Ever wish you had a trusted advisor to listen to your concerns, cheer you on for your victories, and suggest changes you cannot even think about?
Adriana Zoder – Homeschool Coach
We all have blind spots and someone with experience can unlock your next level homeschool. The most successful athletes hire coaches for a reason. Why not hire a homeschool coach?
After several people have asked, I have created a Coaching Product. Please click the button below to get more details.
Enjoy!
This November, my son turns 18. Whoa! When did that happen? To be cute, it happened over 18 years. In a sense, I have homeschooled him for 18 years. Officially, for 13. My husband and I are incredibly grateful for the young man our son has become. He scored in the 99th percentile for the SAT and received admission with generous scholarships at all universities he applied to. He is healthy and physically fit. This church elder asked him to preach a sermon next year. Mentally, physically, and spiritually, our son has become a leader.
My son, in whom I am well pleased
In 9th grade, our son became a state champion in two Science Olympiad events: Circuits and Solar System. He got into the Top 1,000 cubers in the nation. If you think that’s not that impressive, try solving Rubik’s cube in less than 9 seconds. My best time? 1 min 35 seconds. My son taught himself how to go under 1 minute and then under 30 seconds and then under 10 seconds. It’s wild. Continue reading
When it comes to nature study, you can keep it as simple as you want. And then, there is some gear that would totally enhance your experience. Feel free to adapt this list to whatever your plan is for nature studies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links. I really appreciate your support!
Binoculars for birdwatching – If your kids are older, let them carry their own binoculars. Carry it yourself for younger kiddos. Don’t say I did not tell you.
Binoculars for Nature Study
Nature journals are homeschool must-haves. Click here to download a FREE 30-page Nature Journal. If you want to pay money for it, by all means. Get one for yourself, too. Don’t let the kids have all the fun. Continue reading
Last week, I attended a Christian College Fair at Berean Christian School in Knoxville, TN. I learned a lot and, as I was leaving, I met a wonderful lady who shared from her own experience as a mom. These private conversations you will have at such events matter a lot. I did not plan on meeting this person. That’s when you know God is leading you to the right people. I will probably never run into her again, but her words will stay with me for a long time.
Christian College Fair
We all want the best for our children. When challenging times happen, it feels good to have mentors or counselors or friends who have walked this way before. They can share from their experience. This is why I decided to blog and share digital content about homeschooling. Many people have helped me. I want to help others.
Lo and behold, October 1 arrived and we were ready to file FAFSA on the first day it opened. That is why we plan, my friends! Both student and parent must have a separate account and we had created them back in August. The student initiates the filing, fills out a portion of it, then sends the parent a code to join the same filing.
So glad FAFSA and CSS are over!
It was straightforward. We had all our documentation ready since August, so we knew exactly where to look to provide specific information about our family’s finances. It took about 10 minutes. And that’s no joke. Continue reading
Hey, homeschool mamas! Tomorrow kicks off Amazon’s October Prime Days (October 7-8, 2025). If you’re anything like me, you’re already plotting how to snag deals that make learning AND gifting easier. With the holidays looming, why not stock up on tools that fuel your daily lessons which also double up as joyful surprises for the kids? I’ve rounded up 6 homeschool heroes—practical, fun, and Prime-eligible for lightning-fast shipping. Click my affiliate links to shop and support HomeschoolWays.com. Let’s dive in!
1. Interactive Whiteboard Markers & Eraser Set
Spark creativity without the mess! These colorful markers let kids annotate charts or draw timelines during history. My kids use them to add events to our fridge magnet calendar and they personalize the color based on who does what. Gift vibe: Endless doodle sessions under the tree if you get them a small lap whiteboard. Prime Day steal: Under $20.
Markers and Eraser Set
2. Hands-On STEM Robot Building Kit
Turn coding basics into play with a beginner robotics kit (like this Makeblock mBot). I chose a pink one for your daughter, but they also have blue ones. Also, please know I chose a kit which is priced not too high and not too low. They have many other options. Think about your Christmas budget and go for it.
Pink Bot for STEM Learning
We all need to do our work better and faster, so that we can have more time for fun. However, I do hope homeschooling is fun for you most of the time. In this spirit, I offer you five productivity tools. This post contains affiliate links. Here we go:
Homeschool planner – This Paper Peony Press planner contains pages for your yearly, monthly, and weekly goals. As such, you will find space to plan your menus, besides your lessons and calendar. Bonus: it is undated. I really like it.
Homeschool Planner
Noise-canceling earbuds for focused planning – Personally, I enjoy silence from time to time. When I sit at co-op with all the noise around me, in the general area, it can get very noisy. At home, we run the dehumidifier all. the. time. I do not find white noise relaxing. It annoys me. A lot. So these earbuds are a lifesaver for me. I wish I had them when the children were little and loud.
Noise-canceling earbuds
Portable chargers for co-op days or field trips – How long do you stay at co-op? We spend seven hours there. We also drive for three hours both ways. So we are gone from home for 10 hours. When we take fields trips, they also usually take all day. As a mom with children on the road, I need to be connected with my husband via cell. We live in the year of our Lord 2025. Gone are the days of payphones and pagers. For my peace of mind, I must have a cell phone and a charger with me.
Portable Charger
Desk calendars or dry-erase boards for scheduling – These come in handy. As a result, the entire family knows where everybody goes and when. Now that we have three cars and three drivers, we all go in different directions. It feels good to know and see visually the week or the month ahead. Personally, I like this wall calendar because of the cork board section at the bottom, where you can pin tickets or bits of paper and notes.
Wall Calendar
Coffee maker and tumbler for on-the-go days – You know homeschool moms do not stay at home every day, right? We need our coffee on the go, preferably in a stainless steel tumbler, please. The link will take you to a black matching set with a coffee maker and a 14 oz travel mug. As the only coffee drinker in my family, I love my single-serve coffee maker – which is what this link will take you to. No waste, reusable filter, and compact for your already crowded kitchen counter.
Coffee Maker and Tumbler
If your student is headed to college, you owe it to yourself to attend at least one college fair. I would wait until your child’s junior year. If your child has reached the senior year, definitely go now. Last week, I attended a college fair at Maryville College and learned a few things.
Maryville College Fair at Clayton Center for the Arts
It happened in the beautiful Clayton Center for the Arts in downtown Maryville, TN. Continue reading
As of right now, four universities have accepted our son. The fifth university has not made a decision about him yet because they have not received all the documentation.
Our son earned himself a truck by getting a really high SAT score.
Did you know that some homeschoolers should not fill out the Common App Homeschool Supplement? Don’t believe everything you hear on national homeschool podcasts… This very famous homeschool podcast insisted on the Homeschool Supplement inside the Common App. Well, it does not apply to everybody. Continue reading
Raspberry Pi Press published Unplugged Tots, a book by Hannah Hagon, in August 2025 in the UK. In the US, the book is available for pre-order here and now [affiliate link]. The subtitle of the book encourages us to “introduce children to the foundations of computer coding.” However, unplugged means no electronics. Well, how on earth can one teach computer coding without electronics? Through simple household items and activities parents and children can do together.
Unplugged Tots by Hannah Hagon
I had to privilege of interviewing Hannah last week about Unplugged Tots and you can watch the interview on my YouTube channel or listen to it on Spotify. Yes, I have started a complementary podcast version of this blog. Please bear with me as I work out the techy details. Continue reading