All Posts

A Little About Me Hi, I’m an engineer who spent years working for Fortune 500 companies before making a big life shift: choosing to leave the corporate world to homeschool my child and build a life centered around learning, creativity, and community here in Central Oregon. I’ve always had a deep passion for mathematics and STEM, and I love showing kids the magic, curiosity, and creativity inside those subjects. That passion shapes everything I create here from simple experime

Some children learn best when their learning environment feels calm, connected, and emotionally safe. They may need time to warm up to a new idea, prefer a quieter environment, or do their best work when they feel supported rather than rushed. They may be deeply affected by frustration, criticism, or pressure and may need a little more time before they're ready to try again. If your child thrives with encouragement, connection, predictable routines, and a gentle approach, you

Some vegetables seem pretty ordinary until you slow down and look at them a little differently. Tomatoes are a good example. From the outside, a tomato doesn't tell us much about what's happening inside. But cut one open and suddenly there are seeds, chambers, juicy spaces, and patterns to explore. This week, our tomatoes gave us a simple question: What's happening inside a tomato? As with many of our CSA explorations, this isn't about turning a vegetable into a complicated l

CSA pickup day has become one of my favorite weekly routines. We head to the farm, see what is growing, choose our vegetables, and then decide which one will give us something interesting to explore. This week, our CSA box was full of variety: tomatoes, carrots, yellow onions, celery, eggplant, cilantro, kale, zucchini, cucumbers, and Napa cabbage. Napa cabbage and eggplant were both new additions to our box this week, which made me especially curious to take a closer look. W

If you’ve ever watched your child struggle through a worksheet, only to see them completely light up when they get to build, move, touch, test, or experiment, you may have noticed an important learning preference. Some children seem to engage more easily when learning is active. They may want to move while thinking, use their hands to understand a concept, or experience something before they're ready to explain it. This doesn't mean your child has to fit neatly into a categor

Teaching numbers doesn't always need to involve flashcards, worksheets, or sitting at the table. One of the simplest things I did when I was teaching my child numbers was to put a number chart on the wall in front of the toilet. Yep. The bathroom. Every time my child went to the bathroom, we'd take a few seconds to look at the numbers. We'd count. We'd point. We'd talk about the numbers. That's it. It became a tiny part of our everyday routine instead of another lesson we had

Some vegetables almost seem designed for little hands-on discoveries. Corn is one of them. This week, our CSA box was full of color: celery, beets, tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, rainbow chard, bell peppers, carrots, corn, and yellow onions. When we looked at the corn, I decided to slow down before we cooked it and take a closer look. The rows of kernels made a simple opportunity to explore patterns, counting, structure, and how a plant stores its seeds. And then, of course,

Some vegetables are easy to overlook because we see them so often. Celery was one of those vegetables in our CSA box this week. It's familiar, simple, and usually something we chop up without thinking much about it, but when we slowed down and looked closely, celery gave us a surprisingly good opportunity to explore plant structure, water movement, and how plants transport water from one place to another. That's one of the things I love about seasonal learning. The vegetables

Can you use the Sun to tell time? You don't need a clock, a phone, or any special equipment for this simple outdoor STEM activity. With just a stick and a few rocks or pieces of chalk, you can create your own shadow clock and watch how the position of the Sun changes throughout the day. This is a great activity for slowing down, getting outside, and observing something that is happening around us all the time. What You'll Need A straight stick, about 1–2 feet long Several sma

A simple, hands-on STEM activity to explore buoyancy, density, and water What floats? What sinks? And why? You probably already know that a rock sinks and a leaf usually floats. But what happens when you start testing objects that aren't quite so obvious? A spoon, an apple, a stick, a plastic lid, or a piece of bark. Before long, a simple bowl of water can turn into a little science investigation. The Float or Sink Challenge is an easy, low-prep STEM activity that invites kid

Have you ever wondered how people colored fabric before they could simply buy a bottle of fabric dye? For this activity, we're going to make our own dyes using vegetables, spices, and other natural materials and use them to dye a playsilk. It's part art, part science, and a fun way to explore how plants can produce natural pigments. What You'll Need A white playsilk* Natural dye material Water A pot** Strainer or fine mesh sieve Tongs or a spoon White vinegar Bowl or containe

What can one little apple seed tell us? For Johnny Appleseed Day, grab an apple and turn snack time into a simple hands-on STEM adventure. This activity combines prediction, counting, observation, patterns, and plant science, all with something you probably already have at home. Predict Before cutting into your apple, make a guess: How many seeds do you think are inside? Write down your prediction. Cut & Investigate Cut the apple across the middle so you can see the star-shap

Can You Design Something That Catches the Wind? We've watched the wind move different objects in the Wind Motion test activity. Now let's take that idea one step further. Instead of simply observing what the wind does, let's design something for the wind to move. This is an engineering challenge: Can you create a shape that catches enough moving air to move? What You'll Need Paper Scissors Tape String A lightweight object such as a paper cup or small paper bag A stick, branch

Wind is all around us, but we can't see the air itself. So how can we see what the wind is doing? For this simple outdoor STEM activity, use natural objects to observe how moving air creates different kinds of motion. No special supplies are needed, just a breezy day, a little curiosity, and a few things you can find outside. What You'll Need Find a few lightweight natural objects, such as: A green leaf A dry leaf Pine needles A blade of grass A feather A small piece of bark

What happens when moving air meets a set of spinning blades? Today we're going to find out! A simple paper windmill is an easy, hands-on way to explore wind, motion, energy, and design. With just a few basic materials, kids can build their own windmill, test it, make changes, and see how those changes affect the way it spins. You don't need a complicated lesson plan. Just build, test, wonder, and try again! What You'll Need A square piece of paper Scissors A pencil A pushpin

Writing a letter is a simple way to slow down, practice communication, and connect with someone, even when they aren't nearby. Children can write to a grandparent, friend, family member, or even their future selves. Younger children can draw a picture and dictate their message to an adult. Try It Choose someone to write to. Think about what you would like to tell them. Write your letter. Include a greeting, your message, and a closing. Decorate your paper or envelope if you'd

CSA pickup day has become one of my favorite weekly routines. We head to the farm, see what is growing, choose our vegetables, and then decide which one will give us something interesting to explore. What started as a simple weekly pickup has become an anchor for seasonal learning. Each box gives us a chance to slow down, notice what is growing around us, explore a little STEM, and cook something together. In this series, I'll share what we received, one simple STEM explorati

The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is one of my favorite summer traditions in Central Oregon. Every July, the entire town transforms into an open‑air gallery, with quilts hanging from storefronts, balconies, fences, and every spare wall. Even with the heat and the crowds, it’s still one of the most visually striking events of the season and this year gave us a mix of familiar charm and new discoveries. A Little History The show began in 1975 when Jean Wells, owner of Stitchin’ Po

This week brought a few unexpected treats for our CSA pickup, purple onions, golden beets and bell peppers! Even though the pick‑up looks a lot like last week’s, the produce itself has shifted in tiny ways: color, texture, size, and patterns that show how midsummer growth is progressing. These little changes make for easy, kid‑friendly STEM observations as we unpack and cook. The bell peppers were especially fun to explore. Cut one open and you suddenly have a natural little

Midsummer boxes have a certain momentum to them, the kind where plants start showing the results of long, warm days and cool high‑desert nights. This week’s produce isn’t about big surprises; it’s about watching vegetables settle into their seasonal stride. Roots firm up, herbs hit peak fragrance, and the compact patterns inside things like cauliflower become more defined. It’s a great moment to slow down and notice how each plant responds to the steady rhythm of August, turn