Homeschool Den

Making Homeschooling Hands-On, Engaging, Meaningful & Memorable! Be inspired by all the possibilities!! Check out our unit studies, packets and printables!

Category: All About Homeschooling!

Learn More About Unschooling 2

Homeschool: Interviews with other Homeschoolers / Homeschooling in the News

Learn More About Unschooling

There are many different approaches to homeschooling. “Unschooling” goes by many different names child led learning, natural learning, interest-led learning, self-directed learning or organic learning. This approach allows the child to learn through play, natural learning and self-directed activities. There are no textbooks, no test, no formal education for unschoolers. Unschoolers step away from traditional curriculums and embrace a different approach to learning and education. Coming up on June 10th...

Can’t Wait to Talk about this Movie with my Friends 0

Homeschool: Random Thoughts

Can’t Wait to Talk about this Movie with my Friends

My friend recommended a movie called the Queen of Versailles to me. It’s the true story/documentary film of a wealthy American family who are building the largest and most extravagant family home in the world. I watched it and can’t wait to have a coffee and long chat with my friend! I don’t want to spoil it for those who might watch it (it’s on Netflix)… but I came away...

Homeschool Methods and Philosophy 12

Homeschool Den / Homeschool: Our Homeschool (what our day is like, curriculum choices, etc.) / Homeschool: Planning and Preparation / Homeschool: Random Thoughts

What Has Surprised You Most About Homeschooling?

I saw this question somewhere on the internet while I was on holiday a week or so ago and it really got me to thinking… what has taken me most by surprise in our homeschooling adventure? I knew “from the start” that we would homeschool. It was on our radar because my sister’s family homeschools their kids and my cousin homeschooled her three kids. It sounded like a good fit...

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Homeschool: Our Homeschool (what our day is like, curriculum choices, etc.) / Homeschool: Random Thoughts / Must Read

Standardized Testing: The Furor Over Exams

The weather feels like summer and we had a week away, but we actually haven’t quite brought our school year to a close. We have a couple of weeks left partly because we haven’t done our end-of-year testing yet.  As part of the requirements for our state, the kids have to take a national exam (there are several to choose from). The tests are graded elsewhere, we receive the results...

Scholastic Dollar Deals are Back! 0

Homeschool: Useful Resources (websites books etc)

Scholastic Dollar Deals are Back!

Scholastic Dollar Deals are back!  I noticed that they have their $1 sale on ebooks until May 19th, 2013. I have bought dozens of books over the past couple of years. Just thought I’d mention it for anyone who might be interested — Here are some of the things we’ve bought ($1) and used: Instant Habitat Dioramas Banish Boring Words Various Writing Prompt Books Math: Fractions

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Ages 2-6: Flower Unit / Ages 2-6: Preschool (Age 4) / Ages 2-6: Preschool and Toddler Activities / Homeschool: Useful Resources (websites books etc) / Lapbooks / Must Read / Nature / Science

Lapbooks for Preschool on Up – A Project Kids Can Be Proud Of!

It has been a while since we’ve done any lapbooks.  I saw this free robin lapbook over at Dynamic 2 Moms and asked the girls if they would be interested in doing one on robins. ED and DD both said, “Yes!”  So, I printed everything out and the girls set to work. If you’ve never heard of a lapbook, it is a cute way to display small folded mini-books, flaps, pop-up...

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Homeschool: Random Thoughts / Must Read

3–The Most Stressful Number of Kids

Would you agree with the TodayMoms.com survey that three is the most stressful number of kids to have?   I remember when I announced to my best friend that I was pregnant with my third, she was happy for me, but at the same time she said it was really, really hard.  Our kids are all a year apart so when I had a 1 and 3 year old, my friend...

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Homeschool Den / Homeschool: Our Homeschool (what our day is like, curriculum choices, etc.) / Must Read / Trips We've Taken

So, How Is Homeschool Life Going? – A Visit to Antietam and More

Dear Friends, I thought I’d spend a post just talking about our homeschool life in general. I find it therapeutic to write about how things are really going since single-themed posts (you know, about commas or slavery) don’t really give a thorough picture of life on the home front. It’s 10 pm on Wednesday evening. I’ve finally left LD’s room and the kids are in bed.  Whew! Hubby is currently in Australia and...

Kids Can Cook Their Way to the White House! 0

Homeschool: Random Thoughts / Must Read / Recipes

Kids Can Cook Their Way to the White House!

I just read about the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and wanted to spread the word! Does your child like to cook?  Kids ages 8-12 can submit original recipes to win tickets to a state dinner at the White House to eat some of these winning dishes with first lady, Michelle Obama.  The challenge is to create healthy recipes that include the five food groups either in one dish or in one...

We Got a New Kitty! 0

Homeschool Den / Homeschool: Random Thoughts

We Got a New Kitty!

About a month ago on the way to LD’s allergy shots, the kids and I saw something really sad. Just a few moments before we drove through an intersection, a cat was struck by a car. As we drove by, we could see that the cat was still alive. It’s head was up and it was looking all around. It was a busy intersection and cars were racing by it on both...

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Homeschool Den / Homeschool: Organizing and Cleaning / Homeschool: Planning and Preparation / Must Read / Workboxes

Being Realistic about Spring Cleaning – Chores and Organizing

This past week we’ve done a heap of fun activities, but I’ve been spending most of my spare time — not blogging — but doing some spring cleaning and organizing.  I was in the mood to put some music on and clean… but to be honest, I get overwhelmed by those long, long, looonnnnngg spring cleaning lists.  To make sure I’m feeling good about the process I make sure I...

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Homeschool Den / Homeschool: Interviews with other Homeschoolers

Homeschooling through the Teenage Years – Susan Wise Bauer

This morning I happened to come across an interview with Susan Wise Bauer.  She is a well-known author in the homeschooling community and she has homeschooled for 17 years.  She herself was homeschooled with her two siblings.  In this video-interview she discussed  homeschooling through the teenage years. Two of her children have now graduated and she talked a lot about her perspective on educating her kids through high school and college....

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Homeschool: Our Homeschool (what our day is like, curriculum choices, etc.)

What Do We Cover in Our Homeschool Each Day?

Someone had a great question for me yesterday.  Since I usually just post about one topic at a time on the blog she wondered what else we cover each day. I thought I’d stick my answer into its own post since other’s might be scratching their heads wondering if we have regular stuff we cover.  Here was my answer… We usually have one or two units going on… right now...

A Shocking Number of Girls Don’t Go to School Worldwide 0

Homeschool Den / Homeschool: Random Thoughts

A Shocking Number of Girls Don’t Go to School Worldwide

A few nights ago as I watched the evening news, I heard a statistic that really startled me. The story was about the teen activist who was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan for arguing for girls’ education.  At the end of the segment ABC World News said that 32 million  girls don’t go to school. Wow!  The World Bank Education Statistics Newsletter confirmed that and even had an interesting graphic: It looks...