This last week can best be characterized as “chaotic” for my family and me. We decided to make a (perhaps)temporary move from WI to TN. We were not well prepared. Transporting most of our possessions, our 4 children, 4 dogs, and 2 kittens into a complete fixer-upper, has proven so much more challenging than any…
Current Events In Your Homeschool
Current events were something I always struggled with when I was in school. We were taught out of textbooks and seldom, if ever, were we taught about events happening in the here and now. For that reason, I often felt extremely unintelligent when listening to adults around me discussing current situations. Watching the news and…
Snowman Unit Study
When my children were young, I did a lot of unit studies. With my in-home daycare, I have also always used themes. One of my favorites each year is our Snowman unit study. Through the years, I cannot even begin to count how many different activities we have done during this unit. I found ways…
10 Skills All Teens Need To Know Before Graduating High School
As a veteran homeschooler, with a daughter just graduating college, and two boys currently of high school age, younger parents often ask me what I recommend for electives in high school. Since we are unschoolers, we approach life a little differently than many other homeschoolers. When a learning experience happens upon us, I embrace it….
Do You Want To Build A Snowman?
Playing outside in the snow is a delightful experience for children of all ages. Not only does it get them active and outside, but it also delights their senses. The sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound of it can be thrilling. It may sound silly, but building a snowman actually involves many life skills. First,…
Kicking Off A New Year
Entering a new year is an exciting event. The past year is put behind us and we focus on the possibilities of the next year. It feels like being given an empty slate. A time to dream new dreams. Each New Year’s Eve, my family sits down and we work on some type of project…
Getting Ready To Hibernate
Getting ready to hibernate is what best describes this crazy week between Christmas and New Year’s for me. It is always a time of reflection and planning. Although I am not a fan of winter, I do, generally, look forward to this week with anticipation. It is a time of slowing down and spending time with…
Read To Me!
This time of year always has me feeling nostalgic. Earlier this week, a friend told me that she wanted to buy her daughter some books for Christmas and asked me what my kids’ favorite books were when they were 2. I couldn’t help but start thinking of those magical memories from reading to my…
TIME TO LET GO
This weekend, we said goodbye to our 12 passenger van. It is another extremely bittersweet moment. I still remember the excitement when we first got it, almost 8 years ago. I had my own 4 children and 3 others that were staying with us, plus my in-home daycare. Additionally, my mom generally joined us for…
TO PLAN OR NOT TO PLAN, THAT IS THE QUESTION
If you would have asked me at the beginning of my homeschool journey if I would ever be the “planner” type of parent, my answer would have been an emphatic “NO!” I had my second child, my oldest son, 10 days before my firstborn turned 3. This started an interesting chapter for us. I was…
