Using Read-Alouds as the Spine of Your Homeschool

Imagine a homeschool day with no textbooks, no worksheets, and no busy work. Imagine a homeschool day quietly spent reading aloud to your children, all the while feeling perfectly confident that this was enough. Imagine a homeschool day devoid of disconnected subjects and seemingly impractical lessons but instead filled with quiet conversations and sometimes passionate debate.

Sound impossible?

This, my friends, is a homeschool that is centered on read-alouds.

Homeschooling, Censorship, and How They’re Connected

We’re living in a world today of mass censorship. Whether it’s blocking dissenting opinions on mainstream social media platforms, removing information that goes against the status quo from websites like Amazon and Etsy, or discriminating against “conspiracy theory” videos on YouTube, one thing is clear:

We, the people, are no longer trusted to do our own research or form our own opinions on anything of importance.

Our Must-Have Notebooking Supply List

I remember a time when I could never get my kids to write without dealing with complaints, insecurity, and tears. Since we began notebooking a couple years ago, I’ve found that not only are my children much more receptive to writing, but they often do it in their spare time, as well – voluntarily.

I’ll admit that if I had just approached notebooking as yet another way to incorporate writing, it would have backfired. The key to our notebooking success has been less about using it as a method and more about using it to provide my kids with choices.