Spring Fun
April and May were two of the busiest months I think I’ve ever had! Here are just a few of the things that kept me busy… (This isn’t even the half of it!)
Creative Homeschooling
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!
Expo Competition Night
School has been out since the end of April, meaning all the school-related posts that I’ll be publishing soon are way overdue. Oh well, better late than never. Our summer vacation has been nothing short of a whirlwind so far, but I wouldn’t trade the busyness with my sweet family for anything! I’ll try to…
The Lonely P
Eli wrote his very first story a few weeks ago called The Lonely P. I thought I’d post it for my new friends Kim Kautzer and Debbie Oldar, authors of WriteShop. They were our wonderful, WONDERFUL booth neighbors at the Midwest Homeschool Convention last week. They are such sweet mentors! Be sure to check out…
Why Love Nature Study? Oh, So Many Reasons!
Welcome to Day 7 of the 10 Days of Homeschooling blog hop! You can find the previous posts on my Charlotte Mason Series here. Why Love Nature Study? I’ve been so excited to write about nature study because it’s become such a rich, exciting time of learning for our family! I’ve been a nature lover…
Preschool Christmas Fun
These playful preschool Christmas activities are perfect for creating a sense of wonder in children while also teaching fundamental skills. A Preschool Christmas There’s a delicate balance to be made between getting a preschooler geared up for Christmas and keeping him geared down at the same time! We chose to do a craft or activity…
Favorite Games for Homeschooling
(This post contains affiliate links and links to my business website, Shining Dawn Books.) Games for Homeschooling? During my workshops about creative homeschooling and living math, I often talk about incorporating games into the school schedule. If your family has an established game night, you probably already know how educational many board and card games…
KY State Fair
We love the State Fair! This year was our first time being more than spectators and we had a busy, but exciting blast. The big kids showed goats two nights in a row, which left two days full of exploring all the sights and sounds. Some kind friends hauled our two goats to the fair…
Vacation Highlights Part 6 – Charlottesville, VA
Our last night of hotel life in Virginia led us to Charlottesville, home to Monticello – Thomas Jefferson’s homestead. We got into town late and were led by our hotel clerk to Charlottesville’s historical downtown mall for dinner. We ate outdoors and enjoyed their weekly Friday night music – this place was hopping and quite…
Vacation Highlights Part 5 – Yorktown, VA
As with every single aspect of our vacation, we were completely impressed with the quality and child-friendliness of the Yorktown Victory Center. Hands-on exhibits, actors, camps, films and indoor walk-through museums made this yet another wonderful stop. In the Revolutionary War camp, we watched as a cannon was fired… plotted our war strategy… wrote journal…
Vacation Highlights Part 4 – Jamestown, VA
Hang in there, I only have six parts in this series. On our whirlwind tour of Virginia, we visited Jamestown and Yorktown in the same day. In order to share several pictures from each tour, I’m writing two posts. Jamestown, VA has two attractions (each requiring their own ticket), Historic Jamestown and the Jamestown Settlement. …
Vacation Highlights Part 3 – Colonial Williamsburg
One entire day of our vacation was spent in Colonial Williamsburg. This is a WONDERFUL walk-through town of real and replica buildings that house in-costume craftsmen who are working their trades… and allow you to help sometimes. Actors gather in the streets to reenact Revolutionary events… and play various parts as you tour magnificent buildings….
Vacation Highlights Part 2 – Norfolk, VA
Norfolk, Virginia houses the largest US Naval Base in the world – and it’s huge! Just about everything in Norfolk seems to revolve around the navy including shipyard after shipyard similar to the picture above. We only spent one afternoon in Norfolk, but easily could’ve stayed longer if we had the time. Our main purpose…