You ARE an Artist is our motto here at Hodgepodge and chalkpastel.com Why? Because you are. You just may not know it yet. “But I didn’t inherit the art gene,” you might say. “I don’t have a stitch of creativity in me,” you may have said another time. Art time might make you cringe but […]
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Time. . .How to Make a Schedule for Your Homeschool Day
Just how to make a schedule for your homeschool day? This is to be a flexible guide that will help us use our time in a way that will bring the most glory to God. Time. . .it is precious, it goes by way too quickly, and we only have a certain amount of it. […]
Afternoon Quiet Time Part Three – Questions
Keeping up the habit of sharing a helpful habit! Today I share answers to the questions about the anchor of our day. A habit of a couple of decades. Originally posted November 2009 and updated recently on Hodgepodge for today’s needs. Afternoon Quiet Time is this… If you haven’t read the other posts in this […]
Mike Mulligan Chalk Pastel Art Tutorial
We are big fans of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne. Every time I turned the page to this particular scene – the dirt, the steam, the clouds of smoke – I always thought this would make a wonderful Mike Mulligan chalk pastel art tutorial. So we set aside an art afternoon and […]
Free Fall Art Lessons for All Ages
A few leaves are already starting to turn here in the south and that means it’s time to turn our attention to fall art! Pull out those fantastic reds, oranges, browns, yellows and greens and enjoy our free fall art lessons for all ages. Don’t you love a fall palette? These colors make me so […]
Train Chalk Pastel Art Tutorial
Little Engine! This Train Chalk Pastel Art Tutorial is a MUCH-requested one from one of my youngest students. He is a real fan of The Little Engine that Could originally by author Watty Piper. Train Chalk Pastel Art Tutorial You will need the following pastel colors: blue (of course!), yellow, black, brown, green, gray and […]
100 Helpful Homeschool Habits
Helpful homeschool habits. Over the years with babies, toddlers, stacks of school books, hungry mouths and now towering teens, these are the basic routes I’ve discovered for seeing results. (And honestly, for keeping my sanity in that daily does of chaos with five children!) Over 100 helpful homeschool habits. All of our best habits in […]
How to Do Art in 5-10 Minutes
Q: How do you fit in art? How can you do art in 5-10 minutes? When, oh when, is a good time to do art with children of all ages and stages? (These are questions I get often.) A: The answer is super simple. We have found – after much practice in our home – […]
Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Choices
Many a time I have found myself pausing and being thankful that the younger two that make up our elementary homeschool are so close in age. Almost exactly two years apart with the same birthday month. They are buddies and they cheer each other on in their learning. Older sister coaches reading. Younger brother waits […]
Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Choices
In years past, I have always shared details of our preschool and kindergarten curriculum choices here at Hodgepodge. Now that we’ve had much practice with children in preschool, elementary, middle and high school all at once, I felt it was time to make a permanent spot for all our favorite homeschool curricula. One place that […]
Dandelion Chalk Pastel Art Tutorial
One of the icons of warm weather is the dandelion. Have you ever studied the detail of this beautiful creation? Oh there are so many ways you could paint it! This dandelion chalk pastel art tutorial is inspired by a photo I took last spring. I was looking down as I walked and there was […]
Homeschool Curriculum Choices at Hodgepodge
Here is a permanent spot for our homeschool curriculum choices at Hodgepodge. I wanted it to be easy for you to find our favorites and easy for me to share when I get a curriculum question (because we have such an age range and I share many reviews at The Curriculum Choice). I’ve spent some […]
Cupcake Acrylic Paint Tutorial
This lesson is narrated by Middle Girl. Both Nana and Middle Girl took the photos for this cupcake acrylic paint tutorial. Cupcake Acrylic Paint Tutorial This is a little different from our usual chalk pastels! Last weekend Nana surprised my younger sister and I with an acrylic paint lesson! She spent a little time explaining […]