Now that we’re practicing unschooling, I’ve been consciously making an effort to say yes more often. We’ve done no formal sit-at-the-table school work this week. Basically it feels as though we’re on vacation, enjoying the New England autumn–and working through our screen-obsession. As we adjust to the unschooling lifestyle, I’m keeping in mind that saying…
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Secular Homeschooling Lonely Business in Central Maine
Homeschooling is becoming more mainstream, but secular homeschooling, particularly secular homeschooling without religion, remains a lonely endeavor in central Maine. We live in an area the locals refer to as the Foothills Region, which seems to be a no-man’s land for organizations and groups. On the coast we have the Homeschoolers of Maine, a Christian-based…
Child-Led Inquiry or Unschooling
It’s been a long time coming, I think, but our family is finally taking the plunge into unschooling. Unschooling is also referred to as child-led or interest-led learning. Basically it is a way of viewing the learning in everything so that you see the educational value of it all. Let’s face it, learning can happen…
20% of Plant Species Face Extinction
Mainly because of population sprawl and habitat loss, scientists say that roughly twenty-percent of the Earth’s plant population is under threat. This article from DiscoveryNews talks about those threats facing plant species. In fact, in a recent study which classified some 4000 species, 22 percent were classed as threatened. This is a scary thought, since…
Homemade Playdough for Multisensory Learning
I make a lot of things from scratch in my home. A lot of our food is made the old fashioned way, from scratch–without the aid of a boxed or packaged-mix. I do this partly to prevent ingestion of preservatives, dyes, and other harmful chemicals, and partly to stretch our budget. I also make a…
Homeschool Summer Vacation in Maine
We’ve been avidly enjoying our summer vacation. The boys are eating up the free time (among other things), and I’ve been taking the time to pursue some of my many interests. But here is a brief glimpse into some of our summertime activities. Nothing beats eating blueberries right off the bush. A flair for dramatics….
Homeschool Summer Vacation Update
As the Scientific Homeschool, we’ve finally finished with our first year officially homeschooling, and are now enjoying the summer hiatus. That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing going on, however. I’ve been working on new segments for the ESU. We’ve worked our way through the Cambrian, and when we take up our lessons again after vacation…
End of the Year Assessments
With our 2009–2010 school year drawing to a close I find myself taking a look back on the last year. Taking a scrutinizing look at all the things that worked for us, and all the things that did not. After a rough start in the fall getting into a consistent routine, we eventually managed to…
Sharing My Garden Enthusiasm
Summer is nearly upon us, and I am in full garden-mode right now. My mind obsesses over the garden and its many facets. I’d spend every waking minute in the garden–if only my body didn’t protest so! I have ten garden beds–six raised beds in the main garden nearest the house, and four beds on…
Seasonal Science
Spring has come to our neck of Maine, and with has come the annual fidgets. The children are sick of doing regular lessons, and we are all ready to spend some time outside. As homeschoolers its okay for us to ease up off the daily grind, and focus our attention on other things for a…