If u could only give ONE piece of advice for a newbie...

[KMV]

....what would it be? (Maybe something you wish someone had told you when you first started this journey. Scheduling/curriculum/whatever --)

 

Thanks so much!

[Ecclecticmum]

Get the Well Trained Mind .... in Paperback. Read it, then read through these forums. Give yourself a month of reading through these forums, read something completely different (The Unschooling UnManual or something :tongue_smilie: ) then decide what you want to do, and only purchase 1 term, not a whole years worth, as guaranteed, you'll probably change it.

 

Does that count as one piece? It was all in one paragraph? :lol:

[KMV]

LOL! I have WTM in hardcover - it's a monster!! And unfortunately, I've already bought too much - now it's time to stop the spending (after I get my art and science out of the way, of course ;) Yikes!

[fraidycat]

Take it one day at a time.

[Targhee]

My advice: lighten up, especially with those young ones - revel in childhood!

[happycc]

It truly is ok to cry!!!

 

 

Sometimes you will have bad days and it really intensifies when you had this vision of homeschooling where the children are all playing cooperatively and focusing and doing their work and all the appliances in the house are functioning properly. Or you are able to keep the house absolutely immaculate during the process and the dinner ready when husband comes home. HAHAHA! Also don;t expect immediate inventions or explosions from the kids. It has taken a year from public school before my kids could start being more creative, crafty, hands on-ish, inventive and it does require me to say NO SCREEN TIME. They do not like it when I say NO SCREEN Time and they sometimes sneak it. But the difference it has made is great and awesome. However, the mess increases as a result.

[BugsMama]

Do NOT buy 500 dollars worth of curriculum yet. Don't buy ANY curriculum yet. Find something free online, and take sometime getting to know your kids learning style and your teaching style. Have FUN. Go on adventures. Take those couple months to do your research, find out what you want to teach and how you want to teach it, and then buy in SMALL CHUNKS, Slowly! Start one new thing at a time. You'll save a lot of money, and a lot of sanity.

[Cassy]

Lots of research and planning is not just 'busy work' for mums.

 

We started homeschooling in response to a crisis, with the bare minimum of research and very little planning. I shied away from detailed planning for a long time, but once I took the plunge I found it made my life run so much more smoothly, and as a result we got so much more done.

 

The WTM forums are the very best place for research :001_smile:.

[Hedgehogs4]

Know your kids and follow your heart. Do not neglect the field trip / nature walk / art activity because you haven't finished the core curriculum for the week.

 

Take vacations - good ones. long ones. relaxing ones where everyone truly gets rest.

[SorrelZG]

It wouldn't have mattered what I was told. I was too hardheaded and compulsive to benefit from wisdom.

[garddwr]

My advice: lighten up, especially with those young ones - revel in childhood!

:iagree: I don't know how old your child(ren) might be, but if they are young--relax and enjoy life. That is the best advice I received from the veterans when starting out.

[...................]

1. Throw those books that recommend a minute by minute schedule out the window, and do a loose "flow" instead.

 

2. If you have a easily distracted kid, timers work wonders. I just found a wonderful Iphone APP that is specifically designed for kids and used widely for ADD/Autism. It's really working for my easily distracted/daydreamy little girl.

 

3. Snacks are your friend AND theirs. Carrots, healthy fruit smoothies (throw frozen fruit, yogurt, some spinach or kale, carrots, and some milk in the blender, you can even make it a high protein drink by using pasteurized egg whites...) snacks make everyone happy!

 

4. Don't expect self teaching all the time. Sometimes kids can self teach and sometimes they can't. Some children are natural independent learners and some are not. But ALL children benefit from input, love, and discussion.

[kolamum]

Don't pay attention to what anyone else is doing. Do what works for you & leave the rest alone. Don't be swayed by pretty blogs or funny facebook posts. They are merely instant gratification which prefer to profess the great awesome days, the highlights that were amazing, or the things that went perfectly. Very few people are wholly honest in admitting when they had bad days, were their kids struggle, or when they've lost hope.

[8filltheheart]

Learning how to homeschool is the equivalent of learning a new job. Start off w/the basics. Once you have mastered the basics, then start messing around w/how to flesh our your days. Oh, and if you are starting off w/older kids that have been to school, then the transition to homeschooling has its own unique issues vs. kids that have always been at home. (I haven't btdt, so I have nothing to share.)

[Mom in High Heels]

1. Don't go crazy on buying things until you've tried a few free or inexpensive things.

 

2. Do what works for you and your child, not what works for others.

 

3. Don't try to schedule every minute of your day. You'll just make yourself and your child crazy.

 

4. Relax.

 

5. Believe in yourself.

 

6. Don't use u when you mean you. :D

 

And yes, I realize that's more than one piece of advice, but they're all important IMO.

[Hunter]

***Character building is more important than academics***

 

I was told this. I did listen a bit, but not enough. The minister who told me this pressed me about it almost desperately. His desperation caught my attention, but...I still...just didn't understand.

 

It takes having graduated a couple kids and seeing them enter the adult world, before understanding how critical character building is to the success of young people. Academics are frosting. Academics are a tool. Academics don't make the man (or woman). No frosting can cover up a diseased attitude. Tools are useless if someone doesn't know where to aim them or care to use them.

 

***Character building is more important than academics***

[Zebra]

Don't pay attention to what anyone else is doing. Do what works for you & leave the rest alone. Don't be swayed by pretty blogs or funny facebook posts. They are merely instant gratification which prefer to profess the great awesome days, the highlights that were amazing, or the things that went perfectly. Very few people are wholly honest in admitting when they had bad days, were their kids struggle, or when they've lost hope.

 

:iagree:

 

And, don't beat yourself up. IF you spend 6 million dollars on curriculum and it's a nightmare, just don't do it and move on with your life. Learn something from the experience, but don't make yourself use it or feel bad for the rest of your life about it. And you will learn by buying the wrong curriculum or buying into the wrong "theory". It's the only way to learn, frankly.

 

Also, if your kid likes workbooks and everyone tells you that's horrible, don't listen to them. After the initial research stage, you need HUGE blinders when it comes to homeschooling. If everything is going fine, do not even LOOK at the neighbor's grass :lol:.

 

Also remember that everything is a stage in life. Some stages your kids may have no friends, or struggle with math so much you think you're going to die...but just remember that "this too shall pass!" It really, really will.

[FO4UR]

Write down all the reasons you are HSing, your goals and dreams for your HS, your vision of what you days will look like. Read TWTM, Charlotte Mason, and whatever else you can get your hands on (check the library). Write more. Keep this and refer to it every year before you curriculum shop and plan. Add to it every year...b/c this (philosophy of yours) will grow and change as your kids do.

 

 

I think this helps give clarity and confidence...which leads to my advice, "Educate yourself and then trust that you are making a good decisions." (IOW - trust your gut.)

[PeterPan]

A number of years ago there was as "biggest regret" thread, and it might surprise you to know the BIGGEST REGRET, across the board, of the moms on here was... drum roll... not taking care of their teeth. :D

 

You can just imagine how that happens. Or maybe you can't yet. Money gets tight, you get busy, you put the money elsewhere. By the time your teeth get bad, it's expensive, meaning it gets put off longer.

 

So it could be teeth or something else for taking care of you, but there you go.

[SorrelZG]

A number of years ago there was as "biggest regret" thread, and it might surprise you to know the BIGGEST REGRET, across the board, of the moms on here was... drum roll... not taking care of their teeth. :D

 

You can just imagine how that happens. Or maybe you can't yet. Money gets tight, you get busy, you put the money elsewhere. By the time your teeth get bad, it's expensive, meaning it gets put off longer.

 

So it could be teeth or something else for taking care of you, but there you go.

 

Love it. I should have sent myself broke getting up to date on my dental care that first year instead of buying lots of curriculum that I would figure out I didn't need when my child was 3 (just like I had been told).

[fourisenough]

Every day is a new day and a chance to do something, just one thing, very well. HS'ing is hard. But celebrate the small victories and overtime there will be more successes than failures. There really is a pretty steep learning curve with homeschooling (which seems strange given that you've been raising these children for years already...).

 

Looking back, I was SOOOOOO neurotic the first few years! It was stressful for all of us, and not particularly effective. I'm more mellow now, but also so much more productive. :)

 

 

The WTM forums will be your friend!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[southcarolinamom]

Relax.

 

Know that some days you'll get all the school work done, and some days "life happens", and your well thought-out plans will fall apart. And that's o.k. There are 364 other days left in the year to make up for it! :D

[TheAutumnOak]

A number of years ago there was as "biggest regret" thread, and it might surprise you to know the BIGGEST REGRET, across the board, of the moms on here was... drum roll... not taking care of their teeth. :D

 

:001_huh: :rofl:

[*Lulu*]

You don't start a long trip without a map and at least an idea of a destination.

 

TWTM works well as an educational roadmap for those starting out. As for destination, write down what you want for your child, (skills, knowledge, character), not for next week, but for thier lifetime. When you make the short term decisions for things like extra-curricular activites, curriculum, and family plans look at the long term goals and make sure the short term stuff lines up with the long term.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Don't get caught up in the actual "schooling" and become a machine having to get x # of lessons done by a certain time or day. Take each day and make it enjoyable with your children. It is better to spend time reading a book or taking a walk, making mud pies, and blowing bubbles then doing 5 pages in math. Little things can be learning experiences and will have far more impact then a lesson in a book. Rigorous is not always better just more.

 

No matter how much time you have with your children it is never enough. They will be out the door and on their own before you know it. Make each moment special.

[lionfamily1999]

You taught them to walk and talk, you can do this.

[lionfamily1999]

Starting Over:

There are 180 days in the average school year X 12 for grades 1st through 12th = 2160 days to educate your child / 365 days in a year = 5.9 years to get it all done.

 

I have taken days, weeks, and even a whole year off when my mother was ill it really did work out in the end. My adult children wouldn't change that last year with their grandma for anything. They learned many life lessons, and even some academic ones in spite of it. ;-)

 

Take time to smell the roses, to spend time with family, to take care of each other. Don't be afraid to back up, push ahead, or even start all over. The end goal is life long learning, teach them how to find the answers and watch them go.

 

Breath! Enjoy! Soon it will be a distant memory!

I read this the other day. Love ir!

[...................]

A number of years ago there was as "biggest regret" thread, and it might surprise you to know the BIGGEST REGRET, across the board, of the moms on here was... drum roll... not taking care of their teeth. :D

 

You can just imagine how that happens. Or maybe you can't yet. Money gets tight, you get busy, you put the money elsewhere. By the time your teeth get bad, it's expensive, meaning it gets put off longer.

 

So it could be teeth or something else for taking care of you, but there you go.

 

 

Wow. Interesting. I put off a crack in my tooth and now it's much bigger. I put off getting a night guard too and now my jaw is having issues. (it's scheduled for next month now!).

 

That's weird that here's another mom doing the same things.

[PeterPan]

Wow. Interesting. I put off a crack in my tooth and now it's much bigger. I put off getting a night guard too and now my jaw is having issues. (it's scheduled for next month now!).

 

That's weird that here's another mom doing the same things.

 

Actually, that thread was so moving to me years ago, I made it a priority to keep up with my dental work. I'm going again next week in fact. So far as I know, I'm all up to date. I might turn down an xray here or there, but other than that I'm good. I have OTHER things I've put off that I need to do for myself, but not my teeth. As you say, teeth are one of those things that get WORSE when you don't take care of them. Wart removal, personal stuff, this stuff stays pretty much the same. Gray hair job, it will still be there later. :)

[FairyMom]

My advice: lighten up, especially with those young ones - revel in childhood!

 

:iagree: I would do more field trips, enjoy the museums and zoos before they grow up. Make play a part of their school day just like any other subject. I focused way too much on seat work when my oldest was in Pre-K. I should have never done Pre-K, but that's just me. :)

[Walking-Iris]

My biggest advice would be to read widely. I'm always surprised with new homeschoolers who don't know about the different methods or homeschooling authors or even what exactly their state law requires, and yet they are buying curriculum.

 

My biggest advice would be to read as many books about homeschooling and education as you can find. Educate yourself. And by all means know what your laws are before you start! When I first started I didn't even care about curriculum or what to buy to teach handwriting etc. I just read every book in my library I could find about homeschooling and education, and then I inter library loaned some more from the recommended books in the ones I already read. Eventually I began to get a feel for my personal philosophy of education. I began to see what methods and ideas didn't resonate with me, and which really felt right for my family.

 

Only then did I start the search for materials. I've very rarely had to scrap a curriculum to change course because it was a bad fit.

 

Also I would tell a new homeschooler to take it one year at a time. There's really no sense in planning high school when you have a kindergartner. :lol: I usually have a vague idea of what we'll be doing a year in advance. Kids change so much, so if you've made an arbitrary decision to stay with Abeka or Sonlight for example every year, you may be in a bind when that doesn't work for your kiddo any longer. Be flexible. And keep learning. There is no one way to do this. And you don't even have to stay with one particular method or philosophy for the entire homeschooling career.

 

ETA: Be flexible... But don't be so flighty that you're scrapping curriculum and changing course every time some new thing grabs your attention. When you do decide on something, stick with it, at least through the year, unless it's so downright horrible that you need to research other options. I don't think it does kids any good to switch books or methods all the time. They do need some consistency.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Walking-Iris

[justLisa]

When you get stuck, teak a break. You have all day and every day ;)

[Tracy]

Two things:

 

1. Do not try to start every subject the first day. Spend a week or two on a couple of subjects and then add another in each week until you are doing everything. Many people told me to do this when I started, but I ignored them and regretted it. Now I stagger the start and finish of every school year.

 

2. Do not automatically go with a boxed curriculum. They are sooooo tempting! But unless your kids are average across the board in every subject (and most kids are not), you will regret it. It is so very overwhelming to separately research curricula for each subject. But just take a deep breath and look at one subject at a time, even if it means that you don't have all your subjects ready when you want to start. (And make sure when you ask questions on these boards, that you limit your posts to one subject matter per post. You will get more thorough responses.)

[Dmmetler]

Relax-you're not going to destroy your 5 yr old by homeschooling him, honest!

[justamouse]

Those monthly ship to your door wines are really a necessity. Put them in your First Aide kit.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Take it one day at a time.

 

:iagree: Not advice but a truism, "Slow and steady wins the race."

 

It wouldn't have mattered what I was told. I was too hardheaded and compulsive to benefit from wisdom.

 

:iagree:

 

I wouldn't have listened to anyone else either. And yet, ironically, I listened to everyone in an attempt to know everything. I let the pursuit of all possible knowledge about every conceivable facet of homeschooling--curriculum choices, methodologies, etc.--confuse my original purpose and confound my judgment about my own family's needs more often than I would like to admit. So, my best advice is to be true to yourself, your kids, your family, your values. Remember why you are doing this and keep your priorities in order. When you feel the fog start to overwhelm you, step back because, honestly, this forum can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how well you anchor yourself. Without a strong anchor to your own values, you can easily find yourself swept along with the powerful tides ever present here.

 

Know this: you will make mistakes. It is just part of finding your feet as a homeschooler.

 

:iagree:

Edited July 20, 2012 by Alte Veste Academy

[jer2911mom]

Sometimes you need to have curricula in your hand to determine if they will work. It's okay to buy them for that purpose if you need to and can't get to a convention. It helps to buy used if you can. The WTM Sale and Swap Board has worked well for me. Most of all, don't feel guilty for needing to look through things. Curriculum committees at schools have samples to look through, and so should we. You can sell off what you don't end up using. Try to research as much as you can online, but sometimes the online samples aren't good enough to get a feel for things, and sometimes there are no samples at all. It took me awhile to realize that buying different products to get a better look at them was okay. To me, it's part of the cost of homeschooling.

 

HTH,

Kathy

[Heidi]

Do NOT buy 500 dollars worth of curriculum yet. Don't buy ANY curriculum yet. Find something free online, and take sometime getting to know your kids learning style and your teaching style. Have FUN. Go on adventures. Take those couple months to do your research, find out what you want to teach and how you want to teach it, and then buy in SMALL CHUNKS, Slowly! Start one new thing at a time. You'll save a lot of money, and a lot of sanity.

 

:iagree:

[redsquirrel]

my one piece of advice, that I give to all new homeschoolers is know why you are homeschooling, and make sure you have a positive reason. Homeschooling can be challenging. It is a big commitment, and if you don't know why you are doing this crazy thing, it will get real old, real fast.

 

The reason I say positive is that I see so many people who get very negative about their local ps schooling options, but they have no joy to carry them through the tough times. You can't always be moving away from something, you need to be moving towards something. So, yes, your initial reason might be "our local school sucks" but you have to find it inside you to say "I homeschool because I want to build this relationship with my kids. It is worth it for that." If you don't have a joyful reason, something you can call on in February, some part of you that has consented, you will burn out very quickly.

[Snowstorm84]

Get some homeschool support! Go out and meet up with other homeschoolers, they will help encourage you in your choice. :)

[Chelli]

I actually wrote two blog posts of advice. That's how much I had to say about the subject! :D

 

I'm linking them in case you are interested.

 

I'm A Home School Newbie Part 1

 

I'm A Home School Newbie Part 2

 

Most importantly have fun and welcome to the homeschool life!

[sewingmama]

If classical homeschooling doesn't work out for you....it's ok to choose another philosophy but still stick around on this board :D

 

I'm classical at heart but my DD is a hippie :lol: She's all about nature and freedom from well... everything :glare:

 

Luckily I get a second chance to school classically with my DS who is more like his mum in personality :D

[Carol in Cal.]

You will waste money on curriculum the first year. It's money well spent to figure out what really works for you. Feel good about it, toss the bad stuff, and move on.

 

Read aloud a lot. 3 hours a day, spread over 3-4 sessions, is not too much. Read a variety--fiction, novels, poetry, science, history, Bible, mythology, cookbooks, geography...

 

One more thing...homeschooling is NOTHING like helping with homework. When homeschooling, you have cuddly read alouds. You have your child at the best possible time of the day. You go at the pace that you think is right for her.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Carol in Cal.

[*Jen*]

The best thing I did when I started homeschooling was to tell my husband that I got one night a week off! Some weeks I don't use it but most of the time I do. DH gets home and the kids are his. I go out and do anything but think about the kids. Sometimes I get coffee with a friend, other times I go have a peaceful dinner by myself and wander a book store etc. That time away is so important to keep me from burning out!

[Food4Thought]

If the sun is shining, drop everything and go play.

Considering the sun only shines a few days here every year, it's important. :)

 

If you don't have the sunshine issues like we do, then that advice roughly translates to: Feel free to take time off whenever you feel like you need it. We school on the 36-week file folder schedule so it's completely flexible. Sometimes we need a week or two off in between to play video games and unwind before we can really focus on learning again.

 

I am the type that will work until I'm dead in the goal of being "productive" and have found that real learning happens when I relax and stop trying to force it.

[duckens]

Work hard, but have the wisdom to know when to take a break.

 

These breaks may be for a half hour or a day or a few months.

[Laura Corin]

Start slowly. I would recommend, if the child is under about thirteen, starting with just English and maths then adding in other subjects when the first two are going well.

 

Laura

[Hunter]

Not advice but a truism, "Slow and steady wins the race."

 

When you feel the fog start to overwhelm you, step back because, honestly, this forum can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how well you anchor yourself. Without a strong anchor to your own values, you can easily find yourself swept along with the powerful tides ever present here.

 

:iagree:

[Hunter]

If classical homeschooling doesn't work out for you....it's ok to choose another philosophy but still stick around on this board :D

 

 

:iagree: