The modern public school system doesn't allow for much interest-led learning. The subjects and topics are chosen for you by the state, and the methods by which these topics are presented is determined by a teacher or the school district. Unfortunatley individual learning style and individual interests are hard to take into account when there is a single teacher responsible for an entire room full of students.  One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that we're free to change things up a bit and let our children have more say in what and how they learn. This is often called student led learning and there are many benefits that come along with it. Higher Student Interest And Cooperation  When children get to be involved in deciding what they learn about and how they do it, they become much more willing participants. Nobody really enjoys being bossed around, and kids are no exception to this. A lack of control over one's life creates frustration and often lead...

Most parents read aloud to their kids regularly when they are young but many stop once their kids become proficient readers. Read aloud time doesn't have to (and shouldn't) stop after your kids learn to read for themselves though, reading aloud to your kids remains beneficial all the way through childhood. In this post I share several reasons to continue reading to your kids aloud, even after they become proficient readers themselves. Quality Time Reading aloud to you kids is a great family activity and an awesome way to squeeze in a little extra quality time together. It's one of my kids' favorite times of day and they often beg me to read to them more even after we've already done our planned daily read aloud. I really enjoy having this calm quiet time with my kids, especially since other parts of our days often end up being busy and a bit crazy.  Introduce Them to a Wide Variety of Literature  Reading aloud to your kids is a great opportunity to intro...

It seems like kids today are busier than ever. Most children spend 6 or more hours a day at school, and then there's dance and soccer and piano lessons. While school and recreational activities are definitely important, is it really beneficial to keep our kids so busy that they rarely have down time? I personally believe that being bored occasionally is healthy, and here's why: Boosts Creativity  Unstructured time gives children the opportunity to explore their own interests and forces them to think outside the box.  Studies  have shown that the human mind is more creative when we're bored. When we have nothing to occupy us, our minds tend to wander and daydream.  I am constantly impressed with the creative things my kids come up with during unstructured time. My oldest loves to design and sew. One of her favorite downtime activities is designing and making clothes for her dolls. My kids also love building forts. Sometimes in the house with sheets and ch...

So much has been shared in the media lately about the wildfire that all but destroyed Paradise and it's surrounding communities. Everyone has seen pictures of the apocalyptic like destruction. That's not how I want the world to see Paradise.  I want people to see it as I will always remember it, and for the way it will be again.  Paradise was a quiet little community nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, surrounded by canyons and beautiful evergreens. It was home to about 26,000 of the hardest working and most resilient folks you will ever meet. It was also home to an amazing array of wildlife including mule deer, grey squirrels, raccoons, foxes, California black bears, bobcats, mountain lions, many species of birds, and much more. It was a beautiful place to grow up. Mule Deer The area was originally inhabited by the Maidu and then settled by gold miners during the California gold rush. The largest true gold nugget ever found in...

My daughter is definitely a kinesthetic learner so I am constantly searching for and trying to come up with hands on learning activities for her. Math is probably the hardest subject to do this with. I seems like most math resources out there are worksheets and flash cards. We recently started working on division facts, and while I felt like she had a good grasp on multiplication, division seemed to be confusing for her. I needed a hands on way for her to learn the concept of division, so I came up with this simple hands on activity for her. Edible Division Activity  This activity is simple and only requires a few things to make it work. You will need: -A few pieces of paper -A pencil  -Some sort of small snack food (goldfish crackers, raisins, peanuts, cheerios, and M&M's all work well) Start by drawing several large circles on a piece of paper. Then give your child a pre-counted number of whatever snack you are using. Ask your child to evenly divide the snack...

One of my favorite history topics is ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were such an interesting and artistic culture. I've always been amazed by their advanced architecture and beautiful art work. In this post I share some fun hands on activities and resources for learning about ancient Egypt. Build A Pyramid  The ancient Egyptian pyramids are always a fascinating topic to study. It's amazing that they were able to build such massive and perfect structures without modern construction tools and vehicles. Here are a few resources for learning about the pyramids: - Ancient Egypt-The Pyramids  from Ducksters - Egyptian Pyramids  from History For Kids - Are We There Yet? Egypt-Pyramids  from NatGeoKids - Destination- Egypt, Pyramids  from National Geographic  After your child has learned about the pyramids, try building your own! We've done this project with Legos and with sugar cubes and glue. Make Egyptian Pottery   The ancient E...