By Holly Giles | Great Outdoors , homeschooling
Fire in my heart It was going to be a good homeschool day. I was on fire about it. I had the planners filled out. The papers, books, and necessary items were within reach. In addition, the anticipation that THIS was going to be a good start to the week. The boys woke up a little […]
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By Holly Giles | Boy Crafting , Florida , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
We love nature study, but sometimes planning it seems to take the joy out of spontaneous interests in the out-of-doors. Although my boys love a good show from the hawks outback or a new bird that shows up, they can balk at a scheduled time to go sit and draw what they see in nature. (yes, those are pj’s, bird […]
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By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
Our homeschool co-op visited the Avian Reconditioning Center in Apopka, FL and were treated to a real wildlife show. ARC has been serving the bird of prey community for ten years by Carol and Scott. They have turned their property into a haven for rescue birds and rehabilitation. They work with area officials and clinics […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , homeschooling , Motherhood
Looking for Peace Have you ever been in search of peace, quiet and joy among all the busyness and noise of your life? After a week of small disasters at home, I was at the tipping point. Sleepless nights and the dishwasher breaking down kept me tired and looking for paper plates. We have been […]
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By Holly Giles | homeschooling
Grayson was preparing to make his debut as a homeschool conference speaker last weekend. He and I were presenting a workshop together. The week leading up to the event was chaotic for many reasons and my hair ended up being a casualty! Navigating opportunities and deadlines seemed to be consuming my family the last few weeks. […]
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By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
The wonderful weather beckons us to be outside! We met up with some friends for a day at Hontoon Island State Park. Come along with us to this hidden Florida gem. Hontoon Island sits along the St. John’s river in Volusia County. It is accessible only by boat. It is a treasure trove of […]
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By Holly Giles | homeschooling
Stepping out in faith can be hard to do, especially when you travel the road alone. This past weekend I was an exhibitor at a homeschool special needs/struggling learners conference. My expectations were high because of the investment my family made. What really happened was not what I had planned. Four days before the conference […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , homeschooling
Our homeschool co-op gathered today at our local VFW post to serve our troops by filling boxes. A veteran spoke to the children before we began and the profound sentence he said resonated with us all. “They need to know we care”. No matter your stance on politics or war, we have American citizens who serve […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study , Recipes
Our Field Study Part One was about a field trip to the strawberry fields. This season we used the strawberries to make Jam. Grayson and Grant can get overzealous when it comes to picking berries.They took off down the rows and came back with their shirts full. Before I knew it, we had $30 worth of […]
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