Mid-year breaks are a great time to evaluate whether that shiny product you bought in August is still working in your homeschool. Remember when you bought it? You were sure that this was the thing that was going to help your kid get it. But now it’s not proving the test of time (or the … Continue reading Is Your Curriculum working for your family?
Edward Hopper was born in New York in 1882. He became a very famous artist who painted realistic paintings. Many of his paintings almost look like photographs. Edward drew constantly from a young age. He lived next to the Hudson River, and he loved to watch boats. As a boy, he drew a lot of … Continue reading Edward Hopper
I think this question has been the most often asked of me through the years by homeschooling mamas striving to teach younger and older students. It was MY number one question during that season as well. The quick answer: “You ARE teaching them!” It is amazing what those little ears pick up and what those … Continue reading Entertaining the Littles while Schooling the Bigs
Nature study can be as simple as a short walk in the neighborhood or as elaborate as a week in Yellowstone National Park. Don’t make it hard. Just go outside. This month, we suggest you spend some time outside every day that the weather is reasonable, and keep an eye out for Evergreen Trees. We’ll … Continue reading Nature Study: Evergreens
December rolls around, bringing the season of traditions and making memories. Traditions are steeped in childhood and family memories. Perhaps this year will be a year of adjusting traditions or making some new traditions for many of us. For our family, the close of Thanksgiving brings the Advent Season. We always selected an Advent story … Continue reading Advent Traditions
Here are the links to our suggestions for beautiful things for December, with a focus on beautiful words, sounds, and places that are distinctly American and focus on the late 1800s and early 1900s. Back to Simple Beauty Page
While Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote hundreds of poems, we’ve found a few of his holiday-related pieces for your family to enjoy. Each graphic below links to the poem on either Poets.org or PoetryFoundation.com. You can read Longfellow’s biography here. Resources: Photo Credit: By Julia Margaret Cameron – http://www.geh.org/ne/mismi3/cameron_sum00001.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=836438
We’ve chosen some common Christmas songs to share with you. Each picture links to a video on YouTube for your enjoyment! Photo Credits: Bing Crosby: By CBS Radio – eBayfrontback, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58423153 Andy Williams: By Sheldon Saltman, public relations – File: Andy Williams 1967.JPG, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71214271 Nat King Cole: By William P. Gottlieb – … Continue reading American Christmas Songs
Norman Rockwell was born just before the 20th century in New York City. Most of the kids in his neighborhood were tougher and more athletic. Norman Rockwell was not like them though. Norman Rockwell was an artist. When he was younger, he would listen as his father read stories at the dinner table and draw … Continue reading Norman Rockwell
We always get so much schoolwork done in the winter because, well, why go outside when the wind will bite your face off? The routines that we made during the fall keep us trudging through the bitter days. To keep life from getting dull, though, spice things up with some easy extracurricular activities. Family Time … Continue reading Fun Family Activities to Spice Up Your Winter
