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There’s a Podcast for That: the best podcasts for homeschool moms
Are you looking for some great new podcasts for homeschool moms? Maybe you’re looking for parenting tips, homeschool encouragement, educational philosophy, or just something fun that has nothing to do with mom life at all. I’ve got good news for you: there’s a podcast for that! If I’m not reading a book, I’m probably listening to a podcast. It thus should not surprise you if you hear the words “I heard on a podcast recently” come out of my mouth within the first few minutes of any conversation. While in the past many folks followed their favorite blogs, there is now a sweeping move towards keeping up with content through…
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My First Science Experiment: a fun, simple, hands-on project you can do at home to fascinate preschoolers and kindergartners with the scientific method!
My oldest son was 5 when he asked, “Daddy, can we do a science experiment?” My husband, a brilliant engineer and an awesome dad, was obviously delighted to oblige. John designed a simple experiment to explore with our son and daughter (then 5 and 3 years old) demonstrating the process of the scientific method at home! Since then, he’s recreated the same demonstration twice: once with our middle daughters (when they were also 5 and 3) and once with our youngest son when he was 4. Try this “Does it Float or Sink?” experiment with your own preschool or kindergarten children for hands-on science experiment fun! The Scientific Method Explained…
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Heroes Then & Now Biographies from Benge Books: Mary Slessor
My daughter came running out of her room, eager to share the latest fascinating moment in the book she was reading titled Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar. Usually this particular child would read what was assigned to her respectfully, but without much enthusiasm. But Mary Slessor’s biography, written by prolific biographers Janet and Geoff Benge, captured her full attention, and even had her reading outside of assigned times! (Keep reading, and see Sophia share her favorite parts of the story in a video below.) Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar is part of the Christian Heroes Then & Now series by Janet and Geoff Benge, a collection of biographies focusing on…
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He clasps the crag with crooked hands: Simple Science Unit Study of Eagles and Other Birds of Prey, inspired by Tennyson’s “The Eagle”
We often discuss integrating our memory work with our other studies. But did you know that it can go the other direction, too? If there is a poem that captures your family’s imagination, you have the freedom to use it as a jumping off point for further study. You can explore books related to the topic, pursue hands-on activities, create an art project, and more! “The Eagle,” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, pairs beautifully with a miniature homeschool unit study on eagles and other birds of prey! The Poem and the Poet “The Eagle” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson He clasps the crag with crooked hands;Close to the sun in lonely lands,Ring’d…
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Fun {sneaky} Educational Gifts for Kids
Looking for fun educational gifts for kids that your children will actually love? Maybe you relate to this common gift-giving dilemma. You really want your children’s presents to be a good use of time and money, but you also want them to, you know, actually like them. Whether you’re a homeschool family or not, you likely need those educational and gift-giving budgetary funds to stretch across several categories. Here are a few of our family’s favorite (kinda sneaky) educational gift ideas for the kids…that are also super fun! Sneaky, Fun, Educational Gift Ideas for Kids: Great Shakespearean Deaths card game This is a favorite here at my house! Warning: not…
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My Favorite, Unique Gift Ideas for Mom
Moms can be difficult to shop for. I mean, it’s often easy to buy them something they need (just last year on Black Friday I bought myself an Instant Pot and genuinely thanked my husband for getting me such an awesome Christmas gift.) But what about a special gift for mom that’s just fun? Something that doesn’t have anything to do with her work or the house or home education? Check out these awesome, unique gift ideas for the moms in your life! These gift ideas will work for Christmas, birthday, Mother’s Day, or just a We’re-Happy-You’re-You day! {Or, you know, just send this list to your family so they…
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How to Choose the Best Memory Work for Your Homeschool
Read this post and learn how to choose the best memory work for your homeschool and how to practically implement memory work in your Morning Time and family’s life! How our memory work journey began: My husband and I, both second-generation homeschoolers, always knew we wanted to educate our children at home. As our firstborn grew older, I couldn’t wait to begin our own educational adventure. From the beginning, I was filled with a yearning to memorize beautiful words. I even brainstormed grand and glorious lists. Those were some great plans. The problem was that they never happened. You know how it is: you’ve managed to finish the math and…
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Textbook-Free Science: all the resources you’ll need to learn about WEATHER in your homeschool!
Want to explore the topic of weather in your homeschool science? Here’s a complete textbook-free resource guide for your homeschool learners! All ages are sure to enjoy this homeschool science weather study! Our family keeps science pretty simple in the elementary years. We follow interests (in this case, my daughter’s curiosity about the weather). We read lots of good books. We explore simple hands-on activities and nature walks. We watch some videos. We incorporate nature journaling into our normal reading journal routine. Mostly, we just have fun! Here are some fabulous resources you can use to customize a textbook-free weather curriculum in your homeschool: Weather Book List: Nature Study Guides:…
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Hands-On Math: Binary Finger Counting
My son has always loved math. Even when he was very little, he enjoyed reciting math facts aloud. He’s always been fascinated by random tidbits and interesting facts related to mathematics. He was pretty young when he first learned a method for counting to 1,023 on his fingers using the binary number system. Now, I don’t quite understand it all. (That’s why I had Joshua record the video below) I’m quite comfortable with our Base-Ten system, thank you very much. But if you can stretch your mind for a minute, imagine that the place values you know as “ones,” “tens,” and “hundreds” (multiples of tens) are actually multiples of 2!…
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100 of the Best Poems to Memorize in Morning Time
So you want to start memorizing poetry in Morning Time. You know you should start with something that delights you as the Mama. But there are millions of possibilities! Where to begin? Start here with my list of 100 of the best poems to memorize in Morning Time! I even have a checklist you can print out and keep in your homeschool planner. Imagine how much fun it will be to look back and see how many beautiful words and delightful ideas you and your children now know by heart! Be sure to check out the Year of Memory Work, where I have recorded video recitations of several of these…
