From my family to yours, I wish you a joy-filled Christmas season and a blessed year ahead!
If you need a break from wrapping presents and chauffeuring the kids, take a few minutes to check out the most popular Sensible Homeschool posts from this year and all time!
Kids in first, second, or third grade are at such a fun age! They’re still young enough to be intrigued by a lot of things. But they’re older and much more capable than they were just a few short years ago.
We can use this innate curiosity and increased capability to our advantage as home educators.
There are two different types of planning that are important in homeschooling. They are…
…“Big Picture Planning” and “Detailed Planning”.
The Big Picture Plan is a zoomed-out view of our kids’ entire education. All the subjects. All the years. Everything from ABC and 123 up through high school graduation.
I recently found this never-published post of mine from four years ago. In the Covid blur of early 2020, it got lost in the shuffle. But, better late than never, right?
My three homeschooled kids are currently in 9th, 6th, and 2nd grade. It’s been fun to look back at this glimpse into our lives four years ago when Oldest was in 5th grade, Middle was in 2nd grade, and Youngest was still a preschooler!
I’ve always loved “Day in the Life” posts – especially when I was a new homeschooler trying to figure out what those crazy homeschool people do all day.
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If there’s one thing I’ve learned in over a decade of homeschooling, it’s that learning can happen anytime, anywhere, and in many different ways.
We definitely don’t need to be in a classroom. And it doesn’t even have to be a school day!
In past posts, I’ve shown how kids are always learning – on weekends, on vacations, and even when they’re bored, sick, or having a bad day. This past New Year’s break I was reminded, yet again, that kids are always learning… even on a holiday!
May you and your family be blessed this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
Merry Christmas to you all and I hope you have a safe and happy New Year!
Warmest wishes,
– Sensible Homeschool
One of my new favorite t-shirts says, “Hold on. Let me overthink this.” It’s perfect for me.
I’ve always been a Type-A, planner-loving, I-prefer-my-ducks-in-a-row momma. I tend to over-analyze and over-complicate most things – especially when it comes to our homeschool.
Thankfully, over a decade of homeschooling has mellowed me out a little bit. I’ve seen firsthand how powerful spontaneous teachable moments can be. I’ve witnessed my kids retain more from playing made-up games than from carefully crafted lesson plans. I’ve realized that it’s less about finding the “right” curriculum and more about nurturing relationships and encouraging a love of learning.
If time flies when you’re having fun, then we must be having a blast!
It seems like just yesterday I was wondering if this crazy idea called “homeschooling” would work for our family. Now we’re ten years into our home educating journey and my oldest is starting high school!
Each year I’ve shared Our Curriculum Choices and plans for the year. Read on to find out what homeschool resources we’ll be using this coming year with our 9th, 6th, and 2nd graders.
It’s that time of year again.
Swimsuits. Pool parties. Watermelon. Ice cream trucks. And, best of all…
… the next chapter in Our Homeschool Summer Break blog series!
Okay, maybe a blog post isn’t better than ice cream (or any of those other things). But it sure beats swatting away mosquitoes while mowing the lawn!
According to the internet (so it must be true, right?), ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus is the one we credit for the saying…
“The only constant is change.”
– Heraclitus
Looking back on 2022, it’s tempting for me to agree and lament the unexpected, difficult, and life-altering changes that my family has experienced this year.
But, while change is often a regular occurrence, it is NOT the only constant.
