Today's Homeschool Picks

Today I’m trying something different — I’m writing a round-up style newsletter, sharing links to a few of the Substacks that landed in my email in-box this morning that I’m sure will be helpful to other homeschoolers.

Courtney shared a wonderful story about something her mother did every year which eventually had a profound effect on Courtney’s life. It reminded me of my homeschooling records — 18 years of noting how and what my children were learning. I never regarded recording our homeschooling life solely as a bureaucratic necessity, or even as a planning tool. It was a way of helping me connect with my children. And, as Courtney reveals, this connection can reach across the years and touch us in ways we might never know.

Northern hemisphere homeschoolers are coming off their long summer break, while we in the antipodes are in the middle of our two week winter break. There is a sense of anticipation and preparation for the weeks of homeschooling ahead.

Marinna, Homeschool for You, reminds us that we don’t have to homeschool the way other families do, that the best homeschool is the one that actually works for your family. And she offers a free bundle of practical tools to help families prepare for the new school year, as well as a fun “back-to-school nature scavenger hunt” for the kids.

I love a good list of activity suggestions, and HatchEd delivers one packed with ones suitable for those days our kids are confined to indoors thanks to either unbearable heat or rainy weather.

Anchor and Explore is a lovely regular homeschooling newsletter that shares everything one homeschooling family has been exploring. Packed with links and great ideas, this newsletter highlights what for me was the best part of homeschooling my own children — a sense of exploration and discovery learning alongside my children. This issue had a focus on geography — my favourite subject!

Back when my grandkids were toddlers and preschool age I created a collection of “busy bags”, clear plastic zip-locked satchels with safe, simple activities, together with an illustration or example that they could follow without adult help. Arwa from My Busy Kid brought back those memories today by sharing her collection of 5 wonderfully creative and educational activities for her children that took her only 20 minutes to prepare.

Homeschooling through the high school years initially intimidates all of us. In addition to navigating the physiological and psychological turbulence adolescence presents, the pressure to get our kids ready for the next stage of life — tertiary education or the workplace — weighs heavily on us. Pat’s Substack Relaxed Homeschooling in High School is a guide on we can approach these years without feeling overwhelmed.

Caitlin’s Honest Motherhood Substack reminded me of something I practiced when my children were young: I’d ask myself, “What would I support my child to do in this situation?” and then apply it to myself. I didn’t know it at the time but I was practicing creating healthy boundaries for myself.

As an aspiring author in the field, I’m avidly reading anything and everything to do with children’s literature, honing my knowledge and hoping to build my writing skills. So when Code and Crayons shared a post unpacking why and how she chooses picture books for her children, I paid close attention! I remember buying beautiful picture books for my children that were never opened, never read, never loved. And then there were many others that were read so often they fell to pieces. What makes a story come alive for children intensely interests me.

I always enjoy reading Hannah’s newsletter, as it echoes my own passion for helping home educating families get started with confidence. Part 3 of Starting Homeschool Without the Overwhelm is a practical guide full of great suggestions that focus on how to know where your children are at, what they know and can do so you can plan to help them learn what they need next.

Why are our weeks still structured the way they are, with five working days and two set aside for leisure? Very few of us live this way nowadays, but with schools still locked into this pattern I can’t see society changing it anytime soon. Astronomical Learners dips into this topic in their newsletter today. It’s not a reality our family lived — we consciously chose to live a frugal lifestyle relying on an income derived part-time casual employment, frequently working on the weekend as the hour pay rate was higher. This meant both parents were free and available to share the homeschooling. It worked well for us, but it’s not a choice available to many.

And lastly, Denise, author of Playful Maths, shared another printable math game for her paid subscribers.

Well, that’s my round-up of homeschool related Substack emails I received today — I hope you enjoy them too!

I posted this Note a couple of days ago and it generated a lot of comments, particularly on my Facebook page. I thought I might share it here too:

The question most often asked on homeschool forums used to be, “How do I start homeschooling?” but lately it’s been, “What company is everyone going through to homeschool their children?”

And to be honest, I don’t know how to answer that question, because for me - and many experienced home educators - that’s not homeschooling! That’s something else, distance education perhaps?

It’s one thing to find and use resources when homeschooling our children, but that’s completely different to outsourcing the learning to an educational company.

Is the nature of home education being redefined?

Or perhaps it is finally evolving into something many families who, for decades past, wanted to homeschool but couldn’t because the resources they needed didn’t exist yet.

I’m not sure. What do you think?

Whether you’ve been homeschooling for a long time, a few years years or just started, I’d love to know where you land on this.

I’m dropping Notes most days and would love to connect with you that way — you can add a comment or like. Don’t forget we can keep the conversation going on any of my posts by adding a comment there too.

If you’re homeschooling in Australia, don’t forget to download my FREE Resource Directory for a bumper list of educational and curriculum providers and suppliers, as well as comprehensive guide on getting started how to register as a home educating family.

Whatever your approach, your lifestyle or education philosophy, I’m here to support you. Take what you need, leave the rest. I want you to lean on my experience because I’ve leant on others — we are in this together, growing and learning from each other!

That’s all for now! Until next time, Beverley