how do you create your art?All the art used in my resources in hand-painted the old fashioned way with pencil and watercolour paints. I've used and tried out lots of different media over the years (both traditional and digital) and always come back to watercolours, I fell in love with the process as well as the finished result. The painting are then scanned into photoshop to create the final products.
What Age ranges are your printables for?I provide a range of different products and resources, most of my products are designed to be used in multiple ways and can be tailored to fit your child's age/stage and can grow with them, as I feel this provides you with the best long term value for money, however the following is a general guide:
Early Years Packs : ages 2-6 Nature, Literature, History Packs : ages 5-12 Map Drill : ages 5-15 Language Arts Programme : ages 6-12 Bible Journaling : ages 4-15 Games : ages 2-adult (check individual games) Paleo-adventures : ages 8-15 (many aspects will also suit younger children) Curious Kids Club : ages 4-15 Book List Curriculum : ages 5-12 How do you print your items?I print all my own items at home on a HP Deskjet Printer 2620 on an instant ink subscription (which I highly recommend if you want to print a lot of full colour items).
I print onto watercolour paper - specifically 200gsm cold pressed paper made by gold line (I do have to trim this paper down to fit my printer). On my instagram account, in the story highlights, you can see the full process of how I prep flashcards. Where Do I Find My ETSY Downloads?If you have purchased digital products from my Etsy shop, you can access your files as soon as payment has been made, and at any time in the future. Simply click on the 'Me' heading in the top right of your Etsy page then select 'purchases and reviews' beside your order you will find a button to download your files.
On some devices, in the Etsy app this option does not appear, to solve this problem simply use your devices browser to go to Etsy.com and log in there. If you ordered without having an Etsy account and can no longer find your files, simply message me on Etsy with your order number and I'll be able to help. The File is Too Large to Download, or the Wrong File Format!If you have a slower internet connection or are using a mobil device, some of my files may be too large to download (I like to supply my work in high resolution so that files can always be printed larger if necessary), if you have a problem with these large file formats, simply drop me a message from your Etsy account and I can supply a compressed version of all my larger files.
Likewise if the download you received in is the wrong format (most of my files are supplied in .pdf but some older ones may still be in .png format), just message me and I can convert the file to a more convent format for you.
My Printer is cutting off Part of the Page!All my files are sized to A4 (international standard sized paper), however if you are in the US you are likely using letter sized paper instead (which is slightly different proportions). If your prints are clipping the edges off, simply look for a setting within your print dialogue menu that says 'fit to page' or 'scale to fit' - this is usually a simple check box, that will ensure your print will feature the whole page.
Are your freebies really free What's the Catch?There isn't any, I provide a wide range of free activities and resources in my freebie sections, as well my curious kids club, the book based curriculums and ebooks. These items are free for your own use and to enhance your homeschool. They are entirely free you are not required to checkout, provide me with details, email address or to sign up to anything. It's a passion of mine to make sure that I can provide resources that everyone can use no matter their situation in life. All I ask is that if you enjoy my resources and have the means to do so, consider supporting me by purchasing something from my Etsy shop.
What style of homeschool or curriculum do you follow?We homeschool with a Charlotte Mason method, slightly adjusted to fit our own lifestyle and values. I do not follow any curriculum as I could not find one that fitted fully with what I wanted to teach my daughter, so instead I pull together my own book lists to use with Miss Mason's methods. I use the UK National Curriculum as a base for topics of study in Maths, Science, Geography and History.
As an early years educator, providing a home nursery setting for children aged 1-5, I use an activity shelf system and outdoor focused education drawing on principals from Montessori and forest school, so you will find influences from these educational methods in my resources too. What does You homeschool day look like?I'm not very good with sticking to detailed plans and often begin to panic if we get off track, this can cause problems when we want to take an inspiration trail and delve deeper into a particular topic. For this reason I break my day loosely into sections:
MORNING TIME (usually over breakfast and around 40 mins): Poetry Appreciation, Traditional Tales, Bible Story, Music Appreciation Loop Subjects, 2 per day including: Art Appreciation, Science book, History Spine, Geography book, Shakespeare. SCHOOL BASKET (we spend 40-60 mins on this at some point during the morning): Phonics & Spelling, Reading, Copy Work OR Written Composition, Mathematics Workbook OR Maths Challenges Loop Subjects: Spanish, PHSE, Art, Music Theory, Mandarin, Map Drill, British Sign Language, Religious Studies Brain Breaks (I add these in as needed) : matching pairs game, yoga cards, colouring, Playdough. AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES (each afternoon we choose one of the following activities to do together): Nature Walk, Nature Journalling, Book of Centuries, Handicrafts, Baking, Gardening, Coding, Music Lessons (Harp OR Piano), Science Experiment GAME SCHOOLING At tea time each day we strive to play a small selection of games, I believe that children can learn so many different skills and concepts through the playing of games, as well as providing important family time for us to end the day. LITERATURE BASKET (30-60 mins at bedtime), we will read aloud from our curriculum books each evening . Classic Literature Book, Modern Literature Book, Geography OR History Book, Shared Reader (early/emergent reader book). Why do you not provide information cards and worksheets in your packs?I am a firm believer in Charlotte Mason's principles in that children should be provided with living ideas not dry facts. Information cards cannot possibly provide a full living educational experience and therefore I choose not to supply them with my resources, instead I recommend you to take a look at my book recommendations and free curriculum resources to find quality living books to read to your children, use the resources to explore the ideas. Then allow children to freely record what they have learnt by using my journal pages to narrate onto (written, dictated or drawn), children will own their learning and develop valuable skills that cannot be gained from filling in worksheets.
Are all your products Charlotte mason?In short no! The majority of my items can be used in conjunction with a Charlotte Mason education, especially for nature study, journaling, and for displays. Some of my items provide a blended approach (such as my book lists and activities), that are intended to be used alongside living books and Miss Mason's methods but also provide you as the parent finished work that you can present in portfolios or education checks.
Many of my phonics activities draw on my own extended learning on children's reading and development. My early year's pack draw from Montessori principals for early education and are not very compatible with Charlotte Mason's methods |
