Category: Transitions In Homeschooling
10 Ways to Create and Maintain Balance as a Homeschooling Parent
1. Know your priorities. Be clear with yourself about what is most important. Make sure everyone in the family knows what those things are. Talk regularly about the reasons why your family does things the way you do. Be open with each other when it feels like it’s time to revisit or reaffirm your family’s
Continue readingHow old should my child be when starting Oak Meadow kindergarten?
In general, our kindergarten curriculum correlates developmentally with age 5 and grade 1 with age 6. Therefore, we encourage families to wait until age 5 before beginning kindergarten. However, every child’s development is unique, and so there really is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. Families following a Waldorf pedagogy often don’t start first grade until their children
Continue reading12 Ways to Support Student Independence and Autonomy in Learning
Homeschooling parents often ask how they can help their children learn to work independently. Independence is a skill that grows slowly and needs to be nurtured over time. Students need opportunities to repeatedly practice and gain confidence in their capabilities. They also need to know they can trust that an adult will be ready and
Continue reading12 Characteristics of Successful Learners
Successful learning may happen organically, but it does not happen accidentally. One might be surrounded with rich educational resources, but without key capabilities, those learning opportunities will go untapped. What makes a successful learner? Successful learners… …are leaders in their own learning. …engage with the world around them. …question everything. …think for themselves. …are driven by
Continue readingAddressing Concerns About Homeschooling
Homeschooling is a big step for many of us. It requires the conviction that we know better than anyone else when it comes to our children’s needs (or our own). We may have already had courageous exchanges with teachers, school officials, and other experts whose job requires them to look out for the well-being of
Continue readingAdjusting to Homeschooling Mid-Year
Making the decision to switch gears and begin homeschooling—or to switch curriculum—partway through the school year takes courage and faith. Whatever you were doing before wasn’t working, and whatever you are beginning hasn’t had time to feel routine yet. Here are ten suggestions to ease the way. 1. Different philosophy; different approach. Students who have
Continue readingOrganizing Your Homeschool Day
Many parents wonder how best to organize their time when using Oak Meadow or other homeschooling curriculum. There is no one right way to approach homeschool planning, so go at it with an open mind! Try something that appeals to you, then fine-tune your process as you discover what works well for you and your
Continue readingThe Freedom to be Flexible
One of the most valuable benefits of homeschooling is flexibility. Flexibility to dive deeply into one topic. Flexibility to develop a passion. Flexibility to travel, to take advantage of unexpected opportunities, and just slow down and enjoy family time. Many families tell us that this flexibility is the reason they able to “live their learning”
Continue readingWorking and Homeschooling
“I want to homeschool, but I need to work.” Is it really true that working parents cannot homeschool? It can be quite a challenge, but many families manage to do it successfully. Many working-and-homeschooling families challenge this assumption every single day. How? Consider all opportunities for flexibility in your work The more flexibility you have, the
Continue readingEnrolled or Independent?
Enrolled or independent? Many families who are interested in using Oak Meadow curriculum wonder whether their family’s needs would best be met through using our materials independently or enrolling in our distance learning program. This is one of the most common questions parents ask us as they seek to find the right homeschooling fit. We are happy
Continue reading