I often tell my clients, “self-awareness breeds self-advocacy.” More specifically, observing and self-monitoring to make decisions is an executive functioning skill called metacognition. We all have strengths and weaknesses even within executive functioning skills. Evaluating our strengths and admitting weaknesses allows us to ask for help when needed, to accept or ignore criticism, and even…
“Just follow their lead,” casually mentioned a well-intentioned homeschool veteran. I must have quizzically stared at her. I had no idea what that meant or how it pertained to school. Initially, I thought it meant unit studies based on topics of my children’s interests. In 2017, when we started homeschooling, my third-grade daughter loved horses….
It’s been an awful day; the definition of awful day is different in every homeschool, but I can guarantee that we all have them. The first question coming from our current culture is, how are you taking care of yourself? Looking at magazine covers and social media ads, you can interpret this to mean: “What…
Field Trips that complement a certain topic of study are amazing for experiential learning; however, with intentional questions, they also build executive functioning skills that translate to lifelong learning. Executive functioning skills are defined in the book Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential, by Peg Dawson, EdD,…
Our “school year” is officially over. This means we hit the 180 days that the state of PA requires. But, we firmly aspire to the Charlotte Mason principle that “education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.” So, how do we keep our focus on literacy during summer learning? Our homeschool has 3 primary…
Coming up with ideas for writing is often difficult. Heading outside, however, with pencils, journals, and possibly nature guides to observe and listen opens the mind to numerous opportunities to write. “What do you see?” or “What do you hear?” provide ideas that set forth beautiful nature journals for ALL ages and abilities. Let’s consider…