The Sensible Homeschool – Practical Help & Encouragement for Your Homeschool

Kids Are Always Learning (Even on Vacation)

September 11, 2020September 10, 2020

”Do you ask a fish how it swims? Or a bird how it flies? No sirree, you don’t! They do it because they were born to do it!”
– Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Just like Willy Wonka was born to invent new candy bars, kids were born to learn!

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about why homeschooling works easily for kids of all ages. They’re even learning on sick days. And, on our recent trip to the lake, I was reminded (yet again) how kids are always learning – even on vacation!

How to Homeschool – A Quick Start Guide for Desperate Parents

August 28, 2020August 25, 2020

It’s August…. The END of August….

If you’re being thrown into homeschooling unexpectedly (due to COVID-19 or for any other reason), this might be the moment you start to panic.

Or, it might be when the panic you’ve felt rising for months turns into full-blown freaking out.

As a friend of mine says to lighten the mood when her kids are stressed out, “don’t worry… sausages!”

Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.

Our Curriculum Choices – Year 7

August 14, 2020August 12, 2020

2020.

What. A. Year.

And we’re not even three-quarters of the way through it yet!

Even though I can’t seem to keep track of what day it is right now, I’m at least aware that it’s August. And August in our homeschool means it’s time to finalize and share our curriculum plans for the year ahead.

How to Make Homemade Paper: A Tutorial with Pictures

July 31, 2020August 25, 2020

Looking for a fun and different project to try with your kids? Look no further!

When I was a kid and we needed a change of pace from our everyday arts and crafts, we brought out our paper-making supplies and always had a blast!

How to Plan The Story of the World History Curriculum

July 17, 2020July 16, 2020

I’m so glad I found The Story of the World (SotW) curriculum for history! So far we’ve used and loved Volumes 1 through 3, and I just finished planning Volume 4 for the upcoming school year.

I’ve already talked about how we customize SotW in our homeschool. In this post, I’ll show you how I tackle planning it.

Looking Back on 2020: A Homeschool End-of-Year Review (Part 2)

July 3, 2020July 1, 2020

I don’t want to write this.

As I type, next year’s curriculum books are staring at me. “Plan ahead with us!” they beckon.

I just don’t want to spend time looking back when there’s so much to do to prepare for next year! Full speed ahead, I say!

But no. Not yet.

Looking Back on 2020: A Homeschool End-of-Year Review (Part 1)

June 19, 2020June 17, 2020

2020 has been quite a doozy so far, hasn’t it?

Most of us are still reeling from the unexpected spin COVID-19 put on the last few months of this school year. And just when we thought things were looking up, we find ourselves in the midst of another set of trials and civil unrest.

It seems like a lifetime ago that I was planning out our curricula and wondering what the year would bring. I definitely didn’t expect all this!

Pause to Pray

June 5, 2020June 2, 2020

Single lit memorial candle on black background

I can’t bring myself to send out “just another post” this week. There’s too much unrest. Too much turbulence. Too much to process to move forward without pausing.

Before we can even attempt to reflect on the last school year or make plans for the next one, we simply must stop and acknowledge all that 2020 has brought so far.

A Tour of Our Homeschool: History (& More) Shelves

May 22, 2020May 25, 2020

The final stop on this Tour of Our Homeschool is the history shelf.

Early in this shelf’s career here in my home, it had the misfortune of being partly empty. And, since no empty space remains empty for long around here, it’s now become the “History-and-Geography-and-Health-and-Art-and-Bible-and-Character-and-Whatever-Else-I-Can-Cram-In-There” shelf.

We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today so I’ll get right to it. If you missed the beginning posts in this series, click here to catch up.

A Tour of Our Homeschool: Language Arts Shelves

May 8, 2020May 19, 2020

Early in my homeschool mom career, language arts caused a lot of confusion for me. There are so many subcategories within the subject – I just didn’t know where to begin.

Handwriting, reading (including phonics and sight words), spelling, grammar, composition, poetry, literature, public speaking…. What do I teach when? And how? Ahhh! 🤯

Over the years, I’ve been able to make better sense of it all. My curriculum shelves, however, still reveal the winding journey of trial and error I’ve gone through in the search for language arts resources for my kids.