Growing In Grace

3 ADHD Organization Tips for Staying on Track

October 13, 2022Tracy

I like to see my people happy. I like to see them succeeding and doing well. But one of the constant pitfalls for anyone with ADHD is organization: managing all the things and balancing the demands for time. Anyone who knows someone with ADHD or has ADHD themselves recognizes that personal time management and organization is a constant nemesis. Organizing one’s day, keeping track of tasks, prioritizing those tasks, understanding and realizing the passing of time or how much time a task requires, then being flexible when this hard-won plan has to be changed— these can seem like insurmountable odds. It’s that Frontal Cortex, that executive functioning that goes offline whenever it wants, reeking so much havoc in the life of someone with ADHD.

We experience this on so many levels. From my kids, to myself, to my husband, we all have our individual battles with this. And I hate to see the struggle and frustration it causes. So my life is very organized and fairly well structured because our routines are our lifelines, our coping mechanisms. So here’s a glimpse into the big picture of how we regulate our various strands of ADHD. In future posts, I’ll break down the baby steps that help us with organizing our ADHD, but for now, here are the ADHD organization tips that keep us on course.

How to find your Homeschool Values

July 22, 2022Tracy

homeschool value | homeschool planning | homeschool objectives | homeschool curriculum

When we think of homeschool planning, most of us imagine stacks of curriculum in front of us, a planner of some style, colored pens or highlighters, and that intimidating blank page. Planning a year’s worth of learning for multiple kids in different grades is daunting, I don’t care how many years you’ve been doing it. But planning your homeschool doesn’t start with curriculum or even with the lesson plan. It doesn’t start by calculating days and weeks or blocking out vacations. The planning starts by identifying your homeschool values, those core principles or ideas that are most important to you.

A Simple Literature Approach to Homeschooling

June 1, 2021Tracy

literature approach | homeschooling | Beautiful Feet Books

I love using a literature-rich approach to homeschooling, filling our home and our days with beautiful books, rich stories, and deep conversations. But I also know that for many moms, the stack of books and the giant binder of lesson plans that come with many literature-rich curriculum options can feel really overwhelming. One of the things that caught my attention with Beautiful Feet Books is the beauty and simplicity it brings to a literature-rich homeschool. Its simple literature approach to homeschooling and beautiful teacher guides make Beautiful Feet Books a great open-and-go homeschool option.

Motivating your Writer with Digital Tools for Writing

February 2, 2021Tracy

bardsy homeschool | homeschool writing tools | digital tools for writing

Motivating my kids to write, even my child who loves writing, can be tricky. Although I have a background in writing and do quite a bit of writing professionally, encouraging my kids through the writing process just isn’t easy! Writing is a process. It’s hard work, even if you are creative. And it can be really discouraging, disillusioning, and confusing. Starting with a great idea is the easy part; seeing that idea through to a final draft of a story is not. If you have little background in writing or are overwhelmed with the process yourself, motivating your child-writer can be even more difficult. What I have appreciated most about Bardsy Homeschool are all of the digital tools for writing that it provides to both encourage and motivate your writer.

Homeschool Math Curriculum for independent learning

January 12, 2021Tracy

Teaching Textbooks update | homeschool math curriculum | dyslexia and ADHD math

One of the greatest challenges with homeschooling multiple children or homeschooling children with learning struggles is never having enough of you to go around. Everyone needs you, and some of your children simply can’t accomplish the work without you sitting right beside them checking each answer. This is especially true with a subject like math. Finding a homeschool math curriculum that allows your child to be independent, to learn without you, to be instructed and corrected and to receive some basic help with their math lesson, can make a huge difference in your homeschool day. Teaching Textbooks is a homeschool math program that equips your child to learn math independently, even if your child has a learning struggle.

Creating a Customized Homeschool Math for your unique child

September 1, 2020Tracy

$CTCMath Customized Homeschool Math$

When my child has trouble with language arts, there is a myriad of resources that help me customize my homeschool to fit that child’s various needs. I can get spelling on one level, reading on a different level, and writing on yet another level. But finding math resources that allow for that kind of flexibility is a challenge. What do I do if my child excels in multiplication and division but struggles with fractions and telling time? Do I hold that child back? Do we work at two separate grade levels? The ability to create a customized homeschool math program that fits my child’s unique needs is one of the top reasons I’ve loved CTCMath.

Homeschooling High School Science with Apologia Biology

August 24, 2020Tracy

For years, I’ve heard homeschoolers rave about Apologia. I’ve seen it show up at the top of many recommended science curriculum lists. And honestly, I probably look at samples online every year and wonder if this will be the year we jump on board with Apologia science. This year, for the first time, I will be homeschooling high school science, and I’m more than a little intimidated. So when I was given the opportunity to review Apologia Biology for high school, I was thrilled to take a closer look at their newest update.