School’s Out! This year, we studied a combo of Sonlight’s Core C and Core G, focusing on Medieval History. Our homeschool evaluator came this week, marking the end of our school year. I love paging through the kids’ portfolios and hearing them talk to the Evaluator about what they loved and learned this year. I usually just sit back and listen … Read More
What Should We Memorize Next? An Annual Cycle of Poems, Hymns, and Scripture.
Our Morning Time is beautiful and dangerous… Every day after breakfast, the children and I gather around the table for “Morning Time”. We light a candle and sing the Doxology. Before you get any visions of sublime halos on our little homeschooling heads, let me give you a glimpse of how it really goes. This will pretty much sum it … Read More
Mom, Your Degree and Career Are Worth Every $.
Before I had children, I’d write the monthly check to pay my college loans and I’d wonder if I’d ever get my money’s worth out of my college education. Then, as I was transitioning from my career as a teacher to a homeschooling mother, I worried that the skills I developed in my career would atrophy and my hard work … Read More
Build a Path for the Soul: 12 Poems, 12 Hymns, 12 Scripture Passages
The goodness of a well-loved walking path… When I attended the University of Richmond, I walked around the beautiful Westhampton Lake almost every day. Sometimes, I’d walk by myself listening to music or sermons. Sometimes I’d run, while thinking or praying. Sometimes I’d walk with friends, talking, laughing, or crying together, sometimes singing. I thought we had traced that path … Read More
Reading with my 2-Year-Old (featuring 4 lesser-known bunny books that we love)
‘Tis the season for bunnies! They’re everywhere, aren’t they? (In fact, just the other night I had a dream that Winston Churchill was a giant bunny doing a puppet show for some children. He couldn’t remember the character’s names or the plot, so Sarah Mackenzie from Read Aloud Revival appeared as the Voice in the Sky to coach him along. … Read More
2 “Secrets to Scholastic Success” for High School and College Students (Pass it on!)
While high school and college students are on my mind, I thought I’d share these two secrets that, I believe, are secrets to scholastic success. Pass them along to the student you love. 🙂 1. Go to office hours. Going to your teacher’s or professor’s office hours can change your life. At the very least, you’ll improve your grade. At … Read More
How to Have a Delightful Group Discussion: Make Trail Mix
I want to teach my children how to be active participants in group discussions. This skill will bless them (and everyone around them) at the dinner table, around the board table, in the Sunday School class, on public transportation, in the dugout, at the office, in the Senate, and just about anywhere the Lord will lead them. I had seen … Read More
3 “Back to the Basics” Ideas for the High School English Teacher
(My current PreK/ K students experience a lesson in fractions after a rousing 1-minute mathematical lecture by yours truly…) Years ago, I taught literature and advanced synonym to high school and college students. I reminisce about those days often, fondly remembering my students who are “all grown up” now. To this day, my students remain dear to me. After all, … Read More
All I Want for our Children
While we simplify our homeschooling schedule to make way for lots of Christmas preparation and celebration, I’ve taken some extra time to read, pray, and think about our day-to-day lives. Heading into the new year, I’m asking, “What adjustments do we need to make here at home? Specifically, what do we want for our children?” I’ve been looking closely at … Read More
This Month’s Bibliography: Fortresses, Hip Circles, and Hot Cocoa
Just as a bibliography lists the works that developed a piece of writing, this post will list some of the things that are enriching and informing my life this month. I hope you discover something in this collection that is helpful to you and becomes a part of your bibliography, too. After you’ve read this post, would you share a … Read More
