Crazy Summer
Wonder when I will give up my fantasy of schooling all year 'round, taking short breaks throughout the year instead of one long on in the summer?I really rebel against the idea of the September - June...
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The thrill of the plan
Seems like I'm always engaged in homeschool planning. Does a day go by that I don't think about curriculum? You wouldn't know that answer to that unless you are a homeschool mommy; if you are, you...
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Science books for non-Science-y People
Just some quick notes on a couple of books and authors I've been enjoying recently:In anticipation of my daughter's summer botany study, I read Andrea Wulf's The Brother Gardeners, about early...
View ArticleA homeschool moment
Today: sitting on the back deck in the shade, reading Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England aloud to my children, while my daughter painted my toenails.They are a subtle shade of pink. She's wanted...
View ArticleA new endeavor
Inspired by my friend (and with aplogies for stealing her idea, sort of), I'm launching A Homeschool Moment, in which I will describe one nice moment of a homeschooling day.I know, it's not very...
View ArticleSeptember 4: Homeschool Moment
Sitting at the table with my daughter, looking with dismay at her math book for the first time in who knows how long. She is supposed to do some averaging. "It's hard.""OK, well, which part is...
View ArticleSeptember 5: Homeschool Moment
Wondering if I can count the time my daughter spent doing her nails - ombre fall colors and glitter - as art for the day.
View ArticleSeptember 6 Homeschool Moment
Talking about the effects of the Norman Conquest on Western Civilization with my 15-year-old as we drove to a doctor appointment. On the way home, having the same kid explain how an Icee is a great...
View ArticleHomeschool Moment: Porch School
It's not really a porch, and more than a moment. This is the golden time in Pennsylvania - the humidity is (relatively) low, the temperature is perfect, and there is sunshine on the back deck. (Deck...
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Homeschol Moments: Tower and Trebuchet
We had two good ones today. Maybe I should cheat and save one for another day. Or go backward in time and date one yesterday.We're doing medieval history this year, which is always a treat. We've...
View ArticleHomeschool Moments: Atlatls and Watercolors
This new blogging endeavor is not going so well. We do have at least one homeschool moment a day, but sometimes I forget to look for it... or forget to write about it.Today was a good one to...
View ArticleHomeschool Moment: New carpet and Playmobil
The giant bin of Playmobil figures has been in the dungeon for a while. No one's played with it for a few years now, but of course Playmobil is a legacy toy, not to be donated or given away, but saved...
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Teach Your Children Well by Madeline Levine, PhD
Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success by Madeline LevineMy rating: 3 of 5 starsI picked this book up at the library after hearing the author speak on an NPR talk show. As I read the...
View ArticleHomeschool Moment: Haircut
My homeschool moment for today is: leaving my kids home alone with their work, and walking out the door to go get my hair cut. Alone. Sure, moms who send their kids to school get to do all sorts of...
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The Flight of Gemma Hardy
The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot LiveseyMy rating: 4 of 5 starsI'd been looking for something to take me to another time and place, and this did it pretty well. Well, the time isn't so exotic -...
View ArticleSaturday morning
Blogging commitments (though always self-imposed) never work well for me.We do homeschool, after a fashion, pretty much every day, but I don't seem to have a notable homeschool moment every day. Or,...
View ArticleWe are still having homeschool moments...
but there are more "real life" moments going on right now.The mystery sickness that seems to hit my kid every year at this time, the doctor visits that go along with that, and the difficulties of...
View ArticleHomeschool Moments: Political Education
A major election always causes a distraction from homeschooling, but it also provides lots of opportunities for homeschool moments. I'm not just talking about teaching my kids how the electoral...
View ArticleAlmost perfect start...
to the Christmas season. Well, as perfect as a day spent traveling can be.Yesterday while others were resting after the Thanksgiving feast, or enjoying Black Friday shopping, or just going about their...
View ArticleChristmas traditions, changing again
Can a tradition change? If it changes, can it even be a tradition?Three years ago I wrote about my family's new Christmas-tree-fetching tradition. Now, we are making a new one.For most of my life I...
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