Adventures of a Catholic homeschooling family in Alaska.
Math is one of those subjects that just NEEDS to be done when homeschooling. How you go about helping your child learn their basic math facts and manipulations is pretty open, though. Both this spring and in years past, my middle boys have had the opportunity to switch gears a little bit in their math [Read On]
Recently, Mystie Winckler from Simplified Pantry sent several of us on the Schoolhouse Review Crew ebook copies of Simplified Dinners, Simplified Dinners Gluten Free/Dairy Free, and Paperless Home Organization. These products were created with the busy mom in mind who still needs to manage family information and feed the crew, but wants to do it [Read On]
I have to admit that we try to include a foreign language in our homeschool plans. We have tried to incorporate Latin and we’ve made a little better progress with Spanish. However, we often end up setting them aside to focus on the basics when the going gets tough. Thanks to the opportunity to [Read On]
I have often loved to listen to the elders in my life to glean some of their pearls of wisdom. Sadly, so many seem to be neglecting or discounting this wonderful wealth of knowledge from lives lived well. Thankfully, I have a little book on the shelf now titled Papa’s Pearls by Diane Flynn Keith [Read On]
History is a subject that seems to go one of two ways for kids. They are either bored to tears as a teacher drones on about a topic of little interest or assigns pages upon pages of a textbook for reading OR they catch the bug and want to really dig deep and learn more [Read On]
Note ~ This blog post about Writing Fiction in High School was made possible through review materials sent by Sharon Watson as part of a Schoolhouse Review Crew product review. When I look back at my high school years, I can recall a fair amount of writing involved. I was in honors and AP [Read On]
Two years ago, the boys enjoyed themselves on the computer solidifying their basic math facts with Math Rider. When this program came up as a vendor for the Schoolhouse Review Crew, D was eagerly awaiting word on whether we’d have the chance to review it again. Lucky for him, we made the list. [Read On]
Our family is full of readers. I can find the boys with noses in books almost any day of the week. However, reading a title for enjoyment and reading to really learn is a different stories. Right now, my older boys are digging deeper with literature studies from Progeny Press. For this review, we were [Read On]
This year the boys have been studying American History. Although the older ones had already cruised through the Lewis and Clark years, R was happy to help review Sacagawea (Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know) Complete PDF e-book available from Knowledge Quest. About Sacagawea (Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know) Sacagawea is an interactive [Read On]
While most of our homeschooling efforts seem to focus on the ‘basics’ like you would find in any school, I love the flexibility to add in studies that focus on character development. Leadership is one aspect of character development that I want my boys to build up. Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew, we have been [Read On]
I’ve found that my boys tend to gravitate more towards hands on learning and science is one subject that really lends itself to that approach. Aurora Lipper at Supercharged Science has created a great venue for igniting a child’s interest in learning more about the world around them with e-Science. My boys were thrilled that [Read On]
There are a few subjects I always hesitate to ‘farm out’ for instruction with my boys. Sending the boys for private piano instruction is one area that I hesitate to do as I feel I have the skills to teach them. However, I do not have the time to spend with them doing the one [Read On]
Our family has been blessed with the opportunity to review products from Classical Academic Press in the past. Last year, P and I started delving into the study of logic with their Art of Argument curriculum. Now, we have been experiencing the study of formal logic while reviewing The Discovery of Deduction: An Introduction to [Read On]
For those that homeschool, there are always going to be subjects where you feel a bit overwhelmed. While I might be considered by some to be a ‘good’ writer, I have to admit that I struggle with teaching that subject to the boys. However, writing is a crucial skill to have out in the world [Read On]
For many of my friends, when their children reach the age of 3 or 4 they are enrolled in a preschool program where the foundations of learning are laid for future educational experiences. My boys have not really experienced this structured learning as preschoolers (although D had a preschool class complete with circle time when [Read On]
Throughout the years, I’ve heard the term “the American Dream” used. But, somehow it is a concept that is not always taught to our children from an early age. Inspiring the American Dream is tackling this lack of ‘education’ with their storybook, Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream. About Abraham’s Journey Abraham’s [Read On]
As a homeschooler, it is very easy to be so entrenched in the day to day minutia of educating your children that looking beyond high school can be overlooked. Dreams of sending a child off to college might be there, but how it will happen may be set aside for future deliberations. However, you can [Read On]
Homeschoolers have a unique opportunity to encourage their pre-school aged children in learning. After all, they may be surrounded by older siblings who are learning all the time and even willing to read aloud to them. However, I have found that it can be more challenging when balancing older grades to come up with what [Read On]
Anyone that knows me realizes that I have a real love for music. I enjoy playing the piano and I love to sing. While I took years of lessons for the piano, I have never had a formal lesson on voice to hone my skills in that arena. Now I am tackling a long desired [Read On]
Have you ever wondered what life is like for a missionary family? You can do that now through a DVD series titled Growing Up Wild. Our family was sent Volume 1 and Volume 4 for this review. Each DVD retails for $18.99 plus shipping and handling. There are 5 volumes available with a discount when [Read On]
I love having the chance to study Scripture a bit more. Having an author compile not only a group of verses to delve deeper into, but also take stories from the Bible and expand them with their own insight into how life may have been for them, is a blessing for me. [Read On]
Some years I find myself having a hard time fitting in hands on science for the younger boys. And, when we have to spend a significant amount of time in the van, I am sometimes at a loss as to how the boys can be occupied without an electronic game system. Thanks to Activity [Read On]
This year, the boys and I are exploring American History. I am so thankful that there are many options available on how to approach different periods. The Pilgrim Story from Dayspring Christian Academy is one such option out there. This program pulls from the classroom teachings of Mary Stauffer, who has taught 3rd grade at [Read On]
The life of a homeschool mother is not typically glamorous. Rather, I find most days I’m wearing my own ‘uniform’ of jeans or another comfy pair of pants plus a top that matches the season’s weather. Between the casual attire and having four boys in the house that don’t care how mom looks, I have [Read On]
One of the things I appreciate about homeschooling is the ability to take short breaks from the main studies to explore a topic a bit more without a lot of preparation on my part. Box of I.D.E.A.s provides just that kind of educational diversion. About Box of I.D.E.A.s Box of IDEAs is a company [Read On]
Our family loves music in lots of different styles. The older boys are more likely to just listen to the piece while the younger boys still want to engage in singing along. Or, in the case of my preschooler, he loves to move with the music. I enjoy playing the piano and singing as well [Read On]
I’ve written before about incorporating merit badge studies in your homeschool. Now, I get to write about a product we’ve been using in the house for a few weeks that not only fits with this year’s current studies, but also helps the boys to finish an Eagle required merit badge. We the People: Getting [Read On]
Even when I was young and attending a school, I knew that reading a good story helped to solidify more about that period of time than reading a straight forward textbook description. There is just something about being able to connect with a character and read how their life was that makes historical fiction so [Read On]
While we primarily do our learning with books, it is nice to add videos to the mix. Our family loves the ‘educational’ channels like Discovery and History. However, there are times when an actual DVD is a better fit for what we need to cover. America in the 1880’s from Marshall Publishing is one [Read On]
When a homeschool parent reaches the high school years, they can tend to get a little nervous about teaching math to their child unless they have a strong math background. Even for those of us who took upper level math through college, it is nice to have other resources available to help reinforce learning for [Read On]
