Why do parents often find themselves helping their middle schoolers succeed in school? Middle school is a big change from elementary schools academic wise. While some students seem to breeze through the first 6 years of school, middle school can be a rude awakening for both tweens and parents. No more coddling from teachers and…
Keeping collections is good for children. The benefits of collecting do not come from the type of collecting done on the Internet with a credit card. That thinly veiled consumerism is not what I mean by collecting. Beneficial collecting is also not the hoarding of valuable things in hopes of reselling them later for a…
“A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.” ~ Abraham Lincoln Don’t we all want to raise children who LOVE to read? Reading is a gift we can give our children that will NEVER leave them. It is the gift of travel, fantasy, knowledge, and so…
Kid: Mom, I need…a new ruler…new pair of scissors…a box of tissues for the classroom…cupcakes for my birthday…a science fair display board… Mom: When do you need this by? Kid: Tomorrow! If you were a fly on the wall in my house, you would hear this conversation quite frequently. Different kid. Different item needed. Sometimes…
No matter where you have decided to educate your children (at home or by sending them to public or private school), as their parent, you have many opportunities to help them learn at home without using formal schooling methods. These six activities are easy to include in your family life and can be a wonderful…
Every human being loves attention and praise. Many of us even crave it and feel less than confident when we are not reassured by affirming words. As parents, we have incredible influence over our children through the words we use with them. Unknown to many parents, some types of praise are actually counterproductive to hard…
We typically enjoy lunch time at our house as a break from the academic school day (or a chance to enjoy an educational video). However, from time to time, we use lunch as a learning opportunity. Ways to Incorporate Learning into Lunch Time The food pyramid and other nutrition topics this meal is from…
As parents, we all know how frustrating it can be when our kids are not listening to us, when they have tuned out and our words have become nothing more than noise. Is there anything more aggravating than repeating ourselves a thousand times a day? Our children’s attention spans are more fragmented today than ever…
Bird watching is not commonly thought of as a hobby for children, but this inexpensive pastime has many benefits for the homeschooled child. If you have any birds in your area, coax them closer to your windows by strategically placing a bird feeder. Then store binoculars and field guides close to that window to encourage…
Every homeschooler reads, but not every homeschooler keeps a reading log of the time he spends reading. Why should a child keep a reading log? Isn’t that a waste of time that could be better spent reading more books? Keeping a reading log has advantages both for the child and for the homeschool parent. Accountability…
