homeschooling – The Oaxacaborn Blog

Non-fiction history graphic novel for learning the history of Japanese internment during World War II in Canada

Tough topics aren’t always fun to teach. It’s not fun to talk about the Holocaust, or Japanese internment, or concentration camps, or Holodomor.

But we must know history.

We must know the truth about what happened, or we risk repeating history’s horrors. We must not shy away from difficult periods of the past. We must learn from them, and then remain vocal and vigilant so such tragedies will not be repeated on our watch.

Continue reading →

Book Reviews, Homeschooling

What Happened After “The Endless Steppe”?

March 24, 2023 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Creative writing enrichment lesson idea for The Endless Steppe

Have you ever wondered what happened to the main characters after the last page of a book? My sixth-grader did.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

After reading The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia with her liberal arts class at St Raphael School, Aveline continued to think and talk about not just The Endless Steppe, but about history and injustice in general.

This book, actually, impelled Aveline to read a whole stack of books about the Holocaust, and listen to radio theater productions of both Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom and The Hiding Place. One good book — in this case, The Endless Steppe — can open up Big Conversations about difficult topics, and plant a seed for courage against injustice.

Continue reading →

Curriculum Reviews, Homeschooling

Create Pixel Art with Pix Brix: Great Wave Off Kanagawa Review

March 22, 2023March 22, 2023 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Aveline has spent the last several weeks creating a pixel art reproduction of Katsushika Hokusai’s famous woodblock print The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. (Do you think Hokusai realized we’d still be obsessed with his views of Mount Fuji all these centuries later?) With 13 different shades of blues, greys, and browns, she’s brought Hokusai’s masterpiece to life — I love it so much.

Continue reading →

Curriculum Reviews, Homeschooling

Using Sonlight Hands-On History as Homeschool Enrichment

March 20, 2023April 28, 2023 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

A cheerful student sits at a table, unboxing Sonlight Curriculum's Hands-on History project box.

Disclosure: Sonlight provided me with a Hands-on History box, and compensated me financially for this post. I have used many Sonlight products in our homeschool prior to reviewing this product. All opinions — and photographs! ;) — are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.]

Sonlight is synonymous with literature-based learning. Think Sonlight, and you immediately think excellent books. (The phrase “no more boring textbooks” leads Sonlight’s educational philosophy.) But over the past several years, Sonlight has added more and more hands-on homeschool options to complement the treasure trove of literature.

Continue reading →

Homeschooling

What I Did After Singapore Math (& Other Math Fails)

March 19, 2023 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Help! What math comes after Singapore Math? Your Guide to Homeschool Algebra and Other High School Math

Homeschool algebra options for high school and middle school

When I was a homeschool kid, there were really only handful of ways to handle algebra: Saxon, Abeka, the Christian university publisher which shall not be named, or the local community college. If you got stuck, you consulted Key to Math workbooks. Now, there are so many options for teaching homeschool algebra, it’s hard to narrow them all down! Yet if there’s one question I get asked more often than any other, it’s this —

Help! What comes after Singapore Math?

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? Let’s tackle it.

Continue reading →

Curriculum Reviews, Homeschooling

A-Z Magnatab: A Hands-on Activity for Teaching Preschoolers Letters

March 13, 2023March 25, 2023 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

It’s been so fascinating watching as Lochlan (age 3.5) begins to be enamored with the alphabet. Aveline was obsessed with letters from an early age, but since I knew her journey wasn’t typical, I didn’t expect Lochlan to be the same. I assumed he wouldn’t show much interest on his own, and imagined I’d teach him his letters at five or six, especially since — as everyone keeps reminding me — “He’s a boy!“

But I also believe in honoring the marvelously individual child God created, truly seeing their unique individuality, and following their cues.

Continue reading →

Homeschooling

In Our Homeschool This Week (6th Grade & Preschool | 3 March 23)

March 3, 2023March 6, 2023 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

You know I’m going to start off this recap with literature, especially literature which doubles as history. Buckle up, hide your wallets, and get out your library card. I’ll talk about a lot of books today. (Our Eastern Redbud tree is in full — yet leafless — bloom this week. Magical!)

Continue reading →

Curriculum Reviews, Homeschooling

Teaching Chinese Brush Painting in your Homeschool

March 1, 2023March 6, 2023 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Mandarin Chinese has been a foundational part of Aveline’s educational experience for years. In fact, six out of seven days of the week involve some sort of Chinese learning, and she’s spent spent every Saturday at Chinese school for the past 9 years. (Josiah, her faithful chauffeur, is a saint. And Aveline is incredibly devoted and focused, because she’s the only one in our family who speaks Chinese.)

Continue reading →