The dryer buzzes loud in the morning silence with another load to be folded. There are piles of already-folded laundry on the living room floor next to bags that have yet to be unpacked from a weekend away. Our school day is starting soon and the girls should have been awake and ready long before … Continue reading You are not enough … and that’s okay.
I creak my eyes open and fumble for my phone, trying desperately to figure out how to snooze the soft music that sounds too loud in the stillness. It's time to wake up and I'm not ready. Within minutes, I hear the slapping of little feet on hardwood in the hallway. It's my littlest, and she … Continue reading A Peek Into Our Homeschool Day
The first day of autumn. The milkweed is beginning to puff with seeds. It won’t be long now before they brazenly burst, and the breeze will carry wisps of white bearing kernels of life. Everywhere, the asters are blooming boldly—purple New England and white heath. There’s chicory, too, first brought by the early settlers as … Continue reading Goldenrod Days: New Seasons and Letting Go
Week three. I've already threatened to send the kids to school. More than once. September is a hard month. It's not just September. Homeschooling is a hard gig. It is by far the hardest thing I've ever done and will probably be the hardest thing I'll ever do. It's messy. Keeping up with the general tidying, … Continue reading Three Things to Remember When Homeschooling is Hard
The world is golden-washed in early evening sunlight. A gull wheels low, brown and speckled—a juvenile. We make our way down a paved path that winds its way through a profusion of flowers along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Five, huge turkey vultures swoop almost close enough to touch. We spot them later, feasting on fish … Continue reading Find Me Faithful
Every winter, my parents leave Canada and drive south to Florida, towing their large fifth wheel behind them. They travel around for a few months—hiking, biking and soaking in the warmth and sunshine. They see incredible wildlife and always share the most gorgeous wildlife photos. Inspired by their travels, I’ve wanted to do a unit […]
Our feet are noiseless on a trail of packed dust that winds along a tree-covered ridge. We are in Niagara wine country, and the chatter of our three little girls is punctuated by the sounds of bird bangers in the valley below—propane-fired cannons used to ward off hungry avians. Overhead, the constant whirr of sight-seeing … Continue reading This Week in the Woods: Late Summer Wanderings and Back-to-School Ponderings
When I first started teaching geography, it was through country studies. We read beautiful, living books. We invited people into our home to teach us about places they lived or ministered in. We sampled food from around the world, coloured flags, dressed up and did some pretty cool crafts and activities. But my children needed … Continue reading Product Review: Daily Geography Practice
The daily gathering. It's the part of a new homeschool year that we're looking forward to the most. I wrote all about it here in my article, "The Quiet Art of Morning Time." I wrote about how we gather around a table laden with food. We read scripture and pray. We get lost in stories and … Continue reading Resources for Rich and Beautiful Morning Times
School will be underway in just a few weeks, which means this is the time to start all the heavy-duty planning. There are SO many ways to schedule a homeschool day. Scheduling methods are extremely personal and vary based on preferred homeschool philosophy, teaching style, personality, curriculum, etc. I've met people who create complicated, colour-coded … Continue reading Easy Homeschool Planning
