Little House Learning Co. — The Early Years

If you already own a Yoto Player, check out Part 2 for our favorite Yoto cards and best places to find free audio. Nearly two years ago I first heard about the Yoto player from a friend. I was considering a TonieBox, but knew it wasn't for us because of their limited story selection. I also knew my youngest would likely wander off with their story mini-figures.  But when I saw the Yoto player I was in love. Now we own both a large player and a mini and we honestly use them both EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It's the best money I've...

As someone who struggles with an autoimmune disease, I am in need of a sick day more often than I would like. Whether it's a chronic illness, health condition, pregnancy or a bad bug that runs through your family, we all need some back-pocket ideas for homeschooling when sickness takes mom out!   When Mom Needs a Sick Day: How I Homeschool 1. "Full-Court-Prep": When I wake up and know I'm going to be sick for the day, the very first thing I do is give my full effort to about 30-40 minutes of prep. I pull out every material and book we...

As a homeschooling family, our life is messy.  When everyone is home all the time, our house gets messy FAST. Dirty dishes triple, laundry is never ending and dirt seems to breed overnight. It takes a lot of effort to stay on top of house chores but by involving our kids in the process it lightens the load significantly! Here is how we teach chores with a Charlotte Mason approach! 

Over the years our daily rhythm has fluctuated and changed quite a bit. Our seasons with newborns or babies, looked very different than it does now with our youngest being in preschool. But, I think it is incredibly helpful to see how others arrange their day since it gives such a practical glimpse into how homeschooling is done. Our Preschool Homeschool Schedule Our youngest child is three this year and we are following the Let Them Be Little Preschool with her, so here is what a typical day in her life looks like:  6:30amShe usually is one of our first kids up and comes into our room to...

If you have been around the homeschooling community in the recent years, especially in the Charlotte Mason homeschool community,  you've probably heard someone refer to a book as a "living book". The first time I ever heard this phrase it really captured my attention. It resonated somewhere deep within me and I wanted to know more about what makes a book "living". Maybe you've also heard the opposite term--calling a book "twaddle". There is a lot wrapped up in each of these terms, so I wanted to share what they mean, how you can identify them and other factors you can...