“Motherhood is not meant to be done alone,” she said. As I read this in an Instagram post, it hit me like a punch. Though I do have Tony’s help and support always, the homeschool role in our family is largely my responsibility. Where we live, there is not a real homeschool mom group where I can…
Tag: TIMBALERO
Poetry, the Easy Way
“Without poetry, we lose our way.” —Joy Harjo, current U.S. Poet Laureate & Academy of American Poets Chancellor A favorite children’s book with beautiful illustrations by Jean Pierre Siméon; paintings by Oliver Tallec. … Want to add in some easy poetry to your homeschool world? Start by checking out poets.org. Housing the works of over 3,000…
Embracing the Inconvenient
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…
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 there is ‘no food in the house.’ We need to buy stock in Dole Organic Bananas. I’m not sure we could exist…
Slow it Down: A “How-to” Guide
Living simply is hard to do in today’s rush-everywhere communities. We all talk about it and try to simplify, but the pace of our days is out of our control; ingrained our modern-world DNA… Or is it? I think it is possible to alter that pace. Travel School is the basis for how our family…
My Multiverse
Are you familiar with the word “multiverse?” According to the dictionary, it refers to a hypothetical collection of identical (or diverse) universes, including our own. I wonder what my alternate universe life might look like? When homeschooling teens, your world changes lightning fast. The coursework is increasingly hard; the questions and discussions: intense. The emotions…
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…
Teachers Helping Teachers
Writing is a powerful, necessary skill. Both teaching and learning to write well takes practice – like memorizing times tables. The words start to flow, only after eons of repetition. Wake up; write. Read as much as you can. Think. Write it down. In the words of Anne Lamott, “Put your butt in a chair…
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