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Keeping Homeschool Science Simple

Science – that word can send fear through parents in an instant. I’ve seen it at conventions, time and time again, and I spend plenty of time taking away the dread and opening the door to wonder. Being a former geeky engineer, I had to learn the truth about science the hard way – by homeschooling a herd of kids. 😉 Here’s how I’ve learned to keep homeschool science simple.

Keeping homeschool science simple is not something that came naturally to me. But it was the secret to success in our homeschool.

How To Keep Homeschool Science Simple

Who knew that the concepts of orbit, light, and tides could be taught with a study of the moon and a plate of cookies?

I used to think of science as an area of academics that had to be learned and endured; a realm of formulas and theories that had to be memorized, categorized, and applied when necessary. I was WRONG, and began to understand my mistake when we started our second unit study – the Space unit study.

As I wrote about space for my children, I began to see the universe as one big canvas – not divided up into bits and pieces of science.

Keeping homeschool science simple is not something that came naturally to me. But it was the secret to success in our homeschool.

Integrated, Cross-Curricular Learning

Concepts like gravity and orbit, trajectory and light – they showed up as understandable parts of the picture, full of wonder and “let’s try this!” kinds of moments. From Copernicus to Isaac Newton, Galileo to Edwin Hubble, the explorers and wonderers have left a trail that isn’t just science – it’s history, geography, art, and much more.

Keeping homeschool science simple is not something that came naturally to me. But it was the secret to success in our homeschool.


We keep science simple and filled with wonder – it’s just one of the elements that they will discover as they explore, if you give them the chance. Curiosity, imagination, and tons of wonder await. Take a step out of the “standard” box and try it for yourself.  What have you got to lose?

More Encouragement for Learning In Your Homeschool

Happy homeschooling,

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Autumn Learning In Your Homeschool (with a Crockpot Applesauce Recipe)

Connecting the joys of autumn to learning in your homeschool is an excellent way to cultivate an interest-led education.

Many of you are now at least a week or two into the new school year, and your days are transitioning from summer social calendars to autumn events and scheduling school hours. I know how that feels, with plenty of changes in the works, and the responsibility of teaching your children weighing heavily as you begin this new year.

In the midst of it all, if you’re like me, you are beginning to pull out the autumn-scented candles, decorations, and a sweatshirt or two. It’s molasses cookie and apple pie season, along with time for Crockpot cooking of applesauce and banana bread baking. Busy times, and so many memories to be made! Let’s not forgot the autumn learning opportunities, too!

Connecting the joys of autumn to learning in your homeschool is an excellent way to cultivate an interest-led education.

Autumn Learning In Your Homeschool

One of the first things that I learned as a homeschool mom was the importance of connecting learning to the seasons that were going on just outside the window. While I could immerse them in all kinds of learning that was strictly focused on books, memorization, and test-taking, that wasn’t what grabbed their attention and left them wanting to know more. Their interest was focused on the outdoors with each change of the season, and that is natural and a great springboard for learning. Captivate them, encourage their curiosity, build up creativity, and connect it all to things that are happening in this season of their lives.

Fall Interest-Led Learning


Remember this, please. Work with what is right in front of you, and you’ll capture their interest. With topics like autumn, trees, baseball, football, soccer, and digital photography, you won’t have to look far to find one topic that they are interested in. Build on that interest. Simple learning simply lasts. Enjoy these days, and go on Autumn Treasures’ nature walks each day with your child. So much to see out there, and to see it through the eyes of your child is such a gift!

Connecting the joys of autumn to learning in your homeschool is an excellent way to cultivate an interest-led education.


Crockpot Applesauce Recipe Perfect For Autumn Learning

Wish you could be here in the kitchen with me to smell this delicious applesauce that is simmering in my slow cooker!

Here’s the recipe I’m using, if you want to try it out at your house:  Crock Pot Applesauce (I add a pinch of ground cloves to give it a bit more sparkle!).


Looking for more ideas to excite learning during the Autumn season?

We’ve got a beautiful set of unit studies that can help. Perfect for the months of September through December, the Autumn Download N Go® titles include:

Connecting the joys of autumn to learning in your homeschool is an excellent way to cultivate an interest-led education.

With more newly updated titles coming soon!

  • Soccer
  • Bountiful Bread
  • Crunchy Cookies
  • Thanksgiving

Never stop dreaming,

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Helping Your Homeschooled Children Pursue Their Dreams

It is those people that kept helping me define and pursue my dreams that made all the difference in my life.

True confession: I was one of those kids that was always in trouble for daydreaming. There were a few people in my family and our circle of friends that wouldn’t tease me about it –they would actually take the time to ask me what I was thinking about. It is those people that kept helping me define and pursue my dreams that made all the difference in my life.

I kept dreaming and building and designing, received a degree in engineering, and worked, and then came home to be with our children – an amazing turn in my life.

It is those people that kept helping me define and pursue my dreams that made all the difference in my life.

Encouraging Our Children’s Dreams


I determined that I would encourage their dreams, keep them talking, pursuing, and having fun along the way. Homeschooling opened that door in a big way for our kids. I tell you this to suggest that you take time when the opportunity arises, to do the same thing with your children.

It is those people that kept helping me define and pursue my dreams that made all the difference in my life.

Helping Our Children Pursue Their Dreams: A Part Of Homeschooling

We get so busy educating them that we sometimes lose sight of the goal. The goal is not to fill them up with random bits of information to complete checkoff. The goal is to discover what God has placed in them, and to find ways to encourage them and help them pursue these special gifts and talents. 

It is those people that kept helping me define and pursue my dreams that made all the difference in my life.

We raised a gifted veterinarian, a visionary tree farmer/entrepreneur, and a computer scientist extraordinaire. God knew what He was doing when He knit them together, and we discovered that focusing primarily on His creation was the path to success.

Free Getting to Know Their Interests Homeschool Download


Take time to ask them about their dreams – dream Lego creation, dream art project, dream computer they’d like to build, dream tree fort, dream invention, dream cake, and on and on. Their answers may be very simple at first, and that’s always the best place to begin.

You might also be interests in our Unit Study Homeschool Planner!

Never stop dreaming,

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Autumn Traditions In Your Homeschool

The arrival of fall brings with it a host of opportunities to celebrate with autumn traditions in your homeschool.

What are your favorite childhood traditions? Most of us would answer with the simplest traditions, not the more elaborate ones. Your children are no different – they will remember the simple family traditions that you create for them, whether old or new traditions.

The arrival of fall brings with it a host of opportunities to celebrate with autumn traditions in your homeschool.

Simple Family Traditions For Your Fall Homeschool

Finally, with the arrival of the cooler weather of autumn, we begin observing an interesting collection of traditions here on the farm. We make quite a production of the first fire in the fireplace, enjoying the beauty of the fire and using the occasion to thank everyone for their labors of cutting and splitting the firewood for the coming winter. We also begin our autumn weekend sky-watching parties around large campfires. We watch for stars and planets and satellites, and enjoy the Milky Way as it spreads out across the dark country sky. Family and friends come from all around the country to join this endeavor, and while we don’t work out ALL of the problems of the world, everyone seems to benefit from the time spent together.

Family Bucket Lists For The Season

Autumn, the list-making begins for the projects that we enjoy—making gifts, preparing special treats that will keep in the freezer, and coming up with ideas to bless others and meet their needs. From making blankets for the abused children’s shelter to helping stock the local food bank, there have been so many great service projects that started on autumn evenings around the fire.

The arrival of fall brings with it a host of opportunities to celebrate with autumn traditions in your homeschool.


As we approach this new season, I know that there are plenty of decorating traditions that are observed in American homes. With the start of autumn, I make sure that we have chrysanthemums on the front steps. After spending their season of blooming on the steps, they are planted in my “Love Garden” that I can see year-round from the kitchen window. Dad collects several bales of hay, some corn stalks, and a few pumpkins and gourds to make a fall decoration by the driveway—”Dad’s masterpiece”, as the kids call it.


Why are Autumn Traditions Important?

  • They help families come together
  • They remind us of times together in the past
  • They give children a sense of security and predictability
  • They help our values and character span generations
  • They remind families that love and continuity go hand in hand
  • Traditions can be old and many are new
  • Traditions give children something to anticipate, a perspective on time passing by


We created our family traditions when our children were very young, building them up as time went on. We lived far from family and grandparents, and we wanted our children to have family traditions to treasure and savor in the years ahead.

Autumn is a great time to kick off a few new traditions in your own family. From autumn star-watching to s’mores over a campfire—the possibilities are there, waiting!

More Homeschool Resources And Support

Learn more about the unit study approach to homeschooling – where standard is not the goal:

Blessings,

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The Most Important Homeschool Lesson I Learned As A Homeschool Mom

The most important lesson I learned as a homeschool mom had nothing to do with academics. Over the years, this is what I've learned matters most in our homeschools.

The most important lesson I learned as a homeschool mom had nothing to do with academics. Over the years, this is what I’ve learned matters most in our homeschools.

This is an important lesson I learned from homeschooling and one that I know will bless you and your homeschool as well! The time to believe in children and their dreams is now—when they are just being formed. I have always loved this quote:


“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person; he believed in me.”
-Jim Valvano

The most important lesson I learned as a homeschool mom had nothing to do with academics. Over the years, this is what I've learned matters most in our homeschools.

If I have done nothing else for our children, I have worked hard to help them understand our faith, and given them every opportunity to dream big dreams. They knew they could always run ideas by me, test a concept, or simply see if I understood what they were considering, whether with building blocks, a robot concept, or an idea for an art project. I learned to listen first, and then ask questions that encouraged and helped them frame the steps they would need to take. “That will never work” was a phrase I avoided.

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”
-Albert Einstein

The most important lesson I learned as a homeschool mom had nothing to do with academics. Over the years, this is what I've learned matters most in our homeschools.

The Most Important Homeschool Lesson Of All

Believing in them and showing it on a daily basis—these are among the many benefits of homeschooling. Relationships are strengthened, trust develops, and their self-confidence grows in knowing that you believe in them. No matter what, they need to know that you are with them as they follow their dreams.

It’s never too late to change your approach, and there’s no time like the present. There are no do-overs in life, and this is not a dress rehearsal. God gives them gifts and talents, and we help them by teaching and nurturing them, getting them ready to have the faith and confidence to follow the path He has in mind.

More Homeschool Helps

We invite you to learn more about the unit study approach to homeschooling:

Blessings,

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Trying to Choose Homeschool Curriculum? Here’s What You Should Know!

Don't waste your time on textbooks! If you are trying to choose homeschool curriculum here are some creative tools for learning!

Don’t waste your time on textbooks! If you are trying to choose homeschool curriculum here are some creative tools for learning!

Trying to Choose Homeschool Curriculum? Here’s What I Want You To Know

For those of you that are puzzling over curriculum choices, here is some food for thought: an educational model that uses textbooks is not one that fosters creative thinking or innovation, and more egregiously, it is limiting our children’s knowledge base to one that is below that of a modern day robot. While robots don’t threaten me, the thought that our children are spending the first eighteen years of their lives learning a fraction of the same content that a robot was programmed with before these kids were born is mind-boggling.

Don't waste your time on textbooks! If you are trying to choose homeschool curriculum here are some creative tools for learning!

Consider this – robots already “know” this same information in textbooks or how to access it. When your child goes out into the “real world” many of the jobs that are now done by people will then be completed by robots. Right now, there are robots that drive cars, read x-rays, build things, fly an airplane, and so much more. They are programmed with knowledge, and LOTS of it (look up artificial intelligence) – much of the very same knowledge that textbooks teach a child, over and over again, for twelve years.

Homeschooling With The End In Mind

While robots will replace many human workers in the near future, the jobs they will not be replacing are ones that require creativity and innovation. These jobs will require the people that can creatively solve problems, connect concepts in creative new ways, and keep the “human” quotient in the future working world. Why use the centuries-old textbook model of education when new educational models and tools are at YOUR fingertips? #dumpthetextbooks

Don't waste your time on textbooks! If you are trying to choose homeschool curriculum here are some creative tools for learning!

I had one of those aha moments the other day. Over and over again, I’m told that kids love our interactive studies much better than textbooks and that they tend to remember the lessons learned for a long time. At the same time, I watch as parents get frustrated teaching math or spelling or (fill in the blank) and are thrilled when they find an app or online resource to help their child.

Textbooks vs. Technology

As an engineer, I am also very much aware of the exponential growth of robots in the workplace. In the meantime, parents are wasting those vital twelve years of education using textbooks that are boring and already out of date the instant that they are printed – textbooks that could someday be created by a robot, having gathered and formatted the content, inserted images, and then printed it.

And that thought alone brought a sense of urgency to my message – dump the textbooks and use the twelve years to teach them to think, make connections, create, explore, and much more. They will thank you for that step one day in the not too distant future.

Here to help,

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Best Tips for Homeschooling With a Toddler In The Mix

Here are our best tips for homeschooling with a toddler in the mix! Our three children cover a ten year age span, so I know just what it means to try to keep a VERY active toddler busy while the older kids are studying.

Here are our best tips for homeschooling with a toddler in the mix! Our three children cover a ten year age span, so I know just what it means to try to keep a VERY active toddler busy while the older kids are studying.

Our Best Tips for Homeschooling With a Toddler In The Mix

  1. I learned to plan our school day around the toddler’s nap schedule. When he slept (or was supposed to be sleeping), I worked one on one with the older kids with subject areas that required individual attention with each child.
  2. When the toddler was up and roaming, and yes – he was a VERY busy toddler – I learned how to entertain him while we worked on unit studies. He might be busy with building blocks or rearranging magnetic letters on a cookie sheet, or he might be enjoying a math lesson with an older sibling from books like “M&M Addition” or “M&M Multiplication.”
  3. I learned to limit the toy cars that were constantly zipping across the floor during reading time. Since he couldn’t sit still for long, he would quietly send the cars flying across the room. I learned to leave only a few out at a time – recycling them so that there were always a few he hadn’t seen in a while.
  4. I learned (the hard way) to make sure that some of our school projects included things for him to do – whether it involved log cabin construction with craft sticks or creating Bethlehem using modeling clay on the kitchen table.
  5. I learned the importance of keeping a toddler involved with the big kids – better learning opportunities for everyone. And memories more precious than gold, with plenty of pictures to keep us laughing for years to come.
Here are our best tips for homeschooling with a toddler in the mix! How to keep a VERY active toddler busy while the older kids are studying.

More Homeschool Resources And Support

Learn more about the unit study approach to homeschooling – where standard is not the goal:

Helping parents follow that new path now for over 20 years and blessed to be be able to help.

Happy homeschooling,

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If The Shoe (or Homeschool Curriculum) Doesn’t Fit

If your child outgrows their shoes, what do you do? Make them keep wearing them? Of course not – you replace the shoes with a pair of shoes that fits, and childhood continues. But, shouldn’t this apply to their curriculum, too? 

When Your Homeschool Curriculum Doesn’t Fit

Sadly, I see people doing just the opposite with curriculum that just isn’t working. The child hates it, and the parents hate using it – the year is lost and that time can never be found again. Forcing a child through ill-fitting curriculum can build resentment toward learning in the child – a resentment that is tough to turn around.

If you are struggling with curriculum that just doesn’t fit – your child, you, or your current situation, please consider trying something else that could bring the joy back to learning again. I know just how it feels to be where you are, frustrated parent and child bored to tears – I have been there. Textbooks just weren’t working. They were boring, and the retention of the material was minimal. Within a week or two, the information the child had to memorize for a test had vanished, only to be replaced with new information for this week’s test.

The Homeschool Unit Study Advantage

All of this led me to find an answer that would help our children love learning again – putting an end to the “how many pages do I have to do TODAY?“ routine. That’s when I began writing unit studies that kids love – first for our children, and then for yours.

I’ve worked hard to create complete unit studies (no simple outlines or task lists that you, the parent, have to prepare for). I’ve worked hard to create studies that are easy to use, complete and ready to go – no prep required, and definitely affordable.


I made a decision to spend this time homeschooling our children to help them love learning, not battle boredom. This is not a dress rehearsal, and the comment “we’ll just power through this curriculum because I’ve spent so much for it” just doesn’t work any more.

If you find that your homeschool curriculum doesn’t fit, Try a few of my unit studies – perhaps Oceans or Incredible Insects – and see if you notice a change in their enthusiasm for learning.

A love of learning is a gift that you can give them that will last a lifetime, and we are here to help.

Blessings,

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Sea Turtles and Night Walk Memories: Interest-Led Learning Recap

Along the eastern Florida coast from April to September, huge sea turtles make their way onto the beach late at night to lay their eggs, cover the nest, and then return to the ocean waves before the sun rises in the east.

When this season begins, the beaches come alive at night, busily walked by families and folks of all ages, watching for the sea turtles to wash up in the waves and head for the beach for a night of egg laying. When we lived on the Space Coast, this became a fun evening adventure for our crew, and we learned so much about these gorgeous animals.

Sea Turtles and Night Walk Memories: Our Interest -Led Learning Recap

Armed with things that varied from insect repellent to flashlights, we packed up and headed for the beach. And we were never disappointed, even if the sea turtles took the night off! We learned important things, such as how beautiful the water was at night as the moon rose, and how the waves would absolutely glow when a bottle rocket was fired into the surf. You’ll just have to trust me on that one.

Science On The Beach

When the turtles did show up, we had great lessons in patience and turtle anatomy, along with lessons on leaving the turtles and their nests alone. Later in the summer, we would return to these places and watch newly hatched baby turtles struggle for the surf to begin the cycle all over again. These were priceless lessons on just how fragile life is and what it means to be stewards of this earth.

More Unit Study Adventures for Your Homeschool Family

There are many seashore and ocean adventures at the ready for you! Just Download N Go®!

Don’t miss these simple opportunities to make learning about real life. They become the lessons that last! 

Happy adventuring,

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The Gift of Childhood: Time For Daydreams and Exploration

Summer is a time for daydreams and exploration and it is a great gift of childhood. Our unit studies are designed to encourage this freedom in ways that are less scheduled and cultivate curiosity. Here’s why:

Summer is a time for daydreams and exploration and it is a great gift of childhood. Our unit studies are designed to encourage this freedom in ways that are less scheduled and cultivate curiosity.

Did you ever wonder why summer seemed to fly by when you were a kid? I think it was because we got to be absolutely free – to play with the neighborhood kids, to build tree forts (fun) and learn to sew (not fun), to ride bikes up and down the street, playing cops and robbers in the driveways of the vacant houses, and, of course, to wait for the ice cream truck to come along chiming the same happy tune. No responsibilities, it was all fun and we made many great memories.

We weren’t overly scheduled for all kinds of camps and classes and other kinds of things that are an integral part of family plans these days. Instead, we were allowed the gift of childhood. We were allowed to build and create and daydream, watching the clouds go by and searching for constellations in the evening sky.

Summer is a time for daydreams and exploration and it is a great gift of childhood. Our unit studies are designed to encourage this freedom in ways that are less scheduled and cultivate curiosity.

The Gift of a Childhood Filled With Time For Daydreams and Exploration

One of my fondest summer memories was looking forward to the days that the regional bookmobile would drive up to the local park. We’d all be waiting in line with our books and our library cards clutched in our hands. Our library cards were old fashioned – they had the small numbered metal tags attached so that they could be used in a punch machine to check out all of our literary loot. 😉 Books were our escape and a fun form of exploration.

With books, I discovered all kinds of worlds and places, fun things to make and people to admire. I read anything and everything about space, rockets and space travel. I grew up in the era of men walking on the moon, and still feel that thrill of adventure with every rocket that launches. I still dream of walking on the Moon one of these days. Like Elon Musk, I am an engineer by degree, and love to contemplate space travel for this century. I also agree with his plan for educating his five sons, but that will have to wait for another blog post.

Summer is a time for daydreams and exploration and it is a great gift of childhood. Our unit studies are designed to encourage this freedom in ways that are less scheduled and cultivate curiosity.

What’s different now? Kids are scheduled, processed, tested, standardized, and far removed from the outdoors and time to daydream. When kids come to our farm, they don’t know what to do first – climb the trees, go to the treehouse, kayak the lake, run and catch a jar of fireflies, or lie down on the picnic table at night to watch for tumbling satellites and shooting stars in the middle of the Milky Way.

The Benefits of Homeschooling and The Luxury of Time

Homeschooling offers the luxury of time, slowing things down and letting them enjoy childhood. Kids learn best when the learning is hands on, from building a treehouse to studying clouds from the backyard picnic table. There can be time to daydream and wonder, time to try out their own ideas and designs. The local library opens doors to all kinds of learning adventures and opportunities. From the baseball park to the theater, from mock trial practices at the courthouse to shark dissection at the local Discovery center, the liberty of experiential learning grows along with the child.


Homeschooling provides the unique opportunity to help each child find their interests, and discover their God-given gifts, which is so critical to living a life of purpose. We create interactive unit studies to help them learn and explore the universe, so that you can teach your child with the best tools available at this remarkable time in history.
Don’t overlook the wonder of learning by doing, exploring, and daydreaming. Learning by wonder works, and I can’t wait to see where they go!

•Of course unit studies are perfect for summer and such a fun way to learn and to make memories together!

More Summer Fun Ideas: Making the Summer Family Friendly

Until next time,