The California gold rush is one of my favorite historical periods to learn about. I grew up in an old gold mining town in the Sierra Nevada foothills in northern California. The rich history of the area instilled in me a deep interest of this period. In this post I share some fun activities and resources for learning about the California gold rush with your children.  A Little Gold Rush History: On January 24th, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in the Sacramento Valley in northern California. This event would inspire hundreds of thousands of people to move west in hopes of making their fortune. It was one of the largest mass migrations of people in modern history. People came to California from all over the world. Many came across the country in covered wagons. Others sailed on ships. Gold was pulled from rivers with gold pans, and sluice boxes. It was also mined from the mountains with explosives and hand tools. Most people who came to California seeking riches ...

November 8th started out like any other day. My husband left the house before 5am for work. The kids and I slept in until about 8am, and then got up and made cheesy egg sandwiches for breakfast. I had no idea that by this time the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history was already racing into town. The power company had issued a warning earlier in the week that they may cut power to the area that night if winds got as high as the meteorologists were predicting. High winds plus low humidity creates a high risk of fire.  But the power was still on despite the very high winds that had been gusting since the middle of the night. I figured that not cutting power was a good sign and didn't think much else about it. After breakfast, I started hearing what sounded like small explosions (I would later find out that this was people's propane tanks exploding across town and echoing across the canyon). Around this time I also noticed what I thought at first...

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd write a little bit about why I'm thankful to be a homeschooling mom.  I know homeschooling isn't the right fit for every kid or every family, but it is definitely the right choice for my family. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to help my kids learn and grow everyday, and to get to play such an active, front seat role in their education. Time Together  I am so incredibly thankful to get so much time with my kids everyday. Everyone talks about how fast these years go and I don't want to miss any of it. I honestly can't imagine sending my kids off for more than half the day, 5 days a week.  I also love being the one who gets to be there, watching my children learn and discover new things. It's beautiful to watch a child master something new.  Flexibility   I am thankful for the flexible schedule homeschooling allows our family. I love that we can wake up whenever we're ready and that we avoid all those e...

Bath time is a great opportunity for young children to explore buoyancy and the properties of water. In this post I share several simple science activities for preschoolers to do in the bath! What Floats? Before bath time, have your child collect various toys and household items like bouncy balls, golf balls, plastic cups or bowls, etc... Have your child guess which items will float and which will sink. Then have your child test them out in the bath tub. Talk about which items float best and why. What Types Of Things Absorb Water? Before bath time help your child gather up a variety of household items. Pick some items that will absorb water like washcloths or sponges, and some that wont like plastic toys and rubber balls. Ask your child which items they think will absorb water, then get in the bath tub and test it out! Color Mixing Fun The bath tub is the perfect place for a messy painting project! Using bath paint in primary colors, help your child mix colors to ma...