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…
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…
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…
There’s nothing wrong with a travel vacation, but most of the time it’s all go, go, go! Then, after the “break” is over, you feel like you need another vacation just to rest. Since we are so big, and since almost all of us live in the same … Read More…
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…
An emergency can pop up at any time! One that I recall vividly occurred a number of years ago. Our (then) four-year-old daughter was seriously injured in our new house before it was completely built. She had stepped into an open heater vent and managed to shave the … Read More…
It doesn’t take a genius to educate a large family at home, but it does take quite a bit of focus and ingenuity. This is especially true when considering the direction and logistical details for another year of learning. If you are like me, you can use any … Read More…
Yes, I am the mother of 15 children. It’s not really that many; I know all of their names in order and even have their birthdays memorized (I suppose being involved in their births makes it a bit easier for me to remember). Walking, running, and leaping down … Read More…
The other day I was listening to an interview with a well-known author who questioned the idea of homeschooling a large family. She wasn’t being spiteful or mean, and from her perspective it was true; she only had four children and she was basing her assumptions on her … Read More…
Family road trip food does not have to mean a messy, junk-food, free-for-all. There are ways to pack snacks and meals that save money, time and mess! If you have been keeping up with my series on traveling as a large family, you will remember that we started … Read More…