Blog - HomeWorks By Precept

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Saturday, 01 February 2020

1902 was the year the first official homeschooling chapter was created in Iowa (Chapter 14-A Section 2823-a). Iowa's homeschooling history has always been hit with many side swings, but Iowa has continued with a strong backbone. I remember growing up in a time where my parents talked about moving out of state just so they could continue homeschooling. I am thankful for those who have fought, and continue to fight, for our homeschooling freedoms we have today. Read more about Iowa's homeschooling historyHERE.

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Wednesday, 15 January 2020

In my last post, I wrote about some ways you can tell if you need to take a break from schoolwork. We work hard at our studies and try to keep a predictable school routine. Sometimes we just need to take a break, and I bet your family is pretty similar. Our routine can start to feel really exhausting between therapy, school, chores, and errands. If you have kids with challenges like mine, you may need to take a break or a half-day more often. Try to focus on making progress, not completing every single thing in your curriculum. Without further ado, here are our ten favorite ideas to use on your spontaneous day off! Choose one or a few and have some fun with your family!

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Wednesday, 15 January 2020

There was a time that I set a strict schedule for school. I am a teacher by trade, so it is in my nature to schedule everything. I scheduled start dates, end dates, days off, vacation dates, it was great! And then life happened.

What happened next for me was a sinking feeling of failure and guilt. We were BEHIND!!! How many times do I hear that phrase in the homeschool community?!? Living life in a constant state of self-imposed guilt is no way to live, and honestly, if you are feeling it, your kids are probably feeling it, too.

Joy to the World! The Lord Has Come!

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Monday, 16 December 2019

I had the precious opportunity to babysit my almost five-year-old grandson and my 19-month grandson for a week while their parents took a restful and quiet trip together. I had all kinds of ideas about how we spend the days together. I had grand plans of places where we would go and things we would do. We did manage to enjoy a few of those activities, including building a gingerbread house together!

Homeschooling in Michigan

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Thursday, 14 November 2019

Michigan is a diverse state. You can find everything, from skiing to surfing right here in our beautiful state. Another benefit of living here is that there are no reporting requirements placed on homeschoolers. We are free to educate our children as we see fit, without government oversight.

Why Vocabulary Matters

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Thursday, 14 November 2019

Words Have Meaning

I have been an avid reader all my life. I was homeschooled through 9th grade, so I had plenty of time to read. My yearly booklists in my portfolio usually had 50-70 books listed, and they were just samplings of what I read because I didn’t always remember to write down the title and author before returning books to the library. I read multiple genres. I read books written in different centuries.

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Saturday, 26 October 2019

When I decided to homeschool, I didn’t anticipate my children having any learning challenges. God, in all His divine wisdom, called me to homeschool these kids that would need a different environment for learning than a traditional classroom.

Guiding Your Children to Their Careers

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Thursday, 10 October 2019

Sometimes in life, you learn something that you weren’t really trying to learn.

That would be me . . . senior year of college. I majored in economics until we had our first child mid-year, six weeks early. Then I just majored in mommy-hood and making sure I graduated. I ended up in an Adolescent Psychology class because it fit my mommy-schedule.

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Friday, 20 September 2019

Have you ever opened a drawer at your child's desk, only to find it was full of jumbled worktext pages from multiple subjects? Or, like me, do you have several children calling at the same time for help locating handouts? Take heart! You're like a lot of other homeschool moms, including me. This simple system may be a big help for you. After ten years of homeschooling, the hanging file system is standing the test of our busy students. I use the hanging files to organize our student handouts, reproducible pages, completed student handouts, worktext, and test pages.

Written by HomeWorks Admin

Friday, 30 August 2019

Homeschooling brought me great joy over the years. It was a great bonding experience with my sons. I got to watch them grow both spiritually and academically. However, there were times when I struggled and wanted to throw in the towel. These tips helped me along the way to stay the course and finish strong. My prayer is that they will help you as well.