The 355th Carnival of Homeschooling:
Reflections from the End of the Road

The biggest “news” in our homeschooling life is that one chapter of it has closed. My eldest, Nick, graduated in May, and is in the process of moving out as I put this post together.

There are plenty of issues surrounding that in all areas of our life, but for the Carnival, naturally, I’m going to focus on those related to homeschooling.

But “the end of the road” is really a dramatic exaggeration, because my homeschooling days are far from over! I have a 2nd grader and a four year-old still “enrolled”.

Having one coming out the far end does make for a natural point of reflection – a “post-mortem,” you might say. But you don’t have to wait until then to pause and take stock.

This is something that I think we all naturally do on a small scale as we work through our homeschooling days. It’s different, though, to sit down and mindfully reflect.

Here’s a few points that I’ve chosen to thoughtfully consider:

Is homeschooling the right choice for our family, right now? And its close cousin: Why do we homeschool?

Anisha offers a framework for this very question in Questions for Parents: Is Homeschooling Right for Me? posted at NerdWallet | Education.

Those questions naturally include “Can we afford it?” Mama Squirrel helps answer that with The why and how of frugal homeschooling, Part One posted at Dewey’s Treehouse.

Henry offers a bit of insight with the reverse question, in Why don’t more parents homeschool? posted at Why Homeschool.

How can I keep myself engaged in the process, and avoid burnout?

Elena addresses the issue of combating burnout in When Long-time Homeschooling Moms Burn Out at My Domestic Church.

Phyllis offers some thoughts on Luke 17 in Healing Comes with Obedience, at Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness.

Mindy offers her thoughts for when Mommy Needs a Moment at DenSchool.

Andrea offers the relief of 5 Homeschooling Battles I Stopped Fighting at Notes from a homeschooled mom.

[Depending on the age/stage of your children and your homeschool journey] At what age do I begin “schooling” my little one? What “grade level” does my child belong in?

Laura shares her concerns that direct instruction, from parents or teachers, is shown to limit a child’s creativity, problem solving, and openness to learning, in Educating Too Early at her blog, Laura Grace Weldon.

How can I keep the material fresh for all of us? And: How can I reach a child with a different learning style?

Denise offers strategies for teaching elementary mathematics in PUFM 1.5 Multiplication, Part 2, posted at Let’s Play Math!

Denise also shares Blogging 101: Introduction for student writers, at Blogging 2 Learn.

Barbara discusses a great resource idea in A Homeschool Mom’s Paradise posted at Barbara Frank Online.

Angela wonders, What About Gym Class? at Team Grey!

Ann enjoys her nature studies, with Goldfinches – One of the Yellow Birds – Outdoor Nature Hour Challenge posted at Harvest Moon by Hand.

Natalie reviews Rip the Page! and discusses how she’s using it for creative writing for multiple ages, with Rip the Page! by Karen Benke, at Fill Your Bookshelf.

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A huge THANK YOU to all of the bloggers who shared with us. As always, it has been a joy to read through them all while putting this together (I confess I don’t typically get to read through an entire carnival on other weeks!).

Please take a moment to post a link to the carnival on your blog, Facebook page, Twitter… help spread the word about homeschooling, and the carnival, and send some traffic to all these terrific folks!

And of course, good Carnival manners includes the hope that everyone will link their submitted post to this Carnival post, as well as possibly including one of the adorable COH Graphics. Thank you!

Don’t forget to send in your post for next week’s carnival! Just visit Why Homeschool for all the details, and email the info anytime before next Monday.

Until next time… Happy Homeschooling!

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