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Planning

The “Nibbled to Death by Ducks” List

All year long, we’ve been busy.  Now that the kids are finished formal learning, the garden is finally planted, and there are, temporarily, no weeds, it’s time for me to catch up on all the little jobs.  You know, the ones that are important but can be postponed if necessary.  Well, I’ve been postponing them.  […]

Summer Plans Part 3: Contracts and Checklists

This is the final installment of our summer planning series.  We’ve already talked about dreaming big to ensure that our summer meets our goals, and we’ve made lists of all the necessary activities.  Now we need to make all that practical. I used to write out a contract for each child. First I’d list the […]

Summer Plans Part 2: Necessary Activities

Dreaming is the best part of planning for the summer, and a summer filled with dreams will leave a lot of happy memories.  I posted about our Dream Lists last week. However, to avoid regrets when the fall comes, it’s also important to plan the necessary activities: Obviously, there are daily chores.  Summer is a […]

Why We’ve Never Joined a Co-op

 Homeschool co-ops are great.  Many people tell me so, and so do many books.  Even so, in all our years of homeschooling, we’ve never attended one. Most of the time, the logistics just have not been right.  Either I was pregnant and tired, or I had a fussy little one, or it was too far […]

Help! Need Advice for Newbie HS Mom

I have been asked to give some advice to a young mom who has come to the conclusion that she should probably homeschool next year.  This was not her dream in life, and her five children are very young—the oldest is in public school grade 2.  What is the most important, most helpful information to […]