When Mom Has a Minute (or Maybe More)

Picture this: It’s your busiest homeschool day of the week—the one that grabs your best hours and takes you on the road to your co-op or music or swimming lessons or errands. You remember those full days from the last homeschool year and know you’ll have more crazy busy days again next school year. Days when you’re running late again. Even though you’ve worked hard to instill good habits (as recommended by your hero Charlotte Mason), someone’s missing a uniform piece this morning or a practice card still needs to be tallied and signed, and nobody’s lunch is even packed. Come to think of it, there’s not much left in the house to pack a lunch with since it’s grocery day. Weren’t you going to make the grocery list last night? As you cram into the vehicle with all the kids and everything you need for the day, you notice your preschooler is missing a shoe, your elementary student clearly didn’t brush teeth (or hair), and your teen forgot to shave his whiskery face. You wonder how your friends who send their kids to school repeat mornings like this every single day. Is there a secret to the scramble? 

Enter The Homeschool Minute. It’s your weekly pause and the one email you count on to build you up for another week of good work. It arrives in your inbox faithfully every Wednesday morning to cheer you on. You take just a moment (because sometimes that’s all you have) and you drink in the words like a refill. Blessing. Timely advice for your present challenges. The homeschooling confidence you find is contagious. You carry on with your homeschool day. 

The Homeschool Minute is still blessing mamas every Wednesday morning, but now there’s good news for those who need that minute of blessing at other times or any time. The Homeschool Minute is now available on the TOS App. The app from The Old Schoolhouse® just got a big upgrade, which turned it into a hub for homeschooling. 

If you’ve got more than a minute, you can access over a decade of issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine right on the app. You can even search for homeschooling topics that are important to you and find years of articles on whatever you’re searching for. The TOS App is also a handy place to access SchoolhouseTeachers.com and the Homeschooling with Heart blog. And of course, new content from The Homeschool Minute is added weekly for that quick mid-week pep talk. You’re going to love the homeschool hub that is the TOS App! Check it out during the lazy days of summer, and keep it in hand for vital connections during the upcoming school year.

You’re going to love the inspiring content waiting for you in the new issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. You’ll get the “Hey, Mama” you look forward to from Gena Suarez, and Deborah Wuehler will lovingly point you in the right direction (upward). Gena and Deborah are joined by many, many other voices of homeschool parents and leaders like Dr. Brian Ray and Dianne Craft who lend their expertise. This issue is here just in time for a summer relaxation and recharge with tips from familiar homeschool moms like Jenny Underwood  and Kristen Heider who have been in your shoes and understand your homeschool days. It’s always encouraging to hear from homeschooled students too, so read what current homeschooler Natalie Shepherd and homeschool grad Abby Garland have to say.

Enjoy this sample of quotes from the Summer issue with links that lead you directly to the rest of these articles.

“This present culture screams an anti-God worldview and they start with the youngest ones. They may be loud, but God’s Word is louder still.” —Deborah Wuehler in “Summer Freedom!”

“When I wonder what empty nest days might be like, I pray it will be a reflection of priceless memories of days spent with my children and the projects that we completed in our home—much of it in our kitchen, because we prepare and eat most of our food at home.” —Shandee Childress from “Chefs in the Kitchen: Three Valuable Benefits of Including Your Kids!” Summer is an excellent time to start cooking with the kids so check out “Cook? Why?” and “How to Make Cooking Fun for Young Children” too.

“Many parents want to know when their child should begin playing musical instruments. I say if the child can recognize the first seven letters of the alphabet, he is ready to read music.” —Myles L. Feltenberger in “Is My Child Too Young to Start Music Lessons?” If music and art interest you, you might also like “How to Teach Your Child Guitar from Home” and “The Benefits of Hands-on Learning with Art Projects.”

“Because of the soft skills in communication that parents teach their children, homeschoolers are known to make the best employees!” —Given Hoffman in “Succeeding in Soft Skills and Communication.”

“Spending time away from home with family is fun, and also a great way to incorporate education. As a homeschooling family, you can go on adventures any time without being tied to a traditional school schedule.” —Julie Engelhardt in “Out and About: Making Your Family Vacation a Learning Experience.” For more fantastic field trip ideas, read “Gateway to the Past” and “Field Trips: A Wonderful Opportunity for Homeschooled Students.” 

“Part of raising our children is teaching responsibility so they will know how to behave as adults. . . . Don’t be surprised when they do something without you asking, or just do something to be kind to someone else.” —Ruth O’Neil in “5 Ways of Teaching Responsibility.” What an important topic! For even more on responsibility, see these Summer 2023 articles: “Teaching Responsibility to Children” and “3 Tips to Teaching Children Responsibility.” 

There are many more outstanding reads waiting for you from the Summer 2023 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. Read an inspiring story on autism. Learn ways to make math more fun next year. Summer is the perfect time to read up on teaching writing and history and other important topics to prep you for a new homeschool year.  Find new favorites in the Back-to-School Planning, Curriculum, Supplies Resource Guide and the Recommended Authors Resource Guide. So, Mom, whether you’ve got just a minute—or maybe more—the TOS App is here to fill it in a worthwhile way. It’s your homeschool hub.