Favorite FREE (or Cheap) Resources that we LOVE!

Book can be really expensive, this post has lots of great ideas to get books at really cheap prices!

Apps are a great inexpensive addition to your homeschool!  Many are FREE, and others are very cheap from $1-5. Here is a post with our favorite ones!

In addition to my own created FREE printables, here is a list of my favorite blogs for great printables for FREE!

Many of my favorite unit study resources are very cheap!  Check this post out for ideas of where to get inexpensive lap books and unit studies!

Currclick is another great resource for CHEAP curriculum!

See what other crew member recommend!

Goes live at 8am EST on 4/29/16.

Milton Hershey Printable Preschool and Kindergarten Pack

We are working on a TOS Review for YWAM Publishing of Heroes of History- Milton Hershey.  We will be visiting the Hershey Story Museum and Hershey’s Chocolate World soon too.  The book includes activities for older kids (which I’ll talk about more in my upcoming review post), so I wanted to make my younger children activities to go along with it as well.  They are enjoying the book and I thought these would be a great addition to it.   Of course, I also wanted to share these freebies with all of you too!

You can find this and other printables at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store 

See what other FREE Printables my CREW MATES have:

This Blog Cruise goes live at 9am on the 15th of April 2106

Flexibility in the Curriculum (5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents)

So, I totally jumped the gun last week and forgot that this series was coming up and posted Choosing Your Curriculum last week. 

One great thing about Homeschooling Year Round that was briefly mentioned in my last two posts is that you don’t have to be a SLAVE to your curriculum.  There is more Flexibility and Less Stress when you have a year round schedule. 

For my own sanity, I need somewhat of an outline, but I find that with a year round schedule I can allow for them to explore areas that interest them more, and fly through topics that don’t. 

As previously mentioned, I can allowed for a bit more of an unschooling, relaxed approach, because I don’t feel tied down to the time line. 

THIS is the type of stuff that can happen when you let go and aren’t a slave to your curriculum!

I’m not perfect at it, but I have learned to let go a lot more!  It’s amazing what can happen, when you allow it too.  Honestly, our best homeschool days have been the days I let go, and let learning happen more naturally! 

Check out some of my crew friends at their blogs!

Melissa @ Grace Christian School
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Missica @ Through the Open Window
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling
Rebekah @ There Will Be A $5 Charge For Whining
Renita @ Krazy Kuehner Days
Sarah @ Renaissance Mama
Sasha @ Such a Time as This
Tawnee @ Adventures in Homeschooling
Tiffany @ The Crafty Home
Tina @ Desperate Homeschoolers

For a more comprehensive list that includes all participating bloggers click on the image below!

Why Homeschool Year Round? Less Stress! (5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents, Day 2)

One of the big reasons I decided to do year round homeschool is to lessen the stress of homeschooling!

Often times I hear other homeschool moms make comments like, we can’t go (to field trip, or whatever), because we are behind in our curriculum.  Other times they say they schooled all day to get caught up, or holidays or weekends, or whatever. 

One thing I have learned over the years that I have homeschooled, is it all works out, as long as you are doing something they are learning.  There is no need to let the curriculum rule your life.  With that said, when you homeschool year round, you have a lot more time to get it all in!  You don’t have to feel guilty about taking a little time, here or there.  You can take that field trip, take that break that you need, have a play date, go to the park, sign them up for a class that ‘interferes’ with ‘normal’ school time.  It’s all good! 

Now homeschooling year round doesn’t automatically relieve stress, you have to train yourself, and learn to relax a bit and learn to go with the flow a lot.  But it is definitely one less thing to worry about when you aren’t on this Sept-June time line. 

I do have a general idea of what I want to cover each year, for subjects like Science and History we cover as much as week can in a subject, but always start a new unit (topic) in September.  The other subjects, we just truck along, and as we finish one book, we start the next. 

Having a year round schedule, for me means that we can have more child-led days.  If my son wants to just listen to an audio book all day, I can let him.  If he decides he wants to build the periodic table out of index cards, I can let him.  If he wants to make a giant weaving loom and weave all day, I can let him.  If we need a break, we can go to jump time at the trampoline park.  I strive for 3 school days a week, and if we make it… I consider that successful! 

TIP:  To help relieve my stress of ‘having to get things done’ and ‘getting it all covered’, I have some computer courses that they do on a daily basis (4-5 days a week).  This helps me relax and I know things like MATH are always covered! 

I have recommended Home Schooling Year Round to several mom’s who were feeling stressed by time lines, curriculum outlines, etc…  It really is an answer to a lot of the stresses of homeschool (In my opinion).  If you feel that these things are burdening you in your homeschooling, consider trying a year round schedule! 

What are some of the causes of stress in your homeschool?  How do you think a year round schedule could help relieve some of that stress?  Consider it!

Check out some of my crew friends at their blogs!

Jeniffer @ Thou Shall Not Whine
Jennifer @ A Peace of Mind
Jennifer @ Faithful Homestead
Joelle @ homeschooling for His Glory
Joesette @ Learning Curve
Kari @ Random Acts of Boyhood
Katie @ Katie's Daily Life
Kemi @ Homemaking Organized
Kim @ Homestead Acres
Kylie @ Our Worldwide Classroom

Don’t forget to stop back here tomorrow!

For a more comprehensive list that includes all participating bloggers click on the image below!

Field Trip #195 Friday Blog Hop

Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts(does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)

**NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE!

We took a trip to the library on Tuesday for their Egg Drop Challenge!  Was a great, FREE, science class and they had a lot of fun!

Then on Wednesday, C had a Robotics Class for a few hours.  He love robotics and I’m glad I was able to learn of this class.  It was only $35 and is a fundraiser for the robotics team that coaches the class.  So it’s a good cause too! 

You can find videos of both events on my Instagram!

We have another library class tomorrow for the youngest two, and hope to make the local PEEPS ART SHOW before it closes!  So stay tuned next week! 

The Schoolhouse Review Crew is having their Blog Cruise this week, I have posted a few posts this week too!  Check out what my Crew Mates are posting on the theme Tips for Homeschool Parents. 

Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Latonya @ Joy in the Ordinary
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road
Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures
Lori @ At Home: where life happens
Meg @ Adventures with Jude
Megan @ My Full Heart
Melanie (Wren) @ finchnwren
Melissa @ Mom's Plans

Why Homeschool Year Round?–Flexibility (5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents, Day 2)

When we first started homeschooling I was not sure whether or not I wanted to do a year round schedule, or to do a typical school year schedule.  We sort of just landed in a year round schedule, and I’m loving it! 

There are many reasons that I recommend year round schedules, I will be blogging about them this week.  The first of which is Flexibility (as the image above so plainly points out!).

We can take our vacations when other people can’t!  This is one of the great things about homeschooling in general, but by using a  year round schedule, we don’t have to stress about fitting it all in  while we do so!  While other kids are spring breaking and summer breaking and Christmas breaking, these are the weeks you will find us most often at HOME! 

We like to hit up the museums, the beach, the amusement parks, etc… when the rest of the crowd is IN SCHOOL!   This also tends to award us discounts!  DOUBLE BONUS!

Also many of our family members do not live close, when we lived in Hawaii… none of our family lived close.  This allowed them to come and visit in off season (cheaper flights) and the kids were able to spend just as much time with them!  We can also travel and visit family off season as well. (Though many of the cousins are in public school, boo!).

We can take field trips on a weekly basis!  We can take time off for illness, new babies (though we won’t be doing that again… at least no new babies are in the future plans).  Hubby has time off, we take time off too! 

We only have to school a few days a week!  This leaves more time for flexibility in the curriculum.  (I’ll talk a bit more on that later).  It greatly lessens stress (more on that later too). 

Lucky for us, we don’t have to count days or hours for our reporting, but when I have (just to see) we always get in way more days the public school system (because I count field trips as school days, I mean public schools do!), and even if I didn’t there are still plenty of at home learning days!

If you feel like you can’t fit it all in, and there are not enough days to enjoy life and get homeschooling done… consider a year round schedule! 

There are a lot of ways to incorporate it.  Some people do 3 weeks on,  1 week off.  Some do 3 days a week, and a field trip day (so technically 4 days a week).  (That’s us!).  Some take  a month off every so many months. I mean there really is no rule how to do it.  If you are required a certain number of days (on average it seems most public schools go about 180 days a year). 

Do you homeschool year round?  Why or why not? 

Check out some of my crew friends at their blogs!

Dawn @ Double O Farms
Dawn @ Guiding Light Homeschool
Debbie @ Debbie's Homeschool Corner
Desiree @ Our Homeschool Notebook
Diana @ Busy Homeschool Days
Diana @ Homeschool Review
Elyse @ Oiralinde: Eternal Song
Emilee @ Pea of Sweetness
Erin @ For Him and My Family

Don’t forget to stop back here tomorrow!

For a more comprehensive list that includes all participating bloggers click on the image below!

5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents–Day 1

The Schoolhouse Review Crew is having a Blog Cruise this week!  I will only be posting 3 out of the 5 days (I just could not get 5 posts in after hurting my finger last week). 

BUT, while you are waiting for my first post to go LIVE tomorrow…  go check out some of my crew friends at their blogs!

Annette @ A Net In Time

Brandy @ Kingdom Academy Homeschool

Brenda @ Counting Pinecones

Carol @ Home Sweet Life

Cassandra @ A Glimpse of Normal

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses

Cristi @ Through the Calm and Through the Storm

Crystal @ Crystal Starr

DaLynn @ Biblical Womanhood

Danielle @ Sensible Whimsy

Don’t forget to stop back here tomorrow! 

For a more comprehensive list that includes all participating bloggers click on the image below!

Crafts With My Cricut Explore One and Other Crafty Things!

I got a Cricut Explore One for Christmas, I wish I could say I have used it a ton… I have not.  I have done a few things though!

Valentine’s Day shirts:

A birthday card for my brother serving a mission in Idaho

C made a cake for the Blue and Gold Banquet (though we weren’t able to attend b/c everyone was sick).  The theme was Robots and he made an R2D2 cake! (with help from my hubby)

I also made a St. Patrick’s Day Wreath for only $3 from Dollar Store Items!

Here are some other wreaths I’ve made on the cheap:

Wreaths on a Dime!
Quick and Easy Christmas Wreath for under $5!
Spring/Easter Wreath

Scrapbooking is something else I like to do!   I have two scrapbook retreats coming up this spring, and I just placed an order with Close To My Heart!  Here are some pages I completed last retreat!

I love scrapbooking and I wish I had more time to do it!

I run a hostess club with Close to My Heart, if you would be interested in participating, let me know.  It consists of 6 people, each purchase $25 a month for 6 months and ONE month you get to be hostess and get an additional $25 in product FREE (or more if you collect additional orders!).  It’s 100% online, so no need to live near me! 

Goes live on 3/4/16 at 9am EST