Hi Safe Haven Family!
I have some goodies to share with you today.
First, a story.
When the Way We Teach Isn’t the Way Our Kids Learn
What if the problem isn’t the child, but the method?
Sometimes, the way we naturally want to teach isn’t the way our kids are wired to learn. I discovered this more than once during our homeschool journey—and every time, it stretched me as a mom and teacher.
📚 A Lesson from the Library
When my oldest son was a little guy, I loved reading picture books to him. We’d make regular trips to the library, and I’d come home with a stack of carefully chosen titles—many of them recommended in my college children’s literature class.
He liked the stories. I loved sharing them. Everything was going smoothly.
Then one summer, the library announced a kids’ reading challenge. We picked up a booklet:
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✅ Two picture books (easy!)
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🧪 Two nonfiction books (okay, we can try)
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🧝♂️ Two fantasy
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🕵️ Two mysteries
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🏃 Two action-adventure books
It pushed us out of our comfort zone. But that’s where I discovered something.
When we got to the nonfiction books—especially the science ones—Shawn lit up.
“I really like these real books,” he said with wide eyes.
That moment changed everything. From then on, I began choosing nonfiction books just for him. He was thrilled. And I realized I had been teaching based on my preferences, not his.
🧠 Then Came Morgan
Morgan, our sixth child, didn’t shy away from speaking his mind. I had been reading novels and historical fiction aloud to the family for years. But one day, Morgan spoke up:
“I don’t like those kinds of books. Can we read real ones instead?”
He didn’t want fictionalized stories about real people. He wanted facts. Real events. No made-up conversations.
I was flabbergasted—historical fiction is my favorite! But I took a deep breath, swallowed my pride, and adjusted.
I found engaging nonfiction books on the same topics. Morgan was happy. And again, I was reminded that effective homeschooling starts with knowing your child.
🌱 Letting Go of Ego and Embracing Growth
I’m grateful I didn’t turn those moments into a power struggle. It’s easy to feel rejected when our kids don’t share our interests, but parenting—and especially homeschooling—requires humility.
Sometimes we have to grow ourselves before we can guide our kids.
🧩 Why Learning Styles Matter
As homeschoolers, we have the freedom to tailor education to our children’s needs. That’s a gift—but it also means we need to pay attention. If your child is bored, frustrated, or checked out, it doesn’t mean something’s wrong with them.
It may just mean the method doesn’t match their learning style.
When we teach in a way that honors how our child learns best, learning becomes more joyful and natural. Confidence grows. Frustration fades.
So, pay attention to what lights them up. Be flexible. And don’t be afraid to pivot.
You might be surprised what a little shift can unlock.
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And now a limerick!
A homeschool mom is a curious thing.
She will clean and declutter her house every Spring.
She’ll throw away toys
In spite of kids’ noise.
But to each and ev’ry book she will cling.
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Many of us are thinking about next year already, so I have a great deal for you. I’m throwing a sale at my Teachers Pay Teachers store starting May 5 and going through May 8. It’s my Homeschool Kickstart Sale.
The Weekly Review pages give your child a chance to show off what they have learned. I wanted to create pages that require more than fill-in-the-blank or a rote repetition of the same thing over and over again.
I wanted these pages to have substance, something they could sink their teeth into. I want to make your kids ready to win at Jeopardy! Just kidding. I was careful to keep the questions at first grade level and second grade level so they could understand and remember the content.
The Weekly Review pages are a fun way to review, but also a guide for what to teach each week. The Curriculum Guide lays out what you can teach each week for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Art. There are lots of book suggestions for each topic where you can find the answers for the review pages and enjoy studying the topic. Answers are provided for most of the review questions in the curriculum guide and some on the review pages themselves (very small and upside down).
If you want to get your kid writing, I have a great product that is actually a bundle of journals for narration, copywork, and writing prompts. This is The Green Ember Writing Bundle. The narration and copywork journals go with The Green Ember book 1. The other journal is one that I made to encourage students to write and to think about their writing. The prompts help them to identify what helps them to write better and how to set the environment to be more conducive to thinking and writing their thoughts. Giving kids practical reasons to write and topics that they care about is a great way to get them to hone their writing skills.
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And now for a FREEBIE!
This is a sweet unit study about Butterflies! It’s intended for Preschool -1st grade. It has activities, worksheets, book suggestions, videos, and more!
Get your copy HERE!
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And last but not least, here’s a video that you will love with Dachelle McVey from Literary Adventures for Kids talking about how to make homeschooling fun.
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Next time, I’ll have a story about homeschooling with confidence and the power of asking for help.
Thanks for taking this time to be with me today. As always, please share any prayer requests or answers to prayer. If you have an encouraging story to share here, please hit reply and let me know.
If these newsletters are a blessing to you, I would sure love to hear about that. If there’s something that you would like to see more of, I would like to hear that, too.
I want these newsletters to encourage, support, and motivate you to try new things in your homeschool to keep it fresh. Homeschooling can be fun! We just have to have the right mindset and expectations.
Also I want to inspire you to keep expecting the best in life. The best is yet to come!
Love,
Penney Douglas
Curriculum I’ve created with a Charlotte Mason twist plus other conventional types of curriculum
E-course I created – The Basics of Learning and Homeschooling
Coaching Course I created – Also called The Basics of Learning and Homeschooling – I take you through the course and do a coaching call with you each month
My shop for homeschool merch, t-shirts, mugs, notebooks, phone covers, and much more!
Changed By Love – My original Blog about Homeschooling, Family, Faith, and Alternative News
My YouTube Channel – Safe Haven Homeschooling Channel – Homeschool Encouragement for Newbies and Burnt-out veterans, Family projects, Relationship Building, and Interviews with Homeschool Experts
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Follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/penneymaried
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other's hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller
https://www.angelpenn.com/i-still-do/
