Category: Teaching Approaches & Methods

Scrapbooking for the Reluctant Writer

I love scrapbooking – and it has found its way into our homeschool experience.  Before all you who think you don’t have time or don’t have an arty bone in your body disappear just hear my definition of a scrapbook page:  a photo, a title, some words.  It is the same definition I have for a notebook page: a graphic, a title, some words.   Scrapbooking doesn’t have to be fancy, mind you, neither do our notebook pages. Several years ago when Daniel was struggling to write – there was a combination of poor fine motor skills, plus a delay...

Read More

Homeschooling Expectations

Expectations. We all have them. We have them for our marriage, our homemaking, parenting and our homeschooling. Unmet expectations will make us think we haven’t done too well throughout the year. Uncommunicated expectations will make us set unrealistic goals for next year. Expectations – be false, met or unmet – will have a bit impact on how we assess our success for 2012 and how we plan for success in 2013. We need to acknowledge our expectations to ourselves, discuss them with our spouse, pray over them, tweak them, and set goals toward meeting real honest true expectations – this way, our hopes and dreams may well show fruit in season. Continue reading

Read More

A Charlotte Mason Education – Charlotte Mason, the Woman

It is important that we understand the backdrop – to know and understand the time in which Miss Mason lived so that we can fully appreciate her work. Her material is incredibly relevant to today’s society yet it was not written specifically for our era. Charlotte Mason was born in Bangor, England in January, 1842. She died in January, 1923. Her parents mainly educated her while at home until both parents left her orphaned at the age of sixteen. Miss Mason was an innovative educator who developed a unique approach to education. She loved all children and had a true concern for them. Education was very different in Miss Mason’s era. The 3 R’s were the mainstay of the curriculum, strict discipline, rote memory work were all the hall marks of education in that era. Charlotte Mason believed that all children should have access to a broad, liberal education and to be allowed to reach their full potential. Continue reading

Read More

The Parable of the Animal School

An old story tells of the creation of a school for the animals. In this school, everybody took the same four courses: flying, swimming, climbing, and running. Among the students were a duck, a flying squirrel, a fox, and an elephant. These four were highly motivated, and wanted to get good grades, so they all tried very hard. Continue reading

Read More

Sonlight: Literature Based Curriculum for K-12

Sonlight is a literature-based homeschool curriculum provider. Families around the world enjoy the literature-rich, internationally-focused curriculum. The goal of Sonlight curriculum is to empower parents to nurture enthusiastic, life-long learners who are motivated and equipped to follow Christ wherever He leads and in whatever He calls them to do. The curriculum has an Evangelical Christian perspective. Sonlight offers complete curriculum in all subjects for Preschool through 12th grade. Their specialty is the Core Programs, which are literature-based packages that weave together History, Geography, Bible and Literature. All your lesson plans are done! Discover Sonlight’s complete homeschool curriculum packages. But...

Read More

In Search of the Perfect Curriculum

By Diana Waring Premise: If the right curriculum can be found, it will perform the magic – the abra-cadabra – to transform a student from ignorant to educated all by itself. As an experienced homeschool mom, speaker and curriculum writer, I’ve noticed that many believe this and seek earnestly for the genie, or the wand, or the catalog. And, lest you think I’m loftily looking down my nose, let me add that I was one of them. In the early days of homeschooling, I was convinced that there truly existed a perfect curriculum, and spent years on a quest,...

Read More