“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” – Benjamin Franklin

At Christianbook, we understand homeschoolers have to balance many spinning plates. There are lessons to prep, grades to record, appointments to attend, meals to plan – and that’s just the start. Phew!

So, it comes as no surprise, that when it comes to your homeschool – organization is key! This is precisely why we created this handy Homeschool Organization Tool.

Featuring over 15 reproducible forms, this PDF planner download is designed to help you keep everything in one place. It also contains ten simple reminders we hope will serve as encouragement for you in your day-to-day homeschool life.

This download includes:

• A header page designed to print and use as the cover for a three-ring-binder
• 2020 & 2021 calendar-at-a-glance pages
• PDF planner pages for Monday-Friday, for use with any year/grade/subject
• Blank PDF homeschool planner pages designed so you can fill in each child, subject, assignments, and dates in the manner that best works for you
• Hourly schedule
• Attendance tracker
• Report card
• Reading log
• Field trip log form
• Curriculum shopping list form
• To-do list template with day headings
• Weekly organizer page for menus, projects, habit-tracking, and more
• Goals page with four different goal sections – for multiple children, individual weeks or months, or different categories
• Goals tracker
• Dot grid paper ideal for bullet-journaling
• Notepaper

Click here to download your 2020/21 Homeschool Planner today!

The post Free 2020 Homeschool Planner appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

As we enter a new homeschooling year, it’s important to remember that there will be good days and there will be bad days. Days when everything just works, and days we we all just feel defeated. But do not despair, you are never alone!

Whether you are a seasoned homeschooler or a first-year homeschooler, we’ve rounded up a few quotes just perfect for those moments you need a little encouragement and inspiration…

“Probably the most important concept to keep in mind is that our homeschools are not static, not unchanging. Every year will be a new year, with different dynamics, different possibilities, different levels of capability, and different external circumstances.”

– Diana Waring

“As parents, we are our children’s first and best teachers.”

– Cheri Fuller

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.”

– W.B. Yeats

“The question is not,––how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education––but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”

– Charlotte Mason

“When the atmosphere encourages learning, the learning is inevitable.”

– Elizabeth Foss

“Children learn from anything and everything they see. They learn wherever they are, not just in special learning places.”

– John Holt

“Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child’s nature.”

– Charlotte Mason

“Homeschooling is a challenge, a commitment, and a lifestyle of love and devotion.”

– Janet Tatman

“When you consider homeschooling, you must recognize that the fruit you hope to realize will likely take longer and be harder to grow than your anticipate. In many cases you must merely live in faith for the future results.”

– Debra Bell 

“If I had to sum up homeschooling in one word, it would be freedom.”

– Tamara L Chilver

For more Homeschooling resources, click here!

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Homeschooling isn’t separate from daily life. Being organized is essential to not only keeping academics on track, but also to following through on goals for your life, staying on top of daily tasks, and managing your household.

Which is why we’ve compiled this free, easy-to-use homeschool planner download! It has more than 16 organizational resources to help you keep everything organized and all in one place.

Our ultimate hope is that it helps make life just that little bit more simple for you and your family!

Click here to download the FREE homeschool organizational tool

Included in this organizational tool is:

1. A 2018 at-a-glance calendar
2. A weekly planner page option with checkboxes
3. An hourly schedule
4. An attendance tracker for the 2018-2019 school year
5. A homemaker’s organization page
6. A goals form
7. A bullet-point grid page for you to customize
8. A calendar grid
9. A to-do list
10. A report card
11. A homeschool planner page
12. A reading log
13. A field trip log
14. A curriculum shopping list
15. A notes page
16. A goal tracker page

So, if you’re ready to start the homeschooling year super organized, download the homeschool organizational tool by clicking here! 

The post The Must-Have Homeschool Organizational Tool appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

We think you’ll agree when we say, every homeschooling parent needs a little encouragement or inspiration from time to time. Thankfully, many homeschooling parents have come before us and kindly penned their thoughts on how to navigate the highs and the lows of the homeschooling family.

Here are some of our favorite reads…

Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay Clarkson and Sally Clarkson

This book has long been heralded as a must-readfor all homeschooling parents. Offering seasoned advice and encouragement, the Clarksons show you how to combine discipleship and education to create a God-designed program. A tremendous source of comfort for both new and experienced homeschoolers!

The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie

This is a book that has been getting A LOT of great feedback from the homeschooling community since its release! Read-aloud stories are said to increase our kids’ academic success, inspire compassion and so much more. In this book, you’ll read about practical strategies to make reading aloud a meaningful family ritual – whether your children are toddlers or teenagers.

Becoming Mom Strong, by Heidi St John

Heidi draws from her experience as a busy homeschool mom in her new book ‘Becoming Mom Strong’. She’ll offer encouragement, practical prayer points, and authentic “me-too” moments to help equip you for a job that only you can do: train your children to hear God’s voice no matter where our culture is heading.

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakeable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie

This book is perfect for anyone who might be dealing with stress, anxiety, and the everyday busyness of homeschooling life! It encourages parents to focus on relationships rather than frantically checking off the to-do list. A read that will surely help you refocus your priorities.

Looking for more books about Homeschooling? Click here!

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“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” – W.B. Yeats

As homeschooling parents, we all know the challenge of encouraging independent learning. 
We not only want our children to learn, but to actually seek learning without prompting- to hunger for more knowledge. That, I think we can call agree, is the ultimate goal. Developing an independent learner doesn’t just happen overnight, it takes a lot of encouragement as well as a nurturing of your child’s particular interests.

Here are some tips we have for helping your child grow as an independent learner…

1. Establish confidence

It’s the basic foundation for a child who wants to learn. Spend time teaching your child one-on-one from the very beginning, making sure they have a firm grasp of all the basics.

2. Believe in their abilities

Especially in those moments when they are struggling with a difficult math problem! Make sure you affirm that you believe they can do it – it will help establish the confidence to back their own abilities and seek out more knowledge.

3. Set Goals

Do this with your child. Tell them what goals you have for them while also having them set goals for themselves. It will help to give them ownership of their own learning experience.

4. Make Learning REALLY Interesting

Your child likes photography? Head out to the park and photograph all the different types of trees. Your child likes to draw? Perhaps they could draw the American Presidents and learn more about U.S. history in the process. It’s one of the best parts of homeschooling – the ability to tailor lessons to your child’s own particular way of learning.

5. The Big R

Responsibility! This is perhaps one of the most crucial parts of developing an independent learner. Allow them to work independently, but check in each day to make sure they have completed set tasks to a good standard. As your child gets older, you can check in less frequently but focus on helping them to plan better.

For more homeschool helps and resources, click here!

The post Encouraging Independent Learning in Homeschooled Kids appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

This time of year brings some unique opportunities for homeschool science activities. With leaves falling and weather changing, fall makes for a wonderful time of year to get hands-on and study nature!

We’ve gathered some of our favorite fall science activities for you and your children to try this season. Get ready for learning, and most of all get ready to have fun!

Activity 1: Pine Cone Weather Station

The only thing you’ll need for this experiment is, well, a pine cone! It’s a well-known fact that pine cones open and close depending on the humidity. On fine, dry days they open to allow their light seeds to get carried away on the wind. While on days where the humidity is higher (when the seeds are less likely to get carried away) the pine cone remains closed. To set up your “weather station” collect a pine cone and place it on a windowsill in your house. Your child can monitor the pine cone every day for a set time period, noting in a journal whether the pine cone is open or closed, and whether it is raining or not. Your child is bound to love being able to “predict” what will happen with the weather!

Activity 2: Leaf Rubbing

Time for a classic fall science activity – leaf rubbing! It really is one of the best ways to demonstrate the details of all the different types of leaves. It’s a simple enough activity. Simply arm each child with a bag and head outdoors. Ask them to collect leaves of all different colors, shapes and sizes – if you want to take it to the next level, see if they can identify all the different types of trees along your nature walk. Once you’re all loaded up with a variety of leaves, head indoors and get to leaf rubbing!

Back home, take a piece of paper and place the leaf beneath. With a crayon or colored pencil, rub back and forth over the paper (handy hint: try use a color close to that of the leaf). This will reveal the outline and vein pattern of the leaves. If you are feeling more artsy, you can substitute the colored pencils and crayons for watercolor pencils – add a little water to blend the colors and voila!

If your child likes to keep records, perhaps add these leaf rubbings to a nature journal. In the journal, they could label each leaf with information such as – what kind of leaf it is; where they found it; the day they found it and more.

Activity 3: What’s Inside an Apple?

A simple activity but great for helping younger kids learn the anatomy of an apple. All you’ll need is some craft paper (in apple colors – red, green, brown, and white for the inside), some craft scissors and glue. Cut an apple in half for your students to reference and then ask them to create their own apple diagram. They’ll just need to cut out the individual elements – seeds, stem, leaf, flesh, skin, core – and then stick them together and label each component. Simple and fun!

Activity 4: Study the Color Change of Apples

Explore the oxidization of apples by testing the impact of different liquids on the browning of the apple slices over time. To start the experiment, have your student select a number of different liquids from the kitchen cupboard (handy hint: make sure lemon juice is among them!). Slice the apple into equal pieces and then place each segment into a liquid to soak. Make sure to leave one apple slice without liquid – we’ll call that one the “control slice”.  Leave the apple slices for at least an hour and then assess and explore the reason for these results.

To help with the learning process, make sure you treat this like a real experiment – label the substances in the jars and fill out an experiment worksheet with details like- what substances were used; the testing period; what substance they think will work best; and then leave a space to fill in what details about what actually worked best. This is a fun hands-on experiment that will have your child wanting to explore more about the properties of certain substances and how oxidization works.

Activity 5: Create Pumpkin Slime

This experiment is surprisingly VERY easy! You’ll need a few simple ingredients – a small pumpkin, liquid starch, clear glue and water. First, you cut the top off the pumpkin and remove the insides. Be sure to separate the seeds as you’ll need these later. Take a large handful of the pumpkin insides and place in a blender with liquid starch (about half a cup should do the job). Place this mixture back inside the pumpkin before adding the glue (again about half a cup). Add the pumpkin seeds back to the mixture and leave sit for about 10-15 minutes to let it form. There you have it, fun, sensory play for the kids!

Activity 6: Play Leaf Matching Games

How about a little fall hike to play a leaf matching game? Any reason to get outdoors this time of year, right? Well, we’ve created a handy printable so the kids can search for the different leaf shapes and check them off as you go. Kids will love the chance to get outdoors and kick around in the leaves – while at the same time learning more about all the different types of trees and the leaves they produce. Click here to download the printable. 

Activity 7: Do Apples Sink or Float?

This one is a homeschooling classic. Simply ask your students to predict whether an apple might sink or float when placed in a tub of water. Once the experiment is complete, you could follow it up with a game of apple bobbing – always lots of fun!

Activity 8: Stargazing

The Autumn nights are perfect for stargazing – the weather is mild and the nights are darker and longer. You don’t really need a telescope for this activity, simply head outdoors (handy hint: preferably to an open area with as little light pollution as possible) at night and start looking up! Have children find and document constellations such as Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Pisces and more. Maybe you’ll even spot planets or a shooting star on these stargazing adventures!

For more Homeschool Science inspiration and resources,
click here! 

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Thanksgiving brings with it all sorts of great opportunities for homeschool learning! From exploring the rich history of our ancestors to making turkey art – there’s something for just about every stage of learning. We’ve put together this handy list of homeschool activities for Thanksgiving, just to get you started – it includes a free printable too!

Happy homeschooling… and a very happy Thanksgiving!

Keep a Thankful Book

In the lead up to Thanksgiving, you can have your child keep a ‘Thankful Book’. In the pages, they can take some time out each day to list the thing they are most thankful for that day. If they are feeling particularly artsy and want to get a little more creative, perhaps they can draw a picture to go with their thankful subject that day. It’s a lovely thing to look back on for years to come and will also help to develop critical writing skills for young learners.

Create a Paper Plate Turkey

This one is a classic, and great for the younger kids. No doubt you have a bundle of paper plates on hand for Thanksgiving dinner, so why not use them for some fun homeschooling activities too? You’ll need: a paper plate, craft knife, acrylic paints, paint brush, googly eyes, glue, white and red cardstock paper.

Method:

1. Using a craft knife, cut a small, two-sided triangle (point down) in the middle of the plate and poke up and out – this will serve as the turkey’s beak.
2. Then set your little one to work with some acrylic paints and a brush – paint the beak yellow and the middle of the plate brown for the turkey body. The outside ridges of the plate can be painted multicolor (purple, red, yellow etc) for the turkey’s “feathers” – or maybe you could even glue actual feathers to the outside of the plate!
3. Once the paint is dry, the next step, is to cut two small circles out for the eyes, and glue above the beak
4. Glue the googly eyes in the middle of the circles
5. Then, the most important part of all – the turkey’s snood! Cut out a bit of red cardstock in the shape of the snood and glue it by the turkey’s beak.
6. Voila! There you have it – some super cute turkey art to hang on your wall!

Thankful Photo Project

A wonderful, interactive project for kids of all ages and abilities. Simply arm your child with a digital camera and let them photograph the things listed on their thankful scavenger hunt. This will help your child to observe the world around them and learn how to document it. Click here to download free, printable thankful scavenger hunt! 

Recreate Traditional Thanksgiving Dishes

This one is perfect for a little fun in the kitchen! Children will likely be interested to hear how different the original Thanksgiving dinner was to the Turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie version we eat today. You could recreate dishes such as a sweet pudding of Indian Corn, New England Succotash, Chestnut Croquettes and much more. While you are creating these dishes, you can explain where these dishes came from and how the Pilgrim’s hunted and gathered their food. Best part of this activity? You’ll all get to enjoy a delicious meal at the end of the learning experience!

Build a Mini-Mayflower

Whose child doesn’t love some art and craft time?! Challenge your child to build a mini-Mayflower replica that floats using simple tools. Start your child off with some basic materials such as scissors, glue, sticky tape, foil, paper, cardboard and popsicle sticks (or whatever other items you have lying about the house that might be useful). Then ask them to spend sometime planning and building a boat that will float on water. When they feel their boat is ready, set the ship off in a large bowl of water (or a bath) to see if it works. If you want to make it a little harder, add some coins to the boat to see if it can carry a small amount of weight and still float! Its a great activity that should keep their minds occupied for a good hour or two.

Explore the History of Thanksgiving

This one would be a great learning activity for any children in middle school. Have your child create a timeline of the history of Thanksgiving. They could include key dates such as: the date the Mayflower set sail for the New World; when the Mayflower landed in the New World; when the first Thanksgiving was celebrated; the date Thanksgiving was officially named a federal holiday; when the presidential turkey pardon became a Thanksgiving tradition… just to name a few! It’s a great way for your child to gain a richer understanding of the place Thanksgiving has in our history and may spark a few questions that will help you teach them more about the Pilgrims.

Dancing Corn

Keep little minds active and occupied at Thanksgiving with a science experiment.  You’ll need a large mason jar (or similar), popping corn, vinegar, baking soda, water and a spoon.

Method:

1. Fill the mason jar with 16oz of water (or 2 cups) then add a couple of tablespoons of baking powder and stir.
2. Once the baking powder is fully dissolved, add corn kernels to the mixture.
3. Pour in vinegar to the mixture – but SLOWLY, as this will cause a reaction that could create a bit of a mess. But if eruptions are what you are looking for then by all means, pour in as fast as you like!
4. At this point, you should be able to witness the corn “dance” as a result of the chemical reaction between the baking powder and vinegar creating gas or carbon dioxide.

To treat this as a genuine science experiment, have your child write down the full method for this experiment and his or her hypothesis before the experiment. At the conclusion of the experiment, your child could complete an analysis of their results and record how long the reaction lasted.

For more homeschooling resources – click here!  

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We all know field trips are an important part of any homeschool curriculum. But that doesn’t mean to say they have to be extravagant affairs with hours on the road to historical sites. Oh no! Field trips can be as simple as taking your child to everyday places and turning it into a learning experience.

Going to the supermarket? A learning experience! A walk in the park? Another learning experience! Let’s explore some of the everyday places you might find an opportunity to teach…

1. Grocery Store

Let’s start with that weekly trip to the grocery store. There are so many opportunities lurking in the humble grocery store – here are some of our favorites…

Food Bingo: Compile a list of items for younger children to discover around the aisles of the grocery store and cross them off as you go around the store. This will help them discover new foods, and also invite further discussion about where the item comes from, how it grows or how it is made. Click here to download a free food bingo printable. 

Compare Prices: Help develop critical math skills by having your child compare prices and deals for certain items. For example, “I can buy two 28oz jars of peanut butter for $5 or one 64oz jar for $6.33 – what is the better deal?”

Scavenger Hunt: This one is a slightly older take on food bingo and a lot of fun for older elementary kids. Set a series of items for children to find as they go around the store – but make it a little more challenging such as finding certain items from other countries. Click here for a free download to get you started.

How much does it cost?: This one is great for the older kids. If your child has grasped the concept of addition with decimals, have them keep a running total of how much is in your shopping cart. Compare it with the total calculated at the cash register to see how close they got.

2. Local Parks and Gardens

The park is naturally a great place for children to go out and explore – and, of course, learn! Below are some of our tips for making the most of the free learning opportunities to be found in the park.

Draw What You See: This one is simple enough, but have your child sit down and draw a flower or a tree. It’s a great lesson of observation through art. You could always take it one step further and then have them label the parts of that plant or tree for a little science lesson!

Fall Leaf Bingo: During fall, take your child to the park for a little leaf identification adventure. This is a great activity to help them learn more about the different types of trees and the leaves they produce. Click here to download a free ‘Leaf Bingo’ printable. 

Keep a Nature Journal: Take a walk around your local park and have your child document (through sketching and descriptive writing) the trees, leaves, bugs, birds and whatever else you encounter. If your child is uncertain of what something is, they can document it and continue their research at home. A great way to open your child’s eyes to the world around them!

3. Zoology Pet Store

The pet store is a great place to learn more about animals, their habitats and behaviors – it also happens to be a lot of fun for kids!

Find that animal: Simple enough, just list off descriptions of an animal and have your child go find it in the store. For example – has dry, scaly skin and a long tail… a lizard!

Keep a notebook: Have your child document the types of animals on display in the pet store. They can note their habitats, and list them into categories such as domestic mammals, reptiles and fish. For older children, it can be an opportunity to research their scientific names.

4. Transportation

If you live in an area where there is a subway system or bus service, it can be an opportunity to turn your travel into a little learning experience.

Navigation: Tell your child where you both will be traveling to, and ask them how you will get there. For example –  what services or lines will you need to take? How long will it take to get there?

Simple Math: How much will it cost us to travel to and from our destination today?

For more information and Homeschool resources, 
click here! 

The post Turn Everyday Places Into Homeschool Field Trips appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

Homeschooling is quite the endeavor. The leap of faith. The sacrifice. The calling. And it’s oh-so-worth-it.

At Christianbook.com we want to make homeschooling as simple as possible. We not only want you to be able to easily find and discover the curriculum and resources that best fit with each of your children, but also support your whole family as you work to meet your educational goals.

Here are 10 simple reminders we hope will encourage you on your way…

1.There’s no one style or method – and no need to compare

What works for your family won’t necessarily work for another, and vice versa. That goes for everything from chore training to math curriculum. While we all love getting together, giving reviews on methods, styles, curriculum, field trips, and whatever else is on the conversational docket, release yourself from wanting to “measure up” to some standard or skill-set defined by people who are not you and do not know your kids the way you do.

2. There will be good days and bad days

And really, good seasons and bad seasons. Cycles. Normalcy and high points. Good days when every single item somehow gets checked off your to-do list, the kids are reading books together, and a homemade dinner gets on the table. Bad days when no one gets out of their pajamas, there are tears and fights, and nothing gets accomplished. Then there are the whole slew of days in between where it becomes so easy to lose sight of the end goal, the long-term, the fact that through all days and all seasons, you’re moving forward and making progress. It might be slow, it might be difficult to see, but it is progress nonetheless.

3. You can do it (and do it well)

Doubt is natural. You’re undertaking an enormous effort with incredibly important ramifications – homeschooling is no small matter. To make it even more interesting, the learning curve never stops, each grade bringing its own challenges one year after another. But you can do it. It might not look the same as what you expected, there might be shifts and pivots, and you might need a lot more help than you anticipated, but you’ll be able to pull it off.

To download your free Homeschool Organizational Tool, click here!

4. Facilitating is key

Also file this under “you don’t have to do it all yourself”. You don’t have to know how to code or how to create statistical two-tailed test. You just have to be able to get teachers who do. Co-ops are great for the “in-person” classroom experience, high schools and community colleges often have classes homeschoolers can attend, tutors are available everywhere, and online classes provide countless options to expand you student’s education. The educational world is at your fingertips!

5. Socialization is the easy part…

Though having to deal with the questions and accusations people have about socialization might not be. Homeschooling makes it easy to socialize – it’s a “little” thing to make play-dates, participate in an activity, or join a club, but it pays off in spades when you have confident, self-assured kids who can interact with those younger, older, and the same age as themselves.

6. Finding encouraging friends makes everything SO MUCH BETTER

Having support and encouragement can make a world of difference when you’re facing problems large and small. Co-ops, support groups, friends from church, online buddies and bloggers – weave together your own support network and find the folks whom you can count on for solid advice, a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, and plenty of prayer.

7. It takes investment

Homeschooling is not an investment-free enterprise. It takes money and time to research and implement curriculum, time for daily instruction and guidance, and it takes energy – a lot of energy. Sometimes it’s hard not to feel wistful about all we could do if we just had a bit more. Give yourself the grace and space to take a moment and not only be thankful for the things you do have, but trust that despite seeming limitations you’ll be able to transcend whatever struggles you face – and that the end result will be worth it all.

8. Homeschooling is a lifestyle

Seriously. Homeschooling brings the freedom to structure your entire life in a way that suits your whole family. Traveling? Lots of trips to historical places? Extra emphasis on subjects of skills important to your kids? The ability to go places at off-times and off-hours? The delightful blurring of education with “real life” – that proverbial definition of education as lighting a fire? It’s a lifestyle, and a glorious one at that.

9. Every child is different

Even if you are able to use a multi-level curriculum that keeps everyone engaged you’ve still got learning styles to balance (books for one kid, audiobooks for another, crafts for the third..) and when you integrate naturally divergent interests, plus different learning styles, plus any special needs or learning difficulties… it’s a lot to track. It really is a wonderful thing to behold though – it’s these unique interests and approaches that often propel kids into being self-directed learners. Into being willing to put in the sacrifice and effort. Into research. Into books. Into their life-long hobby, major, or career.

10. It’s about the relationship

They’re your children. Education is important – you’ve counted the cost and committed – but without relationships as the foundation, the educational goals will falter. While they won’t remember every project or every book, they’ll remember the tenor, the tone, the life that you all shared. That’s one of the greatest benefits of homeschooling – being with your kids, day in and day out, leading and guiding and influencing and loving.

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