Written by contributor Hillary Boucher

A note from Jamie: Sign up to receive blog updates from Simple Homeschool and get my new ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom FREE! Click here for details.

Once upon a time my kids were just babies and I did a lot of thinking about what homeschooling might look like for us. One of my ideas was to ground our learning journey by closely following, engaging in and learning about our local seasonal cycles.

I knew that being aware of our place in the seasons would help us to feel grounded in the natural rhythms of our world — an excellent starting point for important learning. It would also help balance out the stress that comes with the “go, go, go!” pace of our modern lives.

As the years passed and I grew into the practicalities of homeschooling I remained determined to root our learning in seasonally inspired activities.

When I look back I can see that I put a lot of pressure on myself. I would often feel disappointed if we didn’t acknowledge the Solstice with a full feast or if apple picking just meant apple eating and no apple pie baking (and thus the missed opportunity to learn fractions while we baked.) I even remember melting down a few years ago while we were decorating the Christmas tree and baking cookies.
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Sign up to receive blog updates from Simple Homeschool and get my new ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom FREE! Click here for details.

because the kids waiting at the bus stop down the street, laden with heavy backpacks, seemed so little

* because it didn’t feel right for my children to be away from me more of their waking hours than they were with me

* because I’m a better mom at the beginning of the day than at the end of it

* because my daughter had spent four years of her life in an institution, and I didn’t want to send her to another one
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Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and writer at Steady Mom

I‘m excited!

Excited because a big part of my personal mission in life is to encourage and inspire. Another part is to spread a message of freedom–and today I get the chance to do all of the above!

It’s launch-date for my newest ebook–Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom: A Manifesto of Freedom and Joy in Home Learning.
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Written by contributor Rachel Wolf of Clean and Lusa Organics

Some days I fantasize that my home looks like something off of one of my Pinterest boards.

Well-styled, clean, and impeccably organized.

Simple, beautiful, artistic and inspiring.

With not a (dog) hair out of place. (So to speak.)

But then I open my eyes and look around. And I wince a little.

Because as it turns out I’m not living in that world at all.
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Written by contributor Sarah Small of SmallWorld at Home

A note from Jamie: Now that we’re in the swing of another academic year, it’s helpful to remember the reasons why we’ve chosen this homeschooling lifestyle. Sarah sums it up so beautifully in this post, which originally published on August 12, 2011. Enjoy!

Where I live, the public schools begin in early August. Summer still—the hottest month of the year—and kids are sitting in slick chairs, pencils sharpened, new shoes still a little tight. I imagine a little boy just my son’s age watching a fat bee hover outside the window. He can’t hear it buzzing, of course, because the air conditioner drones at high speed, drowning out the sounds of bees and the smell of sunshine and dry grass.

We started homeschooling 12 years ago because…

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