homeschooling, drawing to learn, drawing to teach

Drawing to Learn

We homeschoolers are living an educator’s dream. No top-down imperatives to get in our way. If we find something that works, we can implement it immediately instead of waiting for permission from some remote authority. This is one reason why I am so thankful for the Internet. We … Read More…

God Loves Your Family

Family matters. The culture says, “Don’t worry about it, just let it happen,” or, “Family can be anyone or anything, even a group of regulars at a bar, college roomies, or two mommies and two daddies.” None of this is true. Yes, people can enjoy the bond of … Read More…

How to Print and Bind Old Books for Homeschooling {Video Tutorial}

One of my favorite things about this digital age is the easy access to old books. They are such a boon to modern homeschooling in so many ways and the price is just right (mostly FREE)! The only problem is how to get them into the hands of … Read More…

How Did You End up with 15 Kids?

I was not raised to want a lot of kids. In fact, when I was carrying my first child I was very, very afraid. Babies and children were a mystery to me. Even the men I knew were better with infants than I was.     But as … Read More…

Free Lesson Sheets Printables

During my 27 years of homeschooling, nothing has contributed more to our stability and success than the McGuffey Readers. I am a great promoter of delight-directed learning and I believe it is the only way to allow the God-given genius in each child flourish and take flight. I … Read More…

How to Make a Study Carrel for FREE!

Lots of distractible children and a huge, long dining table do not make for a productive study time. I know this because I have a humongous table and a whole parcel of highly distractible children. My solution?–Study Carrels. The idea is an old one, employed by educators for … Read More…

I Want to be a Gold Medal Mom

Athletes have stars in their eyes. Their focus is to become champions. They see themselves standing on the podium, hand over heart, swelling with pride as the medal is draped and the crowd erupts in applause.   But the road to that point is long. Denial. Pain. Begging … Read More…

13 Books Every Teen Should Read

Typical teen reading lists are filled with either fluff or ideological dribble. Books suggested for college prep are especially boring, irrelevant and cater to progressive brainwashing. Teens are not just older children, they are developing adults, and they need to be armed to the teeth as they face … Read More…

A Relaxed Homeschool Schedule

Theories are nice to read about, but we all need to have real-life examples of just how things work, don’t we? (I know I sure do!) So, how ’bout hearing how we’ve done things at our house? Here is an example of a relaxed homeschool schedule (although I … Read More…

Big Family Italian Dump Dish

We get so busy in our (now) family of 11 that we sometimes forget we have to eat! And, while crock pot meals can be marvelous (I use those, too), I am so guilty of forgetting to start one early in the day (anyone with me?).  That’s why … Read More…