Wordsworth referred to memories of actual daffodils, but for a reflecting homeschool mom, some of those ‘dancing daffodils’ include:

* Observing an insect or reptile, briefly confined in a Mason jar

* Picnicking in the field, watching Daddy bale hay or combine corn

* Impromptu forays to a strawberry patch or blueberry orchard

* Excursions ad infinitum to plays, concerts, operas, field days, factories, galleries, and museums

Certainly not least on this list are the memories of the hours upon hours of reading aloud, everything from 101 Favorite Poems to Horton Hatches the Egg and numerous Louis L’Amour novels.

Those memories, like Wordsworth’s daffodils, are solid gold. 

 

As we began our homeschooling journey in 1988. I quickly realized that I could not hope to teach my children everything they would ever need to know.  But I could teach them HOW to learn and to LOVE to learn.  

 

If a child learns to read well and is shown the power and the beauty of ‘a word fitly spoken,’ he has a decided advantage in this world.  There are obstacles today that did not interfere with our efforts then; raising readers is more of a challenge now, but it CAN be done.  My mission here is to point parents to strategies and wonderful books to ‘Make Reading Great Again.’ 

 

I also will draw from 37 years of experience as a homeschool mom and support group coordinator to share a wealth of tips, resources, activities, and unit studies to bring confidence and joy into your journey.  

 

You may not be a homeschooling family.  You may be a parent or youth leader looking for supplemental learning opportunities or ideas for the best summer activities.  You may be a grandparent planning to make memories and connections with the littles in your life.  Regardless, if you have a desire to make investments in young lives that will reap significant dividends, you will find useful material here.