I have always enjoyed having people come to my home, sharing a meal with them, hearing their stories; “the more the merrier” is my motto. Many times I would worry about how I would stretch the food in order to feed everyone. When holidays approached, our limited income would often cause stress about being able to afford the special holiday food items I desired to serve. Sometimes I would not be able to get those items until the day before I needed them, which added to the stress I already felt.

Like a lot of people, I watch “Extreme Couponing” in amazement at what people can achieve through the use of coupons. I also watch it in disgust at the huge stockpiles some people have amassed. Ultimately, I was inspired to check into couponing because my husband’s income is cyclical, and we struggle through December, January, and February each year, having all the same bills but less income. I thought that perhaps I could learn to coupon and help us to get through the lean times more creatively.

I watched tutorials online about couponing (a favorite site is www.livingwellspendingless.com), learned about the specifics of couponing at various stores (because each has its own policy and parameters), and started off by buying two newspapers each week. I call what I do “semi-extreme couponing,” because I am not amassing a stockpile that needs its own bedroom, nor do I get hundreds of dollars worth of items for a pennies on the dollar.

In a short amount of time, I had six months’ worth of laundry detergent, body wash, toothpaste, razors, pantry items, and more, for a minimal investment of time and money.

As with many of “my” plans, I thought I was stocking up for one particular reason, but God showed me multiple reasons to do so. First of all, the Bible tells us to plan ahead for future needs. Many people do not plan ahead, and they must resort to the use of credit cards when an emergency happens, which can hurt an already-strained budget.  The Proverbs 31 woman makes sure that the items her family will need are gathered and stocked before the need arises. She is not afraid of what the future holds and can minister to others.

Second, when we purchase items before we need them and at the most inexpensive price possible, we free up our money for other purposes: higher utility bills, charitable giving, paying down debts, investing, or saving for larger purchases. Though we live on a very limited income, since I started couponing, we have been able to pay some debts and get our finances on a more solid footing.

Third, the Bible also tells us in Matthew 5:42, “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” If we are not careful with our resources, we will not have anything to give. When we have plenty, we are able to help meet the needs of people who are in need. Meeting a person’s physical needs shows them that we care about them, and they are then more receptive to hearing about the gospel. This past winter several families that we know were struggling and shared their needs with us. It was a blessing to be able to go into my “store” and send bags of groceries, toiletries, and pet food to help them through a tough time.

Fourth, when my pantry and cabinets are full, I am ready to receive visitors at any time. I can confidently say to my family members, “Sure, bring your friend to stay for the weekend.” If someone realizes that they have forgotten to bring a toothbrush or shampoo, I have extras on hand. We can enjoy each other’s company instead of running to a store to purchase the forgotten toiletry.

The results of couponing have greatly enhanced my opportunity and ability to be hospitable and generous. I am less reticent about inviting people to stay for a meal, a night, or a weekend—because I know that I am prepared. In seeking to be a better manager of the finances we have available, I have also become a better host to my guests. I have been blessed beyond any expectations I had at the beginning of my coupon “experiment” back in the summer of 2011. I encourage you to try semi-extreme couponing and see what effect it has on your hospitality.

Holly Williams Urbach has homeschooled her children since 1993. She has been married to her husband Joe since 1985 and is also a mother of five and grandmother of two. Holly currently works as an on-site director for a home school academy and in property management while completing homeschooling with her youngest two sons, both of whom will be graduating by May 2013. In her spare time Holly enjoys writing, gardening, physical fitness activities, and interior decorating.

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When our school year draws to a close, I will be planning summer school . . . for myself.

The school year keeps me so busy making lesson plans, grading and shuttling my students to various lessons and extracurricular activities that I scarcely have time to read anything more substantial than a magazine or incorporate any enriching activities for myself. All work and no play make me feel dull and uninteresting.

Quite a few years ago a dozen or so home schooling mothers met in south Austin as a study group that shared various facets of the Charlotte Mason method of education. We discussed music, art, foreign languages, reading and handicrafts and learned how necessary such pursuits are to developing into a well-rounded, whole person. I miss that wonderful group of ladies who met with such dedication over several school years. As our children grew, their school activities demanded more time, and our little group disbanded.

Thus, I have decided to use the summer months to refresh and invigorate myself. Charlotte Mason called such activities “Mother Culture.” I believe that, in order to interest my students in their education, I should be a person of culture and interests.

I will take the time over the summer to reread classic novels I have not read in a long time or delve into some that I have never read. I may decide to join a book club over the summer to enhance my reading activities. I plan to utilize How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren to assist me in my summer school reading plan.

Another area in which I wish to further develop myself is the area of classical music. I will take the time to listen to the various CDs I have purchased over the years for my students and will finally be able to identify Beethoven from Bach! Many cities and towns have free music concerts on summer evenings that feature the local orchestra playing the works of various composers. I am thankful that I have several choices in the Central Texas area from which to experience live performances of these composers’ timeless offerings.

I am interested in understanding the works of Shakespeare better. I am fortunate that there are opportunities to see his plays each summer in various locations for free or for a nominal admission fee. I am planning to attend as many plays as possible so that “Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him well” will be more than just a quote I remember from my high school days. I plan to read each play prior to attending a performance and to use study materials, such as Brightest Invention of Heaven by Peter Leithart and Cliff’s Notes to assist me in furthering my understanding of Shakespeare’s plays.

Two other areas I would like to add to my summer school plan are art appreciation/art history and foreign language (French). At the beginning of this school year I was fortunate to purchase a copy of Sister Wendy Beckett’s The Story of Painting, which is a very comprehensive guide to the history of Western art. I am quite fond of the Impressionists, but that is pretty much where my art knowledge begins and ends. I would like to develop my knowledge of artists and art movements by systematically working my way through this book. It may take me a few summers to complete this task since I will be covering 800 years of the developments and movements in painting from the ancient world to the present.

I was extremely fortunate to study French from the fourth grade through college. I fell in love with this beautiful language just about the first time I heard it. Having lived in Texas since 1983, I have not had many opportunities to speak French and have gotten quite rusty. I have a collection of French books that have been gathering dust on my shelves that I will put to good use. I also plan to set the language to “French” on DVDs I watch so that I can regain my ear for the French language. If you have experience with a foreign language that you have not used in a while, think about regaining and sustaining fluency in it this summer.

There are many enrichment opportunities for home educators to pursue their educations each summer: museums often have teacher nights or training sessions that are open to all educators, colleges often have free or reduced-price lectures, bookstores have author readings and movie rental companies have documentaries available in varied subject areas. Of course, the Internet is also a useful tool in an adult summer school plan. Without leaving your home you can watch a Shakespeare play, listen to an orchestra somewhere in the world perform a concerto, view art masterpieces, listen to and practice speaking a foreign language and even read books online.

Parents, I encourage you to think of making this summer a fruitful one for yourself and even inviting your home schooling friends to summer school along with you. A school break spent in worthy pursuits will equip you with fresh enthusiasm and energy for yourself and your students.

Author’s note: As a home educator with only two students of high school age, I find myself with time for self-development. Parents with many young students or those just beginning their home education journey may want to try just one or two of these ideas or wait to implement them until they are under less stress in their home schools.

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There are days when I am relieved that is all I am required to teach!

Over the seventeen years of teaching my five children, participating in several co-ops, and leading or assisting in youth organizations such as Boy Scouts and 4-H, I have become convinced that extracurricular subjects and activities are just as essential as core subjects. I believe that extracurricular subjects actually provide more real-life skills to students than core curriculum does.

In the world outside of school, people compete, set goals, and plan projects that have actual applications and receive rewards for the successful completion of their projects. Conversely when people do not meet goals, the consequences of failure also teach important skills. Many times we learn more from our failures than from our successes.

One advantage of extracurricular subjects and activities is that often the choice is student-driven. When a student has an interest in an area, he or she is more likely to be more invested in obtaining and utilizing the information presented. It is a joy for both student and teacher when there is enthusiasm for a subject, activity, or event.

When my daughters participated in 4-H, they read the monthly newsletter avidly, telling me about the various workshops, competitions, and community service projects in which they wished to participate. Through their participation in the food show, fashion show, livestock show, and Round Up, they learned how to prepare balanced meals, to ensure food safety, to comparison shop for food and clothing, to write and present a speech, to care for and train animals, and to identify and serve the needs of their community. They earned credits in family and consumer sciences, speech, health, citizenship, and community service in a fun, challenging, encouraging atmosphere.

Another asset of extracurricular subjects and activities is the way they strengthen skills in core curriculum areas. Whether my students were preparing for an upcoming 4-H competition, earning badges in Scouts, or participating in a co-op class, they used and improved the math, reading, writing, and spelling skills they had learned in their regular coursework.

Opportunities to pursue extracurricular activities are everywhere and can be as expensive or as inexpensive as your budget allows. We have utilized home school co-ops, private lessons, youth organizations, volunteerism, and the Internet as ways to incorporate extracurricular subjects into our school days.

Some home educators may feel that the school day is already so full with math, English, science, grammar, foreign language, literature, history, and other “required” coursework that they could not possibly add anything else. I would encourage home schooling parents to make time for extracurricular subjects and activities—especially in the high school years, when these subjects offer a way to “try on” careers and interests.

Extracurricular studies also pave the way for lifelong hobbies and skills, which develop the student into a well-rounded individual. If college is in your student’s future, a transcript that has a variety of courses and activities detailed on it sets your student apart from the rest of the pack. Scholarships are often offered in extracurricular areas or through community-service organizations such as 4-H. My youngest daughter received a 4-H scholarship, which made all the time she had invested extremely worthwhile.

Make room in your school schedule for extracurricular subjects and activities. These activities breathe life and excitement into your school day and into your students. You and your students will reap many continuing rewards as a result of the time you invest.

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We had just begun our journey in home education and already faced our first difficult situation. I had barely enough energy to put cereal into bowls for my young children. I was too nauseated to do much homemaking, let alone cook more than basic meals, and I had added teaching my children to it all.

No one would have blamed me for changing my mind about home schooling. Many of our family members were skeptical about our decision to teach our children ourselves. I modified my expectations of how we would accomplish it all and began training my children to help run the house. My children emptied wastebaskets, put away silverware, learned to fold and put away laundry, helped to prepare simple meals, and proved what an asset they were to our family.

I learned that I was the first student in our home school! I discovered that home schooling was more than academics. My children learned cooperation, helpfulness, homemaking, and compassion as well as phonics, math, reading, and spelling that first year!

As the end of our first year of home education neared, my husband lost his job. We were already facing another difficulty. We could have put our children in public school and daycare, and I could have gone to work to help supplement our finances, but that was not what we chose.

Our whole family went through our home together pulling unused and unneeded items from our closets, cabinets, and drawers for a yard sale. We bought packages of cookies, candies, and sodas and let the children sell snacks at their stand for the yard sale. Together we worked to raise the money we needed to keep us going as my husband looked for a new job.

We pored through cookbooks to find recipes for tasty but inexpensive foods to decrease the grocery bill. The children and I learned to make yogurt, tortillas, pancakes, muffins, refried beans, granola, breads, pretzels, and much more. We made cutbacks wherever we could to pare expenses to the minimum.

It was not easy or enjoyable. There were days when we wondered if we would make it. The experience taught us to rely on God’s provision. We were tempered, tried, and tested. These trials produced triumphs in each member of our family. As the years went by, we faced job losses, illnesses, and difficulties with confidence in the abilities that the Lord had developed in us.

Home schooling helps us manage the tough times because we are together as we go through various situations. When one of us is worried or scared, another is right there to offer hugs, encouragement, and prayers. We are able to comfort each other when comforting is needed.

These various experiences have made us a resourceful, able, skilled, and thankful family. While I would not have sought the difficulties we faced over the years, I can see the fruit that developed from all of them. We know that God hears and answers prayers. My children know that there is strength to be found in our family and that we can rely on each other. To me, that is the mark of successful home schooling!

The post Home Schooling + Difficulties = Success appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.

Contrast the above scenario with 2007, when quite a few of my home educating friends and acquaintances work either from home or outside the home. While there are many families living on one income, increasing numbers of households are finding it more and more difficult to do so for a variety of reasons. When I counsel new home schoolers these days, many ask me if it is possible to work and homeschool.

My family and I are part of the growing trend of home educating families in which both parents are working. When we realized that I would have to begin working, my husband and I determined to continue home educating our children. We did not want to shortchange our children as a result of the difficulties we were having financially.

I am extremely fortunate to work part-time for a company that allows me flexible hours. I know of families with home-based businesses who face the same time crunch that I have working outside my home. I believe it is likely that we will find home schooling families where both parents work more common in the coming years. Whether working outside the home or from home, combining work and school is a task that requires creativity, energy, and determination.

Even with all the perks of my situation, I find it challenging to combine work and schooling.  Following are some ideas and strategies I use to manage home, school, and extra-curricular activities while holding a job.

One of the first things to do is develop a workable schedule.  Obviously, a lot depends on the age and activities of your children. My four children still at home range in age from thirteen to nineteen. Since they are teenagers who require and desire a lot of sleep, I work mornings while they are still sleeping. When I arrive home around 1 p.m., they have gotten out of bed, eaten and dressed, and they are already working on independent assignments. We then have between 1:30 and 6 p.m. to complete their studies for the day. I have students who are well-rested and ready to learn.

When I worked two afternoons a week, I struggled to accomplish schoolwork in the mornings prior to leaving for work. The children were sleepy and sluggish. I was frustrated and felt that everything was rushed and seldom accomplished to my satisfaction. Our new schedule works much better for all of us. Determining your most productive work and school hours is the first step in making school and work successful.

The next thing to consider is what curriculum to use. A teacher who is also working may not have the preparation time available that she would like to have. Many employed home schooling parents find that computer or video curricula fill the need nicely for their students. I would caution parents not to use such curricula for all subjects, because students need variety and adult feedback to help them learn effectively. Others hire tutors or send their children to outside classes for some of their instruction.

At times, I have utilized outside classes and co-ops to help meet the needs of my students in science and math, freeing me to delve more deeply into history, literature, Bible, and foreign languages. These classes make my available time with my students more productive. The point is, take a deep look into your family’s needs and develop a plan that helps you not only to survive but also to thrive in your situation. Any frustration you encounter in your schedule is a natural alarm, telling you that something still needs adjusting. Pray about it and seek God’s direction on how to resolve the situation.

With the work/school schedule planned and the curriculum squared, the next big consideration is how to deal with housework, meals, and outside commitments such as Boy Scouts, 4-H, kids work, etc. My family and I take time to discuss housework issues, and the children and I divide the responsibilities between us. The great thing about this plan is that my sons are learning to launder clothes, cook, and keep house just as well as my daughter. We all pitch in to get the work done so no one has to spend a lot of time doing housework.

Meal preparation is time consuming enough for parents at home full-time, so having less time due to working outside the home can cause a lot of stress. I try to make things ahead of time over the weekend, so getting a meal on the table during the school week is easier. I use my crock pot as much as I can. I have many cookbooks that contain recipes for cooking in quantity and freezing meals ahead of time, to best utilize the time I have available.(Once a Month Cooking by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson and Jill Bond’s Dinner’s in the Freezer are two favorites.) I also solicit my children’s help in preparing meals. I reap the benefits of more time with my children and reduced time in the kitchen. Planning and executing a menu is essential to streamlining meal preparation as well as keeping expenses down by avoiding the fast-food trap.

My daughter has a part-time job, and she and my youngest son are active in 4-H. Such additional activities are worthwhile enough to our family to factor into our schedule the time they take. We have found 4-H to be a great program for our family, because each child can participate in an area of their own interest as we take monthly trips together to the meetings.  Another great thing about 4-H is that it helps our home schooling so that we work smarter rather than harder. Finding an activity that the whole family enjoys together is a great way to manage the time spent out of the home. Each family can find activities that add enough to the family that they also justify the time taken to participate in them.

Do I long for the days when I was home all day with my children? I certainly do. I have actually started a home-based business for just that reason. Once my business replaces the income from my part-time job, I will once again be at home all day with my children. I will still face that juggling act that comes with working and homeschooling, but I think that my children and I will all have gained a greater understanding of what it means to work together as a team and of how to adapt to changing situations. In the world we face today, those will be valuable and useful abilities for all of us.

The post Can I Homeschool and Work, Too? appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.

Having homeschooled for ten years, I have participated in most of the activities I listed. We spent two years enjoying the benefits of an academic co-op. I was a Cub Scout den leader. I am a 4-H activity leader. I have led support groups for new home schoolers and Mom’s Night Out. I belong to a field trip co-op too.

As a support group leader, I see the stress, anxiety, and burnout that accompany too many activities—especially for new home school moms. Fewer people seem to stay home to work with their students, believing instead that more activities help their home school measure up to what the public or private schools are doing.

Over the years, many home schooling moms have shared their stories of how all these “good” activities have impacted their families. One mom told me that at least two days a week she spends the entire day out taking her child to lessons, and the child in this case is only eight years old. Another mother joined an academic co-op in her first year of home schooling with a five-year-old, a four-year-old, and a new baby. Mothers tell me how they struggle to get the house cleaned, meals cooked, laundry washed, and schooling completed due to dance, Awana, Girl Scouts, or music lessons. One mother told me that her child fell asleep on the way to soccer practice and cried when awakened to play with his team.

I commend the intention of these parents to provide the highest quality educational experiences for their children by providing extracurricular activities and lessons. I began my home school career with the same mindset, but the Lord had other ideas that took me a while to understand and implement.

Our first year of home schooling began with the Lord confirming through my husband that we were to homeschool our children. God very clearly told me that I was to stay home. I then heard about an academic co-op that met a short distance from my home. I requested an application for this co-op, completed it, and mailed it. Shortly thereafter I realized that the queasy feeling I had begun to have day and night was a new baby on the way and that I would not be able to fulfill my responsibilities to the co-op after all. I should have understood at this point that I was to stay home, but I did not.

A few months later as I was feeling better, I heard that my church was going to have a ladies’ Bible study. My plans to register for it ended when my husband’s work schedule changed, making having the car on that day impossible. At last I grasped that God wanted me to stay home. It was hard to understand why God would not want me to attend a Bible study or join a co-op.

Slowly I began to see the fruit of God’s plan for my family as we stayed home learning together. We read God’s Word daily; what precious Bible studies those were. We made crafts, played games, cooked meals, and learned new skills in cooperation with each other, which brought more fruit than any co-op we might have joined ever could. My children had the time at home to share their hopes, interests, and desires with me.

I believe that the rushing around that often accompanies extracurricular activities causes stress for both parent and child. It is hard work getting young children ready to leave the house, which makes for difficulties in getting places on time. When thinking of the outside activities your family does, do you look forward to them or dread them? If dread is your reaction, reevaluating the worth of the activities may be in order.

Just because something is good does not mean it is God’s plan for your students. Even if everyone you know has registered his or her second grader for Spanish, it may not be what God wants for yours. We fall into trouble when we compare ourselves, our students, and our schools to others’. We may find ourselves doing something that is not benefiting our families because of fear about what we might be missing.

What do we gain by being at home? Foremost is the opportunity to implement good routines for our days. Routines conserve energy because they become automatic and thereby lessen time needed to determine what to do and when to do it. When our children have routines, we do not find ourselves constantly reminding them of what they need to do. We may find that we have more peace in our homes.

Another benefit to being at home more is having the time for money-saving activities such as cooking meals from scratch, sewing, doing home repairs, making gifts, etc. When we are out –and about too much, we find ourselves buying convenience foods, hiring people to do what we could do ourselves, and spending money for things that we could make if we only had the time.

A principle I use for my family is trying to limit out-of-the-house activities to one day of the week. I find it more productive to have one day lost to activities and errands than a portion of each day. I also find that I do not want to go anywhere else after having such a full day! In addition, I do not leave home unless my house is in order. This accomplishes several things: (1) I am at home more to keep up the house, (2) my house is presentable most of the time, and (3) I get to enjoy coming home to a clean, neat house too!

Another guideline I have for my children is to limit outside classes just to the older children. They are not as likely to be upset by differences in their daily routines as younger children are. They may not be as affected by someone else’s attitude or behavior as a younger, more impressionable child would be. The high school years are a time when upper-level classes may require you to find a tutor or class to supplement when you feel ill equipped in a subject.

More time spent at home allows time for our students to really delve into their studies. We will not be losing those teachable moments simply because they were not penciled in our Day-Timer®. If Johnny finds a snail in the yard, you will have time to look up information about it, set up a home for it, and observe it. This is difficult to do if you are always away for meetings or lessons.

Being home more often unleashes creativity in your children. When children have too many scheduled activities, they often lose the ability to be creative. Having open periods of time to be bored and to overcome boredom propels children to find out what interests they have and to pursue them. My children often spend their time making crafts and inventions or playing elaborate scenarios they have devised together. They have time to just think and be—without the pressure of always adhering to a preplanned event.

I challenge you to seek the Lord as to whether you need to stay home more this coming school year. You may just find your school, your students, and yourself becoming what you had always wished.

The post Just Stay Home appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.

At the beginning of each school year, I help my children prepare their binders. They use two-inch binders to compile each of their subjects – mathematics, language, handwriting, creative writing, spelling, science, history, Bible, and Spanish. After the dividers are put into the binders, we see that a good quantity of lined paper is inserted between each divider. My children have vinyl pencil cases that are three-hole-punched to put in the front of their binders. The pencil cases eliminate the confusion of finding pencils, pens, rulers, and erasers each day during school time. I allow my children to personalize their binders with self-stick letters from the office supply store. They enjoy putting their names and grade levels on the front covers, along with the brightly colored stickers they earn for their good grades and good attitudes during school.

After we finish readying the binders, we turn our attention to organizing their bookshelves. I use a three-tiered shoe rack that I have placed on a shelf in an old entertainment unit in our study. I have a spot labeled with each child’s name in which he stores his binders (when not in use) as well as his various textbooks or workbooks. The children rarely have to be reminded to put their books away since it is so easy to do.

Now that the students are organized, the teacher must fall into line! I prepare my own bookshelves by placing each of my teaching texts on a shelf according to grade level. I find it much easier to have the materials divided this way so I can easily locate the answer keys and curriculum when grading or lesson planning.
In addition to our individual bookshelves, I also have several school library bookcases. These are organized by subject or category. Our reference bookcase has math, science, and Bible resources on the top shelf. The second one houses our state reference books and our Childcraft encyclopedias. The third shelf houses a set of animal life reference books, and the fourth contains our adult encyclopedias. I also have two more bookcases that are stocked with my various thrift-store and library-sale finds. I have labeled the shelves fiction and non-fiction so we can locate things fairly easily. Should we add many more books to our collection, I will organize them more accurately.

Once I have the binders, teacher manuals, and bookcases completed, I turn my attention to organizing our art supplies. I purchased an organizing system called Drawers For All to control our scissors, glue, paints, etc. There are many different types of these drawers – from single drawers to drawers with eight sections. I use a three-sectioned drawer for various types of paper – lined paper in one, construction paper in another, and plain, white paper in the third. I use the four-drawer unit to give each child a “schoolbox” of his own. The children like to put their treasures in their “special drawers,” as they call them. I keep my drawer organizers in a tall stack in my laundry room – thus keeping potential coloring and painting disasters to an area that is easy to clean.

Educational toys such as puzzles, games, and felt board pieces are kept in the entertainment unit in our study. Things that the younger children use are on the lower level of the unit, and older children’s items are on the upper level. This system works well for us and makes it much easier for all of the children to clean what they have used.

Implementing organization need not be costly. If your budget is tight, begin looking around your home for items not in use that can be pressed into service to organize your home school materials. I have trimmed empty laundry detergent boxes for magazine organizers. I have covered cookie tins to use in corralling the magnetic alphabet pieces we have collected. A three-tiered shoe rack can be used to divide an existing shelf into more usable sections. In my previous home, I turned a coat closet into a school closet. Be creative and inventive with your space and resources – you may just surprise yourself!

Take time to list the problems you are having with the storage of your materials. Make notations as to what items or areas you can use to solve the problem. Determine to work the plan and reorganize your school things. Organize one area at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Realize that you may have to spend some time adjusting what you have done until it “fits” your needs.

You will know that your organization goals have been reached when you no longer lose valuable school time looking for misplaced items. You will feel refreshed and rejuvenated as a teacher – what better gift could you give to yourself and your students?!

The post Organizing Your Home School appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.