For many homeschoolers, Charlotte Mason adherents or not, nature studies are a priority–especially in the early years. It is such a great way to introduce children to the wider world and spark their curiosity and love of learning. For me it is nostalgic, bringing back memories of growing up playing in the woods with frogs and bugs. I love to share these things with my children. But what do you do when you don’t live in the country? Or even if you don’t have a backyard? Well, it takes a little more effort–but I promise you great urban nature studies are not impossible.Continue Reading
101 Reasons to Make Homeschooling Fun
How to make homeschooling fun must be one of the top questions I’m asked. I can’t even describe the pure beauty of those moments when learning just happens in the midst of family fun or when my children’s play inspires them to make, and explore, and find out. But it is when you know that it’s all going to work out OK and you are doing a great job at this homeschooling thing.
There are so many reasons to incorporate fun, informal learning activities into your homeschool. It can serve to:
- break up the monotony of the everyday schedule,
- spark interest in subjects outside the normal course of study,
- help reluctant learners find joy in learning and build confidence,
- add some educational value to sick days, holiday breaks, or just those days when you’re asking, “Can this count as school?”, and
- provide some direction or inspiration during the deschooling process or if you’re unschooling.
So without further ado, here are a few (or actually 101) of our absolute favorite reasons to make homeschooling fun.
Our Preschool Homeschooling Curriculum
Sooooo, what are we doing for a preschool homeschooling curriculum? That is a darn good question. And the short answer is—I guess we’ll find out as the year progresses. But really, it’s not as fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants as that sounds. In fact, I think my plan might be a lot more helpful to you than a list of all the cool curricula I’ve bought.Continue Reading
Our Second Grade Homeschooling Curriculum
Time to unbox our second grade homeschooling curriculum! When I was a kid we got one big box delivered each summer from the Calvert Academy. I still remember the way it looked and smelled and how excited I was to open it (book nerd even then). It had everything inside for the school year—even the pencils.
I am grateful that there are A LOT more options now. But there is a downside to that as well. How do you ever choose what to spend hard-earned money on? Will it be easy to use? Is it going to take too much time? Will it be fun? Will it be effective? That’s why I share with you only what we use and love. I promise to never recommend something that we haven’t found to be effective and a good value for the money. And I will update this post as necessary throughout the year if we add to it or our opinions change.
Many of these choices are old favorites we are continuing from first grade. And some of them are new materials we are excited to try out. I will give a little explanation of why each of these made the cut.Continue Reading
