Dear Mama,

I have been going back and forth with what to do next year for my lesson plan book. And although there are many beautiful lesson plan books out there, I have come to the conclusion that the best lesson plan book for me is the one I type out on Canva.

Is it beautiful? No. Is it practical? Yes.

I typed up my lesson plans when I first started homeschooling, and the thing is, most lesson plan books are set in stone and leave little room for flexibility. When it comes to lesson planning, I tend to switch things around a lot, and a set planner doesn’t let me rearrange them as easily. This is why I plan on typing mine out next year. I can still make notes and adjustments throughout the week.

I plan to keep my lesson plans and attendance together in one folder as part of my records.

Here is what I need to make my lesson plan:

1. Folder to keep them

2. Canva template

That’s it!

If I do plan to use a lesson plan book because I love writing my lesson plans out, I will use the Simplified Teacher Planner. I find it the simplest lesson plan book, and it is not bulky. That said, it is not made for homeschool families, but it is easily adaptable.

What is your favorite planner?

Mirley

Stuff I Like:

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

• Shop at Toups & Co and recieve $10 off your first purchase of $50.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

I am currently writing this to you while I’m on holiday. It’s been wonderful to step outside our normal routine and stay in a much smaller home, which I love.

Anyway, when I’m on holiday, I still like to take my books to read. I never stop reading, I may just read a little less. My reading list always includes my Bible, a non-fiction book, a fiction book, and a watercolor book.

My favorite Bible is the ESV Study Journaling Bible (not pictured). I love it because it has both space to write and notes on the text.

For my non-fiction book, I’m reading Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy, which is all about worldview. It is so important for us parents to understand all the various worldviews while living a Christian worldview and educating our children about it.

For my fiction book, I’m reading Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr. It’s a book about a Victorian pastor’s daughter who has a mythical salamander. I’m currently at the beginning of the book, but I’m enjoying it.

I also love to take a watercolor book with me when I go on holiday. If there is any time, I like to watercolor and breathe.

What books do you like to take with you while you’re on holiday?

Take care for now, bye,

Mirley

Stuff I Like:

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

• Shop at Toups & Co and recieve $10 off your first purchase of $50.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

One of the most common questions I receive is how my children socialize. Let me start by saying that, for some, the amount of time my children spend socializing is never enough.

With that said, I want to share with you four ways my children socialize.

1. Church: Every Sunday, we attend church. I believe it is our duty as Christians to spend time with other Christians, as is commanded in Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB) “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

2. Homeschool Group: We are truly blessed to be a part of a wonderful homeschool group. Our children are learning together with other children, like in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It’s truly a wonderful experience.

3. Extra-curricular Activities: My children are involved in extra-curricular activities where they meet other children in activities with similar interests. Here, they learn problem-solving and how to behave in situations away from their parents.

4. Neighborhood Friends: We have been truly blessed with wonderful neighbors. Our children have bonded and play together every day. We do not take our neighbors for granted.

A wonderful aspect of homeschooling is that the values we learn at home form the foundation of their lives. When they socialize, they can put those values into practice.

How do your children socialize?

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

*Beautiful art by my oldest daughter*

Stuff I Like:

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

• Shop at Toups & Co and recieve $10 off your first purchase of $50.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

We are midway through term three, and did you know that your notebooks are a great way to review lessons? It’s true! The great thing about notebooking and adding an “extras” left-hand page into your notebook is that it is a great way to review and refresh the memory of past lessons.

Here is how to get the most out of your notebooks:

1. Warm-up: Before beginning a new lesson, spend some time reviewing the previous lesson with your children. This does not have to be for memory; they can use their notebooks to look over what they learned in the last lesson.

2. Input (Right-hand page): Students write down all the information they have learned. This includes an illustration and narration. Narrations are a form of high-level thinking.

3. Output (Left-hand page): After the lesson, allow the students to reflect on what they learned and what additional information they want to add to their notebooks. This may include maps, poetry, charts, and other materials. At times, this may be lower-level thinking because the teacher is guiding, but when the student completes the left-hand page on their own, it is considered higher-level thinking.

4. Bonus: Because notebooking is a great way to review, allowing students to complete them on their own is a great way to quiz them without even knowing it.

I hope these tips help you understand the art of notebooking even more.

Other things I’m working on this week:

• Updating my Morning Time folder

• Making copies for the week

• Writing out my lesson plans

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

Stuff I Like:

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

• Shop at Toups & Co and recieve $10 off your first purchase of $50.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

We are approaching the end of the school year, and I can feel the excitement creeping up. In my case, we are wrapping up courses, leaving space to do other learning or just relaxing. Leaving margin is important because it allows you to create, read, commonplace, and relax.

Do you feel like you have enough margin? Do you need to cut out activities so you can catch your breath?

Answering these questions is important for having a more balanced life.

How to prep for the week:

1. Make copies for the school week

2. Schedule appointments

3. Meal planning

I hope these tips help you balance pacing and progress. Falling a couple of days behind is one thing, but don’t let it add up.

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

Stuff I Like:

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

I have noticed there is a desire to turn narrations into essays. However, narrations are not meant to be essays. They are only meant to summarize in the most concise yet thorough way. Writing such a paragraph is a skill that can be difficult, but it is worth learning and teaching.

In my narration notebooks, I give a specific amount of space based on age group on how much to write. If a student needs a lot more space, they are writing too much. If they are not using the space well, they are writing too little.

Today, I’m going to share how to write a concise yet thorough history narration.

1. Who/What: Have the student write down who or what was discussed in the lesson.

2. What/Describe: Have the student write down all of the details they remember from the lessons.

3. When: When did this event happen? When did the person live?

4. Where: Where did this event take place? Where did the person live?

5. Why: Why should they care about this event or person? What impact did this event or person have on our lives?

Although the example I gave is from history, one can still grasp the basics and apply them to other subjects.

How to prep for the week:

1. Make copies for the school week

2. Schedule appointments

3. Meal planning

I hope these tips help you balance pacing and progress. Falling a couple of days behind is one thing, but don’t let it add up.

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

Stuff I Like:

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

Every term, I reevaluate our school rhythm and what I’m going to teach. I typically keep a similar rhythm between terms with a few tweaks.

Every day, my children begin the day doing their independent work in Math and Language Arts. My oldest also does typing and her own independent reading.

Around 9:00 a.m., we begin our day as a family with the Benediction Table, which includes the Bible, Apologetics, Verse, Catechism, Hymn, and Prayer.

After our Benediction Table, we take a quick break, then resume with our Beauty and Morality block. This term, we are tweaking our beauty and morality block to include daily recitation and a fine arts study.

After completing our fine arts section, we move on to our family read-aloud and citizenship. We read from our family novel three times a week and citizenship once a week. For citizenship, I am doing Habit Training for the whole family, reading aloud from my oldest citizenship book, and having everyone listen and give an oral narration.

Then we take a movement break of either a video workout or a walk outside.

After our walk, we resume classes with our core studies and narrations. Finally, we finish our day with news, educational videos, and enrichment/housework.

We have a pretty rich and full day. I love that I get to homeschool, and although I never imagined myself doing so, I love that I am.

What does your day look like?

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

P.S. Stuff I Like

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Do your children ever get behind on their independent work? Independent work includes math, language arts, literature, etc. Although it is good work at the child’s pace, it is also important for them to be caught up by the time they graduate. So how do you balance staying at their pace and keeping them at their expected level?

Charlotte Mason says regarding getting a math problem wrong, “That which is wrong must remain wrong; the child must not let run away with the notion that wrong can be mended into right…But the wrong sum must just be let alone. Therefore his progress must be carefully graduated” (Home Education, p. 261).

As much as I admire Charlotte and follow her method, I must disagree with her style here. I do believe it is okay to point out when a child is wrong and redo the problem. A child cannot move on if they don’t master the problems.

I believe this is where many parents make the mistake; it is okay for a child to move only at his or her own pace. However, as we see, children who go only at their own pace can fall far behind.

Today, I’m going to share how to balance student pacing and staying at grade level.

1. A child must finish the day’s lesson: My children know that they are to complete a day’s lesson that day. I may have to give them breaks in between, but the lesson must be complete.

2. Grade their work: I do grade or check their work. If it is a couple of problems they got wrong, they redo them in the afternoon. Sometimes they complete it on a Friday afternoon and sometimes on a Saturday morning. I also say they cannot play with friends until their work is done. This motivates my children to do their work.

3. Add in fun games: There are fun language arts games, like Scramble, and math games, like Sudoku, that may help them improve their skills in a fun way. This is not the curriculum; this is in addition to their work and could be a great substitute for TV in the afternoon.

4. Finish the book: When it comes to Language Arts and Math, it is important to finish the book. Don’t fall for the argument that it doesn’t matter if you don’t complete it. It doesn't matter when it comes to Math and Language Arts. Finish the book, even if it means working on vacation and in the summer.

Language Arts and Math require mastery before moving on. They are subjects that build on each other. They are the pillars of the other subjects because all other subjects require knowledge in Math and Language Arts. Take them seriously.

Other things to do this week are:

1. Make copies for the school week.

2. Schedule appointments.

3. Meal planning.

I hope these tips help you balance pacing and progress. Falling a couple of days behind is one thing, but don’t let it add up.

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

Stuff I Like:

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

I love studying history as a family. I majored in history and loved teaching back in the day. Whenever possible, I bring out my old PowerPoints, share pictures from the time period we are studying, and listen to music from that period. Today, I want to share three ways to make history come to life in your home.

1. Read from a living book: A living book could be a single book based on the time period or a living textbook (yes, those do exist). This year, we are reading through The Story of the World because it includes US and World history in one book. The curriculum includes map work, additional independent book suggestions, primary documents, and more. In addition to our family reading, my oldest daughter is reading her own history literature that helps her go deeper into the time period.

2. Experimental exercises: Experimental exercises are a great way to make history come alive. To do this, include an activity or play that simulates the time period you are studying.

3. Visit a museum: Visiting a museum that corresponds with what is being discussed is a great way to make history come alive. Great history museums employ staff dressed in period attire and may feature music from the era.

When all is done, don't forget to notebooking. Notebooking a great way for the student to share what he or she learned in an easy layout that includes the illustration, narration, and extras.

I hope this simplified way of making history come alive helps you get excited about teaching it.

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

P.S. Your kids will love it too.

P.S. Check out the resources I’ve put to gether to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

This week went by so quickly. I felt like I was running after it. That typically happens when I have too much on my plate. If you feel the same, go through all of your accounts, i.e., YouTube, news, Instagram, podcasts, books, etc., and get rid of the excess. It is important for us to have a sense of peace rather than stress.

Here is how I’m making a point of taking care of myself and my family:

1. Focus on what I can control: I cannot control what is happening in the world around us. There is little I can do but read my Bible, pray, and be grateful; so that is what I’m focusing on.

2. Workout: Every morning, I do a workout from either Beachbody or Lindywell Fitness. I love Pilates, and that style of workout makes me feel strong and energized.

3. Eat whole foods: It is important that we eat real food to keep us energized and inflammation down. Currently, I’m reading The 30-Day Inflammatory Reset: A Complete Guide to Healing Your Immune System

   by Josh Redd NMD MS MAPHB

4. Read and create: Reading and creating are great ways to take one’s mind off whatever negative thoughts may be bothering you.

Other things to do this week are:

1. Make copies for the school week.

2. Schedule appointments.

3. Plan out your week.

Anyway, I hope this helps you reset your mother culture.

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

P.S. Stuff I Like

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

The Living Notebooking Method is the name I gave, based on the common term “notebooking” in the homeschool world and on the instruction I learned as a high school teacher from the Teacher’s Curriculum Institute. The method is as follows

1. Right-hand side: The right-hand side is for INPUT. This means the information that we are gathering from the lesson. This includes: copywork, narration, and the illustration.

2. Left-hand side: The left-hand side is for OUTPUT. Whatever information is included in the is informaiton that goes beyond the lesson. This includes charts, maps, and more.

Both sides are important for telling the whole story and for the student to share what he or she has learned.

P.S. Check out the resources I’ve put to gether to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

Notebooking encourages the student to think for themselves. You see your student’s thinking processes in their writing, creativity, and diagrams. Notebooks should look different from one student to another because the information is personalized. As students become more confident in their notebooking, they will require less help from the instructor.

Warmly,

Mirley

P.S. Check out the resources I’ve put to gether to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

Notebooking requires students to apply higher-order thinking. Students interact with the information provided by the book and/or teacher. With that information, students use higher-order thinking skills to write their narrations and organize their notebooks.

Notebooking forces students to move beyond basic memorization (lower-order thinking) in order to cultivate complex cognitive skills such as analysis, evaluation, and creativity. The practice of higher-level thinking enables students to work in new situations, solve problems, and form reasoned judgments.

Warmly,

Mirley

P.S. Check out the resources I’ve put to gether to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

This rest week went by quickly. I had read that one should take at least two weeks off in between terms, but that can be hard to do when you’re trying to end school in time for VBS.

So, I do wish I could have taken more time off, but I have to resume school this week. So here are some tips for starting week three.

In My Planner & Timetable

I tweaked a couple of to-dos in my planner and schedule. Let me share with you.

• Our Benediction Table now includes a Bible and apologetics lesson, a recitation loop (scripture, catechisms, poetry, and folk song), and a hymn. I think this is going to work out really well.

• Our read-aloud loop will also include citizenship once a week on habit training and Plutarch.

• Our afternoons are a loop of art instruction, geography, handicraft, Shakespeare, and baking.

For now, that is all the change I’m doing. I’m really excited about this term. I do believe it will go smoother with those small changes.

Go outside

Now that the weather is warming up, I am going to try to spend more time outside walking. We normally take a break after our read-aloud to go for a walk. If there is time, I’m going to try to walk two blocks rather than one.

I hope this email is a blessing to you and gives you ideas on how to organize your week.

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

P.S. Stuff I Like

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

This week is a “rest week”. Although it is a rest from regular school, at our home, we still do some basics. Our rest week is not be confused with taking a holiday. This week is meant for me to grade and plan for term 3. Today, I’m going to share what our rest week looks like.

Morning Time

One part of school I never stop is morning time. I do believe it is important for us to cultivate the habit of beginning the day in God’s word. I want them to know that whether we have school or not, or whether we are in church or not, our day begins with the Lord. We follow Bible Time with our current read-aloud. Then the kids have “free time “.

Kids Free Time

The kids’ free time consists of them doing their Daily 5

1. Read

2. Create

3. Practice the piano

4. Chorse

5. Play

Planning for Term 3

As I plan for term three, I look back on what worked in Term 2 and what didn’t. I adjust our schedule to make room for extracurricular activities. Based on our schedule, I do the following:

• Update our Morning Time Folder to include new poems, hymns, art study, memory verse, catechism, and prayer

• Update kids’ Independent Studies checklist

• Update my Timetable

• Purchase books for term 3

During this week, I also have more time to work on my notebooks and Amazon Storefront.

Well, that is all for now. I pray this blog will be beneficial to you and help guide you, whether you have a rest week this week or not.

Take care for now, bye!

Mirley

P.S. Stuff I Like

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

Today, I want to share with you how we include extracurricular activities in our schedule.

Extracurricular activities are tricky to navigate because, although I would prefer all my children to be in one activity, they are born persons, and I feel obligated to respect their preferences.

As born persons, it is not right to force all your children into one activity to make it easier for you. Your children may grow resentful and not have the ability to blossom into the person they are meant to be. On the other hand, enrolling all your children in various activities is a financial and time commitment that needs to be discussed with your husband.

At the moment, each one of my children is in one activity of their choice. What I love is that they are all excelling in their activity, which is wonderful to see. I become swelled with happiness to see my children do well in what they love.

That said, it is time-consuming and expensive. I don’t know where this season will lead us or how long it will take, but I do love seeing my children excel in a skill.

In conclusion, I am a little conflicted about extracurricular activities. Each family needs to find the right balance for their family and not feel pressured to participate in extracurricular activities.

How do you include extracurricular activities?

Warmly,

Mirley

P.S. Check out the resources to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

This week, my children are taking their Term 2 exams, and I want to walk you through how I prepare for them and how I spread out testing throughout the week.

Print out or prepare exam questions in advance

Whether you're following a Charlotte Mason curriculum or doing this on your own, it’s best to have your questions ready in advance. Many Charlotte Mason curriculum programs include exam questions in their memberships.

Choose an Exam Book

I have designed exam books to help simplify test-taking week. I have designed three basic layouts that work well with different Charlotte Mason programs. Choose the one that best suits you.

1. Option 1 Exam Books work best with Ambleside Online and the CMEC.

2. Option 2 Exam Books work best with A Gentle Feast and Alveary

3. Simplified Exam Book works best with Without Doors or anyone who just wants a basic exam book.

Take the Exam

Begin by telling your children that exams are a way to show and tell them what they remember from the term. At the end of the week, plan something fun to celebrate a term well done.

Reflect on the Term

As yourself:

1. How did this exam go compared to Term 1? Were there some gaps in the students’ learning or your teaching?

2. Where did your students see improvement from last term?

3. How was the atmosphere of your homeschool? Are there areas you could improve?

Rest

If possible, schedule a week break to grade exams, buy books, and prepare for term three.

I hope these tips help you simplify exam week.

Warmly,

Mirley

P.S. Check out the resources I’ve put to gether to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

Charlotte Mason believed in the habit of music. This means cultivating a love of beautiful, sophisticated music at home. Exposing the children to music took three forms: Music Appreciation, Solfège, and learning an instrument.

Music Appreciation
Music Appreciation introduces children to great composers, their musical styles, and their biographies. Some composers are more memorable than others. Once a week, we listen to a musical piece by the composer we are studying and discuss how we feel about it and how it makes us feel.

Sol-fa
Sol-fa is the class that teaches children how to sing in tune. According to a PNEU article published in 1922, only three percent of children are ‘tone deaf’. This means most students are trainable. A good program for teaching your children sol-fa is Children of the Open Air on YouTube.

Learn an Instrument
Lastly, Charlotte recommends that all children learn to play the piano. The piano is the base for all other instruments. Charlotte recommended piano lessons from Mrs. Curwen. However, if you can’t find a teacher in town, try the Simply Piano app or Hoffman Academy on YouTube. After learning how to play the piano, you can learn another instrument.

How do you do music study at home?

Warmly,

Mirley

P.S. Check out the resources to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

I hope you are having a wonderful week. This past week, we went through a snowstorm, and although we were fine, it threw me off. I felt very discombobulated. That said, I’m back at my computer, happy to share with you some tips on planning out your week.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding planning or notebooking.

Warmly,

Mirley

Plan Out Your Week

1. As part of your Morning Time, create a beauty block/loop. This section includes simple, short, and beautiful subjects such as Art Study, Composer Study, Poetry and Recitation, Fables and Tales, and Habit Training.

2. Include a section in your homeschool planner for your “Office Hours”. This is a time to make appointments, make copies, grade, and maybe do a little reading.

3. Write your agenda on the board. Kids love to see what they will be doing during the day.

4. Your planner is for family and core subjects. Subjects such as math and English language arts can be given to them independently.

Notebooking 101

What is the Living Notebooking Method?

The Living Notebooking Method is the name I gave, based on the common term "notebooking" in the homeschool world and on the instruction I learned as a high school teacher from the Teacher’s Curriculum Institute. The method is as follows

1. Right-hand side: The right-hand side is for INPUT. This means the information that we are gathering from the lesson. This includes: copywork, narration, and the illustration.

2. Left-hand side: The left-hand side is for OUTPUT. Whatever information is included in the is informaiton that goes beyond the lesson. This includes charts, maps, and more.

Both sides are important for telling the whole story and for the student to share what he or she has learned.

The Mother’s Corner

This month, I finished reading Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera. It was a delightful read. Miss Prim is a librarian with modern views on the world, who is struck by her boss’s way of living and by the way he educates his nieces and nephews. The book is filled with thoughtful quotes worth commonplacing.

• “The world, lamented Purdencia Prim, had lost its taste for beauty, harmony, and balance.” p. 8 (I wholeheartedly agree with Prudencia here.)

• “An attractive, refined woman is a work of art, her father had always said.” p. 83 (That’s why I believe in always dressing well.)

• “…in a way we are a product of our own reading.” p. 154 (That’s why it’s good to read good books, not just trendy books.)

• “They’re. being brought up with good books so that later they can absorb great books.” p. 155 (So Charlotte Mason!)

• “You can fool children for a time, but we adults mostly don’t realize when the period of grace has expired.” p. 159 (Very true. It happened to all of us with our parents.)

• “If two people admire each other, they’re not equals. If they were, they wouldn’t admire each other. They’re different as each admires in the other what they don’t find in themselves. It’s difference, not similarity, that fosters admiration between two people.” p.177 (That’s why opposites attract!)

• “… sometimes you need to have a cry, bit its’ good not to cry over just anything.” p. 202 (I agree.)

• “No,” he said firmly, “no kiss. Never give kisses. I hate them.” “I think you’ll get over that too when you’re grown up.” p. 203 (This quote reminded me of my son.)

This was a lovely book, and I was intrigued about how it would fold out. I love the way Miss Prim evolves in the book.

P.S. Check out the resources I’ve put to gether to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***

Dear Mama,

I hope you are having a lovely start to your week. Today, I want to give you a little peek into my homeschool.

Every day I write our agenda on the board. The agenda includes chores, errands, and appointments we need to do. This keeps us on task. My children love looking at the board to see what we are doing for the day.

The children begin their day with independent work at the dining table. This includes Math and English Language Arts. While they are completing their independent work, I make them smoothies and help them when needed.

Once their independent work is done, we sit for our Benediction Table, which includes a memory verse, a hymn, a Bible story, and a prayer.

Once we complete our Bible Time, we take a small break and meet in the living room for Beauty Time. There, we learn about the arts and read our family literature book. After we complete our Beauty Time, we take a small walk around the block and see how nature is unfolding in our neighborhood.

After our walk, we come together for our family lesson. This is the core lesson, like history, geography, science, and Spanish. We do one core lesson day, so it is a bit longer than Charlotte Mason recommends, but it works for us. Once the lesson is complete, the children work on their notebooks. While my older children work on their notebooks, I work with my younger son on his language arts.

Following our core lessons, we have lunch and watch World Wide News. This is a great way to introduce world topics and struggles to our children. After lunch, we do an enrichment activity, such as art instruction or handicrafts. It’s a great way to end the day.

We really do love the flow of our homeschool. Once in a while, I change things up but keep the flow similar.

How do you plan out your day?

Warmly,

Mirley

P.S. Check out the resources to help you simplify, organize, and beautify your homeschool.

• Follow me on Instagram for more tips on notebooking, mother culture, and homeschooling.

• Explore my Notebooking Catalog for interactive notebooks, exam books, and more tools that I have created for mother-teachers.

• Explore my Amazon Storefront for my favorite books and homeschool resources.

*** Links above are to affiliate links for the book recommendation.***