Up here in Canada, we still have a whole month before it’s properly “back to school.” But school starts earlier in the United States and some other countries. So I’ve been getting a lot of back to school emails from mom and homeschool bloggers. There is a lot of great content out there. And I thought I’d share my favourite content providers with you all!
Magical Math
Whether you love math like me, or avoid it like my husband, Bethany, the Math Geek Mama has resources for you.
In her shop, there are many free resources for all grade levels. Plus, every Friday Bethany sends out a math freebie to her subscriber list. A recent email included a game involving adding and subtracting ducks, which I know I’m going to have fun playing with my daughter. Aside from all her subscriber and regular shop freebies, she has tons of articles about making math fun. Bethany wrote an article about “Fairy Tale STEM: Literature Based Math and Engineering,” which I enjoyed so much that I bookmarked it!
Make Mornings Great Again
Pam Barnhill is the mom behind Homeschool Solutions blog, though she also runs podcasts. My favourite part of her blog is the morning time baskets. She has an article introducing them that you can read here. But basically morning baskets are a set of resources that the whole family can use to learn together. Even with two preschoolers, the concept of a morning basket is helpful for me in planning our weeks and having prepared materials on hand to engage by toddler in faith and learning every week. Genie Shaw, a mother of seven also contributes to the blog. She is the author of the Catholic Morning Time Baskets (including Morning Time with Mary) and has recently started up BarefootAbbey.com – a website that I’m eager to follow the progress on.
Her oldest podcast – The Homeschool Snapshots – covers a broad range of homeschooling topics. I’ve enjoyed listening to episodes on homeschooling overseas, gameschooling, and what to do with toddlers while homeschooling. The latest episode was from November of 2018, but there is still lots of great and relevant content that I go back and listen to when I delve into a related topic. Pam Barnhill has a second and more current podcast channel called The Homeschool Solutions Show. (The latest episode was updated this week).
The Fervent Mama and Paradise Praises
I also enjoy articles from Brooke of TheFerventMama.com. She, like Math Geek Mama, has a free resource library for subscribes. It’s a bit smaller, but does contain some good faith and fun resources. Brooke blogs on a wide variety of topics, with family, faith, homemaking, and homeschooling. I really like her about me page, which you can read here.
Katie from Paradise Praises also sends interesting emails. Her family travels and while I’m stuck in a Canadian winter it feels nice to at least read an email written in the Mexican sunshine. Faith is a priority on Katie’s homeschool blog, and she also has lots of Spanish resources. She also blogs about parenting, travelling has a family, and other faith topics. Check out some of her blog posts on homeschooling here.
Homeschool with The Well-Trained Mind
Finally, my favourite homeschool resource – check their website out here. I already bought most of the books they sell for homeschooling, but I still like to frequent their forum and browse their shop. Even re-reading the descriptions of the books I have beside me on the bookshelf. I guess I am just that nerdy. Anyway, their guide to how to classically educate at home has been the foundation for my homeschooling curriculum and plans. I feel confident in how I am going to approach all subjects, including biology (which I dread the way many do math).
The Byzantine Life
Thank you for checking out this week’s article. If you haven’t already, you can read our article about Homeschool Conventions. Or our article on homeschooling a two year old.
Don’t forget to follow us on social media. On our Pinterest we have boards full icons and faith activities! New posts are always shared to Facebook, and my husband runs our Twitter (@LifeByzantine) and Instagram accounts (username: thebyzantinelife)! And if you want to support our work at TheByzantineLife.com, consider joining us on Patreon. For as little as $5 a month you can get exclusive access to special posts, photos, and updates from our family! https://www.patreon.com/thebyzantinelife
If you know of any great Catholic or Orthodox homeschooling blogs, I’d love for you to let me know in the comments!
Love this post! Lots of great resources! I’d like to invite you to check out the ByziKids page at ByziMom.com for some great lessons, crafts, activities and more to teach your kids about the faith.
I’m an INFJ (sometimes ENFJ), and as such, I am highly intuitive. Certain seasons of life, seasons of the year, and life events change how and why (and where) we homeschool. I have always made those adjustments to fit the circumstances naturally- but also fought guilt over not always (well, ever) finishing the “whole curriculum.”