5 Tips for Tutoring Writing
Fourteen years ago, a fresh English major graduate, I was hired by a group of homeschool moms to teach their middle schoolers how to write and tutor writing with them one-on-one. They gave me the…
Lesson Plans for Much Ado About Nothing
Shakespeare doesn’t have to be scary or intense to incorporate into your homeschool. The stories are timeless, the language is beautiful, and they are chock full of ridiculous characters and jokes that are sure to…
The Best Character Building Program
“Mommy! He hit me!” “But he was being annoying!” How easy is it to start barking out the orders: “You, don’t tattle.” “You, don’t lie.” “You, don’t hit.” “You, mind your own business.” …and then…
How to lesson plan so you’re never behind
Write simple homeschool lesson plans that are easy to follow and never out-of-date. Beat discouragement by never being “behind” on your lesson plans! Some homeschool moms – maybe those with school-teacher backgrounds – have elaborate…
Lesson Plans for Shakespeare’s The Tempest
The Tempest is a story with betrayal, revenge, reconciliation, and devotion. It has something for everyone: slap-stick humor, violent men & monsters, friendly sprites, and a fairy-tale island setting where forgiveness and keeping one’s word…
Our 3 Year History Cycle & the books that make it work
History should never be boring. History is the study of people – and people always have stories. Stories of individuals, stories of battles, stories of cultures, stories of legends – history is inherently fascinating and…
How We Homeschool Grammar
Grammar and diagramming is not something that has always come easily for me. I remember 7th or 8th grade when diagramming was introduced in my Bob Jones Language Arts workbook. My mom and I both…
Lesson Plans for Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
We’re in the midst of studying Julius Caesar this year. The boys are happy to be doing a play that has nothing to do with marriage or love, but rather with stern and noble Romans….
A teacher must pay attention.
What is education? I love to collect quotes on what education means. Definitions are important, because without them we can be using the same word but with entirely different understandings of what we’re talking about….
How to homeschool writing without curriculum
Writing, I believe, is one of the most vital skills we can teach our kids, whether we homeschool or not. It is so poorly taught in modern education, yet in modern society written communication is…