How Letting Go of School Brought Back Our Love of Learning

When I was a child I loved to play school. I was adamant about always being the teacher, and I was a strict one, indeed. My “students” (usually my nieces) were always bombarded with writing and math assignments, and I would gleefully grade their papers with a bright red pen, just like my teacher at school. (Watch my video here!)

I loved school. It was just one of those things that I was good at. Do I remember much from those days? Not really. But I was good at it. I knew how to play the game and I played it well. 

12 Easy Ways to Use Notebooking in Your Homeschool

Do your kids like to write? Up until about this time last year, my kids hated anything that had to do with putting their thoughts on paper. Tears would flow as they were composing essays and researching reports.

I was at my wit’s end.

Over the years, I had heard of notebooking and knew only that it was similar to lapbooking, which we were already doing. Finally as a last resort, I decided to actually begin to research what it was all about, and I am so glad I did. 

Homeschool Your Active Learner with Nessy Reading and Spelling

Homeschooling can be hard. Really hard. Throw in a housefull of wiggle worms, and you’ve got your work cut out for you.

Speaking from experience here!

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not always that way. Getting your kids excited about a hands-on history activity or a messy science experiment can be a piece of cake. 

12 Ways to Incorporate Shopkins into Your Homeschool

I don’t know about your house, but Shopkins™ are a huge hit at ours. Every single birthday, every single holiday, all my littles and middles ask for are Shopkins. I’m certainly not going to complain about this. They’re inexpensive, they don’t take batteries, and they actually require an imagination to play with them.

Watching their delight as they play with these little collectibles sparked a question in me:

Can I find a way to incorporate them into our homeschool routine?

As it turns out, the answer was a big, fat, yes, and they’re a much more valuable tool than I ever thought they’d be! Not only are they a great tool for my younger children, but I came up with several ways to use them with my upper elementary and middle school age kids, too. 

7 Reasons School Is Not an Option for My Homeschooled Kids

Last week I published the second of two posts listing the many reasons that I believe homeschooling is better than school.

So, it should come as no surprise to you when I say that, unlike many other homeschooling families, my kids do not have the option of going to school. (At least until they go to college.)

One of the beauties of homeschooling is the freedom for each family to do what is best for them, so I am not in any way denigrating homeschooling parents who always keep the possibility of school on the table. I used to feel the same way. In fact, I actually did send my kids back to school for two years, so maybe that’s why I’m so adamant now about not doing it ever again. 

When It Comes to Homeschool Curriculum, Expensive Doesn’t Always Mean Better

Okay. Repeat after me…

Homeschooling doesn’t have to be expensive.

Did you say it?

Bigger question- do you believe it?

You know, I’d been planning on writing on this particular subject again for a while, when, lo and behold, this question was posed on a search engine that brought someone to my site today: 

How to Get Your Large Family Out the Door on Time

I’m one of those people who hates to be late for anything. Anything. I would rather be an hour early than five minutes late.

As a mom of many, getting somewhere on time honestly isn’t something I have to think much about. It just happens. Very often- usually at church- other moms will ask me how I’m able to get my huge crew out the door and actually show up early, especially considering the fact that my husband isn’t usually with me.

In case you’re wondering, I don’t have a magic formula. I don’t have a foolproof trick. What I do have is a routine that is simple and consistently helps us to get where we’re going without a problem.

So for all you moms of many out there… 

How to Homeschool Geometry Without Losing Your Mind!

Over Christmas break, my 12th grade daughter informed me that she wanted to take a geometry refresher course. 

I was horrified.

Don’t get me wrong. I was happy to see that she’s very serious about her studies, but geometry? Thoughts of proofs, postulates, and theorems flooded my brain and made me want to take off running. Sigh. Why me?? 

25 MORE Reasons Why Homeschooling Is Better Than School

Last week I shared 50 reasons why homeschooling is better than school. As I neared the end of that post, I realized that there was no way I could limit it to only 50.

So…today I’ll be sharing:

You’re welcome. 🙂 

From Religion to Relationship: My Personal Story of Finding the Cross

This is a homeschooling blog. Three times a week I write about things that will hopefully encourage homeschooling parents.

But I’m not just a homeschool blogger. I’m not just a mom or a wife. I’m not just a daughter. First and foremost, above all things, I am a follower of Jesus Christ.

A few weeks ago, my pastor preached a powerful message. At the heart of this message were these three words:

Tell your story.