Recently in my homeschool circles, there has been much discussion of when it might be appropriate to push/encourage/nudge our children. How can we discern whether a little encouragement or guidance from us will help them jump to the next level of competence, or push them over the edge of frustration? Lev Vygotsky, the great educational…
Continue ReadingOne of the biggest “gaps” in my own education is in my understanding of history. It was never presented to me in a way that I could wrap my brain around. I still struggle with seeing the big picture. So I’ve become obsessed with creating a big picture of history. Literally. I want to make…
Continue ReadingI did it. Last night I spent a few hours working out our semester long plan for Five in a Row. I have a hard time doing this. I have a hard time picking a book for one week, let alone several months. I want everything to be perfect. And then I get into this…
Continue ReadingNot sure if it’s the slight cooling of the days, the garden harvest, the back to school sales everywhere or the fact that Henry returns to his enrichment program in a couple of weeks, but I’m starting to feel some anxiety about this coming homeschool year. I’m sure we’ll find our rhythm. I know I…
Continue ReadingWhen Henry started kindergarten last year, he showed absolutely no interest in handwriting. None. He failed every fine motor screening at his well child checks from the time he was two. At 5, as far as I knew, as far as he would demonstrate to me, he could not even draw a straight, vertical line….
Continue ReadingI was reading my new issue of Kiwi Magazine this morning and they have a fantastic article on citizen science opportunities. Whether you homeschool or not, these opportunities are a really neat way for your family to participate in the collection of valuable scientific data on subjects ranging from climatology to ornithology to astronomy. Check…
Continue ReadingLast week we “rowed” Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews and Ian Wallace. This is a really beautiful book about an Inuit girl, Eva, who walks under the ice at low tide to collect mussels. This is a rite of passage for Eva who will be making this journey alone for the first time…
Continue ReadingAs promised, here are some of Henry’s pictures from his experiments with perspective: From the ground, looking up. Sideways Extreme close up Self Portrait He also decided to get creative all on his own today with flight based arts and crafts. For those of you who happen to know him, you know that this is…
Continue ReadingWe have officially started our Five in a Row (FIAR) curriculum this week with the book The Glorious Flight by Alice and Martin Provensen. For those unfamiliar with FIAR, it is a storybook/unit based curriculum designed for use with 4 to 8 year olds. You read each book every day for five days and each…
Continue ReadingSo tomorrow ends our first official week of homeschooling. While nothing has really changed, this has been a big emotional shift for me, and a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I’ve learned some important lessons about my son and about myself and about what is best for our family.First, I’ve learned that boxed curriculum…
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