We follow a four-year cycle for teaching science. In the elementary years, science picture books have helped me introduce and explain scientific topics so well that I consider them as much curriculum as anything else we use to teach science. How We Learn Science While we do use the occasional science textbook during the elementary…
Please welcome Jen Vail, a regular feature writer here at Our Journey Westward! She’s here to encourage you that the homeschool extras matter – for your children AND YOU. If you enjoy the blog post, let her know in the comments! I have a confession to make: I do not homeschool all of my children….
Summer field trips have been a consistent tool in my toolbox to beat boredom and get in some sneaky learning. Living on a cattle farm and having a library full of nature studies, you’d think boredom wouldn’t be an issue at my house, but all kids get bored here and there. A summer break from…
The air is (slightly) cooler, the shadows are getting longer, and this morning I found four yellow leaves on the front porch. That can only mean one thing…fall is upon us! Fall is one of my favorite times of the year – our homeschool is fresh and exciting, holidays are just around the corner, the…
It’s almost time to begin again! We are getting ready to kick off another year of homeschooling, and, as usual, I’m filled with excitement and anticipation! I’ve been resting and reading all summer, getting our curriculum selected and our schedule fine-tuned. I’ve got supplies, I’ve got ideas, and I’ve got the spark ready to go….
Each school year, we love to add exciting lessons that encourage a love for special days and seasons. Over the years, I’ve posted about bunches of holiday and seasonal lessons and gathered them all together here for a quick reference. If these ideas aren’t enough, be sure to check out my Pinterest page that overflows…
I told you I’ve been slacking on my posts! Four botany study posts in four days doesn’t mean we’ve been studying botany in such depth every day. In fact, each topic took us at least a week to cover. Today’s post is about one of the lessons spent learning about fungi. After some activities from…
I promised a Q&A follow-up from the CM Series and here it is. I hope I found all the questions! If not, or if you think of additional questions, please let me know! The Q&A is in no particular order, so I hope you can muddle through it without too much frustration. Corrie – I’ve…
We’ve had a wonderful month of nature study! I don’t know whether the fruits and nuts were abundant enough to make our nature studies such a success or the weather was so picture perfect that anything would’ve been a success. Either way, we had fun! We’re off to study ponds in October! Here are the…
I admit that wildflowers are quite possibly my favorite of all nature studies. I’m always in awe of God’s creativeness, beauty and majesty through such delicate little things like wildflowers. I’m also amazed at how each season presents me with new flowers that I’ve never noticed before – each with awesome characteristics that are different…
Brain training activities are good for everyone because they build neuron connections. Who couldn’t use a few extra neuron connections, right? A previous article shares the what, why, and how of brain training. You can read it to understand the concept of brain training and learn how it improves cognitive skills for ALL learners. This…
Yes, logic and critical thinking really do matter. A lot, in fact. We all want children who can stop and think before they act, right? That takes logic and critical thinking. And, I bet at least one of your homeschooling goals is to raise a well-rounded child who can transition into successful adulthood. Well, that…
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