A Favorite Book

When I feel like I need to reset the direction of our homeschool, one book I grab is 8 Great Smarts by Dr. Kathy Koch. It discusses multiple intelligences and refocuses me towards the children God has given me and helps me see their unique talents and gifts. Dr. Koch has such a heart for …

Election Night!

Election Night! is a new game that we picked up at a local homeschool convention. It has been a hit with our family. Players practice their math facts (addition or multiplication) as they try to win the presidency for their party. Here is what I love. It practices math facts, U.S geography skills, and strategy. …

Free U.S. Government Course

This year, I am excited to learn more about our government right alongside my boys. Hillsdale College offers many free courses online. We will be combining a few to put together a .5 credit U.S. government Course for free. We will begin with Constitution 101. This course contains 10 lectures, each between 35 to 55 …

Fine Arts Credit

Survey of the fine arts is one way to meet a fine arts requirement. For this .5 credit course, my high school freshman will log 90 hours experiencing the different arts. This will include a Charlotte Mason style composer and artist study. We live near D.C. and Baltimore so we will be attending museums, the …

Chemistry Fun

My high school boys will begin their chemistry course with a few weeks of fun review that my 5th grader can join. The book, The Elements; Ingredients of the Universe, is not only a text where the Periodic Table is presented as a fairy tale kingdom, but it is also full of hands-on activities, board …

Ready to Go

We are back from summer vacation, and ready to start a fresh new school year on Monday - I love this time of year, and the feeling of excitement and hope that comes with it! We don't have a designated school room, but we do have a large kitchen island ant this fabulous built in …

Settlers of Catan

We are a board game loving homeschool family. I don't know about you, but we tend to enjoy our games in phases that can last months. Our most recent phase has been Settlers of Catan. This game has captured the hearts of everyone in our family - so much so that my dad built us …

Michael Clay Thompson

Last year was our first experience with Michael Clay Thompson, and we are back for more this year! MCT writes the most beautiful and intelligent language arts curriculum I have ever encountered. Last year, I started my 3rd grader on the "Island Level" (level one). We had such a sweet time curling up on the …

Kindergarten Line Up

Kindergarten Line Up Today I am sharing my Kindergarten line up! I have a very excited 5 year old who cannot wait to do school with "the big kids" (meaning his older siblings, of course!) I am aiming for a pretty gentle approach, as I don't like too much seat work at this age - …

A Trusted Source for Foundational Math

When I started homeschooling my oldest for Kindergarten (10 years ago!), I began with Math U See. As my oldest is finishing up Geometry this week, I am dusting off Math U See Alpha for the 3rd time, as I prepare for Kindergarten with my youngest child. This program provides a phenomenal foundation, focused on …