Every September we study poetry: we read it, we analyze it, we write it. Oh no, you say, my kids wouldn’t enjoy poetry. Ditto for mine. (Or so they thought.) The benefits of poetry: Build neural networks. Learn a new language. Become cultured. These were my original reasons for reading snippets of William Wordsworth as … Continue reading
Math wasn’t easy for me, so I didn’t want to see math, let alone teach it. When I attempted true unschooling for a time (yep, I really did that), I discovered the unbelievable…there is no way to get away from arithmetic. You need to understand math: add, subtract, multiply, divide, estimate, and understand decimals and percentages. Consumerism … Continue reading
I ate up Julie Bogart’s recent book, The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning and Life. Ten years ago, I would have inhaled it and allowed the gems of oxygen to seep into my respiratory cells, so I could breathe, really breathe in my homeschool world. So many gems of wisdom I had … Continue reading
The Most Important R: Reading Give a kid a book, open their minds to the world. Once upon a time I bought into the notion that reading couldn’t be accomplished outside of a kindergarten class, a phonics program, or an easy reader series. My children have taught me otherwise. Each of my children had different … Continue reading
https://media.blubrry.com/homeschoolmamaselfcare/p/capturingthecharmedlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/What-is-an-Education-Anyways.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download “Education cannot make a person into something; it can only provide space for a person to discover who they are. Being fully human is not derived from doing things the way that someone or something has told us to, but by being who we are, the person we … Continue reading
I’m old enough to have a conversation with my child that goes like this: “Happy Birthday. Should I not ask how old you are?” Umm, that’s the sign. I’m more than 40. But since I’m not remembering the exact number anymore (my kids tell me that I’ve told others an older age than I am–I’ve … Continue reading