read-alouds
Charlotte's Web: Why It Is Still the One
Every year somebody writes a better-marketed animal book and every year this one is still the answer. Here is what it actually does to a room, and the one thing to decide before yo
THE READING ROOM
One Size Fits One
Useful, honest writing about homeschooling one actual child.
195 articles. Page 12 of 13.
getting started
My Father's Dragon: The First Chapter Book
If you have tried a chapter book and lost the room by page four, this is the one to try next. Ten pages a night, a map to follow, and a problem solved in every chapter.
choosing curriculum
Reading Curriculum That Builds Readers, Not Just Decoders
Most phonics programs work fine. The readers get made, or lost, in what comes after decoding, and almost nobody shops for that part. Here are six things to check before you buy a r
choosing curriculum
Gifted, Behind, or Both: Homeschooling the Asynchronous Kid
The publisher website wants one number, and your child does not have one number. She reads like a sixth grader and fights third-grade math. Before you split the difference and buy
choosing curriculum
Cheap Homeschool Curriculum: Used, Borrowed, and Printed
A homeschool year runs anywhere from $700 to $2,800 per child, and the families at the bottom of that range are not doing a lesser year. Here is the playbook: what to buy used, whe
getting started
7 Homeschool Schedules That Survive Real Life
Every schedule works in August. The question is which one survives a stomach bug, a snow day, and the week the car dies. Here are seven shapes and the one I would hand a first-year
getting started
How to Homeschool When You Work Full Time
Working parents homeschool all the time, and they do it by building the week differently rather than by finding more hours. Here is what that actually looks like.
experiential learning
What a Homeschool Day Actually Looks Like, by Age
If you are finishing by lunch and waiting for permission, here it is. A homeschool day is shorter than a school day on purpose, and here is what the hours actually look like from k
getting started
8 Ways to Set Up a Homeschool Space Without a Room
You do not need a schoolroom. You need a place to start, a place to put things down, and a way to end the day. Here are eight setups that work in a normal house.
getting started
10 Things You Do Not Need to Buy for Homeschooling
Everyone will hand you a list of what to buy before you start. Almost nobody hands you the other list. Here are ten things you can skip, and what to do instead.
getting started
What Homeschooling Actually Costs Per Year, Line by Line
Published ranges put a homeschool year somewhere between $700 and $2,800 per child. Here is where that money actually goes, line by line, including the expense nobody puts on the l
choosing curriculum
Child Struggling With Homeschool Curriculum? How to Tell
Three mornings in a row it has ended in tears, and you are the one holding the receipt. Before you spend another two hundred dollars, there are six questions that tell you what you
choosing curriculum
The Shortlist Method: Stop Researching and Decide
Forty tabs, three comparison charts, and a cart you never checked out. You're not under-researched. You're looking for a guarantee that isn't sold anywhere, and it's costing you Se
experiential learning
Freedom Isn't a Building: Homeschooling by Experience
The week of America's 250th, I was in Washington, not for the fireworks. In the hours between, I stood in front of the real thing and remembered what an education is actually made
gifted or struggling
Taught to the Middle: Why Your Child Is Bored or Behind
One kid says school is "boring." The other brings home fine grades and a quiet knot in her stomach. I taught small classes and refused to teach to the middle. Here's the honest tru
benefits of homeschooling
The Hours You Get Back: Homeschool & Family Time
Before one of my kids started public school, our family had two hours a day together. Then it vanished. Here's the time homeschooling gives back, and what it's really worth.