This year the children and I flew back to Canada to visit family and friends. It was a long trip, totaling 35 hours from door to door to get there. After driving to Belfast, taking a bus to Dublin, then having an 8-hour layover in Toronto, we then had another 7-hour layover in Ottawa from midnight to 7:00am. We thought it was simply going to be a quiet night... The children had been awake almost the entire time since leaving home, and were very tired by the time we reached Ottawa, as ... read more
The Strangest Ever Tour of Regina, Canada (Kids Love Advertisements)!
If you thought our posts about Joylab and having my husband join us on vacation virtually were fun, answer me this...what is the strangest city tour you've ever been on? Mine was certainly our summer trip home to Regina, Canada...thanks to Z99 Regina and their advertisements! This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small commission. As you know, children often learn all the words to advertisements so quickly and those advertisements can stick with you as ... read more
A Manga Lover’s Tokyo Travel Guide
If you're planning a trip to Tokyo and you enjoy manga, look into A Manga Lover's Tokyo Travel Guide; it's so fun! From high-tech and high-fashion to no tech and budget-wise, there is lots of information in this fun book. It certainly isn't you general manga; it's a practical travel guide with buckets of valuable information that is illustrated in a fun way so that you're more likely to remember it. This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small ... read more
Little House on The Prairie Study Guide From Progeny Press
We've used Progeny Press a few times in the past, so we are pleased to review Little House on the Prairie Study Guide (Grades 4-6), which is a childhood classic. The timing of this unit study worked in so well with our field trips, too, so they complimented each other. I remember my teacher, Mrs. Wolf, reading Little House on the Prairie to my class in elementary school, and I have been planning on sharing this book with my children. It was already in the plan for this fall after we ... read more
Foraged Plum And Apple Crumble Recipe
Over the past few weeks the children and I have been very, very busy learning about all sorts of things, and spending time with nature. They were inspired by the Biodiversity Summer School foraging that they do each year, and this year they made their own plum and apple crumble using the fruit they gathered themselves. The kids loved hunting and finding fruit that was nice and ripe and picking it themselves. Each year that the orchard grows, the fruit gets bigger; but at the same time, ... read more
Origami Fish Window Fish Tank
If you're looking for a fun project for the kids to do during a school break, try making a window fish tank filled with origami fish! Origami Fish and Other Sea Creatures is a good kit for all skill levels, and comes with both a book of instructions, as well as online video demonstrations. This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small commission. Tuttle Publishing kindly sent us an Origami Fish kit for us to use and review, and it's been a big hit with us. ... read more
Better Attention With Soundsory
Three years ago we reviewed Forbrain by Sound for Life Ltd, and the children still return to it a couple of times a year for a 'top up' when they feel they need more concentration, so we were all interested to try our their new product, Soundsory, to help with better attention, focus, and coordination. We received our Soundsory by courier; inside the box was a storage case, headphones, a usb charging cord, and a usage leaflet. When you place your order, you should also receive a password ... read more
September Degustabox For Family Sharing
This past month has been a whirlwind of activity for me, and I'm looking forward to a couple of calmer weeks to sit down and catch up. It's been a long time since our family has done so much in one month! What a lot of memories have been made travelling around the country with friends and family. So it's appropriate that this month's Degustabox is for family sharing. Let’s start with the contents of the Family Sharing Degustabox before moving on to our top picks. Each monthly box ... read more
Joining Family on Vacation…Virtually
This summer the children and I flew overseas to visit my family in Canada. Unfortunately, my husband wasn't able to join us on this occasion, but he was able to keep up with us and 'join' us on our excursions on vacation virtually...thanks to free Wi-Fi! I had an old smart phone and it was too expensive to use the roaming feature while away, but that didn't stop Phil and I communicating and from him keeping in touch with our children. At Mom and Dad's we were able to connect to their ... read more
6 Ways To Ease The Autumn Blues
Autumn is often seen as a time of new beginnings and exciting prospects for parents; for most parents children are sent off to a new grade at school dressed in new clothes and all new classes are begun after a summer of carefree fun. For us home educators, this time can also bring new curriculum and expectations, while for others, it may just be a continuation of year-round homeschooling. However, with the darkening mornings and evenings, and the increased awareness of home education ... read more
