Layers of Learning

Here are some tips for teaching kids to listen...this one skill will transform your home and your homeschool.

Year-round homeschooling isn't for everyone. If you're like us and need a break in the summer, listen in for some tips on preventing summer slide.

Are you homeschooling and wondering how to do preschool? Here are some tips for helping little learners get ready for their school years in your homeschool.

An introduction to the brand new Layers of Learning curriculum along with answers to all of your questions.

Everyone goes through tough homeschool seasons. Sometimes all you can do to get through those is to take tiny baby steps. Taking even the tiniest of baby steps will allow you to progress. Those small bits add up and then one day, you'll look back and see how far you've come.

Word Work is the spelling and vocabulary component of Writer's Workshop that will have your kids learning all about words through a variety of written, manipulative, physical, and verbal activities that will appeal to lots of learning styles.

Listen to the latest podcast episode, where Karen and Michelle offer advice for organizing Layers of Learning Notebooks. Learn about the two notebooks you'll need, as well as the optional Student Journals that are available to keep your homeschool organized and on track.

Teaching your kids to love stories will unlock excitement for learning that you can't gain any other way. These tips will help your family begin to truly love books and also learn about your library, how it's organized, and the Dewey Decimal System.

Help your kids develop deep thoughts by asking effective questions and having discussions in your homeschool. Use the free Bloom's Taxonomy Question Stems printable to spur on deep thoughts within your family.

Homeschool traditions are a simple way to sprinkle a bit of fun into your homeschool. Karen and Michelle share some of their favorite back-to-school, homeschool, holiday, and end-of-year traditions from their families.

Difference can divide us or connect us. In your homeschool, you have a unique opportunity to break down walls and let you your kids experience so much of the world's stories, recipes, ideas, people, and more. In this episode, we talk about teaching your kids tolerance.

The homeschooling sisters answer questions from homeschool parents about everything from how to choose books to how to handle a toddler during homeschool.

Learning can and should happen everywhere! Here are some tips about how to take your homeschool away from the kitchen table and out into the world. From learning in your yard to expeditions in your town and vacations across the globe, the world is your classroom.

To test or not to test...that is the question for many homeschool parents. The Layers of Learning sisters chime in on when and how to give kids tests in homeschool.

A relaxed and gentle approach to homeschooling kids with learning struggles can help kids find their strengths while they work on the skills that don't come as easily to them. Recognizing their abilities as much as their disabilities is the key.

Are you wondering how long your homeschool day should be? Are you spending enough time doing school work? Are you expecting too much? Michelle and Karen talk about how to create balance in a day and incorporate just the right amount of learning.

Most homeschool parents worry that they will miss something as they provide an education for their kids. Karen and Michelle talk about why you need to set aside the expectations of mastering all of the content and instead, use the content as a means for developing learning skills that they will use throughout their lives.

Michelle and Karen chat about what a homeschool day looks like in their homes. Routines rule over schedules and a rhythm is more important than exact plans. Each day, week, and year is flexible and made to fit an evolving family who is learning and growing together. Daily routines are the key to flexible stability.

Using kids' planners in your homeschool is the backbone to helping your kids grow into independent, motivated, thriving learners. Listen in for tips to help your kids use planners effectively and learn how they will progress into greater independence with each passing year.

The Layers of Learning Homeschoolers Facebook Group submitted questions for Karen and Michelle to answer, and that's just what the sisters did in this bonus Homeschooling Q and A podcast episode. Listen for answers to your questions from two veteran homeschooling moms and the creators of Layers of Learning.

Once you understand not just HOW, but also WHY you should teach art in your homeschool, it will change your experience. You have the ability to open your family's eyes to the world in new ways and with deeper insight as you learn to look at and create art.

Homeschool families often struggle with knowing how to teach science. It can seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Listen in on this podcast episode as the authors of Layers of Learning talk about how to use scientific principles and hands-on experiments to create a successful approach to homeschool science.

Listen in on how to teach geography in your homeschool. Karen and Michelle talk about everything from what to teach and how to schedule it to the fun hands-on projects that will help it stick in your kids’ minds.

Teaching history can feel overwhelming. How do you cover it all? Where do you start? Karen and Michelle talk about their philosophy about teaching history and what the lessons look like in their homeschools.

Karen and Michelle compare scuba diving to studying history and encourage you to dive deep into your studies to gain a new perspective and open a world of understanding that might just change your worldview.