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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 […]
One of the best places to learn is outside. Whether kids are doing homework, exploring, or just taking it all in, decent weather and a good place to sit are all you need to create a perfect classroom. Our family heads outside whenever we can. We play games, relax and spend time as a family. […]
One of the things I love about leading creative writing circles and classes actually happens before class when I create the agenda we’ll follow to inspire reflection, truth-telling, and storytelling. My classes always include writing prompts. These prompts, usually created around a theme, author, or genre, may emerge thanks to a poem or a specific […]
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 […]
Homeschoolers, I am so excited to share all the things about uHandy mobile microscopes with you! uHandy mobile microscopes are the homeschooling tools I’ve needed for our science units but didn’t know existed. Turns out, not only are they do these amazing tools exist, they are super easy to use, affordable, and uHandy’s mobile microscope […]
I like to make decisions. My husband would laugh and say that’s an understatement. Perhaps it’s why I’m a teacher and a homeschooler. Autonomy is important to me. Tell me what to do, and you’re probably going to get push back. It can be a detriment (I’m working on it), but if you’re a homeschooler, […]
My daughter recently finished her science curriculum. With only a few months until summer break, we decided we’d create our own unit study. “I want to learn about the stars,” she said, so we did what we do when we want to know something- scoured our bookshelves, checked out our favorite YouTube channels, Googled, and […]
The older my daughter gets the more I appreciate a little help with homeschooling subjects like science. By help, I mean the collection of materials. There are so many resources to choose from. It can be daunting and finding high-quality books and materials is SO time-consuming. I know what we want: literature-based, secular, hands-on, fun. […]
Is there anything better than the smell of a campfire, a hike in the woods, creek stomping or star gazing? My answer- Nothing better! I love the smell of burning wood, the crunch of acorns under our shoes, the hundreds of times my children have yelled out, “Mom, you have to see this!” Much of […]
How do frogs breathe underwater? How much water does a tree drink in a day? Why do hedgehogs curl up in a ball? What would happen if we cut down all the trees? Children ask great questions! They are explorers. They smell the flowers, spot teeny tiny bugs, stop to watch bunnies, butterflies, and deer, […]
Heading to any national parks this year? Have you heard of the National Parks Service Junior Ranger Program? It changed the way my family experiences national parks! Last summer, a little worried my children wouldn’t enjoy the historical sites my husband and I wanted our family to experience, we were thrilled to come upon The […]
My children became interested in cooking when they realized if they learned to bake, we’d have more sweets in the house. While I enjoy cooking, baking is not my favorite pastime. However, our time in the kitchen quickly became a priority when the more I said yes to baking, the more I watched my children […]
Many of my family’s best times together have been on a trail. We’ve walked through the seasons with children in packs on backs, watched little legs eager to forge ahead, stopped for seconds and hours while they explored every nook and cranny.  Through creeks and meadows with one who likes to lag behind and one intent on […]
When the weather’s nice, one of my family’s favorite ways to spend time together is on a trail. That’s not entirely true. My husband and I love to hike and my kids are happy as long as we have the right supplies. Â My children want snacks, my daughter a journal, and I want a bag […]
My children could watch baking soda and vinegar explode all day. Most kids could. It’s fun to watch things bubble, change color, and switch states of matter. Do you know what’s even more fun? Eating your experiments! Edible Chemistry = science + snacks. There is nothing better! Cooking is one of our go-to activities when […]
