Hoffman Homeschool Hub

100 days of 1st grade! I have never done day 100 of school for any grade, until this year. Our last child, in first grade, we need to do something a little special. So she dressed up as a 100 year old lady...Essie. And her siblings names were, Karen, Sharon, and Aaron. 😂 100 hearts to greet her this morning. What fun things do you do throughout the school year to add a little pop of fun? It doesn't need to cost you anything, but just talking and building it up, and doing something small, can make the day a little more special.

Happy Ground Hog Day! Check out this free resource for your morning time together.

Do you think the groundhog will see his shadow tomorrow? How did this silly tradition even start? Learn more about it with this free unit study!

https://learnincolor.com/free-groundhog-day-unit-study.html

Semester grades are done! Officially in the 2nd half of freshman year for the twins! Wow! We are making some adjustments at the semester, but overall, I am pleased with how the first semester went.

Happy New Year Hoffman Homeschool Hub followers! Hope you all enjoyed your break over the holidays. Maybe you started back to school yesterday, or maybe you are starting next week. Whatever your schedule, give yourself, and your children, time to get back into the school groove. We just started back today, and we aren't doing a full schedule for middle school or high school until next week. This afternoon, our first grader is listening to read alouds while she plays with "paper" dolls. It is fun for her and she still enjoys the books being read. What ways do you incorporate reading to your students?

This week starts Thanksgiving School for the couple days of school this week. It should be fun and full of memories made for our youngest, and things remembered by our oldest kiddos. Our youngest girl has been studying Native American tribes over the course of the month and we should get one more in this week, and she is finally understanding why we celebrate Thanksgiving every year. I am thankful this week that we can homeschool how we choose, we have that freedom, and I am ever so grateful for it.

(This picture was taken during a biology science experiment last week with the two high schoolers.)

Sometimes I am asked, how do you do it all? The answer, I don't. I can't actually help everyone or teach everyone at one time all of the time. However, I can set my 1st grader next to me with one of her activities she is doing and I can do spelling with my 6th grader. Everyone knows that I can't answer everyone's questions at the same time. Though they have tried😂 Just do your best, your children will learn to follow the rhythm you set in the house. You will figure it out. It just takes time. So maybe this is your first year homeschooling or your tenth, just keep at it. Adjust what you need to adjust, and remind your children that they are important and you want to help them and teach them, but just not all of them always at the same time. 💜

Just over here with my two favorite high schoolers talking about practice SAT essay questions. In our English class this quarter we are doing timed essays to practice for those big tests in just a year and a half or so. Did you take the ACT or the SAT or both? Did you do well at writing essays in high school? Did it benefit you as an adult? Let us know in the comments below. I love to share with my high schoolers what others loved or loathed in high school.

This is what our school day looked like 4 years ago, everyone nearby but in their own area, doing what they needed to do. And that's how it has been ever since. Even now, my high schoolers come gather around the kitchen table while I am doing phonics with the first grader, and my 6th graders sits on the couch, right next to the kitchen to be nearby, but in her own space. I am thankful we have our days together. The days are long(some longer than others), but the years are short. It is 💯 accurate. And I will treasure the hard days with the great days.

Happy Monday. We have two days this week and then our first quarter is done. All was quiet on the page last week as we were doing our last push of school work. We set some goals and got them done, and now our fall break is in sight. I saw this on Instagram this morning and thought what a great tip to keep in mind as we head into the fall/winter months. Have a great week!!

I love this time of year as we usually incorporate more baking at home. Our youngest girl keeps asking, what can I bake today? 😂 So of course, she will soon be able to read a full recipe. I love encouraging learning in the kitchen.

It's Monday again!!! A new week, a fresh start...Do you have white boards in your home? We started using them when we started homeschooling. Each child got their own personal white board and then I had a slightly bigger one that we used all the time. If you have a struggling writer or speller, get a white board! It makes writing more fun. Who wants to write on regular paper when you can use fun colors and doodle when you are done writing your words or letters. 😁 Now we have two giant white boards hanging in our kitchen and it LITERALLY is one of my favorite things in our whole house. 😬 Our youngest used it for writing words the other day that rhymed with ones she read in her reading book. She loves to jump up and go to the white board to do extra doodling, writing, counting...it is used all the time. So if you don't have a white board in your house, it might be a great addition to use one. Start small and you can always go up in size if you find you and/or your student love it. Happy Monday!!! Have a great week. 💜💜💜