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How to Plan Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU) Curriculum

How to Plan BFSU curriculum

If you’ve read my review of Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU) science curriculum, you’ll know it’s no secret that I love it!  

The content is awesome, it’s organized logically, and it encourages students to observe, question, and think their way through the lessons (rather than just memorizing science jargon that’s thrown at them). 

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my BFSU review to learn more about the curriculum and how it works. 

But, even though I love BFSU, there was a steep learning curve for me as I tried to actually implement it. The thing is, I was creating work and frustration for myself that could’ve been avoided! The steep learning curve was my own fault!

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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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How to Plan Your Homeschool Week: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Plan Your Homeschool Week A Step-by-Step Guide

How you plan out your homeschool week will depend on many factors. The curricula you use, your educational methods, your personality and your kids’ personalities will all affect what your weekly planner looks like (or if you use one at all). 

I’ve always considered myself a planner connoisseur (yes, I’m aware I’m a nerd). But when it comes to our weekly school planner, I’ve found just using a very basic spreadsheet for each of my kids works best for us. 

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How to Homeschool – A Quick Start Guide for Desperate Parents

How to Homeschool - A Quick Start Guide for Desperate Parents

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.

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Top 10 Time-Saving Tips for Homeschoolers

Top 10 Time-Saving Tips for Homeschoolers with hour glass on sand background

Homeschoolers have gained back a lot of time with their kids by keeping them home. But it still seems like it’s never enough! So, in the spirit of not wasting any more of this precious commodity, let’s get right to the tips!

The list below includes the top ten ways I’ve learned to save time in our homeschool. It’s organized from very general to very specific – hopefully there’s an idea for everyone!

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Strategies for Buying Homeschool Curriculum: A Grocery Store Analogy

Strategies for Buying Homeschool Curriculum title on grocery aisle background

Is it just me or has our society overcomplicated things that should be fairly straightforward? 

Take food, for example. The overall process seems like it should be pretty simple. Grow or buy food. Cook food. Eat food. Done. 

But when you get to the grocery store and spend the first 15 minutes just trying to pick a breakfast cereal from the 129 choices available, you quickly realize this might be harder than you thought.

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