4 weeks on the road

by on May 23, 2012
in field trips · 18 Comments

Written by contributor Rachel Wolf of Clean and Lusa Organics

My son once mistook Lake Michigan for the ocean. So we sat down with a map and found the Great Lakes. And then we found the Atlantic.

Lake Michigan is big, but the ocean is immense. He wanted to see it for himself. So did his sister.

And so did I for that matter. After traveling the world in my teens and 20′s, I hadn’t left the Midwest for nearly a decade.

It was time for a little sand between our toes.

At four and eight years old, my children were ready for a road trip. Why not take a month off and head to the beach?

And so we did.

Two kids, one grown-up, four weeks, and 3000 miles. My husband would stay behind to run our business and I would take our homeschoolers on the road. Alone.

We were excited, but I was also nervous. Could I swing it – even on the hard days – without the support of my husband and the comforts of home?

There was only one way to know. In early October we headed south, anticipating sand and sea within a week.

While there is no formula for the perfect road trip, this is how we pulled it off.
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Free range learning (Good Reads on Simple Homeschool)

by on May 21, 2012
in a mom's education · 17 Comments

Like most homeschoolers, I love reading and discussing good books. I also enjoy sharing them with my readers, so I’m happy to have the chance to introduce you today to Free-Range Learning:How Homescholing Changes Everything by Laura Grace Weldon.

As someone who pursues interest-led learning with my children, I was drawn to the concept conveyed by this book’s title, and glad to have the chance to review it.

The author, Laura Grace Weldon, is a long-time columnist with Home Education Magazine, a farmer, and the mother of four homeschooled children.

I recently had the chance to ask Laura a few questions. Enjoy her insightful responses in this interview!
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Weekend Links

by on May 20, 2012
in links · 2 Comments

loving our cottage in Yorkshire

“But, good gracious, you’ve got to educate him first. You can’t expect a boy to be vicious till he’s been to a good school.” ~ H.H. Munro

Q&A Friday: What curricula do you plan to use next year? (2012 curriculum fair)

by on May 18, 2012
in curriculum · 79 Comments

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and Steady Mom

Over the past month we’ve heard from all of our contributors, each sharing the resources we’ve found helpful (or not helpful!), along with our homeschooling plans for the upcoming school year.

I hope you’ve found this helpful as you begin your own planning. Personally I’ve bookmarked a few resources and recommendations to keep for future years. Now it’s your turn to share!
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Classical afterschooling (Curriculum Fair 2012)

by on May 16, 2012
in curriculum · 82 Comments

Written by Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom.

Ages of my children: 7, 4, & almost 2
Educational philosophies I pull from: Classical, Interest-Led Learning

A few weeks ago, I spent the weekend visiting Peace Hill Press and its founder, Susan Wise Bauer. Known for fostering a modern-day movement of the classical method of teaching, she is someone I’ve long admired. It was an honor to meet her.

So it might surprise you to hear that we’re not homeschooling next year. Oh, well, of course we are in the organic, basic rudimentary definition of the word—I hold the belief that education always begins at home, whether or not families are aware. But formally, we are taking a step of faith and enrolling our kids in a local private school.

This was a tough, tough decision, and most of my closer friends and family know that we wrestled with this decision most of the spring semester. But in the end, we feel a strong peace that this is our learning path next year, and we’re excited.

So why am I participating in the curriculum fair here, you might be asking? Well, because we’re going to try out something that I learned about this past spring, and it’s one of the things that released me from the disappointment in not homeschooling next year.

It’s called afterschooling.

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Simple doesn’t always mean easy.

by on May 14, 2012
in a mom's education ·

Sometimes doing the simple thing isn’t the same as doing the easy thing. Know what I mean?

Last week I had the chance to share a guest post over on Simple Mom–The road to simplicity is marked by complexity. But it’s still worth it.

From my post:

“With all the talk about simplicity these days, you’d think that the route getting there would be, well, simple. But many find that with each step they take toward simplicity, they encounter temporary complications.

These complications sometimes feel so vast they make you want to quit before you’ve even started. Switching gears in life can be painful, and progress isn’t always initially visible.

I am a mother of three children, a homeschooler, a blogger and an author. Each day I spend the majority of my time on areas of my core values and priorities, crafting the life of my dreams. Yet getting here has required navigating through obstacles and complexities.”

Head here to read the rest of the post and share your thoughts.

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