Homeschooling? Thinking about Homeschooling? BUT… do you have to turn your home into a school? No, my dear friend, you do not need to turn your home into a school. Your home can still be a HOME. A home ready to learn! Ready?

Ready? This is EASY as ABC…

* Find a good nook! It does not have to be huge. Certainly does not need to be expensive. All that is needed is a place that invites your children (and YOU!) to think, work through the studies (writing, reading, studying, proofreading, projects, experiments…). Ask yourself, “Where do they gravitate toward to read…to research…to write…to print?” Keep in mind that each and every student in your family will be very different during the learning process, but most will appreciate having all of the supplies and equipment in a safe, quiet, comfortable place to study. When deciding on a spot, make sure that the spot has good lighting and a good, solid, clean, work surface. Make sure it is a good spot to think AND work on lessons.” Set up the area with a nice table or desk with plenty of work area…comfortable chairs…limited distractions…shelves for books and notebooks…space for a computer and printer…convenient power supply…space for you to sit down and work with them during their lessons…and a specific spot for organizational bins that will hold supplies.

* Get supplies together! You probably have supplies ALREADY in your home. Use our list to remind you of which supplies you will need to gather for homeschooling. Gather them and organize them so they will be ready to use when your children can snatch time to dig into their studies.

* Give easy access to materials and supplies! Don’t just gather supplies, give your children easy access to those supplies! Nothing else can encourage your children to dig deeper into studies like having the materials needed to learn AND free reign to use them. Gather the supplies you will need and store them in clearly marked plastic bins and containers. There are SO many options available. Find what will work for you and your family. Get paper and printable pages together. I have always stored ours in our school materials so the children had their materials on hand as they needed it. A quick glance can remind me that we need more. I buy all of our paper, ink pens, pencils, 3-ring binders, etc in bulk at Sam’s Warehouse. During the school breaks, many stores have supplies and paper in bulk for better prices than all year round. That is when we also stock up. We store it on our school shelves and have what we need as we work.

* Invest in the best tools! It may seem to be an added expense, however tools make all of the difference in the world! For example, you can buy a cheap stapler for under $5.00 OR you can buy a long-arm stapler for $29.95 at an office supply store. The difference? Well, we have bought SO MANY cheap staplers. They simply do not last. Plus, they are limited in what they can do. Now, contrast that with the long-arm stapler? They are built to last. You can use those for making any size booklet and for regular stapling. Just watch your most reluctant writer when they figure out ALL that they can do with one stapler! $29.95 will be the best investment ever! Buy the best as you can. The investment is more than just for equipment, it is investing in your child’s education!

* Set up a Library! YES! What homeschool is complete without bookshelves? Ok…what ONE thing is a dream of a homeschooling mother? Yep! MORE bookshelves! We only had a very, very few books when we began homeschooling. Want to know “HOW” I came into homeschooling? I had no idea what my children should read. I remember hoping that my favorites from childhood could be part of my children’s education–not knowing that God had given me full authority to choose what my children could learn in our homeschool. It is funny now that the books that I DID have from my childhood were truly books that were classics–that SHOULD be passed from generation to generation. Of course, that included just a very few books. My deepest prayer was for God to teach me how to find good books–isn’t that SO amazing considering what we do as a business? It did not take me very long until I began finding great places with hidden treasures just waiting for us–used book sales at the library…yard sales…antique stores…even family! My collection grew very quickly. In fact, it took over the few bookshelves that we had and began my life pursuit of MORE bookshelves! Begin a library in your home. You won’t be sorry! Gather the books that you have. Set them up in a logical order that would work for you and your family–catalog like the library? Set up by subjects…or authors? Set up to work for you. Begin to build bit-by-bit. You may want to begin with books that appeal to your child’s interests. Or, you may want to begin collecting biographies (our favorites!) or picture books. They will add up quickly. So, how do you make it part of your homeschool? Simply set it up close to where your children study or gather to read. I set up our children’s books upstairs in the playroom early on. I put them on their level. I made up THE RULE–you must always put away your book before getting another. The rest is history–or well, years of my children learning on every subject! J Now, I am not nearly as likely to buy too many books now as I was in the early years when we were first getting started–there had to be a limit. Now, we buy the best and notebook the rest. We only buy books that I want to pass down to my grandchildren one day–the others we check out from the library and simply take notes into our notebooks from them (notebooks are also sure to be family heirlooms that our grandchildren will adore one day!). All of our resources are accessible and welcoming to our children. Having them in their own special place has invited my children to learn at all times as part of our family life. Give it a try at your house!

* Try Notebooking! Notebooking…ahhh, just the thought makes me hyper! If I could ask every homeschooling family to do just one thing, it would be to just give Notebooking a try. I am sure that if you try just a bit, you will be addicted too! This is the one technique that pulls everything together–studies, research, real life, personal interests–EVERYTHING! It reaches even the most reluctant writer! It makes homeschooling fun and easy! Who wouldn’t want to try that? Not just that! Everything that normally clutters up the busy homeschool home can be tucked away into a notebook! All of those books that you have read have great material, pictures, and information begging to be added into notebooks. All of those precious narrations can be safely protected in notebooks. All of those daily copywork lessons can find their home in notebooks on each of the topics that your children love so much. Even those awesome handouts that you have piled up from field trips can find the perfect home in your notebooks! Homeschooling is recorded. An heirloom is built! Just try notebooking! You will love it…and so will your most reluctant writer! How? First, learn about notebooking (we have TONS of information on our website and in most of our books about how to do it!). The basics are as simple as getting your supplies and turning your children loose. Once your children have a “place” to keep their work, the most amazing thing happens–they find themselves becoming more and more addicted to writing. It won’t be long and you will find your children digging deeper into their studies. Oh, and it won’t be very long until you will find them hunting for their notebooks when “school” is out and they are just pursuing life interests. Then, you will know that education has become a lifestyle that will continue for their whole life!

* Set up learning areas in your entire home! Learning does not just occur during table time or formal lessons. The beauty of a learning home is that children can find learning in every single corner of a child friendly home. Now, I am not advocating that you decorate your home like a kindergarten–in fact, your husband would probably want for you to promptly discontinue reading anything by me if I did. There is something about homeschooling that may excite some families to have blackboards and timelines on the wall…world maps on the dining table (which I think is ADORABLE!)…and art easels in the living room. However, if your husband is like mine, he might prefer that there be Home Interior on the wall rather than that good old timeline (how do you think we got started doing ours in our notebooks?). Rather than home being decorated like a school–why not develop a learning home. Something like a nice, clean library with bean bags and audio tapes/headphones–talk about great for a daily quiet time! What about a game room? Just a few organizers and shelves with all of those PIECES in their very own spot–yep, a man will gladly help you transform that old sunroom into a game room! What about a big comfy couch with room for the whole family to cuddle up for long read alouds? What about a TV area for educational movies, old classics, and the history channel? What about a Writer’s Nook set up with all your children need to write and produce books? What about a computer/desk area for projects or a place for your little builder to tinker around? How about a spot outside to play and “build” settings for their adventures? Oh, and don’t forget about a big chest or closet with dress up clothes! Welcome your children and learning in your home!

Have a blast!

The tough part is over and the rest will be a blast! Are you more prepared than you think? Just go back over the list. Set up your home bit-by-bit to invite learning for LIFE! Not only will your children love it–but so will YOU! Have fun!

Need MORE Help?

Cindy Rushton has written over 80 books and produced 1,000’s of audios with the desire to minister to the hearts of fellow homeschooling mothers. Read her books or tune into her audios and you will quickly find why she has become a favorite of so many moms (and kids) around the world–she has a heart to make homeschooling easy for every family. Want more help homeschooling? Check out her resources. They are on sale this week for HALF OFF. See them here: http://www.cindyrushton.com/HalfOffSale.html

Quick Tips to Make This Year Tops by Cindy Rushton

How is your New Year Going? Can you believe that we are in the middle of MARCH??? WOW! Can you believe it?

Are you making the most of this year? Do you want to make the most of every minute this year? That is what this article is all about! Here are some quick tips for making the most of every second with your children so you can make this year tops! Here goes…

* SET UP YOUR DAILY LESSONS AROUND YOUR FAMILY LIFE. You do not have to imitate a classroom setting in your home. Rather, set up your daily lessons around the way your family functions best. Get to know your children, your own teaching style, and your lifestyle. How can learning be the most natural? What are the best hours for lessons? What environment do your children need to learn best? What type of environment do you need to teach most effectively? Set up your lessons around how your family functions best!

* LEARN AS A FAMILY! It is not all up to you! One of the greatest resources that you and I have at our disposal is the interests and relationships within our own families. For example, Matthew is our “history buff.” Just sitting around talking as a family can set the atmosphere for the very best history lessons, especially if we pick Matthew’s brain. Actually, he loves history so much that if we will just listen to him, we can learn what he knows. No lesson plans. No teacher’s manuals. No lesson preparation. Just relationships! Then, we come to Elisabeth, our walking Science and Art manual! What about your family? Be a family. Take the pressure off of yourself. Get rid of artificial education. Use your greatest resource–the one that God designed from the beginning to provide a REAL education. Learn from one another.

* TAKE TIME NOW TO PLAN… Ok. I know! Seem like too much work? Seem to take too much time now? Oh! But the benefits are immeasurable! You can scope out the year to see how much needs to be covered and how you can get it all done. Your children will know what to expect for each day and each subject. You and your children will know when you reach your goals. Sooo, why not take time now to plan out your year. Plan out your goals for this year. Plan out how to implement the various curriculum you want to use. Plan out your daily schedule. Plan out events and studies for the year. You won’t be sorry!

* CONSIDER TEACHING ALL-YEAR ROUND. From the very beginning, we found that our children just thrived from working steadfastly all year long on lessons. Now, this does not mean that we do not change the pace up throughout the year. In fact, we tend to make fall a time for deep academic pursuits and research along with nature walks (that time of the year BEGS for us to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!). Winter begs for more cuddly reading time. Spring demands that we change our pace to include outdoor activities. Summer offers us great field trips and book-time (on the road). Homeschooling all year long gives us the freedom to make use of every season and not let life go by while we focus on merely academics. Instead, we can give our children a full education, making the most of every minute and not losing even one minute!

* BRAINSTORM FOR WAYS TO WORK IN THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS. In the early years, I really loved reading aloud to our children. My greatest battle was with the interruptions from life. Inevitably, when I would sit down with a great book and child in each arm, the phone would ring…someone would be at the front door…or an animal would even need something! I really wanted to bring in great literature, but there was a battle waging against that precious time. By accident, we found that the best time for us to read…and read…and read was right before bedtime. Not only were those interruptions under control, but also the children were captive! Think through those things that you want to include in your day. Is there a way to insure success? Brainstorm ways and see if you can find a way to make this year the best!

* SIMPLIFY MEALS… The toughest thing for me to balance with homeschooling even all of these years later is meal planning and preparation. I have a tendency to get engulfed in cooking OR lessons, but seldom BOTH at the same time. Now, I have no problem with multi-tasking. But, I realized early in our homeschool journey that I could spend all day every day homeschooling and I could spend all day every day in the kitchen. What I needed was balance. How do ya balance two fulltime jobs? First, simplifying lessons. But, that is not enough. Also, we have to simplify meals. Our way of simplifying meals was to make a plan for easy meals! Here are five things that we do to make meals easy:

Cook in bulk. Actually I call my plan, “Serve and Store.” The first years of homeschooling I had a home business of sewing for the public. I would sew one day, cook one day. On the sewing days, we would have leftovers from my cooking day. In other words, I would cook and SERVE on one day…and sew and eat the food that we had STORED on the next day! It was a nice balance, which enabled me to operate a successful sewing business while homeschooling and homemaking! From this, I developed a habit of cooking in bulk that has continued till today. It is easy to just buy double ingredients…usually it is cheaper! I just double my recipes and freeze the extra dish. Yesterday, I had the “fruit” of my labors as we had Lasagna already prepared last week that only needed to be popped in the oven and served with our fresh bread. You can be prepared at all times for those dropping in if you freeze a variety of foods as you cook them! Bulk Cooking redeems the time so you can stay busy with the important things in life…relationships!

Make Your Own Freezer Meals. Same concept, except go ahead and put together a full meal on a microwave dish and freeze for those quick moments that you may need a full meal, but not have time to prepare the whole thing. OH! This also works nice for families with special diets, picky eaters, or even for those wanting to prepare meals for shut-ins or others needing a touch of ministry.

Crock-pot Cooking. My crock-pot is one of the most priceless treasures in my kitchen. Besides providing meals that are packed with nutrition, my crock-pot allows me to prepare the ingredients quickly in the morning, turn on the crock-pot and leave it going, then end my evening with a great meal! Nothing beats that! I cook anything in my crock-pot–from my soups and stews to many of my main dishes. Invest in a crock-pot and begin collecting great recipes. You will find a great way to balance homeschooling with managing your busy home.

Make Your Own Monthly Menu. I have a very good friend that has THE BEST plan I have ever seen for planning out her menus. She has ONE monthly menu that she has put together. Everyone knows exactly what to expect for each day of the week for the whole month. Can you imagine how much stress this eleviates in her life–not to mention, how she is building a legacy in her home. Her children KNOW what to expect. Plus, they can easily help Mommy get the meals together, because they know what she does for each meal! Yep! I have decided to simplify my own plans to make things a bit easier in our home too. Not only does this save our BRAIN, but it also makes things so much easier for shopping (only ONE shopping list–she prepared hers on her computer ONCE and now only goes through checking off what she needs!)…and storage (She only stores what they are eating regularly–she can buy in bulk, but she is not buying anything that is not used each and every week!!!!). See our form in this issue for our Monthly Menu Planner. Of course, you can choose any system that works for you!

Don’t forget EASY Meals! Probably everyone can benefit from this! One thing that has helped me for those inevitable tights that I face almost on a daily basis–at least for one meal–was when I developed a list of our favorite EASY foods. I try to keep all of the basic ingredients needed for these “quick meals.” All I did to develop this was brainstorm through what we choose over and over again. Then, I grouped ours by mealtimes, although we LOVE eating a full breakfast with all of the goodies–biscuits, scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage, ham, bacon, honey–for occasional evening meals! After that, I made a list of what I needed to be sure to keep on hand. Then, I posted the list on the refrigerator and kept a copy in my Meal Management Notebook. All we do now is look at the list, grab the ingredients and devour! EASY! Why not make your own list too?

What do you think? Easy? Yep, make it easy! Choose whichever ideas will help you to make EASY meals while leaving you time to homeschool the EASY way! Not only will you enjoy meal preparation much, much more, but you will also have more time to enjoy your homeschool journey!

* COOP WITH FRIENDS! One of the best ways to make the most of your time while sharing the burdens of teaching tough subjects with others is to coop. Now, don’t skip this point. Coops can bring to mind many different memories because coops are set up so many different ways. Some are set up like Private Schools. Others are just two moms sharing resources, ideas, plans, and abilities. Make it easy. If you have a local support group with great coop activities, make use of the classes. If there is an area of difficulty for you, be sure to use those activities and classes. If you have gifts, consider sharing with your friends who struggle in that area. Share the work with others. You will make the best use of your time while blessing others.

* COMBINE SUBJECTS! Most subjects just come to life when they are taught in the midst of a thematic study. Instead of trying to set aside time in each day or even each week to teach each and every subject, why not learn about those subjects while learning about a topic? Why not read literature in the midst of your history study? Why not also learn geography while studying that topic? What about finding any copywork or making a homemade book so you cover Language Arts while studying your topic? What about tracing journeys on a map? Adding figures to your timeline? Things will become SO much more do-able if we can find ways to simplify our lessons. Combine those “subjects” into great studies!

* THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. Education is not just at a desk…or at a table. Count everything! Count activities. Count games. Count projects. Count family life. Learning is more than just what is studied in our books during table time. Actually most of what our children retain from their education is taught after the table time is over each day. Think outside of the box–away from the desk!

* KEEP LEARNING FRESH AND FUN! Take “school” outside. Let them build a “fort” and dress up like Davy Crockett. Go for a hike hunting for tracks. Make a tent in the living room. Fill it with cuddly blankets and read a fun book. Get out those instructions for a fun project and make a mess! Take a week to make a cute lapbook using all of those booklets your children have been saving. Don’t wait one more day–take time to make learning fresh and fun!

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