Charlotte Mason’s philosophy felt as if someone had put into words everything I already felt about learning. She spoke of living books—books that weren’t dry, dull, or crammed with facts but ones that breathed life into knowledge. Books that engaged the heart and mind, filled with rich language, deep ideas, and stories that lingered long after the last page.

There’s something so exciting about planning a new homeschool year. Right now, I’m looking ahead to 4th grade in 2025-2026, thinking about what we’ll explore, the books we’ll read, and the hands-on projects that will bring everything to life.

I know things will shift along the way—because that’s what homeschooling does best. Some things will work beautifully, others might need adjusting, and we’ll follow new interests as they come up. But having a plan full of possibilities makes me even more excited for the year ahead!

When we teach with art, we are doing more than just making learning beautiful—we are helping children connect deeply with the world, awakening a lifelong love of discovery and creativity.

Through art, knowledge becomes personal, meaningful, and alive. And when we nurture this in childhood, we are giving children a gift they will carry forever—a way of seeing, feeling, and understanding that turns learning into something truly magical.

February was a month full of learning, creativity, and sweet moments in our homeschool! From diving into fascinating Stone Age studies to celebrating Mathilde’s baking milestone, this month was all about embracing new experiences and enjoying the little things.

We also made an exciting math curriculum change and explored ways to simplify our home life after reading Simplicity Parenting. With so much to share, I’ve put together a full recap in my latest YouTube video—grab a cozy drink, and come join me for a homeschool chat!

Homeschooling for me is a deeply personal journey, and no single method fits every family perfectly (at least not mine!). When I first started homeschooling, I explored different philosophies—Waldorf, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, and had many talks and chats with other homeschoolers about their approach—each of them offering something beautiful. But as I grew into my role as a homeschooling mom, I realized that I didn’t want to be confined to just one method.

At first, it was the art that captured my heart. But as I explored more, I realized that every aspect of Waldorf education aligned with my values and beliefs about childhood. The more I learned, the deeper I fell in love with its gentle approach. I cannot master the art of knitting and we are by any means purist in our Waldorf approach — but I am deeply inspired by the philosophy.

Baking may seem small, but it holds something far greater—it is a first taste of self-sufficiency. My daughter didn’t just make cookies; she made something for herself, by herself. As she proudly held out a warm, golden cookie, beaming with accomplishment, I realized that this was more than just a milestone for her—it was one for me, too.

As we reach the halfway mark of our homeschool year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been working well, what we’re shifting away from, and the new additions we are making to better support our rhythm and learning journey.

This fall has been so busy - Mathilde is so lucky to be Annie in the musical Annie and she is so amazing with her singing, dancing and acting - I love it! But combined with to many online classes and so many things both her and I want to do in our homeschool we are running from place to place trying to play catch up and this will have to change or we will simply burn out— so a change has to happen!

It is so much fun — I have never tried this type of creativity before and I love it— everything from thinking about the content, making my bullet script, to making pictures for my playlists using Canva. It has been so much fun and it is an amazing creative outlet for me!