Comparing Textbooks to Living Books

Years ago, I looked at everything Charlotte Mason said about textbooks in general for a Q&A podcast on ADE. I had to keep my answer short for that episode, but you might like to see the full scope of things I found through my research. I have organized it in a table to compare how textbooks and living books affect our children’s education and their potential interest in pursuing a subject further. I’ll leave it to you to decide if a textbook suits your family.

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How to Start a Nature Group and Combat Loneliness and Add Life to Your Homeschool by Joy Cherrick

As homeschoolers, we seem to run in one of two directions, doing too much or isolating ourselves and our kids. It is so important to find a balance between the two.

Forming a nature group is a great way to incorporate time with friends, as it provides much-needed accountability to get outside and can be so much fun for the kids and the moms! Nature group was truly the highlight of our homeschool social time when my kids were in school.

To discuss this subject further, I have invited Joy Cherrick, author of the Nature Study Hacking Guides and host of the Naturalist Kids Podcast, to share her experience. Joy is passionate about helping families form their own nature groups, and I hope her thoughts will inspire you.


“I was crying and screaming at my kids. I hadn’t left the house in days. I was a mess.”

Debra (name changed to protect the innocent) confided to me that she was home all day, homeschooling, cleaning, cooking, wiping noses. She never went outside, never had a break and NEVER saw anyone outside her home apart from Sundays at church- and the guy at the grocery pick up. No wonder she was depressed. I didn’t know she was in such a tough spot! Continue reading

Nature and Science Planning Checklist

As you prepare for the next school year, it might be helpful to check out two free planning resources I have made available on my website.

Nature Study Checklist

This one-page Nature Study Checklist will help you make a plan for all things nature study. It covers nature walk, special studies, object lessons, and nature notebooks. It also includes links back to specific articles in my Nature Study and Science Series so you can make sense of each piece of the nature study puzzle.

Science Planning Checklist

This one-page Science Planning Checklist will help you plan and be well prepared for your next term of science. It includes nature lore/biology, formal science, experiments, and science notebooks, including links to specific SMH articles or pages that might be helpful.