What are you teaching on Inauguration day?

I realize that Barack Obama was not the presidential choice for homeschoolers as a whole. Read: Homeschool Legal Defense Association Stands against Obama Homeschoolers Worry about Obama Will President Obama have a Negative Effect on Homeschooling Still, the fact is that Barack Obama is becoming the 44th President of the United States and that this change of hands is worth noting. In my kids homeschool circles, they tell me that other kids spend a great deal of time complaining about Barack, even now that the election is over. This clearly comes from the households. While I don’t condemn anyone for … Continue reading

Will President Obama have a Negative Effect on Homeschooling?

As a homeschooler in a Bible belt state, I know that Presidential Elect Barack Obama had no bigger opposition than the homeschooling community. I have the email inbox to prove it. Sure, I ran into a few homeschoolers here and there who were for Obama, but the vast majority felt that he would be bad for the institution of homeschooling. Reasons homeschoolers gave for voting against Presidential Elect Barack Obama are that he is for early childhood education, sex education in schools, and was not the candidate that a good Christian would vote for. (Yes, people said this to my … Continue reading

Mommy, Can I Be the President Some Day?

I remember wondering what I’d say if my daughter asked me whether she could become the President of the United States when she grew up. I hoped she wouldn’t. It’s not really that important, of course. Who in their right mind would want to be President, with all the criticism, loss of privacy, danger of being assassinated, responsibility for so many lives? Well, okay, I used to want to be. It just seemed like the fastest way to save the world, like I wanted to when I was an idealistic teenager. But I soon realized that I didn’t have the … Continue reading

Homeschool Legal Defense Association Stands against Obama

There has been a buzz on the internet lately about Obama and The Home School Legal Defense Association, but it has nothing to do with an endorsement. It seems that in an effort to reach your Evangelical Christians, Obama’s campaign is attempting to launch a program call Joshua Generation Project. The purpose of this project is to reach young people on poverty, Darfur, climate, and war. This campaign will never make it public, or at least in its current incarnation as The Homeschool Legal Defense has accused them of infringing on their group “Generation Joshua” that works with Christian youth … Continue reading

Now is the Time to Teach Your Homeschoolers About Politics

There could not be a better time during a presidential election to teach homeschoolers about politics and the elections process. It is just so easy to take advantage of this ginormous teaching opportunity presented during a presidential elections season. This also makes a great summer project since many kids are taking a break from their regular studies. So far, during the elections process, my kids have learned about the nomination process as we have followed the nomination process of the presidential candidates. They now understand delegates and superdelegtes, and even argue as to why the process needs overhauling. When they … Continue reading

Homeschool Curriculum Glossary (Tapestry- The Math)

Tapestry of Grace is a curriculum that teaches world history. Tapestry of Grace has two approaches, the first being “historical flow and themes”, and the second being the “facts of history”. Geography is also a major focus. This curriculum is geared to a classical approach to education. Teach America to Read and Spell (TATRAS) says, “Children should not be taught phonics until they can name most of the letters of the alphabet.” The advantage of TATRAS phonics lessons is a vertical approach, which teaches all of the sounds of each letter and combination instead of one sound at a time. … Continue reading

10 Good Reasons for Foreign Languages

I’ll come right out at the very beginning and admit my bias: I am a polyglot. I speak 2 other languages fluently besides English. I am in the very slow process of learning Mandarin Chinese from my babysitter. (Who, by the way, as a homeschooler taught herself how to speak Chinese while she was in high school.) To be honest, if I could, I would likely go back to school and study more foreign language. So it is a given that with all this foreign language swirling around our house, teaching a foreign language would be a given in our … Continue reading