Tips & Tools for a Budding Young Artist

When my son was little, he never played. Not with one single toy. He only wanted to make and do and create. Of course, at his age, all of that making and doing and creating looked more like a mess than a masterpiece. Once, when he was almost three, he found a black Sharpie marker that I had accidentally left on my dresser and proceeded to draw pictures on my bedroom wall, the curtains, the carpet, my brand-new bedspread, and himself, in less than five minutes. Around that same time, he became obsessed with drawing pictures in spills. He would intentionally go to the fridge, find a bottle of this or a box of that, spill it on the floor, and use his finger to make shapes in it.

Gentle Schooling for Summer 2022

We've pulled the plug on the 2021-2022 school year. We took our last day of school photo, went on a celebratory field trip with our co-op to a local Veteran Historic Center, filled out our last-day interviews, and enjoyed a few scoops at a favorite ice cream shop.

5 Easy Ways to Be the "Fun" Homeschool Mom

There's never enough time in the day to get to the necessities, better yet, to add in "fun."

"Fun" just turns into a massive mess that I have to clean up.

I'm not very creative. I don't know how to make learning "fun."

If you've not said the previous three statements out loud, you've probably at least whispered them under your breath as you rage-cleaned glitter off the carpet, declaring that you're just not the "fun" homeschool mom and never will be.

Great Gifts for Curious Kids

Creating an atmosphere of learning takes some intentionality. Like a farmer who sprinkles seeds here and there expecting some, but not all, to sprout into something good, you'll want to strew educationally-rich books, games, toys, and tools all around your house, nurturing the God-given curiosity in each of your kids.

Co-op's Been Canceled, Now What? Learning Ideas for Already Homeschoolers

A global pandemic--contrary to what social media says, doesn't just affect the kids in the traditional classroom. In its own way, it affects us homeschoolers too. Granted, we're used to the logistics of learning from home. We don't have to scramble to find curriculum options. Our days already follow a somewhat organized routine. We chose this life. This feels normal to us.

But, homeschooling in the midst of a worldwide crisis is not the same kind of homeschooling that we're all used to. We, too, are stuck inside. We, too, face endless hours of sameness.

50+ Virtual Field Trips to Take When You're Stuck at Home

Stuck inside? Cabin fever getting the better of you and yours? There's no reason to let an at-home season or a closed-door policy keep you from great learning adventures. We are living in an unprecedented time of digital equity--an era when the whole wide world is as close as the click of a button.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love to venture out to see a great piece of art, a historical reenactment, or a breathtaking view of creation just as much as the next homeschool mom. There's no replacing the kind of learning and memory-making that can be had when you visit a museum or national park in person. But, I also know that when sickness, weather, or finances limit one's ability to see a site up close and personal, a 360 virtual field trip is the next best thing.

25 Great Living Books for Sneaky Summer Learning

Ah summer! With its simpler schedules, winsome weather, and daily adventures lurking around every corner, summer has a way of showing me how to slough off the pressures of the homeschool year.

I wish that were it.
I wish I could just pack up the learning, set it all in a back corner somewhere, and then dust it off three months later when I need to get the wheels spinning again.

But that's just simply not possible--at least not if I want to avoid the summer slide, that ghastly phenomenon that occurs when children's brains sit in idle for three months out of the year causing them to forget nearly 75% of what they previously learned.

Learning Through FREE {or super cheap} Summer Fun

Written by Chelsea Gonzales.

Summer is here, and that means your days are longer, you're probably taking a break from school work, and consequently, your kids have lots of extra time on their hands. Fortunately, most homeschooled kids are generally pretty good at finding ways to fill their own time. However, as a mom, it's always helpful to have a few new and interesting ideas up your sleeve.

50 Stocking Stuffers for Sneaky Learning {all under $10}

There is a 107% chance that my kids will have already figured out what's inside each of their stockings before Christmas morning...or at least they'll know 4 out of the 6 items stuffed in there.

To be honest, guessing their stocking gifts ahead of time doesn't really require my kids to do much sleuthing. I'm a creature of accidental habit. I do something once, find success at it, and then continue to do the exact same thing until the end-of-time because as the old adage goes, "If it ain't broke..."

My stocking stuffing procedure has been on permanent repeat for as long as any of my clan can remember.

Sneaky Learning Ideas for Summer Road Trips

What do you get when you combine seven people, one dog, a very small space, and eight to ten hours a day of unstructured togetherness?

Well, it depends on the season. 

Should all of that be tossed together in the dead of a tundra-like midwestern winter, I'd say you have a recipe for cabin fever with a side of seasonal neurosis.

But, should you be stirring that pot in the sunshine of summer, I'd assume you're cooking up road trip bliss.

5 Sneaky Tricks for When You Can't Teach All-the-Things In Your Homeschool

In my first few years of homeschooling, I tried to cram all-the-things into every single moment of our days. I was so afraid that I'd miss something, that I'd forget to teach a crucial element, that I'd leave gaping holes in my kids' learning. I felt the full weight of their education and wore it like a burden around my neck.

But, I'm soooooo over that guilt. It's not mine to carry. The truth is, I can't possibly teach them everything there is to know about everything. Learning is a life-long process. I'm thirty-sevenish and I still don't know all-the-things. But, I keep learning. I keep growing. I keep searching for right answers. And if I can inspire a love of learning in my kids, they will keep searching too -- at ten, at twenty, at one hundred twenty.

Homeschool Shopping Show-n-Tell 2017

This past weekend, I had the privilege of presenting two workshops at the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators annual convention that hosts parents from all over the midwest and parts of lower Canada. I met so many lovely blog readers and got to encourage and be encouraged by hundreds of homeschool momma warriors. 

We laughed a lot. We cried just a little bit. And we looped arms as we talked of scheduling and teaching with tots underfoot in sessions entitled...

Un-Harried Homeschooling: Scheduling 101

and

Help! I'm Homeschooling and I Have a Toddler Strapped to My Leg!

The Lazy Mom's Guide to Delight-Directed Education

Some might call it strewing.

Others, sneaky learning.
Still others prefer "childhood enchantment."

Whatever the moniker, the outcome is still the same. All of these methods lead to one thing, a delight-directed education. It's the no-fuss, fast-track way to encourage REAL learning...the kind in which a child personally invests and one which inspires (not requires) him to want to learn more.

But what exactly is "strewing?" you ask.

Top CONstructive Gift Ideas for Tot School

With all the hand-me-down toys that come with having four older siblings, the last thing my youngest son needs for Christmas is another Fisher-Price fad. Besides, the IT items lining the shelves of Walmart and Target typically only occupy him for a few moments. During the school day, what he really craves more than playing with another plastic toy is a chance to BE and DO like the big kids.

He wants to get in on the school day action...to do the projects...to make the messes...to learn and discover at the school table with his brothers and sister.

If I don't offer him some CONstructive activities, he, like most curious tots, will find his own DEstructive kind.

Online Resources for Project-Based Learning

Authentic learning...REAL learning...the kind that lasts, the kind that sticks...only comes when a child is completely engaged in the learning process. 

Can this type of learning happen with a worksheet or a flashcard? You bet. But, it happens more easily and most often with a hands-on approach to learning. It happens when all five senses are put to work; when the child can see the relevance in the presented material. It happens when the black and white facts of a page are applied to real life.

It's easy to see that a project-based learning approach to education swings the learning door wide open. And with the help of many online resources designed to encourage hands-on learning by providing challenging projects and knowledgable mentors, the opportunities for authentic learning are limitless!

Ultimate Guide to Creative Writing for Elementary Kids

Although I recognize that perhaps none of my five children will grow up to be the next C.S. Lewis or Beatrix Potter, I know that they all have a story to tell. And if given the proper direction…if that story is cultivated and nurtured…each of them can develop a delight for words and learn to creatively piece them together with purpose. 

Here are a few of my GO-TO resources (and others I'd highly recommend) for igniting a passion for creative writing.

50 Easy Ways to Sneak in Learning

Homeschooling isn't just an educational choice. In our home, it is a family culture. Even when the books are stashed away and the hands on the clock read "school's out," learning is still happening. Over the years, I've peppered our home with strategically placed items designed to foster curiosity, imagination, and learning around the clock.

Top Gift Ideas for Sneaky Learning

As a self-proclaimed, passion-directed homeschooler, I have definitely embraced the idea of strewing...sowing and scattering seeds of imagination, interest, ideas, and information...throughout our school day in hopes that these will grow into passions...hobbies...and life-long loves.

With purpose, I strew.

At Christmas time, my gift-giving takes on intentionality. I often purchase family gifts of Frankincense that will not only delight but also strew. ON PURPOSE.