Stuff We Like :: 5.3.18
This spring has been one of my most challenging homeschool seasons. I’m sure I’ll be talking a lot about some of those challenges after the dust settles, but right now, I’m enjoying a little homeschool break with my kids, which mostly involves reading books aloud to each other in the sunshine.
What’s happening at home/school/life
The spring issue should be out this weekend, so keep an eye out! (I know it’s been delayed twice (grr), but I think it turned out great!)
I wrote a homeschool planner!
Shelli reviewed a writing curriculum that’s been inspiring her reluctant writer.
Suzanne is reading many, many books, a disproportionate number of which seem to involve scurvy.
We rounded up some of our best advice for making the transition from middle to high school.
Suzanne put together a great list of all her favorite short stories to read with your homeschooler.
one year ago: How I homeschooled 3rd grade, plus Shelli reviewed My Side of the Mountain and Carrie considers the art of knowing when to push your kids to try something new.
two years ago: Lisa got comfortable with homeschool messes, plus tips for starting your own homeschool group.
three years ago: Learning on wilderness time
four years ago: A forensic science program for high school
The links I liked
I loved this so, so much: Reading to children to save ourselves
Probably you saw this, but just in case: If male authors described men the way they describe women
Is it time to revisit the ERA? (Yes! Yes, right?)
Fake news: Literary edition
I thought this was really interesting (and definitely relevant to my life): Why are we so obsessed with the relationship between motherhood and creativity and not even a little bit interested in, say, the relationship between fatherhood and creativity?
Related: Why are so many white men so mad?
Science never stops being amazing: Maybe we have another organ we didn’t know about.
Related: The internet helps give a woman scientist from the 1970s some long-overdue appreciation.
There are some great new books about the social, economic, and emotional implications of crafting out right now.
What I’m reading and watching
I read The Letter for the King, and I am now utterly obsessed with Tonke Dragt’s children’s books. They are just lovely and delightful and a little bit ramble-y. (I also loved The Song of Seven, you’ll remember, and I can’t wait to get a copy of The Secrets of the Wild Wood.) I knew almost nothing about the author except that she’s Dutch, so I was fascinated to discover that she was actually born in Indonesia and spent part of her childhood in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, which she credits with inspiring her career as an author. Now I am even more obsessed!
I picked up The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval Europe on a whim, and I thought it was a really fun approach to the topic. If you’re doing the Middle Ages in high school, I think it would be lots of fun to read.
