Tag Archives: Tips

5 Steps To Help Organize Your Homeschool Room

Posted on March 7, 2011 by crisc27| 8 Comments

Whether you have a space or a room, organization is important. If I didn’t organize I would have clutter building up and my homeschool day would be chaotic.

Tip #1

Don’t be a HOARDER! I know we like to hold on to things for a “what if” or “just in case” but if we kept everything we felt that way about, we would be buried in clutter. Just because you got it for a good deal, doesn’t mean you should keep it forever if you don’t have anything planned for it.

KEEP WHAT YOU NEED – TOSS OR SELL WHAT YOU DON’T

Tip #2

Label, label, label. My husbands label maker is my favorite item in the room. Not only does labeling make things easier for you, it makes it easier for the kids to put things away in the correct place.

I labeled the shelves and folders. Since my kids are still young I also labeled things like their box of crayons,glue,chairs,and markers.

Tip #3

Bookshelves!! Adding shelves to your room or space will give you more ground space to use for other things. I used rain gutters and followed an easy tutorial. It looks great and the kids love it.

Tip #4

Folders. I love them and they help keep the kids work separated and in order. With the folders I don’t have to dig through boxes to find something. Everything is right there.

Tip #5

Everything has a place. All crafts go together, all play-dough together, etc…
Every item in my homeschool room has a spot. This not only makes it look nice but helps the kids remember where the stuff is. It also makes clean up a breeze.

You can find out more about what works in our classroom in the Amazon link below.

This post is linked to Hip Homeschool Hop

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Posted in Organize Homeschool Room, Tips

Tagged Organize Homeschool Room, Tips

Preparing A Preschool Unit Study

Posted on February 28, 2011 by crisc27| 2 Comments

The past couple months I have been working hard to complete Heavens unit studies for next year. Unit Studies can be adapted for more than 1 age group, that’s why I choose to go with it. Thomas will be doing Hands On Homeschooling but I also wanted to add more to his lesson plan.

Note: I am NOT a professional at this but I will share the basics of what I learned. As time goes by you will see what works for you and your family. This is just to give you an idea where to begin.

Step 1

How old are your children that will be using the units? Do they show more interest for certain things? What things do you want to teach?

I took all this into consideration and decided to pick a topic from each letter of the alphabet. I picked subjects that Heaven is interested in but easy enough for Thomas to join if needed.

Step 2

Brainstorm! Think outside the box on this one. Take a topic, make a web chart, break it into sub topics. If you do a unit study on bugs, think about EVERYTHING (depending on age) that can be connected to an insect.

Do you want to learn about…

where they live?
what they eat?
why they look the way they do?

Google.com was a huge help!

Step 3

Now you can begin to assemble the unit. I picked activities that included art, math,science, and language arts. I labeled folders with each unit name so when I buy something I can place it in the folder. Each folder has a labeled bag for bigger things I might buy.

Every unit has a book to read!

A calendar will help you pick weeks around holidays if you plan on doing themes based around them. (This only applies if you are following a more strict curriculum.)

These 3 steps helped me put together well organized unit studies which is great for my OCD so I hope it helps you.

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Posted in Preparing a Preschool Unit Study, Tips

Tagged Preparing a Preschool Unit Study, Tips

Where To Start

Posted on January 19, 2011 by crisc27| Leave a comment

Once you make the decision to homeschool you are often left with the question, “where do I start?” There are so many resources out there that it can make it extremely overwhelming. In this post you will find the basics of what is needed to homeschool.

First thing you should do is learn the laws in your State. You can check out this website for information in your area.

HSLDA

Second, you should have a plan. In your plan include;

What space will be used for your “learning area”
How much time do you have to put into this
What goals would you like to accomplish this year ( I say this year because I take it one year at a time)

Third, know your child’s learning style. This will help you when planning your curriculum.You can find more information about learning styles on this site.

http://www.eduguide.org/library/viewarticle/2094/

Lastly, decide on what type of method you will use and begin designing your curriculum.

Methods

Do you want an online class, a free curriculum, a package deal, will you teach religion? These are important questions to ask yourself before choosing one.

A Tip From Me To You

Confidence is key. You must go into this experience with a POSITIVE attitude. No matter how bad it could be, you have to hope for the best. Having a positive attitude will make homeschooling more enjoyable for the kids and yourself.

Now you can begin shopping, Happy Homeschooling!