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Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU) Review – Part 1

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding BFSU Review Part 1

(There may be affiliate links in this post – click here to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I’ve never received any compensation or products from the creators of BFSU, and they aren’t sponsoring or connected to this post. I’m just a homeschooling mom who bought BFSU and loved it! I’m sharing my honest opinions with you here to help you decide if BFSU might be a good fit for you, too!)

I’m so excited! I’ve been waiting years to write this review and the time has finally come! We started using this three volume science curriculum eight years ago when my oldest son was in kindergarten. He’s in 7th grade now and we’re using the final volume this year.

I don’t recall how I first found out about Dr. Nebel’s science series, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU for short), but I’m so glad I did!

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5 Key Reasons Every Student Needs Higher Math

5 Key Reasons Every Student Needs Higher Math

(The following article was originally published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC in the Summer 2020 print edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. It can also be viewed online here.) 

Some teens love math and know they’ll need it for their profession. Others, pursuing a college degree, have reluctantly accepted the fact that many colleges require algebra, geometry, trigonometry, or even calculus for admission. Then there are the students who can’t imagine ever using, and certainly not enjoying, any kind of higher math, and they aren’t afraid to let you know it!

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All About Spelling Curriculum Review

Sensible Homeschool Reviews All About Spelling Curriculum

When we first started homeschooling, I set out to find the perfect curriculum for each subject. 

You know, that magical product that would be a great fit for all of my kids, no matter what their personality. The one that I could reuse over the years to maximize my investment. The one that’s customizable but also requires zero teacher prep. Is that too much to ask?

Well, it’s been almost a decade since I started my search. I can now say there’s only one subject where I found a magic bullet that achieved all those goals. 

That subject is… spelling. 

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A Tour of Our Homeschool: Art Closet

A Tour of Our Homeschool Art Closet

I’ve hesitated to write this post because our art closet is… well… ugly.

But, I’ve decided to give you this photo tour anyway. It’s a late addition to the Tour of Our Homeschool series.

Picture-perfect art rooms are often more discouraging for me than inspiring. I walk away feeling like I could never make it all so organized and matching and beautiful, and I give up before even trying.

So, because it’s not Pinterest-worthy, I’m hoping the pictures of our homely art closet will show you that working art into your homeschool is totally doable. You don’t need to wait until you’ve built a dedicated She-Shed or made adorable, color-coordinated mason jar labels to get started. 

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10 Ways to Build a Career as an Architectural Engineer

10 Ways to Build a Career as an Architectural Engineer

Before I was a homeschool mom, I was an Architectural Engineer (AE).

Over the years, it’s seemed to me that AE doesn’t get the publicity it deserves. So I jumped at the chance to let homeschooling families know about it when The Old Schoolhouse Magazine did an issue on careers in engineering.

(The following article was originally published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC in the Spring 2020 print edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. It can also be viewed online here.) 

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How to Plan The Story of the World History Curriculum

How to Plan the Story of the World History Curriculum

(There may be affiliate links in this post – click here to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

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.

*Update: Since I originally wrote this post, I’ve finished all 4 volumes with two of my kids and I’m going through the series again with my youngest! It’s worked very well for all three of my kids and all their different learning styles. I still highly recommend this curriculum!

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

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

Looking Back on 2020: A Homeschool End-of-Year Review

2020. What a doozy!

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!

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