Christmas

My assistant Robin is such a genius! Look at these ADORABLE homemade felt ornaments she created for her Christmas tree! Wouldn't they be awesome as a gift from a child, or to decorate your home with a classic Christmas feel?  Just download this pattern, cut out the colored felt, and stitch. Easy-peasy, cute-and-fun gifts!   "We have lots of little ones joining our family! Having some older siblings with adult children, I now have several great nieces and...

25 Ways to Stay Sane in December It happens every Christmas … all your warm, fuzzy ideals end up in shambles, leaving you feeling frazzled and stressed. The easiest way to stay sane through the holidays is to set balanced expectations of yourself, your family, and your budget. Start the month right, by planning ahead. You can work on at least one thing a day to make the whole month easier for you to manage! 1....

My favorite Christmas school project was our yearly creative writing assignment based on Norman Rockwell art. Have you seen some of his holiday paintings?  Amazing creative holiday writing prompts! I asked my boys to choose any picture in Norman Rockwell's Christmas Book . Their assignment was to write a story behind the picture. They came up with some GREAT creative writing ideas, and the pictures really helped to get those creative juices flowing. This tradition of...

You can save money on gifts for the holidays! Several great ways to save money on gifts included: buying things that are useful AND are things you will eventually need to buy anyway.  Buying gifts that improve your chances of receiving really great scholarships saves you money in the long run, too! Here are three HUGE ideas to help you save money on gifts this holiday season.   1. Buy Great Books  Many homeschoolers love great...

As a homeschool family, you have the freedom to use the month of December for special activities related to the holiday season. I have put together a list of my favorite fun Christmas ideas for kids and entire families! I hope you enjoy them! Christmas ideas for kids of all ages: Instructions for 3D Paper Snowflakes I think a collection of these snowflakes would make for a wonderful and graphic kid-friendly display. Homemade Cinnamon Ornaments Wouldn’t...

    Homeschooling is more fun for MANY reasons, but one reason it that we can play games instead of use curriculum.  Here are some great ideas you can give as Christmas gifts. Then in January you can incorporate games across all subject areas! In my homeschool, we scheduled a few hours every Friday just to play games. Sometimes they loved the games (Diplomacy!) and other times they tolerated the games (Elemento) but they were ALWAYS...

It's an After Christmas Kindle-Fill ing Party and you're invited! The HomeScholar is having a party, a Kindle-filling party! Did you get a Kindle for Christmas? We can help you start filling it! For FOUR DAYS ONLY, All Coffee Break Books are only $1 each! Choose from titles that give you practical tips and encouragement, and will help with those New Year's Resolutions: * Creating Homeschool Balance * Scheduling - The Secret to Homeschool Sanity * Beyond Academics: Preparation for College...

25. Homeschooling is the Gift of Obedience to the Lord Homeschooling is our gift of obedience, because we are doing what God has asked us to do. We give this gift knowing it was asked only of us, and we don’t look at the actions of our friends.  We are responsible for our own actions, and our own actions are our gift of obedience. We don’t look at the actions of, or criticize others.  

24. Homeschooling is the Gift of Faith to God. Homeschooling is a gift of faith, demonstrating our faith in Christ that everything will work out for us.  When we first decided to homeschool high school, we went almost entirely on faith: faith that we would be able to finish the job, faith that our kids would end up well-educated, faith that we wouldn't ruin their futures. We don’t have faith that things will be perfect, we...

23. Homeschooling is a Love Offering to God   We are called to homeschool our children. This is our fragrant love offering. We are giving what we have to Christ.  Like the little drummer boy who gave his gift of music, and the widow's offering of a mite, and the alabaster jar of myrrh that Mary gave, our gift of homeschooling is meaningful to God. This gift of homeschooling is just as meaningful as the gold,...

22. Homeschooling is the Gift of Citizenship   While homeschooling, we have more time for volunteer work and public service.  Studies show that homeschoolers are more likely to be involved in the community when they grow up. They are more likely to vote. We are bringing up first rate citizens by homeschooling our children for the future!

21. Homeschooling is the Gift of Vision We can teach our children history, so they will not be destined to repeat it.  They can place events in the bigger picture, and see the long-term consequences.  Delight directed learning can encourage the creativity that is so important in the 21st century. We can teach them faith, so they can make the world a better place. As they grow and face the world, their faith can spill out...

20. Homeschooling is the Gift of Adaptability   The world is changing so fast, we can’t be sure what the future will hold. But we can teach our children how to learn, so they can adapt no matter what the future holds. No matter what jobs they have in the future, our children will be ready for them when they know how to learn.

19. Homeschooling is the Gift of Passionate Interests   Colleges want to see passion in applicants.  Passion is what homeschoolers call delight directed learning, the cornerstone of home education. The interests that students develop can guide college and career planning. Passion can improve the chances of college admission and big scholarships.

18. Homeschooling is the Gift of Eager Minds for Employers and Universities The love of learning continues right into college. Homeschooling can foster eager minds and creative thinkers unencumbered by mass education. Homeschoolers who enjoy learning will grow into adults who enjoy learning, and the eagerness for education is a valuable commodity for colleges.