Little House Learning Co. — Homeschool Helps

It's spring, and for me that means planning for a new school year!  This coming school year, 2025-2026, I will have a 5th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader, so I wanted to detail how I plan a homeschool year with Ambleside Online. (And let me forewarn you that this is going to be a very detailed post!) We have used AO now for 5 years and every year I use it, it gets easier to plan. I feel sad at times that the disorganization of their website and the poor SEO of their forum discourage people from using the...

The toddler age is one of the most precious stages. Your toddler is exploring their world, asserting their voices and very curious about everything. But they do make homeschooling a challenge, no question about it. Whether it was flipping light switches, running away, climbing tables, opening cupboards or just creating general chaos, my toddlers made a simple to-do list of school subjects feel like a massive undertaking on some days. Homeschooling with a Toddler Even though something is hard, that doesn't make it bad. In my years of homeschooling with a toddler underfoot, here are a few of the things I did to navigate this...

If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will. The homeschool inquisition. It can take many forms- at the grocery check out, the dentist office, or from a well-meaning relative- but especially over the holidays, it is very common for conversations to steer into this territory. No matter who is questioning you, giving an answer that is full of grace can go a long way. And a little information doesn't hurt either! 10 Homeschooling Questions (Others Have For You) and How to Answer Them First things first: you don't need to defend yourself. Sometimes just listening to someone is enough....

A real concern of homeschooling is finding community. We all know that the built in community in a school system isn't always great, but it is community none the less.  How do you begin to find community when you are brand new to homeschooling or to your area? How do you find community when you have mismatched ideals among your family members, with some preferring large group connections and some recoiling at the idea of being in a group of strangers? How do you find community while still protecting your schedule and time at home? Finding the "Right" Homeschool Community...

If you listen to the stories of homeschool graduates, as well as experienced homeschool moms, there is one thing that sets each homeschool apart from all others. I wish I could say it is the curriculum that was chosen, how the school room was organized or even which co-op or education method a parent used but it really isn't. It's not even the books! The biggest defining factor of a homeschool is the homeschooling parent. The homeschooling parent (usually the mother) influences the atmosphere of home more than anything.  Charlotte Mason emphasized atmosphere as one of her three main tools for education. She is quoted...