this is a page for
Category: homeschooling
You know I love books, right? And history. And learning of all kinds. I pretty much try to make a learning experience out of everything. Even holidays. I told you how much I loved connections. Holidays are a perfect opportunity for making connections. In the midst of the candy-buying, valentine-writing, and heart-making, you might just wonder why in the world you’re doing all of this… or more likely, your children ask you something like…Mom, why do we do this anyway? Bam. Instant teaching opportunity. Share with them the story of St. Valentine…
Popcorn is our favorite go-to snack, whether we’re watching a movie or doing schoolwork…especially now that we’ve discovered that we can just put regular popcorn kernels in a paper bag and microwave ’em! Using these simple steps, it makes the perfect single serving: Add 1/4 cup popcorn, 1 tsp oil, and 1/2 tsp salt to a paper bag. Fold top over. Shake. Microwave (on its side) for 2 minutes. I put a 1/8 scoop…
We got new school books the other day. Please excuse the lonely little cotton stem; he needs friends. Yep. In January. Adds a little excitement to the drab days of winter. I mean, who doesn’t need a little sparkle amidst the gray? We’re conditioned to think that our students must begin a new textbook in September and be finished with it by May. And sometimes it works out that way… sometimes, it doesn’t. The reality is, a child might speed through a book because they love it and be ready for the next…
I remember where I was when I was first confronted with the truth. I’ll bet you do, too. A cousin of mine (who was much older and wiser, six months older than I was) informed me as we stood in my grandparents’ house after Sunday dinner that, of course she “didn’t believe in Santa Claus anymore…there’s no way he could get to all those houses in one night.” I stood there, stunned. She had a point there. It’s a funny story now, but at the time, I…
Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the bursts of autumn color are winding down, I wanted to share one last little bit of the season, because **it’s my favorite.** 🙂 And also because I did something new with the kids this year that I love. I really wanted to foster an attitude of gratitude with them, so I made them think a little bit. Y’all. This is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. It’s not the perfectly printed or stenciled banner that I may or may not have had…
Homeschooling is… having to stop and think about what grade you’re in, because… it really. doesn’t. matter. Are you shocked? Homeschooling is having to stop and think about what grade your children are in, even though you are their mommy AND their teacher. Are you appalled? I might’ve been too, once. But that was before 15 years of homeschooling. Actually, home educating sounds so much better, doesn’t it? Use that one when talking to the most critical critics. 😉 My children get asked this all the time. Sometimes they answer right…
Last week, as I was using this little thingy for the bazillionth time, I realized I love it just as much now as I did the first time I ever used it with a student- 20 years ago!- and I thought maybe I should share this little goodie with you. If you have ever tried to teach a child to tell time, you know that it can be a LITtle frustrating (for them, of course.) There’s a short hand, long hand, the three is also a fifteen, the six means thirty, and then there’s the problem…
This summer, we’ve had fun speeding down waterslides, eating watermelon (an absolute summer requirement around here), going to the park, watching fireworks on the 4th, playing volleyball (they play; I watch), gardening (mostly, we grow weeds), and working on projects (fun for me, anyway!) Active things. Fun things. But today I looked outside, and saw this… Maitland & Wyland (brothers) and Bekah & Joe (siblings) and I thought…THAT is how summer days are meant to be spent. At least some of them. Green grass, warm sun, a breeze, and leisure. Permission to be lazy. To…
Lara Leger! Congratulations to Lara, who won the Giveaway for this book. 🙂 I wish everybody could have won, because I want everyone to have it. If you are still interested in owning this book, I have listed some links where you can find it: http://www.themysteryofhistory.info/volumeI.shtml and http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=mystery+of+history+volume+1&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCQ&nav_search=1&cms=1 Also, there are companion products, as well as volumes II and III (and soon…
Sometimes I think about all the scriptures I want the children to learn, and I think, there’s no way. They should’ve learned so much more by now. There are so many more they need to memorize. I notice they don’t recite their multiplication facts quite as snappily as I’d like. And I worry a little. I think about the list of US presidents I want them to know, and while we’re at it, the vp’s to boot. And I hear the clock ticking. I flip through my favorite…
