With so many people considering alternative education programs right now, I've come across a lot of people implying that homeschooling is only doable for wealthy families. These types of comments tend to get me fired up because they simply aren't true. There are so many different ways to homeschool and so many free and affordable resources available to homeschooling families these days, that almost anyone who wants to make it happen for their family, can find a way to make it work. Where there's a will, there is a way. I should start off by saying that I understand there are some circumstances that might make homeschooling impossible for some families, like those with certain custody agreements, and single parents who have no support system. For the most part though, if you want to educate your kids at home, there is a way to make it work. I personally know several single parents living on fairly low incomes, who have found ways to home educate their kids.  It All Boils Dow...

My kids love STEM projects and we're always looking for ways to add more art to our homeschool days, so I decided I am going to try to dedicate one morning a week this year to STEM art activities. In this post I share some of the ideas we're planning to try, plus a few favorites we've done in the past. What is STEM Education? STEM education is a blended and often hands on approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which are some of today's fastest growing industries. STEM education offers students the opportunity to problem solve and work on real world problems and questions. Sometimes the acronym STEAM is used, to include the arts. Adding art to STEM education encourages creative thinking and problem solving skills. It can also help make the other included subjects more appealing to some students. STEM Art Projects  Penny Spinners-   Learn about centrifugal force and make your own spinning tops with this fun post from Teach Beside Me. Explo...

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." I love this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. Many of the plants that are considered common backyard weeds actually have wonderful nutritional and medicinal benefits. In this post I share 8 of my favorite backyard "weeds" and how I use them.  Foraging Basics Before I get any further I want to mention a couple of safety tips: Only pick wild herbs from places you know haven't been treated with toxic pesticides. Always rinse your herbs before consuming them or using them in any product you plan to use on your body. Do not consume or use any wild growing plant unless you are certain of what it is and that it is safe.  Nothing in this post is meant to be taken as medical advice. Always be sure to do your own thorough research before using any remedy. Plantain - One of my very favorite backyard herbs, that is often called a weed, is plantain. There are several different varieties, and they grow just about...