Dear First Time Homeschooler (Part 1: Help for Those Who Have Taken the Plunge!)
Previously posted on May 13, 2016 at homescool.ph Dear First Time Homeschooler, So you finally made the decision to homeschool? Let me congratulate you and yes, jump for JOY with you in making one of the best decisions you will ever make in raising your children. My children and I salute you ( See the…
Dear First Time Homeschooler (Part 2: Mission & Vision): Let’s Do This!
Previously posted on June 10, 2016 at homescool.ph Dear First Time Homeschooler, I would like to apologize for the delay in getting this series running. Gauging from the traffic in the blog and the number of “shares” for that first piece on this series, I was a bit surprised at the overwhelming response. Pleasantly surprised…
Dear First Time Homeschooler (Determining Your Core Values!) Part 3 of a Series in Creating a Strong Foundation for your Homeschooling Family
Previously posted on July 1, 2016 at homescool.ph So this is part 3 of a series I began on creating a strong foundation for every homeschooler. If you are just checking in for the first time, please take time to review this and then this, too. As a review, this is our family’s Mission in homeschooling…
Creativity and Children: Two Peas in a Pod
April 12, 2016 One of the major areas I wanted to learn about when I began homeschooling 13 years ago was how to instill, develop and boost children’s creativity. I guess, it began with having children of my own and thinking of activities for them. For some reason, push button or battery-operated toys limited the…
S.C.H.E.D.U.L.E !
Previously posted on August 8, 2016 at homescool.ph Ok, let me admit that I have a TYPE A side who survives and thrives in routine, in step by step processes, and always going by a plan. I love to know how things come about and what causes what. That’s probably why I earned a degree in…
Note Taking for Homeschoolers
Previously posted on July 5, 2015 @ homescool.ph It is good to encourage young children to take notes even if they are homeschooled. Note taking via notebooks or journaling is good tool that has been proven to be essential in learning. It is so easy to take this simple task for granted. How can we…
Homeschool Portfolios : The Process and the Product
Previously posted on June 9, 2015 at homescool.ph A week or so ago, I had posted this photo on the Homeschoolers of the Philippines Facebook page. Little did I know that it would end up as my being “MOST LIKED” post ever since setting this Homeschool FB Group early last year. I had been summer cleaning lately,…
If God leads, He enables (Confessions from a HomesCooler of 13 years) !
Previously posted on June 18, 2015 at homescool.ph I truly believe “homeschooling” is a tried and tested form of alternative education. I have seen it as I’ve found myself immersed in many homeschooling communities in the past decade. I need not look far. My niece, homeschooled until grade school, recently completed her Interior Design course…
Priorities
Previously posted on June 22, 2015 @ homescool.ph God, husband, children? Children, husband, God? Husband, God, children? When homeschooling is added to the “mothering” role, the whole push and pull becomes even more complicated. As a homeschooling mother of young children, it is almost automatic to get this order all mixed up. One thing…
There She Goes! (Time to Let Go!)
These past two weeks came by really quickly. Last days of high school, last moving up day, last awards ceremony, first prom and by God’s grace, finally a face-to-face graduation for our 3rd child, our only daughter, Raya Isabel. (In 2020, our two sons had online graduation ceremonies from high school and middle school respectively…
When Life Gives You Lemons
Previously posted on September 22, 2015 @ Homescool.ph I was not in the best of moods as we began homeschooling today. With puffy eyes and a heavy heart, the kids started their Bible reading and Math drills. I was catching up with them as I started to map out the day’s agenda. Strangely, everything in…
Sharing Stories and Digging Deeper
Previously posted on September 30, 2015 @ Homescool.ph My earliest memory of “sharing” is about M & Ms. Yes, the all-time favorite chocolates! Nine cups and M & Ms. When my parents would come home with a bag of M & Ms., out came the nine cups from the cupboard, and the “assigned” dealer dropped one piece…
Beyond the Four Walls: How God Enlarged our Classroom
Previously posted on May 13, 2016 @Homescool.ph I remember praying many years ago (as I saw myself consumed with the task of homeschooling four young children) that God would use our homeschooling experience beyond the four walls of our homeschool classroom. Homeschooling several multilevel children requires a whole lot of commitment and sacrifice. I somehow had to clear up…
Tried and Tested Tips for All Homeschoolers!
Previously posted on July 6, 2016 @Homescool.ph I could actually come up with 30 or even more! But for this post, less is more and the simpler the better. So, after releasing 3 students to mainstream schooling and homeschooling 4 children in a span of 14 years, I will now be sharing the MUST HAVEs for…
Dear First Time Homeschooler, There Will Be Bad Days!
Previously posted on August 10, 2016 @Homescool.ph (This was originally written almost 6 years ago! My added notes are in parenthesis:) Homeschooling parallels life in general. Whatever happens at home, among relationships in the family, affect our homeschooling (Think of the newborn phase, moving homes, living away, caring for elderly parents, illness in family etc.). There are…
My Favorite Homeschooling Moments
Previously posted on August 19, 2016 @Homescool.ph From four homeschooled children, we are down to one. Let me show you our timeline: ***during the early years, The Bridge School, assisted me in allowing a 3-day program for the younger kids as I got our act together. So thankful to Bridge for taking care of our babies…
Effective Stress Busters for every Homeschooling Parent!
Previously posted on September 2, 2016 @Homescool.ph Let me share with you how I have somehow reduced unnecessary stress with some very simple tips. Stress is Life’s middle name. It is inevitable.One of the most important advice is to shut your phone off! If you have a landline, let your loved ones call you there for emergencies.…
Homeschooling and the Bigger Picture! Don’t Get Lost in the Daily Grind
Previously posted on September 8, 2016 @Homescool.ph We chanced upon our box of puzzles recently and have begun doing puzzles before we started our lessons this week. These puzzles must be so happy. Some have faded or lost a piece or two but truly seeing them all brought back happy memories of homeschooling our 4 children.When…
How to Spot a Homeschooler
Previously posted on May 31, 2015 @ Homescool.ph Homeschoolers will definitely stand out because we are alternative educators. Despite being around our country for more than several decades, Homeschooling is still a radical approach to educating children. After 15 years of Homeschooling, let me share with you how to spot a Homeschooler and yes please appreciate them.…
The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock: A Rainy Day Activity
Previously posted on July 11, 2015, at homescool.ph This is one Bible lesson which our children first learned through a song. The lyric of the song goes: The wise man built his house upon the Rock,The wise man built his house upon the Rock,The wise man built his house upon the Rock,And the rains came…
Homeschooling: “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).”
Previously posted on July 21, 2015, at homescool.phWe often read and hear this famous verse uttered by St. Paul in Philippians 4:13, ” I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me,” quoted by many homeschooling parents. Okay, we are all familiar with the “ALL things”. We just need to see our “must do”, “wish…
Being Released from a Decade of Homeschooling: A Teen Shares his Experience
Previously post on July 25, 2015 @ Homescool.ph In this category, Precious Partners, HomesCool.ph features entries/posts from our dear co-laborers in Homeschooling. They could be parents, teachers, students, pastors, doctors and experts in various fields of education and child rearing:) For our ever first entry in this category, a former homeschooler opens up! Read on and…
Donna P. Simpao, M.D. 