My Learning Source › Workshops & Articles

Homeschool Workshops & Articles

Written workshops, guides and articles for homeschool families — curriculum, tutoring, education-choice programs, special needs and enrichment. Florida families: also see the complete guide to Step Up For Students.

,000: A TEFA Game Plan for Texas Homeschoolers
My Learning Source · October 2, 2026
Up to ,000 for the 2026–27 school year won't cover everything, and it doesn't have to. Here's a no-nonsense plan for Texas homeschool families to aim TEFA money at the hardest gaps, stay inside the…
  • Utah Fits All in Plain English: What It Pays, Who Qualifies, How It Works
    My Learning Source · October 2, 2026
    Utah Fits All pays $4,000, $6,000 or $8,000 depending on your child's age and school setting for 2026-27. Here is who qualifies, how the money actually reaches a vendor, and the rules that decide…
  • The Arkansas EFA in Plain English: Who Runs It, What It Pays, How Money Moves
    My Learning Source · October 2, 2026
    Arkansas Education Freedom Accounts pay $7,208 per student for 2026–27 ($8,011 for Succeed Scholarship students), net of transaction fees. Here is who runs the program, when the quarterly payments…
  • Why Your Child Needs a Social Club: Building Friendship, Confidence, and Real-World Skills
    Historical Conquest LLC · October 2, 2026
    For homeschool families especially, academics are usually the easiest part of education to plan. We can purchase mathematics curriculum, find science experiments, choose great books, study history,…
  • 10 Ways to Turn Your Florida Scholarship Funds Into Hands-On Learning
    Historical Conquest LLC · September 23, 2026
    Florida's education scholarship programs give families something extremely valuable: the ability to choose educational resources that fit their children. For families participating in programs such…
  • PEP Is Full: The 140,000-Student Cap, the At-Capacity List, and the AAA Transfer, Explained
    My Learning Source · September 23, 2026
    For the first time, Florida's homeschool scholarship ran out of room. PEP hit its statutory cap of 140,000 students for 2026–27, Step Up stopped awarding new students, and thousands of pending…
  • The Forgetting Curve: Why Students Forget—and What Parents Can Do About It
    Xogos Gaming · September 21, 2026
    Why Students Forget What They Just Learned Nearly every homeschool parent and educator has experienced it. Maybe you have as well. Your student studies a subject, seems to understand it, answers the…
  • Balancing Tech Time and Using the Hands
    BlackBack Handwriting · September 20, 2026
    Helene Lieberman MS, OTR/L https://www.blackbackhandwriting.com/ Technology has become part of everyday life. Tablets and iPads can be wonderful learning tools, offering educational games, books, and…
  • Starting Early in Florida: Compulsory Age, Kindergarten, and What Scholarships Cover Before Grade 1
    My Learning Source · September 19, 2026
    Florida does not require school until age six and does not require kindergarten at all — which surprises parents of four- and five-year-olds who assume they must file something. When the notice of…
  • Homeschooling Siblings on Florida Scholarships: One Account, Separate Balances, and Shared Curriculum
    My Learning Source · September 18, 2026
    Three kids, three awards, one parent portal — and a shared bookshelf. How multi-child families keep each student's funds straight, which purchases can be shared and which can't, why the same receipt…
  • The Family Math Night: Turning Education Into Family Time
    Totally Medieval · September 17, 2026
    Math practice does not always have to mean one child, one textbook, and one worksheet. That is what I was taught in the public school. For homeschooling families especially, education can become…
  • Switching Florida Scholarships: PEP, FES-UA, Private School to Home, and What Happens to the Money
    My Learning Source · September 16, 2026
    A child gets a diagnosis and FES-UA becomes the better fit. A private school year ends and the family wants to bring the kids home. Florida's rules for moving between programs are strict, hard to…
  • Not in MyScholarShop? How Florida Families Can Buy Educational Products and Request Reimbursement
    Historical Conquest LLC · September 15, 2026
    For Florida families using education scholarship funds, MyScholarShop can make purchasing educational materials remarkably convenient. Parents can shop for eligible instructional materials and…
  • Hurricane-Proofing Your Homeschool: Backups, Portfolios, and a Flexible Fall
    My Learning Source · September 15, 2026
    Hurricane season runs June through November, right across the start of the homeschool year and the first scholarship deposit. How to keep your portfolio and receipts safe from water and power loss,…
  • Stop Fighting the Screen, BUT Turn Your Student’s Technology Time Into Learning Time
    Xogos Gaming · September 14, 2026
    The Screen Is Not the Real Question For many homeschool parents and educators, screen time can feel like a constant battle. We tell students to put down the phone, turn off the game, close YouTube,…
  • Florida Virtual School and Homeschoolers: Free for Home Education, Private-Pay Under PEP
    My Learning Source · September 14, 2026
    FLVS Flex gives Florida home education students free, teacher-led online courses in every subject — a benefit families in other states would pay thousands for. How to enroll, what the courses are…
  • I KNEW IT!!! Handwriting Is Doing More Than We Think
    BlackBack Handwriting · September 12, 2026
    As a pediatric occupational therapist who has worked with children for more than 38 years, I’ve always believed that there is something very special about putting a pencil in a child’s hand and…
  • Standardized Testing for Florida Homeschoolers: Which Tests Count, Where to Take Them, and Who Pays
    My Learning Source · September 11, 2026
    A nationally normed test can satisfy your annual evaluation, PEP requires one every year, and scholarship funds can pay for it — yet many families don't know which tests qualify or where to sit them.…
  • Dual Enrollment for Florida Homeschoolers: Free College Credit Before Graduation
    My Learning Source · September 10, 2026
    Florida lets home-educated high schoolers take real college courses with tuition and fees covered — and many families never use it. How dual enrollment works for home education students, the…
  • Homeschooling High School in Florida: Credits, Transcripts, the Diploma, and Bright Futures
    My Learning Source · September 9, 2026
    The high school years are where confident homeschoolers get nervous. Who issues the diploma, how credits are counted, what a transcript needs to contain, how a home-educated student qualifies for…
  • Notice to Educators = The Science of Fun: Why Students Remember More When They Enjoy Learning
    Xogos Gaming · September 8, 2026
    Fun and Learning Are Not Opposites For generations, education has often treated fun and serious learning as if they were opposites. If students are laughing, competing, experimenting, building, or…
  • Umbrella Schools in Florida: How They Work, What to Ask, and How They Fit With Scholarships
    My Learning Source · September 8, 2026
    Thousands of Florida families homeschool without ever sending a notice to their school district — they enroll in an umbrella school instead. What an umbrella school actually is, what it does and…
  • Turn Car Time Into Handwriting Time: Making Everyday Moments Count
    BlackBack Handwriting · September 5, 2026
    by: Helene LIeberman MS, OTR/L creator of BlackBack Handwriting https://www.blackbackhandwriting.com/ Did you know your preschooler spends 30 minutes to an hour—or even more—sitting in a car seat…
  • Beyond Curriculum: Using Scholarship Funds for PE, Field Trips, and Life Skills
    My Learning Source · August 31, 2026
    Textbooks are the obvious purchase — but Florida's scholarship rules, especially FES-UA's, reach much further: sports instruction, museum and zoo trips, educational games, even home internet. What…
  • Some Tiny Tweaks to Help Children Develop Soft Skills
    BlackBack Handwriting · August 31, 2026
    Helene Lieberman MS, OTR/L www.blackbackhandwriting.com Times may have changed, but some skills are always needed. Children will hopefully grow in to adults who are productive. These children will be…
  • Meet Them Where They Are: How to Discover What Actually Motivates Your Student
    Xogos Gaming · August 30, 2026
    What If Your Student Isn't Unmotivated? Have you ever watched a student struggle to concentrate on a lesson for twenty minutes, only to spend hours completely focused on a video game, sport, art…
  • Stop Memorizing Dates: How to Teach History So Your Child Actually Remembers It
    Historical Conquest LLC · August 29, 2026
    Stop Memorizing Dates: How to Teach History So Your Child Actually Remembers It For many students, history becomes a frustrating cycle. Read the chapter. Memorize the names. Memorize the dates. Take…
  • "I'm Just Not Good at Math": Helping Your Child Change the Story They Tell Themselves
    Totally Medieval · August 29, 2026
    There are few statements about education that parents should take more seriously than hearing a child say: "I'm just not good at math." At first, it may sound like ordinary frustration. But when…
  • Xogos Gaming Celebrates First Successful Scholarship Release: Students Turn Gaming and Service Into Real Money for Their Futures
    Xogos Gaming · August 28, 2026
    Xogos Gaming is excited to announce a major milestone: our first scholarship fund release has officially been completed! Yesterday, students participating in Xogos Gaming were able to convert the…
  • Quarterly Funding and Rollover: How to Plan a Year of Scholarship Spending
    My Learning Source · August 27, 2026
    Scholarship money doesn't arrive as one September lump sum — it lands in four deposits across the year, and families who plan around that rhythm avoid the classic August cash crunch. How the quarters…
  • The Florida Scholarship Calendar: Every Deadline Homeschool Families Should Track
    My Learning Source · August 26, 2026
    Florida's scholarship system rewards families who move early and quietly penalizes those who don't — a renewal filed one day late is reprocessed as a brand-new application at the back of the line.…
  • FES-UA: Florida's Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities
    My Learning Source · August 25, 2026
    Florida's largest scholarship awards go to students with qualifying diagnoses — and no private school enrollment is required, so it works for families educating at home. Who qualifies, how matrix…
  • How to Get Reimbursed by Step Up For Students Without a Denial
    My Learning Source · August 24, 2026
    Nearly every reimbursement frustration comes down to documentation. What a receipt must show, the purchases that can never be reimbursed, why the 60-day clock restarts, and the one-appeal rule that…
  • The 4 P’s of Handwriting: 4 Essential Handwriting Skills Every Child Needs
    BlackBack Handwriting · August 22, 2026
    Helene Lieberman MS,OTR/L https://www.blackbackhandwriting.com/ When teachers ask me to take a look at a child’s handwriting, I don’t start by looking at the letters on the page. I start by looking…
  • Why Students Should Study Personal Finance More Than Once Before Adulthood
    Xogos Gaming · August 20, 2026
    Personal Finance Is Too Important to Teach Only Once Students may spend years studying mathematics, English, science, and history because we understand that important subjects cannot be mastered…
  • The Three Ways to Spend Florida Scholarship Funds — and When to Use Each
    My Learning Source · August 20, 2026
    Direct billing, MyScholarShop, and reimbursement: most families end up using all three, and knowing which route fits which purchase is the difference between a smooth year and a folder of denied…
  • How to Set Up Your Step Up For Students EMA Account (Document Checklist Included)
    My Learning Source · August 19, 2026
    Your EMA account is where everything happens — applications, funds, invoices, reimbursements. Families who set it up right the first time get funded weeks earlier than families who don't. The exact…
  • New to Homeschooling in Florida? Your First 30 Days, Step by Step
    My Learning Source · August 18, 2026
    Pulling your child out of school feels enormous — but Florida makes the legal part simpler than most states. Here is exactly what to do in your first month: the notice to file, the two legal paths to…
  • The Power of the Pause: Why Students, and Teachers, Need More Breaks
    BlackBack Handwriting · August 17, 2026
    Helene Lieberman MS, OTR/L www.blackbackhandwriting.com Did you know that schools in Finland have students go outside for 15 minutes after every 45-minute period of instruction. This happens every…
  • Stop the Worksheets: How to Make Math Something Your Child Actually Wants to Practice
    Totally Medieval · August 15, 2026
    For many homeschooling parents and educators, the battle over math begins with a familiar sentence: “Do I have to do all of these problems?” The surprising answer may be that the student does not…
  • Florida Home Education Law Basics: Notice, Portfolio, and Your Annual Evaluation
    My Learning Source · August 14, 2026
    Three obligations — a one-time notice, an ongoing portfolio, and an annual evaluation — are the entire legal core of a traditional Florida home education program. What each one actually requires, the…
  • The Florida PEP Scholarship, Explained for Homeschool Families
    My Learning Source · August 12, 2026
    PEP is Florida's education savings account built for families who educate at home — and it's also the program families misunderstand most. What it pays for, who qualifies, the one rule that surprises…
  • A Better Way to Pay for College: Helping Students Find Scholarships Before the Debt Begins
    Xogos Gaming · August 11, 2026
    The Cost of Education Can Follow a Family for Years For generations, post-secondary education has been presented as one of the clearest paths toward opportunity. But there is a problem that families…
  • The Pencil Grasp Myth
    BlackBack Handwriting · August 8, 2026
    Helene Lieberman MS, OTR/L www.blackbackhandwriting.com When I go into a classroom, teachers always want me to look at pencil grasps of several children because the child holds the pencil “odd”. I am…
  • Why Students Remember History Better Through Games Than Textbooks (The Brain Science)
    Historical Conquest LLC · August 6, 2026
    Walk into almost any classroom and ask adults what they remember from their history classes. Many will recall a few famous names like George Washington, Julius Caesar, or Abraham Lincoln, but…
  • The Adventure Your Children Will Remember: Why Hands-On Learning Creates Lifelong Memories
    My Learning Source · August 6, 2026
    Many parents worry about giving their children the best education possible. They research curriculum, compare teaching methods, search for the right books, and spend countless hours planning lessons.…
  • Using Games to Teach Math: Turning Play into Powerful Learning
    Totally Medieval · August 4, 2026
    For generations, mathematics has often been taught through worksheets, repetitive drills, and memorization. While these methods can build important skills, they are not always the most engaging way…
  • The Value of Educational Consulting: Helping Every Student Reach Their Full Potential
    My Learning Source · August 4, 2026
    Every child is unique. Some students race ahead in mathematics but struggle with reading comprehension. Others excel in creative writing while finding organization and time management difficult.…
  • Using Games to Teach Science: Turning Curiosity into Lifelong Learning
    Xogos Gaming · August 3, 2026
    Science Was Never Meant to Be Memorized For many students, science becomes a subject filled with vocabulary lists, formulas, diagrams, and laboratory reports. While these are valuable tools, they…
  • Why the Microschool Model Is Growing in Homeschooling Today
    My Learning Source · August 3, 2026
    Over the past decade, homeschooling has undergone a remarkable transformation. What was once viewed primarily as parents teaching their children around the kitchen table has expanded into a wide…
  • Meet Students Where They Are: The Secret to Making History Come Alive
    Xogos Gaming · July 30, 2026
    Every Student Learns Differently One of the biggest mistakes adults make when teaching history is assuming every student learns the same way. Some students can sit down with a textbook and absorb…
  • Learning by Doing: Why Active Minds Learn Better Than Passive Ones
    My Learning Source · July 30, 2026
    For generations, education has often been pictured the same way: students sitting quietly in rows, completing worksheets, memorizing information for the next test, and hoping they remember enough to…
  • The Greatest Opportunity for Social Mobility in a Generation
    Innovate the Future · July 29, 2026
    Why Innovate the Future Is Teaching Students Technology—Carefully, Responsibly, and Without Leaving Them Behind Artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful technologies ever created. It is…
  • STEM Is Not Optional: Why America's Future Depends on Teaching Students How to Build, Not Just Consume
    My Learning Source · July 29, 2026
    Walk into almost any classroom today, and you'll find students surrounded by technology. They carry smartphones more powerful than the computers that sent astronauts to the Moon. They ask artificial…
  • Technology Is Transforming Education—But Only When We Teach the Basics First
    Innovate the Future · July 28, 2026
    Every Powerful Tool Requires a Strong Foundation Throughout history, every major technological advancement has forced educators to answer the same question: When should students begin using new…
  • "Don't Make Me Repeat Myself" - (Signed) History
    Historical Conquest LLC · July 28, 2026
    Every homeschooling convention and educational conference seems to begin the same way for me. I unpack my booth, arrange the Historical Conquest games, set up our curriculum, and put on one of two…
  • The Battle for a Child's Mind
    Xogos Gaming · July 27, 2026
    Every Generation Shapes the Next There has never been a time in history when adults held more power over the minds of children than they do today. We decide what they watch, what they read, what they…
  • The Return of the Classics: Why Yesterday's Stories May Be the Answer to Today's Learning Crisis
    My Learning Source · July 27, 2026
    Across the country, families are rediscovering the classic stories that captivated generations before them — and finding an answer to today's reading crisis on their own bookshelves.
  • Developing Hand Strength Does Not Require Special Equipment
    BlackBack Handwriting · July 26, 2026
    <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable;…
  • The Trades Are Back: Why America Is Rediscovering the Value of Skilled Work
    Trade Schooler · July 23, 2026
    For Too Long, We Told Students There Was Only One Path For decades, America sent a message to nearly every high school student: if you wanted to be successful, you had one choice—go to a four-year…
  • Staying Connected: Why Parents Must Remain Actively Involved in Their Children's Lives—Especially Online
    Xogos Gaming · July 22, 2026
    Parents Matter More Than They Often Realize One of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child is not money, technology, or even the best education. It is their presence. When children are young,…
  • College, Trade School, or Straight into a Career? Helping Your Student Find the Right Path
    Innovate the Future · July 22, 2026
    There Is No Single Road to Success For generations, many families have been told that there is only one path to success: graduate from high school, attend college, earn a degree, and build a career.…
  • Learning History Beyond the Textbook: Helping Students Connect, Remember, and Grow
    Historical Conquest LLC · July 21, 2026
    History Was Never Meant to Be Boring Ask many adults what they remember about history class, and you'll often hear the same answer: dates, vocabulary words, and long lectures. Unfortunately, many…
  • Keeping Students Safe Online: Teaching Healthy Technology Habits in a Digital World
    Xogos Gaming · July 21, 2026
    The Internet Is an Incredible Tool—But It Requires Wisdom The internet has become one of the greatest educational resources ever created. Students can explore museums on the other side of the world,…
  • Preparing Students for a Digital Future Without Letting Screens Control Their Lives
    Xogos Gaming · July 17, 2026
    Technology Is No Longer Optional Whether we like it or not, today's students are growing up in a world where digital devices are woven into nearly every part of daily life. Smartphones, tablets,…
  • Why History Matters: Helping Students Learn, Remember, and Love the Past
    Historical Conquest LLC · July 17, 2026
    History Is More Than Memorizing Dates For many students, history has earned an unfair reputation as a subject filled with endless names, dates, and facts that must simply be memorized for a test.…
  • Using Movement to Improve Literacy: Helene Lieberman MS, OTR/L, creator of BlackBack Handwriting, www.blackbackhandwriting.com
    BlackBack Handwriting · July 15, 2026
    Close your eyes and imagine a primary classroom. Look around. What are the students doing? What is the teacher doing? Often, the image that comes to mind is one of students seated still and silent at…
  • Why Every Student Should Explore the Trades Before Paying for Trade School
    Trade Schooler · July 14, 2026
    For generations, students have been told that success requires attending a four-year university. While college remains the right path for many careers, today's workforce looks very different than it…
  • A Merit-Based Scholarship Students Earn Throughout Their Educational Journey
    Innovate the Future · July 14, 2026
    For generations, scholarships have often been awarded at the end of a student's high school career. Students spend countless hours writing essays, filling out applications, and hoping to be selected…
  • My Story: Why I Fell in Love with History After I Almost Gave Up on It
    Historical Conquest LLC · July 11, 2026
    When I was growing up, history was one of the hardest subjects for me to enjoy. It wasn't because I disliked history itself. In fact, I eventually discovered that I absolutely loved it. The problem…
  • From Addiction to Purpose: How Video Games Changed My Life – By Zack Edwards
    Xogos Gaming · July 10, 2026
    There was a time in my life when video games had far more control over me than I wanted to admit. Like many young people, I loved gaming. The challenge, the excitement, the progression, and the sense…
  • When Did Learning Become a Chore?
    Rayvencrest · July 3, 2026
    Young children are naturally curious. They ask questions constantly. They experiment. They explore. They try things to see what happens. Curiosity is a normal part of child development. As children…
  • 13. Heroes and Villains of the Roaring 20's: The Stock Market Boom
    Historical Conquest LLC · June 11, 2026
    My Name is Charles E. Mitchell: Banker and Champion of the Stock Market Boom I became one of the most powerful bankers in the United States during the Roaring Twenties. I was born in 1877 in Illinois…
  • The Importance of Handwriting in a Digital World
    BlackBack Handwriting · June 11, 2026
    Our world is going digital, so it is really necessary to learn to write. Absolutely!!! Handwriting is still important because it helps the brain learn and remember information more effectively. When…
  • Teaching History Through Play: The Historical Conquest Approach
    My Learning Source · May 4, 2026
    How an award-winning card game is helping homeschool families make history come alive for their students — across all ages and learning styles.
  • Why Learning History Through Physical Activities and Games Is Essential for Many Students
    Historical Conquest LLC · April 27, 2026
    History is not meant to be memorized—it is meant to be experienced, understood, and applied . Yet for decades, history education has leaned heavily on passive learning: reading textbo
  • The Hidden Power of Math: How It Builds Your Child’s Brain
    Totally Medieval · April 27, 2026
    Then most people think about math, they picture numbers, equations, and maybe a worksheet at the kitchen table. But what if math is far more powerful than that? What
  • The Hidden Power of History: Why It Improves Performance in Every Subject
    Historical Conquest LLC · April 27, 2026
    When most people think of history, they picture a long list of dates, names, and events to memorize. It’s often treated as a background subject—important, but not es
  • From Isolation to Interaction: How Screens and Gaming Platforms Like Xogos Can Strengthen Family Relationships
    Xogos Gaming · April 26, 2026
    For many families, screens have become a source of tension. Parents worry about distraction, lost time, and the quiet separation that can happen when everyone is abs
  • Turning Screens Into Springboards: How Gaming Platforms Like Xogos Can Get Kids Off the Screen and Into Real Life
    Xogos Gaming · April 26, 2026
    For years, parents and educators have wrestled with a frustrating paradox: screens are everywhere, yet the very tools that capture children’s attention often pull th
  • How to Use Your Step Up Scholarship to Find the Right Vendor
    My Learning Source · April 25, 2026
    Florida's scholarship programs have opened doors for thousands of homeschool families — and the numbers keep growing. In the 2025–26 school year alone, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for…