When I started homeschooling over 6 years ago, one of the questions that people asked me was, “What about high school?” I remember quite distinctly thinking that the question was ridiculous given that my oldest child was then going into first grade. Alas, children grow up all too quickly. Now my oldest child is going into 7th grade next year…
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Reading A-Z.com
We started our official reading adventure this year with reading a-z.com! Right off the bat, I loved the full scope of curriculum the website offers: the website is comprehensive to say the least. No matter where you are starting out, just about anybody who needs an elementary language arts addition to their schooling can benefit from reading a-z.com. There is…
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Resource for Catholic Families
Angie and I have been working together to create a resource for Catholic Homeschoolers like none other. It is a toolbar that sits at the top of your computer and guides you to some of the best Catholic sites and blogs available to Catholic families. The toolbar itself has many components that are geared towards families, but it also has…
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Institute for Excellence in Writing: TWSS
Institute For Excellence in Writing- Teaching Writing: Structure and Style DVDs By Andrew Pudewa Feeling Empowered as a Parent/Teacher Many of my blog readers have been asking me to write a review of Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) for a long time. I have hesitated to write the review since we are still very much a work in progress…
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Teaching Grammar With Playful Poems
When I taught school outside my home it was all the rage to teach grammar through writing. While grading the students papers I made notes on the grammar I thought they needed to learn and then used the grammar textbook to teach grammar in mini ten minute lessons three times a week. Overall, I didn’t feel very successful, but I…
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Lessons in Responsibility for Boys
Boys are curious creatures if you ask me. One day I think I’ve got mothering boys down, and the next day I realize I have no clue! They want different things than girls – they need different things than girls. One thing I’ve seen in both of my boys, as compared to my daughter, is the need for independence. They…
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About Animals Series by Cathryn Sill
On any given day a stranger stumbling unsuspecting into our home could—and should—expect to meet with any of a large variety of animals. The possibilities range from the exotic to the mundane: a maned wolf, a gorilla, a fox, a hippo, a mountain goat, a cheetah, a cat, a puppy. The animals residing here really just depend upon the current…
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Great Science Adventures: Discovering the Human Body and Senses
I used Great Science Adventures: Discovering the Human Body and Senses from Common Sense Press as the main resource for our recent study of the human body. Overall, I enjoyed this program and plan to use other titles from the Great Science Adventures series in the future. Before the individual lessons are presented, there is quite a bit of information included at the beginning…
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Under the Microscope
There are so many expensive homeschool resources, but one of the best science investments we have ever made cost less than $15.00. We purchased a Pocket Microscope($13.95) several years ago from Home Science Tools. With two AA batteries, and three zoom levels (60X, 80X, 100X) this little microscope can help even a 2 year old explore the world around them. A…
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Editor in Chief
My last review I shared about my search for a grammar text that would finish our study of grammar. I found Our Mother Tongue, and I am pleased with the way it teaches grammar. But, it doesn’t include sentence mechanics. (There is an appendix for the topic, but I don’t find it adequate.) It doesn’t address topics such as where…
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