One of our goals as homeschool parents is not only to teach our kids to read, but also help them love to read. Some are on board with this goal and therefore conclude we shouldn’t make our kids read, because that will kill the joy. They tend to suggest fun and easy books because how…
It’s one thing to start the school year strong, but quite another to keep at it after the weeks start blurring together. Motivation to homeschool ebbs away, and we can’t wait for some natural, overwhelming incoming tide to return. Instead of being tossed about on the waves of our emotions and hormones (which turn into…
All my procrastination this year has been rewarded except in one instance: school planning. Turns out that still had to happen because our school year was not affected by COVID-19. We’re just continuing to do our thing. As usual our school year began the first Monday after the 4th of July. This year I will…
The adolescent years are where we are most tempted to give up homeschooling, yet home can be such a needed supportive atmosphere for the turbulent pre-teen years. The curriculum is not the most important piece, but it is where we often begin. Let me share the curriculum we’ve used to homeschool middle school, as well…
The bulk of our homeschooling years are spent in the elementary phase, and I believe the books and curriculum we choose is critical to our own longevity as homeschoolers. If we choose curriculum that feels official but sucks the life out of learning, we will not have the stamina or confidence to homeschool into the…
When you’re just beginning to homeschool preschool, kindergarten, and first grade, it can be an overwhelming challenge to decide what, out of all the sparkling and pretty and slick curriculum packages out there, to settle on and use. I’ve taken 5 children through this stage and I can testify: Children develop at different rates, at…
So many people give up on homeschooling when it comes to high school, but there’s no need to get intimidated. Home is still a great place to give our students a quality classical education, as long as we provide them with the supports they need to finish well. You can homeschool high school classically. I’ll…
Way back when when my oldest was in preschool, I was reading Cindy Rollins’ blog, where she continually told us that Morning Time was the best thing she did in her homeschool. I took her advice to heart and stepped out in faith that she was on to something. As she shared about Morning Time, it…
There are so many choices to make when we start to homeschool. And the question: What homeschool curriculum best fits our style and needs? is at the top. After over a decade of homeschooling, here is what we’ve found works for us. Take, mix with brains, and experiment with curiosity to find out what works best for…
There’s no denying it. Homeschooling comes with so much stuff. The papers, pencils, supplies, and books threaten to take over every square inch – and yet can never be found when they’re needed. So we look to organization to solve our woes, but the methods of the magazines will not help our homeschooling households. We…