Hi Reader! When I first started homeschooling, I was determined to be organized. I'm talking color-coded file folders for every single week of the school year. Every worksheet had been torn out of the workbooks, sorted, and filed into its assigned week. I had the entire year planned before we even began. It looked beautiful. It lasted... not very long. Some lessons took twice as long as I expected. Others my kids flew through. Then there were the rabbit trails. The books we discovered, the...

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...

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....