One of the beauties of homeschooling is learning together as a family. As our children get older, I’m always looking for ways to gather everyone around the table to learn a common subject together. History continues to be a great source of interest and unity in our homeschool. Every afternoon, we mix our ages and stages to enjoy a beautiful … Read More
Feeling BLAH About Homeschooling? How To Keep On When You Want to Quit
For the first time in my life I feel uninspired about homeschooling. There’s no magic. No sparkly feelings. Nothing. This is odd for me because I’ve been a homeschool enthusiast since I was a child. While other kids dreamed of becoming the POTUS or the first person to set foot on Mars, I gazed starry-eyed at the prospect of gathering … Read More
Enrich Your Middle Schooler’s Socialization Through Literature: A Tom Sawyer Book Club
Build homeschooling socialization while reading a good book together! Viv and I figured that if, way back in 1876, Mark Twain wanted her to get a kick out of Tom Sawyer’s adventures, we would read the book just like that. We intended to have some fun with this one!
We wanted to invite some friends along for the ride and we didn’t have to look very far. Fifteen enthused peers read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer together. It was my job to guide them toward “entertainment” the whole time! We read the book over the span of 8 weeks, covering 4 – 5 chapters each week. In the end, I can confidently say that the students thoroughly enjoyed the book together and I was honored to sit in on their laughter and discussions. Here’s what we did!
The Awesome Perks of Reading Aloud to Your Middle Schooler
(I received Sonlight 100 in exchange for a series of blog posts that contain my honest opinion.) Our leather couch is sagging in the middle. It came into our lives when we were poor newlyweds with a 2-year old toddler and a baby-on-the-way. One Saturday, we strolled the aisles of Sam’s Club and spotted a sturdy 4-piece leather living room … Read More
The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling for You and Your Child
If you are considering homeschooling your child, I’d love to cheer you on and contribute my two cents to the complex decision before you.
Preparing, Enriching, and Equipping a Middle Schooler to Thrive
Worried about a bored tween? Perhaps it’s time for a new challenge!
Getting the School Year Off the Ground
Well, here we go! A new school year is upon us. We logged two days of school before embarking on a week’s journey to New England. I wanted to try on our new schedule and make sure we had all of the supplies that we needed. Now that we’re back from a wonderful trip to Boston, Plimoth Plantation, and West … Read More
Let’s Get This Straight: 2 Thoughts About Homeschoolers vs. Public Schoolers
I think there’s a tension between homeschoolers vs. public/ private schoolers. (I dunno… I could be wrong… but I think it’s there.) We’re each doing our very best, yet we’re afraid that maybe our children are missing out. We wonder if other women are judging us. We stumble over our words when we talk with one another because we’re not … Read More
Get Your Child to Play More Games, Solve More Puzzles, and Exercise Creativity
Don’t you just love when your child is totally absorbed in creating, puzzling, or playing? I do! We have a closet full of incredible games and toys – solitaire marbles, colored blocks, a Buddha board, dominoes, chess – but with a baby crawling around, I haven’t known what to do with all of those tiny pieces and fragile items. So, … Read More
The Playful Pioneers Review: 3 First Impressions
I first heard of Jennifer Pepito’s curriculum on The Homeschool Snapshots podcast. I love her philosophy about the preschool years and became interested in her “Peaceful Preschool” curriculum. While I was checking that out, I discovered her newest curriculum, “The Playful Pioneers“, which provides a multi-sensory approach to the first 5 books in The Little House on the Prairie series … Read More
