10 Things I Miss About Home School: Part Two
Pat the real Hamster in a Littlest Pet Shop creation. Oh, a quiet morning – just like the old days…
10 Things I Miss About Home School: Part One
Last year was great. I really did like home school. Sure it pushed me to my limits balancing work and…
Am I Stretching Things too Far? Home School Lessons from Farmville!?!
If you haven’t played Farmville yet, you’ve been warned! Don’t start! It’s totally addicting. I initially started playing to learn…
Undercover Boss as Home School Curriculum – This is good stuff! (Worksheet Included!)
We started watching Undercover Boss with the very first episode. I was intrigued that the CEO of Waste Management was…
Henry Cowell State Park: Home School Scavenger Hunt
One year, I took Katie to Henry Cowell the first Sunday of every month and had her take pictures so…
The Home School Science Fair: The Results are In!
That’s right! We had us a Science Fair and it was great. Despite the hesitation and resistance expressed by the…
The Home School Science Fair: Are You Kidding Me?
I am not writing about the actual Science Fair – I will do that in an upcoming blog. Nope, tonight,…
Do boys and girls play differently? Oh yeah they do!
Today began so simply. Up early, bugged out to breakfast so the housekeeper could kick some butt. Took home school…
Life Aboard the USS Hornet: We Lived Like Sailors – Awesome!
Katie and I slept on the USS Hornet! Holy cow, talk about bringing history to life! It was a fantastic…
Fostering Independence (While I Take a Pill and Try to Stay Calm)
I figure one of the big “themes” of home school is letting Katie try to do things on her own….
Home School: With a little help from my friends…
One of the best things that happened in early winter is a friend joined us in home school. Jordan and…
Good Grief: Does Anyone Home School During the Holidays?
Yep. Last blog was November 16, 2009. Feels like a lifetime ago. Work got crazy, Thanksgiving was just around the…
Safari West: Best Animal Experience Ever
Unassuming. Intimate. Incredible. Those words barely begin to describe Safari West. (Click on any of the photos to see them…
Gold Rush Continues: Columbia State Park Takes Us Back in Time
(This is part two of two on our trip to Gold Country.)We arrived at Columbia State Park just as the…
Bringing the Gold Rush to Life: Hard Rock Mining and More!
(This is part one of two on our trip to Gold Country.) Living in California rocks. Um, hard rocks. Like…
Great Field Trip: Monterey Bay Aquarium Welcomes Homeschoolers
If you grow up in Santa Cruz County it’s inevitable you will end up going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium…
Public School “Deprogramming”: I Think We Did It!
At one of the first parent support groups, one of the things the experienced parents talked about was giving Katie…
Halloween Homeschool! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Trains!
We have the coolest place in Santa Cruz – it’s called Roaring Camp and they have old steam engine trains…
Bringing Amelia Earhart Back to Life
We are always looking for interesting ways to tie-things together so Katie can engage with a subject in different ways….
Show and Tell: Home School Style (this would never happen in public school!)
A couple of weeks ago Katie came home all excited because she found out she could bring one of her…
Hot Dog! The Kid’s a Grass Roots Activist! It’s all about 350!
We took two friends to lunch today downtown to the Saturn Cafe. It’s uber Santa Cruzy – a vegetarian restaurant…
Independence, Values and Helping Our Kids Find Their Way
I was born independent. My mom will swear to it. It was nature not nurture (I am sure my mom…
Rant: Are You Freaking Kidding Me? Fifth Grade Standards…
I’m interrupting this blog for a brief rant. We are relunctant home schoolers. I wasn’t my original plan. And Katie…
10 Things We Learned from the Great California ShakeOut
Since I lived through the Loma Prieta quake in 1989, I have a pretty good sense of what the heck…
Blog Action Day 2009: Kids Speak Out About Going Green
Since we now turn everything around here into a home school activity, I thought I would drag Katie into the…
This School Day Interrupted by THE WEATHER!
As this amazing storm continues to pound Northern California, Katie decided to do a little weather reporting. Of course, within…
The Great California ShakeOut: Earthquake Prep as Curriculum
In 1989, I was at the ball game when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit. Magnitude 7.2 or 6.8, I am…
Reflections: Home School Camping Trip – It Was Awesome!
We had a great time camping this weekend with the home school gang. In an effort to help us get…
Steve Wozniak Education and Creativity Talk: The Recording as Promised….
Here’s the link to the blog that has the recording for the Steve Wozniak event. He talked about education and…
Today’s Lesson: The Webkinz Economy!
Here’s hoping there are “educational” properties in Webkinz. Why? Because Katie has spent the better half of the week setting…
Reflections: Our Extended Family Delivers Lessons for Life
Before the rush to Sacramento to help my aunt, we had planned to join my mom’s sister and brother and…
Gramma Teaching? It’s all about Grocery Ads!
When we found out we had to rush up to Sacramento to help an ailing relative, of course I threw…
Steve Wozniak Danced Into Our Lives and I Missed It!
I totally blew it. I could have had the coolest “home school” experience for Katie and I choked because I…
Insomnia Sucks: Still Struggling to Find the Balance
It’s five in the morning. I have been awake for over an hour. I can’t sleep – maybe it’s some…
Reflections: I am Struggling with Work/Life Balance
My whole goal of this blog is to help me remember what we did and our experience of home school….
Scarier than Dying? “Public Speaking” at the Fair? 10-Year Old Style
In a rather cool move by our local County Fair, winners in the poetry contest are asked to come and…
Fair Update: Her Veggie Creature Won!
Just a quick follow-up to our veggie art story – we went to the fair today and she won! A…
Fighting at “Home” School – With an Amazing Resolution
I know this is probably a familiar story to any parent who home schools. The big fight(s) about getting the…
Best “School Work” Ever: Art Project for the County Fair
When Katie had a fever of 103.5 yesterday, I figured there was no way she was going to be able…
Reflections: Week Two – It’s So About Me!
Woohoo! We wrapped up the second week of home school and it was better than the first. Well, at least…
I Must be Doing Something Wrong, This is Too Much Fun
A year ago I was dealing with a total remodel (which means we moved out), a pair of seniors whom…
Discuss: Where Will Education be in Five Years?
I was at an all-day offsite today and that was one of the questions we tried to answer. I have…
Lesson Plan: Using Obama’s Speech to Teach, er um, Learn
Setting the (insane) controversy aside, I am going to have Katie watch and listen to Obama’s speech tomorrow. We won’t…