Sometimes, funschooling is as simple as gathering in the kitchen to create easy themed treats and curling up with a giant stack of really good books. A laid-back St. Patrick’s Day like this may feel ordinary in the moment, but it just might become one of those sweet homeschool memories your children carry with them…
I hated geography as a child. It was tedious and repetitive, and it involved a lot of looking up things like the population of a given country, which 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…
What was the very first thing ever seen through a telescope? In this episode of the No Sweat Nature Study Podcast, children take a step back in time for a Galileo nature study that introduces the curious scientist who pointed a telescope at the sky and changed science forever. From surprising details on the moon’s…
A donkey nature study is the perfect way to combine science, history, and holiday fun. In this episode of the No Sweat Nature Study Podcast, children learn how donkeys, camels, horses, and sled dogs helped people travel long distances before cars and trains. From snowy roads to desert trails, they’ll explore how each animal’s unique…
Have you ever wondered why children long ago were thrilled to find an orange in their Christmas stocking? This festive episode of the No Sweat Nature Study Podcast invites your family into a sweet slice of history and science! It’s the perfect orange nature study to enjoy during the holiday season, blending curiosity, nutrition, and…
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, which is such an…
Books are incredibly effective tools for teaching. Charlotte Mason homeschoolers certainly understand that fact as it pertains to subjects like history and science. But did you know that the connection between math and literature can be just as powerful? It’s true! One of the best tools I’ve used to help my children understand math concepts…
These days, it seems like hands-on homeschool is a buzzword of sorts. What’s all the fuss about? Let’s define hands-on first. It’s best to define hands-on first because I think its overall meaning might surprise you. You see, hands-on learning can actually mean several things. Most obviously, hands-on means “touching” things during lessons. For instance,…
One of the best ways to explore U.S. history and geography in your homeschool is through meaningful, story-based reading. This living literature approach helps children connect emotionally and intellectually to the people, places, and events that make each state unique. Over the course of a school year, my children and I took a journey across…
An Ansel Adams nature study introduces children to the art of observing nature through the lens of a camera. In this podcast episode, young learners meet the photographer who became known for capturing the beauty of wild places in black and white, helping others notice details they may have never seen before. Instead of studying…
I love unit studies, and autumn is one of the very best times for fun, nature-based science. By September, apple orchards are bursting with ripe fruit, and it just happens to be the birthday month of Johnny Appleseed! That makes it the perfect season for an apple unit study that your entire family can enjoy….
Using movies in your homeschool might seem like a cop-out, but it’s not when you use them for fun learning. Project-based learning is the best. My kids have not only been more excited and engaged during a project compared to traditional textbook learning, but also absorbed significantly more information. Their interest is fueled each day…