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Homeschool Moms

Homeschool Tips

family

Disclosure: Affiliate Link Included Homeschooling has now not only become cool, but necessary! I homeschooled for over 20 years, so I thought I would offer a little help for those of you who are new to this. Homeschooling isn’t impossible, but can be hard. The way to make it easy is to have a plan. I hope most schools are giving an organized and sensible method to teach children. I see some things going on with online teaching that worry me. Watching a teacher talk into her computer camera is going to be a method that bores many students. They will probably not learn very well during this “homeschool” time. Also, many students don’t even have internet that will enable them to learn at home. Veteran homeschool moms know that it takes a variety of learning methods to help children learn well. If your children are required to watch a computer screen for all of their classes, I would encourage the parent to spend as much time as you can watching with them. After the online class is finished, spend a little bit of time discussing the information learned with your child. Ask them questions: Have them summarize the lesson orally to see if they understood it, or ask a question based on what you heard the teacher say. Encourage them to do homework soon after the class. This will help them to answer questions while the information is fresh in their mind. Try to help them stay engaged, as best you can. If they are very young, I hope you can provide them plenty of breaks. Let them do some movement: exercise routines, dancing, running through the house or backyard. Try to offer healthy snacks to keep their blood sugar steady. Make sure they have a designated space for their learning. Find a spot that is quiet and free from distractions. Make sure they have pencils, paper, and a clean desk or table. Turn off the television and put them in a separate space from siblings. Good lighting is also important. Use a planner to note time for each subject as well as schedule time for homework. Leave time for breaks. If they have projects to work on that may be stretched out over weeks, make a to-do list and calendar so that they can complete the project on time. If the child is having trouble with a lesson, find out how the online teacher goes about answering questions and giving extra help for a child who is stuck. If this is not always available, use Google and Youtube for some online tutoring or video help. If your child has options for learning, there are plenty of ways to learn topically. This is a good method for pre-school through 3rd grade. Homeschool moms call this Unit Studies. We take a topic, such as Weather, and have lessons that teach this topic. It’s important to use all of the student’s senses in the plan. Here is an example from Education.com. Free Lesson Plans on Weather. You can do this on a number of topics. You’ll find free printables, worksheets, and coloring pages on the internet. Mrs Mactivity has free and paid education lessons. Health and Hygiene Home Learning Resources Kid’s Coloring Pages Summer Journey Printables is a free set of downloadable pages that you can use as often as you would like. These are great for traveling, nature walks, etc. Here are some other links that offer Free Printables! Free Worksheets The Happy Housewife Digital Homeschool Planner Living Life and Learning Free Homeschool Planner Printable However you homeschool, I wish you the best. Feel free to contact me and ask questions. I will do my best to help you and point you in the right direction. Homeschooling was a wonderful time for me, and I’m thankful that God allowed me to be a homeschool mom! @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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Homeschool Moms Parenting

The Best Online Homeschool Anatomy Curriculum

female students

This post is sponsored by College Prep Science.  As a retired homeschool teacher, I can agree that finding good college preparatory science program is important. When my children reached this age, I looked for a top-quality curriculum that would prepare my students for ACT/SAT tests and college coursework. Greg Landry taught gross anatomy (cadavers) to pre-med university students for years and he now uses that passion for human anatomy and physiology to teach homeschooled students. And, does he ever have some great stories from the cadaver lab! Greg Landry’s online Homeschool Anatomy Curriculum Class offers a full year (two-semester) option for 9th – 12th grade homeschooled students, a half school year (one semester) options for 6th – 9th grade homeschooled students and a self-paced option for 3rd-6th grade homeschooled students. Professor Landry is a former college professor – he designed and ran a gross anatomy lab for junior-level pre-med college students. Over the past 20+ years, he has taught science to thousands of homeschooled students. His students love his online classes that are filled with teaching and stories from the trenches (cadaver tanks) that make anatomy and physiology come to life! The classes cover the anatomy and physiology of all human systems plus the insight that can only come from working with cadavers. His online classes also include time in his virtual anatomy and physiology lab to perform experiments and write lab reports. Anatomy and physiology is interesting to most students because they’re learning about themselves but it tends to most interesting to students who are leaning towards fields such as: medicine (medical doctor), nursing, athletic training, chiropractic, physician’s assistant, pharmacy, nurse practitioner, exercise science, massage therapy, sports medicine, physical therapy, etc. Professor Landry believes that studying human anatomy and physiology is illuminating God’s Creation and that it reveals His glory. – Human Anatomy & Physiology (9th-12th) – Two Semester Class– Pre-Anatomy & Physiology (6th-9th) – One Semester Class– Young Scientist Anatomy & Physiology (3rd-6th) – One Semester Self-paced In the words of a homeschool parent… “Greg, …what you did for our daughter will have far-reaching effects. You showed her that learning can be enjoyable…”Thankful in IndianaJim H. Professor Landry also offers homeschool anatomy and physiology/biology in-person two-day lab intensives at 15 locations throughout the U.S. These intensives enable students to complete a full year of anatomy and physiology/biology labs in just two days – while enjoying the process! ​Homeschool dad, scientist, and former college professor, Greg Landry, offers live, online homeschool science classes, Homeschool ACT Prep Bootcamp, the Homeschool Mom’s Science Podcast, in-person two-day science lab intensives nationwide, and student-produced homeschool print publications. Sign up for science freebies for homeschool moms and be entered for the monthly giveaway!

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Frugal Organization Simple Living

How To Reset Your Budget

No Spend Month

How to Use A No-Spend Month To Reset Your Budget Disclosure: Affiliate link included. How many times do I remember realizing that our budget had gotten out of control? I hate to admit it at all, but it was quite a few times. When this happens, one way to reset your budget is to have a No-Spend Month. After setting up a budget, we all feel very determined to stick with it and reach all of the financial goals that we’ve set. Unfortunately, life happens. Whether a car or appliance needs replacing or medical bills come suddenly, money must be spent. Sometimes the budget gets busted by lots of small things that can pile up without our notice. Maybe we just haven’t been paying attention, and things can get bad. There are many ways to address the budget problems. But, one way that can work is to have a no-spend month. What is a no-spend month? It just means we don’t spend any money. Now, I know you’re thinking that this is impossible. Don’t worry. I don’t mean you can’t pay those regular bills. You have to pay the mortgage, utilities and such. But, many things aren’t necessary. You can make your own list that works for you. Here are some ideas that we’ve used and learned over the years: Can you actually do this? Of course you can! You don’t need to feel deprived during your No-Spend Month. This can be an adventure or a challenge. You can (and should) get the entire family involved. When one of your children says “I want…”, make it a family challenge to come up with a free alternative. There are always many things to do in every town that are totally free. Search them out, ask your friends for ideas, and try something that is new. You can use some of your time to work on the budget and see what ways you might be able to tweak it. There are usually adjustments that can be made to save more money. You can think about whether or not you need every single thing on your spending list. Another helpful idea is to use this month to sell things that you no longer need. Using Craiglist or a yardsale, cash can come in handy to pay down the extra bills. Using a meal planner and changing some unhealthy spending habits should improve your ability to keep the budget tight. Try to learn some new frugal-living methods to use from now on. A No-Spending Month is a great way to learn about yourself. Look at it as positive time and not a punishment. As you learn new things, decide which of these things can be carried over into your every-month budget. Then, it will be totally worth it to have a month of no-spending. @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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Frugal Moms Simple Living

Is It Time To Plan A Staycation?

ice cream

Disclosure: Affiliate links included. Spring Break has started here and we didn’t plan a vacation. How about you? Because the virus is spreading around the country, it has made us think about staying home and have a staycation instead. Because my chronic illness medicine suppresses my immune system, I’m vulnerable to virus complications. I’ve been careful about being in crowds to avoid getting sick. And, even though heading to Florida sounds great, a staycation can be fun, too. It isn’t the first time our family has decided to forego long days in the car to go on a vacation. Not only do vacations wear you out, but they wear down your wallet. Between travel expenses, hotels, tickets, and dining out, the expense of a vacation gets higher every year. Vacation At Home If your weather is very warm, get in the pool. Even a child’s pool can be fun. Or have a water-gun fight. Movie Night is fun! Pay to watch a great new movie or watch a marathon of your favorite movie series. Don’t forget the popcorn. Pajama Day/Spa Day is great for kids. Have a mother/daughter mani-pedi morning. Use your brightest polish. Camp out in your back yard. This is so much fun (if you live in a mild climate). Roast marshmallows and tell stories. Sing and laugh into the wee hours. Have a night when the kids cook dinner. Depending on the ages of your children, your meals should be interesting! If you live where there is still snow on the ground, have a snowman-building-contest. The most unique snowman wins! Staycations In Your Hometown Are there any local sporting events? High school sports are usually free or not expensive to attend. Play your own sports. Try a game of tennis. If you’re not very good (like me), you’ll probably get a lot of laughs with this one. Visit a park or trail that’s new to you. Take a hike or a picnic lunch. Museums can be fun, even in a small town. You’ll learn something new. Visit a new ice-cream parlor or pizza place. Have a new food adventure. It will be a treat! Scour the newspaper/internet to find a local event that sounds interesting. There may be a play or concert that may be out of your comfort zone, but you might have a blast. Whatever you decide to do on your staycation, make it a time for great communication. What about turning off the cell phones and suspending the chores for the week? Use paper plates and work as little as possible. Make this a Spring Break they’ll remember. @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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Frugal Moms Parenting Recipe

Taste of Saint Patrick’s Day

St Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming soon and I always look forward to it. My husband and I both have Irish ancestors. We really love many of the delicious dishes that have Irish roots and love to make them on Saint Patricks Day. Irish Soda Bread This easy to make bread doesn’t require yeast, but gets it’s ability to rise from baking soda. Baking soda came to Ireland in the 1800’s and this bread became popular during the Potato Famine. By-the-way, it’s delicious. Corned Beef Hash Hash is a wonderful dish to create with leftovers, and corned beef hash is delicious! It’s easy to make in your skillet. Southern Fried Cabbage With Sausage Here’s another great skillet dish. It has a southern twist to great Irish menu items of Cabbage and Sausage. Yum! Irish Apple Cake This Apple Cake is made with simple ingredients and traditionally cooked in an iron skillet. Corned Beef and Cabbage This is most commonly eaten dish on Saint Patrick’s Day. Beef brisket and cabbage are the main ingredients. Colcannon Recipes for Colcannon included Mashed Potatoes with cabbage or Kale. What a scrumptious side dish! Irish Potato Cakes Another wonderful menu item made with leftovers. The main ingredient is of course, mashed potatoes. Strawberry and Apple Crumble An Apple Crumble might be an Irish staple for dessert, but why not add Strawberries to give it even more flavor. Green Velvet Silver Dollar Pancakes This one doesn’t have an Irish history, but is so much fun for kids! Make a stack of wonderful pancakes for the holiday with green coloring. Green Peppermint Shakes We all love Peppermint Milkshakes, so why not add a little Irish Green to make them even more festive. Leprechaun Chow Here’s another fun snack for kids (and everyone). This snack mix didn’t originate in Ireland, but is amazing to eat on Saint Patrick’s Day. Andes Mint Chocolate Layer Cake How about a rich chocolate cake with Andes Mint frosting layered between? Using green color will only dress it up even more for your festive end to the meal. Saint Patrick’s Day is a lovely day and can be a blast for families. Enjoy mealtime on this day to discuss Ireland: it’s history and culture. I never passed up a holiday to learn a little something. I guess the homeschool-mom in me just couldn’t help myself. @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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