Reading Shakespeare with Kids It’s Shakespeare month for our homeschool literature group. We’ve been reading Hamlet and learning more about Shakespeare’s use of language. Many of our teen members have younger siblings who are listening in and learning about Hamlet along with the ‘big kids.’ In my opinion, exposure to Shakespeare should start at a […]
What You Need to Know About the New SAT
How Homeschoolers Must Prepare for the New SAT The College Board launched new and redesigned exams in fall 2015 and spring 2016. The redesigned PSAT/NMSQT and the new PSAT™ 8/9—for eighth- and ninth-graders–launched in October 2015. The new PSAT™ 10—for 10th-graders—launched in February 2016 and the redesigned SAT in March. These exams work together as […]
A Homeschool Curriculum Game Plan
Critical Pre-Season Preparations for Choosing Homeschool Curriculum You may be inundated with homeschool curriculum catalogs in the mail and emails selling digital bundles. You may have attended your first homeschool convention (spring practice) near the end of the school year, and your head is spinning! If you are homeschooling multiple children, you may be trying […]
Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids
Valentine’s Day Fun for Kids This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Isn’t it fun that we can incorporate holiday books into our school reading, especially if they increase our understanding of why we celebrate the holidays the way we do? History of the Holiday One of our favorite books, Saint […]
New Year Bucket List Printable
The new year means new beginnings and a time for starting new traditions. There are so many things you can do to make the new year special–the possibilities are endless! Our new year bucket list of ideas are mostly things that are free to do or cost very little. This printable activity is a great […]
Christmas Books for Kids
The Best Christmas Books for Kids One of our favorite holiday traditions is reading together each night at bedtime–especially Christmas books themed around the season. The excitement builds as the big day draws near, and the littles fall asleep with visions of sugar plums and holiday magic fills their dreams. This week, we’re featuring the […]
Gift in a Jar: Russian Tea
Russian Tea Gift in a Jar A family tradition for as long as I can remember, making Russian tea to enjoy through the colder winter months brings a bit of nostalgia to the holiday season. According to Southern Living, Russian tea is inspired by the “black tea with lemon and sugar that was the preferred […]
Craft: Homemade Nature Journal
Making a nature journal from scratch My kids have each been using blank sketchbooks for a nature journal, but often, we find that they get too full before they are finished. Because the boys add lots of extra items besides drawings, like photos, specimens (leaves, dried flowers, pieces of bark, seed pods,) and postcards, the […]
Homeschool Starter Kit
If you never thought you’d homeschool, and you suddenly find yourself doing it, this is the place for you! Homeschooling can seem like an overwhelming task. There is a lot of information out there, and many intimidating scenarios portrayed on ‘picture-perfect’ social media accounts. However, before you start overthinking things too much, I’d like you […]
Back to School Frugal Planning
The school supplies section always calls my name this time of year. Can you hear it? Sharp pencils . . . colorful notebooks . . . pretty folders . . . spiffy new backpacks! As tempting as it is to buy yet another new box of Crayolas, the best prevention for overspending for back to […]
Surviving Summer at Home with Kids
In Stay-cation Mode? Are you staying close to home this summer? Since our homeschool schedule is flexible, we take a week of vacation just before school gets out for summer. It is a great time to travel, and most places we tend to go aren’t crowded yet. But, because of our work schedules, we usually […]
Cow Books for Kids
After a visit to our local dairy farm, my kids couldn’t wait to dive into some of our favorite cow books for kids to continue learning about these beautiful gentle giants. Some of our favorite authors have written cow books, and no library could be complete without Ferdinand. Ree Drummond’s real life experience rescuing a […]