Homeschool Schedules & Tips

I have 10 children and have been homeschooling for over 20 years. I've led multiple co-ops, taught lots of homeschool classes, spoken at multiple homeschool conferences, and had a blast creating amazing memories with my kids while learning together! I've been blogging almost that entire time, frequently posting answers when I get asked the same question multiple times, so I'll be answering these questions:

• What does my homeschool schedule look like?
• What do I with my littles while homeschooling my older kids?
• What did my my homeschool day look like when I only had a preschooler or kindergartner?
• How did I get my kids to love math so much?
• What tips do I share with families when they're transitioning from public or private school to homeschooling?
• How do I get dinner on the table each night?
• ...and more...

• How I Homeschool with Seven Children Vlog - I actually have 10 children now, but you can see what homeschooling looks like when you are teaching multiple ages. I finally created videos showing what a typical day looks like for us this year. This is my only vlog as I'm more of a writer. When I filmed and posted this, I had seven children, ages 13 and under. I not only tried to show our daily routine, but I also focused heavily on what I did with all my little ones since I had 3 children who are ages 3 and under.
• My Homeschool Curriculum for Elementary Grades - Take a peek at my homeschool bookshelf. Actually, all the books are piled across my dining room table right now, but you can peek there too! Ahh, the daunting task of picking out the BEST homeschool curriculum! There are so many great options from which to choose! I have searched through numerous curriculums to find what works best for my family. I am frequently asked what curriculums we use for homeschooling, so I created this page listing what we use. Below you can find the homeschool curriculums that I selected for my family for all subjects for all elementary level grades. I'm not saying our choices are the best choices for your family, but this is what is working for us right now. At the bottom I have also included what our general daily schedule looks like. I wrote this when I was homeschooling 5 children (baby - 4th grade).

• Homeschool Preschool and Kindergarten - Are you considering homeschooling but don't know where to start? Do you have a preschooler who is eager to learn but you have no idea what to teach or how? Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the options? I have laid out what I do to homeschool my children when they are ages 3-5 and have also included my favorite resources for preschool and kindergarten learning.
• Homeschool Kindergarten Essentials - Are you considering homeschooling your kindergarten age child or are you already homeschooling and are looking for ideas? I have graduated 3 of my children from "Kindergarten Homeschool" and am currently homeschooling kindergarten with my 4th child. Below you will find my practical tips for your first year of homeschooling kindergarten.

• Taming Toddler Tornadoes: What to Do with Littles When Homeschooling Older Children - I was asked to speak at a homeschool conference on this topic, so this is my presentation (minus the dark chocolate brownies). Are you homeschooling older children and you have a baby and/or toddler at home as well? I currently have three school age children along with a preschooler, toddler, and baby. A question I get a lot from homeschooling families is, "What in the world do you do with your toddler and/or baby?" Read this to find out what I do to keep my babies and toddlers busy and happy while still covering algebra, sentence diagramming, dissections, and more with the older set.
• Creative Activities to Do with Your Baby - Are you looking for educational activities you can do with your baby? We all want the smartest and the happiest children and grandchildren possible. I have included some practical suggestions that I have used with my children from their earliest ages to attain this goal. This is Part 1 in a 3 part series.
• Creative Activities to Do with Your Baby or Toddler - Are you looking for educational activities you can do with your baby or toddler? We all want the smartest and the happiest children and grandchildren possible. I have included some practical suggestions that I have used with my children from their earliest ages to attain this goal. This is Part 2 in a 3 part series.

• Creative Activities to Do with Your Toddler or Preschooler - Are you looking for educational activities you can do with your toddler or preschooler? We all want the smartest and the happiest children and grandchildren possible. I have included some practical suggestions that I have used with my children from their earliest ages to attain this goal. This is Part 3 in a 3 part series.
• Training My Child to Sit in Church - My children sit in church with us each Sunday. They sing and pray with us and listen to the sermon. Many families have asked, "How in the world do you do that?" That's why I'm writing this. Let me clarify that I am not writing this to explain why we keep our children in church with us. I am writing this to explain how we keep our children in church with us.

• How to Start a Homeschool Co-op - Having homeschool co-op each week is what keeps us homeschooling. It's the highlight of the homeschool week and one of the best investments of my time! My kids look forward to this every week and we have created so many great memories together! There are many ways to do a homeschool co-op. My homeschool co-ops are hands-on unit studies focusing on science and history. I have started 3 homeschool co-ops and have participated in numerous other ones that had ranged in style, purpose, and operation. Have you considered starting a co-op? If you're not already part of a co-op, you can start your own no matter where you live.

Need Co-op Lesson Ideas?

• Science : Astronomy, Geology, Biology, Plants, Genetics, CSI, Human Anatomy, Simple Machines, Electricity, Earth Science, Fossils, Weather, Five Senses, & Ecology
• American History : Explorers, Native Americans, American Colonies, Independence, Westward Expansion, Presidents, & more through World War II
• World History : Tabernacle, Medieval Period, Leonardo da Vinci, Protestant Reformation, Explorers, China, Russia, & Africa
• Geography : 50 States, China, Japan, Russia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, & Countries A - Z
• Art : Artists and Elements of Art, Leonardo da Vinci, Medieval Art, Sculpting, & Pottery
• Preschool : Horses, Manners, Five Senses, Attributes of God, Butterflies, Plants, Bees, Military, Construction, Sculpting, Science of Bread, Ladybugs, Sheep & Wool, Japan, Lighthouses, Laws & Obedience, Illusions & Deception, & the Gingerbread Man
• Holidays : Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Summer Fun, & Reformation Day

• Homeschool Field Trips: Free Museum, Zoo, Garden, and Park Tickets - Would you like to get FREE admission to hundreds of museums, gardens, zoos, and parks? Find out how to have the most fun while traveling without busting your budget! Whenever we travel, we visit sooo many art, science, history, and children's museums. We also stop by lots of botanical gardens, zoos, and parks. People think we spend a fortune on our vacations, but we don't! My entire family gets into all of those places free! Yes, really! The way we do this is through the reciprocity agreements between museums, gardens, zoos, and parks.

• How to Start Homeschooling (Transitioning from a Public or Private School) - Welcome to the exciting world of homeschooling! I totally remember how overwhelming it is when you first start homeschooling. I've been homeschooling for 4 years, so the fear, anxiety, excitement, dread, etc. of starting homeschooling is still fresh in my mind. Many families have asked for my advice on how to start homeschooling. This is what I tell them.

• My Homeschool Math Curriculum, Games, and Books - Take a peek into our homeschool room! Many days my children B-E-G to do math! Why?!? We combine workbooks with lots of fun math games, toys, and picture books! I have searched through countless curriculums & activities to find the best fit for my children, and I want to share with you what I've found that we think is fabulous! I currently homeschool 4 children (18 mo - 4th grade).

• Best Audio Books & Stories for Kids (that Adults Will Love Too) - We are big fans of audio books for kids and have listened to hundreds. We love audio books, audio stories, and memory tunes that are both educational and entertaining and that appeal to a variety of ages. We listen to them on car trips, during lunch, and even while my kids play. These are our absolute favorites.

• My Best Tips on Cooking Dinner Even on Busy Homeschooling Days - I was asked to speak at our local MOPS group on this topic, so this was what I presented (minus the raffled off frozen casseroles). Do you want to cook once or twice a week and only spend 15-20 minutes in total from start to finish making dinner each night...even if casseroles are never on the menu? Below you will find my tips, links to my favorite recipes, and more to help you feed your family (or yourself) home-cooked meals each night of the week no matter how packed your schedule is!

• Fun CC Cycle 1 Lessons and Book Ideas for Home - What we do at home each week: reading children's books, doing activities, and watching YouTube video clips related to the science sentence, history sentence, or geography sentence. So we can dig deeper, we only focus on one subject per week.
• Fun CC Cycle 2 Lessons and Book Ideas for Home - What we do at home each week: reading children's books, doing activities, and watching YouTube video clips related to the science sentence, history sentence, or geography sentence. So we can dig deeper, we only focus on one subject per week.
• CC Cycle 1 Weekly Lessons for Abecedarian Tutors - This will take you to the lesson for Week 1. Links for all the other weeks are at the bottom of the page.
• CC Cycle 2 Weekly Lessons for Abecedarian Tutors - This will take you to the lesson for Week 1. Links for all the other weeks are at the bottom of the page.
• CC Cycle 3 Weekly Lessons for Abecedarian Tutors - This will take you to the lesson for Week 1. Links for all the other weeks are at the bottom of the page.

• KONOS Volume I Lessons - My unit study journey through KONOS Volume I. Included are links to 77 lessons we did while using KONOS Volume I.
• KONOS Volume II Lessons - My unit study journey through KONOS Volume II. Included are links to 34 lessons we did while using KONOS Volume II.
• KONOS Volume III & Russia: Land of Endurance Lessons - My unit study journey through KONOS Volume III & Russia: Land of Endurance. Included are links to 50 lessons we did while using KONOS Volume III & Russia: Land of Endurance.
• How to Plan a Unit Study - Many families have asked for my advice on how to start homeschooling using unit studies and KONOS Curriculum. This is what I tell them.

• Abeka Biology (Middle School) Series of 30 Lessons- This is a series of 30 hands-on lessons covering middle school or upper elementary biology from a Christian perspective using Abeka Order & Design. This is the link for the first lesson. Links to the remaining free lessons can be found at the bottom of the page.I used this plan while teaching a 55 minute middle school biology class in a co-op setting, though it can also be used at home. Each lesson plan includes homework assignments and a variety of hands-on activities to make each lesson engaging & memorable.