Ah, dawdling, time-wasting, window-staring, day-dreaming children. Gotta love them. If we didn’t, we’d give up hope. Even though we do love them, sometimes it’s tempting to give up hope. Before we can help them, though, we have to understand them. And we do. Because we dawdle, too. Have you ever procrastinated? Oh. Drat. Yes, we…
I always thought I wasn’t a homeschool co-op sort of person. I’m an introvert. I have my own very strong opinions about what is and what isn’t a waste of time. And I hate being overscheduled or overcommitted. Moreover, I think kids should have plenty of free, unstructured play time – why not schedule play…
My husband and I were both homeschooled and both read many books. My husband has many WWII facts memorized not from drilling or from chanting, but from reading and rereading and rereading his favorite books as a child. I read mostly Christian romance twaddle with a side of cookbooks and everything L.M. Montgomery. But after…
At long last, here is the post I promised back when I wrote about how I teach writing on how I teach 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…
Like I said last week, review is necessary, but so many methods for review have problems. Some review is just regurgitating the information or going over the same material again. That might be review, but it makes the student tune out rather than engage and retain. Neither Charlotte Mason nor John Milton Gregory nor Gilbert…
We’ve been using checklists in our homeschool lifestyle for about 3 years now, since my oldest was 9 and my second-born was 7. Through much trial and error, I’ve learned some rules of thumb for teaching kids to use checklists. Because I’ve received several questions about my kids’ checklists, I thought I’d share what I…
You know I love audio books, so I couldn’t drop the subject without one more list of them. Last week I made my top ten list of audio books for younger kids, so I thought I should follow it up with a top ten list for the older elementary crowd. Narnia. You’re never too old…
One month full of homeschooling lists! I’m joining up with The Nester’s 31 Days series and sharing 31 homeschool lists with you! Everything from sanity strategies to book lists to managing life details: I’ve got a list and I’m sharing it. A Collection of Homeschooling Lists Index: “Get Organized with Homeschool Lists“Previous: “School Supplies for…
Instead of doing literature as a separate subject (with the exception of studying Shakespeare), our elementary kids have a twice-monthly book club that they love. Books for an Elementary-Level Book Club My good friend and neighbor-down-the-street hosts a twice-monthly book club for her two elementary students and my two. They read the same book, then…
Completing our three year cycle, here are the books I purchased this year for our first foray into modern times. Please don’t assume just because a book is in our home that it will necessarily be a good fit in your home. Use your own discernment when it comes to books for your family. Every…