Notes from Karen

Unexpected Opportunities, Finding Educational Resources for Homeschoolers Within the Community

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When you homeschool (or unschool), the private sector learning opportunities your children desire can often be difficult to find.  Be bold and unafraid to network with friends and fellow homeschoolers.  Unexpected opportunities await; you merely have to seek them out.

Adding Fish To Your World

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My first fish were guppies scooped from a nearby pond. It didn’t take long before I had way too many guppies and no clue what to do with them other than to release them back into the pond. If you or your child desires a fish or two, you will want to read Science Contributor Roberta Gibson’s Adding Fish to Your World for guidance. There really is a lot more you should know than just scooping up a guppy!

Kinesthetic Learning (Light Bulb Moments)

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Don’t you just love it when you have an “ah ha” moment that completely changes the way you look at something? I had several of those during our beginning year of homeschooling – did I mention that I learned as much our first year of homeschooling as our children did?

In “Kinesthetic Learning (Light Bulb Moments)” I share what I viewed as a problem and how a change of perspective made all the difference.

Science and Mealworms

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Today’s updated article, The Multipurpose Mealworm, is by Roberta Gibson, an entomologist and children’s nonfiction author. Roberta is a longtime contributor to LeapingFromTheBox.com, specializing in science activities you can do at home with your children and also the occasional science book review.


You might not think of mealworms when you are considering science experiments appropriate for the home learning environment, but as Roberta says, “Mealworms are easy to obtain, easy to take care of, don’t take up much space and lend themselves to many simple experiments.”


We’ll be bringing you more of Roberta’s science articles as she has time to dust them off. And be sure to check out her debut picture book, “How to Build an Insect.”

What is Unschooling?

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Unschooling goes by many different names: interest-led learning, child-led learning, self-directed learning, free-range schooling. But what do all those names mean?

Explore with me the meaning of unschooling and what an unschooling path can look like in “What is Unschooling?”

Unschooling Record Keeping

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Homeschool laws in many states require monthly, quarterly, or yearly progress reports. If your children are Unschoolers, how can you meet this requirement? How do you document their activities and interests when you don’t use a specific curriculum or any textbooks?

In “Unschooling and Recordkeeping” I share the system I devised to track progress and fulfill the required monthly reporting for my three unschooling children. It you find it helpful, leave me a comment!

Beginning Your Homeschooling Journey

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It’s easy to feel overwhelmed the first year into your homeschooling journey. I know I felt that way. It seemed that I had more to learn during that first year than my children did!

And maybe just as much to unlearn.

In “Beginning Your Homeschooling Journey” I share some of my questions and concerns and how it all ultimately worked out. Spoiler alert – there’s a happy ending!

Holy Grail of Curricula

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Is there a perfect textbook? Does it exist?

What about a curricula package? Is there a perfect choice, one that works its magic with each and every student?

Like most homeschoolers, I spent a lot of time and effort (& expense!) searching for that “Holy Grail Curricula”. Learn what I discovered was more important than any single textbook.

Review: Real Life Homeschooling: 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home

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Karen M. Gibson reviews Rhonda Barfield’s book Real Life Homeschooling: 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home. A study in homeschooling and diversity, Rhonda tell the tales of 21 unique yet typical homeschool families.

Review here: https://leapingfromthebox.com/reviews/real-life-homeschooling-review/

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