School and Education aren’t the Same Thing Unschooling doesn’t mean no education; it just means no school. The unschoolers I know put in significant time and effort providing education by asking and answering questions, finding resources, connecting kids with mentors, traveling, supporting passions, etc. Despite all this great parenting, it can be hard to justify […]
A Library is a One-Stop Shop Public libraries are just the coolest idea ever! Thanks, Ben Franklin! There’s really no need to spend piles of money on curriculum for your homeschool. Let’s face it, curriculum is for teachers, so they can feel sure they’ve covered specific topics. It’s not for kids and doesn’t improve their […]
Find out Why Public School is Attractive Home-educated children sometimes decide they want to try public school. This can cause a hard-working homeschooling parent to wonder why. In fact, that’s the first question to ask. The student has a reason, and that reason is the most important piece of the puzzle. It may take time […]
A Parent Asks: How Can I Teach Science for My Child with Dyslexia? Homeschool science provides a great opportunity for parents and kids to explore together. In the present pandemic, teachers are doing heroic work, providing materials for parents to use with kids. However, these are by no means “required.” Grading and testing have been […]
Suddenly Homeschooling Over fifty million students attend public schools in the U.S. Over half of those are home due to the COVID19 virus school closures. Likely, this number will rise over the next few weeks. Parents homeschooling in a pandemic face a job they didn’t ask for and haven’t had time to prepare for. So […]
Homeschooling May Happen Unexpectedly Due to school closures, many parents find themselves suddenly homeschooling. When this happens without much warning, parents can feel a bit unsure about how to proceed. So, today I’m going to give some pointers for parents who find themselves wondering how they will manage. Although suddenly homeschooling seems daunting at first, […]
Language Delay Hampers Classroom Success A language delay can seriously impact success in the classroom. This negatively affects the student’s self-esteem and desire to participate. The causes of language delay vary; dyslexia/dyspraxia, autism, second language, premature birth, language deficient home environment, speech problem, hearing problem, and others. Whatever the cause, teachers and parents hold the […]
Science Education as a Response to Nature The most natural way to do science education lies in responding to the science all around us! Back before we were insulated from weather and geography, people learned to watch the sky for storm warnings and to consider the mountains and valleys through which they traveled so slowly. […]
Different Scheduling for Different Kids “What sort of scheduling did you follow when you were homeschooling?” asked my friend, Susan. “My boys drive me crazy arguing about when to do their school work, even though they enjoy it.” I surprised Susan by telling her that one daughter started her school day by 7:00 a.m. Furthermore, […]
Powerhouse Vocabulary Builder In 25 years as a reading tutor, one vocabulary-building tool stands out above all the others: Rummy Roots. It’s not fancy — just six decks of cards. The first three come together as Rummy Roots and the second three are sold as More Roots. The package comes with instructions for several games, […]