September is a great month to visit the apple orchard. How I love the smell of autumn in the air and the crinkling of the leaves as I walk through the apple orchard with my kids. After a fun afternoon of picking the best apples we head over to feed the goats in the barn. Then we are off to get some fresh apple cider and donuts to finish off the day. It’s a very relaxing and stress free experience we all enjoy. Spending this stress free time together is healthy and brings us closer together. Memories of children who … Continue reading →

I love the fall. While summer was my favorite season as a child for obvious “school’s not in” reasons, now I love the fall. In part, this is because my work slows down in the fall as the seasons slow down. I enjoy the slowing down into dormancy that fall and winter bring, just as I enjoy the growth of early spring. Planning for the fall brings me back into thoughts about a daily rhythm. Although fall in our part of the world is beautiful and we can spend plenty of time outside, most of the neighborhood kids go back … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving is here, and everyone deserves a much-needed holiday. Just because you are relaxing and having fun, however, does not mean you need to stop learning. Here are some fun Thanksgiving activities that will keep your children busy, without feeling as if they are doing more schoolwork. Do a Thanksgiving word search This will give everyone something challenging to do while waiting for dinner. Read the story of Thanksgiving with your kids. There are many books you can find, but there is also this online version you can use. It also has a quiz the kids can take after reading … Continue reading →

September is a great time to go to the beach as it is not too cold to enjoy the water, but the crowds are gone. Children collect shells and where they came from. They can lean about the tide, they can also learn about beach and water safety. Learn about labor day. For many kids labor day is just a day off of school, or a signal that school is about to start. Homeschoolers should understand that it was founded to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American Workers. Teach them what that means as well as how the … Continue reading →

Some of these contests are ongoing and are available year round. Some of these contests are available to any students regardless of whether or not they’re home schooled or attend traditional school. Other contests are available only to homeschoolers. If you know of a contest that you’d like me to feature here, please send me a private message so that I can make sure and mention it in my next month’s feature. Academic Leagues This is an ongoing contest open to 3rd through 8th graders (social studies and science) and 2nd through 12th graders (math). The cost to enter is … Continue reading →

It is now 4pm, and we are home again with the kids settled into math practice. Even on days like this when we do not necessarily do our usual curriculum, I still insist on math practice because it keeps their minds sharp. My son is doing work left by the tutor (equations) and my daughter is doing funbrain.com challenges for converting decimals to fractions and back. Since my last post, our day went as follows: We drove to the photographer’s studio, which was on the other side of Downtown Atlanta by the airport, and did the photo shoot. Having done … Continue reading →

Spelling is a topic my children don’t enjoy. Spelling lists, spelling tests, marked up pages, correcting the words they missed – they would just as soon not, and I would just as soon not put them through it. Spelling is a crucial life skill, however, and I’m determined to give my children a good start down their path of success, so we invented a new take on the game of Scrabble. My children, at ages 10, 8, and 5, are fairly young to play the game as it was invented, so we do it the Pinkston way. I help all … Continue reading →

On this past Tuesday, I worked the election polls at a local Elementary School (for runoffs). My kids got to spend the day with family friends, and I got to do my civic duty. OK, I was paid a little, but if I were doing it for the money, I would have stayed in bed. I arrived at the school and found that we were to work in about 200 square feet in the media center. In those 200 square feet, we had three voting booths, a handicapped station, a private area for confidential work, and several processing tables. Can … Continue reading →