Tag Archive
Inspire Your Children
Early last year as I read A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille, I was intrigued by the Seven Keys of Great Teaching. One of the keys is "Inspire, Not Require," a phrase coined by Tiffany Earl. The premise of this idea is that forcing someone to learn is a bad way to teach. There are many negative outcomes and attitudes... »
Video Making 101
Around Christmas, I read an interesting article by Terry Holliday called "A Great Homeschool Project-Making a Video." She followed it up with Part Two. These articles from My Creativity Blog were designed to inspire parents/teachers to include video making into their home-schooling. Technology enables home-schoolers to broaden their world. Used safely and responsibly, technology can be a great asset to any... »
A Not-So-Perfect Life
When I read some magazine articles or blog posts or even some books, I am left with the impression that the author has it all figured out. As a writer myself, I know how easy it is to make some things seem better than they really are. Therefore for the sake of full disclosure, I live a not-so-perfect life. Living in... »
Review of Rosetta Stone Software
I learned Spanish in Junior High, High School, College, and most importantly through mission trips to Mexico. Spanish came fairly easy to me. My minor from Texas A&M University is Spanish. For four of the five years I taught in the public school system, I taught Spanish. I currently tutor in Spanish from my home once a week. In addition,... »
Creation Notebooks
Charlotte Mason believed that young people should spend as much time as possible enjoying nature. It was not until I read The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola that I completely grasped the idea of keeping a nature notebook or journal. Inspired, we began keeping one. I say "we" because I have one as well... »
5 Reasons to Attend a Homeschooling Conference
I had a great weekend! It began Friday morning when I drove my oldest son, Clayton, to The Woodlands for the Texas Home School Coalition's (THSC) Annual Conference. THSC hosts the conference at the Marriot Waterway. Speakers, vendors, and activities fill the 2 1/2 day event. My son had a great time participating in the Teen Program. My husband and... »
Inspired and Ready for School
August is almost here, which means that for my family school will resume. In the search for inspiration I read Karen Andreola's The Charlotte Mason Companion and A Pocketful of Pinecones. I cannot wait to read the sequel to the latter called Lessons at Blackberry Inn. These books were "just what the doctor ordered" for me. I struggle with the... »
It’s a Jungle Out There!
Life does not wait for you and neither does your garden. So, I dedicated a large portion of my day to tend to my garden. It was starting to look neglected after our hospital visit. The corn had to be harvested, other vegetables needed to be picked, etc. Jake joined me in the... »
Summer School Anyone?
Every year I sit down with a calendar and plan our upcoming school year. I am looking forward to next year. As usual we will begin school the first Monday of August. Why? First, public schools have been starting in August for years. However, the main reason... »
Regaining My Focus
When I first decided to home-school, I did it because I was a teacher in a local high school. Even way out in rural America, our school was full of problems. We had gangs, drugs, and a high teenage pregnancy rate to name a few issues that existed. I remember walking the halls knowing that I did not want my... »
Blood, Sweat, and No Tears
Last week I told you about how my sons, Clayton and Jake, built a deck for my father while being supervised by him. Construction 101 must have been a great class. It really inspired Jake to do another building project. Jake decided to build me... »
Construction 101
Learning at home has no beginning or end. It is constant. Your children are learning different things all the time whether you like it or not. If they are sitting in front of the television, they are learning something. What they are learning depends on what they are watching. If they are surrounded by friends and peers all day long,... »
Pursuing Our Interests
One of the advantages of homeschooling is having more time to pursue one’s interests. The hours of “school” are much more flexible and less time is spent on table work compared to the 8 a.m.-4 p.m. schedule of the local public school student. And home-schooled children do not have homework to complete in... »
What Grade Are You In?
I am willing to bet that I am not the only home schooling mom who cringes with the above question. We live in a society where children regardless of their ability are labeled with a grade level. The beauty of home schooling is that parents get to teach their child at... »
Learning with a Purpose
Every home school family I know wants to develop a love of learning in their children. This of course does not mean hitting the books 24/7, but rather giving your child the tools and desire to continuously learn something new. How? Well I want to focus on one way... »
