While becoming a parent is the true beginning of the journey, the preschool years bring a certain amount of well, uncertainty…for those of us who embark on the adventure of homeschooling. When is “the beginning” of their education? What should education look like in the early years? The culture tells us more is better, and the sooner the better.

But Charlotte Mason referred to these formative, early pre-school years as “a quiet growing time.” Children learn through play and experience and these years are best spent growing up alongside the example of mom, dad, and older siblings in the most natural and nourishing enviornment – home.

SHOW NOTES

On Littles: The Early Years Issue

Pre-School…Not Preschool: How to Homeschool in the Early Years

Nurturing Your Pre-Schooler’s Mind: How to Homeschool in the Early Years

Nurturing Your Pre-Schooler’s Body: How to Homeschool in the Early Years

Nurturing Your Pre-Schooler’s Soul: How to Homeschool in the Early Years

Nurturing Your Pre-Schooler’s Schedule: How to Homeschool in the Early Years

A Case for the Early Years with Leah Martin from My Little Robins

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What is education? What are your family values? What type of family culture are you working to create? What type of people do you hope to help your kids become?

Mark Twain once famously said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Education means so much more than curriculum; it is the cultivation of a person and a philosophy of education needs to reflect the type of person you hope to help your child become (and the person you are working to become, for that matter).

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Winter has the propensity to bring burn-out for homeschoolers but it doesn't have to be that way. Today I'll talk about ways to avoid burn-out and how to enjoy the coziness of winter.

Sunlight before noon post

Until the Streetlights Come On by Ginny Yurich

Homeschool Rhythms: Rest Time

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli

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With the holidays around the corner, there are bound to be some busy days that will rock your normal homeschool routine. Those days are not lost, though. There’s a simple way to stay productive and relaxed when a hectic schedule demands it. Tune in to see how we do it.

• Homeschool Rhythms: Get Ready
• Zone Work

If you've ever struggled to fit reading into your life as a busy homeschool mom, this is the episode for you! Join me as I tell you how to fit a true feast into the nooks and crannies of your day.

Show Notes

• Homeschool Rhythms: Morning Time
• Homeschool Rhythms: Rest Time
• Wild + Free Bundle Subscription
• Subscribe and get access to the booklists

Bring on the sweaters and boots and pumpkin spice lattes! Autumn is in full swing by now with falling leaves, crisp mornings, and night creeping in earlier and earlier. 

I like to take time to reflect as fall begins in earnest; what changes do we need to make in routines and atmosphere to get ready for a new season? Which traditions are we looking forward to the most and are there any we want to let go of? And how can I bottle everything that makes fall the loveliest time of the year?

The fragrance of spices, the glow of a candle, goldenrod swaying in a breeze that is still warm but warning of a coming chill.

It’s the poem, “Something Told the Wild Geese” and the actual geese flying overhead in the morning.

It’s the copper and crimson and buttery yellow leaves as the trees beginning to change, the sound of folksy coffee shop music as the sun sets earlier and earlier.

It’s stacks of familiar books mingling with new reads brought by the school year.

It’s being ready to say good-bye to one season and welcome another with a full heart.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:

• What autumn looks like for us
• Rhythms we keep
• Books we’re reading

SHOW NOTES

• Homeschool Rhythms
• Kid of the Week
• Julie Andrews' Poetry Collection
• Greenfield Village
• Morning Rhythms
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Nature Journal

If you've listened to Part I of this episode (How to Start a Homeschool Group and why you should), you'll be delighted to hear this continuation on what to do when the group starts to grow and take on a life of its own!

• How teens make a difference for the group
• How privacy plays into your group's growth
• Communicating with your growing group
• Membership fees and insurance
• All the legal mumbo-jumbo
• Icky issues like dress code and phone use
• Should you grow?
• Picking venues
• How to build sustainable leadership
• Working together as a group
• How events change as you grow
• Knowing when you're big enough

Doesn’t summertime bring out the child in us all? Swimming in the scorching heat, drinking lemonade, inhaling the wafting scent of the grill, listening for cicadas, watching for fireflies…there is a sense of wonder that comes with summer.

Use this month to tap into your inner child:

Stop and smell the gardenias and jasmine.

Take time.

Slow down.

Play and explore the great outdoors.

Soak in summer and all of its splendor.  

• What summer looks like for us
• Rhythms we keep
• Books we’re reading
• Why you don’t have to do a summer camp
• Why being bored is a good thing

• Homeschool Rhythms
• Zone Work
• Swallows and Amazons
• Robinson Crusoe
• All the World
• The Raft
• Let them be Bored

It's been a while...but I'm back and I'm so excited to be with you again! Catch up on what's new and what to look forward to. Or, if you're brand new, get to know a little more about Homeschooling Outside the Box. You are very welcome here!

You can also check out the new Nature Journal and sign up for my free monthly "Everything" guides.

So far in this “Homeschool Rhythms” series we’ve talked about morning time, narration, getting ready, group work, individual work, and read alouds. We’ve moved our way through morning activities and lunch so today we’re going to talk about rest time!

I know some of you might have the urge to check out right now thinking your children have aged out of this time of day but I assure you, it is for all ages…including you, mama. Rest time is a beautiful hour of the day when you can take a few deep breaths, make a fresh cup of coffee, and reset for your afternoon.

Our culture is obsessed with productivity; there seems to be an underlying pressure everywhere we turn to be active. What if rest is not something we do because we are finished with our work but rather something we do because God created us to need to do it?

Join me today as I show you how rest time can fit in your day.

• How to fit rest time in your busy day
• The benefits of having a family rest
• Why it’s for everyone – including you!
• How to do rest time

• Original Silent Reading Blog Post
• Bad Kitty Books
• Anne’s Kindred Spirits
• Mr. Putter and Tabby Books
• Water Wow
• Jim Weiss episode
• The Little House Book and CD
• How to Start a Homeschool Group episode

For decades homeschoolers have been plagued by the question, “what about socialization” from well-meaning (and let’s be honest, sometimes not so well-meaning…) neighbors, family, and friends. The question chafes at us because it assumes that the minute we begin homeschooling, we hole up in our homes and avoid all contact with any other humans. That’s just not the case though; community is an essential part of the homeschool experience and a great homeschool group can be the place for you to find lasting relationships.

Six years ago, I was struggling to find a community to fit my outside-the-box family and in a moment of courage (or perhaps desperation), I reached out to another homeschool mama and asked her to “go do stuff together.” The result has been a deep friendship between our families and an accidentally thriving homeschool group.

Join us today as Danielle and I explore the benefits of how to start a homeschool group and why you should.

• Why community and relationships are non-negotiables for homeschoolers
• How it only takes one other family to get started
• Which events are good to start with
• How to grow your group slowly and organically
• How to make your group “outside-the-box” friendly
• How to structure your group
• How to grow your group into an outreach
• How to communicate with your group members
• How to handle challenges
• How to adapt when your group gets big
• How to structure leadership
• What to do about cost
• Our list of events

• Get Started Pack