BJU Press Blog

Successful Learning

You want your children to succeed in their education. We do too. We offer practical tips for teaching your children math, science, writing, and more! These tips can be applied to any homeschool curriculum. There are also highlights of our new textbooks with examples of how our curriculum trains your children to have success in their learning.

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Harvest Themed Homeschool Activities

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harvest themed homeschool activities
What’s not to love about fall? Cooler weather, colorful leaves, apples, and pumpkins are the perfect inspiration for harvest-themed homeschool activities you can enjoy with your family. It’s an ideal season for both indoor and outdoor creativity, so here are just a few ideas to jumpstart your fall plans.

Crafts

Pumpkin Carving

Probably the easiest one to start with is pumpkin carving—a classic harvest tradition. What’s great about it is you can carve just about anything you want into your pumpkins: family initials, leaf shapes, animals, words, etc. If you don’t relish the thought of taking out the insides of pumpkins, you could simply use craft paint to create all sorts of fun designs and pictures on the outside instead of carving them. (Tip: I’ve tried the pumpkins made of foam; they are just as fun to carve and a lot less messy!)

Acorns

Last year, our daughters came up with their own fall craft. We have oak trees behind our house that drop loads of acorns on the ground. Our girls decided to collect acorns and paint them, and in a couple of weeks we had a bowl full of colorful acorns. The girls had fun experimenting with colors and designs. They painted stripes, polka dots, and swirls on the acorns; they painted faces on some of them and made others that looked like bees and ladybugs. It was an easy, cheap activity that provided hours of amusement!

Preserving Leaves

Another popular fall craft is preserving leaves, and this is a simple one to do with younger children. There are several methods, but perhaps the best one for preserving leaves the longest is by using glycerin. You can find it at health food and craft stores or online. Mix a solution of one part glycerin to two parts water in a shallow pan. Place the leaves in the solution and place a heavy pan or dish on top to completely submerge them. Then all you have to do is wait two or three days; by then the leaves should be supple and soft. If they’re still dry, leave them in the solution for another two to three days. When they are pliable, remove them from the pan and gently pat them dry.

Outdoor Homeschool Activities

Nature Walks

A great way to take advantage of cooler fall weather is to take a nature walk with your children. Engage them by asking questions about the different things you see. For example, “Why do the leaves change color and fall?” or “How do we know that fall will continue to come every year?”

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Another enjoyable outdoor activity is a nature scavenger hunt. My husband and I have made a list of several items for our daughters to look for in the woods, including yellow flowers, mushrooms, butterflies, pine cones, moss, a red leaf, a unique rock, and any animal that lives in the woods. The goal is to find as many of these things as possible, and it’s fun to search for them as a family.

Hopefully these are some homeschool activities you can use to create your own special fall family memories!

• • • • •

Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

When Homeschooling Gets Hard, Don’t Quit

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don't quit when homeschooling gets hard
Some days, I’m not sure that I can do this homeschooling thing. Some days, I want to quit.

Homeschooling is really, really hard. It might not look hard when you are browsing curriculum catalogs or listening to a veteran homeschool mom on a podcast. But just about any homeschool mom has had the moment—the moment when the task of homeschooling is so overwhelming that she wants to quit entirely. I’ve had that moment. I’ve had many (hundreds?) of those moments. But before you give up homeschooling, consider the following.

Take time to remember why you are homeschooling in the first place.

There are a lot of different reasons why families choose to homeschool their children. Some of you may be homeschooling right now in order to give your children stability in this uncertain time. Some of you may be homeschooling because of health reasons. Or some of you might be homeschooling because of dissatisfaction with the government school systems. Your choice to homeschool was a brave one, and more than likely, it’s still the best choice you could have made.

When I am feeling discouraged about homeschooling, I often think back to why my husband and I decided to start homeschooling four years ago. We had some great schooling options at the time, but my husband and I chose homeschooling because we felt that homeschooling would give us the best opportunity to instill in our children a biblical worldview. We still feel that way. So whenever I feel like giving up, I encourage myself with the fact that the big thing I am doing—instilling in my children a biblical worldview—is really, really worth doing.

Take time to remember the end goal of homeschooling.

I think homeschooling is a lot like exercising. The individual workouts can be brutal. How many of us really want to do those last two minutes on the treadmill? I know I definitely don’t. My whole body screams in protest. But I run those last two minutes because I know that in the end, the hard work will be worth it. My body will grow stronger.

It’s that way with homeschooling too. Individual days can get really discouraging. Like the day not too long ago when one of my children cried her way through her science test. Or the day when we spent way too long struggling through a math page. Days like those can make us feel like failures. They can make us feel completely inadequate for the task of homeschooling. They can make us want to quit. But we endure those rough homeschooling moments because homeschooling is worth it. Our children are getting the best education that we can give them.

Take time to count the homeschooling wins.

Even in the rough days, there are some bright spots. We just tend to focus so much on the bad moments that we overlook the good ones. For example, on the day my child cried through her science test, that same child took the initiative to do an extra, unassigned math page to be “extra prepared” for an upcoming test. That was definitely a big win. And that day when we spent a very long time struggling through math? There was a big win on that day too—my reluctant reader really got into her reading lesson that day and didn’t want to stop.

There may be a lot of homeschool wins in your home that you have been overlooking. Take the time to count them up. Homeschooling is probably going a lot better than you think!

Take time when considering if you need to make adjustments to your homeschool.

This step is last for a reason. Some homeschoolers, when going through a time of discouragement, will try to make dramatic changes in their homeschool. They will buy an entirely new curriculum if they feel like their current choice isn’t working. That “fix” doesn’t usually end up really fixing the problem, and it can cause a lot of instability in your homeschool.

Small adjustments to your homeschool can often make a big difference. For example, I have one child who is very easily distracted by others. So a few weeks ago, I started having her do her school in a separate (but adjacent) room from my other two children. She can focus better, and her schoolwork has improved. Another adjustment we made this year was with our routine. My children prefer to do their favorite subjects first and leave the hard ones for late in the day. This year, my husband and I encouraged them to tackle the hard courses first thing in the day while their minds are the freshest. That simple change in routine has helped them do better in those challenging subjects and has helped us finish our homeschool day earlier. It was definitely a win-win!

A word of encouragement…

If you are homeschooling for the very first time this year, take heart. It does get better! The first year of homeschooling is extra challenging because both you and your children are learning how to make homeschooling work for your family. If you are feeling really discouraged and need some help navigating these first few months, please consider reaching out to your local Homeworks consultant. Chances are, she’s had some of the very same challenges, and she stands ready to help you.

Finally, I want to share one of my favorite verses that helps me when I am feeling discouraged about homeschooling or a myriad of other things.

1 Thessalonians 5:24: Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

The Lord will be faithful to you, and He will help you with this very important and very wonderful task of homeschooling your children.

21st Century Skills and 21st Century Homeschooling (Part 3)

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creating a 21st century homeschooling experience
The Actual 21st Century Homeschooling Part

Homeschool families have known for years that the traditional model for teaching children used in most public schools—reading, lecture, homework, repeat—simply doesn’t work for all children. This model produces students who are good at following directions and taking tests, but not at thinking for themselves. That’s why educators push teaching 21st century skills—the learning skills, the literacy skills, and the life skills. These skills, practically applied to the teaching process, produce a very different model for learning. It’s more than a departure from reading, lecture, and homework. It’s a restructuring of the entire system to make teaching these skills possible. And in your homeschool, you have every advantage in producing a learning environment that supports teaching any skill you want. In fact, you’re likely already well on your way to 21st century homeschooling.

Schools are often locked into one structure or system by the expectations they have to meet. You can forget those expectations and focus on teaching your children how to be better servants. You’re not chasing after grades or test results. You’re preparing your children for the rest of their lives in the 21st century. So how do you do that?

By giving them opportunities to practice the skills.

Practicing and Applying the Learning Skills

The learning skills are the skills that are most strongly supported by your homeschool curriculum. With that support, they’ll often be the easiest to practice. But just because plenty of opportunities to practice a skill exist doesn’t mean the skill itself is easy. Some things may come naturally, but others will take time and effort. Your children need to use the opportunities they have to develop the skills appropriately. Does that mean you have to make sure your children are doing every activity you come across? Does it mean requiring them to answer every essay question?

No, but it is important to make sure that your children do as well as they can on the activities they do work on. The process of developing the learning skills and encouraging good learners is just as much about developing perseverance, determination, and confidence as it is about the work itself.

Practicing and Applying the Literacy Skills

Because of the expense and unease often connected with using skills related to technology, you may hesitate to offer your children opportunities to use them. As you prepare your children for using and applying these skills, focus on preparing them to be wise about technology. They should know the dangers of using technology as well as the benefits of using technology properly. Most importantly, your children need to see you demonstrating in your own life the same wisdom and expectations with technology that you set up for them.

When you do give your kids opportunities to use technology skills, be present, be available, and start small. I remember in college, my freshman English classes required us to format our papers in specific ways. It wasn’t until I was teaching the same course several years later that I realized it wasn’t about making sure papers were pretty and legible. This requirement gave students a reason and an opportunity to learn about their word processors so they could match formatting requirements in future classes. It was a small start, but it helped.

Practicing and Applying the Life Skills

The life skills are so named because they come from life. These skills teach children how to be successful in their own lives. You can help your children practice and apply these skills by involving them in your life. Teaching life skills includes showing your children how to cook, clean, and do their taxes, but it also lets them see how you make decisions and interact with other people. As your children grow and learn, you can involve them more and more in your day-to-day life and work. Eventually, there will come a point when they will be able to take responsibility for their education and will be ready to make choices that will impact their futures. If they have been living your life with you, they will likely be more prepared to make wise and fruitful decisions for themselves.

With these 21st century skills, homeschooling families are often already ahead. There’s no place like home for teaching your children and preparing them to serve Christ, their families, their communities, and their employers.

Creative Thinking: Connecting the Dots

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boy reading in hammock for creative thinking
My best friend has always insisted that she is not creative. It’s true that she doesn’t gravitate toward crafty projects. But scrapbooking and making art are not the only ways to be creative. Creative thinking is being able to use what you already know to solve a problem you’ve never seen before. And my friend does that all the time as a doctor in the emergency room. Medical doctors need a strong knowledge base. But they also have to be able to connect that knowledge to the patient sitting in front of them.

Is creative thinking an innate skill, or can you teach it to your children? God, the most creative thinker, made us in His image. Therefore, we all have the potential to think creatively. You can help your children learn to connect prior knowledge to new problems. Here are some ways to instill creative thinking.

Add variety to the learning environment.

You have probably designated a place in your home for learning. The benefit to learning and testing in the same place is that it aids memory and recall. However, varying the environment strengthens the ability to apply knowledge in a new context. Homeschooling allows more opportunity for changing the learning environment than traditional classrooms can. Using a variety of teaching methods also promotes creative thinking. Use analogies in your teaching to connect new concepts back to what your kids already know. The variety of environments and methods promotes a variety of mental connections.

Ask open-ended questions.

Before teaching new content, ask questions like, “Since you know seven times five, how would you solve seven times six? What would you try first?” Notice the hint about what prior knowledge will be helpful to apply. The hint gives your children confidence, when faced with a new question. Asking what they would try first, implies that they may need more than one try to solve the problem. Even outside of school, you can entertain open-ended questions that begin with “What if.” Ask your children to think about what they would do in different scenarios, realistic or imaginary. What if we are on a field trip and you can’t find me? What if you could have any superpower you wanted? Let them imagine scenarios they have not encountered by thinking creatively.

Have them explain in their own words.

Ask your children to describe what they have learned recently to Grandma. You can also ask them to teach a younger sibling what they have learned. They will have to know it well enough to use their own words and make it simple. Even an above average student will benefit from study groups. Explaining content to others helps move that knowledge from short-term to long-term memory. The better they remember information, the more likely they will be able to connect that knowledge to new areas.

Encourage collaboration.

Your children may be able to collaborate on some problems at home. If not, be sure to include interactions with other children in your schedule. Giving kids projects to work on together can increase their confidence when they don’t have all the answers. Connecting with people who think differently broadens the scope of their thinking. Working in groups gives kids confidence to think creatively on their own. At the park recently, I saw a group of Boy Scouts tying knots together. The next time one of them needs a knot, what will he do? He will remember that collaboration and connect the dots from what he learned then to the new problem he faces.

Practice.

After teaching in a way that promotes creative thinking, be sure to practice. Thinking creatively is not limited to science and math. Any subject will do. Like any skill, getting better at creative thinking comes with more practice. Inevitably, your children will be unsuccessful. They may not be able to connect to prior knowledge at first. Some kids will be frustrated when solutions are not easy to find. The word “yet” is valuable. When your child says, “My idea isn’t working,” you can add, “yet.” When she says, “I can’t do this,” again you add, “yet.” Talk to your children about times when you had to try again and again. Remind them that a solution that doesn’t work is useful. You know what won’t work, and now you can try other possibilities. Thomas Edison is credited with saying, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Kids and adults can learn to think creatively with intent and practice. If you’re hoping to teach your children to think creatively, what would you try first?

• • • • •

Valerie is a wife and a mother to a very busy toddler. In her free time she enjoys reading all kinds of books. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Bob Jones University, minoring in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Ohio State University. Valerie has 15 years of experience working in research laboratories and has coauthored 8 original research articles. She has also taught several classes and laboratories at the high school and college levels. She currently works as a Data Analyst and a freelance writer.

Mastery vs. Spiral Learning

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mastery vs. spiral learning
We hope that what we teach our children sticks with them, and that they build on that knowledge for the rest of their lives. But traditional approaches to education often fail to help children retain the material. Short units that focus on good test performance succeed in short-term retention, but do not result in learning that sticks with students long after they’ve finished the unit. However, different approaches that emphasize mastery of concepts help students retain material longer. Two dominant approaches for learning that sticks, specifically in math, are mastery and spiral learning. These learning strategies are tools you can use to choose and adapt curriculum to best support your children.

Mastery Learning

Mastery learning is studying one concept at a time in-depth, mastering it before moving on. This approach focuses on giving children as much time as they need to understand the material. Most traditional approaches have students working in time-constrained units where they move to the next unit even if they haven’t mastered the material. That approach can impede students’ learning. For example, children who don’t understand the concepts necessary for Pre-Algebra will eventually hit a wall because they have too many gaps in their knowledge. They may think, “I just can’t do math!” However, they likely just never mastered the foundational material. In a mastery learning approach, there are no restrictive time frames for learning the material. Students won’t feel rushed to understand all the material. They can move at their own pace to master the concepts.

Spiral Learning

Spiral learning is repeating a set of topics throughout the year, adding more depth to the material each time. For example, each unit may contain addition and subtraction but each treatment of those topics adds a new skill, like increasing the amount of numbers in the equations. If students don’t master the material the first time, they will have many opportunities to practice that material throughout the year. There is no pressure for a child to learn the material the first, second, or even third time.

Frequent practice and review increases a child’s ability to retain information. Spiral learning also encourages flexible thinking and critical-thinking skills because students will have to decide what concept to use to solve a problem. Learning multiple concepts at the same time also encourages them to see relationships between concepts.

Our Approach

While we generally use spiral learning for all courses, at BJU Press, we use both of these learning strategies in our math materials. Our approach promotes mastery as students are continually reviewing skills and uses the spiral approach to cover the same concepts in greater detail each time. Our materials emphasize understanding and application beyond memorization. They provide strategies for helping students master the material and practice real-world application.

Both of these approaches have advantages, and the wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you can match your curriculum to your children’s needs. Perhaps a mastery approach works best right now, but maybe in a different season a spiral approach is better. Remember that there is no timeline for when your child needs to achieve mastery. However long learning takes is the best timeline, and whatever way your children learn is the best approach for you.