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!
For years, we’ve taken at least one homeschool field trip each month of the school year. These trips have created some of our best memories and have always provided us with wonderful learning opportunities. It may sound overwhelming to plan monthly field trips, but it’s really not that hard when you’re organized—and I’ll help you…
What do you do with a high school student who has been through two cycles of American history and thinks a third cycle would just be boring and unfruitful? Spice it up and make sure he dives deep! Over the years, our family has followed a four-year history cycle. By the time high school rolls around,…
It’s time for another peek into the real-life study of nature! In this post, you’ll see how easily Amber Oliver and her children could explore and discover wildflowers through an interest-based nature study. I believe in occasionally letting our children have a say in their schooling. It’s highly motivating for them to make decisions and…
How do you feel about insects? I bet there are at least a few species you enjoy observing! In this insect life cycles nature study episode of the podcast, it’s fascinating to learn about their life cycles whether you love insects or not. Insect Life Cycles Nature Study First, listen to the podcast episode to…
Is there a child in your life who loves to garden? If so, keep reading. I’m sharing some super-fun gifts for the junior gardener that are sure to please! Gardening has so many wonderful benefits for children. First and foremost, it’s a great way for children to burn energy. Oddly, for kiddos that need to…
Hello, and welcome to a spring episode of the No Sweat Nature Study podcast! I’m so excited to share some bite-sized information about spring peeper nature study with you today. I’m Ms. Cindy from No Sweat Nature Study LIVE and I am very glad you’re joining me for a nature walk. Spring Peeper Nature Study…
We follow a four-year cycle for teaching science. In the elementary years, science picture books have helped me introduce and explain scientific topics so well that I consider them as much curriculum as anything else we use to teach science. How We Learn Science While we do use the occasional science textbook during the elementary…
These data picture books will help your preschool, elementary, and even middle schoolers understand sorting and graphing. Sorting is a skill that is also called categorizing, ordering, classifying, or organizing. It’s simple enough in many cases for preschoolers to do and complex enough that scientists sometimes form teams to figure it out. Either way, it’s…
Learning about natural disasters can be scary for children, but it’s important to understand them to be safe in an emergency. Hear a personal story from Mrs. Cindy’s childhood as she describes some signs and safety tips in this tornado nature study. Tornadoes are one of nature’s fiercest weather phenomena. Understanding their strength and destructive…
If there’s one subject that seems to befuddle homeschoolers more than any other, it’s writing. I hear it during homeschool consultations and casually talking among homeschool friends. Plus, I see questions about it all over the internet. People are often surprised when I tell them I don’t formally teach writing until middle school. Really, I don’t. And here’s…
Do you have more than one child? How about gifted kids? Perhaps struggling learners? Do you have active children? Is hands-on learning a preference? Do your children love to get lost in certain topics? Could they take more ownership of their work? Would you love for them to really “get” what they’re learning? Do you want to teach all of your children the…
It’s a big world out there, filled with amazing creatures big and small. But did you know that some of these incredible animals are in danger of disappearing forever? In this endangered animals nature study podcast episode, children will learn about the Javan rhinoceros from Southeast Asia. Javan rhinos are one example of a critically…