Teaching writing is one of those things that doesn't come naturally for many moms - me included! Just because we can write doesn't mean we necessarily know how to impart that knowledge to our children. Thankfully, the homeschool curriculum market has exploded with a plethora of writing programs for all types of learners (and teachers!). After using quite a few different programs, there is one … [Read more...] about Writing & Rhetoric: Fable
Tapestry of Grace Through the Years
I think the biggest learning curve with homeschooling is finding what works best for your family. Fortunately, for our family, Tapestry of Grace is a wonderful homeschooling fit. If you are on a curriculum search, I highly suggest you take a look at Tapestry of Grace. Because I am so grateful that we found this curriculum early in our homeschooling, I share with you today – Tapestry of Grace … [Read more...] about Tapestry of Grace Through the Years
A Time to Plant: Rod and Staff Reading Series
Reading should be done naturally and I completely agree with that. The problem is that my children don't like reading and we have a few collections of English books for the natural resources. At the same time, English is not our first language. Both the children and myself need reading lessons, I think. With the limit of resources, knowledge and skill of reading are the problem, we found that the … [Read more...] about A Time to Plant: Rod and Staff Reading Series
Minecraft Opens Doors to Computer Science & Advanced Programming
My son began playing Minecraft a few years ago and it wasn't long before his interest in the game led him further into the world of gaming and computer programming. For a variety of reasons, he was frustrated with the atmosphere of many of the online servers he joined. Minecraft Opens Doors About a year ago, he began hosting his own server and creating his own mods for the game. What impressed … [Read more...] about Minecraft Opens Doors to Computer Science & Advanced Programming
Summer Games Coloring Books
With the Olympic Summer Games coming up in August, I am gathering some great resources for a unit study. It has always been fun to start our homeschool year off a different way – learning about the Summer Olympics! We did this four years ago. Have you considered this too? Because we need fun to ease back into a homeschool routine, I chose summer games coloring books! Besides checking out a … [Read more...] about Summer Games Coloring Books
Spiral Bound Nature Notebook
Winter, summer, spring, or fall there are nature studies to be had in any season and any weather...that is, if you want to go out in said weather! Nature notebooks can be homemade, or bought. They can be a blank slate for you to self-direct or have pre-printed pages as a guide. What is so great about it is that a nature notebook can be what you make of it. It is a free form way to explore the … [Read more...] about Spiral Bound Nature Notebook
In The Hands Of A Child :: Horses
To encourage independent learning when my girls were younger, I would buy a 'In The Hands Of A Child' lapbook and give it to them to work through on their own. Obviously we would have a chat on how to utilize the resource and if they got stuck I was available to help out. These would often be interest led topics. For example, my daughter went through a horse crazy stage around 11 - 12 years old, … [Read more...] about In The Hands Of A Child :: Horses
Living Literature Grammar Packs from Our Journey Westward
This past September, I made my biggest curriculum mistake yet. I had researched and thought and finally purchased a curriculum. But when it came time to start school, I realized that I would have to do heavy editing to make the curriculum match my student's level. I set it aside and bought another curriculum--happily, one that we have been making progress in all year long. … [Read more...] about Living Literature Grammar Packs from Our Journey Westward
Spelling Workout for EFL Learners
Find out how to use Spelling workout for EFL learners in homeschool for solid structure and content. English is not our native language. We learn English in various ways. Last month, I just shared about our grammar curriculum. Today I would like to share about the spelling curriculum we used in our first year homeschooling children, Spelling Workout. We use this curriculum as it is … [Read more...] about Spelling Workout for EFL Learners
Building Writers with Faltering Ownership
A couple years ago, I was struggling to find a language arts curriculum that was both engaging and complimentary to our homeschool philosophy. In my quest, I sampled a wide variety of curricula. When I discovered Brave Writer, I knew I had found what I had been looking for. Not only does Brave Writer offer a variety of writing curricula and resources, they also provide home study and online … [Read more...] about Building Writers with Faltering Ownership
TOPS Science: Radishes
Science is not the subject I excel at so when I find something that helps me teach, I use it! Tops Learning Systems are a perfect fit for us - each book is filled with easy, hands-on projects that teach scientific concepts in a natural way. TOPS Science: Teach Science with Simple Things TOPS Science is a non-profit organization that produces great science activity books for grades K-12. … [Read more...] about TOPS Science: Radishes
Our Favorite Homeschool Hands On Learning Projects
Most kids, regardless of their age, love to investigate and explore. They find joy in things like finger painting, building a volcano, taking things apart to see how they work, learning how to code, sewing a quilt, or constructing a tepee. Sure, it takes time to plan and complete projects and sometimes they can be messy. So why should you bother? Often, hands on learners have a better … [Read more...] about Our Favorite Homeschool Hands On Learning Projects