5 Tips to Consider for Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum

"What curriculum do you use?" asks the newbie homeschool mom overwhelmed by all the CHOICES.

Before summer's end, I will invariably hear this question about a dozen times. Moms who only recently made the rather difficult decision to homeschool are now faced with the equally difficult task of finding the "perfect" curriculum. And so with admirable resolve, they ask any and all homeschool moms, "What curriculum do you use?"

Annual Easter Brunch

Over the last few years, I have been challenged to celebrate Easter with the same gusto as I give to Christmas. Let's be honest, with its seasonal radio carols, booming decorating industry, and multi-million dollar shopping frenzy, it's easy to make Christ's birth into a month-long festival. Even non-Christians throw their own rendition of a birthday palooza each Christmas morning.

But Easter? For whatever reason, Christ's victorious defeat over sin and death tends to be relegated to the purchase of a new spring dress or tie, the placement of an orchid bouquet on the dining room table, and the obligatory hour of annual church attendance.

My Top Pick for Easter Reading

With Easter fast approaching, I thought I'd take a minute and tell you about one of my FAVORITE Easter season resources.

Art Lesson: Easy Watercolor Landscape Tutorial

Once again, we layered our dining room table with old newspapers for an afternoon art project. We've been working our way through a watercolor unit in our art curriculum and came upon a lesson in sky painting. With a little tweaking, we were able to turn it into a fun landscape piece.

How I Plan My Homeschool Curriculum Shopping List {Printable}

Just five more weeks and I'll be heading south for my state's annual homeschool convention. Of course I always enjoy going to the encouraging seminars, but if truth be told, I most enjoy the shopping! Ironically, I absolutely hate all other kinds of shopping (I'd rather pluck out all my eyebrows than go clothes shopping...ugh!). But, give me a room full of books or stationary supplies and I morph into some kind of mad power shopper. I become a woman on a mission with books to buy and a budget to uphold! So, watch out!

How and Why I Teach My Children to Cook

Although all of my kids love to "help" cook and bake, a few years ago, when Sweetie Pea turned six, I began a more intentional Titus 2 effort to teach her how to cook a meal from START to FINISH. I wanted her to know how to properly write a grocery list, purchase healthy ingredients, prepare and cook an entire meal, and serve it with a smile. Once a month, she and I had a Sunday afternoon date in the kitchen whipping up simple meals together.

I Can't Homeschool Because I'm Not Qualified to Teach Higher Level Subjects

"Mom, can we learn about chemistry next year in Science?" 

came the small voice somewhere underneath the hand-me-down white lab coat.

As an eclectic homeschooling mom who TRIES to provide a delight-directed education for her kids, I am embarrassed to admit that this wasn't the first time that my scientist-in-the-making son asked me that question.

I remember hearing it last year...and the year before that...and the...well, you get the idea.

Crafts Vs. Art in Homeschool

The Hubs is the natural artist...well, to be more accurate, he is the PAID artist...a Senior Art Director for a local advertising firm, to be exact. And Me?? I'm more of a CRAFTS kind o' girl. In fact, I'm such a crafting mama, that the Hubs designed a crafting studio in the attic of our house just for little ol' me. An inviting, warm space to create...in buttercream yellow! Give me some scrapbook paper, a stash of fabric scraps, and a glue gun and watch out!

Organizing a Nature Club

I'll pause for a second so that anyone who KNOWS me can stop laughing at the fact that I, city-girl Jamie, am writing about organizing a NATURE CLUB...

I must first make it quite clear...I am NOT the one who has organized this fabulous monthly nature club. But, it's creation was more-than timely for our family as I had decided mid-summer that we would dedicate the 2012-2013 school year to nature studies. Although, I, myself spent a nature-less childhood among the concrete jungles of the inner city, I wanted my small-town kiddos to learn to love and experience God's creation to its fullest. (gulp!)

Art Lesson: Textured Houses

I love it when an art project is simple BUT also offers a lesson in art technique and/or art vocabulary. When we made these colorful house murals, we focused on TEXTURE.

This project is best done in two parts to allow for the paint to dry completely. Since we have art once a week, we PAINTED on the first week, and ASSEMBLED on the second.

Geography Club: Eat Your Way Around the World

I just HAVE to tell you about one of the resources that we have been using for our homeschool co-op geography club!

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

It has been such a big hit around our house. Eat Your Way Around the World, by Jamie Aramini, is a recipe book designed to be an enrichment companion to Geography Matter's Galloping the Globe Curriculum. As an international recipe book, it can be used with ANY world geography program but is organized to reinforce the countries included in the Galloping the Globe book.