Category: Learning Lifestyle

Carnival of Homeschooling: The Beach Reading Edition

The Beach Reading Edition of Carnival of Homeschooling is up, and there are great posts on why to homeschool through high school, how to motivate your children, how to teach boys, and much, much more. Enjoy!

Excellence in Literature: The Complete Curriculum: Literature and Writing for Grades 8-12

Three Things to Consider When Making Curriculum Decisions

Choosing curriculum can be a challenge. Here are three things to think about to make it easier!

Caregiving for Homeschool Families: Some Questions to Consider

Homeschool families are notoriously family-centered, but I’ve recently been hearing questions and concerns about caregiving while homeschooling, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts here. Most of the people who have asked questions have been thinking about their parents...

Learning Styles: Do they really make a difference? Can they be a roadmap to better teaching?

Learning Styles: Do They Make a Difference?

In the How to Homeschool a Boy series (the three previous posts), I talked about some of the things I learned through the homeschooling years. One of the first things I learned about was learning styles, or preferred ways of...

Hey Mom, Listen to this Great Performance: How to Homeschool a Boy, Part 3

Remember to let your sons be who they are so that they will become the people they were meant to be. This takes time, space, and the freedom to explore varied interests. As a bonus, it’s fun!

Hey Mom, Want to See My Jungle Gym? How to Homeschool a Boy, Part 2

Your sons will teach themselves amazing things if you give the time and space to learn what they can do. It takes a boy with a boy’s interests to find the thread of an idea and follow it through to the creation of a project he really enjoys. The key ingredient is free time and the liberty to explore, try new things, and yes– get hurt occasionally. It takes trusting that if you provide time, tools, and skills, they will use them. It also takes understanding that education is about a whole lot more than doing school.

Momma, Want to See a Snake? How to Homeschool a Boy, Part 1

It was a beautiful spring day, and we spent most of it with doors open, happily going in and out with various tasks and projects. It was mid-afternoon when my youngest son came in. “Momma, do you want to see...

Give Your Child the Benefit of the Doubt

Do you remember what it’s like to be a child? Do you remember struggling with something and being told, “Come on, it’s easy! You’re just not trying.” Or worse, “You could do better if you weren’t so lazy/careless.” Do you...

Telephone Rules for Homeschools

One of the best things I ever did for our homeschool and learning lifestyle was to create a telephone policy. By setting a few simple boundaries, I eliminated an enormous source of potential distraction and frustration…

Love of Learning and the Gift of Time

I’ve been thinking about learning and what makes it stick, what brings it to life, and why some students enjoy it more than others. Can you remember the last time you or your student was excited about learning? Here are a few thoughts on our school life.

Houseplants, Homeschools and the Mid-Year Blahs

How long does it take to reach that “whose bright idea was this anyway” point in your homeschool year? It’s normal to feel overwhelmed on some days, but here are a few things you can do to get through it all

Carnival of Homeschooling- The NaNoWriMo Edition

Preface Welcome to this hundred-and-umpteenth Carnival of Homeschooling! Because November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo or nano), and I’m over 10,000 words into the writing process (and can’t think of anything but writing, writing, and more...

The Bayeux Tapestry is history told in embroidery.

Bayeux Tapestry: An Animated Look at History

  One of the highlights of our memorable trip to Europe was seeing the Bayeux Tapestry — the story of the 1066 war. I’d just finished reading 1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Haworth (highly recommended), so it was fresh...

Create A Place of Quietness in your Day

Do you ever feel overwhelmed when there is noise and hubbub all day long? It can be hard to avoid when you have children home all the time. One of the things I did with my boys was to create...

Have fun in nature this summer!

Nature Fun for Summertime

Go outside and enjoy nature this summer. You can find enjoyable things to do, whether you’re in the country or the city, so take time to get a bit grubby and share some special fun with your children!

The perfect cure for summer boredom — if you're sure you want to cure it.

The Perfect Cure for Summer Boredom

It’s summertime, and a few days after you put away the schoolbooks, you may hear the dreaded complaint, “I’m bored.” It’s a complaint I always welcomed, because I had found the perfect answer.

Family dinner conversation can create many pleasant memories.

Family Dinner Conversation

Sharing family dinner Is there anything more delightful than sitting down to dinner with family? Even if you’re having something as pedestrian as grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, the company and conversation can be joyous and memorable. And as...

Do what you can with what you have, right where you are. It's all you can do.

Decision-Making: The “Anti-Supposed To” Manifesto

Learning to make good decisions is a lot like learning to walk. Babies do a lot of creeping, crawling, and falling before they are walking well. If you tried to keep them safe by never letting them out of the crib, you’d end up with a disabled adult. If you never allow your children the freedom to make small decisions and fall when necessary, they may be safe, but they’ll be crippled.

Streamline life with habits and routines.

Streamline Your Life with Habits

Charlotte Mason believed that a habit is “ten natures,” and she was right. Habits can make life smoother by automating repetitive tasks. By simply thinking through the things you do each day, and figuring out how to do them most...

156th Carnival of Homeschooling- Winter in Paris

Welcome to the December 23, 2008 edition of carnival of homeschooling! As you browse through the posts, I thought you might enjoy some of the scenes from a December trip to one of my favorite cities, Paris, appropriately nicknamed “The...

Tips for homeschooling in challenging times.

Homeschooling in Challenging Times

Current events present homeschoolers with useful opportunities for teaching and learning throughout the year, but some seasons just seem to be overachievers! In the fall, there are elections, which can spark a unit study on American government. In some years,...

A learning lifestyle is far more effective than an overstuffed schedule. Plus, it's more fun!

Overstuffed School Schedules vs. The Learning Lifestyle

There’s a new school year coming up, and as you plan it can be tempting to create a school schedule that would stagger a grad student. I know — I’ve been there. I’ve started school years with so many classes...

What Should You Buy at the Homeschool Convention?

Will you be going to a homeschool conference this summer? If you’re teaching your children at home (or even just thinking about it), I highly recommend taking the time to do this — it will be a source of education and...

Charlotte Mason and Oliver DeMille have ideas to help you reduce screen time.

How to Reduce Screen Time

Changing a bad habit isn’t the easiest thing you’ll ever do, but it can be done. Here’s how you can help your family withdraw from the daily media barrage.

The core curriculum teaches connections.

The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections

  Whenever the weather permits, I eat lunch outside on the patio in the edge of the woodland. At this time of year, there are spiderwebs everywhere. It doesn’t matter that I come out every day and sit in the...

Limiting negative media helps create a healthier learning atmosphere.

How to Create a More Positive Learning Atmosphere

There are many good reasons for living a quiet and peaceable life, but it’s particularly important for homeschooling families. Fear and stress short-circuit the learning process, and noise, all by itself, has been proven to increase stress and reduce the ability to think clearly. Here are some thoughts on news and noise in your home.

Going screen free for awhile every week is a way to improve your life.

Screen Free Week: Fast, Cheap, Easy Life Enhancement!

Why not live a little this week? The Center for Screen Time Awareness is once again sponsoring the ever-timely Screen Free Week. Pointing out that “television cuts into family time, harms our children’s ability to read and succeed in school,...

Family Travel on a Budget = Great Memories!

What kind of family travel do you enjoy? Our family has been on road trips, plane trips, long trips, and short trips, and all of them have been on a bare bones budget. There are ways to travel that can...

Pick Two Deluxe game review.

Review: Pick Two Deluxe — A Game Night Favorite

As the year winds down, it’s time to start thinking of fun things to do during the semester break. How about Pick Two Deluxe, a delightful game that almost anyone can learn and enjoy? Our family enjoys playing games. When...

Reading “Laddie” (and a Happy Birthday Dinner)

Once things settle down after the June convention and workshops, I always take extra time off for reading and projects. June is birthday month for four of us, so we all feel a bit celebratory. This year, my very sweet...