A chronological log of all posts to this site. In the Navy, there is usually a sailor that is tasked with maintaining a chronological log (chrono-log) of all significant events! Just indulging in a little nostalgia 🙂
Old Japanese Barn finds: a balance between materialism and minimalism
January 17, 2024: It is tempting to snub materialism as an idol of modern times. But going too far will rob the future of small pieces of who you are!
Amazingly delicious Japanese Hoshigaki, persimmon ‘fruit of the gods’!
Jan 8, 2024: We tried a new thing this year! Making hoshigaki- dried Japanese persimmon in the old style! An amazing journey through Japanese tradition!
Saving money DOES NOT EQUAL Adding value!
Nov 20, 2023: It is truly astonishing how much time and anxiety we spend on the pursuit of ‘saving money’. Retrain your focus on ‘adding value’!
Amber Museum in Iwate: home of Japan’s amber heart!
April 19, 2023: A field trip to the amber museum in Kuji Iwate Japan is the perfect day trip for a young family with just enough to keep you busy for the perfect amount of time!
Homeschool vouchers: a trojan horse, but I still support
April 15, 2023: Accepting Homeschool Voucher money has its risk, but it might also be the best way to preserve our way of education in perpetuity!
Koiwai Farm Field Trip – with some advice for large families!
April 1, 2023: A homeschool farm field trip to Koiwai Farm in Northern Japan is perfect context for demonstrating some hard-won lessons in planning!
Mid-life with no real skills? Teach what you lack!
March 28, 2023: Somewhere between childhood and the responsibilities of adulthood, we often find we have developed no real skills outside our careers.
Self-Reliance: an arrogant sin, or a lost art?
March 23, 2023: We teach our children skills to be self-reliant. But shouldn’t we be teaching them these skills to make them better at helping others?
The philosophy of ants. And a free vocabulary worksheet for kindergartners!
March 19, 2023: Carpenter ants do incredible damage if left unchecked. But they also show, by their example, a stoic philosophy of teamwork and determination!
Danshari and Christian minimalism: strong medicine for the chaos of a large family!
March 16, 2023: Navigating the chaos of a large family is learning how to ride the waves of chaos! Danshari and Christian minimalism are powerful tools for taming the storm!
Japanese Carpenter Ants: The creepy-crawly friends beneath your bath!
March 13, 2023: Old Japanese kominka have some natural enemies! Including carpenter ants and termites. Found a huge colony under…the bathtub!
A Japanese timber-frame kominka renovation: Surprises behind the walls
March 8, 2023: Taking our first real look at the timber-frame structure behind the walls of our Japanese kominka! Recycled timbers and Japanese builder’s marks!
Choosing vocabulary words: Don’t guess! but…. yes its a guess!
March 4, 2023: Choosing vocabulary words appropriate for your children is more art than science. But there are some general principles and guidelines that can help!
A place beyond decision: difficult decisions are not accidents
March 2, 2023: “Thoughts become habits, habits become character, character becomes destiny, and destiny is a hard chain to break. Difficult decisions are not accidents.
Objectives: Don’t forget the reason for teaching this lesson!
February 28, 2023: Our next step in building an effective and usable lesson plan is to look at our actual objectives: what are trying to accomplish?
Lesson Planning: Why? – How to design a lesson plan that actually works!
February 24, 2023: Let me convince you to engage in deliberate and systematic lesson planning. Professional lesson planning will refocus your educational goals!
Free Lesson Plan! The Science of Snow
February 21, 2023: Join me as we develop a ‘Science of Snow’ lesson plan for our second-grade homeschoolers using Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy!
The best homeschooling base in Japan is an Akiya!
February 16, 2023: Akiya – vacant Japanese house. A perfect place to start building a country living base for homeschooling a large family!
Field trip: Admiral Togo’s flagship, Mikasa – memories of the past
February 13, 2023: A field trip to the Battleship Mikasa in Yokosuka Japan. A fascinating history and some thoughts in conducting an effective, educational field trip!
A learner-centered homeschool is easier than you think!
February 4, 2023: Creating a learner-centered homeschool environment isn’t all the difficult, but it does require deliberate thought and intentional design.
Homeschool educators start as amateurs – not good enough
January 31, 2023: Homeschool educators must seek out continuing education to move from ‘amateur’ to ‘professional. Know where you are, seek to get better.
