There are so many different ideas when it comes to Halloween in the Christian community. Many churches do alternatives while some churches embrace the Halloween thing and offer activities within the community as an outreach. The differences in opinion from church to church and denomination to denomination is further complicated from person to person. We […]
Confessions of a Homeschool Dad
Have you ever wondered how your husband feels about homeschooling? Me too! Until I found this article written on my desktop one night. My husband had stolen away my computer and written a thoughtful little piece about his thoughts on this whole homeschool journey. We were only a few years in when he wrote this, […]
DIY Montessori Activity Trays on a Budget
When I first started homeschooling 6 years ago, I loved the idea of Montessori (especially for younger elementary grades). Montessori is a homeschool approach that blends the idea of strewing child-directed-learning with hands on learning through play. Basically everything in your home is chosen for a purpose to be of high educational value, so that […]
Choosing Curriculum that Works
We are half way through the homeschool year and I am still inundated with emails from people who are unhappy with their curriculum. They feel stuck with something that isn’t working for them or their children. Whether you are looking at homeschooling for the first time or have been doing it for years… curriculum is […]
Why Teach Phonics?
Before I began homeschooling I was blissfully unaware of how difficult it would be to teach my children to read and write. I could not have possibly grasped how hard it would be to find a program that both worked for me and my kids and built that strong foundation. I have hopped from program […]
Motivating Your Teens
Homeschooling teens can be a huge challenge. Your kids are ready for more of a challenge, their interests and passions become more integral to their performance. They need more sleep and are more interested in getting social and involved. School is very likely the last thing on their minds. So how do you keep your […]
How I Homeschool, Run a Business, Manage my Home and Stay Happy
Who are we kidding, juggling every aspect of homeschooling and family is one of the biggest challenges we face! If you work from home, it adds a whole new dynamic and another priority you are constantly having to cater to. One of the most common questions I am asked is how I balance it all. […]
Confessions of an Introverted Homeschool Mom
Being an introvert has never been so prevalent in the forefront of my mind until recently. With the spotlight of the online world drawing attention to the social tendencies of our nature, I have been forced to consider where I fit. I have always rebelled from labels, especially when I feel like we aren’t so […]
5 Foolproof Ways to Get Your Kids to do their Chores!
Kids are messy and chaotic and disorganized and not naturally super responsible members of society (the understatement of the year). I feel like I am constantly trying to figure out how to teach my kids to do what needs to be done without this attitude of suffering and martyrdom and self-pity. Anyone else? I believe […]
Why I’m Done with Spelling Lists
For years I tried to improve my kids horrible spelling with list after list. I tried to bring in context by reading them a sentence, but it just wasn’t sticking. They didn’t remember the words, they didn’t retain the spelling, and we were back to square 1. Let me tell you, with 5 kids, I […]
Do Homeschoolers Indoctrinate their Kids?
Indoctrination is a touchy subject. Every time the two ends of the spectrum on homeschooling come together, this word magically appears. Like venom, the word is spat with disgust and accusation… “homeschoolers are just out to indoctrinate their kids.” Of course we’re not, are we? I was struck this morning by the absurdity of this […]
S2E8: The Imperfect Homeschool
I don’t have it all together, scratch that… I sometimes downright suck at this whole thing. I have whole season where I SUCK at homeschooling or being fun mom or cleaning the house or making a home-cooked dinner. I am stretched thin you guys and it is apparent in the state of my home if […]
S2E7: I Was Homeschooled
When I tell people I was a homeschooled child, most people are full of questions. The regular world is shocked, because it isn’t something they ever expected. They seem to think that if you were homeschooled, they will be able to pick you out of a crowd. You’ll be weird, socially awkward, different. The homeschool […]
The Problem with Using Too Much Curriculum
My name is Rebecca and I am a bonafide curriculum junkie. My addiction is fed by the bundles and stacks of curriculum I receive from various companies throughout the years as a homeschool blogger. I can’t say no, in fact sometimes I pitch them to do reviews for nothing because the curriculum is so bright […]
S2E6: 10 Steps to the PERFECT Homeschool Day!
Homeschooling is never EVER perfect. It is chaotic, messy, fun, frustrating, overwhelming, exciting and outright adventurous every. single. day. There are no two days that are exactly alike and there is no magic formula. There is no perfect curriculum, no perfect routine, no perfect approach. Sometimes we try SO hard to get it all right, […]
S2E5: Our Typical Homeschool Day
Our homeschool day is kind of like a living organism. I have to tend it, I have to be gentle and careful with it, I have to change and adapt and move with it. I can’t create a one-size-fits-all routine or schedule because it never fits for very long. I don’t have all the answers […]
S2E4: What I am using for curriculum this year
I have a confession, I am a curriculum hoarder. Ask my husband, he’s ready to lose his mind over the amount of books I have in my basement. But I have (what I feel is) a valid excuse… I am also a curriculum reviewer. Companies send me curriculum to try with my kids and review […]
Homeschool Day with a Preschooler and Teenager
I LOVE seeing what homeschooling looks like for other families, especially families that have been doing this for a long time! It reminds me that there really isn’t one way to do this, it often inspires me to try something new, it gives me hope to persevere, and it helps me be more at peace […]
S2E3: Homeschool Failures: Turning our Struggles into Wins
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, homeschooling is hard! It is, in fact, one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced: more challenging than cleaning my house or doing a huge work project or even changing my husband’s mind (as if THAT were possible). So many mom’s I talk to feel like […]
S2E2: What is a Morning Basket?
Curious to know more about a morning basket? In today’s podcast episode I’ll share with you what a morning basket is, what it can look like and an example of what kind of books I have in mine. The idea is very Charlotte Mason in it’s approach, with reading and discussion being the primary point. It […]
Complete Kindergarten Math Curriculum
I love homeschooling math, not because I am a math guru or even particularly good at it, but because it usually comes with a very logical series of steps to follow and lessons to complete. As a homeschool mom I sometimes feel completely overwhelmed with the idea of picking and choosing curriculum or making up […]
S2E1: Planning Your Homeschool Week
I don’t know how I can be such an avid planner in one sense and yet in another be so terrible at sticking with said plans. But I have learned over the years that making no plan at all often gives me permission to do nothing at all. We are much more effective when I […]
An Amazing Charlotte Mason Science Curriculum
Living books, narration, notebooking, nature walks and exploration, discussion, reading aloud to your kids, doing their lessons along with them… these are Charlotte Mason ideals that many parents look to employ in their homeschool lessons. I have reviewed and used a lot of difference science curriculums over the past 6 years and I have never […]
Everyday Homeschooling: Working Homeschool Mom
About 2 months ago I asked you guys if anyone would be interested in being interviewed for a series on my blog about what homeschooling looks like for YOU. I think the more we can see what “normal” is for other homeschoolers, the better we will feel about our own homeschool days and how they […]
Homeschool Math Comparison: MLFLE, MUS and TT
I have been sitting on this post for a long time. It is no small thing to publicly announce that we left two other math companies and settled on one we felt was a better fit. Math is a touchy subject. It can be VERY difficult to find something that fits for our kids and that […]
An Easier way to Plan Your Year
I love planning. Those of you who know me know that I make my own planner, but the reality is that consistency is consistently a problem for me (ironic isn’t it? The only consistency in my life is my lack of it!). I have learned that I need a scratch pad, I need something that […]
A Better Way to Teach Spelling
What if I told you that you could teach spelling in only 10 minutes a day? What if I said that all the frustration and tears and the daily battle of trying to use traditional spelling lists didn’t have to be your reality, that there is a better way? Teaching spelling through copywork really CAN […]
How to Teach Kids to Write using Poetry
Teaching our kids to read, write, and communicate with language is quite frankly a whole lot harder than it looks! The different elements of Language Arts can seem daunting because there are a lot of them: creative writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, structured writing, reading, writing form (neatness), comprehension, and oral language skills. With 5 kids to teach at 5 […]
Why I Stopped Pushing My Kids to “Keep Up” With Public School
Homeschoolers face expectations and judgement everywhere they go. By choosing to remove their child from mainstream education, all eyes are critically watching to see how they perform. We talk a lot about external judgement and pressure, but we don’t often discuss the burden we place on our own shoulders. The truth is, no one is harder […]
Inspiring World Changers: Teaching History through the Lens of Greatness
I have a big goal for my kids. I don’t just want to raise independent men and women of society, but rather movers and shakers. I want to inspire my kids to be influencers, to be bold and courageous and stand up for what they believe in. They may not change the whole world, but […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 14
- Next Page »
