My daughters love working critical-thinking logic puzzles! Now that the holiday season is upon us, what better way to celebrate than with a set of Christmas-themed, critical thinking logic puzzles? Why critical-thinking logic puzzles? Rachel Mork listed several benefits in her article Benefits of Logic Puzzles for Kids.; they encourage children to develop and use logic & […]
Pumpkins in My Patch
The fall is my favorite time of year! I love meandering through our neighborhood wearing my bulky knit sweater as I gaze at the majestic trees with their deep colors. I love hearing the crisp sound of the fallen leaves below my feet. I love anything pumpkin – pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin, pumpkin soup, […]
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
As a Memorial Day treat this year, my brilliant hubby suggested making ice cream sandwiches out of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Of course, before we could make the sandwiches, we had to bake the cookies. Hannah quickly volunteered. The recipe has a time-honored history in our home. We inherited the recipe from our dear friends, Christine […]
How to Make Summer Learning Stick
They’re shiny; they’re glittery; they smell like tropical fruit and bubble gum. They are all different shapes and sizes. They are S T I C K E R S, and I find them in the most interesting places — the walls, the furniture, the floor, and even the potato bin! Since stickers and kids are like bread and butter, why not stock up on […]
Summer Brain Gain
Everyone has “summer fever” in my household. We’re ready to trade in our school books for the pool and camp. We have just a three days left until portfolio review, but like many parents and educators, I worry about losing the learning momentum during summertime, whether it’s due to a less structured schedule, or weather that […]
How to Catch a Stink Bug
The other day, I was rummaging through old status updates from my personal Facebook account and realized that there is a treasure trove of potential blog entries from days gone by. The first that caught my eye was a note I posted entitled “How to Catch a Stink Bug according to Rachel and Hannah.” The […]
14 Resources for Learning THE TIMES TABLES
When I was a kid, learning the times tables was a fun challenge for me, and I enthusiastically participated in the chalkboard times table races at the end of math class. I was determined to beat this girl named Wendy. It surprised me, however, when my kiddos struggled learning them. I tried flash cards, skip counting […]
3 New Freebies, 3 New Deals, and 3 Parent Fails
3 Parent Fails What is my biggest parent fail moment? Well . . . my kids will never let me live it down; they never pass up the opportunity to tell the story of how I messed up their favorite lunch – homemade dumplings! We were all hungry by the time I loaded each […]
Six Reasons to Incorporate Read-Alouds & Audiobooks into Your Homeschool
One of our girls’ most treasured and ongoing family traditions is Daddy reading a chapter (or two) while they slowly nibble on their nighttime snack or snuggle on the couch. After a span of 15 minutes or so, I can hear their sweet refrain: “More, Daddy, more! Just one more chapter . . . please?” […]
Enter to Win Your Dream Classroom – Homeschoolers Too!
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation month, Educents, FreshGrade, S&S Worldwide, and the Sellers of Educents have partnered to give educators funding for their dream classrooms. The 7 educators with the most votes will win a combined $10,000! Any educator is eligible to win – teachers, homeschoolers, parents, and school administrators.