Hi, I'm Laurie.
Homeschool mom, educator, curriculum writer, and the heart behind Dare to Homeschool.
I'm a passionate homeschool educator, curriculum writer, and advocate for neurodiverse learners. I'm also a proud mom of four amazing kids, and we've been a homeschooling family for nearly our entire journey.
Our home is filled with curiosity, creativity, plenty of unexpected detours, and a commitment to meeting each child exactly where they are.
For more than 15 years, I've worked alongside homeschool families and students with a wide range of backgrounds, abilities, and learning needs. I love creating resources that make meaningful learning feel more accessible, flexible, and possible in real family life.
Learning that meets your child where they are.
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Why Dare to Homeschool exists
I've been teaching in homeschool co-ops and hybrid programs for more than 15 years, and I spent six of those years running a homeschool program that supported families from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.
I absolutely love working with students who learn differently—it's where my heart and passion truly come alive.
Since 2020, I've focused on homeschooling my own children while also writing custom unit studies and learning resources for other families. My specialty is creating flexible, engaging, and inclusive curriculum that can be shaped around each child's needs, interests, strengths, and way of learning.
I deeply believe that education should adapt to the child, not the other way around.
Dare to Homeschool grew from that belief. I created it for families who want to explore meaningful ideas together without having to build every lesson, activity, and response page from scratch.
My goal is to give you a clear place to begin, thoughtfully chosen resources, and enough flexibility to make the learning truly fit your family. This is not about recreating school at home. It is about building an educational life rooted in curiosity, connection, dignity, and growth.
Why spellers will always be part of this story
My Spelling Journey
In July 2023, my oldest son, Zeke, and I began our journey into Spelling to Communicate.
Zeke was diagnosed early with speech apraxia, later autism, and additional neurological differences. He has some verbal speech—but through spelling, we discovered just how unreliable that speech can sometimes be and how much more he understands than he can consistently express aloud.
This path completely transformed the way I understand communication and learning.
My youngest daughter, Lizzie, is also autistic and an unreliable speaker. Like Zeke, she is learning to communicate through spelling. We are seeing the power of spelling to unlock greater confidence, independence, and access to her voice.
Our spelling journey revealed a need I could not ignore. Families of nonspeaking and unreliably speaking students often spend hours rewriting questions, adapting assignments, and searching for academic material that honors both their child's age and intelligence.
I know firsthand how overwhelming and isolating it can feel to step into this world, especially when traditional resources do not quite fit.
That is why spellers will always remain at the heart of Dare to Homeschool. I create meaningful, accessible learning tools that presume competence and honor the intelligence and individuality of students who spell to communicate.
This work is not just professional for me—it is deeply personal.
Experience behind the curriculum
Built on knowledge. Shaped by real homeschool life.
This work is professional for me—and deeply personal.
15+ years teaching & writing curriculum
Experience teaching in homeschool co-ops and hybrid programs, leading a homeschool program for six years, and creating custom unit studies for families since 2020.
B.A. in History & Ancient Languages
Academic training in history, Latin, and the ancient world provides a strong foundation for rich, thoughtful, and well-researched curriculum.
Brain Training & Reflex Integration
Specialized training informs resources designed to support attention, coordination, learning readiness, movement, and whole-child development.
Homeschool Mom of Four
Eight years of homeschooling four very different learners, including two students who spell to communicate, keeps every resource grounded in real family life.
What I believe
Honor the learner. Adapt the path. Learn together.
Presume competence
Every child has something meaningful to learn, communicate, and contribute. A learner’s speech, handwriting, attention, motor skills, or ability to complete traditional work does not define the depth of their understanding.
Meet each child where they are
No two children learn in exactly the same way. Education should be flexible enough to honor a child’s strengths, communication needs, interests, challenges, and current season.
Learn as a family
Some of the most meaningful learning happens together. Shared books, projects, discussions, games, and discoveries can bring children of different ages and abilities into the same conversation.
What you'll find at Dare to Homeschool
Dare to Homeschool offers flexible resources designed to help families spend less time piecing everything together and more time learning with their children.
You'll find family unit studies, brain games, intentional movement resources, and age-respectful lessons for students who spell to communicate.
There is no single right way to use what you find here. Choose what supports your children, leave what does not, and build a homeschool that reflects the real learners in front of you.
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