BJU Press Blog

BJU Press Online Learning

July 27, 2018 by Megan

I cannot begin to describe the blessing that BJU Press Online Learning has been to my homeschool. It gives me the flexibility I need to keep up with the constant needs of my household. It gives me time to nurture my little ones. But best of all, it gives me the assurance that my daughters are getting a top-quality education with a biblical worldview. This year, we’re going to be using Online Learning.

In the past, we’ve used the DVD program—and loved it! But the online program offers some benefits (and time savers) that the DVD program doesn’t, specifically in the areas of record keeping and lesson planning. With this program my children have greater ability to manage their own learning, and that will give me, as a homeschool mom, more control over their grades.

Encouraging Independent Learning

Most homeschool moms (including me) want their children to become independent learners. They want their children to be the kind of learners that can set goals, manage schedules, and meet expectations with little assistance.

Online Learning encourages independence. Students can easily pick up where they left off and easily move from one task to the next.

Students also have more control over the speed of the video lessons. They can speed the video up or slow it down, depending on the amount of time they need with a concept or task.

Giving Me Ultimate Control over My Homeschool

Part of the beauty of homeschooling is the ability to tailor the learning experience to each of my child’s individual needs. So, at the end of the day, I want to be in control of my child’s education. BJU Press Online Learning gives me that control.

I’m really excited about using Online Learning this year. If you’ve used it before, what’s your favorite feature? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Tips for Your Homeschool Space

July 26, 2018 by Jenna

The summer marches on, and we’re one step closer to starting the school year back up again. Have you begun thinking about your homeschool space setup? Whether you have a dedicated schoolroom, a homeschooling corner, or just freestyle it wherever the books fall, here are some ideas to consider.

Keeping homeschool supplies condensed

Janelle Knutson shares a tour of her homeschool room, where she keeps most of her supplies condensed on three bookshelves. This way, she can have her homeschool space wherever those shelves are. The majority of her materials for four of her children, plus some toddler toys, fit on these three shelves.

Giving the kids their own homeschool space

Erica’s dedicated homeschool room at Confessions of a Homeschooler could be an inspiration to homeschool moms everywhere. Her children have their own desks, and although the furniture is identical, the children’s personalities show up in how they decorate their desks. Even though this setup is intended for a dedicated homeschool room, you could make this work without a room. Those desks really could go anywhere in your home.

Cutting down on distractions

Lara at Everyday Graces found a need for eliminating distractions when one of her boys was diagnosed with ADHD. She even simplified how she decorated her walls! You may love filling your kids’ bedrooms with fun colors and cute decorations, but that may not be the best option for wherever you homeschool, even without ADHD. In the end, Lara wound up with a much calmer, simpler room that made learning easier.

How have you set up your homeschool space? We’d love to see it!

10 Cool Facts About Amelia Earhart

July 24, 2018 by Guest Writer

Amelia Earhart, the first woman to travel across the Atlantic by plane — Amelia Earhart

July 24th is Amelia Earhart Day! An aviation pioneer who broke numerous records, Amelia Earhart is a beloved figure in American history and an inspiration to adventurous boys and girls everywhere. Celebrate her day with your kids this summer, and discover ten cool facts about Amelia Earhart.

1. Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897.

Her mother disagreed with society’s emphasis on raising quiet, prim little girls; she encouraged her daughters to engage in fun and activity.

2. Amelia Earhart’s childhood nickname was Meelie.

Meelie was an adventurous child and often had her little sister Grace (nicknamed Pidge) following her around as she climbed trees, hunted rats, and collected insects.

3. Amelia Earhart built her own roller coaster.

With her uncle’s help, Amelia built a wooden ramp, similar to a roller coaster she remembered from a St. Louis vacation. She zoomed off the homemade ramp in a wooden box, crashed, and got up bruised but excited, exclaiming to her little sister, “Oh, Pidge, it’s just like flying!

4. Amelia Earhart was the sixteenth woman to get her pilot’s license.

When she was just twenty-three, Amelia Earhart took her first airplane ride. It was just a few hundred feet, but from then on she was determined to learn to fly.

5. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to travel across the Atlantic by plane.

On June 17, 1928, she and a couple of male pilots flew from Newfoundland, Canada, all the way over to Wales, which took about 21 hours. Since Amelia had no experience in using plane instruments, she was simply a passenger on this flight. The pilots did give her the added task of keeping the flight log. This still proved historic and brought Amelia a hero’s welcome at home and a visit to the White House.

6. Amelia Earhart was the second person and the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic.

Charles Lindbergh was the only one who had flown across the Atlantic Ocean solo, but Amelia Earhart proved herself equal to the task. Powerful winds battered her little plane during this flight, which lasted fourteen hours and fifty-six minutes. She also contended with mechanical issues before finally making it to a pasture in Northern Ireland.

7. Amelia Earhart flew solo halfway across the Pacific.

Breaking yet another record, Amelia was the first pilot to fly alone from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. Near the end of the uneventful flight, she listened to the radio broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera.

8. Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.

In 1937, Amelia attempted to fly around the globe with one crew member, Fred Noonan. She completed most of the global journey, a distance of twenty-two thousand miles, and had just seven thousand to go.

A meeting with the USCGC Itasca, a ship that was supposed to guide Earhart to a small island for refueling, didn’t happen because of navigation and communication problems. Lost over the Pacific, Earhart and Noonan disappeared.

Since no one could find them or the plane, Amelia was legally declared dead in 1939, but it’s possible that remains recovered from a nearby island years later may be hers.

9. Amelia Earhart is the subject of many books.

Check out illustrated books for kids including Who Was Amelia Earhart? by Kate Boehm Jerome, I Am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer, and Amelia Earhart, Young Air Pioneer by Jane Moore Howe.

10. You can celebrate the amazing Amelia Earhart!

To celebrate Amelia Earhart Day, your children can make a simple plane with a clothespin and a couple of craft sticks. Encourage them to paint their creations yellow to match Amelia’s first plane, the “Yellow Canary.” From paper or felt, your kids can also make a brown pilot’s hat and aviator’s goggles like those Amelia wore.

• • • • •

Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Creating Sets for Online Learning with Jodi Kappel

July 19, 2018 by Jenna

In a previous post we learned how Del Thompson influences BJU Press textbooks through art. But there’s also a lot of art that goes into creating sets for Online Learning. If you take a tour of our studios, you’ll be able to go through the scene shop, and you might even meet the person behind creating sets and props you get to see on-screen!

Jodi Kappel: Online Learning Art Director

Jodi has been the art director for eighteen years. In her position, she faces some challenges that demand creative solutions. How can she construct a unique set piece requested by the teacher? Or how is she able to change out large sets multiple times a day during peak filming season? How does she design pieces that enhance learning experiences rather than detracting from them?

Behind the Scenes of Creating Sets and Props

As an innovative artist, Jodi gets to take unconventional materials and turn them into incredibly realistic pieces. One of the pieces we saw when we visited recently was a special request for Mrs. Walker’s Reading 2 class. Mrs. Walker wanted a sign to add depth to her amusement park theme. Making a sign out of wood would have taken too long and would have made set changes too hard. So Jodi was able to put the sign together with an old lamp, tape, stickers, and Styrofoam. In the end, she had a fun sign that looks real, but was lighter and easier to carry.

Styrofoam actually makes up most of the props and sets that Jodi uses for Online Learning videos. When we were there, the scene shop was full of pieces for the K5 math course that’s being filmed. She was able to make picture frames, small props, and even a large shelf—all out of Styrofoam! A special tool, a hot wire cutter, allows her to make intricate shapes and designs, and with her artistic skills she can turn Styrofoam into something that looks like real wood!

One of our favorite pieces was a piece of apple pie that she made for Mrs. Walker. She made ice cream out of hair conditioner, water, and corn starch, and she made the pie with bread dough, Styrofoam, and hot glue—and cinnamon to make it look authentic!

Props and Sets on Screen

The pieces Jodi creates serve a unique function for the teachers. The props and sets are realistic enough so that they won’t distract from the lesson, yet functional enough that teachers can still use them.

The next time you see a brick wall or wooden cupboard on set, remember that everything may not be as it seems. With a little bit of creativity and innovation, who knows what you can create!

Finding Your Balance

July 17, 2018 by Guest Writer

One of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is the freedom to plan your school schedule to best fit your family’s needs. You get to decide how to arrange your school year, and you also get to set your daily school routine. But as you do, remember two essential components—structure and flexibility. As a battery needs both a positive and negative charge to work, so your homeschool needs both discipline and flexibility to run smoothly. The key to a successful school year is a balance of both structure and flexibility. If you’re like me, you will tend to lean more toward one than the other, so it can be challenging—but not impossible—to incorporate both structure and flexibility.

Order, Order!

Some families err on the side of structure. They have a specific school year start and end date, no exceptions. They begin school at the same time every day, no exceptions. The children do their subjects in the same order every day, for the same amount of time every day, no exceptions. Every minute is planned, even during break times. There’s nothing wrong with being organized, but having such a rigid schedule can create frustration for both parent and child and even hinder a child’s learning process. For example, a mom who feels pressure to stay on schedule may push her children through a subject they’re struggling with when they need extra time to fully understand it. Too much structure can create monotony and stifle educational growth.

Free-for-All

On the other hand, some families are too lax when it comes to school. They have no specific start/end date for the school year. There’s no set daily starting time; school begins whenever everyone finally gets around to it. The children may or may not complete all of their subjects. Mom may choose to ditch school for the day and take a field trip instead. She figures she can always make up for lost time later; but that, too, can cause frustration when she realizes just how far behind they are toward the end of the school year. In scrambling to catch up, a child may skip important foundational concepts that are crucial for future learning. Too much flexibility can create chaos and stunt educational growth.

Happy Medium

Aim for a healthy balance of structure and flexibility. Set goals for your family’s school year and come up with a reasonable schedule. Then stick to it as much as possible. Try to start around the same time every day, and follow a daily lesson plan. Set aside several days to use however you want; that way, you won’t feel pressured to make up for missed days due to sickness or other unexpected interruptions. Nor will you feel guilty for taking a field trip or a few days’ vacation. Maintaining an orderly yet flexible schedule will help you stay on track and make your school year much more enjoyable.