Homeschool Archives • Page 2 of 4 • diy mama

by Shelly on August 2, 2020 2 Comments

Back to School | Why We’re Homeschooling

I want to preface this post by saying that whatever decision you are making for your family in regard to school during a pandemic is your choice. No one knows your kids like you and you’re the best one to make this decision. This post is my opinion on why we’re homeschooling with the BookShark curriculum for the 2020 school year.

I am working with BookShark on a series throughout the year. They graciously gifted me half of Sophia’s curriculum in exchange for my honest words on their program. The reason I’m working with them is that we enjoyed the BookShark curriculum so much when we homeschooled in 2018. We’re really excited to see what their Level B entails!

Homeschooling VS Virtual Learning

In our district, the choices for schooling were to do virtual learning until (at least) Labor Day, put your child in a private school, homeschool or unschool (that is what I’m calling schooling with no set curriculum while allowing your child to learn through curiosity and play). For a number of reasons surrounding the pandemic, we were not comfortable having our child go into a building for school.

Thankfully, we’d already homeschooled for a year when Lilly was born.
As a history of Sophia’s schooling:
-she started in Montessori at age 18months
-moved to a Montessori/Emilia Reggio style learning at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (pre-K)
-one year of homeschooling with BookShark (pre-K)
-one year in public school (Kindergarten).
At the time, each of these schools was perfect. I love something different about each one and she flourished in each location.

Why We’re Homeschooling

When we did BookShark for pre-K, both my daughter and I had a great year of schooling. She had fun, enjoyed learning, and really liked the flexibility. I loved not having any prep (aside from the supplemental schooling I chose to add), the free day on Fridays for adventures, and how well BookShark outlined everything in the instructor’s guide so I always felt confident in what I was doing as her guide.

Why BookShark?

There will be six posts in this series so I will go further in-depth about what I like about BookShark, how we organize our homeschool materials, what our schedule looks like, and more. Right now I just want to overview our love for BookShark from our previous year of homeschooling and our excitement for the school year ahead.

When I started researching I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of homeschooling curriculums. I quickly realized that I needed to have priorities that were most important. For our family, those were:
1. A secular curriculum
2. A 4-day program (to leave time for adventures)
3. Very little prep

Narrowing those priorities down made my search much easier. Not only did BookShark fit each of these descriptions, but they are also literacy-based and had additional hands-on options. For Sophia’s 1st grade school year she will be in Level B where she will study history (with an added hands-on element), geography, science (including physiology, animals, meteorology, electricity, and biology), language arts, math, and handwriting.

Why Does Bookshark Use Levels Instead of Grades?

I really enjoyed that BookShark chose to differentiate with levels rather than grade numbers. Their levels have a suggested age range so you know where to start looking. For example, 1st grade could be level A or B because they’re designed for ages 6-8. My favorite thing about homeschooling is the ability to make sure my child is mastering a subject before moving on.

Growing up, I often got left behind in math because I did not understand. It was always so difficult to catch up because I hadn’t mastered the basic foundation. People learn at all different rates. They should be taught at the rate they need to feel confident and curious in their education.

Why we're homeschooling with BookShark 2020

This school year we will definitely need some time to adjust to our new schedules. After a summer of simple 1 hr/day homeschooling, we will both need to adjust to the amount of time we’re focusing on school work. But that’s the great thing about homeschooling. It’s so flexible. There are 36 weeks. We are welcome to spread that out over 52 weeks if we need it. And that’s ok. Whatever your choice is for schooling this year, just remember, it’s ok to slow down.

I would love to know what you’re doing in the way of school for your children this year. I’m happy to answer any questions about our experience of homeschooling and what our school year ahead will look like!

Click the pink button below to request a catalog to learn more about their programs:

BookShark Catalog

Back to School for 2020 and why we're chosing to homeschool with BookShark.

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by Shelly on August 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

Learning to Read in Four Weeks

This post is sponsored by Learning Dynamics. In exchange for an honest review I was given the program. All opinions are my own.

This past year was our first year doing home school. Our five year old was just under the cut off for kindergarten so I did a couple curriculum with her. Our main curriculum did not have a reading program so we used Learning Dynamics: Learning to Read in Four Weeks.

Learning Dynamics Reading Program

Because we were doing the other curriculum I did not push the Learning Dynamics so it took us longer than four weeks to learn to read. Knowing how shy my daughter was about reading out loud (she wouldn’t read to anyone other than me) I wanted to take it slow to not overwhelm her. That being said, she loved the program, loved the activities and learned to read in a couple months. I have no teaching background and it was relatively easy to use this program. The actual teaching portion was extremely easy to understand but I had trouble knowing which books to read and when once we started actually reading.

I’ve shared a review of Learning to Read in Four Weeks in the video below:

Learning to Read in Four Weeks

The program is simple and compact. I love that everything fits in one box that doesn’t take up a ton of shelf space. We knew we were only homeschooling for one year so I did not want to create a full school room. This curriculum was a great addition.

The program includes:

-Student Workbook
-Teacher Workbook
-Learning CD with Songs
-50+ Colorful books
-Flashcards
-Letter Rewards

There was very little prep work on my part as the teacher. I would read over the lesson plan that morning while getting together her other books for school that day. There were a couple days that there was an optional activity that I had to plan with supplies we had on hand.

Most days it was the same format where we would read the letter of the day, listen to the song that corresponded with that letter, color our workbooks, listen to the song a second time and eventually start reading the books.

She’s now able to read all of the books from the series and will pull them out sometimes to play school with her stuffed animals. The best way to learn is by teaching and Learning Dynamics was a great tool for both of us. Let me know what books you’ve loved reading recently with your kids!

If you’re just starting out with homeschooling or need help with organization I’ve done a video walk through you can check out here.

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by Shelly on December 5, 2018 Leave a Comment

Prepping for Kindergarten with Playmobil

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PlayWithPlaymobil #CollectiveBias

Prepping for Kindergarten- I loved playing with Playmobil as a kid and they have continued to put out great toys for our kid’s generation. The school bus toy is getting my daughter excited for her year at Kindergarten next year and I couldn’t be more pleased for her.

Hover over the image to shop for the School Bus play set

Playmobil makes toy sets that are perfect for kids 4+. My daughter is 5 and she was able to follow the instructions to put all the stickers where they go and put the backpacks on the little students. Her favorite part of any toy is getting it set up. The Playmobil School Bus had the perfect amount of set up for her to not get frustrated before she got to play with the toy.

Prepping for Kindergarten

There are three things we’re doing to prep Sophia for kindergarten next year.

Making sure we know what they’re teaching in her grade. The Indiana Department of Education lists out exactly what she’ll be learning next year so she’ll be confident in what she already knows.
Working on meeting friends and all that comes with friendship. As she has been an only child until a couple months ago we wanted her to have lots of interaction with kids to learn sharing, compromise, empathy and kindness.
Preparation of what’s to come. She’s most excited to ride the bus so we pretend play with her Playmobil school bus. Her favorite thing is to take it outside on the driveway, make chalk roads and drive it along waiting for the real school bus to drop off the neighbor kids. The bus drivers in our neighborhood know her name because she has now made friends with them all in her excitement to start school next year. I’m so glad she’s excited about going to school. When I ask what she’s most excited for, her response is always ‘RIDING THE SCHOOL BUS!’ Her enthusiasm for school will hopefully make it less difficult for me to watch her ride off on her first day.

Walmart carries a large variety of the Playmobil sets for very affordable prices. We found sets from their City Life, The Explorers, Dinos and Family Fun lines. I love that they have sets that you can build onto to make as elaborate as your imagination can dream. You can see lots of different ways kids and their parents play with Playmobil here.

Playmobil Makes a Great Gift

Playmobil has been making toys in the US since 1974. My parents saved the Playmobil farm set my sister and I played with as kids and now my daughter and nieces love playing with them! The high quality characters move easily and all of the toys are manipulative. On this school bus the lid can be taken off and the lights work. It’s the little details that make kids love Playmobil sets so much. At 5, my daughter is the perfect age to begin playing with the school bus and we’ll be getting her the playground set to go along with it for her birthday because they’re perfect for helping to develop her cognitive and social/emotional skills.

What are some other ways you helped prep your little ones for Kindergarten? The school bus seems to be the thing she’s most excited for so, for now, I’m milking it for all I can!

Tips for a Smooth Back to School

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by Shelly on July 24, 2018 2 Comments

Homeschool Organization for First Time Homeschoolers

Homeschool Organization for First Time Homeschoolers- Being a first time homeschool Mama my biggest fear is our daughter’s lack of education because of me. I have been dedicated all summer to research homeschooling and preparing the curriculum to make it easier when school starts. Add this stress with a newborn baby and you’ll see what my first few months of school will be like!

I’m sure over this year my organization will change and adapt to how we use it, but for now I think I’ve got a good set up for our needs. I will be teaching Pre-K to our daughter who is already at the Kindergarten level. My goal is to keep teaching her at her level while she is still interested in learning. We have one room dedicated as the ‘library room’ where I’ve intertwined her school materials. I will write another post on the exact curriculum and resources we’ll be using but today I wanted to show you how we have everything set up.

If you are unable to watch the video, here are some photos detailing how I’ve organized the space. The key was to make things easily accessible for our daughter who is not reading yet with picture labels. I also have several activities she can do on her own during times I need to be tending to the baby. Giving her a mix between teacher led lessons, work alone lessons and field trips. Check my post on field trip locations around us and you might be able to adapt it to your area.

I’d love to know any suggestions you have for organization that has worked well for you. What did you do to prepare for the year ahead to make it a smooth transition from summer to school season?

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by Shelly on July 21, 2018 1 Comment

Tips for a Smooth Back to School

Tips for a Smooth Back to School- With the first day of school lingering in the not-so-distant future, you’re probably feeling both excited and overwhelmed. From creating healthy sleep habits and establishing a good morning routine to handling back to school anxiety and learning how to make communication more manageable, we’ve got 10 back to school tips and tricks for parents to help make this your best year yet!

Tips for a Smooth Back to School

1.) Make a countdown- using a calendar, paper chain or white board start a countdown a couple weeks before school. With this countdown ease into their school routine with bedtime, setting out their clothes for the next day and when they’ll be waking up. It’ll be hard to stick to those routines while wanting to get in as much fun as you can but it will help the transition immensely if you start early.

2.) Keep an affirming and positive attitude- you know that your child will reap the benefits of going to school. Try to keep any anxiety or stress you may have from showing to your child.

3.) Visit the school- This is a great practice for young kids starting preschool or Kindergarten. It is equally great for children entering a new school. Map out their classes and let them try out their locker. Park where they will park and walk in making their first day of school more familiar.

4.) Have an easy morning routine- Routine is the key word here. It may take a few weeks or even months to figure out the perfect routine for your family but once you’ve got it, stick with it. Write it out or discuss it with your kids to let them know how you’d like to see the morning go. Have them help you figure out what works best for them.

5.) Even better, have a great evening routine- Although morning routines help with the ease into a new day, setting up an evening routine can make that morning routine breeze by. Again, see what works best for your family. Maybe make a chart or a evening routine clock that shows what things they need to accomplish before lights out. Do as much as you can the night before so the next morning is simple (set out clothes, make lunches, look at the week ahead etc.)

6.) Go school shopping- Head to the store for their favorite foods in their packed lunch. Purchase the necessary school supplies or even a new First Day outfit. Get haircuts. Having a day with them to prepare for the new year ahead will let them know you want to make this as easy as possible for them.

7.) Create a drop zone/command center for backpacks and permission slips- Talk to your child about homework rules and where they should put papers that need to be looked at or signed. Have enough space for each child’s backpack, shoes, water bottles or anything else they will be carrying home from school so there is no frustration in the morning to find these items. Make sure they know it’s their space and their responsibility to keep their items there.

8.) Make a school calendar- Add all of the Holidays and School info and hang it where your child can see it. If they join a club or sport have them write in their games or practices to let them have a little responsibility over knowing when their time is scheduled. If you have a younger child, use stickers to let them know which days they have games or practices. Starting this habit of letting them schedule their time will help them decide what is too much on their plate.

9.) Listen and be present- As tempting as it is to tell our kids they have nothing to worry about as a way to distract them, sometimes the best thing we can do as parents is to simply listen. If your child is finding school stressful, allow her to put her feelings into words so you can figure out exactly what is bothering her and (hopefully) find a solution to her worries. Spend 5-10 minutes connecting with each child in the morning or evening routine- with your phone put away. Talk about who they’re excited to see or what they’re going to do at recess. If they are nervous for the week ahead brainstorm a family activity for the weekend.

10.) Outsource your time- Know that it’s OK to ask for help. Figure out what is taking up a lot of your time, therefore, keeping you from your family. Is there a way to pay to have it done by someone else? Hire a cleaning service, utilize grocery pick up or delivery, make crock pot meals, car pool with other parents for practices. There are a lot of ways to simplify all of the busyness if you are able to step back and see what needs to be adjusted.

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