A Case for IEW Fix It! Grammar {a curriculum review}

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Written by Krista Smith.

Recently, I mentioned that my children started using (and loving) Andrew Pudewa’s IEW Structure & Style for formal writing. Structure & Style was not our first exposure to IEW, however. We had previously completed Fix It! Grammar and wanted to continue to hone our writing skills.

My schooling experience was, perhaps, a bit different than most, especially in the area of language arts. I grew up in inner-city Denver and, unfortunately, had almost no grammar instruction at all.

Homeschool Art the Charlotte Mason Way

In her Philosophy of Education, British education reformer Charlotte Mason wrote, “Every child should leave school with at least a couple hundred pictures by great masters hanging permanently in the halls of his imagination.” (vol. 6, p.43) Miss Mason set aside time not only for her students to express themselves artistically but also for them to study the lives, styles, and works of the great masters.

8 Homeschool Helps You Didn't Know Your Library Offered

With the recent rise of irreverent, sexualized, and agenda-laden books being added to the juvenile sections of local public libraries, you may be tempted to cut up your membership card and abandon the stacks. 

I don't blame you. Several years ago, when my then-preschooler and I were perusing the "new to the children's shelves" section together, he stumbled into a forward-facing picture book with a blood-thirsty zombie on the cover and naturally began crying. I made an immediate bee-line for the circulation desk to lodge a verbal complaint with a librarian. Over the next few days, the conversation continued up the chain of command until the book was eventually re-shelved in the YA section.

A Case for IEW Structure & Style {curriculum review}

Written by Krista Smith.

Last year during my summer-long quest to find the best curriculums for my family for the 2022-2023 school year, I needed to assess and address something I had (possibly purposefully) ignored. Writing. I had eclectically sewed together what I prayed was a stellar Language Arts experience for them, but I had to admit I hadn’t done my children justice in the writing department.

Favorite Read Alouds From 2022

In years past, this annual read-aloud round-up consisted of the top books we enjoyed together from the previous twelve months. However, this year, I'm mixing things up. A large portion of our read-aloud time was spent enjoying the Chronicles of Narnia. Since it's difficult to rank books in a series, as they are best read in sequential order, I've decided to throw in some of the books that my kids have read individually.