Years ago, I started writing about our plans for summer breaks. I shared the educational and homeschool-y things we did over the summer each year. If you read those posts, you might remember that each year I seemed to bounce back and forth between too academic and too relaxed.
By our 5th homeschooling summer I’d found a good balance. (Yes, it really did take me five summers to figure it out…)
But just when I was getting the hang of things… the pandemic reared its ugly head.
As I’ve written this post, all of my family’s belongings were loaded onto a 26’ moving truck and taken to our new home in another state!
After searching online for co-ops and extracurricular activities near our new home, I realized firsthand how helpful it is when bloggers share their favorite local homeschooling resources!
So, before my family leaves the northwest Chicago suburbs, I want to post a “brain dump” of all the northern Illinois homeschooling resources I’ve found over the years. We’ve been parenting and homeschooling here for over a decade and have collected a list of awesome co-ops, support groups, nature centers, field trip ideas, and more!
Kid: “Mommy… I’m bored!”
Mom: “Good!”
I think this is how I’ll respond to my kids from now on when they complain to me that they’re bored.
No, it probably won’t go over very well with them. But boredom – free, unscheduled, unfettered time – is a GIFT in our culture today. Too much free time can become an issue, of course. But, for many of us, time to think and dream and putter around is often lacking.
If you don’t homeschool, have you ever wondered what it is those crazy homeschooling people do all day?
And, if you already home educate, isn’t it fun to get a glimpse into another homeschool to see other ways of doing things?
That’s why I like to do “Day in the Life” posts from time to time. You can check out other days in our life here and here. But for now, here’s a look into our homeschool on…
May God give us all strength and peace as we keep our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
“…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
2 Timothy 1:7
I pray that you and your family have a blessed Christmas and New Year!
(There may be affiliate links in this post – click here to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
If you’ve read my review of Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU) science curriculum, you’ll know it’s no secret that I love it!
The content is awesome, it’s organized logically, and it encourages students to observe, question, and think their way through the lessons (rather than just memorizing science jargon that’s thrown at them).
Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my BFSU review to learn more about the curriculum and how it works.
But, even though I love BFSU, there was a steep learning curve for me as I tried to actually implement it. The thing is, I was creating work and frustration for myself that could’ve been avoided! The steep learning curve was my own fault!
One of the best things about homeschooling is the ability to schedule your life without being tied to a school calendar. So, in that sense, ANYTIME can be the “perfect time” for your homeschooling family’s vacation, depending on your needs and goals.
But, I’ve found there’s a vacation sweet spot that has worked out best for us and that time is…
In this series of posts, I’ve been sharing what curricula I plan on using to homeschool my three kids in the school year ahead. To see what we’ve used for other ages and grades, check out the first post which has links to all the posts in the series.
Our science experiments have usually been one of the highlights of our homeschool weeks. But recently, on one already disagreeable day, our physics lesson was the last straw.
I love seeing how homeschool families do life! It’s been over a year since I’ve done a “Day in the Life” post of our own – it’s definitely time to give you another glimpse!
(Click here to check out the previous one.)
My kids are another year older (so am I, of course, but we don’t need to dwell on that). And each school year brings new changes and challenges. So here’s a peek into our world these days.
(There may be affiliate links in this post – click here to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
