Thrift Schooling

Outsourcing in your homeschool or home business just got easier. Whether you need to hire a tutor, babysitter, housekeeper, lawn care service, or virtual assistant, you want to ensure that those you welcome into your world align with your core values. Drawing in and hiring people can often be a difficult process. At a minimum, it’ll be time-consuming, especially when you consider all of the steps that need to be taken. What if there was a way to make this easier and less time-consuming? Once you can streamline the hiring process, you take time and effort out of it. Despite that, it’ll help you find the perfect ones to help you run your home, online business, family business, or homeschool smoothly. There are more than a few ways you can do this, with some being better than others, and they could help you be effective in your day-to-day homeschooling while trying to keep up your home and business. Streamline the Hiring Process: 3 Great Ways 1. Perfect the Screening Process You are not g...

Try these two free cute addition worksheets in your homeschool this week! Simply save to your computer and print. Thrifty and effective! Here are two different styles of adding worksheets. One has a number line. The other one does not. Try both and see which is more effective for your learner so you can know which type to use in the future. Every child learns differently. Personally, I was taught rote memorization (the first worksheet). This worked well for my oldest two children. Two other children thrived with number lines. Math education does not need to be one-size-fits-all. If your child is struggling with worksheet #1, sitting there for hours on end, try the second method—that might be exactly what he needs to succeed. If he still struggles, check out my review of Touch Math —an incredible resource for struggling math learners! (Right-click on image. Save and print.) (Right-click on image. Save and print.)

  It's that time of year. You are going to see photos of kids holding up a chalkboard with their name and the grade they are going into. Just give it a few weeks and you will see them all over social media. You, too, can do that as a homeschooler—but, for my family, that would just confuse my kids too much! Grade levels are not really a thing in our home. Math is one grade level. Reading is another. History is done together and electives are non-traditional. While the first day of school chalkboard tradition is out, getting excited about the first day of school is 100% in.  On the first day of summer break I told the kids with a sing-songy voice that it was the first day of summer vacation—they were thrilled. Today, my six-year-old asked me if I would do the same thing on the first day back to school. I laughed. I am so glad he is just as excited to start back up as I am. Here are five ways that you can celebrate the new homeschool year! Pick one, two, or more—just have fun! 1...

  Our family has only had positive experiences with the people in homeschool co-ops but homeschool co-ops in general have not been a great fit for us. Though during a very specific season of my life, they were a tremendous blessing, they simply did not work out most of the time. Here are the top five reasons why our family does not attend homeschool co-ops and what we do instead.  5. Time Commitment As a homeschool mom I am not afraid to make commitments. I schedule activities, playdates, and zoo trips with other homeschool families. What I do dread is the thought of a weekly commitment—especially with littles in the home. I will never forget the first (and only) year that I agreed to be the VBS director at my church. It was an unbelievable event, and they usually are. Parents love sending their kids to VBS during the summer and churches love the outreach opportunity. The event was well staffed and well attended, but what fell through the cracks was my family. I barely had tim...

Blogging has changed our homeschool significantly. Not only can I do what I love—which is writing—but I can love what I do—which is homeschooling. This blog has opened up doors to new homeschooling products, experiences, and connections, which has been incredible. Read more by clicking on the article link below! Ten Benefits of Starting a Homeschool Blog  Stop by again next Monday for another  Thrift Schooling Monday Memory  where I share my published content on other websites created to encourage, equip, and edify homeschooling families.

  I have all of the materials ready to go for the upcoming school year on the bookshelf. I still have a couple of weeks yet, but I am excited to crack those books open and get started. Before I share with you the list of what we will be using, I want to highlight the TOP TEN CURRICULUM choices from last year. Some choices were flops and certainly did not make the list. Others were absolute wins that I am excited to share with you. When you drop money on a curriculum whether it is a few bucks from a reseller or brand new for a couple hundred dollars, there is always a risk involved. Some of these were repeats from other years with other kids, and some were brand new—including what landed in the number one spot!  10. Daily-6 Trait Writing Perfect to ensure your kids are getting their daily writing in. With so many electronics in use in the home, this is a must.  Read my first grade  and second grade reviews. These were a great addition to our year.  9. Notgrass ...

  Many Christian women have never led a Bible study. Although I have, when I think about it, it was only when I was in an official  “ ministry ”  position (youth leader or missionary). It seems that many women do not do it outside of a church building because we do not feel that we were qualified. That is what we are taught. Whether intentional or not, many of us leaving church feeling unqualified to lead people to the Lord. We were told to bring them to church from the pulpit. Sure, we were encouraged to witness and lead people in the sinner's prayer—as long as it leads to church growth. Typically, we are not the ones meant to baptize. We are not the ones meant to disciple. I remember when my husband and I baptized a couple while on the mission field. I admit I did feel unqualified, but there was no one holding our hands. There was no one else to do it. God stirred on their hearts and we happened to be there.  I then led the woman in the basic first principles of th...