3 Tips for Picking a Curriculum that's Right for Your Students

One of the hardest things to do as a homeschool mama is pick the right  curriculum     for our schools. When I was homeschooled, there were a handful of choices. Bob Jones, A Beka, Alpha Omega, and a couple others. Now there are so many choices it can be overwhelming. And let's face it...there's the fear that if we pick the wrong one our children will be forever scarred. So what's a mama to do?

1) Watch your children. How do they learn? Can they learn in a more traditional, workbook approach or do they require a hands-on approach to learning? Are they auditory or visual learners? Kinesthetic? A combination? Once you understand that, you can begin looking for a  curriculum that works to those learning styles.

2) Talk to homeschoolers who have been at it a while and are succeeding. What curriculum do they use? Why? How do they modify it to work in their homes? Ask what else they've used. For example I appreciate A Beka grammar -- it is solid and your student will know how to write when they are done, but I've never gotten the spelling component to work for us. Through asking on Facebook for recommendations, I found a spelling curriculum that is working very well for us. So be open to mixing and matching.

3) Pray. Ask God for heavenly wisdom to know what to do with your kids. And be willing to change it up from year to year. I'm convinced A Beka history and science are the best out there. In part it's because I used them through tenth grade and then got As in science and history in college. But that doesn't mean we don't use other programs, too. My kids just get a double dose of history and science. A Beka is very solid in math, but I also use Saxon especially as we hit the higher grades. But this summer we're going to do a different program for geometry because I noticed my daughter isn't grasping the visuals for geometry. This program emphasizes that aspect. 

Homeschooling: Is it for you?

It's that time of year when parents thoughts turn toward where their kids should go to school in the fall. For some, their thoughts will turn to homeschooling. How can you evaluate whether homeschooling might be right for your family?

I have often heard my mom tell people that homeschooling is for every child...it's just not for every parent. What she means is that every child can thrive in a one-on-one tutoring type instruction. It simply makes sense. Place a child with a caring instructor who can tailor his or her learning to the needs of that child and the child will learn and excel.

However, not every parent has the discipline, patience, endurance to make homeschooling work. I love my kiddos. Adore them even, but there are still days that it would be a lot easier to send them to a school. Fortunately, my kids would still do fine in a regular classroom environment. Yet we choose to keep them home even as we discuss the options available to us

Why?

• Homeschooling is a calling. It may not be a forever calling...I honestly don't know...but I know this is where our kids are supposed to be right now.

• It allows our kids to accelerate at their own pace. Right now, both school age children work above their grade level -- enough so that it would make it a little tricky to figure out where to place them. Still I also love that there's freedom and margin to slow down when needed to insure a subject is mastered before we move ahead.

• I can make sure my children are learning the things that matter most to you. Yes, I am STRINGENT about the three r's, but we start our day with devotions and Bible. This year we've read from Exodus through I Samuel. We're talking about some hard issues and solidifying their understanding of Old Testament history. That's critical to my husband and me.

• We have the flexibility to plan family adventures and school year round. Yes, even during the summer, I make my kids keep working on certain subjects: primarily math and one other area that I feel needs buttressing. But if I know I'll need to be at a conference a week in September, we start a week earlier in August. Homeschooling gives you the flexibility to take advantage of unique opportunities while still schooling.

If you homeschool, what motivates you? If you're considering it, what appeals to you and what scares you?

Do We Dare to Dream Crazy Dreams with God?

Last summer my family had a crazy adventure. For awhile the longing for a shared adventure had grown in my heart. Because my husband spent seven of his growing up years in the Far East, I’ve harbored a desire for our children to share a similar experience. The more I thought and prayed about it, the crazier it seemed. Yet the longing never left. So I tucked it close to my heart and prayed.

Let’s face it – this was one of those crazy ideas. Children can have wonderful lives without spending weeks in a foreign country. Still…I clung to the idea and prayed.

God sometimes smiles on those crazy dreams we have for our kids that we hardly dare to articulate. Last summer through a miraculous series of events, we spent eight weeks in Germany. Yes, eight weeks! Just because God loves to delight His kids – while we were in Germany my daughter, a competitive

4 Ideas for Transmitting Faith

One of my goals as a homeschooling momma is to transmit my faith to my kids. I want them to have a personal relationship with Christ from a young age. But I also understand they can't ride on my coattails, or my husband's or their grandparents, or aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.  You get the picture.

So I long for them to catch sight of who Jesus is so they can spend the rest of their lives chasing Him and His will for their lives.

Developing a Love of Reading in Your Young Children

Periodically I get asked questions about how my children became lovers of books. Look for several posts that address what I did, starting with tiny kids otherwise known as infants and toddlers.

1) When my kiddos are infants I started by reading to them any moment we were sitting down. Before they could sit up or hold the book, we'd cuddle in a rocking chair with a pile of board books. There are an amazing assortment of books, but here are a few I love to this day:  

• Goodnight Moon, 
• Guess How Much I Love You,
• Dr. Seuss' A, B, C
• Barnyard Dance, and 

Homeschooling Tips: to Test or not to Test

This week students across Indiana are taking the ISTEPS.

This week, my children are taking the Iowa Basics.

Indiana does not require testing for homeschooled children, so why are we doing it?

I don't believe the point of education is to test my children. However, I do believe that testing them periodically (about every two years) provides me with a tool to see how I am doing as a teacher. Are there areas that are weaknesses? Are there areas where I may not be challenging my children enough? It provides me with a tool that allows me to determine if I'm seeing my children's academic progress accurately.

Great Foreign Language Tool

Every once in awhile I stumble on an app that is worth it's weight in gold. And sometimes they're free! Today I want to introduce you to one that I am thrilled with. It's perfect for people who want to pick up a foreign language or brush up dusty skills. Maybe you've heard of it: Duolingo. It's a free app for the iPhone, iPad, etc. and you can do everything on the website, too. I bought Rosetta Stone for us to learn German last spring and it's fine. But Duolingo lets you do the grammar and vocabulary exercises. And it follows a similar flow. However, so far at least, I haven't found where it lets you practice pronunciation.

5 Christmas Gifts to Make with Your Family

Painting by my son 

It’s that time of year. Gift-giving season is upon us. Whether you have lots of money or a little to spend, people love receiving home-made gifts. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1) Get your children involved by using hand prints or foot prints to make a calendar. We’ve done this a couple times. For example, January can be a snowman made from a small foot. February is hearts crafted by painting the fisted hand by the pinky. November is a hand-print turkey. October is a ghost. Do the prints on colored construction paper, then go online and print off the next year’s month-by-month calendar. You paste the calendar to the back of the next month’s artwork. Then take it to a copy shop to be spiral bound. Don’t forget to have the child sign and date their artwork. Grandmas and aunts love these.

Three Children's Christmas Books I Love

I know Thanksgiving is next week, but I'm thinking about the Christmas books I want to read to my kids this year. It's always fun trying to decide which ones we'll enjoy together as a family. Here are a few of our favorites, and I want to know which ones you love, too.

The Velveteen Rabbit: I realized the other day when I picked up a copy at Kohl's that I hadn't introduced my younger two to the story. And the older two didn't remember it. Time to remedy that. The story begins with Christmas, but is really a story of so much more including the power of love. How a stuffed animal becomes real through the love of a little boy. I get sentimental just thinking about the story.

Learning New Skills: German Anyone?

Don't ask me why...but I must have been bored because in January I decided to learn some German. This from the girl who at one time didn't want to learn any languages then took ten credits of Spanish and twenty credits of French in college...don't ask!

The kids and I have been working on it together. After lots of research we selected the Rosetta Stone program. I like it, but the immersion system wouldn't work for everyone. The "linguist" in me has also struggled a bit because they don't explain any of the rules for why the pronouns and verb endings change. It's driving me nuts. So I went looking for a book that would help me understand some of those rules. I think I've found it in The Everything Learning German Book. I haven't gotten more than a few chapters in, but I can already tell that it has the why behind the do-it-this-way.

My 8 and 11 year olds have been able to work with Rosetta Stone...it is effective, just not ideal if you want to learn survival language skills for a trip to the country. But if you just want to use it as a foreign language, then the program is probably perfect.

The other thing I've learned or has been reinforced about me is that I am not an audio learner. I'd bought several CD series. As long as I was listening to them  in the car, I could say the words. The moment I stepped out of the car, anything I'd just heard disappeared.

Maybe between Rosetta Stone and The Everything Learning German Book, I'll actually be able to communicate beyond Danke and Bitte.

What new skills have you decided to tackle?

Three Posts on Homeschooling Worth Reading

Just the other night I discovered a new to me blog thanks to my friend Jennifer Mull. She's a homeschooling mom of eight that I go to church with and I love bouncing by her facebook page because I never know what kind of links she'll have up there. Often they get me thinking. Don't you love friends like that?

So Wednesday she posted a link to an article on Simple Homeschooling. The article was titled I want to Homeschool, but I don't want the Responsibility. Ouch! I think we can all admit we know homeschoolers who do a fantastic job. We know others that we don't quite understand how they do it, but it seems to work. And then there are others that probably don't want the responsibility. This article made me step back and reexamine how I'm doing. Always a good thing...especially when my kids' futures are at stake.

Evaluating Scholastic Progress in Your Homeschooled Student

It's that time of year. The time of year where if two homeschooling moms get together -- even if it's in the aisles of Wal-Mart -- their thoughts turn to how their kids measure up.

It's that time where we wonder if we've really done a good job. How would our kids compare to others? What if they got thrust into a traditional classroom? Would they be okay? Where would they be ahead? Where might they be behind?

Ack! What's a mom to do?

Teaching friendship

Me and my longest running friend Joanna

Friendship is hard work.

Distance can get in the way.

A busy schedule.

Simple drifting apart.

I've been reminded of that this week as I've tried to help my oldest navigate a tricky situation. What a a challenge.

I've been trying to remember what it was like as a tween or early teen. I remember not having tons of friends as a tween. Remember I was a real oddity back in the day because I was homeschooled and there weren't many of us in Nebraska back then -- especially in those tween years.

Bible Literacy

This year the kids and I have been starting each morning with devotions. First, we read the day's devotional from Jesus Calling for Kids. We are really enjoying those and talking about the challenges the author gives in how to live a life that lives with an ear attuned to Christ.

Then we turn to the Bible. Last week we finished Exodus. There was a very strategic reason I decided to start there. One, it's a little more interesting than say Leviticus with all the rules and regulations. Even

Mommy Brain anyone?

Several years ago, after my youngest daughter was born, I remember reading an article in USA Today about Mommy Brain. Before you laugh too hard, there is science supporting the reality that mothers of infants and toddlers have a condition called Mommy Brain.

It is the absence of long term memory. Some days I think my short term memory has abandoned me, too!

Starting School Woes

We started school Monday. Because I attend a conference in September, I like to get a few extra days under our belt. I also love the added flexibility the head start gives us.

The morning went great! I am talking homeschool hall of fame awesome. We have this down! Bring me your questions because I have it all together.

Then we fell apart, Math -- it is our oldest's nemesis. She is very good at it. but she fights it...for hours! By 4:30 I was ready to quit. In fact I told my husband I couldn't sign on for another year of the same old battles. It exhausts me just to contemplate it.

Fortunately, I serve a God who loves my daughter even more than I do. So Monday night I begged Him for insight and a miracle as I walked the neighborhood. I need Him to show me how to change to make this work. I don't have an answer yet, but I trust it's on it's way.

Whether or not you homeschool how do you encourage reluctant children to dive in and cooperate on their less than favorite subject?

Ready for School?

As a homeschool mom, I never truly stop educating my kids. In fact I told their art tutor last week that I tend to look for something to learn in everything. Poor kiddos!

Even so, it just hit me!

August 1st is almost upon us. Like soon. FIVE DAYS!

Do you hear my panic?

I've got my basic plan, but now it's time to settle down. Check all the curriculum. Math? Check. English? Check. History? Already started. Spelling? Double Check. (That was one of our summer projects). Literature, Science? Handwriting? The list goes on and on...

Coop? Yep. Can't wait to start that again, but are the kids ready? Am I ready to teach my classes?

We bought some school supplies last week, so the kids are ready with fresh folders, blank paper, and a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. (Can anyone name that movie?)

So how do you prepare? If you aren't....you might want to check the calendar!

Teaching Your Kids to Read

Does the thought of teaching your child to read seem daunting?

It does to me, too, and I've got two kids who are fluent, voracious readers. But now that my toddler wants to read, I'm back to evaluating the best way to teach her.

The book on the left is the tool I used with my first two. They knew their letters and the basic sounds. So this book worked really well. What I loved was it told me everything to say. As someone who stayed far away from elementary education in college, the thought of teaching them to read -- such a critical skill -- was daunting.

A homeschooling success

As most of you know, I homeschool my two older children (ten and seven). We do that in no small part because I was homeschooled for the greater part of my education and my husband and I see the value of it.

The challenge is finding the right formula for our kids for this year. For example, this year, I've done a bit of battle with my 10 year old. Sixth grade math has been a challenge for her and so she's procastinated. That used to mean she held the rest of us hostage, because I wanted math and English done before we proceeded to other topics.

That just wasn't working well. Most days held an element of stress as I hounded her. She didn't like it, and neither did I.

A few weeks ago I was praying about it and got an idea to switch our days up.

Now we start with the subjects the kids do together (Bible, History, Science and whatever book we're reading aloud) and then they move on to the subjects they do separately. If they're motivated, like they were the other day, both kids can get up and finish those subjects before we start the together elements. Or they can do them afterwards.

This one little change has really helped smooth out our days. If you homeschool, what one tip that has worked well for you? If you don't homeschool, what's a great homework tip?

How do we generate creativity in kids?

In Sunday school we talked about a study Mark Batterson referenced in his book In a Pit... It focuses on divergent thinking and showed that 98% of children between the ages of 3-5  score in the genius category, 32% of children between the ages of 8-10 score at the genius level, 10% of teenagers, and 2% of those over 25. And yet our God is a divergent thinker. Just look at the Bible to see a host of examples where He did things or told people to do things that weren't...normal. Naaman, go dip in the Jordan seven times. Joshua, march around Jericho seven times. Donkey, go talk to Balaam. Etc.

So as a homeschooling mom, it has me thinking. What can I do to help my children keep that divergent way of thinking? Why would I care? Because I want them to be willing to do anything God asks. I want them to be able to look at problems from a different perspective because they aren't limited.

I guess I want more for my kids. I want them to be willing to do things that seem foolish -- if God asks them to do them.

In the same chapter he talks about another author who had a common experience when he went into schools. He'd ask kids who were the artists in the class. In first grade it was all the kids, yet by sixth grade it was only one or two self-conscious kids.

Now I don't want to force my kids to be artists. But we were created by the ultimate Artist. And I want them to feel the freedom to create.

So how do I do that? Again as a homeschool mom and in general. To the left is a painting my oldest daughter painted when she was 8. She was actually commissioned by a friend to paint a similar painting of their dog after my friend saw this one. Will my daughter by the next Monet? Um, doubt it. But she's learning to be creative and use what skill God has given her.

I don't want her to lose that. I want her to love to create so much that she sets her alarm for 6:30 a.m. so she can create a new bracelet to go to church. I want my son to be forever constructing random Lego masterpieces because it's a way he reflects creativity.

What about you? How do you foster creativity and divergent thinking in your kids?