Friday Favorites A few things we're excited to share this week. Upcoming Live Online Workshop Every homeschool family has a starting point. Some are just beginning. Others are ready to rethink what isn't working and create a fresh path forward. Join this free live workshop to discover practical strategies that help you homeschool with greater confidence, less overwhelm, and a plan that truly fits your child, your family, and your life. Register Now Featured Product The Ultimate Homeschool...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! As many of us begin a new homeschool year this month, I'd like to try something new with my emails to you. I know some of you homeschool year old and some don't start until September. That's okay. This will still align with your rhythm. We are growing at Homeschool Essentials and we have more ways to encourage you and support you. My hope and goal is that I do not add to the noise of your inbox, but that I bring you a fresh word of encouragement or an idea on how to build a skill...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! There's a page in the Daily Planner that I've watched change the way moms see their homeschool. It doesn't track assignments. It doesn't measure academic progress. It captures curiosity, interest, rabbit trails and real life skills. We call it the Natural Learning page, and it shows up every single week. This is the space to jot down those spontaneous experiences that happen outside the structured lesson plan. The questions they ask at breakfast. The things they discover on a walk....
14 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! Before I begin a new school, it's been so helpful for me to name our priorities. I'll have priorities for myself, my family as a whole and for each individual child. This helps me know how I want to show up in the next year and what I have the capacity for. There were years we were navigating a move, taking care of parents as they reached the end of life, regaining our health, working through learning challenges. When life become challenging, our priorities shifted to creating...
30 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! There's a page in the Homeschool Essentials Yearly Planner that we feel is so important, we actually put it in both the Yearly & the Daily Planner. It's not the curriculum map. It's not the schedule. It's the Know Your Why page. Because here's what I know after years of working with homeschool families: the moms who navigate the hard days well... they know why they're doing this. They have it written down somewhere they can return to. That "somewhere" is this page. When life...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! I'm writing this from a back patio in Pennsylvania. It's our last day here before heading home. Every morning I've gotten to watch an Amish farmer work his fields, and there's something about it that just slows you down. We took a trip into Lancaster to stock up on all the good stuff. We got Amish rolled butter, shoofly pie, whoopie cookies, syrups, oils, Lebanon bologna. (Our RV fridge is not packed!) It's been a good reminder that connection isn't built in the big moments. It's...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! Can I just say...May is a lot. Between graduations, dances, used curriculum sales, dual enrollment for college courses and the start of convention season, it's been one of the busiest months of the year for us. If you didn't hear from me the last couple of weeks of May, that's why. I was right there in the middle of it with you. But here's the thing about busy seasons... they make the shift into summer feel that much sweeter. And that's where we are now. The season is changing. And...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! I've been deep in curriculum development as Director of GrowthMinded at Big Life Journal, and I meet weekly with parents at Bright & Quirky who are raising kids that learn differently. And the thing I hear over and over is this: they know their child learns differently. They just don't know what to do about it on a Tuesday morning when nothing is working. So I made you something. 👉 Download: Teach the Way They Learn — Your Free Guide LM Teach the Way They Learn.pdf It's a...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! I'm not sure if I ever told you this... But I really love being part of an in-person fiction book club. I mean, I really love it. There’s something about getting lost in a story throughout the month… and then sitting around a table with friends sharing dinner, laughter, and conversation that just fills me back up. In fact, here’s a little peek from one of our nights. Now, I know what you might be thinking… “That sounds nice… but I don’t have time for that.” And I get it. I’ve been...
5 months ago • 1 min read