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I’ve always found the more organized I am, the easier it is to homeschool or teach. I don’t have hours to prep a project. I want to grab what we need and get started. Baskets, cups, mason jars, and bins of all sizes, I’m a big fan. We store our games together. Glue has its […]
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 […]
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. […]
Summer means it’s time for camp. Have your kids taken a creative writing camp? Creative writing makes writing a lot more fun, and my creative writing summer camps are a wonderful way to play, learn, and practice writing. I love the flexibility of summer and having very few plans. It’s why I purposely keep my […]
This post was originally published in 2019. Summertime seems to be when Mom Guilt* gets the loudest. At least, it does for me. When I was a teacher, I’d start daydreaming in February about what summer was going to look like. We’d go to the pool, take swimming lessons, play at the park, do the […]
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 […]
Spring is one of our favorite times to pull out the craft bins. Plants and critters inspire us, and to be perfectly honest, I like messy things to happen outside as much as possible. The woods and yard also offer all sorts of free materials. There are no directions or rules. Nature crafts invite us […]
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 […]
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 […]
Looking for a homeschool curriculum for preschool? When I first started homeschooling, I was too. They are out there. I found a lot of preschool resources and spent a good deal of money. Looking back, I wish I’d trusted my intuition instead of my fear. I worked at a preschool through college. A lab school […]
Do you use a homeschool curriculum? Do you use textbooks and follow the same track as the schools? What do your homeschoolers do all day? My answers- Sometimes, No, A Lot! If you’ve homeschooled for a while, I bet you’ve been asked these questions. If you’re new to homeschooling or are considering diving in, I’m […]
How do we help kids learn, love to learn, build connections, work as a team, and practice critical thinking? Play! Play! Play! Play fosters a love of learning. (Do you know this already? Looking for games my homeschoolers love? Just keep scrolling!) Full disclosure, before I had kids, I wasn’t someone who played or enjoyed […]
“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 […]
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 […]
I love to give FUN gifts to children, but I don’t want them just to be entertaining. I try to choose gifts that spark creativity or help kids learn a new skill. I love gifts that get kids interested in STEAM or learning about the world. I want the gifts I give to engage children […]
