Homeschool planning can be exciting and fun, especially when you first start your homeschool journey. It’s been said, after all, “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” While planning in a way that suits your learning and teaching style and your family’s personalities can be helpful, it should not enslave you. I’ve experienced times in our homeschool that were really overwhelming and left me feeling defeated, primarily because I had allowed the “open-and-go” plans to become the boss of…
Any homeschool mom can tell you that even in a good season, homeschooling presents its share of challenges. Homeschooling involves a learning curve for most moms—from the trial and error of finding a functional daily rhythm, to figuring out curriculum, to managing home and extracurriculars, to learning your child’s learning style. And heaven help you if your kid’s learning style differs from yours! When we find ourselves in the middle of rough times, whether it be weeks on end…
Fall is right around the corner and it is my favorite! I love everything about fall… the leaves, the smells, the colors, the baking, the sweaters! As much as I don’t want to rush summer, I love when little pops of autumn start showing. To me, fall also means a fresh start. I know that is actually the opposite of what fall stands for, but with the beginning of a new homeschool year, fall feels like a new start to…
Hi friends! It is that time of year when all the homeschool moms are in planning and organizing mode. And we love it, don’t we?? I just finished organizing our homeschool room for the upcoming school year and thought I would give you all a peek inside. I haven’t shared a homeschool room tour in a few years, and things have changed since then! I have added children, changed curriculum, changed houses, and have definitely learned to live with…
Homeschool Convention season is upon us! This tends to be one of the more exciting seasons for us homeschoolers – and with good reason! The abundance of curriculum, expert speakers, the refreshment and fellowship with like minded people… it’s all so invigorating! Homeschool convenion are a great place to find encouragement, motivation and strength for the days and years ahead. One of the things we look forward to the most is usually all the homeschool curriculum! We can peruse…
Review of Analytical Grammar Analytical Grammar is our favorite program for high school English. I met the late author of the program, Robin Finley at a homeschool conference. She spent time with my oldest son and I in showing us the program and how it worked. My son was hooked on her statement of “all you need is this program and finish it in one year and then you do not need grammar for the rest of the high school…
On a recent homeschool birding hike, we loaded ID guides, nature journals, and binoculars into our packs to eagerly trek through forest and field. Maybe we were noisy or it was too late in the morning, but we had yet to find a single bird! As younger children searched for muddy tracks by the creek, an older child moved to a quieter place for birdwatching. Her patience paid off. She spotted a large owl perched in the trees. Everyone took…
You’re in the middle of a history curriculum and you’re thinking to yourself, “Something is missing.” Oh, the read alouds were really good. And those suggestions for food and costumes were great. But the art activities ended up being a bit confusing, you didn’t have all the right materials, and the art history was totally missing. Sound familiar? Art! It’s that activity that we all want our children to experience, and yet it seems to keep getting pushed to the…
Curriculum is a big deal in the homeschool world and there are so many different options, it can become very overwhelming. However, I am so thankful to have found an amazing curriculum that gives me the extra confidence I need to teach my children and give them a well rounded education. So today I am going to share a review of our math curriculum we have been using for Kindergarten. We are using The Good and The Beautiful Level K Math. We use The Good…
One of the most daunting challenges of teaching high school at home is writing. Maybe it’s because so much seems to ride on the all-important “College essay!” We certainly don’t want our kids to mess that up. Or maybe it’s because we remember the dreaded red ink pen markings all over the essays we submitted as teenagers, slashing and striking through our carefully crafted thoughts and ideas. Even now the thought of a teacher tearing through a piece of writing…