Last May, I asked the kids what kinds of electives they wanted in the upcoming school year. My youngest wanted more art projects and to learn Spanish. My older two wanted to learn more about technology, coding, robotics, and writing. So, as part of exploring options for coding and technology, I checked out Khan Academy's… Continue reading Using Pixar in a Box for Writer’s Workshop
A Matching and Memory Game for Learning Cell Organelles
My kids love games. On Fridays, we historically play math games, but sometimes we add in geography games, logic games, or puzzles. I have decided to create a few games to use in science to help with learning vocabulary that my middle schoolers will be using again soon in high school biology. We just started… Continue reading A Matching and Memory Game for Learning Cell Organelles
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Creating Additions to the Kingdoms and Classification Science Unit from The Good and the Beautiful
Prior to homeschooling, I was a middle and high school science teacher. Creating my own "stuff" to go along with science lessons is just what I do. I came up with a few additions to go along with the science unit we just started, Kingdoms and Classification by The Good and the Beautiful. The unit… Continue reading Creating Additions to the Kingdoms and Classification Science Unit from The Good and the Beautiful
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Making Homeschool Life Easier: Chores Plan
It's Thursday on our last week of Christmas break. On one hand, I cannot wait to get back into the structure and routine of our school days. On the other hand, I am not feeling ready for the time and energy demands of being both Mom and Teacher again in a few days. Two things… Continue reading Making Homeschool Life Easier: Chores Plan
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A 2021 Refresh
The new year has brought the promise of brighter days ahead. The 2020 pandemic took a personal toll, as our family suffered a loss. The political turmoil of the election and civil unrest set social media on fire. Things that we enjoyed, such as field trips and birthday parties, were swapped for small celebrations and… Continue reading A 2021 Refresh
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Magic School Bus Gets Ants in its Pants
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I designed this year's science curriculum around Magic School Bus books and videos. We are beginning our school year this summer with insects. The first book/episode I chose is Gets Ants in its Pants, a book about Ms. Frizzle and the kids visiting an ant hill colony. The… Continue reading Magic School Bus Gets Ants in its Pants
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Kicking off the 2017-2018 year
Two weeks ago today, we started our new school year with an excited 1st grader, 4th grader and 5th grader. I baked donuts with icing and sprinkles for breakfast. We made new school shirts. We painted grade signs for taking photos. We wrote about ourselves on the first day of a new grade. Then I… Continue reading Kicking off the 2017-2018 year
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Planning for a year of Magic School Bus
I have been wanting to do this since last year: design a complete year's hands-on science curriculum based on Magic School Bus books and videos. My oldest kid is going into fifth grade. It's now or never. The science lessons for each topic are based on the 5-E method: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate. Engage… Continue reading Planning for a year of Magic School Bus
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Hunting for curriculum deals
One of the perks, and drawbacks, of homeschooling is choosing (what you believe to be) the right curriculum for your child...and then purchasing it. Some companies offer complete curriculums for hundreds to thousands of dollars. I am not a fan of the boxed curriculum. Some are, and it works for them, and that's fine. I… Continue reading Hunting for curriculum deals
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“So, how long are you gonna homeschool for?”
"So, how long are you gonna homeschool for?" I get asked this question often, mostly by non-homeschooling folks. And, my standard answer is, "For as long as the girls want to." I just had the conversation with each of them this week about whether they want to continue to homeschool next year, or go to… Continue reading “So, how long are you gonna homeschool for?”
North Star Homeschool Resources 