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top view of children zookeepers exploring wild nature — Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

Deschooling For Seasoned Homeschoolers: Why It’s Not Just For Newbies

September 19, 2023 / Sara Guenther

Have you heard of “deschooling”? Deschooling is the process of peeling away the layers of what we’ve been led to believe about education (a result of traditional schooling) and coming instead into a more natural way and understanding of learning.

Many families who leave the school system will take time to deschool, where they put academics aside to spend time adjusting to the lack of rigor, forced work and learning, and instead focus on relaxing, enjoying natural interests and spending time together. The goal is to establish family bonds and connection, and reignite a child’s natural love of learning.

wooden bridge in shallow photo — Photo by Achim Bongard on Pexels.com

4 San Diego Fall Adventures You Don’t Want To Miss

September 7, 2023 / Sara Guenther

Ah, the fall season. Anyone else choose fall as their favourite? I just love the gorgeous colours of the trees as their leaves begin to die off, and that crispness that freshens the air. I love all of the clothes of fall, and cozying up with chunky blankets. It doesn’t hurt that my birthday is in the fall and as a girl who never really liked cake, instead requested pumpkin pie each year. Mmm, pumpkin! Even growing pumpkins and baking them into delicious treats is fun. Seriously… fall is the best. (I do love summer, too, though. But also because it means I get to look forward to fall!)

person holding a book — Photo by Aline Viana Prado on Pexels.com

5 Must Read Books for Every Homeschool Mom

September 5, 2023 / Sara Guenther

Whether you are a brand new homeschooler, or have been at it for years, reading new books can offer new thoughts and insights to our lifestyle. For many families, homeschool changes over the years as preferences, ages, and needs change. Finding new homeschool books for mom to read are a great way to help us gain new understanding and stretch us into new ways of learning.

business child design education — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Minimalist Toy Room: How To Declutter + Tips For Creating Your Dream Toyroom

August 28, 2023 / Sara Guenther

We’ve all seen them: the beautiful Pinterest worthy minimalist toy rooms with just a few Montessori style wooden toys neatly organized on perfectly arranged shelves, cozy book corners, and chalkboard walls.

Spoiler alert: we don’t have that. We don’t even technically have a toy room.

man a daughters playing on the seashore — Photo by Josh Willink on Pexels.com

The Secret to a Successful Homeschool Week

August 19, 2023 / Sara Guenther

Ah the end of summer, and beginning of the new homeschool year. It’s easy to walk into a new year with high expectations, excitement, and a long wish list of activities, subjects, and books to cover throughout the year. But what is it that actually makes a successful homeschool week?

forest view inside a yellow tent — Photo by Anastassiya Golovko on Pexels.com

Planning Your Next Trip to Green Valley Falls: What You Need to Know

August 17, 2023 / Sara Guenther

Camping season might be drawing to a close, but I just had to post about our most recent camping experience. The great thing about Southern California is that camping is really never off the list of things to do. We’re blessed with several different climates which makes for great year round camping.

This most recent trip we decided to try camping at Green Valley Falls, part of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. We’ve been to this park quite a few times and have enjoyed it in all of its open seasons, but this was our first time camping at this campground. Actually I had intentionally avoided camping here (you’ll notice I did not include it on my list of best San Diego family friendly campgrounds).

cheerful mother and daughter having fun on bed at home — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

3 Things New Homeschool Moms Need to Unlearn

August 14, 2023 / Sara Guenther

3 Things I Had To UNLEARN As a New Homeschool Mom

As a new homeschool mom over 7 years ago, I knew that I had a lot to learn. But I never could have imagined that first I would have to unlearn so many things. Having spent my entire education in the public and private school systems I was used to only one way of learning: being fed information through a qualified adult, memorizing and regurgitating, being tested and graded, then moving on to the next subject.

Naturally it made sense to me that our home education would look similar. Afterall, there was 13 years worth of information I was fed that I would now have to figure out how to feed to my own children. Realizing I had a lot to unlearn was a sobering thought, but its necessity brought about true freedom in our homeschool and family life.

green and gray scissors — Photo by Oleksandr Canary Islands on Pexels.com

Back To (Home)School – How To Successfully Begin Your Homeschool Year

August 4, 2023 / Sara Guenther

Remember summertime as a kid? Gosh it was purely magical. The days were wide open and long, and the air and ocean was warm. Kids ran free in the streets until well past dark playing cops and robbers and hot days were filled with lemonade, ice cream trucks, and popsicles.

Then September came. Sleepy mornings were replaced with early alarm clocks. Tank tops were tucked away in favor of shirts with sleeves and backpacks were stuffed with heavy books, gym clothes and squashed lunches. We said goodbye to the magic of summer and replaced it with homework, sports practices, and desks.

man and woman sitting on the chair — Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Homeschooling Through Hardship – Job Loss, Uncertainty, & Death

August 2, 2023 / Sara Guenther

Homeschooling Through Hardship & Life’s Most Difficult Seasons

I’ll never forget where I was and what I was doing the day I got the call that my dad was dying. It was a call I had been mentally preparing myself for for years. I feared it every time the phone rang. But as much as I always knew it would one day come, I never quite expected it to actually come. It’s easy to assume you still have more time.

black son comforting anonymous mother — Photo by Keira Burton on Pexels.com

When Homeschool Isn’t Working – 4 Things You Need to Know

July 27, 2023 / Sara Guenther

It’s disheartening to come to a point where you realize that homeschool isn’t working. Many families throw in the towel and put their children in school because of the many trials and stumbling blocks they encounter. But what if there was another way?