If you’re struggling to make sense of the 5 Steps to Start Homeschooling…then you’ve got to WATCH THE VIDEO!
How to Start Homeschooling Course
Launch Your Homeschool is an online course that will you hold your hand and walk you through the beginning stages of homeschooling, built upon the framework of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
I teach you how to choose the right subjects for your homeschool, how to chose the right resources and plan out your year to create a homeschool experience that aligns with the values and beliefs of your family.
I show you the essential teaching techniques that you’ll need to now to get started. There’s even an entire module on how to manage your time so you can still cook, keep the house tidy and take care of yourself, all whilst homeschooling your children!
It’s hard to know where to begin when you first decide to start homeschooling.
There are so many options! It seems like a blessing to have plenty of information about homeschooling available online.
However, access to so much unfiltered information can also make homeschooling appear a lot more complicated than it actually is.
Read on to find out how I can help you feel confident to start homeschooling in a stress-free way!
How do you start homeschooling?
It’s not difficult to research the benefits of homeschooling for your family. It’s easy to find a multitude of options for curriculums, reading ideas and crafty activities to do with your child.
But how do you use all that information to teach your child in the most efficient way possible?
How do you know which curriculums are best for your unique family?
How do you maintain a beneficial schedule without homeschool lessons taking over your entire life?
Is it possible to still have time for yourself when the homeschool day is done?
How do you do it all?
All these questions build up in your mind and often lead to crippling self-doubt. Do you have what it takes to handle the full responsibility of your child’s education?
How do you finally take the plunge and start homeschooling?
Start homeschooling with ‘Launch Your Homeschool’
‘Launch Your Homeschool’ is an online course to help you find your own homeschooling path as a Muslim family. This course uses a combination of Charlotte Mason philosophy and crucial Islamic values to give you the confidence to develop your own homeschool curriculum that is suitable for your family.
Instead of feeling anxious about the magnitude of the task before you, feel excited! You will gain the skills needed to design your own path in home education, a path which reflects your children, your family and your values.
Launch Your Homeschoolis dedicated to Muslim families who are striving to design their own unique homeschool life and develop their own curriculum to suit their family dynamic.
This course is for you if:
⭐ The thought of homeschooling appeals to you but you’re not sure where to start.
⭐ You’re feeling overwhelmed by all the different options, curriculum choices and activities to do with your children.
⭐ You want to join the homeschool movement but find yourself confused and unsure how to practically get started.
⭐ You have a busy, hectic life (like most mums!) and need a self-paced course to complete in your own time
⭐ You’re a Muslim family hoping to find the right balance between your child’s Islamic and secular education.
? Accompanying fun-sheets to guide you through the lessons
? A supportive Private Facebook community
? Your very own homeschool planner
?And lots of special bonuses – CLICK HEREto find out what they are!
You have lifetime access to the course materials so you can work your way through at a pace that suits your schedule. With pre-recorded lessons, you can watch them whenever you want, pause and replay as you need to. This course is designed to be as convenient as possible, because I know how hectic life as a mum can be!
The main skills you learn during the course are centred around homeschool planning and time management. Once you are confident in these areas, all the other homeschool obstacles will become easier and more manageable.
With the course, you learn how to maintain motivation and consistency in your homeschool and feel confident about your journey. You will learn how to avoid common homeschooling pitfalls so you are well-prepared for your homeschool life.
Learn all of this ANDhow to still dedicate time to yourself so you don’t experience homeschooler burnout!
Will you start homeschooling with ‘Launch Your Homeschool’?
What are your biggest concerns when deciding to start homeschooling? Do you struggle with deciding on the best options for your family? Or maybe the thought of adding even more to your to-do list is extremely stressful!
Let’s talk money! How much does homeschooling cost?
If you’re trying to plan ahead, and work out if home education is a feasible dream for your family, you need to know how much it’s going to cost.
You need real figures, real numbers!
Typically if you’re searching online for the cost to home educate your children, you’ll hear a lot of advice that sounds something like,
“Homeschooling is possible for families of every budget. With careful planning you can homeschool for very little.”
And honestly, I’ve said that myself!
But after thinking about it, I realised that that statement is not very helpful at all!
What would be more helpful would be a number of how much it costs a real family to homeschool their children today.
And that’s what I’m going to do here…
I’m going to tell you how much homeschooling costs our family!
I’ve NEVER seen this done before, but in this episode of Raising Mums…
I get out my calculator and talk about: ?How much does Homeschooling cost each year ? What are our biggest expenses? ? How could we reduce these costs?
Being honest about the costs of homeschooling will help you to know if homeschooling is truly a realistic ambition for your family, and it’ll help you to plan ahead.
This FREE eBOOK is full of information that you really need to know if you’re planning to homeschool you kids. I know that you’ve got a lot of questions, that’s why I put this ebook together for you! It will help you to lay a strong foundation n your homeschool and ( I hope) calm your worries!
Launch Your Homeschool is an online course that will you hold your hand and walk you through the beginning stages of homeschooling, built upon the framework of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
I teach you how to choose the right subjects for your homeschool, how to chose the right resources and plan out your year to create a homeschool experience that aligns with the values and beliefs of your family.
I show you the essential teaching techniques that you’ll need to now to get started. There’s even an entire module on how to manage your time so you can still cook, keep the house tidy and take care of yourself, all whilst homeschooling your children!
Have you decided to homeschool but you’re uncertain how to start?
When we start homeschooling, many often hit Google and Facebook groups desperately searching for answers to our many questions. Instead of answers, we often find an ocean of differing responses and come away with even more questions than when we first started!
How do you homeschool your kids when everything is so confusing?
Read on and find out what’s included in thisessential guide,how it can kick-start your homeschool and put all your worries at ease.
How to homeschool in your country
Legal issues are incredibly confusing for most new homeschoolers. When you first decide you want to homeschool, one of the biggest obstacles your way can be the confusion over how to legally and successfully start educating your child at home.
Home education can be simple and natural in many ways, but the legalities around it can be complicated and unclear!
When you start homeschooling your children, it often feels like you’re going against the ‘norm’. If you have come into contact with this kind of attitude from friends, acquaintances, even family members, preparing yourself with knowledge of the expectations and legal requirements in your country will give you confidence in your decision and help you to move forward and even reassure family members around you.
With a main focus on UK and US homeschool legal issues, this eBook answers many of the major questions you have when you first start to homeschool. And don’t worry if you live in other parts of the world, I have you covered as well with links and resources to help you find the legal homeschool information for your country!
The Home Education eBookwill give you much-needed answers to the main questions we ask ourselves before we start homeschooling:
? How involved will the government be in my homeschool?
? What is the best way to communicate with my local government?
? Do I need to deregister my child from school? And how do I do that?
? Do I need to contact my local education authority regularly?
? Can I get financial aid?
Start your homeschool by navigating the legalities with confidence!
Knowing your legal rights is only the start of your journey. Many new homeschoolers feel overwhelmed by the task at hand and even doubt their ability to deliver a decent education to their children.
But how do you do that? How do you know you’re making the right choices? What do you need to think about to ensure your children get the best education possible?
? Do I need teaching qualifications to homeschool my children?
? Does my country require me to track and report assessments for my kids?
? How do meet with other homeschool families?
Stop telling yourself you can’t do this.
With the right tools, you can provide your child with a fruitful home education.
Tackle home education challenges
As beautiful as homeschooling is, it isn’t always simple. In fact, many of us find multiple challenges and obstacles standing in our way before we even start. However, many families continue to homeschool successfully, despite facing some tricky situations.
The Homeschool eBook offers advice regarding some tricky homeschool challenges:
? How will my children find chances to socialise?
? Can I homeschool successfully with multiple children?
? Is it possible to homeschool an only child?
? How do I juggle working and homeschooling at the same time?
Challenges such as a job or multiple children don’t prevent you from bringing home education into your family.
If you really and truly long to provide your kids with a home education, don’t let these challenges stand in your way.
Every homeschool is different and that is the beauty of home education. With a variety of family dynamics and circumstances, home education is not only possible but preferred as it can fit around your unique family life.
Home education beyond primary
Most homeschool blogs and Instagram accounts seem geared towards the younger children, usually up to age 11. But what about our teenagers? What will happen to our happy home educated children as they begin to approach the age when they will need qualifications and to prepare themselves for going into the world of work or university?
TheHome Education eBookaddresses this concern. It helps you paint a picture of what the options may be for older children and those wishing to apply to colleges and university. Will home education be a crutch or a valued stepping-stone? Read the eBook to find out!
Want to get your hands on the eBook?
No matter how old your children are or where you live in the world,this eBook is a valuable resource to have on hand. Save yourself the trouble of scrolling through Google and reading confusing information for hours and hours. This eBook brings all the essential information into one easy-to-read document. All you have to do is Sign Up!
The new school year is here and homeschool prep is at the forefront of our minds. This may be your first homeschool year and you’re wondering how to get started. How can you homeschool if you’ve never done it before? These 5 essential steps will show you how to homeschool easily throughout the year!
We often start the year with good intentions, meticulous plans and well-prepared resources. However, after a few weeks, we risk the ‘homeschool slump’ when the enthusiasm dips and the good intentions we started out with are difficult to maintain. With these 5 key steps, you’ll be in control of your homeschool life!
This blog-post contains affiliate links. Please see Disclaimer for more information.
1. Work out your daily rhythm
To discover how to homeschool in the best way possible you must realise that everyone is different. There is no one correct way to do things, so spend some time figuring out what works best for you and your family.
During the day, structure your homeschool subjects in a way that makes the most sense for your child. If your children are more focused in the morning, get the difficult topics (like maths) out of the way first. If your children start to get a little tired around early afternoon, use that time for gentle and relaxing Poetry Time.
Figuring out what works best will go a long way in keeping your days as stress-free as possible. Your rhythm may change throughout the year – you might enjoy Poetry Time over breakfast! And that’s fine. If you pay attention to how your children respond to their subjects, you’ll know instinctively when and how you need to change things up.
You’ll get access to HUNDREDS of FREE Educational Resources to use with your family!
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You have successfully joined our subscriber list and can now access the FREE RESOURCES LIBRARY!
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2. Establish morning and evening routines
Even before you start homeschooling, it’s a good idea to get your whole family into a routine for each day. Routines are very different from schedules! Schedules can be restrictive by dictating what gets done and for how long, and if you have a bad day (and let’s be honest, the reality of homeschooling is things rarely go according to plan!) then the whole schedule can fly out of the window leaving you more stressed and unorganised than before!
Routines are different. Routines tell you what order to do things. This gentle structure is very helpful for children in keeping them grounded and focused. They are able to relax by anticipating what comes next in their day – whatever time that may be!
Incorporate a routine in the morning before you start school. For example, your children have to make their bed, eat breakfast, help clear the table and then get their school things out.
When it comes to the evening, nothing helps kids wind down for a good night’s sleep like a stable evening routine. As mothers, we are used to using a bedtime routine to help babies sleep through the night, but older children benefit from a bedtime routine just as much. For example: Once they finish their work for the day, they can put away their school things, eat dinner, clear the table, tidy up their toys, have a bath, read in bed, and then lights out.
A routine is the perfect way to add structure to your day without the restrictions of a tight schedule that can easily go off track.
Chores are something we all hope and pray we can implement with our children, but day after day we find ourselves overwhelmed with housework and it seems like no one is helping! When trying to homeschool, it can be extremely difficult to focus on enjoying the time educating your kids when a long list of chores is distracting you.
By distributing manageable chores across your children, you achieve a number of things:
⭐It’s less stressful for you when you know certain things are taken care of.
⭐It instils a sense of responsibility amongst your kids.
⭐They develop a meticulous love and care of their home and bedroom.
⭐Home economics is an extremely valuable homeschool subject. Giving your children chores will teach them life skills which will prove to be priceless in their older years.
Consider adding ‘Chore Time’ to your daily routine so you can better relax and focus on quality time with your children.
Sign up for our FREE Resources Library!
You’ll get access to HUNDREDS of FREE Educational Resources to use with your family!
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list and can now access the FREE RESOURCES LIBRARY!
(Use the Password: hom3schoolh3lp )
4. Plan your meals
Staying with the theme of organisation, meal planning goes a long way in keeping you in control. I talk about how to implement meal planning into your homeschool in my podcast: Raising Mums – Run Your Home Like A Boss
By knowing the week’s menu, you can plan your shopping ahead of time and only buy the items you need each week. This way, you save money and reduce the amount of food that goes to waste!
Get your children involved by asking them which meals they would like to have. Your older children could even help prepare a meal each week. This is a great opportunity for them to learn those all-important life skills!
I use a fantastic online meal planning tool called PLAN TO EAT. If you would like to try it out, they are currently running a30-day FREE TRIAL!
Planning is essential when homeschooling. You need to have an idea what you will use each day, otherwise you find yourself constantly frazzled trying to get resources ready on time.
It can be very easy to fall down the ‘homeschool rabbit hole’ when looking online. The longer you search the more excited are to try every curriculum and every downloadable resource you can find. Whilst this is thrilling at first, after a while you quickly become burnt out by the amount of activities, eBooks, and videos you have at your disposal.
Sign up for our FREE Resources Library!
You’ll get access to HUNDREDS of FREE Educational Resources to use with your family!
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list and can now access the FREE RESOURCES LIBRARY!
(Use the Password: hom3schoolh3lp )
It’s impossible to predict what your entire year has in store for you, but you can find the balance between structured organisation and having freedom to change things when you need to:
⭐Yearly: Each year, have a loose plan for how you will homeschool. This plan includes books you will read, Maths and Phonics programmes, Science and History topics, etc.
⭐Every 6 weeks:This is where you can be more detailed. Using the topics and programmes you’ve already chosen, plan 6 weeks in detail. Which subtopics will you cover? Which pages of those books do you need? Which activities and worksheets need to be prepared? Gather everything together and note down your plan so each day your mind is clear, and you know exactly how to homeschool that day.
Remember, you can’t possibly do everything! So, pick the topics you want and prepare the activities you can realistically get done.
When it comes to homeschooling, countless people have plenty of advice! We all need help from other homeschool mums, so please share your advice in the comments below.
What steps do you find essential when starting your homeschooling year? How do you homeschool successfully?
Share with us in the comments below!
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The beauty of home education lies in its diversity. When I’m asked “What is homeschooling?”, I struggle to answer! Home education looks different in every family you come across. It’s true!
However at its core, homeschooling is when parents have chosen to educate their children outside of mainstream schools. Simply put, it is when parents take a much greater responsibility in the education their own kids.
The reason why homeschooling looks so different in every family is because home educators don’t believe in the “one-size-fits-all” approach of mainstream schools. Instead, homeschoolers are creating bespoke learning experiences for their family, based upon their ideals, beliefs and the individual needs of their children.
I am delighted to bring Shazia into this space, to share her story with you here. Her approach to raising her children is an inspiration to me, and her many followers onInstagram.
In this blogpost, Shazia explains what homeschooling is to her family; what it looks like, how it all began, and some parting advice for those who want to know how to start.
It’s truly an honour to share her insights with you here.
Life in a Muslim Homeschool
“Assalaamu alaykum, my name is Shazia and alhamdulilah I am a mother of three beautiful children aged 13, 11 and 8 years old. We live in the East Midlands in the UK and I began to home educate nearly 7 years ago.
As a family we love to spend much time together, whether it is in the outdoors, at museums, heritage sites, islamic events or just being at home snuggled up to watch a movie or playing board games.
We love travelling and especially visiting Muslim countries to explore the rich Islamic history they have to offer, perform ziyarahs, and absorb different cultures.
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We do plan things last minute and are quite spontaneous and adventurous in our trips, the children and their dad more so than me. I have woken up to being told we are going France and by the evening we are driving into Paris, or that we are going camping in Wales on a late afternoon and are pitching our tent as the sun begins to set.
How our Homeschool Journey Began
We never started off as a home-schooling family. In fact, I had never even come across the concept of home-schooling until my husband mentioned it to me when the children were toddlers and I was contemplating nursery settings.
At that time, I wasn’t keen on the idea and never pursued it until the children began attending school. This is when I began to feel the void of them being away from me for so many hours.
I started to look more into home education and then deregistered them from primary school. The work at primary level was so basic, and I felt confident that as someone with a university degree, and as a part qualified accountant, I could just teach them at home and enjoy them during these most precious years where they need me to help them build a strong foundation.
Alhamdulilah, Allah facilitated this opportunity for us as it has truly been such a blessing for us as a family. My elder children have now started their journey into secondary school education so I now have just one child at home who has never entered the school system.
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What is Homeschooling to us?
A typical day in our home always begins with Fajr prayer followed by the recital of Quran and dhikr. I feel it is so important to feed our soul early in the morning and then feed our body.
This structure has always helped us to begin our day in a calm and relaxed manner. Once the elder two have left for school, I sit with my eight year old to read our current read aloud book. This is normally followed by literacy work around the book which may be comprehension worksheets, creative writing, or poetry.
We have a short snack break and begin her maths work. I prefer to keep our lessons hands on and find unit studies allow us to incorporate many subjects from one topic.
We have plenty of free play time in the day and I try to plan days in the week as our ‘outing days’ and a few as our ‘home days’ as this helps me to balance my household chores for the week.
We have a very large home-schooling community in our city and many activities are always being arranged. We take part in a monthly forest school session, climbing, ice skating, cooking club and many random park meet ups.
Due to Covid I’m sure many parents will be wanting to embark on the home education journey and many will have decided it’s not for them. Either way, we are all home schoolers, some on a full time basis and some when the children return from school/weekends or holidays.
Having children in school and at home, I know there are pros and cons to both. What matters the most is you and your child being happy. You know your child best and you are the only one who will ever want them to succeed in deen and duniya more than any other teacher.
You really will make some of the most amazing memories together in this time. Admittedly home-schooling isn’t easy, and requires a sacrifice from you in your time, income (if you have to leave work to pursue it) and personal interests. It doesn’t mean you lose all of these but you must forgo part of them for a greater thing which is time with your children.
I would say sit down and plan how you want to educate your children, how you will allocate your household chores during the week and how much time you need for your own self. Don’t forget to have time for your own self, for your own spiritual needs where you can pray Salah and read your Quran without interruption.
When you are elevated spiritually you will feel happier and be able to give the best of yourself to your children. May Allah put barakah in your home-schooling journey and do perform istikharah before you make this decision.”
Thank you Shazia, for showing us what homeschooling is for your family. JazakAllah khayr. That was so inspiring! mashAllah
You can follow Shazia, and her incredible our home-schooling journey on Instagram –CLICK HERE
If you would like to share your family’s unique Homeschooling Experience with our community, please get in touch!
Homeschooling can be expensive. Whether you’re looking for something to supplement your existing homeschool curriculum, or hoping to homeschool on a budget, you’ll want to look through this list of free homeschool resources.
Many families, whose children would benefit immensely from a home-education, are put off from homeschooling due to a belief that they cannot afford to do so.
In the U.K., as well as many other parts of the world, home-educators are offered no financial support from the government, bearing the cost of homeschooling themselves.
However, in the age we live in, we have been blessed with the internet! The internet allows homeschoolers to have access to thousands of high-quality resources, many of which are free.
Homeschooling has never been so accessible and more possible for families on a small budget.
After much research and thought, I have put together a list of Free Homeschool Resources that I believe every homeschoolers should know about!
Sign up for our FREE Resources Library!
You’ll get access to HUNDREDS of FREE Educational Resources to use with your family!
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list and can now access the FREE RESOURCES LIBRARY!
(Use the Password: hom3schoolh3lp )
FREE Homeschool Resources
The list below includes online educational resources that are great quality and genuinely free! They have been included because I would (and probably already do) use these resources with my own children.
ALL AGES
Ambleside Online : A free homeschool curriculum that uses Charlotte Mason’s classically-based principles. It aims to prepare children for a life of rich relationships with everything around them: God, humanity, and the natural world. It provides detailed schedules, time-tested methods, and extensive teacher resources.
Khan Academy : Provides courses and lessons for children aged preschool to high school. Also offers lessons in college application and exam preparation.
Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool : A complete curriculum for children aged from preschool to 8th grade (Year 9). Although designed for the Christian homeschooler, this free homeschool curriculum can be adapted and enjoyed by families of any faith.
Project Gutenberg : Take a look at this online library of over 60,000 free books!
Many Books : 50,000+ free eBooks in multiple genres
Librivox : A huge collection of free audiobooks read by volunteers
Duolingo :Your children can learn a foreign language for free with this online programme that personalises their learning experience to their needs. Languages on offer include all popular European languages, as well as Arabic, Hindi, Latin and more!
Memrise : Learn a new language with this app by watching and listening to native speakers!
CK-12 Foundation : High quality classes in Maths and Science for children of all ages.
Discover K12 : Discovery K12 offers a traditional, non-Common Core, secular, homeschool curriculum. Reading classic literature, writing essays, creating presentations, and conducting research are important aspects to the program.
CBBC Newsround : Your children can keep to date with the U.K.’s current affairs here!
Google Earth : Inspire your children’s geographical interests with Google earth. This incredible website allows users to see anywhere on the earth…and beyond!
Twinkl : A favourite amongst U.K. homeschoolers, this website offers a HUGE collection of worksheets and other downloadable resources. Some of the site requires paid membership. However there is a substantial mount of free content.
Teachers Pay Teachers : Designed by teachers, this site offers a variety of downloads to use in your homeschool lessons.
EventBrite : Find free local events at the museum, library, educational centre, amongst others.
NASA for students: Inspire your students with lessons in STEM, aeronautics, and space exploration.
Steve Spangler Science : Ideal for those days you’re looking for an experiment to go along with your science lesson.
How to Smile : Over 3,500 of the amazing science and math activities to choose from.
Homeschool.com :A monthly round-up of the best free online resources.
Free Homeschool Deals : Free printables, downloads, kindle books, lap books, unit studies and more!
TES: This U.K. website is filled with teaching resources for children of all ages, as well as up to date information about the national curriculum and mainstream education in the U.K.
Kids Type : Simple no-frill lessons in touch-typing.
Code : Children of all ages can learn computer science for free on this website.
Scratch : Your children can learn coding for free with scratch from M.I.T.
BBC Bitesize : Hundreds of lessons and videos that follow the national curriculum (U.K.)
Science Museum Group : Hundreds of free resources and science lessons from multiple Science Museums in the U.K.
Natural History Museum : Stories about the Museum’s collections, scientists and research. Learn about the history of life on Earth, from the smallest insects to the largest mammals.
Quizlet : Flashcards, helpful diagrams and study guides for all subjects KS1-KS4.
KM Tuition : A library of worksheets and past papers for KS1-KS4
Soft Schools : Online games, quizzes and worksheets for every age in Maths and English.
MEP Maths: Download this complete Maths curriculum for your students. Covers all ages, including GCSE and A-Level. Lessons are not online, but must be printed off and completed at home.
School Science : Free online science resources for teachers and students.
BBC Terrific Science : Fun science activities and lessons, linked to the national curriculum (U.K.)
U.K. Parliament : Teacher resources and lessons plans about the U.K.’s government
Art for Kids Hub: Free drawing lessons on YouTube for children of all ages! They have HUGE library of lessons that I’m sure your children will love working their way through.
Varsity Tutors: Your child can go on Virtual Field Trips in these LIVE sessions for children aged K-8.
Primary / Elementary School
Starfall : A free online programme designed to help children learn to read and develop reading fluency. For children aged from kindergarten to 3rd grade (Year 4).
National Geographic Kids : Interactive website for children, with a focus on geography and nature.
US Forest Service : Activities for children to learn more about the outdoors
Forestry England : Lesson plans, teacher packs, spotters guides and activity sheets all about the UK countryside.
Prodigy Maths : Prodigy maths teaches maths through educational games. Includes free and paid content.
Maths Chase: Fun Times Tables game to teach your children multiplication.
Mystery Science : This is a favourite in our house! These are complete open and go science lessons. Typically they involve a well-produced video, alongside thoughtful worksheets and fun activities.
Worksheet Works : If you’re looking for worksheets, this website will probably have what you need. My favourite part of this site is the handwriting practice generator.
Secondary / High School
Coursera : Courses, certificates, and degrees online from world-class universities and companies.
TED-Ed : Inspirational lectures from experts on wide range of topics.
Actuarial Foundation : Fun and engaging Math programmes. Free maths lesson plans, worksheets and posters.
Math is FUN! : Maths games, worksheets and activities.
National Geographic : Beautiful videos, photography and articles for a deeper insight into geography, history, nature, current affairs and more.
edX : 2500+ courses from Harvard and other excellent universities:
Open Learn: Free courses from the Open University for secondary school aged children
Corbettmaths: Free GCSEmaths video lessons with accompanying worksheets
National Gallery: Teacher’s notes, lessons plans, handouts and activities about famous works of art.
Sign up for our FREE Resources Library!
You’ll get access to HUNDREDS of FREE Educational Resources to use with your family!
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list and can now access the FREE RESOURCES LIBRARY!
(Use the Password: hom3schoolh3lp )
Isn’t that incredible?! There are so many fantastic resources available to homeschooling families, and best of all, they’re free!
But tell me, what did I miss? Do you know any great homeschool resources that are free?
Please share them with everyone in the comments below this blogpost.
Are you thinking homeschooling your family? Here are a list of books that you’ll want to read to help you make that big decision.
If you’re thinking about homeschooling your children, the first place you’ll want to go, for reliable and complete information, are books.
From my experience, families who are considering home education for their children, often feel overwhelmed with books that are heavy on detail or educational philosophy.
Instead, what I’d recommend is that you read books that paint a picture of what homeschooling could look like for you. Rather than bogging you down in details, the books I recommend allow you to draw inspiration and take ideas that suit your family dynamic and belief system.
Primarily the books I’ve included in this list of books to read when you’re considering homeschooling, are memoirs of homeschooling families (real and fictitious) and a few others with a similar approach.
This blog-post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read the Disclaimer.
Books to Read when you’re Considering Homeschooling
Ross Mountney is an ex-teacher from the U.K., who many years ago left the mainstream educational system to home educate her two daughters. In this memoir of their homeschool experience together, Ross Mountney shows the reader what homeschooling really looks like! It’s moving, hilarious and forces the reader to question what education can look like.
A Funny Kind of Education is one of the first books I ever read about home-education and is the one that inspired me to truly consider beginning our homeschooling journey.
Over the years, there is one book that I come back to again and again. That book is“Mere Motherhood”by Cindy Rollins
Cindy Rollins began her homeschooling journey in U.S.A. in the 1980’s, and 9 children later (yes…that’s 8 boys!) she tells us all about her family’s experience home-educating.
The book is written so honestly, and with such a heart-felt message, that you can’t help but fall in love with their story. The author, after decades of homeschooling and facing the ups-and-downs of life, gives the reader perspective and consider what homeschooling could mean to them in the long-run.
If you’re looking for a book to show you what a true education is meant to be, then you’ll want to read For the Children’s Sakeby Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.
After years of research and personal experience, Susan Schaeffer Macaulay wrote this beautiful book. Based around principles set out by Charlotte Mason, the author forces the reader to consider what is education, and how can we provide that in our home.
Some sections of this book contain Christian rhetoric, and readers of other faiths may choose to skip over those parts.
This is the book that inspired me to begin learning more about the Charlotte Mason philosophy, and is the book I always recommend to families who want to know more about the CM method without being inundated with the finer details.
The Colfax family didn’t begin homeschooling their family to get them into Havard, but somewhere down the road that is exactly what happened!
Homeschooling for Excellence is a memoir of a home educating family from U.S.A. who took their children out of school and gave them the freedom to learn whatever is was they wanted to learn!
The book is written in a conversational style, where the parents talk honestly about their approach to education, the lessons they learnt and lists some resources they used.
It’s a truly inspiring story. In fact, I feel like finding my copy now and re-reading again!
Pocketful of Pinecones is a fictitious account of a homeschooling family, which was written to inspire mothers through hard times. Karen Andreola, the author, is an experienced homeschooler herself, and pours into this story the lessons she learnt along the way.
It’s written as the diary of one mother’s year of teaching her children at home, with a focus on nature study.
It’s a deligthful book to read, and will help readers to better understand their role as a homeschooling mother, as well as give some insight into what a Charlotte Mason homeschool day might look like.
This list would not be complete without something from the legend that was John Taylor Gatto.
If you have ever struggled to justify home education to yourself, or others, this book will help. From years of working in education, and his extensive research, Dumbing Us Down outlines many deeply rooted problems in mainstream education.
This book is eye-opening and will soften the heart even the biggest cynic to homeschooling!
I hope this has helped those of you who were unsure where to begin with their homeschooling research. Memoirs and personal accounts provide insight and inspiration, as well as information on “how-to” do it!
If you have any questions, pop them in the comments below.
Peace and Love,
P.s. Did you know I have a PODCAST, where I answer a lot of your questions about homeschooling? Make sure you check it out!
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If there’s one thing I have learnt over these past few years of homeschooling my children, it is the benefits of being a homeschool planner!
Planning annually has so many benefits for us especially as we reside in Saudi Arabia and spend our summers in England. Regardless of where you live though, I find having a rough plan for the year can benefit your Homeschool in many ways.
Looking at your calendar for the upcoming year and being realistic about what is happening, whether it is a holiday booked, a wedding to attend or you’re giving birth, will allow you to focus on balance and ease for your Homeschool life.
Of course not all plans are set in stone, but preparing yourself mentally will ease any stress that comes along with unexpected events. So here are my top tips on why you should plan your Homeschool for the year if you aren’t already doing so.
Homeschool Planners are One Step Ahead!
The biggest benefit being a homeschool planner, and preparing at the start of the year, is being one step ahead in acquiring resources, finding books, planning outings or activities.
Of course spontaneous and unplanned events/days can have their own benefits too, but that feeling of seeing the bigger picture when you’re in the midst of homeschooling life or things aren’t going as planned really is a life-saver on your difficult days of homeschooling.
So annual planning helps you keep on ball without worrying about what could have been because you’re one step ahead with your vision for the year.
You know exactly what you want your children to achieve by the end of the year. This should also prevent you from worrying if you fall into the social media comparative trap.
Many people ask me about my Homeschool budget and I tell them I spend under £200 or less annually, depending on how many books/resources we may need and I’m sure this varies from Homeschool to Homeschool.
But if you are finding you’re spending way more than you need to or way more than you can afford to, you need to ask yourself why that is. Is it because you found yet another Homeschool bargain buy or that you feel your children really need it because everyone else seems to be buying it too? We can all fall into that trap!
But with an annual plan, where you are focussing on an overview of the year, knowing what your possible learning topics will be, budgeting can prove to be quite useful. Always ask yourself if the resource is re-sellable, can be used by all your children and is it good quality and long lasting before you buy.
Having a plan to fall back on
Even if you take a more child led approach to your homeschool, and feel that being a homeschool planner may not be worth it, there are some things beyond our control.
Seasons, the weather and nature being some of these. If you enjoy nature studies, then it may help to look ahead at the seasons of the year to jot down a loose plan to focus on seasonal plants, grow a garden, butterflies or visit farms etc. The same can be applied for certain topics linked to festivals and celebrations.
Nevertheless, on days when life is chaotic and you feel you may be losing your vision or goal with your homeschool, it may just be handy to have a plan or vision to fall back on. Its reassuring coming back to the goals for the year and knowing you’re actually doing great!
As mentioned above, acquiring resources ahead of time (in sales) or at the start of the year allows you to take a more intentional approach to what you need.
Having said that, recently I found my children are immersed in stuff! Much of this is because we haven’t had the opportunity to sell on our used games or books we no longer need at the end of each year, especially as we tend to buy more each summer.
When you’re a homeschool planner, you can assess what resources you already have, which you could possibly swap or sell on and use that same money or more to purchase whatever it is you need for the year. There may be times you find resources at a great price to use in your Homeschool in a few years, but ask yourself do you actually need it now?
Focus on your annual plan to keep within your budget and allowance. Reserving library books ahead of time and ensuring you have the books you need for your topic is another advantage.
Being mentally ready for your homeschool year could reduce some of the stress and panic that can come with homeschooling especially when things aren’t going to plan!
Homeschool planning at the start of the year means you have sat down and thought out in a realistic way of how much you can actually teach your children in a year.
Sometimes we tend to want to teach everything and so very quickly because of their interests. So, this is a great time to get your children involved, ask them what they want to learn, give them some options and find out their interests.
Finally, because you will already know your child/children’s ability levels, therefore aim to plan realistically for progress by taking the whole year into account, you won’t have time to panic, hopefully!
Author Bio
Hafsa is a former Primary School Teacher turned Homeschooling mama teaching her two daughters the love for learning through arts, crafts, fun and play. Originally from London, Hafsa now resides in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia where she loves to share her Homeschool journey, tips and planning advice over at http://www.mamateachesme.com
One of the things I like to do before ‘term’ starts, is to fill up our freezer with home-cooked meals. Meals that I can quickly defrost for a nutritious lunch or dinner on those busy homeschool days.
When you home educate your kids, the Freezer Is Your Friend!
One of my favorites is this Simple Pasta Sauce….It’s delicious!
Even better….its packed with vegetables but your little ones won’t know it!
With FIVE different vegetables, you can be sure that your children are having a tasty and nutritious meal.
Some of the vegetables needed for this sauce
This recipe makes 8-10 servings. That’s quite a lot, so you can freeze the extra in small containers for later.
This is great for those busy homeschool days when I need to prepare a quick lunch. I can just boil some dry pasta and defrost this sauce…et voila…a delicious home-cooked meal!
Recipe
Ingredients
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Celery Sticks
2 Onions
2 Red Peppers
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Cans of Chopped Tomatoes (800g)
1 Tsp Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grated Cheddar Cheese to serve
1. Dice the celery, onions, peppers and garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan, and saute the vegetables
3. When the vegetables have started to soften and change colour, add the chopped tomatoes and sugar.
4. Simmer until all vegetables are cooked.
5. Pour this sauce into a blender/food processor and blend until the sauce in smooth. It should have the consistency of a thick yoghurt.
6. Season to taste.
At this point, you can decant the sauce into small containers to store in your freezer.
7. Serve on cooked pasta and sprinkle with cheese.
Seriously, this sauce tastes great! Give it a go! You can add cooked chicken or
sauted mushrooms if you want to bulk it up, or just enjoy it as it is.
Please leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it.
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Peace and Love.
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