In 2018, Sophia wrote a paper for her Grade 9 Writing class titled “The Secret to Happiness is to Embrace the Odd Inconvenience.” I happened upon it this morning, looking forward to some tips. “Sometimes, the greatest moments of our lives are fueled solely by an odd inconvenience. If we allow inconveniences to ruin our…
Tag: Homeschool advice
Distance Learning: Make the Choice to Thrive
We are all doing the right thing by not catching or spreading a virus that puts our most susceptible at risk. We are all working together to do something BIG. Thank you to all of you who are taking on this bizarre new normal. My family appreciates you. “I imagine all the closures and cancellations…
Saying No to the Dreaded Scroll
Phones are like air and comfort food. We need them and they make us feel good. Have a question about anything at all? The answer is at our finger-tips in seconds. Need to call home? The phone is already dialing. We are all, every one of us, connected and addicted to this new way of…
Calling all Cool 5th Graders (a reading list)
My 5th grade nephew goes to a great school in Brooklyn, NY. He called Tony and I last night (Hi Nicholas!), because he is raising money for a school camping trip via a class-wide “Read-a-Thon.” I love-love-love Read-a-Thons and any other “a-thon” that gets kids excited about reading enough to call their aunt and uncle…
Feed the Beasts
Are your kids always hungry? My kids are ALWAYS. HUNGRY. . I will fill the pantry and fridge to the brim, and just because we are out of bananas, they complain to me that there is ‘no food in the house.’ We need to buy stock in Dole Organic Bananas. I’m not sure we could…
And, That’s a Wrap.
As I pinch myself, we made it through. With our oldest in HIGH SCHOOL now (audible gasp), this past school year was a real experiment. I honestly never thought I would homeschool high school – it just seemed to be a natural point of exit, as if what we were doing was not “real school.”…
Why Teach Poetry?
Why teach poetry? Because poetry is the most compact form of literature. It demands the author to use the least amount of words possible to describe ideas, feelings, sounds, events and more. Putting the right words together is like solving a complex puzzle marrying intellect, intuition, emotion and vocabulary. Understanding the complexities of poetry is…
What Does Homeschool Look Like?
Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future. ~ Maria Montessori We get a lot of questions about our travel-school. “Where/how do you teach?” or “Who makes lunch?” or “Do you give home-work?” A lion’s share of kids love…
Land. Sea. Repeat.
Fall in Newport is a dream… Gorgeous weather, dear friends, Sophia’s first Homecoming, and lots of fall baseball! Life on land is good. As we are now well into our fifth year of home-schooling, I think we are solidly on our path. However, in the true spirit of Travel-School, it is soon time to pick…
Choosing a Fall Curriculum
Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. – Pelé We have about two weeks left in our 6th-8th grade school years, so you can imagine the intensity in our home. I remember school winding down (in…
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