I am participating in the blog tour over at Minnesota Country Girl, where I provided a guest post for her series: "Summer in the Outdoors: A Series of Gardening, Foraging, and Nature Studies" In preparing for writing the post, I was faced with a little bit of a dilemma: I run. I hike. I love … Continue reading Gardening with Kids When You Don’t Garden – Guest Post at Minnesota Country Girl
Book Review: My Big Tree by Maria Ashworth
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Should you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of that purchase at no additional cost to you. Recently, I received a copy of My Big Tree by Maria Ashworth to post an unpaid review on this blog. This book is a fun counting … Continue reading Book Review: My Big Tree by Maria Ashworth
Downtime Is Just As Important as Time Spent Learning
Parents, especially those who homeschool, can get really caught up in ensuring their kids are always learning. Whether this is through ensuring that every toy is "educational" and every television program consumed teaches something or it's through carting children from one enrichment activity to another, it's a mistake. "What?" you may say, "but I thought … Continue reading Downtime Is Just As Important as Time Spent Learning
Music: Violin Practice
Miss 4 loves music, and she'd been begging us since forever for a "pretty little violin." I did a lot of research, and last year, she started taking violin lessons. While I know that she enjoys her violin, sometimes lessons are a struggle (as anything at 4 could be expected to be). Do your children … Continue reading Music: Violin Practice
Throwback Thursday: The Cat in the Castle
In 2012, my oldest built this castle from a kit as we studied the Middle Ages. Our family cat (well one of our cats) decided that it was the perfect spot for her to lounge, so lounge she did. This castle found a home in my husband's work office for a long while. One of … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: The Cat in the Castle
How to Start Homeschooling
I've had a number of friends ask, "If I wanted to homeschool my child, how do I get started?" I've also had a number of friends say, "There's so much information, where do I start? What do I need to know? What do I need to teach in my homeschool?" I've answered these questions so many … Continue reading How to Start Homeschooling
TinkerSketch May Art Challenge Courtesy of TinkerLab
I've been a fan of TinkerLab's art, science and STEM projects for some time, but for some reason, I didn't realize they had this monthly challenge. I think it will be a lot of fun to undertake this challenge with the kids! Head on over to TinkerLab to learn more about the May TinkerSketch art … Continue reading TinkerSketch May Art Challenge Courtesy of TinkerLab
Not a Secular Curriculum: Bookshark
"Bookshark literature-based homeschool curriculum provides parents with engaging full-grade learning programs that offer unrivaled educational outcomes" Source: Bookshark is Literature-Based Homeschool Curriculum | BookShark I was a bit bummed this past weekend. I happened upon Bookshark, and thought, "Wow! This looks great - it's Sonlight without the religion." Then, I took a closer look. Unfortunately, … Continue reading Not a Secular Curriculum: Bookshark
End of the Week Traditions in Homeschooling
Another week is done. What do you do to make it special? Do you think it's important to mark the end of the week? Most of our Fridays end with Princess Boogie's violin lesson. A few others end with a class at our local zoo. We've started to add in a special treat each week: … Continue reading End of the Week Traditions in Homeschooling
Penmanship Practice
How strict are you when it comes to sitting properly for penmanship practice? Princess Boogie, 4, is just learning how to write, so I haven't been a stickler about having to be 100% about her posture (In fact, I'm not sure I was strict about it with College Boy, 19, either). Right now, it's student-initiated. … Continue reading Penmanship Practice