Meet Kristin

Mother of 4 and homeschooling while living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I'm a nature lover and environmental minimalist sharing my experience in guiding kids from the back of the boat.

Hello, I'm Kristin!

Welcome to Happy Homeschool Adventures. I'm a homeschooler of 4 kids 8 & under. We live in Oregon on a 20-acre farm and this is where our heart is.

I completed my Montessori homeschool training for the Primary years through Child of the Redwoods and my Montessori Elementary homeschool training via Trillium Montessori.

When my oldest, Kaia, was getting ready to start preschool, I knew I wanted her to have an amazing learning experience. I was already familiar with Montessori education and living a minimalist (and somewhat Montessori-friendly) lifestyle.

As a result, we decided to take the leap into homeschooling. I quickly dove into every Montessori learning opportunity I could find. I took the courses and bought the books. Next, I joined the groups and attended the conferences. I did ALL the things. Most importantly, I listened. Now, we're in our 6th year of homeschooling and I can tell you it was The. Best. Decision. we ever made.

Kaia completed Kindergarten in the spring of 2021 and has enjoyed her experiences in lower elementary. She has a younger brother, Noah, also in lower elementary, as well as younger siblings, Katalina and Joshua John, who are in their Primary years.

We strive to follow Montessori philosophy and principles and use a minimalist approach. Subscribe to our email list and stick around for more on how we live and homeschool the Montessori way!

A Few Fun Facts About Me

I'm originally from Long Island and spent my adolescence in Raleigh, NC. While there, I developed a love for Diet Mountain Dew and Rap music.

Prior to becoming an author/educator, I also worked as an RN, a research assistant, a data modeler, a DBA, an analyst, and a GIS coordinator.

I have four brothers, two older and two younger, and I loved growing up with a bunch of siblings. I've had close bonds with each of them at various stages in our lives. As adults, we can pick right back up no matter how much time passes and I value those bonds.

I thought my favorite place to visit was the Grand Canyon until we moved to the farm. Now, I feel like we've created a life we don't need a vacation from. Having said that, you wouldn't have to ask me twice to take a trip to Yellowstone.

I started documenting our homeschool experiences in 2018 with an old iPhone and a used iMac. Nowadays, I'm working with:

• MacBook Air
• pair of renewed Canon EOS 80D's
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens
• Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens
• pair of Aureday 74’’ Camera Tripods
• Rode VideoMic GO On-Camera Shotgun Microphone
• NEEWER 700W Equivalent Softbox Lighting Kit, 2Pack
• pair of SanDisk 256GB Extreme PRO SD Cards
• WD 4TB Elements Portable HDD, External Hard Drive

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New Here?

Free Montessori Great Lessons Series

Do you want assistance with planning your year? We've put together a FREE series on the Great Lessons for elementary and family-style learning that will take the overwhelm out of the beginning of your school year and keep you moving with ease all the way to spring.

Explore the Montessori Great Lessons, the introduction to the Cosmic Curriculum, traditionally given to Elementary students near the beginning of the school year. This free 5-part weekly email series will help you tell the story of how our universe began all the way to the origins of language and numbers.

Montessori's Five Great Lessons provide children with a contextual understanding of who they are, where they come from, and their unique purpose or cosmic task. Sounds like a big undertaking, right? Well, it doesn't have to be.

Learn more about this elementary homeschool course.

Free Pre-K & Kindergarten Homeschool Course

Would you like to learn more about how to homeschool your preschooler or kindergartener the Montessori way?

This 8-week course will provide parents and caregivers with a no-nonsense approach to homeschooling. You will learn how to homeschool using hands-on, child-centered, and diverse learning experiences.

This course covers ALL the relevant subjects. You'll receive information and insight that will help you identify what is best for your child. You'll also be introduced to plenty of free resources along the way.

Most importantly, you will walk away with the tools and resources you need to confidently begin your own homeschooling journey.

More on the primary homeschool course.

Start a Garden with Kids

Keep it Simple. Using household materials and simple tools, empower kids to grow food and eat healthy with this easy series of lessons that will help you start a garden with your learners.

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