Childcraft: Which Sets To Buy

Inspired by the richness of the Childcraft sets we have loved, a few of us have been toiling to collect, compare, and curate all of the American printings of Childcraft that we can. We want to understand the history and evolution of Childcraft and then help would-be buyers in the discernment of which Childcraft books…

Planning Reflection

“…the more a man looks at a thing, the less he can see it, and the more a man learns a thing the less he knows it.” – The Twelve Men, GKC Like nearly all of the homeschool moms I know, I approach term planning with a mixture of anxiety, guilt, and eager anticipation. I…

Burgess Bird Book

In all of my childhood, I never heard of Thornton Burgess. It took motherhood and homeschooling for me to become acquainted with his genius and I am very sorry that I missed out on knowing him sooner. I personally do not love his writing voice, but I love his approach to the natural world and…

Pattern Blocks

My children love pattern blocks. Absolutely love them. Years ago I bought our first set and quickly learned that these were going to become an essential toy in our love of learning home. if you’re looking for something to promote logical thinking…They promote logical thinking, cultivate pattern recognition and they help to prepare the mind…

Brain Games

A year or so ago, my family discovered the National Geographic Channel show Brain Games. It isn’t perfectly family friendly, but there is much about it to love. We are a puzzle family and love Mad Libs, brain games, Ravensburger puzzles, etc. We love to exercise our mental muscles. Several years ago we removed most…

Audible: Reading With My Ears

As an auditory learner, audiobooks are more than a luxury for me; they are a necessity. Readers of any learning style can benefit from audiobooks, however. While auditory learners are probably going to be streaming classics every free moment that they can get, other learners (moms, dads, and children alike) can still benefit from being read…

James Gurney Art Videos

I cannot teach art. I cannot do art. I can barely appreciate art.  I was raised in a family that traveled extensively, visited museums regularly and had a wide variety of excellent art on the walls of our home. I absolutely understand the importance of art as a medium to express the true, the good…