12 Great, Easy Activities for Toddlers at Home

Unfortunately, I sometimes find that what my youngest ones are doing during school is a bit of an afterthought for me. This is a mistake by me. What they need is so important to me and I want to be sure their time is well-spent, not just spent. But, I also need the preparation of these activities to be simple and quick - like pull it off the shelf … [Read more...]

A Day in the Life – Strite Family

You know what's funny about this A Day in the Life post? I don't technically know the Strite family, as we've only met recently through e-mail. A mutual friend, who is college friends with Lisa, introduced us knowing that we'd share the CC connection and that Lisa might be interested in sharing her family's "day in the life" here. Well, I'm so glad … [Read more...]

Getting Started Homeschooling: Choosing A Method

Y'all, please welcome Jennifer Courtney of Classical Conversations Writers Circle with part one of a guest series of posts all about getting started in homeschooling. There is something to be said for starting off right, so I hope you enjoy her series of posts!   What should I do for my children’s education? Should I homeschool them? Where … [Read more...]

Cycle 3: Week 2

All of my ideas begin and end with Legos this week. Can you blame me? I'm surrounded by boys who love to build and are doing it all the time. I thought it would be great fun to use our Legos to try to build any number of things from our review: a Mayflower boat, the capital building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or the axial skeleton. Fun, right? I … [Read more...]

Talking Out Loud Less

I want to say in the simplest way possible the lesson that God has been teaching me lately. I'll start at the beginning. I'm a talker…as in, I talk a lot. When I'm happy, sad, excited, nervous, angry, joyful, unsure, thinking…..I talk. You'll usually only find me quiet when I'm tired or overwhelmed or really into what I'm reading. My children, who … [Read more...]

16 Games & Toys for Learning Fun

If you're looking to mix up your school time or perhaps shop for birthday presents, there are some seriously fun and effective teaching toys out there.  I've made a list of my favorites to match up specifically with CC Cycle 3 areas of study, but could really be used anytime. Here are the ones on my radar right now: 1. Periodic Table Blocks - … [Read more...]

September 11, 2001 Lesson Plans

History - September 11, 2001 I found these lesson plans from The Cork Board and read this fact sheet to my children. It was hard for me to read all the way through without tearing up at the memories. Wow - I hope my children can understand that history doesn't just teach us so much, but was also lived by real people. Have you found a great way … [Read more...]

Cycle 3: Week 1

Each week, I'll post a fun idea or two related to the CC Cycle 3 memory work. In the past, I posted an idea for each subject, each week. But, it was a bit of overkill - at least for us and the time we have. I'm keeping it simpler this year.  If you're keeping it classical, remember, the first goal is to memorize the memory work for each subject. … [Read more...]

200th Anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner

Did you know September 13, 2014, marks the 200 year anniversary of the writing of The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key? I didn't! Until the mother/son team over at Classical Composers Monthly sent me the link to the free resource they're offering all about our national anthem. Follow the link to find a curated collection of short videos, … [Read more...]