Just like your banking records, there are certain papers that are useful for you to stash away for the future, whether for a school official, or for your children, or for you to reminisce!

It is helpful to put together a portfolio each year, even if you use a testing option to verify your progress to the school officials. Because I use a homeschool lesson planning/recordkeeping book that is fairly comprehensive, all I need to add to my lesson plan book are some photos and samples of my girls’ work. Your portfolio for the year might include:

• Your school calendar, with field trips, outings, sports events, etc. marked (as well as any attendance records).
• Your typical daily schedule. You might even include your teacher lesson plan book or journal.
• Lists of the materials you used this year. I like to include how much I spent and where I purchased my materials, for future reference.
• Report cards/grades, if issued, and any standardized test scores or evaluation reports.
• List of...

Lesson Planning and Recordkeeping

1. Set goals for each child (intellectual, physical, spiritual, social—see Luke 2:52).

2. Determine what will be covered this year.

3. Order appropriate materials to accomplish goals.

4. Decide on “school” schedule.

5. Peruse materials and determine what you will cover and what you will not. Your curriculum is a tool, not a master.

6. Divide materials by number of weeks or number of days.

7. Build in some “down time.”

8. Lay out a framework (1 math lesson per day Monday-Thursday with math game Friday; 1 LLATL lesson per week, 1 A Beka literature unit per month, etc.).

9. Write out a plan to accomplish your goals. Use pencil!

10. Measure yourself...

Time management is not about finding the ultimate planning notebook or a calendar with stickers or adopting yet another list of to-do’s to get you caught up. Time management is about identifying what is important to you and then ordering your days to reflect those priorities in such a way that you can accomplish what God has for you for today.

There are lots of great resources to help you develop routines and systems that will work for your individual needs; a partial list follows. I surely don’t need to re-invent the wheel; even if I did, it would be my wheel, not yours. And time management is something you have to tailor to your own unique personality and family, not fit into my cookie-cutter calendar (although that certainly won’t stop me from giving you samples throughout the site).

Our goal is to give you some practical ideas for starters and to give you encouragement that you can do this!

Margin is the distance between where you are and your personal limit (emotional, physical, financial, time, etc.). This will be different for everyone (for more on this topic, read Margin by Richard Swenson). Just as...

Organization at a Glance

• Pray about what God wants you to work on for your particular family.

• Ask your spouse for guidance as to which areas are important to him.

• Find a balance: “Our house is clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy.”

• Be careful not to be such a perfectionist that people are uncomfortable living in your house.

• Our goal is to glorify God with our lives and, as homemakers, with our homes. We can do that better in an orderly home because we can be more gracious to our children when we aren’t rushed or hunting for the car keys or always behind, and can be hospitable. Our home is more peaceful and calm.

• This is a spiritual work because the end result is to bring peace to our homes and to glorify our Creator.

• Look for ways to bring order to your home, but don't allow...

your first question will probably be, "Is homeschooling for me?"

Taking the first step into home educating your children can be very intimidating. No doubt, you will want to do as much research as you can before you take that step. There are many fine articles in the "Resources" section of this website that will help you to make an intelligent decision. 

Your first question will probably be something like, "Is homeschooling for me?" The exercise below will help you determine if home education is for you and, if so, help you create a vision for your homeschool adventure.

• Answer the following questions on paper.

• Discuss your individual answers as a couple.

• Read through MÂCHÉ's responses.

We suggest both you and your spouse complete a self evaluation separately and then discuss your answers together.

Questions to Consider in your self evaluation

• Why are you considering...

Homeschooling through the high school years can be a tremendous blessing and an opportunity for you and your children. This workshop will address parents' questions regarding these important years of growth and potential. You can do it!

you will learn how to do the following:

• Keep records, create transcripts and build resumés

• Earn college credits during high school

• Maneuver through the maze of college entrance testing

• Choose a post high school path other than college

• Participate in extra and co-curricular activities

• Manage the difficult subjects (algebra, chemistry, etc.)

upcoming "Finishing the journey (FTJ)" workshops:

Finishing the Journey: Homeschooling Through High School Workshop (in conjunction with the Considering Homeschool Workshop)

Saturday, September 8, 2013...

Have you heard about home education and want to know more about this educational choice for your children?  Do you want to know what is involved before you commit to this new lifestyle of learning?  If so, this workshop will give you a foundational understanding of home education in Minnesota and how it relates to you.

Find answers to important homeschooling questions:

• What are the legal requirements for a parent to homeschool?

• What do I need to get started?

• Am I qualified to educate my children?

• What about the socialization of my children?

• Where do I find curriculum?

• How do I choose curriculum?

• How do I know it's the right choice for me?

• What are the advantages of homeschooling my children?

• How much does homeschooling cost—financially and in other ways?

• What if my children are older and in high school?

• How is home education different from other education choices?

Make the most of the “togetherness” inherent in homeschooling—with some fun and games designed to build family relationships while reinforcing skills. Games promote family bonding while building math, language, and thinking skills. Game play reinforces both character and curriculum by encouraging children to take turns, follow directions, think strategically, and recall information learned or skills developed.

“There are many kinds of success in life worth having. It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful business man, or railroad man, or farmer, or a President, or a ranchman, or the colonel of a fighting regiment, or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.” —Theodore Roosevelt, Autobiography, 1913

...

A funny thing happened to me the other day. I was having a chat with one of our neighbors as we watched our kids play. Of course, the topic of school came up. After hearing the news that we homeschool, my neighbor suddenly appeared starstruck and exclaimed, “Wow! You must be Supermom!” I mumbled something about being pretty normal and we left it at that. But the whole conversation stayed with me for the rest of the day.

This sort of thing is said to me often. As soon as the word “homeschool” is dropped, people look at me like they can actually see my cape flying in the breeze behind me. As if somehow I have this amazing superpower that enables me to stay home with my three sons 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and somehow keep my sanity.

Later that night, I relayed the whole story to my husband. His wise reply to me? “So? You are Supermom.” (He’s so nice to me.) Why, then, did it bother me so much?

WHY AM I BOTHERED?

After some time, it hit me. The reason it bothered me so much that everyone, including my husband, thought I was Supermom was this: I’m just not. It seems so simple and...

Does your child have good hearing but listen poorly?

Some parents refer to this as selective hearing, but your child may actually have trouble listening. While hearing is the ability to detect sound, listening is how the brain processes auditory information.

Children with poor auditory processing skills tend to exhibit the following problems:

• Trouble hearing or easily distracted in noisy environments.


• Hard time following a conversation or following directions.


• Disorganized and forgetful.


• Problems with reading, comprehension, spelling and/or writing.


• Trouble recalling a story in proper sequence.


• Difficulty understanding verbal math problems.

Auditory Processing problems closely mimic AD/HD symptoms, and children are often misdiagnosed. If a child is having trouble processing auditory information, he or she will often appear to be inattentive. It is similar to a bad cell phone connection. The child does not get all of...