‘Tis the season for gift giving! In fact, in my home, it’s not just a Christmas gift season – we have a birthday boy in December, too. I hope these educational gifts lists help you find perfect gifts for the kiddos in your life! I’ve always been a big believer in giving educational gifts whenever…
How do you feel when I ask, “What’s your plan for teaching writing this year?” Does it fill you with so much excitement that you chatter on and on – or do you just look at me with frustrated eyes and groan? The subject of writing seems to give more homeschooling families fits than any…
Have you noticed that more and more homeschooling curriculum is being offered digitally? I Love Two Things About Digital Curriculum Because the publishers have a lower overhead, I can often purchase digital products very inexpensively. (Don’t think the cheaper prices mean cheaper products! Overall, I’ve found reputable companies to offer really good curriculum via digital…
Mastering the Art of Delight in your Charlotte Mason Homeschool Though I love all of Charlotte Mason’s 20 Principles, one in particular is a wonderful blueprint for any homeschool. It is, “Therefore, we are limited to three educational instruments–the atmosphere of environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas.” I diverge from…
Here’s a simple field guide hint that will work for all ages from preschool through adult. We started using this little trick before our children were even readers and we still use it to this very day. Simple Field Guide Hint Get out the stickers! Before they could write, or even draw very well, I…
For years, our homeschool mornings have begun on a note of family time. Those mornings gathered around the table at the start of each day have been such a blessing. And…as some of my children are moving out of our homeschool as of late, the memories I have of all of us gathered joyfully together…
If you asked me to name a few things that have made THE most impact in our homeschool over the years, one of the answers I would give without hesitation is living literature. Many precious hours have been spent together around books. Those moments have built strong bonds between us, created warm memories, and sparked…
Update: All curriculum has been sold. I will offer a new list of items for sale in April or May of 2018. Check out this new list of used homeschool curriculum for sale. There are more than 60 items priced to sell that won’t last long! You may email me directly if you’re interested in…
One of my favorite things to do in the whole wide world is teaching homeschool workshops. Unfortunately, I don’t get to do that as often as I’d like. Fortunately, there’s a “next best thing” option…podcast interviews. I love talking with popular podcasters about homeschooling – and it makes me feel almost as happy as if…
This momma has a huge affinity for picture books. Over the years, we’ve read more than I would want to count. I promise you that I don’t regret a moment spent inside these books with my children! While we certainly have a long list of favorites from many, many different authors, there are just some…
As I sat down to plan what to write about this coming year here at Our Journey Westward, I took a peek to see what your favorite posts of 2016 were. As you’ll see below, it’s pretty clear you like living literature and creative teaching ideas. And, since I love those things, too, I’m happy…
Do you ever have bad attitudes in your homeschool? I love homeschooling and my children usually do, too. But, sometimes the homeschooling attitudes in our house just stink. Have you ever wanted to wring the necks of grumpy kids who whine about every single task set before them. Or dole out about a hundred chores…