We’re a Charlotte Mason homeschooling family, yet we enjoy learning history and science through unit studies. Can those two things go together? If you’re a Charlotte Mason purist, the answer is no. Remember, though, I’ve said for years that we are “eclectic Charlotte Mason homeschoolers with a dash of Classical education and unit studies thrown…
As much as I’m going to miss my sweet girl as she heads off to college this year, I have to admit it’s kind of nice only planning curriculum for two kiddos this year. My boys are in 10th and 3rd grades. Yeah, we pretty much won’t be able to do any multi-age homeschooling. It’s…
Y’all. Homeschooling high school is so much better than you could ever imagine. I just graduated my first who will go on to follow her equine passions in college this fall and I can tell you unequivocally that homeschooling was worth it. Every minute – the good, bad and ugly – was worth it. Notice…
Field trips have the power to open new worlds to our children. Art and music come alive when students are able to see and hear classic works in person. Science and history become more than just facts when students engage in active learning. No matter where the field trip is, experiencing something can offer an…
Most of you know by now that I’m the author of the NaturExplorers series of science curriculum. That means, yes, we do much of our science in the field – literally. While we can cover A LOT of science through nature study, there are some topics that are just learned better through indoor experimentation and text…
I love homeschooling middle school students. They are so ready to dive deep into learning because they finally have the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic down. On the other hand, they are still completely open to creative lessons. You can just do SO much with this age group! In our eclectically Charlotte Mason homeschool,…
I can teach music theory. I can teach voice. I can teach at least a little piano. I cannot teach guitar. And, when you can’t find a steady guitar teacher, that makes life hard on a kid who really wants to learn the instrument. My Caleb has been learning to play the guitar for a…
When I was in school, I learned a lot of piecemeal history. While I could remember small bits of the lessons, I always felt like history was some giant puzzle that I would never put together – and I hated it. That’s the main reason I decided our homeschool would follow a four-year cycle of…
I’ve been sharing a little series of posts about how to use living literature to teach writing – specifically, narratives and persuasive pieces. In this post, I’m focusing less on a particular style of writing and more on writing with style – otherwise known as literary techniques. No matter the age of your children, you…
My little horse lover is all grown up. This year she will graduate our homeschool and head off to college where she will major in equine science. Before her passion for horses blossomed, we knew her heart held a soft spot for animals in general – and all the jobs that come with those animals. …
We’re striving for more independent reading time with my 2nd grader. As an emergent reader, he still reads aloud daily to me so I can teach, cheer him on and keep tabs on his progress. But, he’s finally doing well enough that it’s time for him to find his own pleasure in books. Transitioning to…
When you think of teaching grammar to your elementary student, does the word “boring” pop into your head? Maybe not your head, but your children’s perhaps? Well, I have two pieces of good news for you! 1. Formal grammar lessons aren’t all that important in elementary school! Really. A little here, a little there and…