Little House Learning Co. — Motherhood

Our family had a great vacation this fall to Kentucky for our annual state trip. Each year for our anniversary we visit a new state to celebrate, hoping for my husband and I to get to all 50 eventually. Some years we go alone, but this year we road-tripped with the kids down to KY, we stayed at a KY State Park (Natural Bridge State Park) and we visited the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. I didn't research much about either museum but went in blind, so I want to share with you our experience. Ark Encounter We visited on a...

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...

It was Time for a Technology Reset  At the end of our school year this spring I kept hearing "When is it time to watch cartoons?" and by the time one of my children was upset because "We didn't watch any TV today!" I knew it was time for a technology reset.  For one month we didn't watch any tv except for a weekly family movie. I wasn't allowed to be on my phone or computer except during my designated "office hours" and my husband and I vowed to cut back on screen time after the kids went to sleep. As someone...

What is a Quiet Rest Time? For the last 6 years we've practiced this rhythm of rest time. For 60-90 minutes a day each of us goes into a separate room of the house to be alone and rest. Sometimes we nap, but most of the time we just play or work on our own things. Since we're together so much of the day with homeschooling, this rhythm is recharging for my introverted children and it allows for quiet processing of all the information we've learned in the morning together. Why Summer is the Best Time to Begin a Quiet Rest...