Firsttimehomeschool Archives

The Homeschooling Mindset.

When it comes to living a happy life, experts agree that mindset is key. Changing your mindset to one of positivity is essential in your life journey, but what about your homeschool journey? Sathish Bala –CEO of Schoolio- asked Lindsey Casselman –Schoolio Team Member and founder of Linden Tree learning- how to get into the mindset of wanting to homeschool. She answered with ‘The biggest thing is to set your mind to being flexible.’

Why is flexibility key in homeschool? As Lindsey said “you have to be willing to let go of your plan.” Realizing that sometimes certain things are just not working for you and your child is key. All too often we compare homeschool to traditional school. We try to make them one in the same, when in all actuality homeschool is different. Obviously, you want to keep the education the same (which you can accomplish by using Schoolio’s Ontario Curriculum) but they’re different and It’s important to embrace the differences. Flexibility being on the top of the list.

Flexibility in homeschool is important for many different reasons, one being that it’s important to give our children a say. As Lindsey said she will sit down with her kids and say “Something isn’t working, what do you guys want to do differently?” Allowing your child’s voice to be heard is huge. And with homeschooling they get the opportunity to do that. In traditional public school, the child must learn the same way as the others. The child must accomplish what the others are. They must maintain that locked in schedule. The child’s voice becoming one of the hundreds of others in the school setting, easily being drowned out. The beauty of homeschooling is that your child has a say. Your child is heard. You can swap out the schedule, you can take an ‘explore nature day’, you can help them learn other important life lessons, like how to do laundry or cook. Things that are overlooked with traditional schooling yet are an essential part of living life.

Something I’ve learned with homeschooling is that EVERYTHING is a lesson. It’s not like I’m a teacher for 3 hours out of the day and the rest of the time my kids just have free reign of our household. No way! I’m a teacher all the time. I teach them to cook, to clean, to paint, to exercise, to enjoy life. A simple question from my child can become a lesson all on its own. There is no perfect way to homeschool, and that’s ok. Embrace the imperfections, teach your kids about flexibility in their schedule. Teach them that it’s OK to take breaks and do something other than the designated plan. Being a teacher is something that -believe it or not- you’ve been since your child was born. Teaching them to walk, talk, eat, interact, go to the bathroom. All these things you’ve done. So, teaching them core educational subjects is something that you CAN do. But you have to allow yourself space for flexibility and peace of mind.

What else matters when it comes to the best mindset for homeschool? Patience. Patience goes hand in hand with flexibility. Be patient with yourself and with your children. Emphasis on yourself. When you are impatient with yourself and allow the negative thoughts to take over your thinking frame, then you are destined to be short tempered with your children and just about every other aspect of your life. Be patient. Be flexible.

Amp yourself up. When you think to yourself ‘What am I doing?! Why am I doing this?! I’m not a teacher, what makes me think I can teach my kids?’ Let go of that negative self-talk. And replace it with thoughts that lift yourself up. ‘I am a good teacher.’ ‘I taught my child to read today!’ ‘I’m an exceptional parent, putting my child and their education first.’ Not everyone can homeschool their child, but look! You’re doing it! That is something that you should be insanely proud of. There’s absolutely no reason for you to treat yourself like garbage. You are a champion!

No day is going to be perfect, in fact most days may end up messy (especially when you’re beginning). And that’s ok. Teach your child to enjoy the imperfections. Teach your child to balance things out just like you are. Show your child how to love themselves by demonstrating it through kindness towards yourself. Remember, words hold power. Words of kindness, words that build you up, those are the best words to have in your vocabulary when it comes to your homeschooling mind-set. Don’t limit yourself by thinking negatively about yourself. You and your child can accomplish anything, today, tomorrow and every day. Homeschooling is freedom, so gain the freedom mindset. You’ve got this.

Jaymee Davis is a stay-at-home/work-at-home/ homeschooling mama. She is here to be your personal cheerleader, reminding you that you are able to accomplish anything, and homeschooling is definitely one of those things.

3 Things You Need To Remember Before Starting Grade 1

Congratulations! Your child has made it to grade 1! I have three children, grades one, three and four. With each one of my children, I always felt like grade one was a huge milestone. You’ve made it through JK and SK and you’re now on a more organized track of learning. With that said, it can still feel extremely overwhelming. I remember the night before my oldest started first grade, I was a wreck! I kept questioning myself and worrying that maybe I wasn’t doing the right thing. I wondered if I should just register her for school. I wondered if homeschooling was really the best choice. I worried that I wasn’t using curriculum that stood up to Grade 1 Ontario Curriculum.

But then I remembered the many school interviews we had, and the tug in my gut that this just wasn’t right for her. I remembered that she learns at a much different pace than other children. I remembered that she needed that one on one attention that I knew I could give her, and the public-school system couldn’t. Homeschooling is such a journey, and honestly some days are tough. But each day that you put the effort in to teach your child, is a beautiful day.

Here are 3 things you need to remember when starting your Grade 1 Homeschool Journey:

Stop pressuring yourself. Just the fact that you care enough about your child’s education to take on homeschool and sign up for Schoolio, is enough reason to believe in yourself. And remember that the decisions that you are making for your child’s education, are actually really great decisions. Second guessing yourself will only lead to anxiety, and that’s one thing you don’t need right now.
Every child learns at their own pace. It’s hard when you’re trying to go over concepts like reading, or math. And your child is just not putting effort into learning. Some days, your child may just need a small break. Change the scene. Take them out for a walk, get some fresh air. Play a game. Just like you probably get a little agitated when you’ve been working for a while, they also need patience, and a moment to refresh their mind. You don’t have to accomplish everything in the early hours of the morning. Your schedule is yours. If you need to change it up some days, then do it.
Be kind to yourself. It’s so easy to allow ‘mom guilt’ to sink in. To feel like ‘I’ve neglected the house work.’ ‘I need to spend more time reading with my child.’ ‘My kid watched too much tv today.’ Mom guilt is a bridge to ruin. Don’t go that way. Every day that you choose to wake up and homeschool, is a day that you rocked being a mom! You are seriously so amazing! So please, be nice to yourself and remember you are doing a stellar job!

There was no Schoolio when I started homeschooling in 2016 or in 2017 when I began teaching my daughter grade 1, and I truly wish there had been. This incredible education platform cares so deeply about your child’s learning and your mental sanity. They spend countless hours crafting content that makes education fun, all while following the Grade 1 Ontario Curriculum. Nothing gets left out, it’s all there. You’re in the right place, and you’re doing the right thing. Naturally you’re going to second guess yourself, so let’s stop that now. You and your child are going to love this homeschool thing! Deciding to homeschool, was an amazing decision! One that you don’t need to doubt, you’ve got this! Don’t face this new chapter with anxiety, because you are going to rock this thing!

Jaymee Davis is a stay at home/work at home/ homeschool mama. She’s been teaching her kids from home since 2016 and believes anyone can do it. She is here to help you reach your homeschool goals.

Let’s Talk About: Co-Ops

Hey Lindsey, what is a Co-Op? And how can I run one in my own town or city?

“Great question! You may have heard homeschoolers mention co-op and not really understood what it was. Last year our homeschool group had a seminar/guest speaker on creating your own home co-op, so allow me share the wisdom with you!

What is Co-Op: Co-Op generally is any sort of “co-operative” grouping. The number of participants, rules, and themes can of course vary widely. It all depends on what YOU want out of it!

We participate in 3 co-ops, and all three are quite different. The local group we’re members of runs a large co-op. We meet once a month, and the co-op coordinator picks subjects for each month, like Science, Art, Phys Ed., Nature, World Cultures, etc. When we register our child(ren) for co-op, we also sign up for at least two helping spots (this is the co-operative part!). The classes are split by ages, usually 4-5 year olds, 6-7. 8-10, and 11+, but it varies each year based on the ages of who registers. There’s usually 12-15 kids per class, There’s also Nursery for siblings under 4. Each class has a teacher, assistant, and a clean-up person. So if teaching isn’t your jam, you can sign up for Nursery or clean up slots instead. If you do like to teach, you sign up for whatever age group and subject you want, and you plan, prep, and teach that class.

So your kid goes to co-op 10 times, and twice you teach, assist, or clean up. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

This is an awesome social time for the kids- first they have class, do a little learning, practice group manners and listening to an adult that isn’t their parent, and things like raising hands, standing in line, etc. that are normal “school” things but not normal “homeschool” things (in fact watching homeschoolers try to make a line can be extremely amusing ). After class, everyone eats lunch together and the kids have free time, which almost always leads to a giant game of tag or capture the flag or some sort of running, maniacal, being loud game. Parents get to socialize too, we all chit-chat while the kids run amok. This co-op is huge (40+ families), organized, and has registration fees that cover building rental, insurance, and reimburses teachers for any supplies.

The second co-op we have is a PE Co-Op (physical education) which I organize from Fall to Spring, to keep the kids active. Usually, I send an email for registrants, and make an email mailing list of everyone interested. Everyone sends me ideas for fun things to do around the city in the colder months (the co-operative part in this group is the idea generating). I slot all the ideas into different weeks. This co-op meets every second week. So the schedule gets emailed out, and it looks like: Week 1: Swimming at city pool, Week 2: Biking at BMX track, Week 3: Snowshoeing at provincial park, Week 4: Ice Skating at arena, etc. For this co-op, you show up, or don’t, if you want to, and you pay your own family’s admission fees. Everything is an open-to-the-public activity. It’s very low maintenance, once it’s planned and scheduled, it’s done.

The third co-op we’ve been in was a specifically themed co-op. Lots of ppl do this style of Home Co-Op. You find a few families that have kids similar ages to yours, or that are already friends, you pick a topic you all want to cover, or want help covering, and you split up the work. Some people do a subject like Geography, or Canadian Government. We did one last year that was a book club.

No one knows what the future will look like, Covid wise, for these sorts of get togethers, but it’s a little info for you to start mulling over in your brains, and maybe even figuring out how to run your own virtual version.”

Thank you so much Lindsey for all this amazing information on what a Co-Op can look like. Do you have more questions? Feel free to leave a comment and we will get back to you.