I find winter has always been one of the most productive times for me! Short days, frequent rain and snow, make for good reasons to stay inside and plan (and write!). At Carrier Shell, we are having a fruitful time; we will have some exciting class news to share in mid-April, when we post our 2024-25 schedule. If you have questions before now and then, please ! In addition, we will have some invigorating news to share on the curriculum front. (It’s been a while!) We cannot say more than that for now, but stay tuned and circle back in the coming months. This butterfly will emerge from the chry ..read more

Instructor: Christine Echeverri Time: Monday, December 18 @ 2pm, 90 minutes Grades: 3-8 Cost: $20 Does your student love creating and building things? Are you looking for engaging holiday events? Enroll your student in this 90-minute class! In addition to it being crafty, students will explore the unique and beautiful architecture of winter chalets. We’ll examine what features they include, and why. How are they different from our own homes and other forms of architecture? Students will then have an opportunity to create their create their own edible build! Here is the supply list. Sign-up! C ..read more

“You either learn your way towards your own script in life, or you unwittingly become an actor in someone else’s script.” JOhn Taylor Gatto How true is this quote! How many homeschoolers do you know are trying to break free from “someone else’s script?” And what does “someone else’s script” look like? What future do we want for our children? Because of our experience in school, what ways is it hard for us to move towards true freedom in our own homeschool? These questions, and more will come up in our biweekly book club discussion. We’ll read Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Cumpu ..read more

What do Google products offer homeschool families, in particular? As I have taught online classes, I have become aware of the free online tools available for homeschool families. Though many apps, like the Google Suite, were designed with organizations and full time schools and districts in mind, they ARE available and quite usable, even if you are homeschooling 1-2 students. How can Google be useful with a small amount of students? Assuming you are not unschooling — even if you have 1 learner — don’t you need to still lesson plan? Google Sheets is a great tool to lay out each week of the year ..read more

This subject matter is quite personal to me; I hope after reading this post, you will consider architecture paired alongside world history a valuable and interesting course of study as well. Guggenheim Museum, New York My late mother, being the eclectic person she was, tootled my sister and I all over the US and the world to see beautiful things—which often encompassed cool buildings. I remember when my grandfather passed away, I was in middle school. We traveled to Chicago for his funeral. What did we do after the funeral? We toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple and The Frank Lloyd Wri ..read more

This subject matter is quite personal to me; I hope after reading this post, you will consider architecture paired alongside world history a valuable and interesting course of study as well. Guggenheim Museum, New York My late mother, being the eclectic person she was, tootled my sister and I all over the US and the world to see beautiful things—which often encompassed cool buildings. I remember when my grandfather passed away, I was in middle school. We traveled to Chicago for his funeral. What did we do after the funeral? We toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple and The Frank Lloyd Wri ..read more

What exactly is its strength, and why is a good tool to teach writing in a homeschool class? We know there are many choices and curricula out there that profess to make writing easy. To really answer this question of why the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) is a good curriculum, we asked Ms. Tracy, our Isn’t it Fascinating? Beginning Writing class instructor. Formerly a homeschool parent, she reflected on her and her kid’s experience with the curriculum taught in a class environment. Here is what she said: “As a homeschooling mom, I remember how grateful I was for an IEW class that ..read more

This article features a brief conversation between myself and Chenning Peng. I was honored to have Ms. Chenning’s daughter in my class a few years ago. (That’s where I got wind that she had previously taught homeschool students!) I am so grateful she has joined our team to teach both writing (using IEW History-Based Writing) and now Earth Party Science. ~ Christine Echeverri, June 8, 2023 On Homeschooling You initially taught in the classroom.  Why did you decide to homeschool? Teaching students in the public school was a great blessing to me and taught me so much.  However, when ..read more

Many have asked me why I decided to move from Pasadena, California to Olympia, Washington. In this article, I will explore the twists and turns that have led to my journey north. My Love of California As you know, if you have read my bio, I am a third generation Angeleno. My mother and father’s families have lived in the Los Angele area since 1915 . My love for all things California is deep, and hard to put into words. My offering which best describes my passion for the history and culture in the Golden State is the California Out of the Box curriculum which I authored and published 5 years ..read more

To explain my excitement about both of these classes, I will need to take a brief journey back in time, to trace the sources of inspiration that led me to develop the curriculum in the first place. Both courses come from a deep place of interest and engagement with the natural world, which happened over many years. Come along, and I’ll explain it! Falling in Love with Orcas That’s me with the blond hair to the right of the orca! My love affair with flora and fauna began on a third grade trip to a marine park named Marineland, in Los Angeles. Though these parks are now horribly out of fashion ..read more