Blog
Celebrating Spring Holidays in Your Homeschool
It's spring - time to dance with the flowers and soar with the birds! By spring, we're...
The Good & the Beautiful Curriculum in High School
The Good & the Beautiful is a breath of fresh air for your homeschool! The price is very...
Using Living Books to Homeschool
When you were a kid, did you learn more from textbooks or from reading books just for fun? I definitely learned a lot more from historical fiction than from any history textbook!
Homeschool Planning for Parents & Teens
Homeschooling is a big job! If you're trying to be mom, wife, housekeeper, chauffeur, and...
Preparing for High School in Your Homeschool
The transitional period from middle sets the tone for the high school years and strongly...
10 Reasons to Love Homeschooling Your Teens
When we first began homeschooling, we met some pushback. Granted this was long before...
You Know You’re Homeschooling a Teen When…
Because laughter is the best balm for a soul…. Here are ten signs that you’re homeschooling a...
Fun Field Trips for Teens
Field trips are just as important now that your students are teens as they were back in elementary...
Career-Based Electives for Teens
Electives are an excellent way to delve into topics and interests - no matter how strange they...
Hands-On Science & Nature Projects for Upper Grades
Spring and summer are a fantastic time to take your homeschool outside! Hands-on projects...
Homeschooling Teens: College or Career Track?
For the last few generations, the collegiate years have been a crucial part of the growing up...
Three Out-of-the-Ordinary Homeschool Goals for Your Child with Special Educational Needs
Today's post comes from Sharon Czerwien, who loves homeschooling her two children, one with...
Exploring Beliefs for World Religions Day
The Encarta World Dictionary defines religion as "people's beliefs and opinions concerning...
It’s NOT Ancient History! Making Connections with World History
Although the people we study in history lived decades or even centuries ago, their actions...
Innovative Ways to Study World Geography
Geography gets a bad rap for being boring, but usually that's just because it's not being taught...
Rabbit Trails & Child-Directed Studies
Unlike traditional schooling, homeschooling affords you the opportunity to jump down rabbit...
Going Behind the Scenes — Factory Tour Field Trips!
Factory tours are a fun and frugal way to add unique field trips to your homeschooling year! You...
10 Blunders That Are Sabotaging Your Student’s Productivity
Are you struggling to find productivity in your day-to-day? Are you feeling like you are...
Teaching Civil Rights and African-American History
Studying the civil rights movement helps students to better understand American history, making...
Meal Planning for the Busy Homeschool Family
Meal planning is essential for the busy homeschooling family. It not only helps you save time and...
How to Be a More Effective Homeschooling Parent
Can we be honest for a moment? Homeschooling is a HARD JOB. It's a huge...
Come Fly With Me!! Aviation & Flight Resources for Your Homeschool
Aviation history is over two millennia old, with earliest forms existing in China's...
Learning the Art of Discernment
Nike says, "Just do it." While spontaneous decisions work well at some points in life, there...
Celebrating the Winter Holidays in Your Homeschool
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Winter brings a plethora of holidays, and for many...
How World Mythologies Show We’re All Connected
Author G. K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children...
What Comes Next? Life Skills with Special Needs Homeschoolers
For some parents, having a special needs child is the impetus to homeschool. Many families are...
An Age of Revolution! Exploring World Change in Your Homeschool
From the mid 18th century to the mid 19th century, the world underwent a series of revolutions...
Celebrating the Autumn Holidays in Your Homeschool
It's time for pumpkin spice and everything nice! By autumn, we're starting to settle into...
Legal Documents Every 18 Year Old Needs
After eighteen years of caring for your child, it can be alarming to realize that on that magical...
Exploring Asia in Your Homeschool
As the largest and most-populated continent, Asia birthed some of the world's oldest civilizations...
Homeschooling Around Town – The Art of the Field Trip!
A big part of our school year is the field trips. Generally, we will study a topic ahead of time...
Celebrating Your Homeschool! Beginning & End of Year Traditions
Some families choose a name, and even a mascot, for their homeschool. Some have...
Save Your Sanity! Tips for the Homeschooling Mom
If you’re new to homeschooling, or still in the stage of considering having a go at it, the...
Finding Your Groove — Homeschool Styles
When looking for curriculum, you'll want to consider your homeschool style. It may take...
Connecting World War I and World War II in History Lessons
While WW1 did not directly cause WW2, many of its after-effects led to weakened European states...
37 Ways to Make Your Homeschool Delight-Directed!
Delight-directed homeschooling can be a remedy for mid-winter burnout, but it can also be an all-the-time homeschooling style. It is a method of education that allows your children to explore what they love and work at a flexible pace, ebbing and flowing with each new bunny trail.
38 Ways to Teach Writing (that are FUN!)
Writing is an integral part of the language arts classes taught at Sparks Academy. We offer four levels of instruction, each building upon the last, until students are ready to write in any form requested of them – whether at a career or college! But maybe you don’t want a full class….how can you make writing fun at home?
51 Ways to Teach World History with Literature
Novel studies can be used to cover concepts from language arts and history to science and math. If you’re looking to teach World History through literature, here are 51 units to try….and don’t discount audiobooks, too! They’re a great addition to a busy homeschooling day!
45 Ways to Teach US History & Geography with Literature
Novel studies are so. much. FUN! If you’re looking to teach American History and Geography through literature, here are 45 units to try….
18 Ways to Teach Science through Literature
Novel studies can be used to cover concepts from language arts and history to science and math. If you’re looking to teach science through literature, here are 18 units to try….
It’s Time for Holiday Homeschool! {18+ Tips & Unit Studies}
The holidays are a time for creating moments with the family. Many homeschooling parents...
How to Begin Homeschooling in Oklahoma
Oklahoma is considered to be loosely regulated in terms of homeschool laws. Oklahoma law does not...
Frequently Asked Questions About Sparks Academy
FAQ Answers What's a blended class? So glad you asked! These are classes hosted online that...
Essential Reading List for High School Girls
After polling several homeschooling families on what they thought was the one must-read book for...
Essential Reading List for High School Boys
Boys tend to fall staunchly into the 'reader' or 'non-reader' category. Sometimes it just...
Must-Have Supplies for Homeschooling Moms!
Seasoned homeschool moms will attest to this list. We welcome new homeschool moms into our fold…..no denim jumper required! Here are fourteen must-have supplies for moms homeschooling middle and high school…
Most Commonly Asked Homeschooling Questions…Answered!
Can I just pull my child out of school? Is that even legal? The short answer is, yes, you...
To the Overnight Homeschooler…
A plan to help educate the kids while working from home at the same time. We’re making these available to families in the hopes of alleviating stress…
The Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Student
With Sensory Processing Disorder, normal daily demands in a classroom are stressful. Homeschooling...
DD’s Journal – Mid-Winter Blues
If you look under the beds, the dust bunnies have formed a commune of free love and peace…
2020 Ultimate List of Homeschool Conventions {USA}
We’ve compiled the ultimate list of 2020 homeschool conventions, along with a planner to help you organize your weekend and keep track of workshops and vendors!
Why to Attend a Homeschool Convention + FREE Planner
There’s just no substitute for community and face-to-face contact, and a homeschool convention offers benefits that you won’t find anywhere else… Pick up your FREE Homeschool Convention Planning Pack!
DD’S Journal: Holiday Edition!
As our gift to you, we’ve put together a holiday bundle, with several crafts and activities, plus two full-length history-based holiday unit studies!
The Costs of Homeschooling
HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) estimates that homeschooling families spend approximately $300 to $600 per year, per child, on educational needs. This can really add up! There are ways, however, to save money…
Homeschool to College Success!
Worried about getting all of the pieces right in the high school homeschool puzzle? Through the...
Creating an IEP for the Homeschool Special Needs Student
Parents of special needs children have a difficult row to hoe…one fraught with worry, sleepless...
FREE Homeschool Materials
Once you’ve explored homeschooling styles a bit, you’ll probably set off looking for curriculum. Here are some places where you can score curriculum and materials for free!
Is Virtual School the Same as Homeschool?
Connections Academy, Epic, K12....all of these virtual public school programs are often confused...
Teaching the Special Needs Child
For some parents, having a special needs child is the impetus to homeschool. For others,...
DD’s Journal – Through the School Years
As the school year comes to an end, I see so many changes. Teaching two instead of one been...
Educator Training & Resources
Do you know how many great opportunities there are for homeschooling mamas to get educator...
DD’s Journal – Homeschool Convention Time!
It's that time again! Every homeschool mom's delight! Homeschool children...
DD’s Journal – End of the Year Reflections
Another school year is coming to a close. This year really flew by fast. 13 years I...
Shack Diaries
What IS the Book SHACK? Sooner Homeschool Angels Curriculum Koop (yes, we know co-op doesn't start...
Re-framing the Day in an Educational Context
First-time homeschoolers generally try to replicate public school at home. It's what they...
Welcome To Oklahoma Book Shack!
Thanks for stopping by. This is Sammy the Web guy 🙂 and we are currently under construction here. So mind the mess 🙂 as I dig through and get something everyone can enjoy and use. So keep checking back as things will continue to evolve and grow.