Guidelines for Homeschool Success

Yes, I know that we've only been at it for a year, but here are some things that I've learned along the way. These are my top tips for a successful homeschool.

1. School happens every day. No ifs ands or buts. I have found time and again that if I slack of for even one day, then I will hear about it for at least a week in the form of whining and complaining. When the kids know that chores and school need to be done before anything else, the complaining magically goes away. Your consistency is absolutely necessary if you want cheerful obedience when it's time to crack the books.

2. Get up before your kids! If I make it a point to get up before my kids, I'm so much more ahead. I can get the dishes unloaded and a load of laundry put in and be showered before I need to respond to requests for matching pants, and new hair do's.

3. Be cheerful. If you approach school with a smile on your face and some excitement in your voice, it will be contagious. If you get to the school room use a bored voice and a "we have to get this done" attitude, once again, your kids will catch that attitude too. Come to school as if it's an adventure (which it is), and you'll have excited kids, ready to learn.

4. Choose good materials. It's possible to wrestle an education out of black and white science books from the 1960's that you found at a garage sale, but I prefer to use the exciting homeschool materials that are being produced today. The majority of these are excellent teaching tools with little or no preparation required from the mom. Using the most excellent teaching materials you can afford makes a huge difference in you child's learning. If a program or curriculum isn't working for you, SWITCH IT! That's the beauty of homeschooling, the freedom to choose what is best for your children and you!

5. Throw in some flair now and then. One week this year, the kids were lagging and seemed really bored. In a moment of desperation, I thought up "the school candle". I lit the school candle whenever we started school and blew it out when we were done. I don't know why, but the kids absolutely loved this. Sometimes, my son gets disenchanted with one of his subjects. I find that taking a few days and playing math games instead of doing his Singapore workbook will infuse some life into the subject. When he got bored with writing and spelling, I taught him a few cursive letters and he ate it up! Try to make things fresh every now and then. Sometimes all it takes is lighting a candle!

Happy homeschooling,
Kristy

Happy homeschooling,
Kristy