Whether you’re new to the world of homeschooling or are a seasoned homeschooling mama, I know we could all use a few extra tools in our toolbelts from time to time. Today, I thought I’d share a few things that have really helped me in my homeschooling journey as I learned the in’s and out’s of what would best serve my family. I hope you’ll be able to pull a few tips and tricks to take with you as you travel down this long but oh so beneficial road for yourself and your little ones!
It seems like there is an abundance of information out there about how to prepare your school room or what supplies your children will need as you set out homeschooling them. There are simply not enough articles that focus on what Mom (or Dad) needs as a homeschooling parent, before embarking on your journey. I want to go over a few things that have helped me specifically as a homeschooling mama, in the hopes that it may help you too on the difficult days.
Essentials for the Homeschooling Mom
This one’s not for the kids or for the classroom – but for you! As a hardworking mom and teacher, having a few fun life hacks up your sleeve will help you get through some of those never ending days. It will be well worth it to have a few ideas or go-tos to fall back on when needed. Without further ado, here is the quick list of mama must haves:
- A library membership – not just for picture books
- Cozy slippers or house shoes (these are my favorite right now)
- A signature beverage
- Block Schedule planner to organize your days
- Big comfy armchair for lounging
- A desk or workspace (I personally prefer to have several)
- A List of local (preferably free) field trip options
- Time for yourself and a supportive partner
- Great resources to encourage and guide you as a homeschooling mom
Your Library Card
Just about every homeschooling mama I know would say that this is a top 3 must have item in their homeschool. Library memberships can serve you in so many ways – they’re definitely not just for checking out books! Although, of course, that is a major perk of having a membership. Ours even has an entire section dedicated to home education and includes many curriculum options to check out and try before we buy for our school year. I have found this to be SO incredibly helpful when choosing curriculums for the year.
(For more tips on choosing curriculum for your school year, check out this post!)
Many libraries will play host to weekly events and classes for children of all ages. Ours hosts a toddler story time, baby Einsteins class, book clubs by education level, Minecraft and Roblox meetups, skills classes – such as learning to crochet or start a garden from seed – and all sorts of other activities. You can even get free passes to the zoo or aquarium which is awesome!
When we’re having one of those days that everything seems to be going askew and we can’t seem to get back on track…. to the library we go. The kids look forward to impromptu library days as much as I do now! Plus, I always feel like the day has changed course for the better when we walk back in our own home with a bag full of new books to dive into.
A Cozy Pair of House Shoes
If you are going to be spending the majority of your time at home then I believe it should be time well spent and in a comfortable manor. I do my very best to get dressed every day even if we have no plans to leave the house. On any typical day you can find me in summer dresses or if it’s winter then soft leggings and a cardigan but you can nearly always bet I also have cozy slippers on my feet! I swear it makes such a difference in my mood. Grant yourself this simple luxury and I doubt you’ll ever go back to bare feet that find every crumb on the floor!
A Signature Beverage (just for you)
This suggestion is NOT only for the coffee drinkers among us! Although, I’ll admit that I have very little experience with teas or other hot beverages to get you going. My own signature drink is a Nespresso cup of coffee with a squeeze of honey and a dash of cane sugar. It is absolutely heavenly when you get the ratios right. Odacio is my favorite pod if you’re looking for a new option to try that’s a little more bold.
If you do not yet have a signature beverage, then may I suggest you start trying different options to find the one you love? We can all serve both ourselves and our smallest charges a little better when we have a nice little something to look forward to in our day. This small indulgence can be responsible for an entire mental shift and can really turn a bad day around when you take the time to savor it. Do not underestimate a good cup of coffee! (Or tea or smoothie or any other pick-me-up of choice).
Block Scheduling Planner
This could very well be your daily saving grace. If you feel overwhelmed when you look at the 24 hours in front of you and are totally lost on how to get some semblance of a routine set up for you and your children – the block schedule is for you. I was introduced to this lovely option years ago from an old Real Estate mentor when I first began my career and have used it ever since. It has helped me to organize my daily life in every season thus far; as I shifted from career gal to stay at home mother and then to homeschooling mom. The flexibility truly can be suited to anyone’s needs!
If you’re unfamiliar with a block schedule, here is a very basic overview of how it works: You will organize your day into 2-3 hour “blocks” of time from the moment you wake up until your head hits your pillow at night. I’ve found this daily breakdown of tasks to be the only way my ADD brain can focus and keep up with my workload throughout the day.
With this new kind of daily schedule, you’ll stop living hour by hour and start organizing your day block to block. So, instead of 7am cook breakfast, 7:30 eat, 8am clean up, 9am morning chores, etc…. you would organize that entire chunk of time as “Morning Block” and insert to do’s that need to be prioritized during that portion of your day.
Some examples for your daily blocks could include “homeschool block”, “errands/outings block”, “nap time or work block”, “family time block”, “dinner block”, etc. and then assign appropriate tasks to each block of time. This will help you to not only stay organized throughout the day but also ensure that you are able to prioritize all the things into their appropriate time periods. I set alarms for the end of each block so I don’t lose track of my day and this helps me tremendously with all of my motherhood and homeschooling “to-do’s”.
This block schedule planner is my favorite! Jordan Page is an amazing resource on this – visit her Youtube and search “block schedule” if you’d like to dive deeper into this way of planning, she is your go-to gal! Implementing this strategy as a stay at home, homeschooling mama will help you find little pockets of free time in your day which is an invaluable resource. You’ll soon realize you actually can get it all done – as long as your prioritize and stay on task for your particular block!
Local Field Trip Opportunities
This is a list worth making. Keep it in your phone or pinned onto a bulletin board above your desk as a reminder of the fun options that are only a short drive away. Schedule these into your homeschool at least once a month for everyone’s sanity!
I have a few tips for how to find these local gems. Obviously, a quick google search for local museums is fabulous but don’t forget to search for historical sites near you as well. These can provide a plethora of local history and really help your kids to dig deep into the past of your specific area. Many of these locations are free to enter and walk around in too!
This is also one of the few times I’ll recommend accessing social media to find events and homeschool meet ups near you. My Facebook events page has SO MANY fun options for homeschooling families to go to that are either free or very budget friendly. For example, we have a local homeschooling co-op that invites ALL homeschoolers to join them on their scheduled field trips once a month – no obligation to join the co-op, just a fun way to meet new friends and get out of the house.
Our local art museum hosts monthly classes specifically for homeschoolers where they study a certain style of art, tour the museum for an art history lesson that relates to that style, and then they are provided the resources to create their own masterpiece. Its fabulous and we have attended several of these classes in the past! I honestly never would have known about them if it were not for my Facebook local events. We’ve also found a homeschooling P.E. class at a nearby sports facility that has been such a fun enrichment activity to help break up our week and get the kids moving.
See what your area has to offer for homeschooling families. You may be as shocked as I was at all of the options available to you!
Time for yourself | A Supportive Partner
I’m considering these to go hand in hand because honestly – when your job and your personal life are literally the same thing, it is really hard to prioritize any alone time for yourself. You must lean on your husband to help provide this for you. I have been the mom who burns the candle at both ends and while it may work for a little while, it is simply not sustainable. Set a schedule to include time off that will work for both of you so that you can have small breaks to look forward to. Be it at the end of each day for an hour or a block of time on the weekends. Find what works for both of you and take the time to rest, recharge and fuel your soul.
You cannot pour from an empty cup – and you shouldn’t have to. Do not let yourself be put on the backburner because life has become too busy. A burned out and stressed mom is never a good thing for anyone in your house! Take care of yourself so that you can show up as the best mom and teacher for your children.
Resources to Guide you
Every veteran homeschool mom knows you need your own arsenal of great books, podcasts, Youtube channels, or online courses to reference as needed to keep up morale. Whether it be for encouragement, to provide fresh ideas and inspiration for your homeschool, or just to feel like you have a friend and community to lean on as you pursue this homeschooling lifestyle. Below are a few of my favorites that I’d recommend to any homeschooling mom!
Angela Braniff
Ah, the Queen Bee. She may very well be my favorite homeschool mom that I’ve come across and I have learned SO MUCH from her! She is a homeschooling mama to 8 children with 16+ years of homeschooling under her belt. This lovely lady has been such a wonderful mentor to me ever since I began down my own path of home education. I just love how encouraging and empowering her YouTube videos are!
She also has an online course specifically for homeschool that I would encourage all home educating parents to take. It is full of goodness such as learning your teaching style, your child’s learning style, how to plan your school days/week/year, as well as a plethora of other valuable resources and topics covering the early years all the way through high school. I reference it often throughout the year and it was truly worth every penny! I consider this one of my top educational resources.
Here is her YouTube channel and this will give you more info on her course!- The Art of Home Education.
Favorite Books
Below is a list of some of my favorite books that I’ve read and have had an impact on our homeschool. Some of them I re-read annually and some I’ll listen to on audio book as a gentle refresher from time to time.
It’s great to have a decent arsenal of books to lean on when you feel the need to slow down and recalibrate. Some will provide you with inspiration for adding magic and wonder back into your homeschool. Some will renew your sense of purpose as to WHY you are doing all of this in the first place. Either way, they are absolutely worth taking a look at!
The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education by Ansley Arment
The Read Aloud Family by Sara Mackenzie
Free To Learn by Peter Gray
Dumbing Us Down and Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gato
Balanced and Barefoot by Angela J Hanson
Last Child in The Woods by Richard Louv
Podcasts
I have a few favorite podcasts that I cycle through but the ones I’ve found most helpful or inspiring in my homeschool are the following:
Read Aloud Revival – this one has become a personal favorite! I love the tone and topics covered by this veteran homeschooling mom.
The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
Old Fashioned on Purpose
Simple Farmhouse Life
Honey! I’m Homeschooling the Kids
Wild + Free Podcast – I thoroughly enjoyed this one but it doesn’t appear they are making new episodes any longer. Regardless – the library of available podcast episodes to listen to (80+) are worth checking out!
Conclusion
Homeschooling moms are absolute super heroes in my humble opinion (although admittedly that opinion may be a little biased). In order to show up as your best self, take the time to assemble your best homeschooling resources to keep you fueled and ready to face each new school day! Your library card may be one of the most used tools in your tool belt. Find all the ways it can benefit your family and utilize it! Add the cozy house shoes and a favorite coffee mug to your mom wardrobe and wear those accessories with pride!
Take the time each week to plan and list your major to-do’s and then organize and prioritize each of them into your handy dandy block schedule (and perhaps an additional spiral notebook or homeschool planner for individual children and tasks, if needed). Consume as much encouraging content as you can and then implement those amazing ideas into your school day! And always always take the time needed for yourself. Burnout can happen so easily when you have so many plates spinning all the time – you mustn’t forget to feed your own soul a bit.
I know just how overwhelming it can all feel, but when you take the time to plan and give yourself the tools needed to show up as your best self, it makes all the difference in the world.
Until next time, friends!
