American Girl Nanea

We are currently at World War II in my daughter's study of U.S. history with American Girl. We are beginning with Nanea and Pearl Harbor. The Real Stories From My Time books include historical information as well as stories of the American Girl. This week my daughter learned about some of the history and culture …

Botany with Apologia

When I look back at this year for my daughter, I think the word I am going to use to describe it is sweet.  It has just been a sweet year of learning.  In years past, all three of my children have worked together on subjects like science and history but this year, with both …

English 5 Workbook

When I first began homeschooling and trying to discover my homeschool philosophy, the phrase "traditional workbook" was something I avoided.  I dabbled with the classical model and admired the works of Charlotte Mason. Unit studies intrigued me.  One thing I loved about these styles was the use of quality literature and living books.  Over the …

It Didn’t Work for Me: Saxon Math

Today is "It Didn't Work for Me" Tuesday and the topic is Saxon Math.  Before I tell you why it didn't work for us, I want to say that Saxon Math is my ideal math.  I mean, as the teacher/parent it is my pick.  I think it is extremely thorough and I love that it …

In a Pickle

Do you have a future lawyer in your house? Does your family find a good debate exhilarating? Here is an oldie but goodie card game that my family finds entertaining. In a Pickle is a game of words. You win "pickles" by placing your cards down on cards that could fit "inside" your word card. …

Encouraging Good Habits

This is one of my favorite Charlotte Mason quotes. I recently decided to print this quote and stick it on my fridge, along with checkboxes for each child. The check boxes include reading for 30 min, piano practice, clean your zone (assigned area of the house), Water 1, Water 2, and Water 3, and exercise …

Introduction to Coding Using Scratch

Scratch is a free programming language for ages 8-16 developed by the MIT media lab. The program is available for free here - we downloaded the offline version so that our kids don't need the internet to use it. If you do choose to use the online version, there are some cool looking opportunities for …

Fresh Attempt at a Morning(ish) Basket

I *LOVE* the idea of a morning basket! I love the idea of gathering around a beautiful basket full of enriching books and games. I love browsing Pinterest and Instagram for morning basket ideas. I belong to a large morning basket Facebook group. Confession time: I have always struggled with maintaining morning basket consistency! I …

Didn’t Work For Me Tuesday: DIVE Biology

Every Tuesday in January, we will be sharing information about a curriculum that didn't work, or stopped working, for our families. Our intention is not to steer anyone away from these programs, but rather to be open and honest about our personal experience. Maybe the reason one program didn't work for me might be the …

Catan Histories: Settlers of America

In our house, Christmas always comes with a handful of new games for the family. One of our new games this year was Catan Histories: Settlers of America. This game is SO interesting! It is kind of like a combination of Catan and Ticket to Ride! In this version of Catan, players must begin on …