Joyful, Healthy Living

Nutrition is a cornerstone of health. Processed and unnatural foods wreak havoc on the body, whereas real foods support true health. But how do we know what makes a diet truly healthy? Real Foods Research  Weston A. Price was a dentist who traveled the world aiming to learn why so many of his patients in the United States had prevalent tooth decay and cavities.  Price learned that people who ate traditional foods had virtually no cavities or tooth decay, nor even cancer, d

Teaching kids to become independent learners is one of the foundations of our homeschool philosophy . For my two high schoolers, this means that, in addition to our 3x/week all-together schooling time , they also pursue their own studies independently . Here's a snapshot of independent study plans for 18yo Alina's last semester of high school and 15yo Ian's spring semester of his sophomore year. Scholar Contracts for My Teens Each semester, I meet with the kids to develop t

Here's a peek into what is and isn't working well in homeschooling my 18yo and 15yo, plus our new curriculum and areas of focus for the coming semester. Although I do the bulk of our homeschool planning in July , by January it is time for a mid-year review. The intent of our mid-year review is to look at the following with regards to our home school: What has been working well? What needs to be improved? What needs to be removed from our curriculum? Is there anything new to

Homeschool Physics doesn't have to be intimidating or complicated. Here are resources for a middle grades Physics unit that is engaging and easy-to-do at home. This unit focuses on: Exploring the World of Physics book Engaging videos and books for physics concepts Simple hands-on physics experiments and demonstrations We use a 4-year science rotation in our homeschool, so we have completed two Physics units, first when my kids were 11yo and 14yo and again when my kids were

As you roll into the new year, it's an opportune time to take stock of how things are going in your homeschool. Don't let yourself feel locked in to your original plan for the year; if something isn't working, change it! Maybe there is a specific curriculum or resource that *sounded* great but isn't really working out, or one of your kids has gotten into a new interest, or there is a new circumstance that needs to be taken into account. Mid-year planning helps make sure you

Here's a recipe for using up those holiday leftovers! After Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, I make a big pot of turkey soup! This is a beloved tradition in our family, as we all love turkey soup. This recipe makes plenty so you will have leftovers for easy meals. My turkey soup starts with using the leftover turkey carcass to make easy bone broth in the slow cooker. Turkey broth is rich and flavorful, in comparison to chicken broth. Once the broth is ready to use, I c