This year I went to our annual homeschooling conference only because my teens wanted to attend and my friends had put so much effort into it. It wasn’t something I really wanted to do. After all, life is busy enough without taking an entire day off. I didn’t feel discouraged, so did not need encouragement; [...]
homeschooling tips
Free Digital Issue of Homeschool Horizons
Homeschool Horizons is a new Canadian magazine run by Shannon and her husband Tony. I’ve met Shannon, and she’s a sweet bubbly homeschooling mom who wants to encourage homeschoolers across Canada and is willing to share with the whole world. You should not miss the article by Anne White (one of the Ambleside Online founders) in which [...]
Get Going Early in the Day
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Long ago, as a little girl in a school desk, I learned that saying, and I have often wondered if it is true. Certainly there are many benefits to rising early. When reading about productive people, I notice that the vast majority [...]
Homeschool Professional Development with Blog Carnivals
Public school teachers have professional development days—without students—when they can focus on improving their teaching skills. Homeschooling moms cannot do the same thing quite so easily. For one thing, our ‘students’ are still around, so it’s difficult—or impossible—to take a whole day off. But we still need inspiring and informative moments that challenge us in our [...]
Questions for Math Students after Finishing a Problem
We’ve had some difficulties with math lately, with basic addition, areas and perimeters, estimation, and advanced algebra. It’s frustrating for the children and for me, and I’m still struggling to find solutions. I’ve briefly mentioned two of our approaches in my weekly wrap ups: the need for basic fact drill and the importance of neatness and organization. [...]
Free Charlotte Mason Treasures for Your Homeschool
Charlotte Mason believed that education should “make our boys and girls rich towards God, rich towards society and rich towards themselves.” Ambleside Online (discussed here) follows Charlotte Mason’s ideals by providing children with treasures that will give them this richness. Year 1 is my favorite Ambleside year, full of classics that appeal to all ages and [...]
Curriculum Choice Review: Comprehensive Record Solution
The prospect of getting homeschooled kids into university can seem quite frightening. I was recently talking with a mom who is going to do online public school so that her children will have ‘the right courses’ to enter university. She was cheerfully determined to follow this course, so I didn’t try to dissuade her, but [...]
Almost Free Homeschooling with Ambleside Online
Every few years in our decade and a half of homeschooling, we’ve reevaluated how we homeschool. Now it’s happening again, and we’re leaning more heavily towards Charlotte Mason learning, partially because the best year we’ve ever had was based on the Ambleside Online curriculum. Unfortunately, it was too much for me at the time because I [...]
Homeschool Horizons: A New Canadian Magazine
This September, Canadian homeschoolers can read the very first issue of the new Homeschool Horizons: Canada’s Homeschool Encouragement Magazine. Homeschool Horizons is being put out by Tony and Shannon Ratcliffe of Ontario. I met Shannon through the TOS Review crew, and then, finally, in person at a conference. She’s so bubbly and enthusiastic, just [...]
Review: The Writer’s Workshop by Gregory Roper
When Miss 10 had to write an argument about which was the most valuable sense, sight or hearing, she was very unhappy. She dislikes writing in any case, and she couldn’t see any chance of success with this assignment. I had just skimmed through The Writer’s Workshop: Imitating Your Way to Better Writing, and its [...]
