One of the main goals I set early on in our homeschool was to give my children a love of learning. Creative homeschooling is the mode I’ve used to successfully do that. Don’t think that you can never put your child in front of a textbook or computer screen to homeschool creatively! Instead, think of it as offering your children curriculum and styles to meet their needs. Sometimes that will be a textbook or computer class. Other times, it may be a unit study, living literature, field trips, games, project-based learning, co-op classes, or interest-based studies. These articles show you how. Be inspired!
No parent has ever made it through the great journey of child-rearing without hearing two very frustrating words – “I’m bored!” Whether it’s sitting in a church service, a lazy day at home, or even partaking in the wonders of nature, kids everywhere are just a few breaths or activities away from finding themselves simply…
Your elementary homeschool children will love these spring nature study play dough mats. Playing with dough is more meaningful than you might think! Sculpting with play dough sounds like a preschool activity, but older children can benefit, too. You’ll be amazed at the ease of practicing important science and artistic skills through a motivating hands-on…
Salamanders are elusive creatures that can make salamander nature study both difficult and exciting. The two times I’ve come upon them in the wild were certainly exciting and quite memorable for me. In this podcast episode, you’ll hear about those two experiences! Salamanders are amphibians, which puts them in the same class as frogs and…
In my last post about teaching narrative writing, I mentioned how the subject of writing tends to be a thorn in the side of many homeschoolers. It doesn’t have to be that way, though! In this little series of posts, I hope to encourage you that teaching writing styles to your middle and high school students…
Instead of studying a particular type of plant or animal, we are going to explore an entire habitat in this vernal pools nature study! Have you ever heard of the term “vernal pool”? I bet you know the word “pool” but do you know what “vernal” means? I can’t wait to tell you all about…
I’m asked all the time if families should live in certain places or certain climates to get use from the NaturExplorers curriculum. The answer is no way. As long as you have specimens for any particular topic, you can most assuredly use NaturExplorers! I’m so excited to welcome Ashley Fox to share a perfect example….
When most of us begin homeschooling, we want (or even believe we need) a dedicated homeschool room. We see other parents posting pictures of their Ikea-style rooms with desks and shelves, cubby holes, and colorful decorations, and we envy them. For whatever reason, we believe we need a room like that in order to be…
A sandstone nature study is sure to get everyone excited to learn about rocks of all sorts. Sandstone is especially fun because you can often rub off small bits to become part of the erosion process! Sandstone is a type of sedimentary rock that can be found all over the world. In the United States,…
Do you need a convincing list of reasons to homeschool gifted children to assure you that keeping advanced and/or talented kids at home is okay? These 101 reasons are just the start. I could have added one or two hundred more to the list! In my years of experience homeschooling and teaching in the public…
What is your favorite pet? If it happens to be a cat, you’re going to love this wild cat nature study. Even if you don’t necessarily love cats, I bet you’ll still love learning about the ones that live in the wild! Cats of all sorts roam the world. They can be found on every…
Water is such a fun topic for homeschool science. Yep, plain ol’ water. Study its properties, its physical states, the water cycle, weather events, the geography of water around our world, water sources, water treatment, and water conservation. Learn about water as biomes and the various life that inhabits each. Observe water in nature, measure…
Winter is a great time to enjoy planet nature study! No one has to stay up late to observe the night sky when darkness comes early. Not to mention, a few of the planets in our solar system reflect the sun’s light so brightly that we can easily see them without the help of a…