Curiosity Encouraged’s Holiday Gift Guide

Curiosity Encouraged’s Holiday Gift Guide

You’ve probably heard the saying, Something You Want, Something You Need, Something to Wear, Something to Read. I love the simplicity, but I lean more towards something to play, something to treasure, something that’s cozy, something to make, and something to learn. I don’t believe in taking out a loan to pay for the holidays. […]

Simple Handmade Gifts for Kids and Families to Make

Simple Handmade Gifts for Kids and Families to Make

Ever since my children could stand on a stool or sit on my lap while I sewed, they have made gifts. December in our house means we’re stirring beeswax, sewing rope into baskets, decorating cookies, and designing stuffed friends. We’re painting ornaments and assembling scrapbooks. It’s in their blood. Homemade gift-giving was a big part […]

Gratitude Practices for Children and Families

Gratitude Practices for Children and Families

You’ve probably heard people who regularly practice gratitude are happier. “Gratitude not only makes people feel good in the present, but it also increases the likelihood that people will function optimally and feel good in the future.” (Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life). Feeling grateful isn’t […]

Back to School Activities

Back to School Activities

The first week of school was always one of my favorite weeks to teach. We created routines, talked about what we were going to learn, shared our interests, and got to know each other. It was important my students and I used our first days together to set the stage for what was to come. […]

Boredom Busters for Creative Teens

Boredom Busters for Creative Teens

My teenager loves to create. There’s rarely a day when she’s not making digital art, clay figurines, or doodling. When she’s in her art zone, life is good! When she’s not, boredom often sets in, and there is nothing to do becomes her mantra. Yesterday was one of these days. My daughter’s muse was on […]

Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Celebrating the Winter Solstice

When my children were little, we celebrated Christmas much like my husband and I did when we were growing up. Presents, food, travel, and (limited) time together were the focus. While we definitely have some special memories, what I remember most about those early years is feeling overwhelmed. We didn’t have a lot of extra […]

Get Creative with DIY

Get Creative with DIY

“How do you (insert something I have no idea how to do)?” If you’re a parent or are around children, you are going to be asked a lot of questions, and I can pretty much guarantee you won’t always know how to do _______. We can only know so much. Our lack of knowledge doesn’t […]

Creating Science Unit Studies

Creating Science Unit Studies

When we started homeschooling, science was one of the subjects I was worried about helping my kiddos learn, but I have grown to love creating science unit studies so much. I always learn a lot too!  Over the years, we’ve used several different types of resources for science. We’ve loved BookShark, Think Outside, and Kiwi Co crates. We’ve […]