Homeschool Humuhumu (Page 3)

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A lit diya (a small ceremonial oil lamp), with the words "Happy Diwali!"

Geography and cultures

Happy Diwali!

We celebrated Diwali [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali] today, the Indian festival of lights. I'm a sucker for a light festival. We took a trip to India on Acorn Airlines (our fictional school airline, it's totally Pinterest-barfy, I'll post about it someday in

Two hardcover books: Vincent's Starry Night, and 30,000 Years of Art

Art and history for kids: Vincent's Starry Night & 30,000 Years of Art

When we have an open squishy slot [https://homeschool.humuhumu.com/our-daily-routine/] in an afternoon, and I want a little something to fill it, one of the things I'll reach for is the book Vincent's Starry Night and Other Stories: a Children's History of

Beast Academy guides arranged in a tightly packed grid, with Beast Academy 1A on top.

Beast Academy level 1 is here!

If you've wondered what to use before Beast Academy for math, the answer is: Beast Academy!

A paperback book titled Nitty Gritty Grammar is balanced on a small container of spackling paste, along with a putty knife.

My language arts spackle: Nitty-Gritty Grammar

I like to reach for this handy grammar reference, whether it's to fill a gap in our day, or one in my daughter's understanding.

A white dial timer, with increments up to 60 minutes, and a timer set for 12 minutes shown in a blue translucent overlay.

Visual timers for ADHD

These homeschool years are giving us a wonderful opportunity to develop ADHD-related skills, like time management. Tools like visual timers are an ideal way to build time awareness.

Front of a Trader Joe’s grocery store

What I like best about homeschooling...

... is going to Trader Joe's on a Tuesday morning. There are so many things to love about homeschooling, but never having to deal with a crowded Trader Joe's is pretty darned high on the list. But it's not a perk I've been

Forest field trip

Forest field trip

Yesterday we went foraging for chanterelle mushrooms in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon. I grew up in Seattle, and while I love California—deeply—most of its forests don't quite meet my lofty, spoiled standards. I've long wanted Wanda to get to experience my idea

Man standing and smiling alongside a satellite view of New Zealand and the New Zealand flag.

Geography and cultures

Boosting our world learning with Geography Now!

We use the popular YouTube channel Geography Now! in our homeschooling as an introduction to the countries of the world.

A sweet, tubby grizzly bear, sitting on the ground.

My school uniform

As you read through all of these posts, and picture in your mind what our days are like, you'll need an important piece of information: I'm a bear. (This is what I wear every day. I like to be warm. Plus I can keep things in

Wanda in our living room, throwing colorful fall leaves over her head.

Our First Day of Fall tradition

Welcoming the new autumn season in true city kid fashion: with fake fall leaves.

$A small whiteboard, marked with grid lines, and a long division math problem written on it.$

Why is it so hard for kids to show their work?

We've made a lot of progress on writing out math problems, so I thought I'd share some of what I've figured out along the way.

Creative writing

Creative writing

How I support my daughter's creative writing (mainly by staying out of her way).

Dressing like a scientist

Dressing like a scientist

Really, I just thought Wanda in a lab coat would be adorable, and I was RIGHT!

Upgrading our microscope

Upgrading our microscope

How we chose a high-quality compound microscope for our homeschool science lessons.

Using a lab notebook for science

Using a lab notebook for science

How we started writing in real lab notebooks for science lessons, starting with learning from real scientists about how they use their lab notebooks.

Carl Sagan, and a slice of bologna/.

The Baloney Detection Kit for kids

Teaching critical thinking about science, using Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit.

Words: Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids. Illustration of a Native girl wearing dance regalia.

Book recommendations

Ancestor Approved

Wanda and I have been reading Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, an anthology of short stories written by Native and First Nations authors, and I highly recommend it. Graphic showing the characters in the stories, and where they're coming from. Each of the fictional stories is about

A ballot and voter information guides for the California gubernatorial recall election.

Voting

Each election, Wanda and I sit down together to research all of our voting options. We refer to the Official Voter Information Guide provided by the government, we turn to endorsements from a variety of different sources, and we read articles to dive deeper when we have unresolved questions. We

Young girl following a typing lesson on a laptop.

Typing lessons

Some things about homeschooling are so dead simple, there's not much to say about them. That doesn't necessarily mean it's not worth saying anything, though. I figured it would be good for Wanda to know how to type. I googled "online typing lessons&

Tent in a dark room decorated with artificial jungle plants

Fake camping in the fake jungle

We took last week off to go camping, only not really, because California is on fire. The lower level of our house is themed to be a nighttime jungle, and Wanda had the brilliant idea to set up our tent in the jungle and "camp" for a week.

The Curie Society

Book recommendations

The Curie Society

The Curie Society [https://eepuniverse.com/title/the-curie-society/] is a new graphic novel from MIT Press [https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/curie-society], the first in a planned series. It is about three brilliant young women who are recruited into a (fictional) covert organization, created by Marie Curie herself back in

The science of learning

Book recommendations

The science of learning

The book "Why Don't Students Like School?" by Daniel T. Willingham has been a huge help in understanding the science behind how our brains learn.

Small paper rectangles, each with one word, are lined up to spell a sentence: "Fossils are only found in sedimentary rock l

Free printables

The Writing Revolution downloadable lessons

I'm sharing all of the The Writing Revolution-style lessons I've created, using content from our various curricula. Maybe you can use them, too!

The Writing Revolution activity templates

Free printables

The Writing Revolution activity templates

Free printable Google Docs templates you can use to create writing activities, à la The Writing Revolution.

Vintage perpetual calendar set to Wednesday, August 18, and a vintage brass bell shaped like an apple.

Our daily routine

A peek into a day in our homeschooling life: the lessons we cover, and how it all fits together.