My family’s calendar was rather full. Then the word “CANCELED” began to cover the days one by one. No more church activities. No more field trips. All of the extracurricular activities seemed to disappear.

But was that a bad thing? Maybe it was time to break free from the busyness outside of our home!

Research shows too many extracurricular activities can have a negative affect on families. Kids need time to learn about themselves and explore their interests without being bounced from one activity to the next.

This article from Psych Central states that too many extracurricular activities can “potentially harm children’s development and well-being” in addition to putting “excessive strain on family relationships and resources.”

Yes, there are many uncertainties at this time. Things are really strange. People are scared. But maybe this is a good time to reflect on all of those extracurricular activities and intentionally focus on family bonding time. [Read more…]

You’re now schooling at home.

In several parts of the country, it looks like this may go on till the end of the school year.

Maybe some of you wanted to homeschool all along, and find the idea exciting. That’s great news!

But for many parents, school closures forced them to take on the sudden role of “teacher.” And that notion is daunting and overwhelming.

So what can parents do to ensure our kids are getting a decent education during this difficult time? We asked some long-time homeschoolers these questions so we could bring you the best advice:

How can we as parents make the best of the situation for our children and their education (as well as our sanity)? Can kids learn at home successfully while also having fun?

And what if my child is spectacularly unmotivated to learn anything from home at all? What do we do then?

Here’s what the experts had to say! [Read more…]

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Unexpectedly homeschooling because of Coronavirus school closures?

Overwhelmed by the unrealistic Instagram posts of people’s daily schedules?

Deep breath. You can totally do this!

We’ve compiled for you a list of 110+ awesome free educational resources to make this super easy.

And here’s more good news: homeschooling doesn’t have to be anything like actual school to be educational. 

Click on a link (or three) below and start exploring with your younger kids.

And if your kids are old enough, you can give them the reins and let them explore what they find most interesting on this list. Language arts, math, chemistry, art and finances, it’s all here!

As a homeschooling parent, I’ve utilized many of these resources myself and have chosen these for you because they are:

1. easy to use
2. engaging and educational for the kiddos
3. and best of all, free!

(Many of these are free all the time, some only while the schools are closed).

In my experience, I spend about 15-20 minutes per subject for elementary kids, but I don’t stop if they’re engaged and we’re delving into something in which they are showing a lot of interest.

Alright. Time to dive in. Click on any link below and let the learning joy begin!

PS: Do you have a favorite resource that I have not listed? Please let me know about it in the comments section below. Thank you! [Read more…]