Many families around the country find themselves unexpectedly homeschooling this week. If that's you, you've come to the right place to find a round-up of helpful tips for getting through the next few days or weeks. Our Blog Team is made up of moms from all walks of life. Most (but not all) are homeschool moms. Others enrich their children's education with after-school learning activities. In this week's blog hop they'll be sharing posts with ideas for scheduling your days, enrichment activities for adding to the packet your school may have provided, and all kinds of at-home learning ideas. Check...

Reprinted from a Timberdoodle CatalogHow you spend your money reveals so much about you. Do you buy what you want or what you need? Do you scrimp on others but indulge yourself? Conversely, do you buy lavishly for others and only the dregs for yourself? Do you eat out often while paying the minimum on your credit card? Do you have a plan for getting out of debt? Well, maybe these questions are too personal, but your children are silent witnesses to your spending habits. What is the take-home message they are receiving? Larry Burkett maintains that each one of us...

We currently have a houseful of little ones with four involved in "school time" each day. They range from one to five years old, so we definitely know the juggling act it can take to keep everyone occupied!  In our home we've opted for different kits for each child, with the exception of our twins who share a PreK kit but have their own workbooks. There are a few subjects that have some overlap though. For instance our five-year-old is working through All About Reading Level 1 but still enjoys participating in All About Reading Pre-Reading on most days. So does our...

You Asked: How should I educate a 3- & 5-year-old together? Use a Pre-K curriculum and just challenge my older (who’s ready for K curriculum in reading and math) separately? Our Answer: What a great question! Have you done our early education placement test with your children yet? Each child is so very different, making it prudent to assess each one's actual skills and find his or her ideal starting point. But let's say you've done that and have a preschool and kindergarten student by level. The question then becomes whether to teach to the younger, teach to the older,...

Originally published in Timberdoodle’s 1990-1991 catalog Don’t you just love toddlers? They are so enthusiastic, loving, curious, confident, and innocent. However, to a home-educating mom, they are also exhausting, impatient, loud, and unpredictable. But how can we incorporate these tornadoes in with the older children in our education program without making them the center of it? Here are some ideas that have worked for us. 1. Pick up a few school supplies for them. Construction toys, beginning thinking skills books, and even Kumon workbooks are all great choices for toddlers and will let them participate in school alongside their older siblings. 2. Most toddlers will be...