2/8/2026- Reading Incentive
An important goal for me as a parent was to develop my kids’ love for reading. I read to them when they were babies, toddlers, and I still read aloud to them now, even though they are able to read on their own. My son, 11 years old, started out reading Dr. Seuss books and then found a love for graphic novels in books like Dog Man and InvestiGators. He has since continued his love for reading in books like Spy School, Treasure Hunters, and Wings of Fire. My daughter, 9 years old, took a little longer to find books that got her hooked-on reading. She finally found a series that she liked called Itty Bitty Princess Kitty. Then she tried the graphic novels of Wings of Fire and got hooked on graphic novels. They both get excited to read when they go to bed and we are always on the hunt for more books that they’ll like.
When they were in public school, they participated in a monthly reading incentive program that rewarded reading at home. I decided to continue that and offer a small reward like a doughnut from our local bakery or a milkshake from Kwik Trip. At the beginning of each month, they get a new monthly calendar. They choose a reading goal to work towards, my son’s goal last month was 9 hours and my daughter’s was 5 hours, then they choose a reward and write it on their calendar. They make it just about every month, I think there has only been 1 or 2 months where a goal hasn’t been made.
Is this something that would work for your kids? Is it something you would like to try? Let me know your thoughts.
2/2/2026- Blooket
Blooket is a free website (paid version available) that makes learning and reviewing a blast. Once you sign-up as a teacher you can choose from 100s of question sets about a variety of topics. Simply search for what you want your child/student to answer questions about and assign them the quiz. If you don’t like the current quizzes, you can easily create your own.
Your child will then sign in and start their assignment. They will get to choose a game that they will play while answering questions. There are a lot of free options and there are some options only available for the paid version. Once they start the quiz, they will begin answering questions to help their game. For example, for each question they get right they receive an advantage or are able to take away points from another player. If they get a question wrong, they will lose points. They will answer questions until the time runs out so they may repeat questions over and over again if the quiz is short. I like this feature because it really helps make the information stick with constant repetition. When the time is up, you can see how they did on the quiz.
I have created 3 question sets so far about the United States, Sloths, and Albert Einstein. I have also used several question sets that were created by other people. I usually have my 2 kids play against each other, but I will admit my daughter gets a little worked up when playing because things do go quickly in the game. Now that she’s older, she handles it a little better.
Check it out today and let me know what you think!
1/28/2026- CTCMath Review
In August of last year, I talked about starting a new math program. My first year homeschooling I used IXL and then I decided to switch to CTCMath this school year. After using it for the last five months, I could honestly say I would recommend this math program. My son is currently completing the 6th grade course and my daughter is completing the 3rd grade course.
- It is easy to use.
- Students can complete lessons in any grade.
- Video lessons are short and steps are clearly shown.
- I can easily create practice lessons that review previous material or provide practice for concepts they may be struggling with.
- Diagnostic tests can be completed before and after units.
- Results for lessons can be easily found and will show you what questions they got correct and incorrect.
- Some assignments offer a printed worksheet option so students can complete assignments on paper.
- You can set a “passing grade” score that your child needs to meet to move on to the next lesson.
I know the cost is high on the website, but discounts are available. When I signed up, I received a discount when I attended a Minnesota Homeschool Convention. On my original post in August someone had mentioned that if you email them and let them know you are a homeschooling family they will give you a 50% discount code (I cannot verify that, but it is worth a shot). They also offer a free trial.
*I am not getting paid for this review.
1/12/2026- Math Facts Practice
I am a strong believer of practicing and knowing basic math facts for addition, subtraction, and multiplication. As math continues to get more difficult, knowing basic math facts eliminates the need to also figure out the basic math facts within the problem and instead put more focus on the more difficult components of the problem. My daughter does not like math and her confidence is very low, so anything I can do to strengthen her skills to help her along the way I’ll do it. I knew multiplication was going to be difficult so I wanted to find a variety of ways for her to practice. I found some fun songs on YouTube, got her some multiplication fidget spinners, printed off some fun worksheets, and created this flash card folder.
Instructions to create the flash card folder:
- Gather materials: file folder, tape, glue, 4- 5 X 7 envelopes or 8 library card pockets (available on Amazon)
- If you are using envelopes, fold the envelope in half, cut along the fold, cut off the flap
- Tape the side that is open, I used washi tape to make it cute.
- Once all 8 pockets are made, glue them on the inside of the file folder (see picture above).
- If you’re using library card pockets, glue 8 on the inside of the file folder.
- Once dry, put it into action.
- I used clips at the top to hold the cards so they don’t fall out.
Instructions on how to use the flash card folder:
- Choose 10-15 cards of whatever you are working on (math facts, sight words, etc.) and place them in the first pocket (top left).
- Your child will practice that first set of cards on their own and then you will run through the cards with them. The cards they know well, use your own judgement, will move on to the next pocket. The cards they still struggle with will stay in the first pocket.
- The next time you do the flash cards with them, they will practice the first and second pocket. Feel free to add some flash cards to the first pocket, if you like. You will then run through the cards with them from each pocket, do them separately so the cards don’t get mixed up. Any cards from the second pocket that they know well will move to the third pocket. Any cards they still struggle with will stay there. Do the same with the first pocket.
- Continue the process each day, moving the cards along the way. Once they have reached the last pocket (bottom right) they can be removed from the file folder.
As you can see, your child will get repeated practice day after day. Do as little or as much as you like each day, you know what your child is capable of.
1/11/2026- PragerU
PragerU is a website that I turn to in order to enhance and reinforce many of my Social Studies lessons. “Our mission is to promote American values through the creative use of digital media, technology and edu-tainment.” (PragerU, 2026) Our favorite shows are “Street Smarts” and “Unboxed”. I am currently using “Unboxed” to review the 50 states. I will choose a state that we have already learned about and my kids need to guess which state it is using the information that is shared in the show. The episodes are short but share a lot of great information and my kids really enjoy them. PragerU has many of other free resources that are available on their website covering topics about American History, Financial Literacy, and American Civics. I highly recommend it, click on the link below and check it out!
8/19/2025- 2025 Curriculum Choices
Math: CTC Math
Website: https://www.ctcmath.com/
Cost: $198.50 for the whole family (I received a discount during the homeschool convention I went to in the summer)
Why did we choose it?
- Short lessons that include audio and animation that provide step by step instructions
- The option to do assignments online or printable worksheets
- Progress reports that show your child strengths and weaknesses
- You can work on lessons on your own schedule
- You have access to ALL grades (K-12) so if your child is excelling they can continue to move forward or if your child is struggling they can review previous concepts.
- This curriculum has won many awards
- Once assignments have been completed, they are provided with a step by step solution for each problem
What I used last year and why I didn’t go back?
I really like IXL and I would absolutely recommend it to homeschoolers. The only reason I switched was because I wanted a more in depth program that provided more practice and more guided instruction. I think my kids did fine with the IXL workbooks and the online practice but I felt they just needed a bit more so we are giving CTC Math a try.
Reading, Writing, ELA: Brave Writer
Website: https://bravewriter.com/
Cost: Bundle options- $249.00, Literature Singles- $19.95 (this is what we are doing)
Why we chose it?
- Uses great books to teach grammar, reading comprehension, and writing
- Uses passages from the books to give examples of a particular writing strategy or grammar topic
- They have a lot of books to choose from at various levels
- There is lots of support/trainings in order help make teaching your kids a success
*This program requires lots of parent involvement.
What we used last year and why we aren’t using it this year?
We used The Night Zookeeper and the kids liked it but I don’t think we utilized it as much as we could have. My kids enjoyed creating interesting characters and playing the learning games but I didn’t feel like it helped develop their writing skills. Each time they created a new character they had to answer a variety of questions about the character which helped them extend their writing pieces and add more description. They would also get feedback about their writing but it didn’t hold them accountable to fixing their mistakes or improving their writing. I was able to assign them writing pieces as well and I found that they wrote the most when I did that because I always chose topics that they enjoyed or knew a lot about. By the end of the school year, they were getting a bit bored with the program plus I really wanted to put more emphasis on learning how to become better, well rounded writers this year.
3/31/2025- Organization and Lesson Planning
Organization is one of those things that you either love or hate! Well, I LOVE it! I love buying different containers and various things that make my life more organized. When I started homeschooling, my organizing bug came out and I started looking for various things that could work in our already small, cramped space. Side note, for those of you that don’t know, while we are building, we are living in my husband’s grandparents’ place. Our living room is also our bedroom, and the kids share a bedroom together. So, our space is limited.
I started with creating a space for the kids. I found these small folding desks on Amazon that could fold flat and be big enough for them to have their laptop on. The desks are a little small, they are not able to have their laptop and a workbook on them at the same time, but we make it work. Then I took the rolling carts that I had in my classroom and had my kids use those to store books and supplies. My son also 3D printed some desktop organizers for both of them to hold writing utensils. Lastly, I added a mini clothesline on the wall at each of their spots so they could hang up any work or pictures to personalize their area.
After the kids’ area was set up, I then worked on my spot. I added a large whiteboard/corkboard on the wall above our desk in the kitchen. I divided the whiteboard into 7 sections for each day of the week using wet erase markers. Each section has the day of the week and the subjects we do each day. If you haven’t used wet erase markers before I highly recommend them. You can use them to write things you want to stay on the whiteboard and be able to erase everything else. Then when you need to take it off you just use a damp cloth to get rid of it. I also added a paper organizer that hangs on the door next to the whiteboard that holds printed worksheets for each day of the week. Then I have another organizer that sits on the desk that holds books, and a variety of other things not related to school.
When I plan lessons, I do a week at a time just like I used to do when I was teaching 1st grade. I usually sit down on Sunday and figure out what we are going to be doing for the week in each subject and add in any activities that we are planning to do. I use a homeschool planner that I found on Amazon to record the assignments and then when I’m done I write it on the whiteboard. My kids know to check the board for what they need to do and they can do their work in any order they like with the exception of Science and Social Studies because we do those together.
I want to reiterate this is what works for my family and I. What is wonderful about homeschooling is that you can do what works for your family. How do you organize your homeschool materials?
Utility Cart- https://amzn.to/4lFBp0X
Folding Desk- https://amzn.to/4kWWsv1
Headphones- https://amzn.to/3GETj4Z
Kid’s chair- https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/urban-junior-chair-white-00165213/
3/10/2025- Getting Out of the House
My goal each week is to try and get out of the house doing something with my kids at least once. We do schoolwork 4 days a week and leave one day open for getting out. Some of our more common outings are the local libraries, parks, walking trail, eating out for lunch, or going shopping. Here is a list of some other places we have been to so far in Minnesota:
- Eagle’s Nest
- Indoor play area
- 400 10th Street NW, New Brighton, MN 55112
- $9 for kids, adults are free
- Shoreview Community Center
- Indoor waterpark, indoor/outdoor playground
- 4600 Victoria Street North, Shoreview, MN 55126
- $14 for adults, $12.50 for kids (non-resident)
- Como Zoo and Conservatory
- 1225 Estabrook Drive St. Paul, MN 55103
- Voluntary Donation, $4 for adults, $2 for kids
- Fun Lab
- Family fun place with a variety of activities like a laser maze, virtual reality, arcade, etc.
- 10650 Baltimore Street, Suite 30, Blaine, MN 55449
- Different packages for play
- Wildlife Science Center
- 22830 Sunrise Rd NE, Stacy, MN 55079
- Visiting hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays
- $10 for adults, $8 for kids
- Tamarack Nature Center
- Discovery Hollow Nature Play Area, walking trails, etc.
- 5287 Otter Lake Road, White Bear Township, MN 55110
- Free
- Movie Theater
- Sustainable Safari
- Small indoor zoo, with the opportunity to hold and feed animals
- 3001 White Bear Avenue N
Maplewood, MN 55109
- 915 County Road 42 West, Burnsville, MN 55306
- $16.50 for 5+, offers homeschool days occasionally for a discounted price
- Autumnwood Farm
- Offers tours during the spring and summer months, has a farm store on site
- 19435 Granada Ave N, Forest Lake, MN 55025
- When we did a tour, it was $5 per person.
Here are places we want to try out:
- Snake River Fur Post
- Look at exhibits, take a tour, and walk the trails to explore the cultural, global, and economic story of the fur trade.
- 2551 Voyageur Lane, Pine City, MN 55063
- $12 for adults, $8 for kids
- Bell Museum
- Natural history museum and planterarium
- 2088 Larpenteur Ave W., St Paul, MN 55113
- Admission prices vary based on the activities you want to do.
- Snake Discovery
- A indoor zoo that features 75 exhibits of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.
- 831 Century Ave N., Maplewood, MN 55119
- $10 for adults, $8 for kids
- Thunder Blades
- Skating rink
- 31516 125th St. , Princeton, MN 55371
- Admission varies based on the day
- Slick City
- Indoor slides and air court
- 10900 Fountains Drive Suite 130, Maple Grove, MN 55369
- Prices vary based on time
- Mill City Museum
- “Explore antique milling equipment, vintage advertising, and stories from the wheat farms, all at your own pace.”
- 704 South 2nd St. Minneapolis, MN 55401
- $15 for adults, $8 for kids
- Minnesota History Center
- “Explore Minnesota’s past through exhibits that feature authentic historical objects, hands-on experiences, and multimedia presentations.”
- 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. , St. Paul, MN 55102
- $15 for adults, $8 for kids
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
- Free
- They have Discovery Days on some Wednesdays where they put various stations around the museum that you can interact and explore with.
- Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
- 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403
- Free
Besides going places, I am constantly on the search for special activities. For instance, Light the Torch Adventures is holding a Knights and Fair Maiden event where kids can learn about medieval times at the Isanti County Historical Society. The local library also has lots of free events for kids to participate in like Lego Club and reading challenges. I usually find most of the events we participate in on Facebook, I would recommend joining homeschool groups for your state.
Where do you like to go with your kids in order to get out of the house?
2/18/2025- A Typical Day for Us
Our Schedule:
- 8:00- We wake up
- 8:00-8:30- My munchkins have free time.
- 8:30-9:00- Eat breakfast and get ready
- 9:00-12:00- Schoolwork
- 12:00- Lunch
- The rest of the day is for playing, chores, and doing activities.
- On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights my kids go to Taekwondo.
Now just because I have a set schedule doesn’t mean I follow it to a T. Most days we don’t start school until about 9:30 and we usually finish up our schooling before noon. That is what is so great about homeschooling, we can just make it work for us.
For example, today my daughter woke up and went on her computer and my son read his book about wolves. Then they ate breakfast and got ready for the day. When they start their assignments they are able to choose what order they want to do their work, except Science or Social Studies because they do those together. My daughter plugged away on her assignments and got done around 11:00. My son on the other hand, got engrossed in his Language Arts work because he is currently working on creating his own dragon world using the book, Wings of Fire: Forge Your Dragon World. So, he didn’t get done with everything until about noon. Then, they got dressed up in ninja costumes while they were waiting for lunch to be ready. After lunch, we completed our science lesson from Mystery Science. We did a lesson about the food chain, this took about an hour because they enjoyed the food chain game that went along with the lesson. After science, they had a ninja dance party while I worked on laundry and did the dishes. The rest of the day will be for playing, eating supper, and going to taekwondo.
This is a typical day for us but it looks different for all homeschool families. Last week, we were able to go to West Yellowstone for a week to snowmobile with friends. Before I started homeschooling, we used to go during Christmas Break and the snow isn’t always the best out there during that time. Taking off a week when I was a teacher was hard because creating sub plans and being away from the classroom was always difficult and I felt guilty. I also felt bad pulling the kids out of school for that long. Now, we can just pick up and go without any guilt. While we were there, my kids just had to read everyday and practice their math facts.
We try to get out at least once a week and that can be something as simple as going to the local library or something more involved like taking a tour of a dairy farm. We keep it pretty simple and I don’t stress out if I don’t get something done on the day I planned it. We do what works for us and that’s that.
If you homeschool, how does your day look different compared to ours? If you were homeschooled, did you enjoy it?
1/23/2025- Choosing a Curriculum
This was a daunting task because there are a plethora of curriculums out there for homeschooling. When I started to dive in I found that the majority of curriculums were Christian based. I wanted secular, or non-religious materials. I was also looking for materials that would work for both 2nd grade and 5th grade. I found it was hard to pick one complete curriculum that covered everything so I decided to choose different materials for each subject. I looked into websites that I had used when I was teaching, read countless Facebook posts from homeschool groups and did lots of research on various blog posts in order to come up with my final choices. In no particular order this is what I’m using this year.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Math- IXL workbook/ online program
- Cost- Workbook: $15.29, online: $119/ year
- Website: ixl.com
- Pros:
- The workbook goes along with the online program.
- It is easy to assign lessons.
- Students earn rewards along the way.
- There are videos that go along with most lessons.
- The skills are broken down by grade or topic.
- If a student gets an answer wrong, an explanation is given.
- There are also games available for each grade level.
- Cons:
- The assignments can get a bit frustrating if they keep getting questions wrong.
Science- Mystery Science
- Cost- $99/ year
- Website-mysteryscience.com
- Pros:
- Lessons are easy to follow and set-up.
- There are videos for all lessons.
- Students watch and follow along with the videos.
- Experiments are explained in the videos step-by-step.
- Most experiments have materials that are easy to find around the house.
- Lessons are organized by grade level or age.
- Great discussion questions and wrap-up.
- Cons:
- none
Social Studies- Tuttle Twins
- Cost- $118.88 for 2 history textbooks
- website- www.tuttletwins.com
- Pros:
- Teaches history in a story-based style with the main characters being a brother and sister.
- Covers historical events that happened during 1215 to 1791.
- Comes with printable activities and videos.
- Activities contain writing, science, and/or math.
- Cons:
- Some activities don’t provide a great deal of value.
- Other: I also purchased their book series that includes 14 books that cover topics like the law, business, and the golden rule.
Reading, Language Arts, Writing, Phonics* *I use a combination of materials for these subjects.
- Language Arts & Writing
- Website: nightzookeeper.com
- Cost- $89/ year
- Pros:
- Students can be very creative by designing their own animals for the zoo.
- When designing a new animal, the “zookeeper” asks questions about the animal to create a descriptive paragraph.
- Covers vocabulary, writing strategies, and language arts topics like synonyms, etc.
- Other programs: ixl.com ($46.99/year), Epic! (getepic.com)
- Phonics (for my daughter only): Evan-Moor: Grade 2 Daily Phonics workbook
- Website: nightzookeeper.com
Other materials/ websites:
- Typing- typing.com, free website
- Math flashcards- Think Tank Scholar: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, purchased on Amazon
- Teacher Pay Teachers and Pinterest
1/15/2025- Why homeschool?
As I mentioned on my “All About Me” page, I was a 1st grade teacher for 13 years. I went in to teaching thinking it was a going to be a lifelong career for me. I had thought being a teacher was going to be like when I was in school in the 90’s and I was hit with a rude awakening that children and parents have vastly changed over the years and school was nothing like it was when I was a kid.
My first couple of years were rocky and I had a wonderful team to support me and help me through my struggles of classroom management. I worked constantly and would stay beyond my contract hours on a daily basis. I loved it at first, however, the behaviors started to increase and the duties kept piling up year after year. My breaking point was when I had a VERY difficult student that caused me a great deal of stress and that amount of stress started to affect my health. I knew it wasn’t going to be a lifelong career for me anymore and I thought I still had time to figure out something else. With the support of my husband, I decided to end my public school teaching career and start my homeschooling career.
We decided to homeschool because I knew what it was like in the classroom. Teachers were overwhelmed with behaviors and students that wanted to learn were having their learning disrupted all the time. We didn’t want that for our kids. My son was completely on board and my daughter was hesitant because she would miss her friends. So, I did my research over the summer and came up with a plan.
I hope my story helps you if you are considering homeschooling. It looks different for everyone and my way is not perfect but it works for my family.
Thank you for the opportunity to share and get ideas from a fellow Homeschool! Our day consists of the oldest waking up at 7am. She gets ready, does her chores outside and is back inside around 745. She eats breakfast and gets her sister up/ready. Once Dad leaves (815) they have free time to themselves until I get home at 930. We head to our classroom around 10/1030 depending on what I need to do for household chores. We do schoolwork from 1030-1300 typically. The youngest doesn’t have a set schedule as she’s Preschool, but the oldest does all her daily schoolwork and chooses a worksheet from each subject. After school, we head to the next room which is the Craft Room and we all do crafts and such until we head in to eat supper and I get read to go to bed as I start work at 1am. I also use a variety of curriculum. I am definitely looking into the IXL though as I think it would be a great addition for both my girls! And the oldest also does Taekwondo (grateful for you giving her rides as my hours/sleep schedule was putting my health/patience to the test trying to manage it all!).
Thank you for sharing your schedule! You do what works for your family and that is fantastic! I am happy I can help to ease some of the stress; we enjoy having her along on the car ride.