Homeschoolers who want to enjoy serious nature study often ask me, “Which are the best field guides?” I do have favorites and I’ll be sure to tell you in just a minute, but first you should know that you have lots of really wonderful options. Most likely, you won’t go wrong if you choose field…
We’ve talked a lot about brain training for cognitive skills here at Our Journey Westward. Closely related to cognitive skills are social skills. This article focuses on some easy ways to improve social skills in the homeschool. Don’t get “social skills” confused with “socialization”. One of the biggest thorns in the side of any homeschooler…
If you haven’t read part one, Discovering Dishonesty, click over to read it first. This is part two. Enjoy! I had to run errands, so I had my son come with me to discuss the infraction when I discovered dishonesty. With a house full of people, sometimes the quietest space we can find is the car. …
“Hey, come help me move this couch. I want to clean under it really well.” As I impatiently waited for one of my sons to appear and help, I saw a small paper folded up in the cushions. Upon further inspection, I knew immediately what it was and my heart sank. It was the assignment that had gone missing…
After a successful year of history with Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed series last year, we are back at it with Romans, Reformers, and Revolutionaries. History Revealed works well for our unit study, project-based learning, literature-based loving family. In fact, it’s been a perfect transition for my older kids to…
This post was originally published a few years ago, but I’ve seen a surge of questions and interest in how to plan student-led courses in high school. As you take a peek into the planning process of our high school equine course, I hope to help you cast a vision for developing your own course…
Ah…high school. Why do I love homeschooling high school so much? Mostly because my teens don’t need my constant attention and instruction anymore! Ha! While I’m not kidding about the independent learning thing above, there are other reasons I really enjoy the high school homeschool: We have great discussions. My children can (finally) logically defend issues that are…
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 really are. Math, language, history, science, logic and so much more can be practiced without your kiddos…
At the IAHE Conference (Indiana Association of Home Educators), I taught four workshops. While they were all well-attended and well-received, one of the sessions sparked an emotional reaction like none other. My brain training session was the last on my schedule and one of the last of the weekend. I fully expected a low turnout…
Ah, fall. Beautiful weather, fun festivals, football…and the beginning of “sick season.” It’s the perfect time of year to teach middle and high school students about germs through some cool bacteria science experiments! I’ve harped to my son for years about the importance of hand-washing to prevent illness. Now that he has actually seen bacteria…
Book smarts are important, but they aren’t the only things that matter for gifted learners. It’s incredibly important to make common sense connections through real-world gifted homeschooling, too. One of the challenges I hear often from parents of gifted kiddos is that sometimes brilliant-minded children don’t always make those common sense connections. It can be…
I have another senior. How is that possible? It’s really, indescribably true when you hear that time flies and your kids will be grown in the blink of an eye. So, this year I’m boyschooling a 12th grader and 5th grader. These boys keep me so busy with music lessons, sports, and more that I…
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