Centennial Park fountain in Dunnville, Ontario This particular frieze was her favourite. Because it's a girl. Because it's a canoe. Because it reminds her of herself. It reminds me of her too, but also of E. Pauline Johnson, one of my favourite Canadian poets. As we looked at the sculpted panel, I told my daughter … Continue reading The Best Kind of Learning
What's so great about a vernal pool? A lot, it turns out. For us, it all started with a picture book. A beautifully illustrated picture book by Kimberly Ridley called The Secret Pool. It's a book that is absolutely packed with information about vernal pools, seasonal ponds that provide a habitat for a variety of … Continue reading Homeschool Nature Study: What’s so Great about a Vernal Pool?
There's something so beautiful about the wide open space of a new calendar year, isn't there? It's a chance to start fresh. The first few months of school have centered around creating routine and a sense of normalcy for my girls in the midst of challenging circumstances. Although we start our school day a little … Continue reading Starting the New Year with A Year of Tales
“We spread an abundant and delicate feast in the programs and each small guest assimilates what he can.” (Charlotte Mason) When talking about home education, homeschoolers with a Charlotte Mason leaning often use the term "spreading the feast". We read poetry and beautiful stories. We study art and listen to wonderful music. We … Continue reading Start Your Homeschool Day on the Right Foot: Nourishing Your Homeschooler’s Body
The decorations are down and Christmas is over, but I wanted to take some time to share a little bit about our Victorian Christmas. When I planned out our modern history studies for the year, I was excited to see that our unit on the Victorian era fell near Christmastime. Many of our modern-day Christmas … Continue reading History Adventures: A Victorian Christmas
I want to preface this by saying that I'm not a homeschool philosophy expert. I'm not someone who has pored over volumes of educational methods. I'm not someone who religiously follows one specific way of doing things. But as I've been reading Charlotte Mason's Home Education for my homeschool book club, much of what she … Continue reading Homeschool Lessons that Cultivate Attention (Thoughts on Charlotte Mason’s “Home Education”)
"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." ~Aristotle This year, we're reading Home Education in our homeschool group. Home … Continue reading Charlotte Mason and Habit Training (Thoughts on “Home Education”)
It's messy. Even on the best days, homeschooling is messy. I'm not just talking about the books strewn across the table, the toys strewn across the living room and the dirt, grass, leaves and shoes strewn across the front entryway. It's the conflict that can arise when four people are together—all day, every day. Yes, … Continue reading Why Did We Choose Home Education?
Winter. When the temperature drops and the icy wind howls, there is nothing cozier than snuggling up under a blanket with your children and reading stories together. Add in some candles or twinkle lights? Gezellig! I usually start our day with picture books and read-alouds, and we all treasure these sweet times together. Especially when … Continue reading 100+ Winter and Holiday Themed Storybooks to Read to Your Child
Christmas Eve. Voices echoed angelic songs in darkness lit by hundreds of tiny flames that flickered like stars. I held my candle carefully as I sang the miracle and mystery of a Saviour come to earth. Heaven stooping low. The glorious beauty of ancient prophecy fulfilled. My children, beside me, looked on with wonder-filled eyes. … Continue reading Charlotte Mason Inspired: Step-by-Step Christmas Hymn Study
The Grace-Filled Life 