Enrichment | Heart of the Matter

Spice Up the Winter Homeschooling Blahs

Feeling a little blue? A little cooped up? Are the kids stir-crazy? Is anyone (or everyone) complaining about school work? Yep. It’s February in the life of a homeschooler. There’s no need to feel defeated,...

Online Places to Enjoy

We are so fortunate to have so much immediately available to us in our homeschool day. The internet is full of wonderful websites and opportunities for our children to learn and practice their skills. But it can be so...

The Day I Quit Home Schooling

By all measures, I have a great life. I have a simple life. I have an uncomplicated, joy-filled, hopeful life. Ah, but some days…. None of us live a life of perfect ease and bliss. There are always “things” that get in the...

If I Could Only Get Them to Think

Not long ago, we completed a study of Charles Dickens. As a teen, I was not a fan of Dickens; I found his work far too long and even more boring than it was lengthy. Consequently, I wanted to introduce him to the kids...

Creating Boundaries at the Homeschool Table

Like many, we homeschool at the dining table. Every day I’m amazed at the speed with which it is covered—books, papers, folders, colored pencils, and sometimes a bowl or a cup is squeezed in there, too. Worse, I’ve seen a...

Teachable Moments in Spanish

It has been said that play is child’s work. Do you agree? I do. Vygotsky’s famous statement emphasizes this: “Play creates a zone of proximal development of the child. In play a child always behaves beyond his average age,...

Kinesthetic/Tactile Learners

Daughter #2 is a highly tactile learner just like her father. She learns best when there are things to touch and feel, when she can move her body (she is also a musical learner but that is for another post). We first became...

Is Your Homeschool too Heavy on the School?

It started early this year. As in, really early. On our first day of Christmas vacation (which was, blessedly, the day before Thanksgiving since we take all of December off), I found myself sighing, “Only five weeks...

Be Original – Within Reason of Course!

A few years ago I saw a spoof of a motivational poster that said, “Remember, you are unique, just like everyone else.” I had to laugh because it’s a human tendency to want to believe you are unique and special, which is...

I am a Planner!

This year I took the plunged and “officially” started homeschooling my preschooler and my kindergartener. I planned to start in August but then we ended up having to move at the beginning of the month so that didn’t work...