Category Archives: organizing

Staying Organized on the Go: Out Basket

Not long ago, I came across an ingenious solution to forgetting stuff that had to go out the door with us: the out basket. Our main entrance is in the kitchen, and I had already hung a row of hooks for our keys behind the door (I think I’m the only one who actually usesContinueContinue reading “Staying Organized on the Go: Out Basket”

Staying Organized on the Go: Library Books

I have yet to meet a homeschooler who didn’t love the library. And I have yet to meet a homeschooler who hasn’t contributed enough fine money to have a new wing named after her. It’s even happened to us on more than one occasion. So, what’s the solution to this conundrum? At first, I’m inclinedContinueContinue reading “Staying Organized on the Go: Library Books”

Staying Organized on the Go: Car Schooling

Let’s be real. Not too many of us actually do 100 percent of our schooling at home. Even when our family had one car, which my husband drove to work every day, the girls and I rarely spent every day of every week inside of our house. It helped that we lived in walking distanceContinueContinue reading “Staying Organized on the Go: Car Schooling”

Staying Organized on the Go: Co-ops

Co-ops             Homeschool co-ops can be a wonderful enhancement to our home studies. But it always seems to be a hassle to remember all of the books and materials we need each week/day, not to mention the times when we’ve had to turn the car around because little Susie left her essay in the printerContinueContinue reading “Staying Organized on the Go: Co-ops”

What’s in a Portfolio?

I’m over at Heart of the Matter Online today talking about homeschool portfolios. Go take a look! What does a hard-working homeschooling mom do with all those 3-D projects, art papers, grammar workbooks, and math tests? Keep everything? Yikes! Throw them all away? Horrors! Of course, Grandma’s refrigerator makes a wonderful display area, but whenContinueContinue reading “What’s in a Portfolio?”

Process the Visits: College Search Part 6

Now that you’ve visited a bunch of colleges, it’s time to process all of the information. I know even visiting one college can put you on overload–at least it did for me! We used a blackboard and made 3 columns: college name, date of visit, current rank. I intentionally my daughter to be able toContinueContinue reading “Process the Visits: College Search Part 6”

Learning Styles: Orderliness (Part 5)

So, what does orderliness have to do with learning styles? Quite a bit, actually! For instance, I personally can’t focus on learning anything if my environment is a mess. What about you? What about your kids? We all know about the messies and the neatniks, but let’s put these into an academic context. On theContinueContinue reading “Learning Styles: Orderliness (Part 5)”

Learning Styles: Setting (Part 4)

Are your children loners or groupies? The setting can make all the difference. Some kids need to absorb the energy of a group and need to bounce their ideas off others in order to learn. Unless you live in Timbuktu, co-ops, library groups, scouts, church groups, and other opportunities abound. The more your little groupiesContinueContinue reading “Learning Styles: Setting (Part 4)”

Learning Styles: Output (Part 3)

What about output? Most output is either oral or written, but movement output can’t be discounted. Oral learners hate written tests and essays with a passion. They do, however, usually perform much better by answering questions out loud, or by talking through their paragraphs or essays while someone else types them. Learning how to useContinueContinue reading “Learning Styles: Output (Part 3)”