Changing With the Times.

When I started this blog I was fresh to homeschooling and it seeped into every facet of my life. I was gung ho and full of youthful energies to see my job perfectly done. Fast forward seven years of home education and my eldest has decided to transition back into mainstream next year. I always said it was their decision when they returned. I always secretly assumed they would rather homeschool. Honestly though when we went to the school which is new for the open house we were both impressed with their program. I am just one mom who can't compete with a state of the art machine shop, a culinary...

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Getting Back Into Gear.

I admit this year has been tough. Not only in our homeschool life but our life in general. Sometimes taking a step back and seeing things for what they are is needed. Now moving forward toward a new school year I find myself getting excited. This excitement comes not only from our new curriculum slowly trickling in . It also comes from our life here. The kids have both reached middle school age this year. With that I find the old schooling methodology giving way to new more advanced paths of learning. It had been overwhelming a little me frankly. The idea that the kids were no longer just small....

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Welcome to Our Neck of the Woods. A Tour of SSM Ontario Attractions.

 On the face of it one living in any particular area of Canada may possibly think there isn't a whole lot to do. If they were to be asked to write about it they would soon discover there is a LOT more to their local area then meets the eye. There is so much natural beauty, many outdoor pursuits, and a large variety of tourist attractions to keep even the most picky person happy. I want to share just a bit with you about where we live in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  This far North in Ontario it can feel pretty isolating with only the Trans Canada Highway connecting us to the...

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Canadian Content. It Does Exist!

One of the things I think a lot of Canadians find hard when homeschooling is finding a curriculum that has Canadian content. One can say well why is having Canadian content so important? There are numerous reasons. Canadian math uses metric not imperial.  Canadian history is obviously going to be more specific when written from a Canadian perspective. Canadian geography well don't even get me started with how many curriculum leave it out or just plain have it wrong. Canadian cultural studies are also often generalized and not accurate   I could go on listing reasons why content...

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Multicultural Fair--Homeschool Fun

Our local homeschool group added a new event this year, multicultural fair. The kids were to study a country and choose how they were going to present or represent that country. My kids choose to go with our roots of Scottish and English. My son dressed in the "Great Kilt". This kilt style is 8 yards of fabric folded in half lengthwise lain on top of a belt and folded to have pleats. The wearer then was to lie on the belt section wrap it around themselves and take the remaining fabric up and over their shoulder to tuck in again in the belt line. Kilts were used not only as clothing but also...

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Lake Effect Snow in the North. Homeschooling During the Deep Freeze. GIVEAWAY!

Here in Northern Ontario on the shores of Lake Superior and Lake Huron we get SNOW! Our bank in front of our home is at least six feet high. And while there are those who jump gleefully into a snowbank at 40, I am not one of them. I grew up with enough outdoor time during the winter to satisfy my inner husky...which is more a toy poodle really (minus the slipper chewing). I have contemplated taking up some winter sport like snowshoeing or donning my ice skates again but the reality is I don't. The kids although they enjoy playing in the snow have no overwhelming affection for it either....

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Leading on the Winter Path. Being Your Child's Guide Through the Winter Months.

When I was a child we had no real driveway and my mother would break trail for us on the winter mornings with her old leather laced snowshoes. We would follow her begrudgingly down the half mile that made up our driveway often sinking in the snow well up over our knees. One day after getting off the school bus from kindergarten I demanded I was allowed to be the leader on the way home. Now of course a small child likely wouldn't be able to accomplish that for long. My mother though allowed me to take up the challenge. Why is this important? Because that challenge changed my life. In that...

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5 Simple Rules to Keeping Your Sanity While Homeschooling.

Murphy's Law states if anything can go wrong it likely will. You know what it really means, the alarm didn't go off, the dishwasher wasn't turned on, you forgot to print out the worksheets you were supposed to for class...the list is endless. It's life keeping us on our toes. It's aggravating! Who wants to be constantly tested by things not panning out. The dreams you had for sweet, cherubic faces nodding emphatically over your well planned lesson isn't going to happen. Well maybe if you're really lucky it will. The truth is homeschooling is hard work. It requires organization or some semblance...

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