As the new school year kicks off, there's been a lot of talk about homeschool planning in my circles, both online and locally, and I realized I've never really shared my stress-free planning method. You see, I used to sit down once a week and lesson plan: deciding which lessons would be taught which days, how…
Okay, girls, it's almost here. The new school year. And it's going to be a busy one. All four of you will be in school this year (and Jackson will be into everything!). We'll be learning about American History -- about the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War, the Underground Railroad and Civil Rights, each…
Grade levels are a funny things for homeschoolers. They still matter on state forms and for church and community activities, but they don't really mean much otherwise. Yet grade-level decisions were still a source of stress for us as we began our homeschool journey, so I thought I'd share our approach for anyone struggling with…
It's inevitable. Anytime I read about the problem with modern education or any type of educational reform, there's a line slipped in among the rest that basically says there's no need/benefit/joy in rote memorization. It's rarely the focus and is often the only reference to memorization in the entire article, and it gets me worked…
I love this sale and wait for it every year! The Scholastic Teacher Express store offers great discounts on ebooks and printable worksheets in a variety of subjects. The math ones are my favorite because the girls use them to practice math skills all year long, but there are also mini plays, unit studies, flash…
A friend and fellow Essentials tutor shared this a few days ago, and I love it! Designed by Curtis Newbold of The Visual Communications Guy, the infographic lists the 15 punctuation marks in order of difficulty (to learn and use) with the rules that govern their use. Click here to download a full-size poster version…
Daily checklists. This will be our 6th "official" year homeschooling, and the longer we homeschool, the more questions I get from other current and prospective homeschoolers. (Some of which I'm confident answering and some of which just make me laugh that they'd ask me for advice or an opinion.) Today I thought I'd share my…
A couple years ago, Lorilee Lippincott brought together 25 homeschooling families to share their homeschooling stories and tips in a little ebook, You Can Do It Too! Although some of the details may have changed for our individual families, this ebook still represents a wealth of information and encouragement for homeschoolers. But the best part…
Although we school year-round, this is the time of year when I get excited about all things homeschool. We've solidified our plans for next year, passed our standardized tests, and we're looking forward to next week's Classical Conversations' practicum and academic camps. I'll be sharing some more of my thoughts about homeschooling in the upcoming…
It's that time of year when homeschool families are planning out next year's curriculum, and we're no exception. However, we try to adjust as we go, and since we school year round, we don't have any big changes planned for the new school year, other than the addition of Classical Conversations Essentials program for our…