One of my favorite homeschooling activities over the years has been reading aloud to my kids, whatever their ages. Sometimes it seems as though reading aloud is just one more thing to do, but it actually saves homeschooling time and effort. It is certainly one of the most efficient and effective ways to learn. It […]
Homeschool Highlights
Butterflies at the Canadian Museum of Nature

We when walked into the butterfly exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature we were immediately surrounded by enormous blue butterflies. They and others fluttered busily around and between us, fragile miracles heedless of danger. Brilliantly colored, they were everywhere, feeding on fruit, resting on greenery or windowsills, terrifying babies with their enormous size […]
Learning by Puzzling

Puzzles are fun and they are also an excellent way to learn visual information. Searching for just the right piece, whether by color, pattern, or shape, makes one actually see the picture. The process of holding that information in one’s mind while searching through dozens or hundreds of similar puzzle pieces develops concentration. Puzzling itself […]
Medieval Europe: Power and Splendor
Those two words, ‘medieval Europe’, conjure up images of splendor and power, knights and castles, monasteries and missionaries, plague and privation. Recently, however, when we visited the Medieval Europe Exhibition at the Canadian Museum of History, I came away with a completely different feeling. Among the armour, jewellery, tapestry, and everyday utensils, many artifacts pointed […]