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…
As I began making plans for 2015 here at Our Journey Westward, I naturally took a look back at 2014. I jotted down my personal favorite top 10 posts in an effort to see if it’s clear where my heart is in this little cyber space. Most of you know my heart is to share…
Have the winter homeschooling blues set in yet? When the blues come around our house, my first line of defense is to kick up the interest level of our lessons. This might mean adding some fun art projects, science experiments or (cold) nature walks to our typical daily schedule. Or, it might mean setting…
I’ve never been much on blog statistics. I write what I write because I love to share homeschool encouragement and, in turn, document this wonderful journey our family has chosen. Statistics happen to be part of blogging, though, so I take a peek at them once in awhile just to see if anything I’ve written…
In an effort to focus a bit more on the genre of poetry this year, my 2nd grader is completing a weekly recitation. I honestly had no idea how much fun the two of us would have with this assignment! Practice has become a bright spot each day and I watch him beam at the…
What a fun 7th birthday celebration we had for my little Christmas man. Grinchy green was everywhere thanks to the wonderful ideas I found on Pinterest. Even if you don’t have a December birthday babe in your house, these ideas would be great for a lighthearted gathering this Christmas season or a fun book/movie night….
I’ve been touting the benefits of living math for quite some time now. Why? Because living math makes sense to kids. It builds concrete understanding of abstract concepts. It touches real-life, giving math meaning and purpose. And, it’s fun! This post contains affiliate links. To make your life (and mine) easier, I decided to pull…
(I received a complimentary subscription to Standard Deviants Accelerate and was compensated for my time preparing this review. As always, all opinions are strictly my own.) My 9th grader is a visual/auditory learner who doesn’t like to waste time in school. Well, let me rephrase that last part. He does like to waste time in…