This is one of my very favourite poems – particularly when read in a broad Aussie drawl… its brilliance speaks for itself.
Do You Need a Homeschooling Briefcase?
Our homeschooling style is a mix of bookwork, exploration, free play, music, media and good old chatting. My kids like structure, but not routine and we often find ourselves out and about during the school day. There are music lessons, chores, excursions and family visits within our week and sometimes the odd appointment (with waiting …
No iPad or tablet? No problem: Top 10 screen-free diversions for the kids.
Screen devices are fun and can be ideal in the right situation. But there’s so much you can do without them too! Here are our top 10 go-to activities when the kids need help sitting still or quietly in or out of the home.
Do all homeschoolers ride the ‘school trial’ see-saw?
The kidlets dropped a bombshell on us and once again said they really want to try school next year. It was unprompted and clearly something they’ve thought about, so we looked into it and got them into a last-minute trial. The first things I considered were: – are they just looking for a change of …
Love is love is love
It is week 2 of Advent – the week to light the candle of love.
Recently I have been involved in conversations which have steered towards others speaking openly against homosexuality and non-binary gender identification. It jars me every time and I need to speak my piece about respecting anyone’s choice to consensual adult relationships of any kind.
The Alternative Advent Calendar with Purpose
Are you are tired of the commercial, tacky or expensive and branded advent calendars in the shops? Try giving the kids a new activity each day – something with purpose to foster joy and kindness. Put a daily slip of paper in the relevant advent calendar pocket (or you could put it on the fridge, on the tree, in lunchboxes or under table mats etc.) for the kids to find and do – you can include chocolate treats too, with a reading from your favourite poem, book or a passage from the Bible.
Giftedness – understanding and supporting it.
Giftedness‘ can be defined in many ways, but basically it describes individuals with a high cognitive potential. Broadly speaking, an IQ in the top 1-2% of the population (about 130+). Gifted individuals have specific emotional, sensory, social and educational needs. Understanding this is pure gold and well worth the (sometimes high) price of a report from a specialist.
Homeschooling – get everything done, but be flexible
Kids need independence and we all, quite frankly, need space to ourselves each day. So, to balance everyone’s needs out I use this guiding list.
Fibonacci Spiral Craft
– just 5 steps – When your kids are different ages and enjoy different things, what a win when you find a craft that suits everybody! This activity ticks so many boxes, helping to bend brains as well as flex fine motor skills. A bit of careful nail-hammering will also satisfy the sensory-seekers and a …
Homeschooling resources
A work in progress, this list of homeschooling resources is becoming a helpful starting point for others looking at home education.