Search Results for: blog why i used time4learning for elementary level homeschooling

Looking to cut homeschooling costs next year

Probably more then most other families, homeschoolers are feeling the pinch, since most are already one income homes. This means you will need to make some decisions on how to cut your homeschooling costs for next year. Here are some things to consider. Trade curriculums: Produce a “have” list of homeschool curriculums you have and no longer need and a “need” list of items that you want. Send it to all of the homeschooling families you know to arrange a trade, or even a sale, it that will get you closer to buying something else you need. Homeschool swap: Host … Continue reading →

Homeschool Questions and Answers: Homeschooling a Kindergartener

Question: I just quit my job to be a stay at home to a 5 year old and a one year old. I have very seriously thought about homeschooling for next year’s k-5 but I really need help to start. Can you please pass on any information that could help me make my decision easier and where to start on learning? Answer: If you are planning to homeschool your child next year after preschool, then you have some time do a bit of research. My advice for a mom considering starting homeschooling is that you should read up on different … Continue reading →

New Homeschool Curriculum for Writing: Time4Writing

It is no secret that Time4Learning has been one of my favorite online curriculums for elementary school students. I liked it because it is interactive and teaches language arts, math, science, and social studies to pre-kindergarten through middle school children. The program fully prepared my kids to be able to hit the ground running when they transitioned into taking local co-op type classes. It also made the learning process fun. Time4Learning now had a new sister online curriculum called Time4Writing which focuses of teaching students writing skills. Time4writing was created in response to parental requests for writing tutorials. There are … Continue reading →

Homeschooling making Schools of the Future Possible

If you were an elementary school student in the 1970’s like I was, then you remember predictions of what it would be like to like in the year 2000. I remember dreams of moving sidewalks, I remember talk of hovering cars, I also remember predictions of being able to press a button and having dinner ready. Some of these technological advancements have come to pass on a small scale such as the moving walkways in airports and microwave dinners, but in general, they just turned out to be fairy tales… with one exception. I distinctly remember teachers talking about the … Continue reading →

Knowing You have Found the Right Curriculum part 2

In part 1 of Knowing You have Found the Right Curriculum, I talked about our personal journey in choosing our first curriculum and then transitioning over to a new curriculum as the kids got older. Our first curriculum was an online program, and our second curriculum is through a local homeschool program called Masters Academy of fine arts. When it was obvious that our kids needed a change, we started taking them to the History and Fine Arts program that was available one day a week. As their academic needs grew, we also put them in the programs academic program. … Continue reading →

Knowing You have Found the Right Curriculum part 1

Choosing homeschool curriculum is hard. It is heart wrenching. It is agonizing. It is confusing due to the hundreds of choices available. If fills even the most secure homeschooling parents with feelings of dread and fear of making mistakes. Eventually, however, you will make the curriculum decision and KNOW for a fact that you have made the right decision. For some families it happens faster than others. For some families, they still find themselves adjusting after a few years when for many years they knew they had chosen what was right at the time. But whether you find your right … Continue reading →

Easy Low Cost First Year Curriculums

I have been reading the inquiries of new homeschoolers who are finding themselves spending many hours each night preparing for the next days lessons. While some people really enjoy the process of preparing lessons, for new homeschoolers, this process can be very overwhelming. It does not need to be. When we embarked upon our first year as homeschoolers my main goal was to keep things simple so I could take my time learning more about homeschooling. I did not know if I wanted to write my own curriculum. I did not know if I wanted to follow a curriculum in … Continue reading →

Computer use and Rules

One big advantage that homeschoolers of today have is the computer. The many ways the computer can be used to homeschool are endless. You don’t need a computer to homeschool, but the use of one can make life so much easier. While I allow my child to play on the computer by himself whenever he wants, there are some guidelines that he must follow in order to continue to be allowed to play on the computer. When he wants to play on the internet though, that’s a whole new set of rules. The use of a computer to homeschool is … Continue reading →

5 Tricks I Use to ‘Make It Work’

I recently wrote a blog in baby where I answered the question that seems to be on inquiring minds: “Just How Do You Do It?” I realize that many of you know this, but by way of introduction for those who are new, I have five children ages 8, 6, 4 and 2 year old twins. I homeschool the oldest two who are in 3rd and 1st grade respectively. My four year old does some version of preschool (although I should note that she just turned 4 a week ago). A commenter on the aforementioned blog asked how I got … Continue reading →

Not for Homeschoolers

While many homeschoolers would be happy making up programs for their homeschoolers, I am a huge fan of the no-brainer. Any thing with a technology bent is a program I want to try out. Schools however jump all over the same types of programs, and often monopolize on the programs I most want to use. This leads to one of the most frustrating problems for homeschoolers. Few things are more aggravating than discovering a great curriculum only to find that it is not available to homeschoolers. I ran into a similar problem with morning. I read a blog about a … Continue reading →