Getting ready for school

school planning

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to figure out what we are doing for school this year. I have a bit of eclectic approach leaning towards Charlotte Mason when it comes to homeschooling. This means that each year may look a bit different. I’ve kept some constants, which I will share, but I […]

How to save a homeschool day gone bad

bad day

We all enjoy those lovely days when everyone gets up well rested with a smile on their face. We are surrounded by teachable moments and the children just can’t wait to learn another amazing fact. But, let’s face it. Sometimes, everyone is screaming. Mom is exhausted. The house is a mess. Homeschooling is not the […]

Consistency versus perfection

consistency

One of the hardest things to figure out as a homeschooler is whether or not we’ve done enough. I hope the questions in my last post helped you to evaluate the environment you are providing and the subjects you are covering. But what happens if I know it’s a worthy subject and I’ve missed days […]

How do we measure homeschool success?

homeschool success

We can all agree that we want to be successful as homeschool families. We want to know that our investment in our children’s lives has paid off. We want to know that we are on the right track in our endeavor to prepare our children for adulthood. While success will look different in every family, […]

Resources for Torah families

resources

When my husband and I left our church back in 2007, we suddenly realized that we were responsible to teach our children spiritual things. There would be no Sunday school. It was all on us. That can be a very overwhelming feeling, but it doesn’t have to be. There are lots of people and resources […]

Create a children’s Torah notebook

notebook

I’m always on the lookout for ways to make Torah practical and real for my children. I don’t want them to see the Bible as a bunch of antiquated stories that are fun to listen to but don’t really mean anything. Today I stumbled upon an idea that I hope you will find helpful. It’s […]

Copywork basics

We don’t use 100% Charlotte Mason methods, but our homeschool has been heavily influenced by her ideas. Copywork is a fundamental of her approach to language skills. So, today I’d like to talk a bit about copywork, how to approach it, what it accomplishes, and how to best make use of our copywork books. What […]

Rubber boot homeschool week #10

I have been spending some time working on homeschool materials for Sadie this week. She is a smart girl, but there are some areas where I want to spend some time. Aspergers is not a “disability” in my view, but she does need to be taught some things on purpose, where other kids are simply […]

Rubber boot homeschool week #9

homeschool

Torah I went over to Restoration of Torah Mimistries and downloaded the children’s parsha study. This week, we have been studying Rebekah at the well. I love this story. It was the theme of the sermon at our wedding. The study is laid out very nicely. It tells you which verses to read, and then […]

Rubber boot homeschool week #8

language arts

I like when things work. I like when my children succeed. This week, I was able to enjoy some small successes. Perhaps the world would not bother to take notice, but I did, and chose to celebrate in my heart. This week we will be exploring the wonderful world of language arts. Writing I’m a […]