African-American Homeschool Moms: A resource for black homeschoolers

This website provides information for black homeschoolers.

  • Start Here
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Documentaries and Movies
    • Subject Links
    • Black TED Talks
    • Historical Sites To Visit
  • Freebies
  • Policies
  • Books
  • Media

Time Management for Homeschool Moms

June 20, 2017 Leave a Comment

At the end of the day, I am often amazed at how quickly time has flown by. The hours between breakfast and dinner seem to zoom past in the blink of an eye. Since time passes so quickly, homeschool moms have to make good use of their time. If you, like me, are striving to use time in the most efficient manner possible, consider these time management tips for homeschool moms.

Practice self care. We cannot care for our families if we’re sick or falling apart. We’ll never be able to use time wisely if we’re mentally drained and/or physically ill due to lack of self care. Consequently, we must take steps to maintain and improve our health. Good health gives us better mental clarity and physical strength. This, in turn, allows us to manage our time more effectively. Let’s commit to taking care of ourselves by

  • scheduling routine medical appointments and exams,
  • eating healthy foods, and
  • exercising regularly.

Get organized. It’s hard to accomplish our homeschool goals in an efficient manner if we’re trying to work in a cluttered and disorganized space. Precious time is wasted when we have to search for teaching materials and supplies or if we have to clear away clutter in order to create work spaces. An organized homeschool space is necessary if we want to make the most of our time.

Limit distractions. Technology and people (even those we love) can gobble up precious time during the homeschool day. A twenty-five minute phone conversation, an hour long internet surfing session, and a twenty minute chat with a neighbor can swallow up nearly two hours of valuable teaching time each day! Limit distractions by telling callers you’ll contact them later or by letting the voicemail do its job. Knock out technological distractions by turning off phone notifications or by waiting to check up on social media accounts during the day’s down time.

Have children help out.  In addition to homeschool duties, we have household chores to complete. Dishes need to be washed, laundry needs to be done, floors must be swept, and meals must be prepared. We can lighten our loads by having our children take on some of the household responsibilities. When taught how to do so, children can wash dishes, fold laundry, sweep floors, and even cook.

Prioritize. Prioritizing can help us determine which subjects should be completed first and which subjects can wait until later. In our home, Bible study, math, and language arts are always our first educational priorities. If something pops up later and takes us away from schooling (an unexpected doctor’s appointment, a traffic jam on the way to or from lessons, etc), I don’t get upset because I know we’ve already completed the most important subjects. Think about what’s most important in your homeschool and make those activities and subjects the day’s top priorities.

Create a reasonable schedule. A schedule can help homeschool moms manage time as well. Follow a loose schedule (math in the morning, science in the afternoon) or a more structured schedule (math: 9:30-10:15, science: noon-1:00, etc). Determine what works for your family and work from that schedule. The goal is to have a schedule that helps create a productive, purposeful, and pleasant day.

Use a calendar. Whenever I try to keep track of things using my mental calendar, I always forget to do something. Forgetfulness results in wasted time because later on I have to back track and take care of the issues that slipped my mind. We can set our minds at ease by keeping track of appointments and activities using a calendar. Whether you use a digital calendar or an old fashioned pen and paper planner like me, commit to using something to help you keep track of times and dates.

Summer is the perfect time to think about time management techniques. While we’re relaxing on the beach or riding in the car during the family day trip, we can ponder ways to implement time saving tips throughout the school year. The time saving seeds we sow now will yield a harvest of blessings when the busy school year begins in just a few short months!

Filed Under: Organization

How To Plan Homeschool Unit Studies

July 6, 2015 Leave a Comment

 

Homeschool Unit StudiesMany Black homeschoolers are disappointed to discover that traditional curricula does not include much of the African-American experience. Parents want to teach their children more than the safaris of Africa and the struggles of slavery. They want to move past usual topics of study such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Underground Railroad.

Parents want to introduce their children to the rich history of African-Americans, highlight often forgotten stories like those of the Harlem Renaissance, and explore the contributions of African-American artists like Horace Pippin. However, finding a complete curriculum that touches upon all areas is impossible to find.

Because such curricula is hard to find, it is useful to know how to create personalized unit studies. Doing so is a fantastic way to help ensure that Black children learn about their history. In addition, personalized unit studies allow parents to present topics in a fun and meaningful manner, help parents save money that would normally be spent on additional curricula, and enable parents to create a unit study that meets their child’s unique needs and interests.

If the thought of creating a unit study seems intimidating, don’t worry. Homeschoolers have been creating homeschool unit studies for years and you can do it too. If you’re willing to plan and research, you can easily create several homeschool unit studies for your children. Let me show you how.

1. Select a topic of study. This is where the fun begins! Select a topic based upon your child’s interest or choose a topic you’d like your child to explore. You can align your unit study to match your current curriculum or branch out and teach your child something outside the curriculum.

2. Determine how much time you want to spend on the unit study. Consider how long you want the unit study to last. Will it be a short study completed in a week or will it be a longer study that lasts for a few weeks or even a month? Perhaps it is a study that will span an entire semester. The choice is yours. It all depends on how much you wish to cover and how deeply you want to delve into your topic.

3. Organize the unit study by using planning forms. Keep track of your resources and goals by writing things down on the unit study planning forms. Subscribe to African-American Homeschool Moms today and download your FREE six page Unit Study Planning Forms and add the following information:

  • Unit Study Topic and Overview: What topic will you be teaching?
  • Unit Study Time Frame: How long will you spend teaching the unit? A week? A month? A day? A semester?
  • Unit Study Objectives: What do you want your children to know by the time you finish teaching the unit?
  • Unit Study Subtopics: What additional topics fall under the unit’s main topic?  If you’re doing a unit study on the Harlem Renaissance, subtopics that may need to be taught might include The Great Migration,  jazz, and poetry.
  • Unit Study Subjects: What subjects will be incorporated within your unit study? Art? Mathematics? Language Arts?
  • Unit Study Field Trips: Are there outings you would like to schedule to enhance your study?
  • Unit Study Supplies: What supplies will you need to teach the unit? This includes crafting items as well as other items you’ll need to complete extension activities.
  • Book List: What books will you need to complete your study? Include books you’ll need to do for personal research as well as titles you want to share with your children.
  • Website List: Are there websites you’ll be using to gather information? Are there websites you want your child to visit?
  • Video List: What videos will you use throughout your unit? Include titles selected from your local library or titles found on Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu.
  • Unit Study Subjects: What will you address in each subject area?
  • Unit Study Assessments: Are you giving any quizzes/tests or assigning reports during the unit study?
  • Additional Notes: Is there anything else you’d like to include in your unit study? Add it in this section.

4. Gather your materials. Now is the time to go to the library to check or purchase books to add to your personal library. The materials you select should address the topic you are teaching.  These will be what you use to create the lessons for your study.

Here is a list of books Black homeschoolers might find useful as they plan their own unit studies.

  • 100 African Americans Who Shaped History
  • 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History
  • A Kid’s Guide To African American History
  • African American Firsts: Famous Little Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America
  • African American Inventors
  • America’s Black Founders: Revolutionary Heroes and Early Leaders
  • Book of Black Heroes From A to Z
  • Heroes in Black History: True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes

5. Plan out your lessons. Once your unit study is mapped out, you can begin jotting down subjects, activities, and events on the Monthly Planner. From there, you can plan weekly lessons using the Weekly Planner.

Are you ready to plan some awesome unit studies for the upcoming school year? If so, subscribe and download your FREE six page Unit Study Planning Packet.  

Homeschool Unit Studies

Name:
Email:

Filed Under: Organization

Homeschool Hack: Inexpensive Poster Holder

May 25, 2015 4 Comments

Inexpensive Poster HolderDon’t you just love it when you can find an inexpensive fix for one of your dilemmas? This recently happened to me and I’m excited to tell you all about it because this homeschool hack may help you too. But before I dish all the details, let me give you a bit of the backstory.

A few months ago, the lovely ladies in the African-American Homeschool Moms Facebook group were having a discussion about the educational resources they were finding in Dollar Tree. Now, I always knew I could buy crayons and paper there, but the moms were talking about other fun and colorful school goodies like books, glue, stickers, folders, scissors, dividers, and clipboards. I  guess I’d been living under a rock for quite some time, because I had no idea there were such goodies to be found there!

Dollar Tree Teacher Supplies
Then, one mom posted a picture of the educational posters she’d purchased at Dollar Tree and within a few minutes, many other moms were chiming in and talking about all the wonderful educational posters they’d purchased there as well. And that, dear sisters, is when my Dollar Tree poster addiction began!

From that moment on, each time I went into Dollar Tree (no matter what I’d come in for), I’d immediately head over to the educational aisle. I accumulated a couple dozen fabulous posters, but found I no longer had available wall space on which to mount them. I realized I’d need a poster holder, but the ones I found on Amazon were too costly for me. Some moms shared directions for creating poster holders using PVC pipes, but I wasn’t ready to use a hacksaw.

Then recently while searching a for a laundry basket at Walmart, I found the Mainstay Adjustable 2-Tier Garment Rack and knew it would be the perfect solution to my poster problem! Instead of hanging clothes, I could hang posters both horizontally AND vertically! My husband purchased it for only $14.88 and put it together in about five minutes (no tools required!).

Poster Rack

I punched two holes in the top of each poster and secured each hole with a ring clip. I then hung the wide posters from the top section of rack and hung the long posters from the bottom of the rack. It was an inexpensive and practical fix that solved my poster problem!

Wide Poster

Long Poster

Isn’t that just awesome? Now I have a way to store and use all of my educational posters. You know what that means? I’m heading off to Dollar Tree…again!

 

Filed Under: Organization

(VIDEO) How I Use Evernote In My Homeschool

February 17, 2015 10 Comments

Have you heard of Evernote? It’s a popular notetaking and organizational application many people are using to help better manage their time. At first glance, Evernote might seem like just another basic, ho-hum, run of the mill app, but it’s not. Evernote is an amazing tool homeschool moms can use to help their home schools run more smoothly.  In this video, I explain what Evernote is and describe how I’m using it to run my homeschool more efficiently.

If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to African-American Homeschool Moms using the subscription box in the sidebar to the right. A subscription will help ensure you don’t miss future posts and videos.

Filed Under: Organization

Subscribe Today!

Subscribe to African-American Homeschool Moms to receive updates AND a free 6-page Unit Study Planning Packet.

andrea.thorpe

Wife to 1, Homeschooling Mom of 3 Girls, Writer, Planner Addict, Lover of Jesus, sunshine, books, and hot chocolate ❤️

andrea.thorpe
I *thought* I’d be kind and help her make clay f I *thought* I’d be kind and help her make clay food for her Barbies. I *thought* she’d applaud my creative efforts. Not so. 😐 #homeschooling #homeschoollifestyle #blackhomeschool365 #kidscrafts #girlmom
Since we couldn’t get out and do much during the Since we couldn’t get out and do much during the pandemic, we picked up a few new skills while at home. Making chunky blankets was easy and fun, plus it was good my youngest: patterns, counting, and hand-eye coordination. Yes, I know it’s still summer, but winter IS coming. ❄️ #homeschooling #homeschoollifestyle #homeschoolmom #blackhomeschooling #chunkyblanket #diyblanket #handknitted
It’s August. Yesterday, we quietly eased into th It’s August. Yesterday, we quietly eased into the new school year. The girls aren’t taking on all subjects this week, but math is always at the top of our list. #homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoollife #homeschoolsuccess #homeschoolmath #blackhomeschooling
Why is my precious girl so eager to finish practic Why is my precious girl so eager to finish practicing piano? It *may* have something to do with wanting to go out and get free First Day of Spring water ice at Rita’s. #homeschooling #homeschool #homeschooler #pianopractice #musicalkids #practicemakesperfect
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
There has been a problem with your Instagram Feed.