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?
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”)
Being a mom is a pretty big job. And being a homeschool mom? It's tough too. There are days when you have nothing more to give but still must give more. On those days, there's nothing sweeter than to carve out a few moments to curl up with a life-giving book. A book written by … Continue reading Christmas Gift Ideas: Five Inspiring Books for the Homeschool Mom
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 […]
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
"Children should have the joy of living in far lands, in other persons, in other times - a delightful double existence; and this joy they will find, for the most part, in their story books. Their lessons, too, history and geography, should cultivate their conceptive powers. If the children do not live in the times … Continue reading Modern History: A Living Book List
Summer is almost here! We're looking forward to sunny trips to the beach, tall glasses of homemade iced tea, and chasing fireflies at dusk. We're also looking forward to spreading a blanket in the cool shade of the backyard and reading a stack of good books. This year, we've chosen five novels to read aloud … Continue reading Five Family Read-Alouds for Summer
I can hardly believe it. We're finishing up our third year. Three years of this crazy experiment that was only supposed to last for one. Three years of doing the most amazing—the most challenging—thing I have ever done in my life. Three years of homeschooling. Officially, anyway. Some days crawl by. And yet the weeks … Continue reading Reflections on Three Years of Homeschooling and Togetherness
The Grace-Filled Life 