Author: Heather Khodadadi

Five Core Subjects: Social Studies

October 4, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi / 0 Comments

“Geography has made us neighbors, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies.”

-John F. Kennedy

Social studies is an umbrella subject for history, geography, sociology, anthropology, economics, civics, and government. It covers a lot. In Georgia, we are required to teach it alongside with four other subjects. However, how we teach it is completely up to us.

If you have been following me, you know that I DIY my curriculum. This allows me to customize it to our needs, abilities, and interests. My goal is to expose my children to as much as I can in a way that I foster their love for learning. I try to balance exposure, interest based learning, and the “must know” content.

Below is a very, VERY generalized overview on how I plan out our social studies. I wanted to give you a peep at how curriculum can look outside of a box curriculum.

I consider myself an almost unschooler. Learn about unschooling.

Social Studies in Early Elementary (K-2)

For early elementary, I focus more on community helpers. Some of the community helpers we have discussed are:

firefighters
police
doctors
teachers
letter carriers
emts
librarians
veterinarians
etc

I try to schedule field trips to different locations so my children can meet these people and learn about what they do. The firefighters and police officers are very important because you do not want the first time your child to meet them is during an emergency. The fire station visits are one of my favorites. The firefighters usually slowly put on their uniform so kids can see them transform from a regular person to a firefighter. They also give a lot of great information!

Another focus for this age is very basic geography. I love doing a “Me on the Map” activity. This activity could easily be done yearly. It focuses on learning the basics of where you are in your home, where your home is on the street, what city your street is in, what state your city is in, your country, and your world.

I also enjoy doing a lot of literature based history for elementary ages. The Magic Tree House series is my go-to for K-2! Historical fiction is a great way to introduce history to children. You could pair the books with unit studies if you wanted to go a little deeper into the subject matter. There are also so many beautiful historical fiction picture books!

Social Studies in Upper Elementary (3-5/6)

boy scouts looking at a map together — Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

For upper elementary, I like to start really digging into the many wonderful historical fiction books that we have. I feel like historical fiction or fiction with historical elements is what is really needed in elementary school. Here are some of my absolute favorites for this age:

I Survive series (boy protagonist)
Girl Survive series (girl protagonist)
Number The Stars- World War II
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963- Segregation
The Little House series
The Secret Garden
One and Only Ivan
Merlin Missions- The Magic Tree House sequel series
Who Was/Is, Where Is, What Was/Is, etc series

You can also check out other books here.

In addition to these books, we watch movies with historical elements. These are not necessarily “based on true stories”- rather, they are meant to give my kids more of the time period. Some of our favorites are:

The Sound of Music *Based on a true story
Singing in the Rain
Night at the Museum
The Greatest Showman *Based on a real person
Heidi
The Little Princess
The Secret Garden
Polyanna
Old Disney movies with real people
Mulan
Prince of Egypt

Check out my Just Write collection on Amazon!

With all the books and movies, we discuss things such as the time period, what outside events were going, where they lived, etc. Having discussions and exposing them to these various places and time periods allows them to get a good grasp on the history and geography before diving deep into the subject matter with dates, wars, people, etc. Pairing that with some gentle geography such as learning the continents, some countries, oceans, etc rounds everything out nicely.

Social Studies in Middle School (6/7-8)

For middle school, I add another layer on. I assign my children a monthly research project which is interest based but must be something that is historical, about a place, or about a person/group of people. Allowing them to research what they want gives them the opportunity to learn more about something that they find interesting.

This research project is added on top of reading and movies.

With the suggestions below, you need to do your research prior as it may be some things you may not deem appropriate yet. I also add in dystopian novels into the mix:

The Outsiders
Where the Red Fern Grows
Out of the Dust
Nathan Hale Graphic Novels
Hunger Games Trilogy
The Giver
The Maze Runner Series

Why dystopian novels? They give you a glimpse into what can happen with government overreach and what a totalitarian society looks like. These are good things to keep in mind when you dive into learning more about our government, the branches of government, checks and balances, and elections.

Here are some movies that we have enjoyed that either have historical elements or are dystopian. Once again- Make sure you check into these to see if they are the right fit for your child and your family.

War Horse
Gods and Generals
Gettysburg
The Mummy series
Little Women
Titanic
Pearl Harbor
Pride and Prejudice- BBC version
Hidden Figures- Segregation
Book Thief- World War II
The Hunger Games movies
The Divergent series** I have let my kids watch the movies but they aren’t allowed to read the books yet due to some adult feelings from the main character.
The Giver
Where the Red Fern Grows

In addition to these movies, books, and research projects- I try to do interest based unit studies. For example, my children really enjoyed The Mummy movies. I decided that it was time for us to learn about Ancient Egypt.

Also, I feel like this is a great age range to learning more about the geography our country, the regions, the states, the capitals, the land features, etc. While this can definitely be taught in the upper elementary age range, I feel like the attention that is required to learn these things come more naturally in the middle school range. Remember- I said we did gentle introductions to these concepts in upper elementary. This would be more like “You need to learn this, and there will be a test.”

This is where I am getting some of my US Geography worksheets for FREE.

Social Studies in High School (9-12)

teenage boy and girl reading books on the floor — Photo by https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels.com

I am currently preparing to start high school with my oldest next year (2027). My plan for high school is to adhere to what requirements are needed for community college admittance or trade-school. I want to ensure that my children are ready for whatever they need to support them and their post-school plans.

This is where we will hunker down and really learn and be tested on our history, geography, government, etc. My goal is that our whole education journey will have prepared us for this. When we go to learn about George Washington and the Revolutionary War we will have already have some background knowledge because we read about it in The Magic Tree House series. When we learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr., we can draw off the book about The Watons Go to Birmingham- 1963 and envision how people felt at that time.

On top of the necessary coursework that my children will have to do to satisfy requirements for their post-graduation plans, we will continue on with the books and movies. The only book series that I plan to have them read during high school will be the Divergent series. I’m sure their high school coursework will have more than enough to read.

I do plan to continue on with the movies. Here are some I am planning to show my children once I feel like they are mature enough to handle it:

The Help
Les’ Miserables
Band of Brothers
The King’s Speech
Lincoln
Hairspray

Other things to consider…

Map reading: anytime we go anywhere new (park, museum, zoo, city, etc) I have my kids read the map and try to figure out where we are and where we need to go. This makes map reading a real skill. My older kids help me with the GPS sometimes because you cannot always trust it.

Family style learning: most homeschool families are teaching multiple kids. I have four. I try to group my kids as much as possible. When it comes to assigned books or movies and I am grouping my kids, I always gear it towards the younger child. However, there are times that we will watch or read something just with my oldest because it may not be appropriate for my other children and he is wanting to watch it.

When it comes to unit studies, I try to include everyone… even the youngest. I just differentiate the work. Circling back to that Ancient Egypt unit study, my youngest was 5 and she colored some Egyptian pictures and worked with hieroglyphics.

Learn more about Family Style Learning.

Field trips and exploration: We try to visit as many historical places or events as we can. One of our favorites is a local Civil War reenactment. Museums are a great way to learn about our history. Check with your local state park department. There are probably a lot of local history right in your backyard!

Podcasts and documentaries: These are a another fantastic way to learn more about history! We are just now starting to dive into documentaries because I like focusing moreso on historical fiction when the kids are younger. However, we do enjoy listening to the Who, When, Wow! podcast occasionally. I’ll be honest- I like the older episodes.

Final Thoughts…

Social studies is such a massive amount of information to learn. My ultimate goal is to raise children who are critical thinkers who love to learn. I do not want them to think that learning stops once they graduate high school.

I take a gentle approach to social studies because I do not believe in teaching to the test. I feel like if I give my children a lot of exposure to all the components that make up social studies, then I am setting them up for success for high school and beyond. We are questioning what happened and looking at different points of view. Remember- there are always 2 sides to a story and the truth lies in the middle.

There are so many amazing books and movies! What am I missing off my list? What should I add? Let me know below.

What Is Copywork?

September 27, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”

-William Faulkner

My journey with teaching writing has been hard. I have a child who hated to write which has made things very challenging. I couldn’t comprehend why it was so hard. I mean I was teaching writing lesson to elementary school children way before I had kids- so why was this difficult?

The more that my child pushed back, the more I started to realize why teaching my child to write was so difficult. It is because there are so many components to writing. As adults, we don’t seem to consider everything it takes to write a sentence or two. It should be easy…. but it’s not.

Components to writing

Content- you need to know what you are going to write
Grammar/Mechanics- you need to remember to put spaces between your words, capitalize some works, punctuation, apostrophes for contractions, commas, quotations, etc.
Spelling- you need to know how to spell words properly or how to sound words out. If you do not know all of your sounds, spelling words phonetically will be challenging.
Penmanship- you need to know how to form your letters properly so it can be read.

That is a lot for little brains. The quote I used up above is obviously aimed towards people who are above elementary school. However, what if we looked at it from an elementary school standpoint- you must know how to read before you can write. This helps with the spelling aspect of writing. You must know how to decode before you can encode.

In addition, focusing on reading allows you to showcase amazing literature. This will help model great content which also will help with your child learning to write.

We still have penmanship and mechanics/grammar. This as well as everything I stated above is why I LOVE copywork!

girl with a flower on her hair doing her homework — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

What is copywork?

Copywork is literally copying down something. What your child copies can vary greatly which is why it is such an amazing tool for homeschooling!

A word, sentence, or passage from a novel you are reading
A funny/seasonal poem
Fun/interesting/gross facts
A dictation- perhaps a response to a book you are reading or maybe a sentence or two about a field trip you took
A quote

Copywork can literally be ANYTHING!

Why include copywork?

Here are the benefits I see from copywork:

It allows children to focus on their penmanship. If you remove all the other aspects of writing that I discussed above, the only thing they have to do is ensure their writing is legible.
It exposes children to proper grammar and mechanics.
Using copywork introduces children to new vocabulary and is a great way to practice spelling.
When you pair copywork with quality literature, you are modeling stellar writing which will help children learn how to create quality content for their writing pieces.

young boy studying late night at desk — Photo by Suki Lee on Pexels.com

How to implement copywork?

To do copywork properly, you will need the following:

proper paper that is developmentally appropriate
pencil- you need an eraser
either a printout of what you want them to copy or have it written on a white board/chalk board/separate sheet of paper

Proper paper– If your child is struggling with penmanship, you MUST use primary paper. You can find this as loose leaf paper, a notebook, or a journal. Primary paper typically has a median dashed line and spaces between the lines.

If your child is practicing cursive, I would also suggest some sort of primary paper.

Check out my Just Write Journals for primary paper for every level!

Pencil– If your child is younger, you may want to use a thicker pencil. If your child is struggling with proper pencil grip, you may want to use a shorter pencil. Both of these suggestions help with children who are still working on strengthening their hand muscles.

Copywork piece– Once again, this can literally be anything. For shorter pieces, I tend to write it out on a white board or sticky note. For longer poems or passages that may take several days- I print it out for my children.

Now that you have all three materials needed for copywork, what should you do?

You simply tell your child to copy it down properly. When they are done, I usually pick out one or two things to correct. Depending on the age/ability, I may trace over the “g” that is not sitting on the bottom line correctly, have them erase the incorrect letter, and trace my letter correctly.

I DO NOT pick out every single little thing that is wrong…. That would be incredibly overwhelming for the child. However, I will pick out the letter (maybe two) that is written incorrectly the most or maybe the missing punctuation and have the child correct those.

The next day, I will remind the child that they really need to remember to put their “g’s” correctly. If they get them all correct, I praise and move on to the next letter that needs to be rewritten.

How often should I do copywork?

You can do copywork as often as you like! For my older kids, we do it daily. For my younger kids, we do it 2-3 times a week. To me, it depends on the balance you want for copywork and other writing pieces and the endurance your child has for writing.

What if my child’s handwriting needs a lot of work?

I would strongly suggest that you work on fine-motor skills to help build those little muscles in the hand. Things like:

beads
playdough
clay
stamps
stickers
tongs
tweezers
picking up beans/small pompoms
anything small that requires your child to use their fingers

If you are really concerned, you may want to talk to your doctor.

These books would be perfect for copywork!

Just Write: A Journal For Children is my first Just Write series. The inspiration from these books came from my personal children. I needed something engaging, met each of my children where they were, and looked similar since we do family style learning. That is how this concept was born.

Want to know more about the series? Check them out.

How to Start Homeschooling

June 19, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

Zig Ziglar

I don’t know about you, but I always intended to send my children to public school. It is how society is, right? You and your spouse decide to have children. After the baby is born, you are supposed to find a great daycare for your baby so both parents can work. Once the child is school age, the child should should be enrolled in your local school system. That is just what you are supposed to do. Homeschooling was never on my radar until I had my first child.

Read about my homeschool journey.

Once I decided to homeschool, I read a book or two about homeschooling but felt confident that I could manage it. I was a former public school teacher. I had a college degree and experience. Homeschooling couldn’t be THAT hard, right? Well, I found out fast that homeschooling is completely different that public school. I also discovered that my experience didn’t really help me a lot when it came to homeschooling and a lot that I learned in college wasn’t how I wanted to teach my children. So basically, I had to start from the beginning.

How To Start

First thing is first, you need to know if you need to notify the government that you are going to homeschool and how to do so. You also need to know what are the requirements of your state. The best way to find out this information is to look at your state’s board of education site. However, another great site that shows all the requirements across the US is the H SLDA website. While the HSLDA is a great site, make sure to double check the information provided there to ensure it is current.

white ceramic teacup beside laptop — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Once you understand your requirements, it will be time to choose how you want to homeschool. This can be incredibly overwhelming. My best solution is to envision the perfect school for you, your child, and your family.

Do you see you and your child(ren) sitting at a table with books?
Does your child require a lot of movement?
Would learning on computers be best?
Do you see yourself outside a lot?
Do you see yourself traveling?
Does the concept of a group learning enviroment appeal to you?
Would your child benefit from hands on learning?
Do you want to emphasize life skills?

This would be a great time to deschool!

Only after you have considered these things among many many others can you start to plan your homeschool. The planning stage must come before curriculum choice!

hand holding a pen and writing notes on paper — Photo by www.kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

After you have your dream school planned out, you need to decide if you are a schedule family, do better with a rhythm, or enjoying winging it. Homeschooling does not have to be as rigid as public school. It doesn’t have to start at 8 am every day and end at 3 pm. You do not have to allot a certain amount of time to each subject and have to switch once that time is up. You do not need to teach every single subject every single day. All you HAVE to do is to ensure you are sticking to your state’s requirements.

While you are considering your schedule or rhythm, keep in mind that lessons do not have to have a worksheet to prove learning. It doesn’t have to come from a workbook or a test. Learning opportunities can come from baking a cake, growing a garden, folding clothes, taking a nature walk, reading a book on a blanket under the trees….. Keep those in mind as you are considering how you want to build your schedule.

Things to consider when building a schedule/routine:

When do the kids get up?
Do the kids do better in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
Do the kids have extracurricular activities?
Do the kids do better after movement?
Is it better to do all of your lessons at one time?
Should you do all subjects every day or do them on different days?
Will you follow the local public school calendar?
Will you do school year-round?

Once you have considered these things among others, you can start to build your schedule or routine. Keep in mind that when kids get restless that it may be a good time to take a break.

person writing on paper calendar — Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Now that you have envisioned you have done your research and envisioned your perfect homeschool and routine, you should try to connect with other homeschool families. While nation or world-wide Facebook groups may be good for curriculum suggestions and what not, a local group would be ideal. Finding a state-wide group will help you with support of how to navigate the local guidelines as well as keep you informed of local events. Finding a local in-person group will provide community and friendships.

You can meet other homeschoolers by joining a local social group which can often be found on Facebook. Typically, you can find these by asking in local state-wide homeschool groups. Asking in a world-wide group who homeschools near Brownville, NE will probably be fruitless. However, if you join a Nebraska group- the chances of your finding homeschoolers near Brownville would increase drastically.

You can also meet other homeschoolers by joining a co-op. These tend to be groups that meet up and do learning activities together. They can be nature based or more typical school based. Co-ops usually have a fee associated with it.

Another way to find homeschoolers would be to check out your local library and ask the librarians. There may be groups that meet up there or they may know of a homeschool family and be able to ask them about local information.

children playing soccer on green grass field — Photo by zaid isaac on Pexels.com

Finally, it is time to research and pick a curriculum. You need to base your curriculum choices off your child’s needs, interests, and abilities. You also need to make sure it is something you can follow through with. Curriculum can be a huge investment. Try to make sure that it is something you really want. At the same time- know that you do not have to purchase a curriculum unless your state requires it. You can also piece your curriculum together!

For more information on curriculums, check out Cathy Duff Reviews! Her website is a wealth of knowledge.

rear view of sitting mother with daughter and son — Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

Interested in more information about homeschooling?

Five Core Subjects: Social Studies
“Geography has made us neighbors, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies.” -John F. Kennedy Social studies is… Read more: Five Core Subjects: Social Studies
What Is Copywork?
“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and… Read more: What Is Copywork?
How to Start Homeschooling
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” Zig Ziglar I don’t know about you, but I always intended… Read more: How to Start Homeschooling
Deschooling…. What Is It?
So many people are eager to begin homeschooling. They feel as if they need to start as soon as their child is pulled from either public or… Read more: Deschooling…. What Is It?
What is Family Style Learning?
“How do you homeschool multiple kids?” This honestly is one of very few things that has benefited me as a former public school teacher. I was ready… Read more: What is Family Style Learning?

Are you new to homeschooling? Check out my new children’s book!

This book is perfect to kick off your school year no matter when you start!

The Night Before Homeschool Merch now available!!

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The Night Before Homeschool

June 11, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

“It was the night before homeschool, and all through the house,

not a person was sleeping.

Our home was full of music, laughter, and shouts.”

About the book

The Night Before Homeschool is a picture book that follows a family through both the night before and the first day of school for this homeschooling family. This book features a family of six. The mother plans a back-to-school day to remember that is bursting with learning opportunities for the four children.

This book highlights real learning opportunities, real relationships, real personalities, and real families.

This book emphasizes that learning can take place at a table and away from it. It also features family style learning where all of the children are included in the school day.

If you are looking for a book where the children constantly have a smile on their faces and they are walking around like robots, this book isn’t for you. The illustrations feature real relationships among siblings… The kids may bicker, but at the end of the day they are family and love each other.

This book is full of children who have unique personalities and feel comfortable enough to show them. The boy tends to be the class-clown and instigator but never disrespectful. The oldest daughter has every thing envisioned in her head and gets frustrated when things do not go her way. The middle daughter is adventurous and always ready to go. The youngest daughter is just a tot and learning where she fits in.

Most homeschool families would agree that the time spent as a family is one of the best reasons to homeschool! These children not only do schoolwork together, they are experiencing life together!

I want this book!

Inspiration for the book

I wrote this book back in 2021. I had four young children who loved reading. I always tried to make our back-to-school week super fun but found the amount of books that featured homeschooling lacking. I wanted a story that was relatable to not only my family but others as well. I pride myself on being a real mother with a real family and I wanted that same message to come across in my book. I didn’t want to set up unrealistic expectations. I think there are enough of those going around.

It took me 5 years to get the time to illustrate this story. I have dabbled in drawing in the past but nothing of this magnitude. My daughter purchased some alcohol markers. She let me play with them a little bit. After a while, my husband and children encouraged me to illustrate this book. I am so blessed to have their support.

Activities for the book

I love extending books by adding activities to go along with them! I have a post that includes free printables, recipes, and experiements to go along with this book. Everything that the mom does with the kids… I have it just for you.

The Night Before Homeschool Activities

Reviews for The Night Before Homeschool

Check out all of the reviews

Have you read this book? Feel free to leave a review below.

2 responses to “The Night Before Homeschool”

Dallas

June 12, 2026

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is absolutely adorable and would be the PERFECT book to buy to read the day before school starts next year. The illustrations are so cute and it gives a fun look into a homeschool day.
1. The Lifeschooler
  
  June 13, 2026
  
  I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for taking time to share your thoughts.

Book Inspired Activities: The Night Before Homeschool

June 5, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

“It was the night before homeschool, and all through the house,

not a person was sleeping.

Our home was full of music, laughter, and shouts.”

The Night Before Homeschool was written by me. In the book, the mom plans a first day of school the kids would thoroughly enjoy. In reality, it is probably a little too much. The amount of fun activities she plans would probably be better suited to do for a back to school week! Here is a deeper dive into some of the activities she did in the book and how you can do them at home!

Mom’s World Famous Chocolate Chip Pancakes

The mom kicks off their school day with a special breakfast consisting of chocolate chip pancakes. I personally do something a little different since chocolate chip pancakes are our birthday breakfast tradition. However, I feel that chocolate chip pancakes are special, and the first day of school deserves a special breakfast.

delicious chocolate chip pancake breakfast

Looking to make some chocolate chip pancakes? Check out The Pioneer Woman’s recipe.

Thinking Caps Printable

In the book, the mom tells the children to put on their thinking caps. This is something that I used both in the classroom and with my own children. I thought it could be fun for kids to illustrate what their imaginary thinking cap looks like.

This pack includes two pages: one that has clip-art and one that is just plain.

Thinking Cap Illustration Pack Download

Vanilla Cupcakes

I added The Mom 100 cookbook to my collection years ago. I use this book primarily for my birthday cake bases. In the book, the mom and kids make vanilla cupcakes to decorate and have with their tea while the mom reads aloud. The recipe itself is for a cake. All you have to do is simply make the batter and spoon it into a cupcake pan instead of a cake pan. You can grab that recipe here.

cupcakes on black tray — Photo by Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels.com

Art

In the book, the kids replicate a famous art piece. The piece they created was something out of my imagination. I haven’t really done any step-by-step painting activities with my kids yet. When we do paint, I just let my children do what they want. However, we do have a favorite art channel on YouTube.

If you haven’t checked out Art for Kids Hub on YouTube, you need to. The father works with his kids on creating drawings step by step. He has videos for preschoolers up through teens and keeps it age appropriate and interesting. This channel has been a hit with our children.

Books and Tea Time

This is one of my kids absolute favorite past times! Sitting around, sipping on hot tea, eating a treat, and listening to me read a book… there is just something so peaceful about it. I usually kick off our school year with a book. Here is a list of some of our favorite books from over the years:

The Boxcar Children
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Secret Garden
The Magic Treehouse Series
The Little House Series
The Trumpet Swan
Stuart Little
The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Soda Fountain

When I was in college, I had to take a “Teaching Science” course. The professor made science so much more fun than I ever remember it being in school. We did nothing but experiments. He introduced me to so many cool concepts that I had never done before. One of those was the erupting soda.

Basically, you drop Mentos into a bottle of soda and a reaction occurs. It is not a chemical one like vinegar and baking soda. It has something to do with the surface tension of the soda and how the shell of the Mentos changes the surface tension. You can learn how to do this experiment and the science behind it here.

Butter Churning

I had never in my life made butter until that science professor in college. It was the coolest thing ever! It definitely will give you a workout, but the reward at the end is so tasty!
This is a somewhat easy activity… just time and energy consuming. The only thing you need is some sort of bowl or jar with a lid. I strongly urge you to use something that screws on and not a lid that just pops on…. that could be messy. Fill the bowl or jar about 2/3 of the way full with heavy cream, close, and shake. Put on some music to make it more fun!

I don’t think you need one for everyone because honestly, the kids will get tuckered out from shaking the cream. In the beginning, you will hear a lot of sloshing. Once you no longer hear sloshing, you will know you have whipped cream. I have always let my kids taste it at this point. After tasting, close it back on and continue shaking. Your butter will be done when you hear sloshing again and thudding. That sound indicates you have officially made butter.

Back-to-school List

At the end of the book, the children are so excited about their new school year that they sit down to write a list of all the things they want to learn about and do. This is a great way to get insight from your children and allow them to help build your school year.

While a piece of paper will do, I have created a printable pack that has 3 levels to ensure all the children can contribute to planning out your homeschool.

Back-to-school List Download

Are you new to homeschooling?

If so, check out my post about deschooling.

Deschooling…. What Is It?

May 25, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

So many people are eager to begin homeschooling. They feel as if they need to start as soon as their child is pulled from either public or private school. The problem is that if you do that, you will miss a crucial phase: Deschooling.

Deschooling is a time to refresh, reflect, and rediscover how education can look.

Public and private schools are institutionalized. There are certain expectations and culture that goes along with institutionalized schools. Homeschool should NOT look like public or private school. This is why deschooling is a recommended step when diving into homeschooling especially when leaving public or private schools.

There is probably a pretty good reason why you chose to pull your child(ren) from school. Sometimes that reason is that the child isn’t being successful in school. Perhaps they are “behind” and struggling to keep up with their peers. If that is the case, your child more than likely doesn’t enjoy school. Imagine being in a physics class and not understanding what is being taught. You’d probably not feel too good about yourself and wouldn’t want to continue to pursue physics.

Deschooling allows the time to for you and your child to refresh your minds. It gives you an opportunity to rediscover the love of learning. Humans are curious by nature. Sometimes the flame of curiosity is extinguished due so many factors. It is our job as parents to nurture the embers to get that fire going again.

What does deschooling look like?

Deschooling looks different to every family. What it should NOT look like is school. There should be no workbooks or worksheets. There should not be any mandatory reading or math drills. Just because it doesn’t look like school does not mean that learning isn’t happening. Not only is this a time to refresh, it is a time to re-imagine what learning can look like.

Deschooling looks similar to a summer break. There’s no real school work going on yet there is plenty to do.

Go on hikes. Really observe your surroundings from trees to the tiny mushrooms.
Bake a new recipe
Do a puzzle together
Take up a new hobby such as knitting or woodworking
Build a model car or airplane
Play board games
Listen to an audio-book or check out a new podcast
Go to the library and check out their events
Paint something
Rearrange the house
Have daily quiet time
Watch a movie or documentary
Check out a local museum
Go on a trip

While almost everything above may not seem like “school”, I guarantee you that learning is going on. School doesn’t have to be worksheets and reports. This time isn’t wasted… I promise.

How long should I deschool?

There is no actual length that you need to deschool. I personally think it all depends on you, your child(ren), and your situation. There is a guideline to deschool for a month for every year your child was in school. I feel like you will go into it and just kind of feel when you are ready to start your curriculum. Eventually, you and your child(ren) will feel refreshed. You will feel like you are ready to learn again. That flame of curiosity has started and as their teacher, we need to nurture it so it can grow into a fire.

Is deschooling only for those left a school?

No. My children have never been in public school. However, I have. Not only did I go through the public school system, I was a public school teacher. When my first born started kindergarten, I found myself duplicating public school at home.

We did all the worksheets and workload just like in public school. I found myself making him take his unfinished work to the park and finish it on a clipboard on a bench while his 3 year old sister played. After a month of this, my mama heart didn’t feel right. I also felt exhausted and overwhelmed while my child who loved learning before no longer enjoyed it.

I didn’t know at the time that there was a thing called “deschooling”. I decided to just stop what I was doing and focus more on play, life skills, read alouds, and experiences. I continued to do that until I felt like I had figured out what I wanted to do. Life and school went by much more smoothly.

Do you only deschool once?

You may only deschool once, but it can occur more than once. Say your child is starting to push back and fighting while you are doing school work. It might be time to reevaluate what you are doing. Perhaps the curriculum isn’t fitting your needs anymore or maybe your schedule has become too much or not enough. You can deschool anytime!

Homework for YOU while deschooling…

Take this time to really think about what kind of school you want and what kind of school your child needs. Get to know your child on a different level. Learn his or her interests, strengths, and weaknesses. Learn what subjects he or she likes and which ones are hated (and why!).

Notice the rhythm to your day and when your child(ren) are most attentive. This will help you build your routine when you do start doing school work. Some children do better waking up at 9 and doing school after lunch while others are up at 7 am and perform better doing all their school work before lunch.

Research curriculums AFTER you have gotten to know your child better and decided on what kind of school will work best for your family. This will save you a lot of money in the long run. Join some homeschool groups on Facebook or a local group and ask the parents what they use. This will be super helpful. In addition, you can read more about homeschool curriculums on Cathy Duff’s Reviews. Make sure whatever you do decide to do aligns with your state requirements.

Check out my series of Just Write Books!

Every purchase supports my family and allows me to continue to help homeschool families.

I’d love to know your thoughts on deschooling and any questions you may have!

Leave me a comment below or email me at thelifeschooler@gmail.com.

What is Family Style Learning?

May 25, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

“How do you homeschool multiple kids?”

This honestly is one of very few things that has benefited me as a former public school teacher. I was ready and equipped to handle teaching children at different levels.

Family style learning is when you learn together as a family. Usually, school work looks similar yet is differentiated.

It can be super challenging to teach multiple children at the same time. I have four children and have learned that this approach is best for my family. I started implementing family style learning when my oldest two children were 2 and 4.

Back when I had younger children, we would start off our school time with something that resembled “circle time” that I would do in public school. We would sing songs and do our calendar. This would be followed by some sort of read aloud, themed “school work” that I would print off, and crafts. The rest of the time we would play which would consist of fine motor activities, gross motor activities, puzzles, games, crafts, etc.

As my children got older and a third child was added to our family, we changed things up. That is what is beautiful about homeschooling as it can ebb and flow with your seasons of life. We started doing more structured work. My circle time morphed into what we called “white board time”. I probably should have called it something better and cuter like “morning meeting” but c’est la vie.

During this time, we would still do our calendar, but I had two calendars! I liked adding in educational elements to our calendar. Since my older two were almost on the same level, I just needed two different ones. Similar activities yet differentiated. Everyone (ages 2, 5, and 7 at the time) had their own white board. My older two would copy work down from the board while my 2 year old would draw on her white board or match the letters that I had written down. I did what I needed to do to include her and give her things that were age appropriate. We would follow the similar pattern that I had started in the beginning…. books, work, and craft yet now I added in a formal lesson and reading chapter books aloud. My 2 year old was always encouraged to join in with us. Any activity we did, I always tried to have something similar to allow her to be included. When I read longer books aloud, I always ensured everyone had a quiet activity such as coloring, puzzles, or blocks to help keep everyone engaged.

As my children grew (and we added yet another to the mix), our school days changed. I always started off our school day with us together at a table. It still looked similar as what I had done in the past but a little different and more. As the older children needed me more for more structured lessons, I encouraged my younger two to go play, listen to an audio book, or set them up with an activity. Then, I’d pull my younger two to be with me while the older children did independent work. I would still do activities throughout the day to keep bringing us back together whether it was a game, a read aloud, a craft, or activity.

Now, I have 4 children that are all at different levels which can be challenging. I still implement family style learning because it is important to me. Earlier in this school year, we did a study on Ancient Egypt. I really wanted to do this with my older two children (11 and 13) for history yet wanted to include my younger two children (5 and 8). We learned about it together and I gave my older three age appropriate report assignments. My older two were assigned to research and learn about an important person while my 8 year old learned about the pyramids with me. As I was helping them gather resources for their presentation, I printed off extra for my 5 year old. As the kids gave their presentation one night, my 5 year old insisted on telling us about her report too and what she learned.

This to me is what makes homeschooling so great. It allows family to be, learn, and grow together. Is it easy doing school with multiple kids? Well…. it has its challenges, but it is my opinion that it is a lot easier than trying to teach each child a separate curriculum.

Teaching children together and then differentiating their work resembles a lot of what I would do in the public school classroom. Since there is absolutely no classroom where every child is on the exact level, we would present a lesson to the whole class and then pull small groups to work with kids that were on similar levels. During small group instruction, the rest of the students are busy doing other types of independent work. Family style learning is similar to that model except you do not have 25 eight year olds… you have 2-6 children who are all different ages and abilities.

How to Implement Family Style Learning

Start your school day off all together. This can be something as simple as:
- reading a book together
- journaling
- a morning basket
- circle time
- morning meeting
Look into unit studies to allow your children to learn about something together and then differentiate the work.
Find ways to include your younger children. Do this by having coloring sheets, play dough, dot paint, etc close by. If you include them, keep in mind that you will probably need to change the activity about every 5-10 minutes (if not sooner) to keep them engaged.
Consider breaking your children into smaller groups and having some independent work ready for whoever you aren’t working with. This doesn’t have to be actual work as in worksheets. It can be puzzles, blocks, coloring or drawing, games, a craft etc. Have a few options available so they can work independently.
Find ways to pull your family back together. You can do this by
- a family game (have younger children pair up with you or an older child)
- reading a book aloud and having tea or a snack
- go for a walk
- play together outside
- bake something
- do a craft

Things to Consider When Homeschooling Multiple Children

I pride myself in trying to keep things real. I’m not a perfect mom, wife, or homeschool teacher. With that said, I want you to know that it can be difficult to teach multiple homeschool children. However, I strongly feel that the family style approach is the easiest. Here are some things that I have noticed:

Doing homeschooling with a newborn, infant, or young toddler is HARD even with the family style approach. If you are going through any of these seasons, just know that it is hard and try to keep it simple and stick to the basics. Naptimes are golden for homeschooling older children when you have babies or toddlers.
There will be seasons where homeschooling is easier and times that it is harder. Remember that homeschooling is flexible and can look different during different seasons.
If you are finding homeschool to be difficult, take a break and deschool a bit. You and the children probably could benefit from a break.
Move around your house a bit especially with younger kids. It helps them stay engaged. For example, if you do your morning meeting at the kitchen table, do an activity there for about 20 minutes and then get up and move to the living room and do something on the floor (yep… the floor.) After that, move to the couch and read a book or if it is a nice day go outside and read. Try to move around to keep all of your children on-task.

Family style learning runs deep in our family since I’ve been doing it for 9 years now. I love it and couldn’t imagine teaching any other way. It is actually why I created my journal series. I knew one of my children would benefit from having a specific journal that I didn’t see available anywhere else (Book 3). Plus, I am particular and wanted it to look a certain way (yep… I’m that kind of person. LOL) I knew what my child needed to write well and stay engaged. However, I knew my other children would want the exact…same…thing. That is how one idea grew into a series of books. I try my best to do this with all subjects with my children…. similar books yet different. It makes my life easier.

Do you have questions about teaching multiple children?

Please leave me a comment below or email me at thelifeschooler@gmail.com.

Just Write: A Journal For Children

May 25, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

Just Write Books… Where books are not too hard and not too easy.

They are Just Write!

There are 5 Just Write: A Journal For Children within the Just Write series.

They all look similar yet they are differentiated. This allows for all children to feel included yet have the book meed their needs.

Reviews for Just Write: A Journal For Children books

Rachel, Amazon

“Great for homeschooling! My kindergartner loves this journal! The pictures make it fun, and she actually looks forward to writing in it every day. It’s been such a helpful tool for our homeschool.”

Rachel, Amazon

“Great Purchase! These journals have been so great for my child! I love the colors, the detail, and the box on each page so he can draw about what he’s writing about. Definitely worth purchasing!”

Tiffany, Facebook

“I love these journals. My kids like that you can draw a picture to go along with the writing for the day.”

Meghan, Facebook

“Love these!”

Just Write- Book 1: A Journal For Children

90 writing opportunities
One-inch lines with primary supports
Colorful woodland imagery on each page
Picture space on every page
Alphabet chart in manuscript located in the front of the book
Suggestions on how to extend this journal beyond storytelling and how to work on penmanship is located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

Just Write- Book 2: A Journal For Children

90 writing opportunities
Half-inch lines with primary supports
Colorful woodland imagery on each page
Picture space on every page
Alphabet chart in manuscript located in the front of the book
Writing tips located in the front of the book
Suggestions on how to extend this journal beyond storytelling and how to work on penmanship is located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

Just Write- Book 3: A Journal For Children

90 writing opportunities
Wide-ruled lines with primary supports
Colorful woodland imagery on each page
Picture space on every page
Alphabet chart in manuscript and cursive located in the front of the book
Writing tips located in the front of the book
Suggestions on how to extend this journal beyond storytelling and how to work on penmanship is located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

Just Write- Book 4: A Journal For Children

90 writing opportunities
Wide-ruled lines with primary supports
Colorful woodland imagery on each page
NO picture space- just lines to allow for uninterrupted writing
Alphabet chart in manuscript and cursive located in the front of the book
Writing tips located in the front of the book
Suggestions on how to extend this journal beyond storytelling and how to work on penmanship is located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

Just Write- Book 5: A Journal For Children

90 writing opportunities
Wide-ruled lines with primary supports
Colorful woodland imagery on each page
NO picture space- just lines to allow for uninterrupted writing
Alphabet chart in cursive located in the front of the book
Writing tips located in the front of the book
Suggestions on how to extend this journal beyond storytelling and how to work on penmanship is located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

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My Words, My Way: A Just Write Book

May 25, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

Just Write Books… Where books are not too hard and not too easy.

They are Just Write!

There are 5 My Words, My Way: A Just Write Book resources within the Just Write series.

My Words, My Way books are a spelling resource that can be used to compliment your Just Write journal or any curriculum.

They all look similar yet they are differentiated. This allows for all children to feel included yet have the book meets their needs.

My Words, My Way- 1: A Just Write Book

Take a look inside

Holds 6 entries on each of the 96 pages (a total of 576 words)
2 pages for Q, X, Y, and Z with 4 pages for every other letter
One-inch lines with primary supports
Picture space for every entry to allow children to record words that they can’t read yet
Colorful images on every page
Pages are color coded to make the book easier to navigate
Alphabet chart in print located in the front
Spelling tips in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

My Words, My Way- 2: A Just Write Book

Take a look inside

Holds 10 entries on each of the 96 pages (a total of 960 words)
2 pages for Q, X, Y, and Z with 4 pages for every other letter
Half-inch lines with primary supports
Picture space for every entry to allow children to record words that they can’t read yet
Colorful images on every page
Pages are color coded to make the book easier to navigate
Alphabet chart in print located in the front
Spelling focus in the front of the book with additional tips in the back of the book
High frequency word list located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

My Words, My Way- 3: A Just Write Book

Holds 12 entries on each of the 96 pages (a total of 1,152 words)
2 pages for Q, X, Y, and Z with 4 pages for every other letter
Wide-ruled lines with primary supports
Picture space for every entry to allow children to record words that they can’t read yet
Colorful images on every page
Pages are color coded to make the book easier to navigate
Alphabet chart in print and cursive located in the front
Spelling focus in the front of the book with additional tips in the back of the book
High frequency word list and a prefix/suffix chart located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

My Words, My Way- 4: A Just Write Book

Take a look inside

Holds 26 entries on each of the 96 pages (a total of 2,496 words)
2 pages for Q, X, Y, and Z with 4 pages for every other letter
Wide-ruled lines with primary supports
Colorful images on every page
Pages are color coded to make the book easier to navigate
Alphabet chart in print and cursive located in the front
Spelling focus in the front of the book with additional tips in the back of the book
High frequency word list and a prefix/suffix chart located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

My Words, My Way- 5: A Just Write Book

Holds 52 entries on each of the 96 pages (a total of 4,992 words)
2 pages for Q, X, Y, and Z with 4 pages for every other letter
Wide-ruled lines
Colorful images on every page
Pages are color coded to make the book easier to navigate
Alphabet chart in cursive located in the front
Spelling focus in the front of the book with additional tips in the back of the book
High frequency word list and a prefix/suffix chart located in the back of the book

Get it on Amazon

Follow Me on Amazon!

What is Unschooling?

May 25, 2026 / Heather Khodadadi

As you dive into the homeschool world, you may be overwhelmed by all the information, options, and lingo that you have never heard of. The words unschool, deschool, lifeschool, farm school, game school, road school, etc may have popped up in your social media. It can be confusing especially the words deschool and unschool. I am going to try my best to explain this concept to you.

Unschooling is the same as child-led learning. The child’s interests builds the curriculum.

The word “unschool” can come across negatively as if someone is against school. That isn’t it at all. It means that the parent wishes to focus on the interests of the child when it comes to their education. As a society, we link the words “school” and “education” so much that it feels almost that they are connected and bound together. Let’s dive into the definitions of both words.

School– An institution for educating children or adults.

Education– A life-long process of gaining knowledge.

Yes, there is a lot more to school and education that those basic definitions. You can “school” someone. The word there is used as a verb and is a synonym for educate. You can receive “schooling”. The word there is used almost like the word education. There are so many variations of the word that one may come to the conclusion that unschooling is a method that is against school and education. However, that is wrong. Unschooling simply means not school as in not your typical institutionalized school. It doesn’t mean not education.

Unschooling simply means not school as in not your typical institutionalized school.

It doesn’t mean not education.

Unschooling is so much more than school alone. It values each child, their interests, and way of thinking. It recognizes that we are all individuals with different goals and dreams. It sets children up for their future by fostering those interests and helping them learn what they need to know to be successful. Unschooling avoids having to answer those questions of “Why do I need to learn this?” because they witness it daily through watching their parents live their lives.

How do children learn what they need to know?

Most parents who unschool find more value in natural curiosity than standards set by a state. They believe that children who have a passion for learning about whales will want to soak everything up about the mammals. Through researching about whales, children are exposed to….

science by learning about the animal. Ever heard of the term marine biology?
geography by learning about where the animal lives and migrates.
reading by reading books and articles.
history by learning about the many ways whales were used when they were hunted.
math by calculating how far humpback whales migrate.
writing by creating an informational piece such as a flyer or pamphlet about whales.

All of those subjects which are core subjects are covered just by learning about whales. I know my state requirements require homeschoolers to teach all 5 core subjects (English/grammar/writing, reading, math, history/social studies, and science). A unschooler can easily cover all the subjects. The curriculum is designed with the child in mind and not by a big curriculum company.

What if they don’t want to learn?

Children who are unschooled from the beginning have no concept of sitting down and learning something. Learning is just a part of their life. These kids have seen their parents read, write, and do math just through every day life. Children will naturally want to do these things as they see their parents do it. They will do so because they see the point and value in doing it. In addition, children who are unschooled tend to know how to learn something if they need to do it.

A child who has been in a school setting and now in a homeschool setting may not understand unschooling. It may be an adjustment for both you and your child. You are used to seeing 5 subjects taught every day. The five subjects are often taught isolated from one another as if science could never overlap other subjects. You have been told that there are certain milestones that must be accomplished at certain times to be “on grade-level”. Unschooling doesn’t see those things. When a person unschools… they trust the natural process of learning and curiosity.

Here’s the thing… curiosity is natural. Every human being is curious about something. When we fan the flame of curiosity, learning will happen. Sometimes, it just takes taking a break and reevaluating how learning can look. If you trust the process and encourage curiosity, a child will want to learn.

Should everyone unschool?

Believe it or not but unschooling takes a lot of energy and preparation if done correctly. Remember- unschooling doesn’t mean “no education”… it simply means that the ideology of what education looks like is different than society’s typical school. I would say that if you do not have the discipline to display the value of an education, curiosity, and life-long learning than you should NOT pursue unschooling. If you cannot do those basic things to be a role model for your child then it could go terribly wrong and edge towards education neglect. Unschooling is NOT education neglect… it is valuing the child’s interest and letting that shape your curriculum. It is NOT teaching them absolutely nothing.

How does an unschooling curriculum look?

Unschoolers value the basic core subjects (reading, writing, math, science, and social studies). The curriculum looks different because they tend to not rely on standards to shape their curriculum. Rather than have a set of books to dictate what their children learn, they use life skills, experiences, and children’s interest to be the spine of their curriculum.

Unschoolers usually include things like animal husbandry, cooking and baking, museums, arts and crafts, documentaries, gardening, hiking, traveling, etc in their curriculum. They find learning away from text books as important and do not value worksheets as much. Their experiences tend to be more hands-on rather than writing reports or proving learning is happening.

I like the idea of unschooling, but I feel compelled to do some structured lessons. Is there a way to unschool a little?

Yes. That is exactly what I do. I consider lifeschooling to be the best of both worlds. As a lifeschooler, I value structured lessons based on what I feel my children need to know but also find life skills and my children’s interests very important. I base a lot of what we learning on my children’s abilities and interests to keep them engaged and learning. I teach my children math, writing/grammar, and reading while letting science and social studies/history be more child-led. I’m what some would call an almost unschooler.

In closing, if you are interested in unschooling I would suggest you joining an unschooling group on Facebook. Talk with other parents who embrace unschooling to get a better picture of what it is and how it can look. There are all different levels of unschooling as it can mean something different to every family. Welcome to homeschooling…. where you have ultimate say in how your children learn and can customize it to fit your family’s needs, values, and interests.