It's the Carnival of Homeschooling!

Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling! I'm glad you're visiting here at SmallWorld at Home. Let me introduce myself for those who are new here. I'm halfway through my 14th year of homeschooling, currently with an 8th grade son and an 11th grade daughter. Our oldest son—who was homeschooled all the way through— is finishing his senior year in college.

But enough about me; you're here for the Carnival! We have a little something for everyone on this homeschooling journey with this carnival, from kindergarten to college. And here in the South we actually some real snow this year, so I'm including lots of snowman photos from fellow local homeschoolers. For some of these kids, this was their first snowman-building experience. Just a few days after our big snow, we have daffodils starting to pop up. Such is life in the South.

I think we all love reading "Day in the Life" posts. Cynthia from Our Journey Westward shares A Typical Day in Our Charlotte Mason Homeschool.

In a similar vein, Blossom of North Laurel Home and School shares 5 Reasons I Love CM Education. She explains that it's "By no means an exhaustive list of reasons, but it's a good start for me."

Speaking of "Day in the Life" posts, be sure to check out the contributors over at Simple Homeschool! You can peek into the lives of nearly a dozen homeschooling families of varying ages and styles. And if that isn't enough for you, you can add your own post and read nearly 100 more on the yearly Day-in-the-Life link-up!

Sometimes homeschooling moms need a little comfort in the midst of our daily lives, right? Jamie of MomSCHOOL shares her recipe for Sugar Free Healthy Salted Caramel Mocha Creamer. What a treat!

Beef stew and beer bread! Just in time for March, Ticia has a unit study on Ireland and Saint Patrick with Around the World in 12 Dishes: Ireland Adventures in Mommydom posted at Adventures in Mommydom.

Exploring the family genealogy with kids is a great way for young people to learn about their history and understand the world. Kids love to hear about their own family history. Eva Varga shares her thoughts on Genealogy with Kids at Academia Celestia.

How do non- or emergent readers remember talking points for speeches? Pam Barnhill presents Presentation Notes for Non-Readers posted at everyday snapshots.

Celeste presents her second post in a series about homeschooling with little ones alongside in Schooling with Littles: Our Morning Basket posted at Joyous Lessons.

Laurie Bluedorn of Trivium Pursuit lists her Top 10 Favorite Read-Alouds — and warns that you'll have trouble finding them.  Sounds like a challenge!

Becki Hogan at Running With Team Hogan reviews one of her new favorite family games, Word on the Street. She says that with its little price tag, it's better than going to see a movie. And her six-year-old animal lover compiled his Resources for animal-lovers also!

Do relaxed homeschoolers have a bad reputation? Jen of Forever, For Always…No Matter What emphasizes in Relaxed Homeschool, Not Lazy Homeschool that while some may equate "relaxed" with "lazy" homeschooling, she looks as it as "Happy Mom Homeschooling."

If your homeschool feels strained, it could be that too much emphasis is being put on "next, next, next" and you haven’t sufficiently enjoyed "having achieved." Julie of my favorite writing resource, A Brave Writer's Life in Brief , muses on this process in It's not learning, it's having learned.

Becky Hogan says she loves to teach the kids things like grammar and art through fun books. She presents Parts of Speech: learning through fun books and Art Fraud Detective posted at Running With Team Hogan.

Winter is traditionally science fair season! Science fairs are great ways for kids to learn more about a topic and gain confidence in speaking. Find out how to set up a simple science fair for co-ops at Aspired Living!

It's never too early to get them ready for that science fair! Jamie of Online Education for Kids gives ideas for Teaching Kindergarten Science.

One of my favorite ways to teach science has always been through nature journaling. As Eva Varga says, "with intentional teaching of how to use a nature journal, children can walk away with life-skills that encourage scientific and aesthetic observations, creative and technical writing, perception and analysis, questioning, synthesis, focus, self-expression, and reflection." She gives tips for Keeping a Nature Journal: Getting Started in 5 Exercises at Academia Celestia.

And perfect in keeping with our snowman theme, Colleen Leonard presents The Physics of a Snow Day!! posted at Sola Gratia Mom. On the next snow day, think of all the learning that your kids can do! There is plenty to discuss about physics while playing.

Becki Hogan at Running With Team Hogan  has all kinds of ideas for science experiments!
• Making plasma in the microwave
• Testing acids and bases with red cabbage juice
• Making your own electromagnet
• Properties of light series



Janine of Why Homeschool writes about some of her recent experiences with the local public school in Homeschooling and my relationship with my neighborhood school.

Are you entering the high school years? We've got lots of good discussion in this week's carnival. First, Leah Courtney presents How In the World Do I Teach High School Math?!! posted at As We Walk Along the Road.

Shelly of There's No Place Like Home shares how she plans to approach an accredited diploma while still using an interest-led curriculum in her post Navigating the Red Tape Part 3: Our Path to an Accredited Diploma.

In Time Management for Teens, Heidi of Starts at Eight shares her method for helping her teen learn to manage her time. As she writes, "Entering high school has brought many changes about for my teenager. One of the big changes is the need for teaching time management for teens to her. It is an important life skill she will need not only in high school and college, but in the workplace and at home in her adult life."

So many homeschooling families send their teens to school because they are afraid that homeschooling will spoil their chances at college or university.  Annie Kate of Tea Time with Annie Kate reviews Setting the Records Straight by Lee Binz, a book that helps empower parents to homeschool their teens.

Here's more great help for high schoolers: Jamie of Let's Homeschool High School provides a Homeschooler's Guide to Teaching HighSchool Foreign Language. Fantastic information!

Speaking of college and teens, have you seen my series on What College Professors Wish Freshmen Knew? These posts stem from a fabulous panel of four local faculty members talking about their experiences with freshmen—and what makes them successful.

But what if your teen doesn't choose to go to college? Judy at Contented at Home discusses this in Preparing for a Career Without College.

That's it for this week's Carnival! Thanks for BHEA members for permission to use their awesome snowman pictures, in order of appearance: Karen M., Jen M., Karen D., Kate C., Amy R., my guys, Rebekah S., and Tae'lor J. Thanks to the Cates for organizing this fantastic resource each week and for all the bloggers for participating. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of homeschooling using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.