A Strength Based Homeschool: How To Do It
For several years now, I have shared snapshots of what strength based approach looks like for us. Endless pictures of fish stores, computer builds, reptile zoos and Harry Potter crafts. Blog post after...
View ArticleJoyful and Easy Holiday Activities With Brave Writer
I am so behind this holiday season. Who am I kidding? I have been behind every single holiday season for about seven years. I used to have to all together, y’all. You would’ve been impressed. I sent...
View ArticleThe Strength Based Homeschool: A Behind The Scenes Look
We went to the guitar store last week… Four times. We didn’t buy anything. No, we walked up and down the rows of electric guitars. My son explained to me the difference between the styles, the...
View ArticleAn Easy Way To Make Math More Fun
Since sharing my ideas for creating Strength Based Learning for our children, I have received one question over and over again. How does this work if my child has absolutely NO interest in math? I...
View Article52 Hands-On Activities For The Every Week Of The Year
At the beginning of this year, I committed to completing an easy for me, hands-on activity with my youngest son every week. It’s now been 52 weeks since I made that commitment. To be honest, going into...
View ArticleNot The Former Things: Top Posts of 2018
It’s that time again! I love doing this at the end of every year. Looking back and seeing what you responded to and enjoyed is incredibly encouraging for me as a writer. After 52 weeks of putting all...
View ArticleThe Best Thing About Completing A Mid-Year Homeschool Assessment
I absolutely cannot believe we are past Christmas and already on the slippery slope of New Years. The last half of the year was a haze of doctors and health concerns that have thrown us completely off...
View ArticleYes, It’s Stressful To Homeschool My Child With Special Needs
I worked on my son’s high school transcript this week. I found myself thinking, “How did this happen? First of all, a tenth grader? What is that all about?” and then “What happened to ‘I’ll just...
View ArticleA New Approach To Art History That Your Kids Will Love
My boys are getting older. It’s clear in the amount of time they spend getting ready in the bathroom each day, the shows we watch together (and I actually enjoy), and in the deep, man voices that...
View ArticleThe Best Homeschool Schedule For A Child With ADHD
Consistency is essential for children with ADHD. I have heard it, read it, and been shamed by it about a thousand times over the years. Here’s the thing – I know it’s true. Not only do I see the...
View ArticleThe Truth About Homeschooling Children With Special Needs
We have been homeschooling my fourteen-year-old son since he was eight years old. Last week he went back to school. He is enrolled in a Medieval History class at a private school, as part of a...
View ArticleThe Best Way To Help A Resistant Learner Actually Learn
My child told me he hates school last month. He is homeschooled, so he didn’t mean the building or the system. He pretty much meant learning with me. Good times. His resistance to learning has been...
View ArticleHands-On Learning and Movement For The Struggling Learner
When my son was eight, he still struggled to recognize the difference between a capital “H” and a capital “I.” He’d been singing the alphabet song since preschool, coloring way too many different...
View ArticleHow To Really Help A Child With Learning Differences: The Brave Learner
When my oldest son was in preschool, he was fascinated with sharks. He lived and breathed them. At his little Montessori school down the street, he read books about them, created diagrams of the ocean...
View ArticleWhen Your Child Is A “Slow Learner”
My youngest son is thirteen years old now. It took him three years (count them, three years) to learn the alphabet fluently. Four years to spell and write his first and last name correctly. He still...
View ArticleWhat If My Child Never Learns To Read?
Last week, we resumed my son’s daily reading lessons and practice. He is profoundly dyslexic, and all the research shows that in order for him to become a proficient reader he needs daily, consistent...
View ArticleMaking The Decision To Homeschool My Child With Special Needs
I used to be extremely opposed, super judgy, uninformed and militantly against homeschooling. (I was once so rude and condescending to a homeschooling mom at the park that I wish I could go back in...
View ArticleA Behind The Scenes Look At Interest-Led Unit Studies For Older Children
At any given point in my time, my boys have one or two overriding interests each, that guide almost everything we do. For my oldest, it’s usually something build oriented. Building aquariums, building...
View ArticleAnxiety Complicates My Child’s Learning Everyday
When I was in the sixth grade, I ran for student council president. One of the requirements was getting up on stage, in front of the entire school, and giving a speech about why you should be elected....
View ArticleThe Best Approach To Math For Children With Learning Differences
I distinctly remember a math lesson from my sixth grade year. We were learning about negative numbers and my poor little 11-year old brain was just not getting it. My teacher was kind. He tried to take...
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