I get asked a lot where I find activities and information about education so I thought I would compile some of my favorite sources of inspiration but the truth is, homeschooling is very personalized (that's it great benefit) so what works for my family and kids might not work for yours.
Take this all with a grain of salt since my oldest is only 6, but here are some educational and homeschooling resources that I have learned from and enjoyed.
I talked a bit here about how I gain a lot of inspiration from Montessori, Charlotte Mason and Waldorf. That's still true although lately I've been swayed more and more towards Mason recently so CM blogs now take up the majority of my homeschooling feed.
Of course, the best place to start is with her original works found here at ambleside online for free. AO also has lots of old parents review articles which are excellent as well as an entire curriculum and forum for help.
I'm just beginning my CM journel and since my kids are so young, I'm mostly incorporating CM by what we aren't doing more than what we are but I have talked a bit about the idea of Mother Culture here.
Then of course, there are CM focused blogs which will have you inspired enough to make a natural journal and find some living books in no time. Here are just a few to get you started:
If you're interested in Charlote Mason style teaching, the easiest way to find blogs you like would be to check out the CM blog carnival a couple times. It's a gold mine.
Other Stuff:
Hubbard's Cupboard
We loosely followed the Joyful Learning (2-3 yr olds) preschool curriculum when Lucy was 2. The themed units are a great way to help narrow down the million and a half fun preschool activities you can find on the internet without being too academic since it involves lots of playdough, songs, snacking and books. To read about our adventures in Joyful learning month by month click here.
General Homeschooling blogs
Most of the homeschooling blogs I read fall into one of two categories, those by
1) authors whose kids are the same as mine or slightly older. These provide inspiration for activities organization and help me realize that my child isn't the only one who might have a melt down because the "red crayon isn't red enough." Most of these are listed above in one of the other categories.
and
2) authors whose kids are grown-up or close to it. These help me remember to think long term and can provide insight and experiences that a mom of a first grader just can't (yet).
And because my plans for homeschooling involve more of a lifestyle of learning, they aren't all official "homeschooling blogs" but rather blogs by people who homeschool and who talk about their lives which happens to including homeschooling.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter - Probably my favorite blog of all time. I get such a dose of encouragement every time I go there. I really wish I could go sit in Leila's living room and have a cup of coffee with her, and I don't even drink coffee! So you should real it consistently but her archives are also very well sorted so if you just want to read some of her thoughts on education, you'd be spending your time wisely. I love her daughter's posts too. I put this in the general category but I feel like she's got a definite CM bent.
- The Common Room - Another not quite a "homeschooling blog" but pretty close. The Head mistress loves k-drama so we're obviously kindred spirits but the Esquuschick's descriptions of dealing with her three year old make me think we'd probably have a lot to talk about too.
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