Most homeschool parents end up with a pile of things they don’t quite know what to do with — drawings galore, a clay sculpture that was apparently a dragon family, you name it. It feels wasteful to throw it all away, yet impractical to keep it all. But somewhere in that pile is something of value.
Keeping a Collection of Your Child’s Work (and Actually Using It) Read More »
To an outside observer, children at play can look like they’re simply filling time, especially when their projects seem chaotic or unfinished. But that’s just what most see on the surface. Take time to look a little deeper, and that’s when we begin to notice the subtle undercurrent of purpose at work.
The Makers Intention: Valuing What Children Choose to Create Read More »
Where is my child’s motivation? This is one of those questions that surfaces again and again, and it rarely has a simple answer. A parent looks at their child and feels stuck when the work is there, the opportunity is there, but the energy just isn’t.
When a Child Seems Unmotivated Read More »
How can what we capture about a child’s learning begin to reflect what we value? When documentation grows out of attention rather than obligation, it becomes something deep and authentic. I’m writing about this because of the questions I frequently get about how to do it. At home, documentation can be personal and meaningful.
The Practice of Documenting Learning: A Parent’s Lens Read More »
When some of my children began dual enrollment courses at our local college, primarily through an online delivery model, I found myself harboring a hidden concern I hadn’t yet fully articulated. It wasn’t fear of academic rigor. It wasn’t even worry about grades. What unsettled me was the possibility of an exchange.
Learning is Still How You Live Read More »
I find it amazing how we can be in an environment (even our homes) every day and still miss the small details that add nuance and character to it. Our attention is a valuable thing. In this day and age, I would even say it’s more like a hot commodity.
Building a Culture of Noticing Read More »
Even though sometimes we treat learning as a race to the finish line, I firmly believe that homeschooling creates opportunities for us to see it instead as a journey that unfolds over time. Time is a gratuitous offering, but what will we do with this often-elusive temporal gift?
Measuring Growth Without Rushing It Read More »
As parents and educators, it’s natural to look for visible progress that’s measurable, recordable, or presentable. But the truth is, much of a child’s intellectual life takes shape beneath the surface. Learning often starts in conversation, curiosity, and connection long before (and after) it shows up in written or finished form.
Learning Beyond the Page: Recognizing Growth You Can’t Always See Read More »
The power of curiosity is in slowing down and noticing more. Staying curious is exactly how learning transforms from something we are always scheduling and planning to something that we are daily living. It helps plant the seeds of lifelong learning and it’s where wonder begins.
Where Wonder Begins: Embracing Curiosity in Your Homeschool Read More »
In a world that moves fast, measures constantly, and often rewards the loudest or the earliest, the gift of home is that we can choose a different rhythm. We can cultivate a space where encouragement is the undercurrent, where belief in growth, especially slow growth, runs deeper than performance.
Hope Lives Here: Creating a Home That Nurtures Growth, Grit, and Grace Read More »
