Changing Your Homeschool Approach to Refresh Your Homeschool

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This month is one that will definitely go down in the history books. These trying times have caused more than their fair share of chaos. From school closings to only essential businesses open to keeping our distance from each other, there have been quite a few surprises this month.

And while we have pushed on with much of our homeschool, I know for many it has been difficult. Still, some are just getting started, so they find themselves a bit lost. And yet, none of us are really continuing on as normal. In fact, a new term has been floating around the internet, Crisis Schooling. And that is the perfect description of what we are doing these days.

mom and daughter looking at globe

Years ago when I first started homeschooling our oldest, I thought everything needed to be perfect. I thought all his work needed to be right because we were doing it one-on-one. I believed everything would simply fall into place if I planned it out well enough. However, I soon realized that no matter how much I planned, things happened that were beyond my control.

In a matter of one year, we lost my father, I became seriously ill to the point my husband had to take leave from his job, and we packed up our home and moved 650+ miles away for a new job. To say it interrupted our homeschooling would be an understatement. But we did recover. So whether or not you are going through a family (or national) crisis, or if you just find your homeschool becoming stale, there is hope. With a quick change or two, you can totally refresh your homeschool.

Get Outside

Right now many people are staying indoors, but if you have a state or national park that you can escape to, do it. Learning in nature is not only refreshing but a great way to do some real hands-on learning. Some may think of it as a Charlotte Mason approach, but I just think of it as learning. But there are plenty of options to do once you’re outside. Try gardening with your kids to learn about plants or take a field trip to explore new places and learn some history. Really…the options are endless so get brainstorming!

Change Your Routine

I will be the first to admit that changing up your routine can be a good thing. And while I’m not one for changing things on a whim, it can be a great way to refresh your homeschool day, week or even year! By creating a routine around your unique family, you can breathe new life into your homeschool. Help your teens formulate a routine that works for them when they master time management.

Do Some Creative Writing

My kids love to create and tell their own stories. They even have continuous characters that follow them through their stories. It is really quite elaborate and amazing. My problem is getting them to write it down. However, shared writing is a great way to get started! And don’t forget about using writing prompts

Use Online Resources

As my kids get older, we use more and more online resources. Not only are they handy, but they also don’t take up space, which is valuable and hard to come by in our tiny home. Wondering if it’s possible to homeschool high school online? It is! And it is probably my most favorite part of our journey now. If you don’t want to use an online curriculum for every subject, choose ones that can only be done online to limit their screen time. Are your older kids ready to work toward college? Most college prep classes are online and a great way to get dual credit while they’re still at home.

Try Unit Studies

Unit studies are probably one of my favorite ways to learn about a topic. I love diving into a specific topic with my kids. Learning the history, locating it on the map and sometimes tracing it around the world, making a recipe from the region and so much more can be done in a unit study. You can also do entire units on the weather or animal life cycles to inspire learning and reset your homeschool if you’re in a funk.

Really what it comes down to, is the fact that you can indeed change up your homeschool routine or approach to refresh your homeschool. All it takes is a little creativity (and patience).

mom and daughter looking at globe

Be sure to check out all our other posts in the Breathe New Life into Your Homeschool Series

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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Judith Martinez

    Since we’re not involved in a lot of outside activities and my husband is still working not a lot has changed for us but the tension and stress is really impacting the kids. We’ve watched a lot more documentaries and the kids are playing more games.

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