The first year that we started homeschool, I spent hour upon laborious and hour planning my year. I gathered books, researched websites and made checklists of my own checklists. Field trips, flash cards, cinnamon play dough and perfectly scheduled Christmas breaks had to fit in just so. I can’t blame myself! My eyes had just […]
What in the world is unschooling? For me it used to conjure up images of unruly minors being raised by wolves and iPads! Sounds rebellious doesn’t it? Well I’m sorry to disappoint all you rebels out there, but unschooling is actually just a fancy word for letting your child’s interests set the curriculum. It can […]
Ahhh, writing this post each year has become so therapeutic; like tying up the loose ends of our messy, real-life school year into a neat, pretty bow! If you’re new here, this was our fifth year homeschooling and our children are ten, eight, six and two. (I have a recap of each of our previous […]
If you’re looking to bring in a little magic to your summer routines, picture book read alouds are the perfect way to begin. Today I’m sharing ten of our very favorite, nostalgic picture books for summer! Step into a world of summer storms, beach days, berry picking, big family picnics and and fire fly catching […]
You’re in a great routine and then hits you out of nowhere: your two-year old stops taking naps. They are awake crying in their crib or simply refusing to fall asleep to your normal nap routine. No amount of books, rocking or cuddling will coax those sweet little eyeballs shut. (Oh, please, Lord, make it […]
Some people love their chore charts. Can I be honest? My house seems to be the place where chore charts go to die. I wish I was a chore chart mom, but I’m not. In the last few years we’ve adopted a chart-free chore system made up of six essential chores that keep our atmosphere […]
Our homeschool runs on audio books, especially in the summer months (they’re my secret assistant..shhh). Not only do they provide scaffolding for young readers, but they are also a fantastic substitute for screen time when a rest is needed. (Rest time is one of our daily anchors in the summer!) Audio books are also my very […]
Does the idea of painting with kids sound overwhelming or intimidating? Let’s fix that. It’s time to bring out Fun Art Mom and thrill your kids with an easy win paint project. Fun Art Mom lets kids do paint projects, but she’s also smart about it. She knows her limits (it’s thirty minutes or so) […]
Do you ever look around at your homeschool and wonder where it all went wrong? We stand in our kitchen stumped because we know we did this right. We have classical books, hand-lettered planning sheets, tea times, nature hikes and co-op days all slated out. We have market baskets and mini chalk boards. This afternoon […]
One of my favorite ways to introduce classic literature is to read aloud books that have movies we can watch after. Not only is it fun, but it gives us a goal to work towards together. (Oh, and we learn important things like the book is always better than the movie!) I wanted a fun […]