Our lovely Sugar who passed away in January is pictured here enjoying a mid-fall day. This harness and leash and outdoor time from a few

Homeschooling High School and Socialization: Not all Teen Community has to be Homeschool Community By Erin Teens, friends and leaning into service … This might

Her: I’ll be getting up earlier tomorrow so don’t worry if you’re hearing a bit of noise. I’ll try to be as quiet as possible.

I was in Grade Two, just nicely seven that fall, when I heard the news that Santa wasn’t real. A boy in my class, L,

We have our whole lives to learn and pursue our interests and so do our children. I’ve been mentoring some new local homeschool families, particularly

Unschooling, self-directed learning, self-directed education, natural learning, consent-based education, whole life learning, child-led learning, worldschooling, delight-directed education – these are all terms that are sometimes

I’ve been thinking about the distinction between supporting our teens’ interests (and children’s too, but this is more about teens) and entering into shared experiences

 “Mum, I actually found quite a bit more information about nature journaling.” “Oh great. “ “I can send you the links if you want. There’s

Socialisation might be one of the most nuanced and complex “topics” in home education.  Sometimes we treat the “S word” as though it’s a yes

I sat across from my kids at my in-laws’ house, listening to my oldest son (23) fill us in on his last few days of

This post is based on a weekly piece of writing I do in the Stories of Unschooling Families Community. Here is last week’s post.  Something

Letting experiences and feelings be what they are …  Two small lessons came to me within an hour. If you’re a parent, you’ve likely had

Today is the 20th time that I’ve experienced the first official day of school in our province as a home-educating mum. It’s also the last! 

This post was written as part of  the annual opportunity that families have to share A Day in the Life at Simple Homeschool.  Sometimes I

D retold us a story from his childhood. He’s been clearing a fair bit of snow the last while and I think it triggered a

When I first dipped into the homeschooling world, it didn’t occur to me that there would be homeschooling trends to keep up with. The word

Buying a camper, sharing a purchase of a camper with my son, getting a new tent instead, opening a resource centre, visiting a different provincial

A Course of Interest, Workshop, Webinar and More Curricula can be notoriously hard to stick to. It isn’t always, but it can be! Take a

I sat, two competing membership brochures staring up at me from the kitchen table, and tried to make a decision. Zoo or Science Centre. Science

Looking for Canadian fiction ideas? Many recommendations for children’s fiction are American or classic British literature which are both wonderful, but leave a gap for

I decided to write this “spur of the moment” after reading posts a few others had written about their days with teens. I had taken

Perhaps you recognize what I’m talking about when I mention trying to navigate a day that’s gone south. You might be a home educating parent

A new year is like freshly fallen snow and we’re just a few steps in. Happy 2021:). I’ve heard those words said both emphatically and

Eyes brightened, a smile of appreciation grew and a spring in his step returned. It was payment collection time for my son’s newspaper route. This

The topic of typewriters came up in family conversation the other day. I described the clickety-clack of our old family typewriter and how excited I

My two younger kids were up early this morning cleaning up cat vomit. It’s a lovely way to start a story, I know😉. It’s relative

Ah September … the month that’s been. Sweet, still SeptemberSummer draws to a slow closeAutumn lies in wait Sedum, muted roseAwaiting its visitor’sSweet September fill

These are interesting times. Choices abound, and so do decisions. Usually it’s easier to just follow the path and yet, suddenly it’s clearer that there

There are some phrases that don’t evoke images of abundance… Home educating on a shoestring budget … Home educating for less … Home educating on the cheap … These

It’s so different to have a fox right near you instead of on video. You can see their intelligence. – Shay In the eighth post

I feel like I’ve gotten sharper. You need quick hand/finger reflexes to react and build quickly. – Angus So far, since July, I have read

In the sixth post from A Summer of Stories, which has been focusing on different examples of self- directed learning, I’m sharing snippets and snapshots

I would also say you are never too old to learn. – Cameron This is our fifth story/interview from A Summer of Stories. You can

I bought a little book, learned a few tunes and then started playing by ear. – Ian My first “music memory” is of me, as a

You have to give them lots of water, lots of sun, and lots of love – Caileigh I like creating my own recipes. – Clare

Yes, I am an active and lifelong learner.  – Eileen This is our second story for our Summer of Stories which takes a close and

It’s whatever people have in their heads and hearts that directs them to where they go. – Linda Dawe Linda is someone I have had

A Summer of Stories – Self-directed Learning All Around Sometimes it seems as if stories just need to be told. For me, I often notice

One of the pieces that comes to mind when I think of home education is the benefit to communities. I’m not referring to homeschool communities

* I wrote this post in the middle of May, in what now seems like a different time as far as world consciousness around racial

As Kids Get Older … Is learning that is expressed through play still relevant as kids become older? Do we see differences in the way that

The Different Ways Children Express Themselves – Real Learning? (photo above by Joan Gilmore) And back to talking about play:). In The Personality of Play,

The Different Ways Children Explore Play is a very individual thing. I love watching it happen. Sometimes I even like being part of it:). Children can

This might be an ideal time to cozy up with some movie watching. I thought I’d put a few titles out that we’ve enjoyed and

“If she’s not here, she’s somewhere else.” The simplest statements are often the wisest. More than two decades ago, in the middle of a sunny morning,

Sometime in January, L and I started noticing light. Yes, light. Just light! Nothing fancy, just the everyday patterns. Mostly natural light in regular moments.

Does it seem disrespectful to talk about the brighter moments of life during this pandemic? Part of me feels strange about it. Strange that while

When my kids were younger, I delved into what was, for me, unknown territory – the world of mythology. My husband has a clear memory

People the world over are finding themselves either together a whole lot more right now OR apart and not able to see each other in

One week ago today, I was sitting in the study room of a library, with two text messages coming in simultaneously. One was from my

There was a spot on the highway where, if we were heading east at just the right time, we might be able to see three

Mmm … maple syrup. It’s a wonderful topping or ingredient and can make its way into almost any meal or snack. Pancakes, sausage, ham, ice

Imagine my surprise as I was wheeling my cart along in the grocery store one evening and ran into Ernie hanging out near the chicken

A few months ago, the teenagers in our house, plus a friend, began the Film School 4 Teens course. We were all quite impressed. My

Mid February is likely a good time to do something interesting and a bit different. Looking back on the day that was and making note

The first home education get together that I experienced was in the Spring 2003. Spring Of 2003. 17 years ago. Wow! While it initially doesn’t

 Things that are simply parts of our lives sometimes – often- have been the things we’ve learned the most deeply from. Over the years, we have

Usborne Books at Home has more than books😊. Hundreds of products are available, including cards, trivia games and even sewing and knitting kits. And, they

Over the past few years, some games from my childhood have resurfaced and my kids have enjoyed them. There are a lot of new games

My hope was for an ordinary week. Last week was, well, a lot …. and just as I thought I’d made it through, it ended

The new year always brings the joy of new things and difficulty of knowing what to get rid of in order to make space. Some

I’ve highlighted some frequently recommended winter picture books, several of them considered classics now. Here are some others you might want to snuggle up with

No big surprises here if you have been seeking out winter picture books for any length of time as these are popular recommendations. Just in

Merry Christmas! I’m kind of nostalgic for the younger years with my kids and all the anticipation, both faith-based and festive. The reading of nativity

I finished my last bite of lunch and put the container in my bag, preparing to head out to drop my daughter and her friend

I’ve been wanting to put these experiences to words for a long time because they have been such a rich and interesting part of the

Who Was That? is back with a new Christmas Trivia edition. That’s right! Christmas songs, movies, traditions, facts about both the religious and festive side

Life can be expensive. Being a parent can be very expensive! There are some aspects we can’t control but we may have more choice around

There are stories here and there that I remember had an impact on the way my kids began to see time and space. Some were

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. As we seem to do every year, we will be going together with friends to an outdoor Remembrance Day Ceremony and

I suddenly realized I was shifting my weight impatiently from foot to foot. Although my face was smiling, my body language was probably showing that

“Fall in Canada brings us many colours. Some plants keep the green of summer a little longer and others begin to remind us of winter

Oh, there were some beautiful books written in the early and mid 20th Century. You may remember them from your own childhood … for many