Category: Homeschool: Random Thoughts

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Thoughts on Teaching: A Story of the Wise Teacher and the Student

Not long ago, I heard a story that has really been bouncing around in my head.  It left me thinking a lot about my role as a homeschooling Mom/teacher… and about my kids’ roles as students.  I am going to do my very best to re-tell that story in this post today. I’m not sure of its origin.  In my version of this story, the wise teacher is a female,...

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Thoughts on Teaching: The Power Morning!

I really want to do a series called “Thoughts on Teaching.” Why? Well, I’ve been reading a lot lately and have been excited about some of the ideas I’ve come across. As I process all that, I always want to write about it.  May as well bounce my ideas with my online reader friends, right?!! Do you ever need a private cheerleader… someone to pat you on the back and...

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10 Things You May or May Not Know about Me

These kinds of posts were really quite popular back five or six years ago.  At that point, bloggers tagged one another — “You’re It!” and we’d all share bits of trivia about ourselves. I actually really loved reading those random fact posts.  So, it’s 11:15 pm, the kids are sleeping and I’ve got a backlog of 8 or 10 posts that “should” be written.  Instead, my Kindle is calling, so...

Summer Activity Ideas - Patches Projects 0

350+ Summer Activity Ideas

I typed up a list of more than 350 activities, projects, trip ideas, and patches  the kids can work on this summer. When I handed these pages to the kids you should have seen them pour through the list! Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads, they were so excited!  Each of the items on this list have patches that scouts (and others!) can earn. But let’s face it, it’s just...

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Homeschool Happenin’s! (Outer Banks, Jam Making… Oh yes, and a tiny bit of school…)

The past week or so we were away from home… enjoying the tranquility and pre-summer crowds of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Since my sister homeschools (and thus also has a flexible schedule), it seemed the perfect time to meet up with her family and my folks! Homeschool Graduate: Before I share a couple of pictures… let me brag on my niece (who has been homeschooled K through 12)....

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It Feels GRRrrreat… (and other Ramblings & Random Things… Like a Pumpkin Muffin Recipe, Hiking Pics)

Hooray! We’re done with standardized testing!!  The kids are really happy! In those hours and hours of sitting by witnessing the kids toil, I have a come up with a bunch of hands-on activities and blog post ideas! Hope to get those written up soon. But in the meantime, I just came on to celebrate!  Jumped through that hoop… Now back to our fun stuff… like our Middle Ages Unit, Human...

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High Standards and a Nurturing Atmosphere

I am drawn to books and stories about amazing teachers and inspiring mentors who help their students achieve greatness. What are great teachers teaching students along the way?  To love learning. To learn and think for themselves. And to work hard on the fundamentals.   The common thread among many of the inspiring books I’ve read is that great teachers set high standards for all of their students. They believe in...

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What a Great Week!

We’ve had such a great week!  In early March, the kids were often really testy with one another but ever since our lovely spring break (when my in-laws were here), things have been moving along well! This post actually has nothing to do with the featured image of Starbuck, though she does rule over our homeschool room. She spends a lot of time under the homeschool room couch, but once...

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Can I Tell You a Secret?

Don’t tell my kids… but I’m pretty tired…. not with school itself, but with being the mediator.  It’s mid-semester for us and I’m not as patient with the kids as I should be… well, or a better way to put that is that the kids are really grating on each other’s nerves and I can’t always nip it in the bud. We’ve had to have talk after talk about treating...

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10 Posts From the Past

Hi Everyone, Not everyone uses Facebook and  with the way Facebook works now, the majority of my readers don’t see what I post to Facebook.  So, I thought that I’d highlight some of my older posts here on the blog as well every now and then. 20+ Thoughts for the Busy Homeschooling Family: 11 Year Old Shares Her Thoughts About Homeschooling Last winter on a snowy day like this one, I...

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Homeschool Motivation – 10 Ways to Keep Going!

It’s mid-winter. It’s cold and there’s still plenty of school left in the semester.  How do we keep ourselves motivated to homeschool? I’ve been thinking about that a LOT lately. When working with the kids, it’s not just having the activities ready, the books out, worksheets printed out. It’s the smile and positive energy that really inspires our homeschool. In that regard, there are times when I’m not doing my job.  Call it...

Lunar Eclipse Tests Parent’s Patience 0

Lunar Eclipse Tests Parent’s Patience

Did you wake your kids up to see the total lunar eclipse the other day? Hubby (my hero!) drove the kids to an open area to see the eclipse. (We live down in the woods and are completely surrounded by trees).  The kids were absolutely amazed! They thought it was spectacular! On the other hand, doing something amazing like well before 5am wasn’t without its consequences…  tired kids… And then...

How The Other Half Lives 0

Colorado Students Protest Sanitizing History and Removing Political Dissent

The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice. –Mark Twain History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. –Winston Churchill By now you’ve probably heard about the Colorado protests and walk outs by school students and their teachers this week. (See this Denver Post Article or this New York Times article). I’ve been quite caught up with the debates and protests out in...

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What About the Social Aspects of Homeschooling?

For so many of us who grew up attending public schools and being educated among same-age peers, there are real questions about the socialization of homeschooled kids. We remember sitting in classrooms packed with other children and truly wonder how homeschoolers will fill in that “void” of being with other children so many hours of the day.  As a homeschooling family, though, I was quick to realize that socialization is...