Category: Home School

Home School / Planning and Time Management

Dad Lessons and Homeschool Schedules

Considering the greater good “Are you finished with school? Want to ride with me to the dump?” my husband Donald inquired, poking his head into the schoolroom. Pencils flew everywhere as the boys jumped up, ready to go. We hadn’t...

Books and Reading / Charlotte Mason / Language Arts and Literature / Learning Lifestyle

When is Reading Hard?

Reading, Comprehension, and Knowledge Do you enjoy reading? I do. I grew up reading voraciously — new books, old books, books set in the city, the country, in foreign lands, and many books that featured characters that lived lives very...

Scorpions on a stick in Beijing, China.

Learning Lifestyle / News, Opportunities, and Events

The China Visit: Part 2—Beijing

We had only three days in Beijing, but like Chengdu, it was a living kaleidoscope of sights, scents, and sounds. On every corner it seemed there was something out of the ordinary — dozens of red lanterns, exotic street food...

The China Visit, Part 1: Chengdu

Learning Lifestyle / News, Opportunities, and Events

The China Visit: Part 1—Chengdu

I had the extraordinary privilege of traveling to China in May for the Chengdu Homeschool Conference plus a few days of sightseeing. I spent the first part of the trip in Chengdu, which is in the Sichuan province. After the...

Penmanship Matters; Here's Why.

Charlotte Mason / Creativity and Soul Care / Language Arts and Literature / Penmanship

Penmanship Matters: Here’s Why You Need to Teach It

Is there any reason for an ordinary person to learn decent penmanship? I believe there is, even if handwriting seems difficult or unnecessary. Clear italic or cursive penmanship is an art form that virtually anyone can master. Because handwriting is...

You can make nature notebooks the easy way.

Charlotte Mason / Creativity and Soul Care / Home School / Learning Lifestyle

Nature Notebooks the Easy Way

I have always loved Charlotte Mason’s idea of keeping nature notebooks, and tried different ways of doing it with my boys. We were never able to make a habit of nature journaling, and looking back, I realize it’s because we were trying...

Keep homeschooling simple with simple routines and records.

Home School / Organization / Planning and Time Management

Keeping it Simple in the New Homeschool Year

Love it or hate it, it’s time for a new school year. It may seem absurd to think about simplifying now, just as you are faced with crisp new notebooks, sharp pencils, and delectable stacks of books, but the first month...

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent,

Charlotte Mason / Creativity and Soul Care / Learning Lifestyle

Take your children outside! Here’s why.

Most of my favorite childhood moments took place outside. I remember hours of playing with neighborhood children — skating, riding bikes, playing hopscotch, and acting out stories around my swing set and playhouse. Other happy hours were spent with my grandfather...

%d bloggers like this: