-year-old sister and was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it was and how many more of the humorous elements I picked up on, as opposed to when I first read them around the age of seven. Give them a try as a quick and easy family read-aloud and see what everyone thinks. You might just be surprised. 

• Winne-the-Pooh
• The House at Pooh Corner
• When We Were Very Young
• Now We Are Six

Paddington series by Michael Bond

The Paddington series by Michael Bond is pretty entertaining as well. There are many, many, books recording Paddington Bear’s adventures. The first book in the series is A Bear Called Paddington. 

Rose Cottage Adventures by Emily Bearn

The Rose Cottage Adventures series by Emily Bearn are cute stories about a pair of mice called Tumtum and Nutmeg. They live in Rose Cottage, where they help the inhabitants of the house overcome their biggest problems. In later books, they go on adventures and solve mysteries. These books are really sweet and entertaining. Your family is sure to love them.

• Tumtum and Nutmeg: The First Adventure
• The Great Escape
• The Pirate’s Treasure
• A Christmas Adventure
• A Seaside Adventure
• Trouble at Rose Cottage
• A Circus Adventure

The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope

There are two different Bobbsey Twins series. The first is the debut series that was written around the turn of the twentieth century. Those are primarily charming stories about the Bobbsey Twins going here and there and trying out new things. They are reminiscent of E. Nesbit’s books.

The second set of Bobbsey Twins books is the comeback series written around the 1950s. These are all mystery books. The Bobbsey Twins solve a new mystery in every single book. Both series are great. If you are more into family life, then choose the originals, if you prefer mysteries go for the newer ones.

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner 

The Boxcar Children are a fun mystery series to read as a family. Gertrude Chandler Warner wrote the first eighteen books in the series. After that, the series writing was taken over by various ghostwriters.

The Happy Hollisters by Jerry West (Andrew E. Svenson)

The Happy Hollisters were written by Andrew E. Svenson under the pen name Jerry West. This is another family-solving-mysteries book series. The author of the Happy Hollisters also co-authored several other mystery novel series including The Hardy Boys and even the Bobbsey Twins.

I hope that these fifteen family-friendly books series help you in your quest to find wholesome books for your family to enjoy. 

The post 15 Family Friendly Book Series to Read Aloud appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

How to Homeschool While Selling Your Home

Selling a home is stressful. I think that goes without saying, but selling a home while you homeschool is a whole other level of stress. I started homeschooling over 13 years ago and I still found the whole experience overwhelming at times.

Having come out on the other side I can tell you what did and didn’t work and what I would do differently. In the whole process, there are only a handful of things that you really have control over.

Here are my best tips for success for your homeschool while selling your home:

1. Get ready

Before you list your home, you have homework to do. Prepare yourself mentally to work hard and know why you are selling and why you are homeschooling your children. There will be days that you will ask yourself why you are doing this to yourself.

Prepare to streamline your homeschool plans. I used my homeschool organizer and planner and kept our goals simple and attainable. It is a flexible planner that makes it easy to keep track of what you’ve done as opposed to planning everything in advance.

When you homeschool while selling your home, it is easy to write down in your planner what you’ve done since you never know how the days or weeks are going to look in advance.

Keeping track of what you’ve done is especially helpful when life is crazy. Writing things down is a great way to track progress and have proof of attendance if required in your jurisdiction.

We listed our house at the end of the summer. I planned our year accordingly. If you stick to the basics and plan field trips and unschool when your home is on the market, you can reduce your stress levels immensely.

On the house selling side, try to get your house to look its best. If you want to minimize stress, you ideally want your house to sell quickly. This will happen more readily if your house looks like a show home.

Don’t wait for negative comments from potential buyers or from a home inspection. Some things that you can do right away to get your house ready include:

• pack up excess toys, furniture, and stuff that won’t appeal to a range of buyers and store them out of sight (we rented storage). Think minimalist!
• paint the house interior in a modern neutral color (we chose Sherwin Williams Alabaster) and don’t forget to paint the trim and doors using wipeable (semi-gloss) white paint
• update hardware and light fixtures
• repair or replace anything that is damaged
• clean the carpets
• clean everything
• plan to stage your home

I went extreme on this one. I wanted the house to sell quickly. It is a nightmare to keep a house with children clean all the time. I didn’t want the process to drag on for months.

Hide the crayons! Seriously, the magic eraser became my best friend because I failed to hide every pencil from the 3-year-old.

Each of my students (4 of my 8 kiddos) had a small bin with their school books and a pencil case. I kept my teacher stuff and my planner in a basket. These were easy to hide or take along during showings.

We only had access to minimal school supplies, a laptop, and a kindle. It sufficed and we still managed to get things done.

2. Ask for help

If there is ever a time to ask for help, selling a home while homeschooling is one of those times. This will look very different from family to family.

No matter how organized or amazing you are, you will likely need help at some point in the process. Don’t be afraid to ask for it. Now is not the time to try to do it all on your own.

There is no shame in asking family, friends, or neighbors to watch the kids while you pack, clean, and prepare your home for selling. We don’t have family living nearby, so we asked neighbors for help.

They lent us their driveway for the kids to chalk on and for us to park our little red trailer. They also brought out all the cool toys from their childhood for our kids to play with during a few of the showings.

If someone offers help or food, don’t hesitate (unless you’re allergic to the food of course) to take it. Every little bit helps. Maybe your kids can do their home studies at a friend’s house or with Grandpa or an Auntie.

Sometimes you need to be a little creative or flexible, but a little help can really go a long way to saving your sanity.

3. Hire an amazing realtor

Hiring an amazing realtor when selling your home is paramount to your success and saves you so much stress and work.

Ask around if you don’t know a good realtor. Real estate agents work by referral. Good agents have great reviews and testimonials online and in person.

You may need to interview a number of agents before you find the right one. The right agent will understand your needs and requests and will work to meet them.

Our agent was the same agent we used selling our duplex in 2017. We sold our duplex the first day it was on the market!

She took the time to listen to our requests and needs this time around as well. She staged our home to sell in a very tough market. Our house definitely didn’t look like 10 people lived there.

She advised us every step of the way. When we got a lowball offer, she helped us negotiate. She is as tough as nails and we appreciate that.

A good agent wants you to make informed decisions and doesn’t pressure you into a decision that you would regret later on.

Find an agent that you trust. After all, you have a family and homeschooling on your plate. You need someone who is willing to work for you and not make more work for you.

4. Adopt a routine that works

In the process of selling your home, you and your children need a new temporary routine. Take a little time to plan your days as best you can.

I realize this is extremely difficult when you never know when you are going to have showings. Your routine needs to be simple to be effective.

I chose to plan the night before how and what we would do the next day. We have a wake-up and breakfast routine that stayed the same. After breakfast, however, was different than normal.

We spent a bit of time tidying and preparing meals. If we had a showing, we would prepare the meals at this time and start a load of laundry.

I made it a priority to stay on top of the laundry more than usual. I did a load every day whether we had a showing or not.

Get the kids involved. Have everyone throw their laundry in a centrally located laundry basket. Make it easy to keep on top of. Piles of dirty laundry are more difficult to hide if you get a showing booked on short notice.

A few dirty clothes can be hidden in the washing machine, however.

If you haven’t already taught your kids to put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher, now is a good time for that, too. Simple routines will save your sanity and make it easier to keep your home looking like a show home and get it sold!

5. Relationships matter

Emotions are bound to run their course of highs and lows for everyone involved. Tears will flow and words will be spoken that you wish had been held back.

Selling a home is a highly stressful thing to do. It doesn’t hurt to take a break from it all to spend some time doing something you all love to do.

Take time to dry the tears if you can. Relationships are so much more important than getting every single spot off of the sink. Believe me. A spot somewhere won’t be the reason the house didn’t sell.

Spend time alone with your spouse and try to spend one-on-one time with each of your children. When a person feels connected and loved, stressful situations are easier to handle.

This is especially true for kids with higher needs. Now more than ever, try to make time for the relationship with your spouse and children.

Try not to take it personally when your kids are defiant or act out. Selling a home is taking away a part of their world. Children act out on their fears and insecurities.

You are doing the best job you can do. A hug or a kind word can go a long way. Once the home is sold and the move is a part of history, the relationships will still be there.

6. Don’t forget self-care

Perhaps self-care should have been further up the list, but I like to save the best for the last!

Take care of yourself during this process as best as you can. It isn’t easy being the superwoman that you are. Being amazing takes real effort.

Do your best to take time for yourself while selling your home. It is so easy to get caught up in the cleaning and organizing where you need to be for the next showing that you can easily forget to take care of yourself and get burned out.

You don’t need to be everything to everyone all of the time. Schedule into your routine some time to do things that will restore you and give you joy.

After you sell your home, you still have to move, unpack and set up your new home, so pace yourself. Take breaks. You will thank yourself later.

In case no one has told you lately, you are an amazing woman. You are someone who cares and wants the best for those you love and I admire you for that.

If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, please share it so that it can help and empower other homeschool families.

The post Homeschool While Selling Your Home Without Losing Your Mind appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

It is easy to spend hours, days, and even weeks searching for the perfect curriculum. There are so many wonderful curriculum reviews and biased opinions about which curriculum will produce the best outcomes.

But at some point, when the curriculum gets old, boring, or isn’t working anymore, we can easily become frazzled. Maybe there is nothing wrong with the curriculum, the house is just a disaster or we find that we have no time for fun. It is easy to fall into a slump and wonder why we even bother to do all that research in the first place.

Over the years, I learned that stress and frustration were caused by a lack of peace. I began to wonder if the peaceful homeschool atmosphere that you read about in the ‘how to homeschool’ books actually existed.

Wasn’t homeschool peace just magically supposed to appear once you had the perfect homeschool room, the best curriculum, the perfect plans? Is peace even attainable? Let’s be real, a house with 8 kids isn’t exactly the ideal candidate, right?

First off, I want to define what peace means to our homeschool. It doesn’t mean quiet, although quiet is nice. Peace is a state in which harmony is at the forefront. It isn’t the absence of struggles per se, but it is a time that has few conflicts or ones that can be easily resolved.

If you look at your homeschool over a period of several months, how would you describe it? Is everyone relatively comfortable with curriculum choices, the amount of work getting accomplished, and how the day runs?

If however, your child struggles with your authority and whines all the time or you are constantly experiencing frustration, know that this happens. I’ve been there more than once. You would think that I would have this all figured out after this many years, but alas, I am human.

During times of unrest, I have found a number of simple things that can be done in order to return to a state of peace.

How do you create a peaceful homeschool?

1. Pray over your homeschool. I read somewhere that anxiety comes naturally, but peace comes supernaturally. When we ask God to lead our homeschool, we humble ourselves and acknowledge that it is He who is in control.

There is so much comfort in knowing that God has your back. We are told in Philippians 4:6, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.“

A few years ago, I took the 30 Days of Praying for My Homeschool Challenge. Up until that point in our homeschool career, I had totally underestimated the power of prayer in our homeschool. We had our share of rough patches that year, but the shift in mindset helped me be more at ease with our progress.

Prayer is a powerful tool. God is eagerly awaiting our meager offerings in exchange for abundant graces. What do you have to lose?

2. Fill your own cup. Mama, you are important, and your health and well-being matters. You can’t continually pour from an empty cup and expect to have a peaceful homeschool.

Take some time for yourself every day. It might not sound like much, but a little bit each day adds up.

If you don’t take care of yourself, you run the risk of homeschool burnout. I speak from experience. I had to learn the hard way. It doesn’t have to be this way for you.

3. Give up the idea of perfection. No matter how hard you try, you are never going to reach perfection. This may sound harsh, but you and I are never going to be perfect. Our children are never going to be perfect.

I am not suggesting that we be lazy or give up on trying. Instead, we can strive to set realistic goals. Some kids will never sit still to listen to a story, read anyway. Other kids will always find math difficult, find ways to make learning more fun.

4. Plan based on abilities, not grades or ages. It is easy to get caught up with comparing our homeschool to public schools, especially when it comes to grades.

If our child is 8, then we automatically assume that our child should be doing grade 3 schoolwork. The problem with this is that the school system pushes everyone through at the same rate. Some children need more challenging material and others need more time to master concepts.

When we chose material based on our child’s ability, we are one step closer to achieving a more peaceful homeschool. Our children will progress at their own pace without the pressure of moving at a pace that is too fast or too slow.

This in turn builds your child’s trust. Children hate to feel stupid. If they feel supported and not pressured, they generally move through their material with less resistance and enjoy learning. That is the ultimate goal.

It also means there is less pressure on you as the parent. Trust in the process and resist the urge to buy a curriculum based on your child’s grade or age.

5. Don’t compare. I know that this is not always easy. It is hard not to compare our children’s abilities and skills to those of other children. It is especially hard when their peers are able to do things that our children can’t.

However, our children pick up on these comparisons and they can actually make things worse. It can cause children to struggle with confidence and can cause them to shy away from doing something or learning something.

As a child, I remember getting ready to play the piano at the music festival. I remember being asked who I was playing against. When I answered with the name ‘Allison’ I knew what I would hear. “I bet Allison is going to win. Her mom says she practices for hours every day. She is so amazing.”

These words haunted me for years. I never won against Allison and it is no wonder. I probably could have won against Allison, but the comparisons shook me to the core.

Comparison is a no-win situation. It disrupts the peace and jeopardizes your relationship with your child. If you are striving for a more peaceful homeschool, avoid comparison at all costs.

6. Take breaks. Plan breaks. Peace requires time to rest and time to recharge. Often without realizing that we are doing it, we rush our children. When they dawdle, we push.

If we need to finish the lessons to go somewhere or need to prepare a meal, we rush. If we sleep in, we push to get our work done. If our child isn’t progressing quickly enough through a book, we push. If we were up all night with the baby and we didn’t get enough sleep, we try to push through the exhaustion and end up cranky and frustrated.

In my experience, we often forget to plan in enough time to breathe. It is easier to fill a planner than to leave it a bit empty.

Don’t underestimate the power of time spent outdoors. Kids need to run off steam. They need to play and jump and run around periodically throughout the day.

I joke that the trampoline is the best investment that I made for our homeschool. In reality, it is no joke. Five or ten minutes of play is sometimes all it takes to help kids to feel fresh and ready to learn.

I am also a strong advocate for ‘quiet time.’ Schedule in a daily ‘quiet time’ to allow for rest and reset. In our home, this time is after lunch clean-up. I put the little one down for a nap, but the rest are expected to stay in their rooms for a specified amount of time.

In the beginning, children might resist quiet time, but in my experience and listening to other moms, kids start to look forward to quiet time. When you first implement quiet time, keep it short, and then work your way to a longer period of time.

Kids who can tell time will want to know when quiet time is ending. Younger children have no concept of time. They will feel like 10 minutes is an eternity. Make quiet time sound like a fun idea.

I don’t prescribe what my children should do during quiet time, however, I have strict rules allowing only quiet play, reading, or listening to audiobooks. The boys usually choose to play legos or to spend time drawing while listening to a story.

The girls choose to play paper dolls, calico critters, or Playmobil. As long as they are quiet and not doing anything that is too messy and in no way dangerous, I will allow it.

The whole point of ‘quiet time’ is to give everyone a bit of time to wind down and recharge. We all need a reset and recharge. Mom, you can use this time to read, pray, journal, rest or tidy a little.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, light a candle, or put on a diffuser with your favorite essential oil and relax. Your heart will thank you and hopefully, this respite will make for a more peaceful homeschool environment.

7. Remove negativity. Negativity is a huge cause of unrest. Whether it comes from the voice in your head or out of the mouth of a nay-sayer, negativity can disturb your homeschool peace. A negative mind will not give a positive outcome.

This is so much easier said than done. I totally get it. My inner voice is often negative. What I try to do is replace those negative thoughts with positive ones, or reframe them in a way that isn’t hurtful.

I can’t change what other people think or say, but I can control how I react and how I let those things affect my homeschool. There will always be naysayers.

You need to surround yourself with like-minded folks and set boundaries if needed. You can homeschool and you are good enough. Tell yourself this until you believe it.

8. Don’t try to fly solo. This goes hand in hand with removing negativity. You need positive and supportive people on your journey. You need like-minded people and those who will lift you up when you fall.

Everyone needs support and help along the way. Even after 13 years and two graduates, I need people to help encourage me and a shoulder to cry on from time to time. Homeschooling is a blessing, but there are days when I need a break or a reason to keep going.

Your children need a break from you, too. They need to play and forge friendships with other children. If you have supportive grandparents or other family members and friends, use their expertise to your advantage. Learning doesn’t always come in book format.

There are times when peace comes from outsourcing some subjects. You don’t have to do it all alone and there is no shame in having someone else teach some of the time.

Sharing the learning experiences with others can really add to the richness of your child’s education. It can make space for you to enjoy the journey and that alone will create a peaceful homeschool environment.

9. Implement child-led learning. Let your children have a say in at least a few study topics or extra-curricular activities. Interested children learn.

Every topic my own children had a hand in choosing ended up way more successful than anything I would have planned. I didn’t have to beg them to get to work. It didn’t feel like ‘schoolwork’ when they were excited about the topic.

Depending on their ages, children may need some guidance and help with picking out books and projects to complete. Collaboration is a trust-building exercise. It can strengthen your relationship and help them gain confidence.

Oftentimes trust and confidence are the reason that children push back and resist doing school work. Once children realize that they have a real say in their education, they can contribute more than just ideas. They grow into independent and responsible students. This is especially important when it comes to planning the high school years.

10. Don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy! No matter how well prepared you are for the new school year, no matter how perfect the curriculum, there will be those days when nothing goes right.

Nobody’s homeschool year is perfect! Everyone has those days.

Enjoy your time as much as possible. The days are long, but the years are short. A peaceful homeschool is one that knows that a day that started off on the wrong foot can be salvaged by taking a different approach. Go for a hike or throw on a DVD and take an alternative approach and start again tomorrow. 

Maybe you have a peaceful homeschool already. Share in the comments your best tips for other moms to read. What brings you peace? Let’s make this school the best year ever!

If this post helped you, please share consider sharing it with others.

The post 10 Ways to Create a Peaceful Homeschool Environment appeared first on TWINS Magazine.