Screens are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in the modern world. They blare commercials at us while we pump our gas, are embedded in the backs of our airline seats to keep us entertained on long flights, and every restaurant seems to have a dozen TV screens exposing us to a nonstop stream of content. I’ve even been to establishments with little screens affixed to bathroom walls above the urinals, forcing men to watch commercials while attending to nature’s call. We, too, sometimes bend to the influence of the screen in our own homes. When our young child is antsy or bored, how often do we han ..read more

As a homeschooling parent, you may feel like being behind is a fact of life some days. I don’t mean developmentally behind, but behind in your course plan. Your son was supposed to be on Chapter 25 by this time of year, but he’s only made it to Chapter 19. You had planned for your daughter to work on Latin past participles by now, but she is bogged down in indefinite pronouns. And then there were the four novels to go through with your children this semester, but it’s become clear that they’ll be lucky to finish the second one. There can be many reasons for this. Illness and life events can so ..read more

What should your homeschooling day actually look like? When should the kids be up? How should classes be structured? How engaged should Mom and Dad be in the daily grind of home education? Stressing about these questions can lead us to second-guess ourselves and our decision to homeschool. This is especially true if we are comparing ourselves to other homeschooling families who seem to “have it together” better than we do. (They don’t.) However, the truth is that there’s no “right” way to homeschool. Depending on various factors, homeschooling can look wildly different from household to househ ..read more

Finnian and the Seven Mountains: Voyage Comics I first became acquainted with Voyage Comics last year when I saw a display they had set up at the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair in 2023. They were promoting their new comic series Finnian and the Seven Mountains. I got to meet some of the fine people involved in the project and talk about the art of comic making. The promotional material for Finnian looked great, and I was delighted to see the folks at Voyage had chosen an Irish hero from Ireland’s golden age to be the story’s protagonist. Recently, Philip Koslo ..read more

Caravel vs. Moodle: A New Day for Catholic Homeschool Families If you’ve been following Homeschool Connections‘ news, you’re probably aware that we are switching to a new learning management system called Caravel for the upcoming school year. As both a homeschooling parent and a Homeschool Connections teacher, I am thrilled about this development! Caravel was custom-built just for homeschooling families’ needs. It is 100% designed, built, and operated by the Homeschool Connections staff! The adoption of Caravel brings the long Moodle epoch to a close. While there will undoubtedly be a learning ..read more

Novel Illustration: An Educational Approach to Jane Eyre A truly brilliant work of literature conveys meaning on multiple levels, not merely in what the characters say and do but even in the artistic imagery the author incorporates into his or her work. Homeschool Connection’s own Eleanor Bourg Nicholson illustrates this admirably in a piece she wrote for the Spring 2024 issue of St. Austin Review entitled “Novel Illustration: An Educational Approach to Jane Eyre.” The 1847 novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is one of the great literary works of the English Romantic era. On the surface, Jane ..read more

When most people set out to homeschool, they envision a traditional family arrangement with a working father and a stay-at-home mother. While this is well-suited to homeschooling since it has one parent devoted entirely to home education, it is not the only way to homeschool. Life isn’t always tidy, and many families do not fit into the traditional mold. Single parenting presents unique challenges from a homeschooling perspective. For single parents raising children without the support of a spouse or limited resources, issues of cost and time allocation become pressing. In some cases, the logi ..read more

Slaying Your Homeschooling Dragons We recently featured Jennifer Smarsh on the Homeschooling Saints Podcast to discuss winning the battle for peace in your homeschool. Jennifer is a seasoned homeschool veteran who has homeschooled for twenty-four years and raised five daughters. She also has experience across a broad spectrum of educational models, including homeschooling, public, Catholic, and online charter schooling, and has worked as a homeschool consultant. Jennifer and Lisa discussed things in your homeschool that can rob you of your peace, which Jennifer presented as “dragons” that need ..read more

Meet Natalie Schira, Writing Instructor Today, I am talking with Natalie Schira, a middle school writing instructor with Homeschool Connections. Natalie graduated from Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame in 2012 with a major in English Literature and a minor in secondary education. Before joining HSC, Natalie taught writing for nine years in a brick-and-mortar school. Natalie has also been an inspirational speaker and is a vibrant part of our Aquinas Writing Advantage teaching team! Your background is in teaching in brick-and-mortar classrooms. When did you first consider online education, and wha ..read more

Library services for homeschoolers and how to access resources. For those of us old enough to remember flipping through card catalogs on the old wooden desks in the library, we may wax nostalgic about the days before the Internet when the local library was the go-to place for educational resources in the community. Libraries have kept pace with developments in the digital world, however, and they are just as helpful today as they ever were! In this article, we will explore several ways you can utilize your public library to access resources for the benefit of your homeschool or co-op. Order Bo ..read more