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It’s 2023 and many of us are familiar with online delivery methods.

There is the ebook, typically a straightforward delivery of information.

Then there is the online course, which includes modules of info, extra tools, and action items to help you work through a process and find a solution.

You might be wondering, though, what is a boot camp? And how in the world can this help you to be more consistent in your homeschool? I am here to answer that question.

A boot camp combines information, tools, action items, and accountability within a specific time frame. It is an intense period you set aside to focus on a single problem area with the idea of building good habits that will carry over to those non-intense times — or times in your life when you become intense about other things like batch cooking, exercising, or holiday planning.

See, if we spend about five weeks working on your homeschool consistency problem, then some habits will stick when you need to focus on other things. And you will need to focus on other things at some point. That is life, after all.

Warm-up exercises are the key to homeschool consistency

So what does it look like to do the boot camp? Let’s start at the very beginning.

The Consistency Boot Camp begins with warm-up exercises. During this period, we are not yet trying to do school every day (though most people are doing school, and that’s a good thing). Instead, we are working out our plan for how the next four focused weeks will unfold.

There is a single video about how we will prepare and then a series of five short assignments.

You can feel free to complete all the assignments at one time — it won’t take you more than 30-45 minutes to do that — but we have a discussion thread in the community during warm-up exercises that cover one to two assignments each day.

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The assignments, which include things like identifying stumbling blocks and making a plan for them, coming up with a back-up plan for bad days, setting your course for the next four weeks, and signing a promise to yourself, sometimes encourage meaty discussion, brainstorming solutions, and questions that you need answered. The community is the place where we do all that.

The homeschool consistency community

Speaking of the community, you will find everything you need there for the boot camp. There will be mentors who have been through the boot camp multiple times and have led others through.

Your experienced guides will be there to encourage you and challenge you over the following five weeks. You will get to know the people in this group and possibly make long-term friends who will continue to encourage you after the boot camp.

The warm-up exercises will take the most of your time, and there will be much more conversation there than in any other period. Even so, you are not required to participate in or read everything in the community — especially if it tends to be a stumbling block. Only participate as much as you need to be successful.

We have a “rule” that you should never be in the community before 3:00 PM in your time zone. While we can’t enforce this rule, it is something we highly encourage.

Completing the warm-up exercises will give you a workable action plan for the following four weeks. You will know exactly what you need to do to be successful and have a back-up plan for when life happens. You are ready to conquer your consistency problem. Let’s get started!

The four weeks of the consistency period

The next four weeks that follow are what we call consistency period weeks. These are the weeks that you are striving to meet the consistency goal that you set for yourself.

As you complete school each day, mark it off on your tracking sheet — many moms make a fun game of this, getting the kids involved and celebrating together.

Each day you should also check-in on the check-in thread each afternoon. All you have to do is post, “we did it” or “it didn’t happen today.” Those small messages will hold you accountable to your peers but say as little or as much as you want. We love celebrating with you the good feelings of accomplishment that start happening with increasing frequency as the boot camp unfolds. It is one of our favorite parts.

If you are having problems and need extra encouragement, you can also post a request for help explaining your situation. When you do, our mentors will provide some additional solutions, motivation, or even some tough-love for you.

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In addition to the daily check-in threads, we have a weekly troubleshooting thread on the weekends.

In this discussion, you can reflect on how the week has gone for you, what a-ha moments you realized this week, and where you might struggle. As always, your mentors and classmates are there with support.

Motivation and support for consistency

While all the doing school and checking in is going on during these four weeks, we are also providing you with extra motivation and tools to challenge your thinking and encourage you.

Each morning during the contest period, you receive a text message (if you live in the USA or Canada) that provides encouragement or reminds you that it is time to start school. This quick text message is your little push each morning to get started and not ignore your obligation to your family.

Every few days, we also publish a video message from me along with a transcript and a few workbook pages. The videos make you think about your role as a homeschool mom, the messages inside your head, and how you can conquer bad habits and self-doubt.

These are the topics:

  • Exercise 1: Why consistency matters, the rewards you are after
  • Exercise 2: Homeschooling is your job, being a good worker
  • Exercise 3: Morning habits and routines, using and avoiding friction for success
  • Exercise 4: Motivation and willpower, how they fail you, and what to do instead
  • Exercise 5: Handling distractions and getting back on track
  • Exercise 6: The difference between giving yourself grace and making excuses

Watching the videos and completing the small assignments will take about 20 minutes. You can save them for the weekends if you need to.

We also have a discussion thread in the community for discussing each video and assignment. I have gotten some great ideas from the other mamas inside the boot camp for my own homeschool.

The wrap-up period

We end the boot camp by reflecting on what we have learned and accomplished over the previous five weeks.

We love cheering your success at the end of a period of hard work and know that by carrying on with the habits you established in boot camp, you will continue to be successful.

Any other questions

I have tried my best to answer any questions you might have about the Homeschool Consistency Boot Camp, but if you have any others, please feel free to email us at info@pambarnhill.com.

The Homeschool Consistency Boot Camp opens soon! Click here to get in today!