Learning With Nerf Guns (seven ideas for hands-on activities)
My son loves Nerf guns. He has way too many and he still wants more. There are squishy, orange tipped bullets in all of our backyard bushes. I am constantly yelling for him to put on eye protection and...
View ArticleThe Easiest Way To Get Back On Track
We were doing so well. After weeks of meltdowns and summer heat… After a loss of any real routine or structure… After barely making it through the transition to back to school…. We were doing so well....
View ArticleBrave Writer And Children With Learning Differences
Some days, work really well. Some days, just don’t. Last week, we had one of those that just don’t. Although he had read a chapter book the day before, my son was not able to read the word “then”. He...
View ArticleWhat No One Told Me Before We Started Homeschooling
Being a working mom was HARD. Like for reals. Working outside the home in an executive level, management position meant every single day felt like a mad dash to achieve, perform, manage, and mother –...
View ArticleHands-On Geography For Older Kids
I have been feeling the disconnect in our learning for a while now. As my boys have gotten older, the curriculum, learning materials, activities and ideas have become harder and harder to find. There...
View ArticleHomeschool Mom Q&A: What About College?
Have you heard the rumors that some colleges are actually seeking homeschool graduates for enrollment? It’s true. Spartanburg Methodist College is an institution that actively promotes homeschooled...
View ArticleDoes This Count As School?
My son took apart his old Nintendo DS last night. It hadn’t worked in years. In the past, he has also dismantled my old coffee maker (RIP sweet, sweet Keurig. I miss you so…) an outdated computer...
View ArticleHands-On Math For The Older Learner
When I first started homeschooling my boys seven years ago, math was a breeze. In fact, it was the only subject that felt easy. They were young. The concepts were basic and it was easy to find...
View ArticleWhen Life Is Hard: Homeschooling through difficult seasons
I have been thinking about this post for a while now. I wanted to write it last year, after my son’s hospitalization and subsequent recovery. I wanted to write it when my oldest son’s lupus flared up...
View Article7 Things I’ve Learned In 7 Years Of Homeschooling
It’s our seventh year homeschooling. It sounds like a lotta years. It sounds like experience, wisdom and confidence should abound around here after seven years. Confession time – The truth is,...
View ArticleEasy Hands-On Learning: 5 Tips For The Mom Who Doesn’t Do Crafts
I have never been a crafty person. I have never in my life put together a scrapbook. I don’t spend hours in the craft store looking at all the things and the one time I tried to sew a blanket, it...
View ArticleHow To Stay Sane and Still Homeschool Through The Holidays
I used to give up somewhere around December 8th or so. The Thanksgiving rush seemed to drift into a chaotic mix of Christmas decor, more complicated meal plans, and way too much wrapping paper. When my...
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 ArticleThe Best Thing About Completing A Mid-Year Homeschool Assessment
I absolutely cannot believe we are past Christmas and on the slippery slope to New Years. The last few months have been a haze of doctors and health concerns that have thrown us completely off track....
View ArticleFriday Fun-days: 52 weeks of Easy For Mom Activities
It’s the beginning of 2018. After a scary end to last year, the honest truth is I am a complete mess. We have to get back to school next week. We need the routine. We need the dependability. We need...
View ArticleLearning With Paper Airplanes: 5 Steps for Easy, Hands-On Fun
It’s Friday. And not just any Friday. It’s our first Friday Fun-Day. If you have no idea what that means, it’s OK. Friday Fun-Days are simply my attempt to get our act together around here and have...
View ArticleHomeschooling High School: When It’s Time For More
My oldest son turns 15 next week. 15. I can hardly believe it, and yet, I see the reality right in front of me every single day. My boy is quickly turning into a man. He has shown so much growth over...
View ArticleHarry Potter Solar System Activity (with free bonus printable)
My youngest is obsessed, y’all. For reals. Harry Potter and all things Harry Potter have completely taken over around here. We are listening to the books, again, on audio in the car for the 4th time....
View ArticleWhen The Child Who Needs Structure Fights It The Most
I hear it all the time. Every doctor, every therapist, every educator… At some point in discussing my youngest son’s learning differences and special needs, every expert has made the same generalized...
View ArticleEasy Antique Map Making Activity
My son has been binge-watching a show on Netflix this week. It’s The 72 Deadliest Creatures of Latin America, because of course it is. It’s right up his 12-year-old boy alley. Animals and danger, mixed...
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