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Currently I am homeschooling 1 child, and my budget is $2500 for the year, which includes curriculum, curricular books, some materials (if its just arts and crafts stuff or food/ingredients I would have around anyway I dont count it), extra curricular activities and field trips. I also have a one year old who I will be able to reuse a lot of the curriculum for, so I am unsure of whether I will double the budget when she starts school, or possibly give her a smaller budget for that reason.. but luckily I have plenty of time to decide! 😂 Private school in my area is around $10,000+ per year, and the public schools are terrible, so we are actually saving quite a lot of money this way!

How is there not a lot of push back? I have talking, playing, music making, and daydreaming during lessons. Boys Ages 4 and 7. 😅

My son is 12 going on 13 next month. You are right, homeschooling becomes less hands on at this age. There is a little more freedom for them to begin to learn about and develop their own style of work habits.

I have bachelors of science and am believer, I don’t think it’s an “either or” in education. They definitely did exist but we just call them by dragons instead of dinosaurs and make sure our kids understand why scientists called them dinosaurs now.

Let me know if you have any questions! What does your school day look like?

I have 3 kids currently in a charter school. They do grade levels by age however they do allow us a lot of leeway as far as curriculum level. Right now my daughter is in second grade for age, but doing 4th grade curriculum, the other 2 kids are both one curriculum level ahead. The older one will probably jump ahead faster once he gets better at reading. I don't know if you looked into this, but here in Wisconsin at some of the technical colleges, they have classes that middle schoolers can take. Our local college requires kids be 14 years old, but they can take a welding class, baking, auto repair etc. We are planning on using these for shop or home etc. classes when the kids are older.

I like the shredder idea.

Michael Clay Thompson is wonderful! I was impressed with son, too, when he first started doing the sentence analysis by himself.

What do you do after your school day is done? And what would you do with kindergarteners today? I have twins in homeschooling and trying to keep them busy *after* lessons is the hard part, lol

I made the little daily checklist that you recommended thats in a sleeve so she can use a dry erase marker to check as she does her work. But her day is usually the same but sometimes different depending on what she picks (I have a few options she can do for each subject). Math: "mental minute" adding/subtracting fast paced game + 2 BrainQuest workbook pages. 1 "driving test" from Reading Express Mathseeds program. Reading: 1 online library book either science or social studies + quiz (I made 2 lists of books she gets to highlight when she's finished). Reading Eggspress Map level: from Reading Eggs app that she does on the computer. + Reading Eggs "driving test". 2 BrainQuest workbook pages 15 minutes of "music" at this point since she's only 6 I basically let her do anything music related for 15 minutes. Spelling: "Skills Bank" from Reading Eggspress program Elective: she can choose from time, money, geography, human body, a board game, etc. but lately we've been doing holiday free printable activities Some days take FOREVER like all day... but it's because she isn't focused or distracted... other days she can do everything in about 2 hours. Then when dad comes home from work we have her recap what she remembers from the day, if anything 😂

I want to give you a realistic look inside an average homeschool day for my 3rd grader. I would love to hear what your days look like! 7th grade coming up later this week.

Whoa! Generation Genius is $225/year for science only. That is just insane. Too bad the pricing skyrocketed.

Could you please tell me the name of that chemistry game?

We are all feeling this 🤟💌 Love you my friend

You know that I LOVE Mom and Me Monday! It is one of the best changes we have ever made in our homeschool! What sets your week up for success?

How in-depth do you find HQ Early Times? How would you compare it to Curiosity Chronicles Snapshots? We started with CC but it feels so surface level and not in depth at all.

As a homeschool momma of two bigger kiddos (5&7) and a baby, I really appreciate your content and support on this journey. Thanks again for encouraging us parents to do the best we can for our kiddos.

Same as you, I told them their grade level as they kept staring at people as if they were asking the question in a foreign language.haha I have a similar idea to stretch the children. Meeting where they are works! I have a son at 7, about to start zeta in math u see, spells at a ‘5th grade” level, and can’t write a paragraph or tie his shoes. That’s just one of my 5 kids as an example that allowing them to keep going on what they like and sometimes with a little push, can really be effective and engaging to everyone, not just them, as my oldest is 11, and is motivated by sheer sibling challenge to ‘get better at math’ since he’s still in ‘5th grade level’ math (I laugh cuz he’s in 5th grade, being told that by the second grader Anyways, good video and good points made.

When our sons were young, we were often asked how we got them to do "fill in the blank". We would reply that we just expected them to do "fill in the blank". The phrase that was often used to explain this was, "If you expect nothing of your child, that's exactly what you will get." Often this was not the easy answer that others wanted to hear.

This was soooooo liberating! Thank you!

How do you adjust curriculum that is above grade level where the material fits their ability, but the workload is too high?

We do mostly for social settings kiddo is in this grade. Most of our friends are in public school and in SPED kids go up a grade every year regardless of where they are academically because they're working on their own goals. So we do the same. Each subject can be a different grade level - their special interest is space - so we are doing a middle school space science. Yet language arts is below grade level. We are working toward continued progress. I also pull resources from different levels if I think it would be a good fit. That said, I wish more things came without the grade or age range plastered on them. Within the realm of disability it can be difficult when for example my kiddo who knows they are fifth grade is doing Level K handwriting. I legit spent 3 times as much on a workbook that didn't have a grade on the outside of the book. For some reason we're in a workbook phase where school is acceptable if it comes in a workbook IDK why lol.

Curious to hear your thoughts on this! Do you have grade levels for your kids?

I started using a boxed christian based curriculum, this year my kids both vocalized what fields they are interested in and what places they want to study in. So this momma had to rethink and use a more science base and secular curriculums. This is for sure is going to be on our list for next year. My oldest wants to be an epidemiologist and my youngest wants to be a wild life veterinary. Enjoying awitching up our curriculum and finding new fun courses to see their face brighten up. We dont follow a religion per say but come from super religious families but we have decided that its our kids decision as long as they respect others then im happy.

I am making a conscience effort to allow my kids to be kids. My girls stopped gymnastics during Covid and it was the best decision ever. They have friends that we cannot actually schedule anything with going on 12 weeks now because they do dance 4X a week, swim 4X a week and are in band etc. These kids are literally scheduled everyday including weekends. We do not have phones in this house either and for my oldest who is in 11th grade (no phone) he just started working 18 hours a week and is learning how to better schedule his time to get schoolwork done and work- because he has no extracurriculars during the week we felt it was time to teach this skill. When he chooses to move on to college he will have to balance all of these things as we are unable to pay for school and he will not take out predatory loans. It is very hard- I am constantly being told I am weird and old school because we choose to not play "keeping up with the Jones'".

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This is so cool!! I love a good free science resource!!

Excited to be sharing the Dino study we have been using. Our home has a Dinosaur enthusiast and this program has been amazing for her!

I dont know... i kind of think not allowing our country to slide into an authoritarian dictatorship should be the primary conern of every voter.

Do you not have to manage your kiddos in the morning at all? Are they independently able to get their own breakfast and get ready for the day? That seems to be my struggle point. Once they are up my ability to get stuff done goes down significantly OR they do nothing and when its time for school they are still in pjs and havent had breakfast Sigh...

Wow! I love your morning routine. I still struggle creating routine. 😅

I am happy to share my biggest homeschool secret!! What's yours?

Ok video request. Coffee & beverage recommendations! My household is bored and I try to stay away from soda but water gets boring.

I love a good morning routine! I like to hit the gym early before it gets crowded and it feels so zen in the early hours. I’ve recognized that my anxiety is much better when I start my day with healthy habits. I’m curious about your coffee though, even though we saw you make it. What are your fav flavors? What is your machine? Do you make it the same way everyday? Coffee has become my new obsession since this week has been a doozy and i need distractions!

The comparison/competition culture is hard to get away from because it’s everywhere. I used to feel guilty for not doing all the things but now I see the benefits of letting my kids just be kids. I was stressing myself out over things(reading levels, test scores, getting MVP on the tball team 🙄) when I can’t MAKE those things happen. I can help my child if they’re struggling in school but I can’t make him be the next child prodigy or the next Altuve 😂

I have a morning cup of coffee and open all the blinds and curtains too! I need to be more intentional about getting ready before my family wakes though. It’s too chaotic afterwards.

I feel the pressure already for my one year old ....they have to be walking and talking and waving and clapping, or we need intervention. Like how did we ever survive before all of this

I am in desperate need of a new morning routine. Thank you for some inspiration.

A good morning start changes my entire day! This is the single biggest factor in determining how my day goes. The hours between wake and school make all the difference. What makes your morning work for you?

I completely agree. It's 1 reason kids have such poor mental health! LET THEM PLAY! LET THEM BE KIDS!

I remember when I first found your channel was when I barely started. I was freaking out because I didn't want the usual super religious. Fast forward 5th year homeschooling the best for my kids. My youngest whole imagination blew up we went from she hated to even color to now doing art classes for fun. My oldest was super shy in a bubble cried when even spoken to,now she is my little social bee. Curriculum I do my best for what's for their levels not that pressure of have to meet it in a certain time if we need more time then we take. It works for us military families.

Are you teaching logic, critical thinking, and problem-solving in your homeschool? Drop your favorite resources!

People send their babies away at 3/4/5 ish years old 😮 then they tell them that they're children until they're 18... Not teaching them how to be men and women when they start developing into adults around 12-13 ish years old. People used to go to college around 14/15 years old.

I'm not a parent but I am early Gen Z who had a pretty sheltered childhood. (Kinda within reason, but my parents did do a lot to prevent me from learning adult topics) I work in the tech industry right now. Children should not have unlimited access to the internet. It should be restricted unless they are doing reasonable research. They also should not be on social media until they are at least 16. Small children should also not be having smartphones. Heck, even early middle schoolers! There are more studies on how social media is affecting children's brains and mental health. People like to claim that studies are not around. Yes, there are. It's something I've had to write about in college a few times. Even my mother had to write and research the subject for psychology courses. Because of what she learned during peak social media usage in teens, I was not allowed on social media until I was 18 (Pinterest and VERY limited Instagram being exceptions). I'm probably one of the only Gen Z kids who had a childhood and didn't have social media rule my life. Yes, I was bullied for it relentlessly in high school, but it did help me. I learned more adult subjects from books I read without school guidance. Only bad thing is, I didn't learn a lot about other big adult topics until I moved out. Yes, it may be hard to not raise kids without technology now, but it can be done. I have 4 brothers living with my parents and while they play video games, they are not playing with strangers online. Their behavior is SO DIFFERENT compared to their peers from what I've noticed (they do not have social media at all). They've had childhoods, they play sports, they learn about technology without social media, they get good grades... If this sounds like a lot, let me know. And if I shouldn't say this because I'm not a parent, let me know.

I have noticed many similar observations. I think consumerism, the competition you mention, feelings of missing out, fear of falling behind or not doing enough, are all real and present. However, I think bringing awareness and shedding light on these areas allows parents to change the culture of their homes because it allows us to be intentional with our energy and choices. There are many ways to be a good parent and to have a good homeschool and seasons in every family will change and look different from everyone else’s. It’s really not a fair comparison in a lot of ways. I think setting a guideline and going from there, for your family’s needs is worth consideration. I agree that childhood and family time are treasures worth protecting. I try to be intentional about these things as well. I have also tried some of the extra curricular activities on for wear including martial arts, swim, gymnastics, Spanish, piano, and a high amount of social commitments for play dates for one week’s time, for several months in a row. All of these things were tried out over approximately 6 years, and you know what I found out? Exactly what you found out @MakingEverydayMagic I realized that all these skills are just that: skills. And they would take a person 10-15 years to really master for the average student who has a well rounded life. If they are really for recreational purposes and FUN, like I intended them to be, then I have found that I can pick one here or there and do it for a semester and reevaluate how life went when we did it. Did we miss Family Movie Night or boardgames? We’re we extremely stressed bc of the hour the class was? It’s just not all it’s cracked up to be as I have seen with my own eyes how jubilant my children’s eyes are when they frolic in free time play vs any class I ever put them in. Screen time is allowed, but monitored and also recreationally used, so it is last on the day’s list of things to enjoy. You made a great video. Hope my two cents in the discussion helps advance this topic in a productive way.

One of my favorite memories from this summer was a day when our neighbors came over unexpectedly and we all played outside riding bikes and skateboards until 9 pm. It was seriously one of the best days I've had in a while and it was so unbelievably simple. It reminded me of my childhood 💕

I agree there needs to be a bigger conversation. Modeling is important, it’s way harder to limit screens for my kids when I’m attached to my phone. The flip side of this is that my kids don’t know how to play by themselves well. And there is an unreasonable expectation out there for parents to play with their kids, what’s better is having your kids tag along with us on adult things. You touch on a point, which I agree that generations has been broken down before this generation. We are trying to correct for excessive screen time while we are all addicted. I’ve been trying to practice being away from my phone, even one day noticing I had forgotten my phone inside the house before going out and I left it. That felt invigorating to be without it. Ever since the tv our imaginations have been diminished and our life has been sidelined.

From talking to a children's libarian she said that most kids that le as in how to "read" by kindergarten don't really know how to read but they are memorizing their favorite books they've heard over and over again. Which isn't bad that is a good start to reading.

There are times i feel guilty that I don't have my kids in extra curricular activities.. thank you for this video ❤

Oh yes… FOMO on “opportunities” when it comes to activities it tough! This is a constant internal battle for me.