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Homeschoolers take back the mall

As I walked through the mall today I noticed several things. The first thing I noticed was that there were numerous school age kids in the mall with their parents. I realized they were homeschoolers, not because of dress, not because of mannerisms, but because of the way they took their time shopping and enjoying the after Christmas clearance sales. They weren’t hurried, or frazzled as shoppers have inhabited the mall for the last month or so. They were just intently examining clothing and other items and making purchasing decisions. (Experienced homeschoolers know the best time to shop is after … Continue reading →

The Homeschoolers’ Advent Calendar: The BIG Shopping Day

Some people say that we are certifiably insane, but we do all of our Christmas shopping in one day. That doesn’t sound so bad until you consider that we’re buying presents for 7 nieces and nephews, 5 of our own children, several friends in church, and of course we help our kids give gifts to each other. When we’re all done, we have a van full of presents, exhausted kids, and a whole night of wrapping ahead of us! There are a variety of reasons we do it this way but none of them have to do with homeschooling so … Continue reading →

The Homeschoolers’ Advent Calendar: The North Pole

While your kids are writing those wish lists out for Santa, take some time to visit the North Pole. . .via the web that is. Go ahead–make your hot chocolate, sit back, relax, and spend some time learning about the very interesting Arctic circle. I have to tell you that as I was writing this article, I was so fascinated by the things I found that it took me twice as long to write it. I kept stopping and reading and stopping some more. I hope you find it as fascinating as I did. Our first stop in our Arctic … Continue reading →

Easiest Plants For A Child’s Garden

Oats, peas, beans, and barley might grow, but what will thrive in a child’s garden? It’s a little depressing to find wilting and slug-munched plants, especially if you’re a child who’s been excited to eat from your very own garden. If you’re poring through seed catalogues like I am, think about the kid-friendly prospects inside. Peas and beans are great small space container crops. One added benefit of container crops is that they’re not always as prone to predators of the slimy persuasion. While slugs and snails can reach your containers, it might be easier to eat the goodies in … Continue reading →

Zylie the Bear Sends the Right Message

She is 12 years old, adventurous, curious, stylish, brave, and she’s a bear! Zylie the Bear is like the American Girl of bears. Mary Beth Minton and her son, Matt, created Zylie to give children a play experience that is not only fantastic but educational. In a world where toys are plastic and steal the imaginations of children with fixed ideas, Zylie and her friend Shen the Panda are a breath of fresh air. Quality toys that inspire imagination, spark curiosity about the world around the child, and will forever live in a child’s mind and heart is rare thing. … Continue reading →

If I Could Start Over Again, Thoughts from a homeschool veteran

I don’t know If I can really call myself a homeschool veteran just just yet because I have not graduated a homeschooler. I have however, gotten my kids to the high school stage and am continuing to homeschool them. 75% of homeschoolers (my best bet)decide to stop homeschooling by this point. This is not a condemnation, just a fact, as each family must do what is best for them. If I had to do it again, as in start from scratch with a new child in Kindergarten, I would certainly do things differently. There are also some things I would … Continue reading →

Homeschooling makes them more successful

A big difference between public schools and homeschooling is that homeschoolers work to make sure all kids are successful, where public schools work to make sure a select few are successful. This might sound harsh, but shools tend to set a single standard that all kids must acheive or fail, while homeschoolers move the standard, or allow alterations of approach so that all kids can be successful. Some might argue that you can’t expect all kids to do well in school as you would get more of the “everyone wins” touchy-feely stuff that handicaps children. After all, what does an … Continue reading →

Hard to Find Homeschool Resource: Creative Writing

I recently asked homeschoolers what resources they were looking for but unable to find online. One response was that creative writing resources have been difficult to find. Apparently, homeschool students are looking for websites that cover Creative Writing. It is true that there isn’t much in the area of creative writing available for homeschoolers, but if you think out of the box you will still find some creative writing resources that you can use. Here is what I uncovered: The Crafty Writer’s Creative Writing Course can be a self led creative writing course or you can pay a small fee … Continue reading →

My homeschooled son is socially awkward

I will start by saying if you know me and my son personally, don’t let him know I wrote this. He has a killer evil eye. Anyway, I just finished reading a slew of comments on the blog of someone who was asking questions about homeschooling. Most of the comments said something to the effect of homeschoolers are socially awkward, blah, blah, blah. The truth is that many homeschoolers are socially awkward, including my son. Many homeschoolers are also not socially awkward. My son was born … different. He has always been a serious person, and while mischievous as a … Continue reading →

Reasons I am glad we homeschool: Cheating

Reports of an increase in students cheating has caught America by surprise. Sixty-four percent of students cheated on a test in the past year and 38 percent did so two or more times, up from 60 percent and 35 percent in a 2006 survey. In addition, 36 percent of students admitted to using the Internet to plagiarize an assignment compared to 33 percent in 2004. Despite such responses, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77 percent affirmed that “when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than … Continue reading →