Charlotte Mason homeschooling encompasses everything that is wonderful about homeschooling. Gentle lessons in a literature-rich environment, short lessons that focus on real-life with plenty of opportunity to explore the world indoors and out. And, these are just a few of the reasons I love this style of homeschooling! In these articles, my goal is to share the wonder, joy and creativity of the Charlotte Mason style, while giving you plenty of ideas and practical advice for implementing it in your own home. Enjoy!
This fun activity using Christmas glyphs will spice up December homeschooling. You’ll be glad to know it also counts as a living math lesson! What is a glyph? A glyph, as it relates to math, is a pictorial representation of data. That sounds like a pictograph because it is. Rather than putting pictures in the…
Have you ever thought of spider webs as Christmas decorations? You might change your mind after listening to this No Sweat Nature Study Podcast episode! Cobweb nature study is more fun than you might imagine. Learn about the Theridiidae spiders, often called cobweb spiders, and the tangled webs they create. These messy but fascinating webs…
This cranberry nature study is perfect for families who enjoy hands-on learning. The topic works well for your science lessons about the harvest season, Thanksgiving, or Christmas! In this No Sweat Nature Study Podcast episode, your children will explore the surprising science behind cranberries and why they float. Mrs. Cindy uses simple yet effective descriptions…
These exponential growth activities offer an excellent way to blend literature and math! Gather the books One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi and The King’s Chessboard by David Birch. The activities below offer hands-on experiences with exponential growth to help children visualize the rapid expansion of doubling numbers. Your children will love…
These Thanksgiving and gratitude living books have been favorites around our house for years. Some help explain the history of our Thanksgiving celebration, while others are just sweet stories with a Thanksgiving theme. Yet others really have nothing to do with Thanksgiving, in particular, but focus on a spirit of gratitude that’s such an important…
Corn isn’t just tasty; it comes in a rainbow of colors! Discover why corn kernels can be yellow, white, purple, red, and even blue in this No Sweat Nature Study Podcast episode. Your family will learn how natural pigments, like carotenoids and anthocyanins, create these vibrant shades in corn and other plants, such as carrots…
Why would you want to identify rocks and minerals during nature study? Heck, why would you even care to observe rocks when there are so many other things to see in nature? Rocks are boring. They’re dull and colorless. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve pretty much seen them all. Be honest. You’ve thought some of…
I hated geography as a child. It was tedious and repetitive, and it involved lots of looking up things like the population of a given country that I have never cared to look up since. It wasn’t until I learned to teach geography with living books and learned right alongside my children that I realized…
This No Sweat Nature Study Podcast episode explores a fascinating question: “Why do kangaroos hop instead of walk?” Kangaroos are incredible creatures, and their unique mode of movement is not just fun to watch but also an efficient way for them to get around the vast Australian landscape. Join Mrs. Cindy as she dives into the science…
Graphing comes to life with this fun paper airplane math activity! Create, fly, collect data, and use technology for serious learning that will motivate your elementary and middle school children to love learning. This post contains affiliate links. Paper Airplane Graphs Grab some colorful paper and let your children have fun designing paper airplanes to…
Living literature isn’t just for reading but also for teaching writing styles! Serious writing lessons don’t start in our homeschool until middle and high school, but believe it or not, I often use picture books to help me teach. Since picture books can be read in one sitting, they are perfect examples of good writing from…
Have you ever spotted a striking orange and black butterfly fluttering through your garden? That was likely a monarch butterfly! Monarchs aren’t just beautiful to look at—they’re also part of one of nature’s most fascinating insect-plant relationships. Milkweed, the monarch butterfly’s favorite plant, is vital to their life cycle. But why do monarch butterflies love…