Jennefer at the Smooth Stones Academy blog has recently posted an excellent, informative run-down of the different books they have tried in their homeschool, complete with her notes about what is and is not working. For parents who need advice and guidance before making those school book purchases, this is a must-read! You can read [...]
Posts Tagged ‘school’
18 Feb
Universities Seeking out Homeschoolers
“Home-Schooled Students Rise in Supply and Demand” By PAULA WASLEY, The Chronicle of Higher Education For Katelin E. Dutill, high school began as soon as she woke up each day. During her senior year she would tackle her hardest courses first, while her 20-month-old sister was still asleep. That often meant taking a math or chemistry [...]
14 Feb
Improving a Child’s Memory
Children love to memorize things! Don’t believe me? Just observe how children beg for their favorite stories, songs, or movies over and over–because they want to memorize the passages, lyrics, or dialogue. As we get older, however, we lose our enthusiasm for the repetitive process of memorization (whereas kids love repetitive actions–like spinning around in [...]
13 Jan
Teaching Poetry
Do your children know the difference between a quatrain and a couplet? Between Haiku and Limericks? If not, head on over to the most helpful Small World blog, where she is hosting an excellent WordSmithery for kids. Her fun exercises will have your kids composing poetry in various forms in a way that will help [...]
11 Jan
Benefit of Natural Learning #10: Book-Loving Kids!
I discovered yet another benefit of natural, home-based learning last month: My daughter asked for BOOKS for Christmas! (I couldn’t get her to keep her eyes open for the camera flash. That’s okay–we’ll save those peepers for reading, I guess, LOL!) That’s right–while everyone else was rushing to the toy stores, looking for animatronic hamsters [...]
2 Jan
Kids, Computers, and Entertainment
“Are computers good for learning?” “Isn’t educational television okay?” “What about those free online homeschool programs?” Education guru Susan Wise Bauer said it best: Television and computer learning are PASSIVE LEARNING (your brain goes slack, letting the screen do all the mind-filling), whereas reading is ACTIVE LEARNING (brain is intellectually stimulated as it decodes words [...]
28 Dec
Natural Learning Benefit #5: Mother Nature’s in Charge!
One of the benefits of natural learning is the abundance of time available for children to explore and enjoy the great outdoors, rather than spending their time confined inside a cinder-clock building. When our area was hit with a snow storm last week, my children were called to recess not by the clanging of a [...]
20 Dec
Eco-Friendly and Organized
I’ve always wanted an organized school room like this or this. But let’s face it–all those plastic bins and synthetic materials are NOT earth-friendly, and definitely NOT conducive to the cozy, organic learning atmosphere that I’m trying to build. Here’s a snapshot of the two spaces we use most in our homeschool. First, the homeschool [...]
15 Dec
Cozy Math for Kids
Isn’t it fun to study at home, where the chairs are soft and the teacher snuggles with you while you read or recite stuff? My kids sure think so! Check out Dizzy’s little “study hut” in the family room: When my children were in public school, they were privileged to study the most excellent Saxon [...]
This book has changed our lives forever. My children all overcome their attention disorders and obstacles to learning once I utilized the "nature therapy" described in this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
