homeschool

Do You Want Structure, but Struggle with Homeschool Curriculum?

I see it over and over again.

Moms who are new to homeschooling wanting to know what to teach, so they jump into curriculum. Or moms who have been homeschooling for a while, not really finding "the" curriculum that works, but really wanting structure.

So, I've started working on something that goes beyond just my National Day-inspired topics that I've been sharing in the Bliss-Filled Homeschooling group (I think I'd like to change the name of the group... Maybe "Love Homeschooling!" :D ) for years now. Last week's was well received, so I made another one and decided to share it here with you.




You can grab a pdf version here (no sign-up required!).

I hope you enjoy it!

It's December--and Homeschooling is Even Tougher

It's December--and Homeschooling is Even Tougher
Homeschooling everywhere is falling apart at this time of year, so if it has hit your home, know it's not just you.

I saw it each year as a homeschooler and see it each year as a substitute teacher. Getting the kids to do work gets harder and harder. This past week, the grade 6s I was with spontaneously held a vote so that we wouldn't do some particular work! "Can't we just have free time?" Kids at home are often wanting the same.

But both in school and at home, my experience has been that total free time can lead to chaos or problems, but guided fun learning is actually very welcome (for the most part). So, I've put together a quick document with a bunch of learning activities you can do this week. The basic daily plan is this:

  • Read-aloud or audiobook each day. I've provided some suggestions, but you could use anything.
  • Math activities you can do each day.
  • Science activities--do one or all three over the course of the week.
  • One social studies activity that you could limit to one day or take the suggestions and do a little bit each day to count for both social studies and language arts.
  • Art activities for the whole week.
  • Some bonus activities to do as a family. (Mind you, I think YOU, Mama, should engage in all of the other activities, too. Yes, do the colouring pages!)
No need to sign up for my emails, this is a gift for you that you can simply grab the Pre-Christmas Homeschool Plan here! Enjoy!

Until next time,

Daisy

Easing Into a New Homeschool Year: Why You Don’t Have to Do Everything the First Week

Easing Into a New Homeschool Year: Why You Don’t Have to Do Everything the First Week
Starting a new homeschool year doesn’t have to mean diving into every subject and routine all at once. In this post, I share why easing in gently works better for both you and your kids, plus simple ideas for building your schedule step by step. If you’ve ever felt pressure to “do it all” right away, this is the encouragement you need—and there’s even a free resource to help you get started with less stress.
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What Counts as Learning During the Summer?

What Counts as Learning During the Summer?
Yes, all of it counts. The play, the questions, the messy projects, the walks, the conversations, the spontaneous curiosity. It's all learning. Maybe not the kind you can file or check off in a curriculum guide… but the kind that sticks. The kind that builds confident, capable, connected kids.

So if you're feeling behind, or worried your summer doesn't look "productive enough," I hope this list reminds you that your kids are still learning, and you're still doing enough.
Give yourself permission to enjoy this season. You don’t have to press pause on joy to keep moving forward.

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Need a Simple Summer Activity Plan? Try This Fun Choice Board!

Need a Simple Summer Activity Plan? Try This Fun Choice Board!
Summer homeschooling doesn’t have to mean worksheets. Here’s a choice board your kids can use to stay active, creative, and just the right amount of screeny. 😉
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Meet Daisy Witherell Déry

 
When my kids were babies, so much stuff aimed at moms had to do with protecting the kids from poisonous, even deadly, cleaning products in the home: the kitchen sprays, the bathroom cleaners, the windows cleaners... You had to keep them in out-of-reach spaces or put baby locks on everything. This didn’t make sense to me. Why would I want dangerous, even deadly, products in my home? Why would I even want to clean with dangerous products?

So, I embarked on a journey to try to use safe-for-my-kids products. This led me to environmentally friendly cleaning approaches. Well, of course! If it’s safe for the environment, it’s safe for inside my home and vice versa! I bought a book with tons of ideas and recipes and did use some of them. When I first started using essential oils, I thought, “What a great idea! I can mix the two!”

But, you know, motherhood, and then homeschooling, take up time, so those ideas didn’t get followed through on and those safe products didn’t get made. Aaaand… certain cleaning products stayed in the home, although I did make sure that there was no skull and crossbones symbols on any of them.

Things changed when I finally found a safe cleaner that was not only safe for our home and the environment, but could also basically replace ALL of the other cleaners in the home. Safe + saves space + saves time? Win! I didn’t realize at the time how much of a win it was. Walking down the cleaning aisle at the grocery store these days, maybe looking for sponges or what have you, I find it shocking that there are so many different possible cleaners being sold when a good all-purpose cleaner can do the bulk of it (and without the heavy, synthetic scents—that’s another thing that I find shocking walking down that aisle! cough cough cough)

I’m so glad I no longer have all the different bottles of cleaners and certainly don’t have all the harmful ingredients in my home. My kids may be adults now, but it’s still important that our home be safe for me and my husband—and our little fur balls, too.

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