Now in my 9th year of homeschooling, I can say with certainty that I love field trips of all types. I especially appreciate seeing my kids learn history in an interactive, living way through field trips. Having this happen unexpectedly like it did at Bandelier National Monument is pure gold. We didn’t plan on visiting Bandelier National Monument in April. In fact, we didn’t even know it existed when our family pulled into Santa Fe, New Mexico, late the evening before. We were in town for one night only, as part of a cross-country trip from Boise, ID, to South Carolina. As we were driving to t ..read more

We didn’t intend on hiking Arches National Park this year (2021) with our family. But then again, we didn’t plan on another cross-country road trip–with kids–in the span of 18 months. The first one was from Virginia Beach to Seattle; the second now would be from Boise, ID, to Greenville, SC, where we were relocating to. We carefully planned out our route to hit a few highlights, especially those related to the national park system. Our younger son was in 4th grade, and we for sure were taking advantage of the Every Kid Outdoors pass (a free and worthwhile program if you have a 4th grader or a ..read more

Our family loves Christmas! However, we can’t always afford attractions, light displays, and other forms of holiday entertainment that cost money. This is now our second Christmas in Idaho, and we have taken every chance possible to get out and explore our new state in all seasons. As is the case for many others, the year 2020 has not been kind to us financially. But that life challenge hasn’t stopped us from hunting down many free Boise Christmas family attractions/activities perfect for this season of our lives. Families can enjoy many Christmas attractions in the greater Boise area no matte ..read more

The heat of summer was over, and now it was finally fall! But fall also means that winter is coming…so we grabbed the kids for a weekend road trip from Boise to Twin Falls for a few days of fun and field trips. Check out part I, the first half of our three-day trip, here. We had hiked in City of Rocks National Reserve and toured the Shoshone Ice Cave. Now we drove about an additional hour for an unforgettable afternoon at Craters of the Moon National Monument near Arco, ID. Located near Almo, Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument is terrific, fun, and educational for families. Craters o ..read more

October has hit, which means two things: 1) it’s time to see some gorgeous leaves, and 2) we’d better get out and have some fun soon because winter is coming. Now is not the time for us to travel far. However, that doesn’t mean we couldn’t have an awesome family getaway just a few hours from where we currently live (Boise). So Twin Falls it was! Just a two-hour, easy drive from Boise, a weekend in Twin Falls offers an incredible variety of family fun and beautiful scenery. Our only previous time in Twin Falls was over the summer when we visited its main attraction right in town: Shoshone Falls ..read more

We just passed our one-year mark as residents of the greater Boise area, moving from Virginia Beach, Virginia. To mark the occasion, we will be sharing some of our favorites places we’ve discovered over this past year. Suffice it to say, Boise is a terrific place to raise your kids. My boys are loving all the outdoor activities available, especially hiking. Although we loved Virginia Beach, too (we sure do miss the First Landing State Park trails), here we get to enjoy changes in elevation along with the hiking–bonus! So here you have it: Our Top 5 Boise Outdoor Spots for Kids 1. Hiking the Bo ..read more

As homeschoolers, we love our field trips! And truthfully, almost anything can morph into a field trip after awhile. Nearly every drive we take, we work one in somewhere, at some point. That was the case recently when we had to take an all-day drive from Boise to Oregon to see extended family. Looking to break up the long hours somewhere, we chose to visit the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon. We were not disappointed. It was the right combination of history and fun to pass a few hours. Also, with the available outdoor trails, it would be an ideal locati ..read more

Why choose Latin when I could be teaching my children a “useful” modern language instead? That’s becoming a more common and understandable question asked in many homeschool communities. My short answer is that you should aim to do both. However, go about them in different ways, perhaps at different times, and with different expectations on what the study of them should accomplish. Holding an M.A. in Spanish myself, I am completely in favor of studying a modern language. My opinion is the more useful the better, although which language would be the most useful may vary greatly from one family ..read more

We found ourselves wanting and needing a few days away at the end of a long summer. However, we didn’t have the money to invest in a major vacation, especially anything that involved plane tickets, restaurants, rental cars, or high-priced attractions. After some searching, we figured out that as attractive as Shenandoah National Park was (four hours from us), it wouldn’t fit the bill this time around. Instead, we headed off to Grandfather Mountain, Boone, and Blowing Rock, NC, two hours further from our house. In the end, it was exactly what we were looking for–a simple, but highly satisfying ..read more

I get it. Picking a homeschool math curriculum is no easy task. Math can either be the easiest part of your homeschooling day…or the bane of your existence. There’s often no middle ground. I’ve had it both ways myself, depending on the child and the particular lesson we’re on. Mostly I would say we’re somewhere in the middle. We had a few years I was not actually sure we were going to live through to see another math lesson. But now we’ve hit a sort of an easier, tentative stride with our math career. That being said, be sure and check back with me next year when we’ve hit full-on algebra ..read more