How do you homeschool active children? You know, those sweet children who need to move and tend to make you a nervous wreck as they bounce off the walls. Yeah, them. You may not know this, but research has shown time and time again that children with ADHD and other energetic types are actually focusing their hardest…
Your homeschooler is behind in academics and your greatest homeschooling fear is realized. Maybe it’s a struggle with algebra or your kiddo still isn’t reading on the expected grade level. Your niece has better handwriting, your mother-in-law is judging, and the pressure is on to somehow bring your child up to standard. The pressure that…
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….
I don’t know too many children who aren’t motivated by candy math activities. In fact, most of them beg for math when candy is involved. How many times do you remember your kiddos begging for math otherwise? Ha! When those regular math lessons begin to make everyone weary, take a break and add in a…
On Fridays, I attempt to plan a simple object lesson to go along with Bible study. Since we have been studying knights of the Middle Ages lately, I thought a lesson on the Armor of God made a nice tie-in. The lesson is quick, but powerful. Armor of God Object Lesson Materials: two oranges a…
My 6th grader just finished a mini French and Indian War unit study that was a great pit stop in our regular history studies. I just love the slow and steady pace we’re taking to go through the Story of the World curriculum this time around. I used to follow pretty strict 4-year cycles in…
Ah, fall. Beautiful weather, fun festivals, football…and the beginning of “sick season.” It’s the perfect time of year to teach middle and high school students about germs through some cool bacteria science experiments! I’ve harped to my son for years about the importance of hand-washing to prevent illness. Now that he has actually seen bacteria…
Book smarts are important, but they aren’t the only things that matter for gifted learners. It’s incredibly important to make common sense connections through real-world gifted homeschooling, too. One of the challenges I hear often from parents of gifted kiddos is that sometimes brilliant-minded children don’t always make those common sense connections. It can be…
We veered off the “typical homeschool path” this year to teach out-of-the-box homeschool high school chemistry instead. This isn’t the first time we’ve chosen a different path for our son, who is a smart kid but doesn’t thrive in the textbook world of science. Do you remember how we chose an out-of-the-box biology course last year? Because…
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…
Eeeewww! A cemetery scavenger hunt? Are you serious? Yes! Believe it or not, this is a REALLY cool activity because cemeteries are chock-full of history! We’ve visited several cemeteries over the years as we’ve studied our state’s history. And, you might remember the times we’ve utilized our beautiful cemeteries for science purposes like winter nature walks, conifer studies,…
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