When we started on this homeschooling journey five years ago, I didn’t really know where it would take us. I honestly went in with the thought that we would give it a try and then most likely would put the kids back in private school the following year. That did not happen. Instead we now have three of our children doing school at home. Early on when we were planning, my husband and I, decided to celebrate milestones–big and small. Achievements, and graduations need to be recognized. Let’s face it these kids work hard and sometimes being at home that can be lost in the shuffle.

Here is a list of ideas of milestones to celebrate in your homeschool.

Milestones to celebrate in your homeschool

• Outstanding Grades
• Projects
• Moving Up a Grade
• Kindergarten Graduation
• 8th Grade Graduation
• High School Graduation
• Spelling Bees, Science Fairs, Competitions, Sports, Essay contest… (things you find outside the home to enter)

Celebration ideas for achieving milestones

• Have a party
• Small gift
• Special meal
• Diploma
• Award certificate
• Tell Relatives

We have a kindergartner this year. He has been working hard on his schooling and we plan on having a small celebration party for him. We will invite the grandparents to join us and possibly another homeschooling family. I bought a cap and gown as well as a diploma for him. We will have him recite a few bible verses he learned this year. I also plan on having him sing a song and share a little of his math facts. We will keep it simple but I want to mark the milestone so he knows he accomplished completing Kindergarten.

By making a point to acknowledge our children’s milestones we are showing them that the hard work they do is important.  The bible talks about hard work:

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. – Galatians 6:9

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. – Ecclesiastes 9:10

Geography can be tricky to teach if you don’t have a game plan on incorporating it into your homeschool. Some obvious ways to add it to your lessons would be to map out what you are learning in History, Literature and sometimes Science.  It is easy to look up geographical locations for many famous events and people.  We have also looked up many relatives and missionaries as we pray for them. It is helpful to have a location to focus on along with a face.

One of my favorite ways to add geography without having a full on curriculum is to use current events.  This is a great way to get older students involved with what is going on in their world. Learning locations helps them present intelligent observations to conversations. News media is filled with many stories that are perfect for discussion and mapping.

Ideas for Teaching Geography Using Current Events

• Appeals Court
• Election Results–National, state, and local
• Natural Disasters–this is a great way to bring notice to your children and perhaps start a family project to help with relief funds or needs.
• Visiting Dignitaries
• Borders of Countries

As a family we have been discussing a lot of politics at the dinner table. These open discussions let the kids give their feelings on the different happenings in the country. Adding mapping to our school and has helped them to have some knowledge of where these events are taking place and take a bit more time to study them in detail.  One of our recent projects was mapping the Appeals Court using a states map from WonderMaps. It helped to color the map to get a real visual on how the different courts sizes and locations influence their decisions.  It was a simple project that didn’t take very long to implement but gave them a wonderful working knowledge of the way the system works.

What practical ways are you incorporating Geography into your homeschool?

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Kindergarten is a wonderful year for school. Kids soak up everything you teach them, and they are still eager for more. For example, on a recent road trip from New Jersey to Florida, my Kindergartener asked me dozens of questions as we passed through the many states along the way. Those questions led to discussions about geography, mileage, customs, last names, and landforms.

Naturally, when we arrived home this homeschool mom decided some basic geography lessons using WonderMaps were in order for him.

WonderMaps is perfectly aligned with both history programs from Bright Ideas Press — The Mystery of History and All American History. It contains Historical Maps, The World, Continent Maps, Regional Maps, Maps of Countries, American States, and even Thematic Maps. And each map is customizable with dozens of different options.

WonderMaps

Ideas for Teaching Basic Geography

• Show the child the full United States map and color in each state you study as you go along.
• Pick one state and learn its location and some facts about that state (landmarks, relatives locations, state birds/flowers).
• Keep everything together and use the booklet you make as a review tool.
• Ask questions about our country — colors of the flag, how many states, ocean names.
• Teach the four cardinal directions.

How the Lesson Looked for Us

For our learning purposes, I printed an outline map of the United States. We talked about how many states there are, and I had my son name as many as he could from memory. Then I picked our home state of New Jersey to begin our notebooking adventure. Using a WonderMap of New Jersey, we studied the shape of our state and identified where it lies in the USA, coloring it in with blue pencil.

We talked about our state motto and bird.

For our next state, I let him choose which state to study. He chose Florida. We followed the same format of looking at the main map then the individual state map.

I’m keeping all of these WonderMaps in a folder for him to reference. We will do one state a week, and at the end he will have a geography notebook he can refer to. We will also be reviewing the previous states each week to keep them fresh.

Of course, this kind of geography lesson is very simple because my son is so young. As he progresses in grades, we will take a more indepth look. For now, though, I’m happy that he is becoming familiar with what our country’s outline looks like, how each state is shaped, and some facts about each state.

Children tend to be selfish. Even as toddlers, they quickly learn the power of the word mine and wield it often. As parents, it is our job to cultivate generosity by giving them opportunities to give their belongings and their time. We get the chances every day as a homeschool family. For example, when big brother gives up his free time to read a book to his younger sister, he is expressing generosity with his time and talents.

The holiday season is a great time to deliberately teach generosity. By planning special activities, you can help your kids to look outside their own needs and consider those of family and community.

1. Donate Things You No Longer Need

The end of a calendar year is a great time to look through closets and toyboxes for things that are not being used. Make sure that your children don’t choose broken or worn out things. (Those can be simply discarded instead of donated.) Help the children select still useful objects, things they themselves would like to receive.

2. Collect For Charity

One year we collected canned goods to donate to a local food bank. Another year we collected old towels for a local animal shelter. Give a call to a local charity that is meaningful to you to discover what they are most in need of. Then rally your friends and family to help. Be sure to take the kids along to the organization to drop off what you collected where they can see where their gifts end up.

3. Visit A Nursing Home

We do this monthly with homeschooling friends. The children sing a few songs then visit with the residents. Each time we go, the residents tell us how much this time means to them. It’s simple, costs us nothing but our time, and enriches the lives of many lonely people.

4. Send Notes To Your Pastor

Send a card to your pastor, telling him how much you appreciate his service and sacrifice. This gesture doesn’t cost much, but it is a great way to teach kids to be thankful for the hard work of the pastor. Plus you can have an impromptu lesson about the parts of a friendly letter, the correct way to address an envelope, and how to compose a note of appreciation.

5. Make a Goodie Basket for Neighbors

For people without family nearby, the holidays can be hard and lonely. Even the smallest gestures show you care and establish goodwill in your neighborhood. Assembling a fruit basket or a plate of homemade cookies is a great way to share love and teach kids to think of others.

6. Shovel Snow or Rake Leaves

Older teens can easily bless a local family by helping with these chores. The elderly or someone who has cancer might not have the stamina to do this manual labor. They might be on a fixed income and can’t afford to pay, so it would really be a blessing. It also teaches our teens to give up their free time to do something nice for others.

7. Adopt A Missionary Family

Consider adopting a missionary family to support for the year. Send cards, money, care packages, and prayers. These families give often need encouragement and support, living so far from their families, often in hostile environments.

8. Help a Family With Christmas

Instead of adding more to the pile of things that will be lost or broken by Christmas night, consider enlisting your children in shopping for an under-resourced family in your area. Contact your local churches for suggestions. Cover their Christmas dinner with all the trimmings plus personalized gifts for everyone in the family — adults and children alike.

9. Commit To Praying

Sometimes money is tight and you can’t give monetarily. However you can give with your time by praying for someone special. Let the person know you prayed by placing a short call or sending a brief note.

Or devote an entire month to prayer for a specific person, family, or even ministry. Print out a blank calendar grid, and jot down specific prayers each day for the month. Then mail that calendar to the person you prayed for at the completion of the month. Imagine how blessed the recipient will feel! You may even hear stories of how God answered that specific prayer on that particular day!

10. Volunteer Your Time

As the hustle and bustle of the season comes to a full boil, there are many opportunities to help frenzied friends with their burdens. Offer to help watch children, clean the church, or run an errand for people who are really trying hard to get everything done. Maybe offer to wrap Christmas presents. That task always takes me far too long; I would love the help!

This holiday season, sit down with your children and this list of ideas. Let them select the ones that appeal to them and encourage them to suggest original ideas. Then —and this is the most important part —get out a calendar and make a plan for each one. Instead of associating the holidays with overeating, outrageous spending, and mountains of presents, your children will cultivate a spirit of generosity.

Many homeschoolers worry about continuing to educate at home during the high school years. They worry their teens won’t be prepared for college or work after graduation. With a little thought and preparation, high school doesn’t have to be scary. It can even be a joy to spend these last few years with your older children before they fly the nest and become adults.

Talk To Your Teen

During the eighth grade year, I sit down with my rising freshman and start a real discussion. I want to know what they like about school and what they don’t. I ask what they think they will want to do after they graduate.

• Is it trade school?
• College?
• Working a full time job?

This is important because I want to know how to begin planning their next four years of high school towards that goal.

Learn What Colleges Are Looking For

We are planning on our children’s attending some sort of college—even if for a short time. So we took a good look at my son’s top three colleges to see what they want from students. There was a community college, a secular four-year college, and a Christian four-year college on our list. Each college had similarities but they also had some differences in terms of GPA, test scores, and high school coursework.

Develop a Plan

Once we saw what colleges were looking for, we started writing down a plan. Math, science and foreign language need to be taken in a specific order. This helped me pick curriculum that meets all the requirements for each school on our list. I had no idea that schools were looking for three years of foreign language because when I was college shopping they only wanted two. Things change over the years, and it really does help to set a loose plan for what to cover each year.

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Schedule Testing

Find the test dates for the college entrance exams: PSAT, SAT, and ACT. We found that we missed one of the tests because I didn’t know local schools register a whole year in advance for the PSAT. Look online for information or call your local high school and find out the schedule so you are prepared. Colleges might prefer one test over the other (SAT or ACT), so it is good to look at individual school requirements when making this decision.

Keep Good Records

This is common sense, but honestly life gets busy. By keeping up to date with grading and your transcript you will avoid trying to remember it all in your student’s junior year. Get a notebook or folder, and keep track. Keep a list of extra curricular activities, trips, books, and courses. You will need that information when you are finalizing your child’s transcript.

Relax!

Remember the saying Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day! Homeschooling is a marathon not a sprint. By keeping calm and cool you will find that it isn’t that high school isn’t that different than teaching the younger years.  You can do this!

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