How I Homeschool…

Welcome to How I Homeschool by the authors here at Curriculum Choice! In today’s post you will find ideas and resources to fit every level and style of homeschooling. Be sure to bookmark or pin this for future reference. You won’t want to miss out on this huge resource!

 

From The Curriculum Choice Archives

Be sure to browse the tabs above in the age and category you are looking for! You might also enjoy these that we’ve selected from our archives.

• FREE HSLDA Membership for Parents of Preschool Age Children
• Choosing Preschool and Kindergarten Curriculum
• Choosing Elementary Homeschool Curriculum
• Choosing Middle School Curriculum
• Choosing High School Curriculum
• Choosing Homeschool Curriculum for Multiple Ages
• Homeschool Day in the Life

From Curriculum Choice Authors

Just how do I homeschool? The Curriculum Choice authors have active blogs where they regularly offer ideas and experiences about their homeschool adventures. Below are links they have shared for every age and stage of homeschooling.

How I Homeschool Preschool

Heather from Blog, She Wrote

• How to Spend Time with Your Preschooler– Ideas, supplies, resources, and methods for spending time with your preschoolers.

Kyle from Aspired Living

•  Simplified Preschool – Here is how we have successfully simplified our preschool in our large family at Aspired Living.

Cindy from Our Journey Westward

• Taming the Toddler – This post has a wealth of simple ideas for teaching toddlers and preschoolers in a very playful way.
• How I Teach the ABC’s – Everything for us in preschool is all about gentle, fun learning that is very tactile and experiential.  You can find lessons on just about every letter of the alphabet on this post.

Betsy from BJ’s Homeschool

• With my daughter starting college this fall, I have been enjoying looking back to our earlier years.  So I have a few posts for all ages, recalling the fun that we had, and some of the struggles, too!
• Early Math – “When you are four, everything is math! Toys can be counted, towels sorted, and cookie making can become a lesson in adding and subtracting.  This post  includes how to make a manipulatives kit.”
• Early Science Fun – “By far, my daughter’s favorite thing was to do simple science experiments. in the kitchen, and then go on nature walks. And that became our focus for our early elementary science studies.”

Tricia at Hodgepodge

• I Can’t Homeschool Because of the Little Ones – What about the little ones? If the Lord is tugging on your heart too about keeping your littlest ones at home, I can offer encouragement. I understand the need to have just a small span of time to focus on something other than your preschooler. That needed time could be teaching and working with your older children. Or it might simply be that you are in survival mode and needing to breathe or get a shower.
• How to Start a Homeschool Routine – My answer to a reader’s question: Any advice on starting the homeschool routine for the first time? For us, it’s kindergarten so our first “school” day routine ever! I’m wondering how to make the transition from six years of all day, all play!
• How Morning Room Time Builds Learning Skills for Later – I start the school day with the little ones. Sure they may ‘interrupt’ a teaching time at some point. But they are part of our family, our homeschool. And here is what I have noticed in all of my children. The skills that morning room time builds. Now, when I am teaching and helping the older children, the younger two entertain themselves. They play with each other. Or they play independently. All those mornings they had that independent time. They sat and looked through books. They stacks blocks, rolled cars. All those mornings, it was practice and skill building.

How I Homeschool Elementary

Heather from Blog, She Wrote

• The Ultimate Guide to Establishing a Reading Culture in Your Home– Resources, tips, and advice on how to grow readers in your home from preschool through high school.

Cindy from Our Journey Westward

• How I Teach Character – Here you’ll find a series of TEN posts full of practical ideas and lessons for character training.
• How I Teach Unit Studies – This post begins a short series teaching you how to pull together wonderful unit studies with project-based learning for assessment.
• How I Teach Nature Study to Active Boys – My busy boys melt my heart, but they can be hard to teach with their wiggly bodies and brains!  This post shares how much busy boys are actually learning through play.

Kyle from Aspired Living

• Classical Education Grammar Stage – Teaching the grammar stage is not as difficult as it may seem as you read through copious Classical Education Manuals. We choose to follow Teaching the Trivium’s Mama friendly model for classical education.
• The Ultimate Guide to Classical Education -This is an exhaustive (and exhausting) list of Classical Curriculum Providers, Co-ops, Continuing Education & Bloggers. We will begin by looking at the Classical Curriculum providers that offer curriculum choices across all subjects.
• Teaching Math Classically– What we have done traditionally in our homeschool is we use Christian Light Math for grades K-4. I use it because it has an advanced Scope and sequence and is an excellent math program and can be done independently easily at a young age.
• Teaching Science Classically– When you are teaching science classically in the grammar stage normally you will have a focus on the memorization of facts & vocabulary. We use God’s Design for Science as our spine, but these ideas will work with any work for any one who wants to use the classical method to teach their children.

Betsy from BJ’s Homeschool

• Teach Your Child to Write – “From learning the ABC’s, all the way to writing short sentences, here are four steps for teaching your little ones to write.”
• How we did Spelling in our Homeschool – “Spelling is an important component to good writing.  But it can come very slowly to our young writers. This is all about how we approached teaching spelling in our homeschool.”

Tricia at Hodgepodge

• Learning to Read – But the highlight of this week is this. I brought a stack of favorites from the shelf on Monday. I sat the stack on the family room table. And I asked Littlest Girl to read to Lil’ Buddy each afternoon after lunch. I’m saving this photo essay for always. Because it’s happening again. An older sibling teaching the younger one to read. Those pages of Hey! I’m Reading had them laughing and dissolving into giggles.
• Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Choices, Organization and More – The children should have the joy of living in far lands, in other persons, in other times – a delightful double existence; and this joy they will find, for the most part, in their story books. ~ Charlotte Mason

How I Homeschool Middle School

Heather from Blog, She Wrote

• Geography Quests– Teaching geography through seasonal and topical events
• Fashion & Design– Teaching literature & history with fashion design
• Teaching Middle & High School Math– Resources, ideas, and implementation for middle grades and up

Cindy from Our Journey Westward

• How I Teach Purity – This post includes ideas appropriate for tweens through high school.
• How I Teach Logic – This post shares lessons and resources for teaching informal and formal logic in all grade levels.

Kyle from Aspired Living

•  Planning the Logic Stage – This is a series that discusses how we plan our Logic Stage Homeschool.
• Understanding Saxon Math– Saxon Math has been a homeschool mainstay for 20+ years. It was written by John Saxon and remained a family company until 2004 when it was sold to Harcourt Achieve.
• Teaching Science Classically-

Susan & Megan from Education Possible

• Tools for Homeschooling Middle School: Teaching History – We use many living books, videos, games, and hands-on learning activities in our history studies.
• Teaching Kids Life Skills – We are very intentional about teaching life skills to our children.  This series of 5 posts shows how we teach some of these important lessons.
• How I Teach Writing to My Child With Dysgraphia – Over the years we have tried many resources to help our son with his writing.
• Learning With Other Families – One of our favorite ways to homeschool with friends is through co-ops.

Betsy at BJ’s Homeschool

Middle School Writing – “Three ways to approach middle school writing, based on my daughter’s needs and interests.”

Tricia at Hodgepodge

• Middle School for a kinesthetic learner  (includes our curriculum choices and more) – And while I’m not an expert in learning styles, I do know my children. I have studied learning styles and have noticed big improvements when I tailor our studies to my children’s individual learning styles. As you might imagine, this child spreads things far and wide. So, in an attempt to corral somewhat, we’ve turned to baskets.
• Weekly Homeschool Planning Meeting – once our children hit 5th grade and are heading into the middle school years, they get their own homeschool planner. Ultimately, planning is a gift of learning independence, wouldn’t you say?
• Passport to Purity – In the middle school years, each of our children go on an extended weekend trip in celebration of turning 12. The child gets to choose anywhere within the continental United States. This is a one on one time to build memories and talk about growing up. This special time is a habit we learned from some trusted friends.

How I Homeschool High School

Heather from Blog, She Wrote

• Homeschooling Middle & High School Science– Methods and resources we use to teach science to our upper level students.
• The Ultimate Guide to Coaching Writers in Your Homeschool– Lots of ideas and resources to make good writers in high school (and younger grades).
• Teaching Geography with Earth Science– Approaching both subjects for a one credit high school course.
• Working with a Bright & Occasionally Very Motivated High Schooler: Tips & Strategies– How to work with a smart student who doesn’t always want to work hard.

Kyle from Aspired Living

• How to Join the Great Conversation Without Losing Your Mind – How to read great books and use the Socratic Method with your High School Aged Students.
• How to Discuss High School Literature without a Curriculum – Have you ever wondered how to discuss high school literature without a literature curriculum what questions to ask, what terms to review, and what themes to look for? I know I have.

Susan & Megan from Education Possible

• How I Juggle the Needs of My Introvert and Extravert Learners – After helping my children understand that they actually learn differently based on their personality types we were able to find productive ways to learn most effectively.
• How We Improved Writing Skills in Our Reluctant Writers – Learn how our children built their confidence and improved writing skills in 3 months.
• Why We Started Over With Math – Our kids were struggling with math so we decided to start over right before high school!

Cindy from Our Journey Westward

• How I (Don’t) Teach Self-Directed High School Courses – At times, my high school students get to help plan and implement their own courses of study.  This post shares about our process.
• How I Teach Charlotte Mason Style Modern American History in High School – What does a living books/living text curriculum look like in high school?  Here’s a peek into one of our high school history courses.

Betsy at BJ’s Homeschool

• Our Steps to College – How we got Started – “Here is how we got started with aiming towards college, with lots of tips, how to’s, and links.  There are many colleges who are looking for motivated, self started learners, like our homeschooled teens.”
• Building Up Our Teens – “There are so many options in our community for our teens.  Volunteering and being a part of group activities can build up our teens, and help to develop their leadership skills.”
• Preparing Your Teen for College Writing – “Six tips for preparing your teen for college writing, and setting up a college prep language arts program in your homeschool.”
• Writing  Winning College Essay, part 1 – “It’s that time again.  Time for writing the college admissions essay.  See how we went about doing it, with lots of tips for helping your teen write a winning essay!”
• Our Steps to College – Tips for Planning Ahead – “How to make an overall plan for homeschooling towards college, with eight updated college planning tips”

Tricia at Hodgepodge

• Homeschooling High School – Am I as nervous as I was this time last year about high school? Actually not. But oh I am definitely still learning. It’s still continuing education for me! But I have proof. I have seen how the Lord provides and we have two years of high school behind us! Plus, I still say…God does not ask your ability or your inability. He asks only your availability. ~ Mary Kay Ash
• What I’ve Learned Homeschooling with Tapestry of Grace – One of those wonderful benefits of homeschooling is continuing to learn right alongside your children. History, a love of art, composers, nature study. I just love continuing education. For many years now, Tapestry of Grace has truly woven together all the learning in our home. All ages learning the same topics, on their age, grade and skill level.
• Constitutional Literacy – We are raising future voters! A course by the same name – designed to fit this passion – is simply an answer to prayer for my two high schoolers! We love that Constitutional Literacy is led by an authority in this area of history and government. And the course presents with the tools needed – a student workbook and a DVD series on the history, theory and application of the Constitution of the United States.
• Night Classes and Other Benefits of Homeschool – Do you do night school with your older ones too? Apologia’s Constitutional Literacy is just best for us in the evenings. The younger ones are in bed and we can focus on the tougher subject material. Plus have the time to do follow up discussion. Other subjects we’ve done in the evenings? Tapestry of Grace reading and movies, Visual Latin and WordUp! Even a math lesson this week…

Homeschooling a house full? 6 Simple Successful Strategies for just that – I am a very practical person. And I am blessed with homeschool mentors. So I am sharing the simple strategies that have worked best for us over the last fourteen or so years of homeschooling.

Thanks for joining us for this month’s Author Carnival at Curriculum Choice. Follow along with each of the authors and enjoy a regular glimpse into their homeschools.

~ Heather- Blog, She Wrote

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