Collecting seeds in the woods resulted in imaginative creations.
My son designed a pine cone bird with a sweetgum head.
My daughters made acorn dolls with green hair and silk flower dresses.
On our next adventure, we hope to gather leaves. Last year the leaves rotted brown. If the rusty patinas are missing again, we will make our [...]
At three thirty every afternoon a dingy yellow school bus rambles past our house. My oldest and I are invariably working on math lessons while the little ones sleep, or, at least, are in their room supposed to be asleep. My son gazes wistfully out of the window wishing he could be finished. Then I [...]
In a recent discussion, Marnellie asked me what I did at the beginning of homeschool. She was surprised when I mentioned never teaching my children the alphabet. Our lessons have not included A is for Apple worksheets, or practicing the alphabet song. So how did my children learn letter names and ask others to sing along?
A is for Apple
Only [...]
Last week, the Heart of the Matter Homeschool Conference became my talk radio. Fellow homeschoolers encouraged while I taught lessons, dressed dolls, washed dishes, folded laundry, and skipped around the internet.
There were so many helpful ideas. So many passionate speakers. So many foundational truths. How do I sort it all? Even encouragement becomes cacophony unless [...]
In The Madness of Multiple-Choice Andrew Pudewa discusses why multiple-choice questions do not encourage reasoning. He states,
There is no room for different answers, unique responses, or independent views. The emphasis is always on what the child does not know, not on helping him clarify and express what he does know.
Do we really want to focus [...]
