If you're newer to the homeschool world, you might be wondering about the different homeschool methods you may have heard of, such as unschooling, Charlotte Mason, and classical education. I personally don't love the idea of labeling homeschools because every family and every child is unique, so their educational experiences should be as well. I don't want families to feel boxed in by trying to follow a particular method. With that said though, it can be helpful to know what homeschool methods/styles best represent your homeschool when making curriculum and co-op choices. In this post I will share a brief overview of some of the most common homeschool methods. Traditional Traditional homeschooling is similar to what you would find in a public-school classroom, just at home. Traditional schooling involves lots of textbooks and worksheets, highly structured lesson plans, quizzes and tests, and learning divided into traditional subjects. Classical The classical method can trac...

  Between being involved in a forest school group, an outdoor based homeschool co-op, and our love for hiking and all things nature related, our family tends to spend a lot of time on the trails and exploring in the woods or by the river. I used to try to carry everything in my backpack, but with 3 kids and myself to pack for, it got to be too much for me to carry on my own. Last year I bought each of my girls their own backpack, and it's been a game changer! My youngest is only 4 so her backpack is small, but even she can carry a few small things for our day. Below I share the things that we most often carry in our adventuring packs. Canteens-  Each of us has a stainless steel canteen (I carry my 4-year-old's in my pack since it's a bit heavy for her still). Mine is a  Kleen Kanteen  and the kids have Your Zone canteens we bought at Walmart. I like stainless steel because it's non-toxic and easy to clean. First Aid Kit-  Each of my kids has a mini first aid kit...