Earth Day gives you the perfect excuse to get outside and do something in nature with your kids. It’s up to you whether or not you tie the activity into a larger discussion of environmental and climate issues. Earth Day started in 1970 as a way to raise awareness of the dangers of pollution and…
We’ve entered the third semester which means we’re more than halfway through the year; time for a mid-year review! You can read my 2025-26 curriculum post to see what I selected at the beginning of the year. You can read my other mid-year reviews here. what’s working The English materials I chose for both boys…
I’m sick of writing up lesson plans so instead I’ll write a blog post about our curriculum choices! Nineteen years at this game (because I don’t count PreK) and I’m still learning things, but very much looking forward to the year ahead. No deep reflections this year (unlike last year’s post and my other recent…
Last year I got a great question from Leslie on my curriculum post. She asked, Would you consider writing a post on how to evaluate the difference between “Homeschooling is not always fun and easy, and that’s okay!” and “Homeschooling is not working”? It’s hard for me to let go of wondering on the tough…
I actually wrote an ebook with this same title a few years ago for a bundle sale, but for some reason, I never wrote a blog post on the same topic. With some homeschoolers already planning for the 2025-26 school year (how are you people so organized?????), I thought I would write up a short…
Different awareness months give homeschoolers the opportunity to take a break from their usual curriculum and explore new topics or people they might have otherwise missed. While I think it’s important to highlight the historical accomplishments and contributions of minority groups throughout the school year, if you’re following a set lesson plan that’s lacking in…
This week our timeline jumped from one wall to the next in its ongoing march around our dining room. It’s nice to have it back after a couple of years. Nothing screams to guests, “We’re a weird homeschooling family!” like a prominent timeline. Since timelines are a long standing tradition in our house, I thought…
This will only be my fifth year doing an “official” mid-year homeschool review post out of like, 18 or 19 years of homeschooling. But I’ve found that making this a regular part of my homeschool year has been helpful to do and record, especially as we’ve bounced the younger two in and out of public…
Homeschooling requires a lot of stuff; books, art supplies, paper, computers, workbooks, pencils. And every year you need to buy more! Whether you have a dedicated school room, or your kids study at various spots around your house, keeping all your homeschool materials organized is crucial to keeping your sanity. We’ve homeschooled in three homes;…
The last time I homeschooled Fulton and Teddy, I went into the year feeling stressed and unprepared. This year, I was determined to have everything well planned and not left to the last minute. I’m happy to say that when we started back on August 28, no one cried and there was almost no yelling!…
Morning baskets have become a huge thing since I started homeschooling. Even though my kids always learned certain subjects together, we used to cover them all one day a week (either Wednesdays or Fridays). In 2017 I transitioned to a morning basket (or I called it a morning meeting) and those subjects were done every…
While it’s not a requirement to name your homeschool, many families choose to do so, and oftentimes, many Catholic families will select a saint to be their patron and namesake. That’s what we did many, many years ago. I remember I wanted a saint that was not so obscure information and recognition would be spotty,…
Making lessons plans and buying curriculum, while important are only a couple of the tasks that need to happen to kickstart a new homeschool year. But it’s amazing how often one forgets all the other moving parts that make a homeschool successful until its the end of September and you’re already breathing into a brown…