Learning how exactly to homeschool your preschooler can be quite daunting. Doubts about homeschooling and questions about teaching your own child can get really overwhelming. Join our second 2023 run of the online Starting Your Preschool Homeschool Parent Education Program. Countless parents have joined our live and online classes since 2011! As a former early childhood educator (Mariel), language literacy masteral student (Sanne), and longtime homeschool moms, we have spoken not just at our own classes, but have also been invited all over the country to speak about our various causes. W ..read more

This advice that we often give fellow parents has always been my parenting mantra. Choosing and reading wonderful read-aloud books have been such a normal part of our family routine. I’ve been known to resort to grabbing a book for situations that get us stuck on a wall. From bedtime blues, to taking a break after a difficult subject in homeschooling, to simply clocking in intentional bonding times, we read aloud. Read-aloud books have been our go-to restart button. This is perhaps why our parent education class Raising Readers: A Guide to Nurturing Lifelong Readers is one of my favorite talk ..read more

Join the 3rd batch of the online Starting Your Preschool Homeschool Parent Education Program this year, the nth batch (sorry, we lost track!) since 2019, and countless parents who have been learning with us for 10 years now! Learning how exactly to homeschool your preschooler can be quite daunting. Doubts about homeschooling and questions about teaching your own child can get really overwhelming. This is why we, Mariel and Sanne, have been helping parents since 2011 through The Learning Basket blog and signature parent education classes. As a former early childhood educator (Mariel), lang ..read more

Learning how exactly to homeschool your preschooler can be quite daunting. Doubts about homeschooling and questions about teaching your own child can get really overwhelming. This is why we, Mariel and Sanne, have been helping parents since 2011 through The Learning Basket blog and signature parent education classes. As a former early childhood educator (Mariel), language literacy student (Sanne), and longtime homeschool moms, we have spoken not just at our own classes, but have also been invited all over the country to speak about our various causes. We are also two of the four moms behi ..read more

When I was pregnant with my first child, I received a book from my godmother that I believe set me on this path of Catholic homeschooling, not only just being my children’s primary teacher, but making sure that they are raised in the faith. It was “Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine-Month Novena for Mothers-To-Be,” and it included several quotes from Vatican II about the role of parents that I kept in my heart through the years. Since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate the offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and fo ..read more

We recently did an hour-long conversation over at Instagram Live. Sanne and I talked about the importance of picture books in the early years, if they are considered “living books,” and how to use them in your homeschool. If you missed that, you can find the video at the end of this post, or you can just read this show notes of sorts. The Importance of Picture Books We’ve long been advocates of reading illustrated books in the early years. The usual talking points about its importance are that doing so builds imagination, promotes memory-making, provides some wonderful bonding moments. And of ..read more

Learning how exactly to homeschool your preschooler can be quite daunting. Doubts about homeschooling and questions about teaching your own child can get really overwhelming. This is why we, Mariel and Sanne, have been helping parents since 2011 through The Learning Basket blog and signature parent education classes. As a former early childhood educator (Mariel), language literacy student (Sanne), and longtime homeschool moms, we have spoken not just at our own classes, but have also been invited all over the country to speak about our various causes. We are also two of the four moms behi ..read more

Confession: I don’t just follow booklists of living books for our homeschool. I come up with my own (from several booklists) that fit my children’s needs on a school term basis. Here’s something that you need to know: a book list is just a book list. It is a starting point but not the end all and be all of your child’s education. For a lot of parents, following a set booklist may be the easiest thing to do. This is especially true for those who got into homeschooling because of the pandemic. Ambleside Online, Mater Amabilis, Simply Charlotte Mason, etc. are a lifeline, definitely. Following t ..read more

This advice that we often give fellow parents has always been my parenting mantra. Choosing and reading wonderful read-aloud books have been such a normal part of our family routine. I’ve been known to resort to grabbing a book for situations that get us stuck on a wall. From bedtime blues, to taking a break after a difficult subject in homeschooling, to simply clocking in intentional bonding times, we read aloud. Read-aloud books have been our go-to restart button. This is perhaps why our parent education class Raising Readers: A Guide to Nurturing Lifelong Readers is one of my favorite talk ..read more

Classic books can be intimidating. Take a deep breath, get over it, and just think of the many benefits of reading them, for your children and yourself. These books can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, as these are the books that have withstood the test of time. Let’s talk about how to enjoy classic children’s books across different ages. If you want to know what classic children’s books are and the benefits of reading them, click here to read our article about it. In our home, classic children’s books are par for the course. From youngest to oldest, we all relish these books and challenge ..read more