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Our Curriculum Choices – Year 11

Our Curriculum Choices Year 11 - Sensible Homeschool

I say it every year and I’ll say it again…. I can’t believe another school year is ending! Where does the time go?!

Over our last decade of homeschooling, I’ve learned just how fast summer flies by, too. So even though the door is still swinging shut on this past school year, it’s time to think ahead and start planning next year’s homeschooling adventures!

Our Curriculum Choices – Year 10

Our Curriculum Choices Year 10

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.

Our Homeschool Summer Break – Year 9

Our Homeschool Summer Break - Year 9

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!

How to Homeschool Preschool – Part 2

How to Homeschool Preschool - Part 2

If you’re just tuning in to this How to Homeschool Preschool series, first check out Part 1 here

In Part 1, I shared how important playing is in your at-home preschool. In fact, some would say preschool should be all play since kids can learn so much so easily while they’re playing. 

But just because they’re playing and having a fun time learning doesn’t mean we allow them to act like crazy hooligans. A balanced homeschool needs to focus on character building, too. 

Our Experience with CTC Math Homeschool Curriculum: A Mini Review

Our experience with CTC Math homeschool curriculum - a mini review

If you’re like me, you read more than one review when considering a homeschool curriculum purchase. 

And, if you’re like me, you get frustrated when the first half of every review repeats the same basic product info. 

So, in this review, I’ll skip all the basics. This won’t be “All You Need to Know” about CTC Math. And it won’t be the  “Complete Ultimate Comprehensive Guide” to homeschool math curricula. 

In this CTC Math Mini Review, I’ll assume you’re already semi-familiar with the program and you’re just trying to decide if it will work for your family. (If that’s not the case, check out the CTC Math website to see what it’s all about or read Cathy Duffy’s review for a quick summary. Then come back here for my two cents.) 

Our Homeschool Summer Break – Year 8

Our Homeschool Summer Break Year 8

Years ago, I started writing about our plans for summer breaks. I shared the educational and homeschool-y things we did over the summer each year. If you read those posts, you might remember that each year I seemed to bounce back and forth between too academic and too relaxed. 

By our 5th homeschooling summer I’d found a good balance. (Yes, it really did take me five summers to figure it out…)

But just when I was getting the hang of things… the pandemic reared its ugly head. 

Homeschooling in the Chicago Suburbs: Co-ops, Field Trips, & Family Activities

homeschooling in the Chicago suburbs: co-ops, field trips, & family activities

As I’ve written this post, all of my family’s belongings were loaded onto a 26’ moving truck and taken to our new home in another state! 

After searching online for co-ops and extracurricular activities near our new home, I realized firsthand how helpful it is when bloggers share their favorite local homeschooling resources!

So, before my family leaves the northwest Chicago suburbs, I want to post a “brain dump” of all the northern Illinois homeschooling resources I’ve found over the years. We’ve been parenting and homeschooling here for over a decade and have collected a list of awesome co-ops, support groups, nature centers, field trip ideas, and more!