This page is designed to be your “one-stop-shop” for homeschool encouragement, how-to's, and resources! I'm extremely passionate about encouraging families to find simple solutions for a more joy-filled homeschool! Homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive or overly complicated. I love sharing practical tips on how to simplify your homeschool.
Need Homeschool Help Now?
I've got you covered! I know so many people are looking for homeschooling and school-at-home advice these days. Due to this, I put together a How to Homeschool live webinar. It's all my best getting started advice plus some time for Q & A. Be sure to check it out to see how to get instant access to this webinar recording!
HOMESCHOOL ORGANIZATION
Put Your Homeschool Year on Cruise Control!
My Ultimate Homeschool Organization Course!!! This is my secret sauce to how I get so much done with so much sanity. I created this course to teach families exactly how to organize their entire year and literally put it on cruise control. It’s been life-changing for over 1,200 families who have gone through the course. This course is a must-have for families who homeschool, especially for those just starting out. It will save you from the hours wasted trying to figure out morning-after-morning what to teach first and what needs to get done that week. Learn more here!
FREE “School-at-Home Routine” Guide!
With so many families forced into homeschooling during this worldwide pandemic, I wanted to put together resources for you! Get a FREE copy of My “SCHOOL-AT-HOME ROUTINE” Guide and check out the blog post filled with easy, practical advice on how to get through this season of having all your kids home…and trying to get some school done.
I literally wrote a book about how to homeschool, Homeschool Basics! My dear friend, Tricia Goyer, and I pooled our homeschooling experience together and created a book that is the perfect answer to how to “get started, keep motivated, and bring out the best in your kids”. Be sure to check it out.
Our Homeschool Journey: The Short Version
We have been homeschooling “officially” since October 2009. We pulled our two oldest boys from public school just 8 weeks into the school year. I had no problem with the school (it was one of the best in the county) or the teachers (both were incredible and even Christians). We simply knew that God had been leading us to homeschool for a while, and we had been ignoring the call.
Our first “attempt” at homeschooling! (Long story!)
We homeschool privately in California and use a variety of different teaching styles and curriculums. We've definitely tried a lot of different things. What works one year, doesn't always work the next year — or not necessarily from one kiddo to the next. But that is the beauty of homeschooling, I can customize whatever and whenever I want (yes, we've switched curriculum in the middle of the year before). And, yes, our homeschool “experiment” worked! We graduated our oldest in 2020.
This was the last year we officially had all five kids in our homeschool! Grant graduated this year and Caitlyn started kindergarten.
GETTING STARTED!
Are you thinking about homeschooling or just getting started? Then these posts will be your best starting place! Homeschooling is not as scary as it seems. So don't be afraid to take that “step of faith”! I like to describe that “getting started” feeling like that Indiana Jones moment where you step off feeling like you will plummet to certain doom, but find that there is solid ground. I love helping families get started with homeschooling — which is why I wrote Homeschool Basics. I want families to feel confident as they start homeschooling.
Two of my top tips:
#1 Find a community! Get support from fellow homeschool families. HSLDA has lots of resources to help you find communities in your area. You can always do a simple online search listing your city or county and “homeschool” or “coop” or “cooperative” or “support”. Those keywords should help some groups pop up in your area.
#2 Get yourself to a homeschool convention! Not only will you hear from encouraging workshops from homeschool veterans, but you'll be surrounded by people who get you! Hopefully, we can connect at a homeschool convention. I'm often speaking around the country at conventions. Check out my speaking schedule to find out where I'll be. Here's a post with some tips for navigating a homeschool convention.
Books I Highly Recommend to New Homeschoolers!
A Few of My Favorite Homeschool Blog Posts
HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM!
One of the most commonly asked questions I get about homeschooling is, “What curriculum do you use?” We've used lots of different homeschool curriculum through the years. I try to do a yearly curriculum post about all the curriculum and books we are using for each year, however, I've missed the last couple of years. Here are the posts I have so far that discuss my curriculum:
— My Homeschool Curriculum Reveal (2017-2018)
— My Homeschool Curriculum Reveal (2016-2017)
— My Homeschool Curriculum Reveals (2015-2016)
— Planning Out My Homeschool Year (2014-2015)
— End of Our School Year (2014-2015)
Language Arts
Phonics:
We've used lots of curriculum for our pre-readers. We've used quite a mix. Every child will learn to read at their own pace. Sometimes you just have to switch things up and try different things. Just keep reading TO your child and encourage them along the way! Some catch on fast–some take their time.
— Sing, Spell, Read, & Write Level One
— Get Ready for the Code Books A, B, & C
— Explode the Code
— Primary Phonics Workbook 1
— IEW's Primary Arts of Language (PAL): Reading & Writing
— ABC Mouse: We are having fun doing some online learning using ABC Mouse, too.
Sonlight Curriculum: As of our 2019 school year, we are using Sonlight curriculum for Wade (Level G) and Ashlyn and Caitlyn (Level B). We are loving all the amazing books that help bring history and Bible to life.
Reading:
— Honey for a Child's Heart–-This book is full of lists of all the great books. It's a wonderful resource.
— The Read-Aloud Family is another great resource for finding great read-aloud books for your family.
— YWAM has incredible missionary stories! Here are our favorites.
— I use Audible for read-aloud books I don't seem to be getting to. 🙂 Here is my Amazon list filled with most of our favorite read-aloud books.
Writing:
— We love IEW! Around 2nd grade, I got the Teaching Writing: Structure & Style program so I could learn the method and got my kids the Structure & Style for Students. Our favorite writing program was All Things Fun & Fascinating! Other writing lessons we've done: Ancient History, Medieval History, U.S. History, and The Elegant Essay.
Spelling:
— I've used a few spelling programs through the years. We like All About Spelling, Rod & Staff Spelling, and Spelling Power. However, as we added kids to the mix I really needed spelling to be less teacher intensive. Now we use Phonetic Zoo with our older boys. I still use All About Spelling and Sing, Spell, Read, and Write with our little kids who are still learning the basics. UPDATE: This school year (2021), we are using Spelling U See and liking it so far.
Grammar:
— There are a lot of great grammar programs out there. Right now my older boys are doing Fix It! Grammar (IEW). We've used Growing with Grammar for years. When we first started I loved Rod and Staff's English books.
Vocabulary:
— English from the Roots Up
Penmanship:
— A Reason for Handwriting is hands down my favorite series for penmanship. Their technique for writing letters is amazing. It makes learning cursive really natural.
Math
— We have been using MathUSee since our first day homeschooling. So far it has worked for all our kids. I also recommend Teaching Textbooks and Singapore Math. UPDATE: One of my kids has been using Teaching Textbooks now for the past two years…and he loves it. So, I highly recommend checking them out. I personally love that it's all graded for me and that I can quickly see how he's doing with each lesson.
— One math tool I'm a HUGE fan of is my Flash Master! It is a handheld electronic device that generates flashcard quizzes. It's incredible!
Science
— Apologia! I love Apologia! Pretty much all my homeschooling friends love Apologia, too. Here's the thing that's important to know. Don't do everything. The notebooks are incredible but are not meant to have everything completed in it. If you are using my crate system, then you'll be forced to tear it apart which will hopefully encourage you to pick what is best for your family to do. The elementary books are meant to be for K-6, so that means that you probably don't want to spend a ton of time learning about all the scientific names and all the details with your kindergartner…unless your child is just devouring what they are learning. So, try it out! We love it. Our favorites: Astronomy, Anatomy, Botany, Swimming Creatures, and General Science…and I think I'm going to love Biology this year. I'm teaching it at our co-op.
— Answers in Genesis: I use AIG's science curriculum to supplement what we're learning. I do really like it, too. It really makes science easy for younger kids.
— Big Book of God's Amazing Creation: This was our first science “curriculum.” It was so fun to use. There are so many exciting science experiments all broken down by the days of creation.
History
— Notgrass, My Father's World, Sonlight, Beautiful Feet, and the Mystery of History are all amazing curriculum.
— Story of the World: We started with SOW and have used it throughout the years here and there. The best choice I made was to get the audio CDs. I love their activity books, too. They have great book lists, activities, and coloring pages.
Foreign Language
— Rosetta Stone: We have started Spanish using Rosetta Stone. I really like it so far. I need to be more disciplined turning on our downstairs computer and getting my kids to do it.
Character
*More great books to share on this topic!
Bible
— Who is God? Series! I am loving this series! It is just so good. Apologia has several really incredible resources for Bible!
— The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos is our favorite story Bible. It walks through the entire Bible in story form and helps to explain the big concepts for the passage of Scripture that it's covering.
HOMESCHOOL ENCOURAGEMENT + HELP!
Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. It is the most rewarding adventure you may ever undertake, but there are also hard days you have to endure. I love encouraging homeschool moms to keep going and keep smiling (sometimes through the tears)! I love keeping it real and helping you tackle some of the unique challenges that face homeschool moms…like when do you ever find time to get house work done.
The “Help! I Homeschool!” Series
I've been writing a fun series called, “Help! I Homeschool!” I have a few linked below, but if you'd like to see them all just click HERE!
Other Popular Homeschool Topics!
How to Homeschool Preschool
* Incorporating Your “Littles” into Your Homeschool (guest post)
* “Sneaky School”: Making Preschool Fun!
* Free Preschool Activities List
How to Homeschool with Multiple Kids & Ages
* Help! I Homeschool & I Have Lots of Kids! (A glimpse at our homeschool day)
My Homeschool Videos!
I have a really fun YouTube channel where I share tips and glimpses into our homeschool life. Hope you'll subscribe and check out my videos. (Hover your mouse over the left top corner of the video to see the playlist for all my homeschool videos.)
Happy Homeschooling! Let me know if you have any questions for me to cover during my Facebook Live “Homeschool Q & A” or in one of my videos. I hope we are connecting online and via my weekly newsletter (more information on that below).
Blessings & joy,
Kristi, your website has been so helpful. I’m mentally gearing up to homeschool and have been scouring your website and videos for tips. Do you have any advice for homeschooling in smaller households? We don’t have a space to designate for homeschooling, it might just be our dining table and outside space.
Thanks!!
Hi Shehla!
I’m so glad you are enjoying my homeschool blog posts & my YouTube videos. 🙂 As for how to homeschool with smaller households: Yes! Dining room tables or even couches work great! One of the #1 items I recommend for every homeschool is a clipboard. It makes homeschool portable! My kids usually start in our homeschool room, but end up throughout the house. Outdoors is also fun! You can use bins and bookshelves to organize your materials. I hope that helps! Enjoy your homeschool year!!
Blessings! Kristi
Hi Kristi,
Can you please tell me where to find all of your printables? I’m sure I’m just overlooking them. (Getting To Know You, Course of Study, etc.)
Thanks,
Becky
Hi Becky!
Most of my printables are “subscriber freebies.” They get emailed to you when you subscribe. However, the two you mentioned are on my site. The “Getting to Know You” printables are on my 10 Ways to Add More Fun to Your First Day of School post. I actually just updated those. The Course of Study PDF is also available on the post “Planning Out Your Homeschool Curriculum.” {I’ll link that one here} Hope that helps! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Hope you keep coming back. 🙂
Blessings and joy,
Kristi
Thanks! I found them. I came across your YouTube videos a couple weeks ago and they have been very encouraging. I’m thinking about homeschooling my 1st and 3rd grader sometime this year. Your videos, periscopes and blog have been very helpful. I’m kind of overwhelmed right now with trying to plan and pick curriculum but I’m trying to remember that if God has called me to do this He will equip me. I love how you said we need to give ourselves and our kids a ton of grace. That is so true. I tend to be a perfectionist and very controlling. I lose my patience quickly if “my” plans get interrupted. This is definitely something I need and want God to change about me. I believe this journey will be good for me as well as my kids.
In Christ,
Becky
Hi Becky! I’m so excited that you found me on YouTube! I’m so glad you were encouraged. I pray that you really enjoy homeschooling! There are going to be really hard days, but in the end if we are giving ourselves and our kids some grace it can be such an incredible blessing! God will equip you! You have the perfect mentality with that! I’m excited for you! Hope you let me know more about how it goes! If you haven’t already read my Indiana Jones blog post, you might like that! (It’s all about overcoming your fears surrounding homeschooling) 🙂 Blessings to you!!
Your site was referred to me by http://thehomeschoolmomblog.wordpress.com/
Another blog for me to read and get encouraged. I am penning a write up on homeschooling and just to let you know that Im including your link as one of the blogs to refer to on this subject. Im a newbie blogger, please bear with me 🙂
God bless as you fulfill your calling.
I’m so happy you found me, Marie! Thanks for linking to my blog from your blog. I’m fairly new at blogging myself. Thanks again! Blessings! 🙂
Hi Kristi!
I am very new to homeschooling and have found you on YouTube. I LOVE your channel, it has been both extremely resourceful as well as encouraging! I am homeschooling my 1st grader this year (in South Orange County), and was wondering what you use as a “planner” to help plan out each week / day’s study? Perhaps this is in a video and I missed it? I’d love to know if you have a printable available? Thank you so much!
Blessings,
Charlene 🙂
Hi Charlene! So fun to have you here on my blog and on my YouTube channel. I’m glad you’ve been encouraged and finding what you need. As for a planner for daily work, I use the checklist that I mention in my Homeschool Organization video & blog post (I’ll link it below). I do not have a printable for it at this time. I’m getting lots of requests for it. 🙂 So, I will try to put something together (I just don’t have time to do it for a bit–trying to keep my life balanced). Blessings to you and your homeschool! Hope we can continue to connect.
Hi Kristi,
I feel the Lord’s calling to homeschool my youngest son (3 this Dec.) I am very apprehensive about this! I am horrible at sticking to a schedule and even worse teacher! My oldest son (13 and still attending public school) and I get so frustrated when I attempt to help with homework. I know our Father will not give us anything we can’t handle, but boy and I afraid that I will fail my sons somehow. I loved your Costco haul video. Keeping it simple sound perfect to me.
Feeling inadequate!
Hi there! I’m so very sorry that I missed this message. First, if you are starting with only homeschooling your 3 year old. Then you can relax. You have plenty of time to get your research done and start feeling more confident! If you are considering pulling your oldest out to homeschool, then you’ll want to talk to HSLDA about how to pull him out. I highly recommend getting plugged into a homeschool support group and attending a homeschool convention in your area! There are so many resources there! Do know that God will absolutely give you more than you can handle! He is really good at that! 🙂 He wants us to lean on Him for His strength! He will equip you for what ever He calls you to. I’m excited to hear how it goes for you! Know that I was terrified and felt like I’d never be consistent enough. That is a very normal feeling!
Mrs.Kristi,
Hey you have probably answered this question before but, My child is in 4th grade and is struggling in math and has since 3rd grade. I have finally decided I would like to take on the challenge of homeschooling my oldest to try and help him get caught up and get a better education then i feel like he is receiving in the public school he is currently in. Long story short can your recommend a homeschooling program to use. I am not sure if i should do like an online program like maybe enlightium or should i order books and teach myself? I am afraid if i do books I will not teach him right. I have spent weeks trying to research on different things and are all starting to run together and feel even more overwhelmed. If you have any advice it would be greatly appreciated. If books are what you would recommend which ones? Also how do i make a lesson plan? Thanks so much and sorry if this sounds like silly questions .
Hi Emily! Sorry I missed this comment. I had major surgery the next day. I had a long recovery and realized I forgot to check all my comments. 🙂 How exciting that you are going to get started homeschooling. Honestly, it’s hard to recommend one curriculum. Everyone is different. If you want to have a curriculum that has check lists so you feel like you are getting what you need to get done, done. Maybe look into My Father’s World, Sonlight (4 day program), Abeka, or some other curriculum that is a complete program. You can really do whatever you want. I have a few posts about how I plan out our year and the curriculum we use. But you really need to base your decision on curriculum on what is best for your family. 🙂 I hope that helps. 🙂
Hello.
I have been watching your videos all morning. I have recently pulled my daughter from 9 th grade because of the district. I am having some difficulty deciding what to teach. I know her requirements but lesson plans and grading records are my biggest dilemma. I’m really not sure how to grade with a traditional grade book or how many to keep through a quarter. How exactly do you keep grades ?
Hi Faith! I’m so excited to hear you’ve been watching my videos. I hope you liked them. My oldest is in 7th grade and in CA I’m not required to keep grades. I have grades for all his subjects that have tests or some form of assessment, however, I don’t keep official grades yet. I’d check with HSLDA (www.hslda.org) to see what grades you need to keep for your state. If you are in CA, then I can also recommend a book by CHEA (www.cheaofca.com) called Homeschooling High School. I’m ordering mine this summer. 🙂 As for what to teach, again, it depends on your state. There is usually a lot of flexibility with homeschooling. Sometimes you can create your daughter’s studies around areas of interest for her. Since I don’t teach high school yet and am not sure what state you are in, I don’t want to give you the wrong information. Hope those two organizations help! Excited you are getting started.
Thank you! Also do you have any printables for the checklist thàt you use with your children?I know i am asking alot of questions but what have you found to be the best curriculum at the best price or do you use different ones? Right now we are using easy peasy but it don’t really have alot of worksheets just alot of reading. Have you ever used easy peasy? Thank you for helping me. You are like my beacon in this new homeschooling journey.
Hello again! So, I am trying to get a Homeschool Organization eCourse put together. It will have the checklists on it. I haven’t heard of the Easy Peasy. Not sure what that is. I’m so glad you’ve been encouraged. 🙂 That’s my goal. Definitely try to find a homeschool convention in your area. They have great workshops and you get to look at curriculum up close. 🙂 Blessings!
Kristi,
I have been watching and reading all your posts on homeschooling. I am planning to homeschool my children, and am currently researching curriculum. You mentioned you use My Father’s Works for history. I’ve looked at their website a few times and watched some reviews. My biggest question is, what should I get? I noticed you use Math U See for math, rather than the given math from My Father’s World. Do you buy the whole MFW curriculum and just get rid of what you’re not going to use, or do you pick and choose? I hope I’m making sense, I am blessed with kids who don’t sleep well during the first year.
Kristi,
Just found your site on Pinterest & love the organization tips & videos! Where can I find the printables for your weekly calendars/schedules? New to this & planning on Homeschooling my twin 4th graders this coming fall. My littles will be in preschool away for this first year a few hours a day to allow me & big kids to get our feet wet in the new homeschooling world. The following year I plan on all four at home — i need some of your patience!
Hi! Thank you so much for all of your homeschooling videos. They have really help me to get an idea of how do you start homeschooling. This year will be our first year homeschooling a fifth grader and a first grader with a three-year-old and a one-year-old!! I was wondering if you have a post about what supplies you need for homeschooling and what you typically get each year for school supplies.
Hi, thank you so much for all homeschooling advice, tips, encouragement and videos! I was just wondering if you will be having any ‘back to school’discounts similar to the introductory rate that you offered on your new ecourse? Thanks again!
I’m so happy to hear you have enjoyed all my posts and videos. To answer your question, yes! I will have a sale again soon. Be sure to sign up for my newsletters so you don’t miss the announcement. It will only be a few days. /join Will get you all set! (I sometime have special offers just for my subscribers.)
How do you afford curriculum with the crew you have? This is my first year homeschooling and only have one child. I want the best for her but I have to use hand me down curriculums. There is nothing wrong with that but I would love to have apologia curriculum. There isn’t a whole lot of info out there on homeschooling a middle schooler. I feel utterly lost.
By the way I have started using the crate method that you talked about. I love it but my daughter doesn’t like it yet, she says there is more work. We will keep working on it though. I am doing a lot of trial and errors right now though.
Yay! Everything in homeschooling is trial and error. You may want to use the crate for your own organization of her work. She may only be able to handle the work in bite sized (daily) pieces. So, I’d use the binder to divid up her daily work that you pull out of the crate for her. That way she’s not looking at the whole week and getting stressed. My kids are the opposite. They get excited to think that if they just get what’s in front of them done, then they are all done for the week. Every child is different, so you have to adjust.
Hi there! We love Apologia. There are usually families in our co-op who sell their curriculum at the end of the year. Often conventions have a used curriculum sale, too. The library is my best friend when we are trying to be careful with our finances. There are lots of ways to pull off homeschooling inexpensively…however, it’s not always easy. Plus, it’s always more fun to get new curriculum. For our family it doesn’t hurt as bad when we invest in a book for science, since we get so much use out of it with all the kids. I would try to connect with other homeschool moms…and maybe look for it on Amazon used. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your help. I will try to find some resources at the library and at the next homeschool convention
Hi, I love your blog. I have a few questions. This makes my first full year of homeschooling.I’m already researching for next year. I noticed you use My fathers world, do you have a video review? Can you explain how that words for multiple kids! Also, have you used story if the world? If so, what are you thoughts?
Thank you. God bless!
Desiree
Hi Desiree! I have a whole workshop I do on homeschooling with multiple kids. I do love how MFW is set up to use with multiple kids. They have lots of information about how to use it with the whole family. One of the reasons I love them. ???? Story of the World is a great read aloud…I’m not a huge fan of all of volume one. But just a few chapters. Their activity books are filled with great resources and ideas. ???? Hope that helps. ????
Hi Kristi, your blog has been really helpful with organization! My biggest battle is attitude. How do you stay sane and handle situations when one of your kids has a melt down over school work and doesn’t want to do it? Forcing the child seems to only make things worse but then I can’t just let him skip school work. I get frustrated often over this and need guidance.
Thank you!
Susy
I wish there was an easy cure for it. There are so many factors that play into this, so it’s hard to answer. Just know I get it. It’s very common. Changing things up sometimes helps. You can check out my post on Surviving the Hard Days along those lines. The curriculum might be too hard. They may need to back up and work on some basics…or they may be strong-willed and stubborn. Ha! In that case, pick your battles and win. 🙂 Ha! Really, you might be able to avoid more battles if you try doing a unit study around something that they like. That would get them interested. You are going to LOVE an upcoming episode on my podcast!!! It’s with Andrew Pudewa and it’s on how to motivate your kids. It’s so good! It will be coming out July 17th. Hope that helps a bit!! 🙂 Hang in there!! You are not alone!
Hi there, I’m so happy you are sharing all the things related to homeschooling. Lately I’ve been diving into searching for the curriculum of homeschooling. Thanks a lot.