On weekends, two or three different trucks cruise slowly through our neighborhood with music blasting loud enough to be heard for blocks. Inevitably, as soon as my little ones are old enough to know what the music means, they want to go out and get some ice cream. “No” is always the answer in our family. […]
history
History Begins at Creation
I’m a few weeks into teaching Heritage Studies 2 to my oldest daughter. One day as we started our history lesson after family worship, my daughter exclaimed, “I learned this in Bible class!” (That’s because our second-grade American history textbook began with creation.) She was surprised to be learning something in history class that she learned […]
Our Homeschool Field Trip Journal
This summer our family had the opportunity to visit Jamestown Settlement. It isn’t on the original site of the first permanent English settlement in North America, but it is nearby on the James River. It’s a terrific place to teach children about history. All over the living history museum, docents encourage the children to touch […]
Homeschooling During an Election Year
The controversies surrounding the 2016 presidential election have at times made me want to shut politics out of my life until the election is over. But each time, I decide against that because I know how important it is. As Christians, we can’t hide from the issues since many directly impact us. It’s our responsibility […]
Dates to Remember in July
Even though I’m not overly fond of summer, July has always been one of my favorite months—my birthday being in July probably has something to do with it. Besides the obvious holiday in July, there are many other notable events to remember. July 1, 1863, began the three-day battle of Gettysburg, a desperate attempt by […]
Remembrance in Action: A Memorial Day Project
Memorial Day blends sadness with gratitude as we remember those who died in the service of our country. Unlike Veterans’ Day, which honors the soldiers who served and returned, Memorial Day recognizes those who gave up their lives fighting for freedom. Keeping Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day straight is difficult for kids, but doing activities and […]
Three Reasons to Teach History Chronologically
Maybe I’m the only one who has this experience, but sometimes when I start telling someone a story about one of my daughters, I see a confused look on the person’s face. Realizing that I’ve left out some critical background information, I backtrack. Once it seems my audience understands, I jump back into the flow of […]