As thunder roars and lightning flashes, seven children huddle around Maria. In a strange new place, she must comfort these frightened kids, ranging in age from preschooler to teenager. She rises to the occasion with one of The Sound of Music‘s best-known songs, “My Favorite Things.” Maybe you or someone you know is having a […]
4 Teaching Tips from the Master Teacher
Wouldn’t it be nice if teaching were like a science experiment or a math equation? You could do A and B, and then C would always result. It would be nice if teaching a specific way would result in perfect knowledge and understanding in your kids—every time! Yet even wonderful teachers with great skills still have […]
The Easy Way to Plan Your Homeschool Year
When I was a kid, at the beginning of every homeschool year, my mom would buy several spiral-bound lesson planning notebooks. She would spread all our textbooks out in front of her on the kitchen table, and she would meticulously handwrite all our assignments and lesson plans into her blank notebooks. It took hours. Now you don’t have […]
Unlocking the World with Phonics
Before I learned how to read, I pretended to read books aloud. With some of my favorite picture books, I could quote the text by heart as I turned the pages. The actual process of reading was a lot harder than rote memorization— it involved forming connections, remembering patterns, and applying principles. I still remember […]
How to Encourage Self-Motivated Learning
When I was growing up, I did my schoolwork in my parents’ bedroom, sitting at a cheap desk whose fake wood-grain pattern I can still remember today. Once I was past the early grades, I watched my video classes, did the reading, and completed assignments mostly on my own with some help from my mom […]
Getting Through College Sooner
As a mom, you’re always looking towards the future, thinking about the timetable of the next twenty years. Traditionally, kids are expected to be done with high school at 18, done with college at 22, finished with the master’s degree at 23, done with the doctorate at 26. We all know that the perfect timetable […]
5 Fun Things to Do on Your First Day of Homeschool
Are you ready to jump back into homeschooling? Summer is fun and relaxing, but for busy little minds it can eventually become boring. Your kids are probably eager to hold their new textbooks in their hands and start on new projects. Here are some ways to feed that excitement and make good memories on your […]