A photo of Kelly Sage

Kelly Sage

Kelly left teaching middle and high school English to homeschool her children and reclaim how she and her family spent their time. Followers of interest-led learning, her family's days rarely look the same, but they tend to include a lot of books, art supplies, and time outside.

Kelly facilitates local writing circles for women and children and blogs about nurturing the love of learning on her blog, Curiosity Encouraged. She loves to journal, read memoirs, hike, and travel. She seeks quiet mornings and good coffee daily.

How BookShark Teaches Reading Comprehension without Worksheets

a child leans his head on his dad's chest as the dad reads The Boxcar Children

How BookShark Teaches Reading Comprehension without WorksheetsMy fifth grader lies in the sunshine. Although her eyes are closed, I can tell she’s paying attention by the slight smirk on her lips. She loves this book—Where the Mountain Meets the Moon from BookShark Reading with History Level 5 Eastern Hemisphere. And in the passage today, we’re about to find the Old Man in the Moon.

Our daily ritual of reading aloud is one of our favorite parts of the homeschool day. It's not only a time for us to lose ourselves in a story, but it is also time for us to talk and share our ideas.

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From Box Day to Day One with BookShark

a stack of BookShark books on left; a girl doing science on the right

From Box Day to Day One with BookShark

Is there anything more fun than getting a box filled with books delivered to your doorstep? Yes, there is! Opening a box filled with books! 

My daughter yelled at me from across the house, “They’re here! The books are here.” It didn’t matter that we had company over or that she was in the middle of a project. The BookShark box had arrived, and life could resume after we opened it. 

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10 Sanity-saving Activities with Stuff You Already Have on Hand

three crafts: bird feeder, washing a car, pinecone craft

10 Sanity-saving Activities with Stuff You Already Have on HandOne of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned as a teacher and a homeschooler is to have spur-of-the-moment activities in my mental back pocket when plans change, co-op classes get canceled, we're having a bad day, or a sunny day activity is ruined by rain.

When our best-laid plans are derailed, these sanity-savers come to the rescue!

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Discussing Books with Kids: How to Foster Valuable Conversations

a dad holds a yellow book while smiling at his young daughter

Discussing Books with Kids: How to Foster Valuable Conversations Talking with our kids about a book they are reading can peter out before the conversation even starts. Why? The questions we ask, what we know about the book, and the way we hold discussions all matter. Good discussions are all about connection, and if there is one thing we homeschoolers do well, it's connecting with our children.

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5 Ways to Minimize Interruptions in Your Homeschool Day

a boy holds two fidget spinners in front of his eyes, mouth open

5 Ways to Minimize Interruptions in Your Homeschool DayOur homes are full of distractions, and before we know it, if we’re not intentional with our time, the hours tick away and our homeschool lessons remain undone. Every time we find ourselves in this situation, short of an emergency happening, it is because we have said yes to multitasking, yes to being interrupted, yes to being distracted.

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Skip School or Push Through? How to Know When to Play Homeschool Hooky

a family hikes in woods alongside water

Skip School or Push Through? How to Know When to Play Homeschool Hooky Some of my favorite childhood memories involve my mom and me playing hooky from school. Once or twice a year, she’d call me in sick, and instead of heading to the doctor or back to bed, my mom and I would head to Bob’s Big Boy for breakfast. We’d go shopping, or I’d run errands with her. Then back at home we watched her soap operas.

Nothing huge ever happened on those days, but they were the best.

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10 Real-life Ways to Practice Writing that Don't Feel Like Schoolwork

paper, pens, and pencils atop a laptop keyboard

10 Real-life Ways to Practice Writing that Don't Feel Like SchoolworkCommunication, observation, critical thinking, problem solving, hand-eye coordination, knowledge of spelling, grammar, and punctuation—what do all of these things have in common? These are the skills we apply when we write.

It’s no wonder that writing can be such a challenging subject to teach and learn.

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5 Ways to Gently Transition Kids from Lazy Summer Days to a Fall Homeschool Routine

a boy reads a book outside; his legs are on a hammock

Spend even a little time with children and it’s pretty apparent the important role transitions play. When I have the foresight to give my kids a heads up that change is on its way, things go a lot smoother. From the simple reminder that we’ll be leaving in ten minutes to the ritual of a bedtime snack and story before bed, preparing kids for what's coming next gives them the capacity to better adjust.

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