Wondering what type of homeschool help I offer? Here are the top 10 themes that routinely come up in my homeschool coaching sessions.

1. Adjusting curriculum to fit your family’s needs. You spent a lot of money on that shiny, new curriculum but now it’s not working for you or your child. I can help you salvage the curriculum – and your investment – and find ways to adapt and change the curriculum to suit your needs.
2. How to respond to homeschool skeptics. Whether it is your mother-in-law (been there), a doctor (I am writing a blog about our experiences at the doctor’s office), or just a well-meaning acquaintance who has overstepped her bounds (we all know her!), I will share advice and practical steps you can use to advocate for your homeschool and educate the ignorant.
3. What to include in your homeschool portfolio. This was my most answered question in 2020 and 2021. It is also a big reason why I chose email as my coaching medium. It can be time consuming, but with your cooperation, I will help you build a portfolio that will showcase your child’s growth and be in compliance with your state’s homeschool laws.
4. Switching from public school to homeschooling. We made the switch back in 2016, so I know firsthand what it is like. On top of that, I was a public-school teacher! Needless to say, our first year was a bit of a disaster. Luckily, I learned from my mistakes and now I get so much joy helping other moms navigate the switch.
5. What counts as school? Perhaps the most fun coaching sessions (just ask Susie M.!) that I have had! This is one of my strengths – the kind that don’t fit on a resume but come in handy when teaching and coaching. I guarantee you are doing so much more than you think you are. Let me talk you through ways to count unschooling, life skills, and quality family time toward your school time. This really comes in handy with states that require a certain amount of homeschool hours each day and with states that offer portfolios as an annual assessment option.
6. How do I document homeschool learning activities that don’t include a paper or digital element? This one is all about gaining confidence and claiming your role as homeschool teacher. I will show you how to write lesson plans or descriptions (as required by your state) to showcase your homeschool in the best light.
7. Standardized testing: preparation and understanding the results. Standardized tests can be helpful measures of a child’s base knowledge – but a test is only ONE measure of a child. I will teach you to prepare your child for testing, share ways to teach smart test-taking skills, and interpret test results in a way that will serve as a guide going forward in your homeschool.
8. My child isn’t reading yet. Should I be worried? The short answer is No, and I will walk you through ways to strengthen pre-reading skills, including phonological processing.
9. How do I know if I’m teaching the right things? Do you have to teach about owls in 3^rd grade? What about U. S. Presidents in 4^th? What year should you teach about rocks and minerals? Yup, I can help with that. I’ll give you a hint – it really doesn’t matter!
10. What should my child be learning? This pairs well with #9 (see above), but usually is more skill specific and relates to English Language Arts and Math. Again, I am ready to help with this!

If any of this rings true with you, we can get started right away! Wouldn’t it be nice to dispel some of your worries and increase your confidence in yourself and in your homeschooling? Homeschool Sunshine Coaching will do just that. I recommend that all new clients start with the one-month coaching option. Email coaching is so convenient with no time limit and unlimited emails included during the one-month period – we can cover a lot of topics in a short amount of time. Give it a try!

If you need help with a topic not on this list, please email me at info@homeschoolsunshine.com to ask if it is something I cover.

Side note: My primary focus is elementary. If you are looking for high school help, I follow Lee Binz, The HomeScholar.