DrinkBands Special While I’m at the MPE Homeschool Conference!

Me sitting in my hotel room after a long, exhausting, but fun day at the MPE Conference.

I’m at the Midwest Parent Educator’s Homeschool Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. We’ve really enjoyed hearing Israel Wayne and Kevin Swanson speak this weekend. I’ve been handing out DrinkBands to people along with a coupon code for 15% off.

You can get this same 15% off your order through May 31 using coupon code:
DISCOUNT

And take a look at the new Party Pack!

These are great for adding on to the traditional DrinkBands for those who have more than 8 people in their family.  They are also just fun!

And shipping is FREE!  This is the perfect time to get a whole stash!

We’ll be back next week with the second half of 10 Days of Large Family Homeschooling!

Keeping Track of Your Homeschool

planner

 Welcome back to 10 Days of Large Family Homeschooling!
Start at the beginning of the series.

If I could choose the one homeschooling conversation I tend to have over and over with other homeschooling moms, it would hands-down be the “homeschool record-keeping” conversation.  Frankly, it is not my favorite conversation, but it sure does keep a lot of moms up at night.

Tonight, I hope you rest easy…

What are your homeschooling laws?

Before you ever begin to try to keep track of homeschooling, you need to know what exactly you are required to keep track of.  States vary from super strict to super lenient, so be sure to check out your state laws on HSLDA.

By the way, a lot of states have laws that say something like:

Student attendance must be equivalent to the public school’s (i.e. 186 days per year, 1116 hours per year).

If that is the case with your state, then please, read my post on How Many Hours it Takes to Homeschool.

Decide how you want to keep track.

I live in a state where the laws are not very strict, so my keeping track will look quite different from say, homeschool moms living in Pennsylvania.  Once you know your state’s law, you can make a more informed decision about HOW you are going to keep track of your school year.  From one mom to another, my biggest piece of advice is

Don’t make it harder than you have to.

Here are some ideas to choose from:

  • Attendance record – Similar to public school, you keep track of every day school is in session, assuming your day is similar in hours to a public school day.
  • Homeschool Planner or software – These can be in the form of paper files or computer files.  The best ones are the ones that can be used over and over.  Here is an extensive list of planner pages and software.
  • School Binder or notebook – This is an easy way to keep track that doesn’t require any forethought.  After your school day, you simply write down all you’ve done that day that constitutes school.  You WILL be surprised!
  • Assignment sheets – Another easy way to keep track is to let your assignment sheets serve as your record.  Put them all into a folder and call it good.

{Note:  If you are looking for help in creating a transcript for your child or for simply understanding how to keep track of it all in high school, I HIGHLY recommend The Total Transcript Solution from The HomeScholar.  Phenomenal product and very easy to understand and implement!}

Now, that we’ve established how you are going to keep track of your year, let’s figure out the day-to-day stuff.

As I mentioned in my Organizing the Large Family Homeschool post, I have adapted over the years, so let me give you some posts from here at Raising Arrows that reflect some of the things we have done in the past to track the day to day homeschool assignments.

1.  Large Family Workboxes – I used a modified workbox method for years, but as my methods of homeschooling began to change, I realized my workboxes sat fairly empty and were taking up more space than I wanted to allow them.

2.  Assignment Binders – These were super helpful when I was pregnant.  One of the best parts was they were color-coded by child – oh, how I love my color-coded children!  However, once they wore out, I did not replace them because my oldest was no longer doing any worksheets and again, my methods of homeschooling had changed to more of a lifestyle of learning rather than textbook oriented.  However, at the time, they were a lifesaver!

3.  Markable Assignment Cards – I only used these for a short time, but thought they deserved a mention anyway.

4.  Quick and Easy Assignment Cards – When my 7th born had colic, this was how we rolled.  Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.  This is a great method for the morning sickness days as well.

Currently, I do a full-blown planning session on Saturday or Sunday night using planning pages I printed off the internet.  These are also how I keep record of our days.  I’m trying to be a more intentional planner while I can be.

A word to the wise: when you aren’t in the throes of morning sickness or a new baby, it’s a good idea to do a chunk of planning so that when that time does come, you can avoid the Mommy-Guilt and Shame On Me Syndrome.

And now for the Grand Finale…

What do I keep?

Short answer:  Only keep the really important stuff.

Large families often struggle with the issue of how much to keep when it comes to school things.  It would be easy to end up with boxes and boxes of papers by the end of your homeschooling career if you don’t choose now to take the minimalist approach.

Here are my guidelines as to what makes it into that precious “School Box”:

  • Was it a momentous occasion? – Was it the first time Junior wrote his name?  Was it the first essay Susie wrote that actually made sense?  Was it a project that had been slaved over and finally accomplished?  Those things are box-worthy.
  • Does it show progress? – I try to keep papers and worksheets that show definite progress from one year to the next or from one task to the next.
  • Will I be sorry I didn’t include it? – The shapes book my 6 year old made isn’t nearly as important to me as the All About Me book he made the same year.  I won’t miss the shapes book, but I would be very sorry to not have the book that tells me all about his likes and dislikes, dreams and aspirations as a 6 year old.

Another large family tip pertaining to the School Box -
Label everything with a name, age, and date.  I put everything in one box, but even if you separate out into individual boxes, you will want to remember exactly what age they were.

Now, I hope you have a blessed day and restful night!

**********************************************************

In the Subscriber Pack (FREE to blog subscribers – just enter your email in the big blue box below or in the sidebar), I’ve included some resources to help you keep track of your homeschool.  Once you enter your email address, you will be asked to verify your email and the next time a post goes out, you will find a link at the bottom of my post with a password and link to the Subscribers Only Site.  Enjoy!

Don’t miss the other blogs participating in the 10 Days Series! Click the button below to find a listing of all the blogs and topics!

Organizing the Large Family Homeschool

supplies organization

Welcome back to 10 Days of Large Family Homeschooling!
Start at the beginning of the series.

I love the concept of cutesy color-coordinated and labeled organizing, but putting it into practice confounds me and feels rather time consuming.  I want quick and simple homeschool organizational methods that will work for the large family household.

So, in this post you will find a smattering of simple ideas based on what we do to keep our homeschooling materials organized.

BOOKSHELVES ARE MY FRIENDS.

I have yet to meet a homeschool mom who doesn’t like bookshelves.  They are an absolute necessity in a large family household!  I have my bookshelves divided up into 3 different sections.

1.  The main bookshelves.

main bookshelves

This conglomeration of bookshelves is in our “sitting room”.  My mom and my older kids painted the long bookshelf brown to sort of match the other shelves so it doesn’t stand out as badly as it did when it was a dingy white.  Most of what is housed here are our family’s personal collection of books.  I do keep the Phonics curriculum in here and a few extras like that.  But, for the most part, these are just books that the children can get out any time they like.

2.  The Books of the Year.

This bookshelf sits in our dining room and houses all the books that will be used during a particular school year.  I also put any books I plan to read in this shelf as well.  This keeps everything for the year in one place so I don’t spend precious time hunting down that one book we need to finish our Ancient Egypt study.  This has been a huge time saver and probably ranks right up there as one of my favorite homeschool organizational tips.

3.  Corporate Studies bookshelf.

corporate bookshelf

When I use the word “corporate” I mean anything we do together as a family during our homeschool day.  The corporate bookshelf is home to our Bibles, our devotionals, the read-aloud history books I have all the children listen to, our art curriculum, some audios and DVDs from Vision Forum, and a few of the series books we are working our way through. (Elsie Dinsmore, Little House on the Prairie, and The Boxcar Children)

 THE HOMESCHOOL CLOSET

homeschool closet

I have had some type of homeschool closet since the very beginning of my homeschooling years.  In our new house, it literally is a shelved closet in the hallway.  Prior to that, it was a cheapie stand-alone storage closet with doors.  I consider this to be one of the essentials of homeschooling organization.  Homeschool books are not used every year, even when you have back to back to back children.  You have to have a way to store all the unused curriculum.

This is also a good place to put those items you use only occasionally that would be in the way if left out.  Since our new house had so much space in this closet, I decided to use a portion of it for workbooks we use every day as well as scratch paper for the kids to draw and write on.  {If you look closely on that bottom shelf, you will see the bulk box of crayons I bought from Discount School Supply ;) }

MOM’S BASKET

mom's basket

This is the basket of curriculum and extras I am currently using.  The things in this basket are used nearly every day.  It sits beside my chair where I am most likely to be sitting while using these items.  It’s a handy place to put them so that all I have to do is reach down and grab the next thing.  I started doing this when I was pregnant with #6 and our school room was downstairs.  I was too worn out to make the trek down to that dingy, dark basement, so I hauled everything I needed upstairs and put it in a basket by my chair.  Since then, it has become a staple of our homeschool organization!

School Binder for Mom

household notebooks

Not long ago, I introduced you to my revamped household binders.  My school binder was one of these.  This is where I keep lesson plans, notebook paper, pens, any extras I want to use in our homeschooling, but haven’t quite figured out where to put it, etc.  I’ll talk more about planning in tomorrow’s post, so you can see a little better how I use this binder.

LIBRARY BAG

library bag

I used to use a Library Box, but it wasn’t very portable.  When my friend , Stacy, started selling Thirty-One Gifts, I got this large utility tote from her and it has been great!  We keep all the library books in here and then just grab the whole thing and go!  It’s tough and holds up to the massive amount of books we bring home from the library.  It’s also a gauge as to when to stop the children from bringing us more books while at the library.  If the bag is full, we leave!

Organizing Extras

Plastic tubs and totes – They make a size of plastic tote for everything!  Currently, I use 2 small pencil boxes to hold crayons for all the kids.  I used to have a box for each child, but decided this year that was a waste of space.  Two boxes have been plenty for all the children to use together.  Besides, they were dumping them all together anyway!

I also use a tub for paints and another for extra supplies like glue, brads, magnet tape, and such.

Metal containers – I don’t use a lot of these, but I do like them for pencils and paintbrushes (see the photo at the top of this post).  We also keep our mail in one and we used to keep our napkins in a couple, but have since started using a basket on the table.

Baskets – Oh, how I love baskets!  They make the ugliest of things look lovely.

Laminator – For a large family, it is imperative you take as many measures as you can to make things last.  A laminator helps with that.  Amazon runs specials on this laminator a couple of times a year or you can buy it at WalMart for a little better price than Amazon’s every day price.

Binders & Page protectors – I love the versatility of binders and page protectors.  Everything from ebooks to nature notebooks can be put in binders.  I even know some homeschool moms who use page protectors as a way to reuse workbook pages.  I actually keep a stash of page protectors and notebook tabs on hand because you just never know when you are going to need them!

Other organizing ideas we have used over the years

Things change and as homeschooling families, we learn to adapt.  Here are a few organizational tools we have used in the past.  Perhaps you find just what you need amongst them:

Workboxes for the Large Family
Assignment Binders
Our Homeschooling Spaces over the Years
How We {used to} Homeschool Preschool & Kindergarten

If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to sign up for Raising Arrows email updates below and get your FREE Subscriber pack for the 10 Days Series. And don’t miss the limited-time offer FREE ebook Homeschooling with Purpose – just for Facebook likers!  Details here.

Homeschooling with Purpose

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts!

Affording the Large Family Homeschool

Welcome back to 10 Days of Large Family Homeschooling!
Start at the beginning of the series.

For any family seeking a private Christian education in the home, money quickly becomes an issue.  While programs like K12 and other public-school umbrellas exist, they do not offer the freedom of choice so many homeschoolers are looking for.  Nor do they offer a Christian education.

Most homeschooling families opt to buy their own curriculum so they can truly be in charge of their child’s education.  When a homeschooling family has many children, curriculum buying becomes an exercise in creative frugality.

Here are a few ways you can save and stretch money in your homeschool:

1.  Buy supplies in bulk.

My absolute favorite place to get school supplies is Discount School Supply.  Every year, I order all the paper, pencils, crayons, paint, craft supplies, etc. we need for the year (and often, they will last longer than that).  I buy crayons in bulk, pencils in bulk, glue in bulk and whatever else I know we use a lot of.  Discount School Supply’s prices are amazing and the shipping is FREE if you have an order over $79.

Another place we buy from is Miller Pads and Paper.  I have never purchased from them online, but they go to a lot of conventions and I buy things from them like dry erase lapboards and specialty papers.  They are also a terrific source for higher level art supplies (I need to keep this in mind when getting extras for See the Light Art!)

2.  Utilize free sites.

There are entire websites devoted to offering free curriculum like Ambleside Online and Old Fashioned Educationthere is a great list of free curriculum sites on Successful Homeschooling.  Free curriculum websites are amazing resources that often use public domain materials.  If you go this route, I would highly recommend investing in some type of eReader like a Kindle or Nook so your children are not confined to staring at a computer all day.  I also like Sherry’s (Large Family Mothering) idea of investing the money to print off free books and then bind them yourself.

There is also a new website, FreeHomeschoolDeals.com, that offers several freebies every day, including free Kindle ebooks.  And on Fridays at Gricefully Homeschooling and Kathy’s Cluttered Mind there is a FreeBee Friday with a link up where other homeschoolers can link up their freebies.

I also use places like Homeschool Share for free unit studies (like when we needed a Farmer Boy supplement for our Little House on the Prairie study).  And of course, never forget your local library!

You could easily pull together a full curriculum for all of your children with all the free stuff on the internet.  It would take a little diligence, perseverance and time, but it is definitely doable.

3.  Dream big and one at a time.

Most homeschool moms go into their school year with a budget in mind.  They say things like, “I have $500 to spend for the entire school year.  How can I get the biggest bang for my buck?”  I would like to encourage you to come at your budget in a little different way.

Rather than seeing your children as a collective, look at each child individually and their individual interests and needs.  Include the things most people consider “extras” and dream big.  You can always pare down from there.

For instance, we’ve decided our youngest children only need Phonics and Math.  The rest of their schooling can come from books we already own, library books, or just plain life.  We focus the bulk of our budget on our older children and increasing our own library of resources. (by the way, the numbers in the photo are random ;) )

I start high with my homeschooling dreams and work my way down when deciding on a reasonable amount to spend each year.  I write down each child’s name and all the items I think they could use in a year and the price of each item.  From there, I start paring down and searching for online resources to replace some of the items until I land on a more reasonable number.

Dreaming big for each individual child teaches you to see each of your child’s strengths and weaknesses and interests in the context of education and discipleship.  You may find yourself very surprised and very excited by the prospects of budgeting this way because it gives such insight for each child.  In the Subscriber Pack, I’ve included a Budget by Child sheet where you can try this method of planning.

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our youngest - age 18 months4.  See your purchases as an investment.

This is the number one thing I tell homeschooling parents of many.  Your purchase today will be passed down from one child to the next.  If there is a curriculum you really think would benefit your homeschool, but the price feels too hefty, don’t always walk away from it.  Consider how many of your children will be able to use it and other places you can scrimp in order to purchase it.  The money you spend now will be well worth it in the long run.

And I want to urge you to realize your child’s education is not just about academic scores.  This is the very reason I wrote Homeschooling with Purpose.  Homeschool parents have to move beyond test scores and textbooks as their measure of success.  Get your free copy of Homeschooling with Purpose until the end of this month by liking the Raising Arrows facebook page and clicking on the Only Likers button!

And don’t miss the other blogs participating in the 10 Days Series!  Click the button below to find a listing of all the blogs and topics!

Avoiding Chaos in a Large Family Homeschool

 Welcome back to 10 Days of Large Family Homeschooling!
Start at the beginning of the series.


Herding cats.

That’s what my husband tells people we do.  And yes, sometimes herding cats is a good way to describe the large family life.

Every child is unique and homeschooling a large group of children with varying interests and aptitudes can be just as chaotic as it is rewarding.

Today, I want to share with you some tips and tricks for avoiding the chaos!

1.  A Daily Schedule or Routine.

One of the first things you can do to make life less chaotic, is to adopt a daily rhythm to your life that incorporates all the things you need to get done in a day.  If you are a regular reader of Raising Arrows, you know how I love to talk about finding out if you are a Schedule Family or a Routine Family and all that entails.  It is so important to have a clear idea of how your family runs naturally, so you can harness that and focus it into something that works FOR you rather than AGAINST you.

Lists and charts and plans only work when you can implement them.  Sometimes the lack of implementing a plan is laziness and sometimes it is simply the wrong plan.  So, be diligent about finding something that works and trying it for a week or two before deciding if it needs a little tweaking or a toss out the window.

Read what other large families are doing.  There are plenty of large family blogs out there and they almost always share their daily schedules.  But remember, no two families are alike and you will not be able to entirely implement anyone else’s schedule.  I spent many years trying to be exactly like the other large families I knew and failed miserably because we weren’t them and our circumstances were very different.  Glean what you can and then make it your own.

at the computer

 2.  Plan when you can.

There is a vicious cycle that can occur in a large homeschooling family.  You need to plan your school day/week/year so things run smoothly, but you are so busy running your large family, you can’t find the time to plan.

That’s why it is crucial you plan when you can.

I do a big overview planning of my school year in the early summer, but I plan specifics every weekend.  Truth be told, I look forward to my weekly homeschool planning sessions.  Coffee in hand, books all over the place, and a feeling that I am actually accomplishing something is a very happy place for me.

But, not always can I manage my weekend planning session.  Sometimes the weekend is just too busy or we are out of town, or some other project needs me.  Yet, I know if I don’t plan, I won’t get much accomplished.  Because of this, I know I have to find snippets of time somewhere in my day to plan homeschooling stuff.

One of the best ways to do this is to keep a notebook and pen handy and make a list of what you hope to get done that week in your homeschool.  If you manage to transfer it to an actual homeschool planner template, then great.  If not, no problem…the plan is still there.

3.  A crew of vikings.

Yeah, that was random.  But, allow me to explain.

Years ago, I heard Gregg Harris give a session at the Midwest Parent Educator’s Conference in Kansas City entitled Row Yourself to the Battle.  Vikings never had slaves row them to their next battle, they always did it themselves.  And if one viking didn’t do his job, they all paid the price.  We brought that concept into our home and homeschool by giving our children a meaningful part to play in the familyEveryone has a job.  Every job is needed.  Everyone in the family rows, we row together.  And if someone is left rowing all by themselves with a project, you will often here,

“Where are the vikings?!”

 

4.  Discipline with purpose.

We’ve all done it.  At some point in our parenting we have dealt a punishment that either didn’t fit the crime or made absolutely no sense at all.  Despite the mistakes, we should all try to be purposeful in how we discipline. We should strive to make our disciplining biblical and relevant.

This If-Then Chart is a great place to start.  It lists the offense with the discipline and the Scripture to back it.  I also really like Wise Words for Moms and Parenting with Scripture.


5.  The little things that matter.

What are the little things that matter?  They are your little people.  Your babies and toddlers are a super important part of your day and without a plan for them, you will either spend all day putting out fires or all day playing.  There are tons of posts here on Raising Arrows pertaining to homeschooling with toddlers.  Do a quick search in the sidebar search box for “toddlers” or Google something like “homeschooling with toddlers“.

6.  Free yourself from distractions.

You already have a lot going on, why add to it?  My two biggest distractions during school hours are the computer and a messy house.  I call it Brain-Clutter and Eye-Clutter.

The computer is my main researching tool and it keeps my always-thinking brain quite happy with information overload.  But, this is not a good thing when I should be teaching school.  I avoid the bedroom where my computer is until AFTER school hours.

Before we went to a One-Day Home Blessing, I required our weekly chores to be done before school hours for the simple fact I needed a clean home (no eye-clutter) in order to be my most productive.  However, I would be more likely to recommend you go to bed with a clean house rather than what I was doing…letting everything go once supper was over.

By the way, if going to bed with a clean house seems like an impossibility to you, may I gently suggest this ebook:

affiliate link7.  Stay calm.

This may sound trite, but if mama is calm, life feels more manageable.  Here’s a prayer just for you, homeschool mom!

To download a full-size copy of this prayer along with many other free printables and forms relevant to this series, enter your email below.  You’ll find the link to your Subscriber Package at the bottom on my emails to you.

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And don’t miss the FREE ebook, Homeschooling with Purposea limited time Facebook offer!  Go to the Raising Arrows Facebook page and click on the Only Likers tab to snag your free copy!

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts!

10 Days of Large Family Homeschooling Is Here! {Plus FREE eBook & Welcome Home Link Up!}

The next two weeks I’ll be talking large family homeschooling here on Raising Arrows.  However, you don’t have to have a large family to get some goodie out of these posts.  Remember, adopting a large family mentality is great for any family size!

Topics that will be covered are:
Avoiding Chaos
Affording the Large Family Homeschool
Organizing the Large Family Homeschool
Keeping Track of Everything
The One-Room Schoolhouse Model
Sometimes School Doesn’t Look Like School {giveaway!}
Feeding the Crew
Caring for Yourself
The Rewards of Homeschooling Any Family Size

If you are new to Raising Arrows, I want you to know I am committed to honoring God with my words and encouraging moms everywhere to be more intentional and focused on what really matters.  I like to keep things simple!

To get started, you might want to take a look at the Large Family Living section of this blog, the Homeschooling page, and my Top 10 Reasons for Having a Large Family.

You’ll also want to subscribe to get your FREE SUBSCRIBER PACK for this series.  You can get Raising Arrows in your inbox by entering your email address below and then verifying your address through the email that follows.  Or you can subscribe via a Feed Reader.

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And be sure to “Like” the Raising Arrows facebook page then click on the Only Likers tab to get your copy of Homeschooling with Purpose.

Homeschooling with Purpose

This ebook will only be free during the 10 Days Series, so hurry!

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts!

And remember, I’m hosting a Norwex party, so visit Renee’s site, choose your products (see my favorites here), and email her at drposchen @ cox . net (remove spaces) with your order!  I very much appreciate it!

Now, it’s time for you to link up your homemaking posts for the Welcome Home Link Up! (you can grab the button in my sidebar!)