Search Results for: chores

Aug 13 2012

Chores for kids

Do you assign daily/weekly chores to your kids? What are some of the things your kids can do?

I don’t know about you, but I love to hear what kids are doing in other homes. It gives me ideas to learn from other families, and I love to hear about chore systems I’ve never tried before.

Hearing from other families is also good for another reason: it helps to know what kids are capable of at every age. If I have a child I’m not sure is ready for a job, knowing kids in other families do it encourages me to train my kids to do it, too.

Did you know that chores go hand-in-hand with homeschooling, too? When spending lots of time at home, chores can be incorporated into the regular school day. Homeschooling is the perfect time to teach kids to manage a home and yard, anyway. What kid wouldn’t benefit by knowing these things as he/she gets older?

Over the years, I have been able to perfect chore system that works for us in every season of life. I know what my kids are capable of, and I have an idea of the maturity it takes to get things done right.

Here is a list of just some of the things I know my kids can do. I hope this list will inspire you to find the perfect chore system for your family:

Sample Chores By Age*

TEENS (13 and up) may…

Do yard work, such as mowing grass, cutting branches and hauling debris
Supervise younger siblings, including feeding, bathing, dressing, reading to, and more
Prepare meals for themselves and the entire family, including clean-up (When should kids learn to cook?)
Perform heavy cleaning jobs, like window washing, scrubbing walls and floors, and cleaning hard-to-reach areas
Be asked to maintain areas of the home entirely on their own
Older teens may even be asked to drive children to and from activities

OLDER ELEMENTARY (8-12) students may…

Wash and fold laundry (read how)
Clean and maintain bathrooms
Prepare lists and help with grocery shopping
Vacuum and mop high usage areas
Weed gardens, trim plantings, harvest herbs and vegetables
Wash, feed and groom animals; clean pet areas

YOUNGER students (5-7) may…

Bring laundry into laundry room
Clean sinks and counter-tops
Dust shelves
Vacuum under beds
Put dishes away
Brush pets
Pick up around the house (learn how)

VERY YOUNG children (4 and under) are able to…

Carry toys to bins
Re-shelve books (learn how)
Wipe door knobs and light switches with damp rags
Place plastic dishware into in sink or dishwasher
Clean low cabinet doors
Wipe down chairs

[*Ages are approximate — only parents know when children are ready and trained to tackle certain jobs.]

Most parents seem to assign chores either daily or weekly (I do both). Some have more than one chore period per day, too.

Take a look at the difference between daily and weekly chores, below:

Take a look at this list of less frequent maintenance items that can be added to chore rotations, too:

Creating chore systems for a family takes a while to get just right. Don’t be afraid to do them in pencil first, and use them for a couple of weeks before committing them to ink. Once experience and training has set in, the rewards of chore charting really begin to show. Congratulate your kids for a job well done, and be happy you’re providing them a skill they’ll use for many years to come!

Did you like this? If so, you’ll also like these:

Awarding credit for life skills

A basic life curriculum for my boys

Chore charts with rotations

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Oct 26 2015

Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks

Do you wish homeschooling came with an INSTRUCTION MANUAL? Not sure how to get started? Want to hear from an expert how it’s done?

What if you could find a system that works with any family, with any child, with any personal home education philosophy — and fits within any budget, too? It’s here!

Suddenly Homeschooling, the book, gives you:

An understanding of the different reasons families choose homeschooling, so that YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT ALONE;
A way to DISCOVER YOUR PERSONAL APPROACH to home education by studying popular methods, then figuring out what’s best for you;
Tips for PREPARING YOURSELF, your kids, your friends (and even your neighbors!) for the transition about to take place in your home;
Ideas for getting materials and study spaces ready, plus WHERE TO GET ALL THE STUFF you need to homeschool for a full year;
Tricks for SCHEDULING, ORGANIZING AND RECORD-KEEPING, and examples of ways to assign school work, assign chores and make lesson plans;
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE to insure your children get the quality education you desire, while you keep your home and life running at peak performance, too!

“…a book that has potential to assist many people embarking for the first time on the journey into homeschooling.” — Jeremy Stuart, Director/Producer Class Dismissed: Education and the Rise of Homeschooling in America

“…a very practical handbook on how to homeschool…an interesting and engaging approach to the topic.” — Helen Hegener, Publisher and Managing Editor, Home Education Magazine

“…a great guide to getting started, whether quickly or slowly! Moreau takes you by the hand, step-by-step.” — Mariaemma Willis, co-author Discover Your Child’s Learning Style and co-founder Learning Success Institute

“…a practical approach for any newcomers as they begin their homeschool journey…helps families navigate the myriad of steps involved in transitioning to homeschooling.” – Linda Dobson’s Parent at the Helm

This book is available anywhere books are sold. Sold in paperback and Kindle editions. View it on Amazon.

Feb 23 2015

How long is a homeschool day?

A frequent question from parents is, “How long does homeschooling take?” It’s normal to wonder how long something will take if you’ve never done it before. It’s also normal to wonder if your school day is taking much longer than everybody else’s.

When we first started years ago, the time factor played considerably into our decision, as the nearest school involved driving dirt roads, paying a toll, and an almost 2 hour round trip. Though my husband and I were 99.9% sure we’d be homeschooling at that point, we were still keenly aware if we ever did decide to put our kids in a classroom, the journey back and forth would have a major impact on our time.

Parents each homeschool a little differently. Kids learn differently, too. I cannot estimate the average length of a homeschool day, because there is no average. But I can tell you this: when my kids were little, they were easily homeschooled (the formal lesson portion) in less time than it would have taken me to drive and pick them up from school twice a day.

It’s time for a little disclaimer. What I’ll be talking about in this article is strictly book work and the curriculum types of exercises that many people view as the “homeschool” part of the day. The reason it’s important you know this, is because kids learn all day long, whether they’re “in school” or not. What I am about to tell you, is how long the book work portion of homeschooling took in our home. But what you also need to realize, is that our success really came from raising our kids in an environment rich with opportunities for learning all day long. Please understand any estimate I could give would account for only a fraction of our success.

Now, if you’ve read this far, you’re probably still wondering how long homeschooling takes. I am about to give you an idea of how long it took my kids, in our home. But, please, make sure to read this article to the very end, as it is only then that you’ll understand fully how long homeschooling really takes.

Preschool / Kindergarten / 1st Grade

(2 to 2.5 hours formal lessons per day)

We simulated a classroom environment in the early years, and my kids did book work from a very young age. I was lucky, as my husband built us a dedicated area for our classroom, which included a learning area, a quiet area, a swing set just steps away so I could see the kids from the window, and a bathroom, too. The classroom model was all we knew, and it turns out, we enjoyed many years of using it, too.

In the early years, we began each day in a very school-like fashion: a calendar lesson, a day of the week, a letter of the alphabet, a weather report, and learning to tell time on a little plastic clock. We’d then read together for 20-30 minutes, and then split up for individual activities.

Because I schooled all my kids in the same room and kept the baby in there, too, it was easy to move from kid to kid. Those years included early curriculum, but also lots of reading, drawing, workbooks, audio and video tapes, and creative projects to accompany whatever we were working on. I kept boxes and boxes of early learning toys in the classroom, which I swapped in and out for children who needed a break or needed to be kept busy as I was doing something else. We had chalk boards, white boards, felt boards, and plenty of ways to learn for the several hours we were in there. We kept pets in our classroom, too, so there was always something fun to do.

I am not going to lie — those years were pretty exhausting. If I had it to do over, I would greatly relax my requirements (learn how) . But, again, it was what I knew at the time and, fortunately, it worked very well for us.

Grades 2 – 5:

(3-4 hours per day)

As my kids got older, I introduced more curriculum for the core areas we covered in the mornings, and more things we could all do together for hands-on and specials in the afternoon. We covered pretty much every subject, every day. Our days varied, but with several young ones in the house, it definitely took all morning long for the older ones to get their book work done — approximately 3 to 4 hours. We also worked through lunch, and I did music appreciation lessons and foreign language (on alternating days) during our lunch breaks at the kitchen counter. On a typical day, our mornings started at 8 or 9, and ended somewhere around 12 or 1 — even 2. The afternoons were when we came together for projects, electives, chores and play time.

Remember I had multiple children, so homeschooling one child would have been entirely different for us in those grades. And in the interest of full disclosure, I wasn’t above putting kids for naps or letting them watch a video when I really needed a break — which was quite a bit. These were the years when things could fall apart with no warning, and when I spent much of the time gathering the scraps of our days and counting them as school. Our well-planned days didn’t always go as predicted with little ones about, but there were enough days that finished well, so the accumulation of these years amounted to a whole lot.

Middle Years:

(4 to 4.5 hours per day)

The middle years were much more straight-forward in our home. In my opinion, they were easy. My children were assigned things to do, and they did them. I had trained them to work on schedule, they knew where everything was located, plus all of our household and chore systems were well in place by the time they were able to work more independently. Those were also the years when I moved more into a supervisory/tutor/helper role than that of the full-time teacher I had been when they were younger. And because my older kids spent more time working on their own, those years afforded me the time I needed to be with the younger ones. For those who were wondering, that may help to explain how homeschool parents manage to teach multiple children at the same time.

Honestly, if I had it to do over again, I would have skipped some of the middle grades with my kids. The truth is, they were all ready for high school work long before I ever offered it to them. I feel we wasted time during the middle years when I could have been accelerating them forward even faster than I did. Knowing what I know now, I believe traditional middle school is wholly a waste of time. But, I digress…

High School Years:

(6-7 hours per day, maybe more)

It is hard for me to estimate how much time my high schoolers spend on formal book work. That’s because their sleep schedules change (they don’t start at the same time every day), they are able to work for long periods on their own (thus I don’t always see them), and their classes and study periods often take place somewhere else (they take online classes and college courses). In addition, since my high schoolers make their own schedules for the most part (except in 9th, when I schedule them), there are days when they decide to work solely on one thing, and other days when they touch multiple classes in one day.

I estimate my teens spend approximately 6 hours per day on book work, but I think the number could actually be higher. It isn’t that I don’t observe my kids, because I do. I also go over their planners every Sunday night. But, so much happens out of my direct earshot, and so many classes happen somewhere else, I cannot always really know how many curriculum hours they put in. What I do know is that we all meet at the dinner table every evening, and oftentimes my teens have just finished their work, or say they still have more to do after dinner until late into the evening. Their workload varies pretty much every day. Sometimes, I don’t even get to see the work until it’s turned in for grading.

Final thoughts:

I hope this has given you a glimpse into how we do homeschool in our home, but I remind you that these estimates include only our book/curriculum work, and not all of the other things my kids do during the afternoons and weekends, and the activities they do with other homeschoolers and community groups. For instance, this doesn’t include the coops my kids belong to and the field trips they go on. It doesn’t include the classes they take at libraries and museums. It doesn’t include the things they listen to in the car, read in the paper, discuss at the dinner table, and books they bring along with them to the beach. It doesn’t include the programs they watch, the web sites they visit, the games they play, the hobbies they keep, the lessons they take, the sports they play, the volunteer organizations they work with, and the thousands of other things that add as much — if not more – to their education. I am not boasting about my kids, merely reminding you there is no way to measure all the learning that occurs during childhood by simply counting hours.

Remember, there are many paths to homeschooling success and our way is just one of them. I always encourage families to see what works best in their homes, and continually tweak the process as they move along. Whereas an hour may seem like a long time to work on one topic in one family, it is never enough time in another.

Please, always do what works best for you and your children.

When people ask how long homeschooling takes, though we can give estimates like these, what we also need to do is explain that homeschooling really takes all day. It takes all night, too. Actually, it takes an entire childhood. That’s because education is more than just the books and the schedules. Learning is the work of a child and homeschooling lasts until they take learning into their own hands as adults.

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Jan 22 2015

If you come and visit me

If you come and visit me, I’d be so happy, I’d fix us tea. Maybe muffins. And if things go well, I will also serve fresh fruit with cream.

But before you visit me, there are some things you should know. You see, I’m a mom just like you, and I can never predict how our visit will go.

Let me warn you, as I try to explain, while hoping not to scare you away.

If you come and visit me, there will most likely be noise. My kids might be playing a game, so there will be shouting. Our dogs might be barking at something, and could even start barking at you, too. There will be things going on outside, like mowers and trucks. And as much as I would like to, I cannot stop the washing machine or the dishwasher, or risk never having another minute to run them again.

If you come to visit me, the phone might start ringing. In fact, it may ring a lot. See, our home business keeps our family going. I can’t ignore calls since lost calls means lost income. I am sorry if we get interrupted as we chat.

If you come to visit me, my house could be a wreck. You see, on Mondays, it’s messy from the weekends, and by Fridays it’s messy from the week. If we can plan a get-together on Tuesday, it’s more likely to be picked up. Then again, we could choose a Wednesday after my kids have done their chores. Maybe we could meet on a Thursday, so I will have all week to straighten up. But if you visit any other day, you’ll need to understand that we live here, and my home doesn’t always look as pretty as I’d like you to see it.

Sometimes, when you visit me, I am embarrassed. It might be about the way I look, since I haven’t had a hair cut in a long time, and because sleeplessness and stress makes my acne flare. It could be about the way I am dressed, since I didn’t have time to get ready exactly the way I had hoped. I could be embarrassed about something my kids blurt out in front of you, something my husband does before he says goodbye, or something you notice in my fridge or in that pile of mail on the counter.

When you come to visit me, there may be tears. A child might get hurt or become frustrated with something I have asked him to do. The tears might also come from me. You need to know that I cry for all kinds of things, and that the things you tell me or the things I tell you could unleash a whole stream of emotions I have been waiting to share.

Please, friend, visit me anyway.

Visit me for me, and not for any other reason.

Visit me, even if you leave having had nothing but a glass of lukewarm water and a covering of dog hairs on the back of your sweater.

Visit me because we can, not because we will eat fancy treats and talk about fancy things and you will admire my fancy home.

Visit me because you may need to cry, and I may need to cry, too.

Please visit me, because when we call or when we text, it isn’t the same as seeing your beautiful face and feeling your warm hug around my shoulders.

So, as long as you’re okay with knowing what it may be like ahead of time, please come and visit me.

I miss you.

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Nov 17 2014

A basic life curriculum for my boys

Spend any time on homeschooling sites and you’ll find a thousand different ways to do it. You’ll learn that no way is any more right than the others. And you’ll read how those differences are what make the homeschooling canvas so colorful, the practice so effective and the lifestyle so very worth living.

I agree.

My style is rather structured. I would classify myself as 80% curriculum user. I either buy our curriculum or create it myself. I use curriculum not because I think it’s the only way or the best way. I use it because it works so well for me and my family. And where an organized curriculum isn’t the right fit, that’s where the 20% comes in.

Everyone is different. For us, curriculum and schedules work with what our family wants to teach and learn. We like it because the framework that comes from using a curriculum helps to structure our days and covers a lot of bases.

But curriculum also gives us the freedom to deviate from it any time we like. Many people don’t realize you can do that. We venture outside the pages all the time, hopping back in and out again any time we want.

[Homeschool] curriculum gives us freedom…we venture outside the pages all the time.

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Somewhere along the way, I realized there were things I wanted my boys to learn that would never be found in any curriculum. So, I wrote it out, and started calling it our life curriculum. It’s unique to us, but I thought you might like to take a peek at what’s inside.

As you read, remember that I am raising boys. I think most of this curriculum applies to girls, too, but I am adding that for clarification, and as a disclaimer, too. Also be aware that my views may be considered more traditional or more conservative than others. I’m the mom, so I get to do that. These are my goals, for raising my young men, in these times, with the values they will be competing with in their own generation. Yours might be a lot different.

My views may be considered…more conservative than others. I’m the mom, so I get to do that.

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This is not the full list, but a subset of what I try to teach in our home. If I manage to do this all, I think my boys will all graduate in pretty good shape. Don’t you?

Take a look:

Nutrition: My goal is for my kids to leave home with an understanding of proper nutrition versus treats and splurges. I want them to understand (while eating in a college cafeteria, for example) what constitutes a complete meal, and which foods to eat sparingly or generally avoid. When surrounded by dorm mates subsisting on noodles, chocolate paste and white bread, I want them to know the difference between lazy, unhealthy eating and dining to nourish the body and mind. Most of these lessons happen in everyday life, though sometimes I offer a separate class in cooking or home economics. Specifically, I make sure to teach:

cooking from scratch a large variety of meals
locating recipes, or feeling comfortable mixing ingredients
safe food storage
use and cleaning of small appliances
using up leftovers and avoiding food waste
using food to promote good health
how to shop grocery stores, where to find foods locally and online
how to compare prices and determine value
sourcing natural or healthier options when possible
using herbs and spices to enhance flavor or achieve health benefits

Hygiene: I want my boys to leave home knowing how to take care of themselves in areas of personal hygiene and grooming. I do not (any longer) enforce a code of dress or hair style, but I need them to know that these factors make an impact on how they are perceived by others. I try to strike a balance between their sense of individuality and the need for them to to fit in and not offend. And though it irks me to have to discuss such things, I know their survival and success ultimately depends on it, particularly those of my kids who have chosen careers that come with protocols for dress and appearance. I do not advocate using chemical self-care products (any more), so we are currently converting ourselves to natural and home-made powders, deodorants and acne treatments. We are still working on this area. With my husband’s help and guidance in this area, we teach things like:

shaving, mustache and beard grooming
hair care, including washing and styling, and tying it up when required/appropriate
acne prevention and treatment
toileting habits
body care (showering and cleanliness)
nail and foot care
handling body odor
teeth care (surprisingly, many children are never taught to floss properly)

Relationships: I really want my kids to thrive in this area. My own childhood experiences combined with the possible isolation that can result from spending lots of time at home, I have purposed to make sure they are well-versed in this area. It seems I am constantly working on this one, and these skills are forever being challenged in one way or another. I persevere. By using discussions, books, practice and role-playing, I teach:

how to act in different situations around all kinds of people
the difference between a friend and an acquaintance, how to be a good friend
how to stand, sit, talk, make eye contact, read social distance and use body language appropriately
listening skills, not monopolizing conversations (gifted and intense sometimes struggle with this)
how to value all others, patience, tolerance, recognizing strengths and differences
not to say everything they think aloud for all to hear
peer pressure
loving kindness to all living things (thankfully, an easy one for my kids)
conflict resolution within the family and in the world (how to handle, how to forgive, how to move on)
the differences between men and women, as much as I understand them, with a bias toward chivalry and traditional male/female roles (holding doors, giving up a seat, feelings and emotions, understand urges versus making intellectual choices)
courtship and dating, relationship goals, outcomes, where things can go wrong
the benefits of marriage and family
general “gentleman” behavior, adapted for modern day

First Aid: Self-explanatory, but my goal here is simply to make sure my kids can take care of minor illnesses and injuries on their own, can find reliable information they can trust, can locate a health practitioner if they need one, and to know when to seek help.

Home Maintenance: Our children have always been assigned many different chores, thus this is something they learn as we train them to help and contribute around the home. Before they leave our home, I want them to be able to:

perform simple maintenance (light bulbs, smoke alarms, squeaky doors, circuit breakers, pool, water shut off)
perform simple fixes (leaky faucet, leaky toilet, broken hose, repair a chair leg, trouble-shoot appliances or sprinkler systems)
simple installations (faucet, disposer, window or door)
heavy cleaning inside and out
moving and cleaning furniture and carpets
have attempted a variety of other tasks, such as painting, roofing, carpentry, and plumbing

Automotive Maintenance: Basic car maintenance is something I wish I was taught. Aside from changing tires and replacing oil, I have always felt quite helpless on the road. In contrast, I want my kids to feel comfortable around a vehicle, and to know what to attempt on his own versus what requires the help of a professional. This is my husband’s area, and one he is presently working on at this stage of their lives. I have no idea what they will learn in his charge, but I know he’ll do a great job. (Maybe I should take this class, too!)

Yard Maintenance: Our family has lived in the city and also in the country, so my kids have been exposed to a great variety of tasks in this area. Some of these jobs have been assigned, and others end up being performed serendipitously while trying to accomplish something else. Sometimes, these are included as chores, but other times, we purpose to teach them as a part of a life skills or other class. Because I want my kids to be able to take care of their own homes some day, I make sure they can:

cut grass, trim edges, blow away debris
plant and weed gardens, plant trees
grow herbs in pots, water plants
mix up basic natural pest-control recipes and apply them
use chemical products with safety
apply fertilizers and mulches
pressure wash a home exterior, sidewalks and drives
rake and bag leaves, know about composting
trim bushes and smaller trees, bundle branches
load and unload trucks and work vehicles

Business Skills: This is a huge category that includes many different things they need to know right now, plus other skills they will more than likely need as they get older. In homeschool, I teach keyboarding and computer use, reading and writing business correspondence, making telephone calls, understanding and paying invoices, using the postal system, setting up various kinds of accounts, and much more. Because we have owned several companies over the years, our children have also worked with us, and for us, and have be exposed to many different things. For the most part, our children now understand budgeting and advertising, payroll and temporary employment, partnerships and incorporation, royalties and payments, and much more. In this area, I also purpose to teach each child about Internet privacy, fraud and identity theft, reviewing credit reports, disputing bills, and more.

Financial Literacy: One of the most important skills we began teaching as our kids grew, we have continued to prioritize financial literacy within our family. My husband and I are living proof of living on a modest income, about saving (or not spending), buying wisely, purchasing pre-owned vehicles and furniture and more. In addition to teaching these skills ourselves, over the last several years, I have begun to incorporate packaged curriculum in this area (to make sure I don’t miss anything I don’t know). Our teens take several financial literacy courses prior to homeschool graduation, and have already put many of these practices into their lives. (I’m proud to say that our children do not pay a nickel for college and have been able to avoid student loans, too!) This area includes lessons about:

banking
credit and debit
creating a budget
wants versus needs
creating savings plans
shopping wisely
investing
gifting and charitable contributions
buying a car, buying a home, buying anything (a computer, stocks, or health insurance)

Communication Skills: It comes as no surprise that homeschooled youth often grow into excellent communicators. Having the advantage of time, freedom of expression, and exposure to many different people and experiences all contribute to why this is so. In addition to what my kids pick up on their own, I also make sure to include communication in the yearly course line-up for every one of my kids. Over the years, my boys will take classes in:

Writing of all kinds: story writing, research paper writing, creative writing, etc.
Oral communications, speech giving
Interpersonal communications
Psychology and the science of human communication
Other specialized writing courses, depending on the child, that may help in their chosen career

Mind and Body: My husband and I are both very interested in these areas, and we try to teach our children about the relationship between the mind and the body, and the interplay between behaviors and their impact on health and wellness. Depending on what my husband and I are studying at the time, our children are usually invited to study along. Sometimes, these ideas develop into courses; other times, they are learned as electives or hobbies in our spare time. Over the years, our kids have either read or discussed with us many different books about religion, philosophy, spirituality, physical fitness personal growth, and more. They have learned in churches, dojos, yoga studios, tennis courts, swimming pools, meditation rooms, via video, DVD, audio, online seminars, classes, books, family friends and from my husband and I, and so on. We are constantly adding to our home library and resources in these areas, so by the time they graduate, our kids will have learned about these areas, and more:

Western and alternative medicine
Religion and philosophy
Drugs and diseases
Human anatomy and body mechanics
Exercises and overall fitness
Food for health, supplements, herbs
Relaxation, breathing, mindfulness
Emotional and energetic healing
The relationship between mind and body

Our life curriculum goes on to include goals in other areas, too, for instance raising animals as pets; helping and caring for their parents and elderly; understanding the judicial system, voter registration, and familiarity with common legal situations; personal safety and avoiding dangerous behaviors; taking care of the planet; charity and community service; and more.

In a large family (or any family), particularly when we all spend so much time together, it can be easy to teach these skills by example, without really even trying. On the other hand, it is also easy to forget whether or not a particular child was exposed to something, or if I need to make sure to include it within the next set of lessons, chores, or time with that child. Having these written down helps me identify what I may have missed, and also check off what I feel has been covered to my satisfaction.

Of course, the proof of success in these areas is always going to be observing my children in life and seeing if I have prepared them well enough in the areas they need. It is my hope that by sharing my goals with you, this may also help those of you preparing children to leave home, too. If you need help, just shoot me an email.

To your success,

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A writer, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT,Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.