"You come home to a note on your door saying, 'You're in danger, leave the city, but don't tell anyone." We were preparing for this moment all our lives. We read our history books and were familiar with stories of families who decided to flee at a moment's notice when they began noticing shifts in … Continue reading Escaping Town
A friend recently asked me about any resources to help her daughter with spelling. I was eager to share all about Copywork with her! I feel like Copywork has been the biggest secret withheld from the traditional school system today. It's really like gold. I must admit, that as a high school English teacher in … Continue reading The Mystery and Magic of Copywork
Several years ago, I thought of a mantra to share with my middle child: Work Is Hard. Work Is Good. Work Takes Time He would repeatedly get frustrated when his schoolwork or chores were more challenging or time-consuming. I felt like it was because he had wrong expectations and beliefs. Most of our frustrations in … Continue reading Work is Good
We have thoroughly enjoyed homeschooling our children for NINE years! I originally intended to just do Kindergarten to Gabe, but it went so well, and our family was grooving with it, so we kept going just one year at a time. I loved the richness of our content, the time in nature, the learning we could … Continue reading Entering Public School
...is to just jump in and do it. There are many people (myself included sometimes!) who are more comfortable taking their time, thinking about things, planning, and preparing for a situation. And that is great. But honestly, the best way to learn how to do something is to just do it. I've seen this personally … Continue reading Best Way to Learn
I am privileged to engage with such a variety of reading and experiences each day as we creatively walk through this blended life of businesses, school, and life. Today was one of those days - Podcast Recording, doctor's appointment, running outside in 20 degree temps, newsletter publications, sent off some Arbonne samples to friends, tennis … Continue reading Loving the Variety
There's been an AWESOME video going around social media from a TED talk on an 11-year old boy, sharing about his life experiences, namely around his schooling. He shares impressive insight for a young man his age. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" he's often asked. "I want to BE happy," … Continue reading Hack-Schooling
Do you remember learning pattern sequences like AABB or ABCABC as a young child? To me, those activities were fun exercises. Finding patterns was like figuring out a puzzle. If you could figure out the pattern, you could predict the next sequence. As an adult, I still enjoy recognizing patterns and have come to realize … Continue reading Recognizing Patterns
If you'd told me as an 11th grade High School English teacher that I'd have a 2nd Grade daughter reading aloud the same play we were reading in that Junior Class, I don't think I would have believed you! But what a sweet dream come true for this English lit educator. Today, my daughter Jadyn … Continue reading Shakespeare in Second Grade
Here are some of the books our boys have enjoyed most during their early elementary years. Some have been reread multiple times. Others have lines or characters that have weaved themselves into our family culture. My recommendation is to take this list and reserve about 5-7 on hold at the library. Then let your son … Continue reading Books for Boys
I don't know exactly why this topic fascinates me so much. I think I love watching it in action and seeing - does "ownership" really matter or make a difference in the way kids behave? Parenting is such a tricky job, and we really want our children to grow up to be independent adults who … Continue reading Ownership
I remember when I first considered homeschooling our oldest son, I thought, "I can teach Kindergarten!" So, I decided to just try it one year at a time. We'd already been learning a lot together. I taught him to read (or really just helped him teach himself!), and we were enjoying lots of books from … Continue reading Kindergarten
How many of you played Boggle as a kid? I was one of those types who would go to sleep thinking of how many word combinations you could make with the letters "EMAT" or "NTOE" when in a square. I would make sure to utilize the "S" for every possible plural word. I had a blast … Continue reading Benefits of Playing Boggle
In the past, I've let my kids build with blocks, Magnetix, Tinker Toys, Superstructs or even Legos while they listen to me read. In many ways it allowed them a heightened sense of attention and focus. There's much evidence to support this practice, especially for kinesthetic learners. It was successful for my kids as long … Continue reading Thinking Putty
"We all have things that we are working on right now," our middle son reminded us in a very communal, inspiring way. It's true, even as parents, we all have ways we are learning and changing. And with our children, it seems we are constantly training habits and working with them on various skills or … Continue reading “Working on Things”
We were team leaders this year of a group of boys competing in Destination Imagination, a global organization that gives teams of students the opportunity to compete in creative problem solving challenges. Our oldest son met weekly with a group of 3 other boys here at our home to practice instant challenges and work on … Continue reading Ownership and Failure
I took some time this evening to read Seth Godin's Manifesto, "Stop Stealing Dreams" on the state of Education today. His killer question repeated throughout is: What is School For? He attacks this question with case studies, concrete ideas for change, a history of our school system, as well as opinions on the future of … Continue reading Stop Stealing Dreams
It's a privilege to be able to put yourself in someone else's shoes. To really understand life as they see it and live it. Autobiographies and biographies offer an excellent opportunity to do that. I have always appreciated reading biographies with my children. We started off in their early years reading all of D'Aulaire's well-written … Continue reading Biographies
I thought I was signing up my children for a foal care course, but it surely must have just been code for "Parenting Class 101." We attended our second class today, and it just gets better and better. This morning, I decided that I'm going to buy my pregnant sisters a horse-training book rather than any … Continue reading Parenting and Horse Training
I spent some time with several homeschool moms this evening, and here were a few resources that some families found helpful in to incorporate in their educational pursuits: National Geographic Magazines Puzzlemaniakids Magic Tree House Kahn Academy Starfall Also, one mom suggested searching for "Scholarship Essays" to provide opportunities for our children to earn scholarships … Continue reading Educational Resources for Homeschool Families
Austin offers many opportunities for local hikes and nature study. And as part of our school routines, we try to hit a different park or trail each week. You can pack a bag with simple staples like nature journal, pencils, bird/tree guide, water and snacks and quickly head out the door. Or bring your … Continue reading Austin Trails and Parks
After listening to Steve Job's Stanford 2005 graduation speech again as well as watching the documentary on his life, I was inspired to buy some Calligraphy pens for my children. I have one child who has a natural eye and hand for art and beauty and was curious to see how he would like it. … Continue reading Calligraphy for Kids
I am so glad to have a younger child - it gives me an excuse to still listen to Children's singers like Raffi and Laurie Berkner. If you have young children and haven't heard of Laurie Berkner yet, check out her website, download a few tunes, and test her out with your kiddos. I have … Continue reading Music for Children
We attended Symphony of Clouds performed by Ballet Austin, dramatizing the childhood of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This 50 minute performance was an incredible blend of theatre, ballet, and music entertainment. We loved every minute. I was pleasantly surprised when the first character came out on stage and started speaking beautifully - in Spanish! She would … Continue reading Symphony of Clouds
Self-admitedly, I am a recovering box-checker. I seem to work well with to-do lists and plans . . . Except when I make myself a "slave" to them, instead of the other way around. However, even in spite of that issue, I have found that a general plan is necessary when homeschooling more than one … Continue reading Planning and Systems
A few months ago I had a completely euphoric feeling as I sat back and listened to my son's guitar teacher playing for us. I could have listened to her forever. I got excited as I also imagined being able to one day listen to him jam for us. And then it all clicked - … Continue reading Music in Our Blood
We still discover new places to explore here in Austin. As a homeschool family, we look for experiences that facilitate fun learning and memories. The following have been a few favorites this last semester: Toyota Tundra Factory - We had a front row trolley-like seat to the entire assembly line production. I was amazed as … Continue reading Field Trips and Activities around Austin
Homeschooling three kids this year has proved to be much more enjoyable than I had imagined. I underestimated the special qualities of group dynamics now available to us. We can do many things together like music, art, history, Spanish, sign-language, memory verses, some literature, and poetry recitation. Early on, I recognized the need for some … Continue reading Instant Challenges
As a mom of three children, we have been through our share of lessons - music, art, gymnastics, sports, karate, horse back riding, etc. And as a constant observer of business process, I have been pleasantly appreciative of the thought behind how many of the instructors have set up their business systems and also made … Continue reading Activity Instructors
Do you look people in the eyes when you speak to them? Do they look back into your eyes? I learn so much about a person from just their eyes. Sometimes I feel like I can see right through if I get the privilege of a few moments of eye contact. Joy, sadness, freedom, bondage, … Continue reading Eyes
I read an interesting article this week called, "Bright Girls" by Heidi Grant Halvorson. She is the author of a book called Succeed, and this was an excerpt from it. I immediately wanted to share this with girlfriends and get their take on it as well. Heidi says: But in my experience, smart and talented women … Continue reading “Bright Girls”
"For sometimes when we wonder, we can make things begin to happen." The boys and I started reading The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong today. What I loved most today was that in the first chapter of this book, the kids are let out of school a whole hour early if they promise … Continue reading To Wonder
The other day, my first son finished the second half of Caddie Woodlawn during one of our trips around Austin with Grandma and Grandpa Dalrymple. We arrived home late at night, but he was eager to tell me all about the book. Of course! - it's past 10:00 PM, and my son WANTS to "narrate." … Continue reading To Narrate
It is no secret that our country is facing difficult times economically. We are at the beginning of an unpredictable recession. We all know families who are out of work or struggling to make ends meet. This book was such a beautiful narrative of a girl, family, and community who pull together during similar hard … Continue reading Hard Times
Sonya Dalrymple 