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Monday, December 29, 2014

Writing for a magazine

I'm enjoying writing for Learning Tangent magazine. I've had articles featured in the last two issues, along with an advice column for homeschoolers. I get a lot of joy out of helping others learn to homeschool happily and successfully, even as I continue learning and growing with my own kids.

Here's a link to my latest article, in the Winter 2014 edition of Learning Tangent, entitled, "Reaching out to New Homeschoolers in Love." It's all about finding ways to break down arbitrary barriers that so often prevent new homeschoolers from finding the support they need in their local communities. I tried to provide a number of ideas that groups can implement, no matter how inclusive or exclusive they want to be, in order to help new homeschoolers in their area.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the magazine. It's free to read online, and there is a photography contest for homeschoolers detailed inside. I'd also love to hear from you if you have a homeschooling question you'd like to see answered in the Unplanned Homeschooler's column in the next issue!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

To break or not to break? Deciding on a holiday schedule for your homeschool

Winter break is just around the corner for millions of public school kids. A couple of weeks off to celebrate Christmas and the new year are a welcome break around the midpoint of the school year. But for homeschoolers, the question of whether to take an extended break over the holidays really depends on individual families.

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My family typically does not take an extended winter break from school, although we do take off on Thanksgiving and Christmas for sure. Winter is a great time for us to ramp up our focus on school work, since we spend most of our time indoors.

Taking weeks off at the turn of the year, just because that's what the public schools are doing, doesn't make sense for us. We don't like to lose our momentum just when things are getting good.

We also like to save our breaks for times when the weather is better and our friends are up for getting together outdoors. Living in Oklahoma, spring and fall are definitely our favorite times to take extended breaks because it's not too hot and not too cold.

But there are some great reasons to go ahead and schedule a long winter break around Christmas. Here are a few to consider.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Embrace change, become a butterfly

Sometimes we seek change and welcome it readily, and sometimes it is thrust upon us. For many of us, the decision to homeschool involved change, and often a response to changes over which we had no control.


Butterflies are such a beautiful portrait of change fully embraced. They, like so many other insects, live their early lives in a state much different from what they will eventually become. As caterpillars, butterflies inch along, focused mainly on eating whatever plant material they can reach, and eventually, as the approach maturity, on building their cocoon. 

It's a simple life, but one to which they are accustomed. That is, until everything changes.

Emerging in their adult form, butterflies have a whole new diet. They move in a whole new way. Their entire world is expanded, as suddenly the impetus to mate and to migrate, perhaps over thousands of miles, becomes a priority. The challenges they faced as a caterpillar are different than those they face as a butterfly, but so are the rewards.

I don't think caterpillars spend a lot of time or energy focused on their lives before the change. I think, instead, they fully embrace their new existence and move ahead, because they aren't likely to ever go back to the way life was before their change.

Homeschooling successfully takes almost as determined a mindset. If a bully was making your kids' lives miserable before, leave them behind and embrace new friends. If the curriculum was holding your child  down, put it behind you and set your child soaring with a curriculum that fits. If mama drama had you tied up in knots, celebrate your freedom and fly!

In other words, acknowledge the change that brought you to where you are today, but don't dwell on the past. Embrace your metamorphosis, and be the beautiful butterfly you were always meant to be. 



Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The best places to find bargains on old books

Several kids from our homeschool group volunteered with the Friends of the Library book sale at our local library today. They hauled boxes of books and helped set up the room for the big sale, which begins tomorrow. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a peek at the great books that the library had put aside to sell, and of course, I found a box full of selections I just had to take home with me.

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I love books, especially old books. I'm so thankful for used books, and for the many ways they find new homes. I've found awesome old books in so many places. Here are a few favorites.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Halloween parties are my favorite homeschool events

Yesterday, our homeschool group had our fifth annual Halloween party, and like each year before, it was our biggest and most popular party by far. We love having parties for the kids. We do Christmas parties, Valentine's Day parties, Easter parties, etc. But it's Halloween that always draws the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds.

Roughly two-thirds of the guests at our Halloween party this year.

Here are a few reasons why Halloween parties are my personal favorite homeschool event of the year, and why your group might want to consider hosting one next year, too.

The weather is usually awesome


Late October, at least in Oklahoma, is almost always mild enough to sit outdoors in nothing heavier than a sweater and sometimes in just t-shirts and jeans. But it's cool enough that we aren't plagued by mosquitoes and flies, and the kids keep their costumes on for at least enough time to get a group picture before deciding they are too hot and stripping down to their play clothes.

Kids get to show their creative sides


I love seeing all the cool costumes on the kids in our group, and especially being able to talk to the kids and hear why they picked the outfits they decided to wear. This year we had historic characters, animals, modern real-life heroes, characters from movies, monsters, and more.

One thing I really like is that kids don't have to censor their costumes like they might in schools. The young police officer carried his side arm, the Civil War soldier carried his rifle, Merida was armed with her bow, the pirate queens held daggers, and Fin from "Sharknado" had his bloody chainsaw, just in case. There were many battles waged on the playground this year, but no one was injured in the melee.  

The food is fun


Halloween themed cookies, cupcakes and other treats make for a very festive array of snacks, and because everyone is not exhausted from holiday cooking that is still a few weeks away, they're excited to bring creative goodies to share.

There are treats aplenty


We always ask kids to bring candy or other treats to share with their friends, and a bag or bucket to collect their own. With 55 children at our party yesterday, there were so many treats some kids' bags wouldn't even hold them all!

Everyone has a great time


Our Halloween parties always seem to go on for hours and hours, and this year was no different. It's just so good to sit and visit with the other parents while the kids play imaginatively, go on expeditions together, and sneak pieces of candy from their buckets. Because the Halloween party is always our biggest event, we get to meet new members each year, too.  

Nearly 90 people attended our party this year. We ended the day exhausted, but happy, and really looking forward to the good times to come.


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

New homeschoolers, don't throw in the towel!

This year, I have seen far more new homeschoolers than ever before. But just a couple of months into the school year, so many are already frustrated to the point of considering giving up. and sending their kids back to school.

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If you are among those ready to call it quits, because homeschooling is so much harder than you thought it would be, I just want to tell you, don't throw in that towel. Homeschooling is hard, but it's going to get easier.

We've all been there


I've been there. We've all been there! There's a wall that no one tells you about, that you hit a few weeks or a few months into homeschooling, where you just don't know if you made the right decision at all. Your carefully chosen curriculum isn't working for your kids, your kids are pushing your every button, you feel like you're getting no support, and you can't remember why you thought homeschooling was a good idea in the first place.

The reason you hardly ever hear about this is simple...

Monday, October 20, 2014

Last minute Halloween party activities

So, you're getting ready for a Halloween party, but you have no idea what sort of games and activities to plan? Here are a few easy and fun ideas you can put together in no time! Don't worry if it's last minute, you can still plan some great activities in a single afternoon.

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Poison Pumpkin


This variation of hot potato is so simple, and you probably have all the supplies you need already on hand. All you need is a small or mini pumpkin and some spooky, suspenseful music. You can carve the pumpkin and light with an LED tea light, or leave the pumpkin intact.

Get everyone in a circle, except for one lucky volunteer, who will be in charge of starting and stopping the music randomly. Begin passing the poison pumpkin around, from person to person. Start the music, and whoever is holding the ghoulish gourd when the music stops is dead. Continue on until there is but one survivor.

Reconstructing Mr. Bones


Mr. Bones is in an awful shape. His pieces have been scattered all over, and it's up to your party guests to find them and put him back together the way he belongs. This fun game is part scavenger hunt, part biology lesson, and all perfectly fun for Halloween!

Print the pieces for this large skeleton for free on Games Crafts Coloring, and then hide them carefully. Print up a list of clues for your guests to follow to find the bones. Have a crowd? Make multiple copies, color code the pieces of each skeleton with a dot, and divide your crowd into teams to see who can reconstruct Mr. Bones first.

Indoor fun for everyone


One of the trickiest parts of planning a fall party is dealing with the weather. What happens if your outdoor party suddenly has to move inside out of the cold or the rain? Well, I am prepared for such an occasion this year, because my friend, Fran Wisniewski, from Fran's World of Discovery, gave me a preview copy of her "13 Haunted Halloween Activities" guide. With games, printables and tons of resources, this guide will come in very handy, especially if I find myself needing some quick and easy last minute activities I can pull together quickly.

Whether you're planning a party, or just entertaining your kids with Halloween themed fun, this guide is full of ideas you'll like. I think my favorite is one of the simplest: Captured in a Haunted House. It's a game that takes no more than a pencil and paper, and could be easily help pass the time at the doctor's office, in a restaurant and more.

Disclosure: My copy of this activity guide was a gift, without any agreement to write a review, but I liked it a lot, so I'm sharing with my readers!