It would be easier if we could say, "My children dislikes reading, so he doesn't have to read," in much the same way we can say, "My child doesn't enjoy baseball, so he doesn't have to play." Unfortunately that is not the case. Reading is a life skill. (Some might say baseball is, too, but that's another topic.) Not a day goes by that we don't read something, if only the label on a can of green beans. Just the facts please. One reason children dislike reading, especially boys, is they don't relate to fiction. Many children's minds are focused on what is true, what are the facts, what can ..read more

Analysis Symbolism Setting The Scarlet Letter - Summary of Chapter 1 The Scarlet Letter begins with a throng of bearded men inter-mixed with women who are all gathered in front of a prison door. The men are wearing “sad-colored garments and grey steeple-crowned hats.” Although some women are bare-headed, most of them are wearing hoods. It is not specifically announced, but it appears the crowd of Puritans is waiting for the release of a prisoner. The prison door is made of heavy oak and studded with iron spikes. It is an ugly edifice, made even uglier by the rust on the ponderous iron-work tha ..read more

Study guides can be an extremely helpful tool to organize and structure your learning on a particular subject. They can help foster comprehension and aid in consolidating your notes by summarizing large amounts of information into a single source.     What is a Study Guide? Study guides are collections of overarching concepts and the important materials, topics, and notes in a subject. They are designed to aid students in preparing for exams, writing papers, and increasing overall subject comprehension. Study guides not only help you structure  studying sessions, but they als ..read more

I am often asked what titles a high school student should choose, but that answer depends on whether the student is seeking admission into a four-year university, a two-year junior college, a trade school or other option. This post is for college-bound young adults. Communicate with the universities in which your student is interested. My first recommendation is to ask admission counselors what their university is looking for, and tailor the titles of your courses to get their attention. You might be surprised, as I was, at their response. For example, none of the Christian universities we loo ..read more

As I prepared to teach my Sunday school class last week, (3rd-6th grades), I felt hypocritical. Each month we have a word we focus on and the word for this month is self-control. Uh-oh. I can talk a good talk, but sometimes the actions don't match up. I relate completely with Paul's words in Romans 7. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.... For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. What I do is not the good I want to do; no the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing....Who will rescue me from this body of d ..read more

As I type this post I'm listening to Christmas music. It is still November, but Thanksgiving was early this year, and I'm ready to celebrate the birthday of my King. God has given me a spirit that loves to celebrate. I decorate our home for every season and most holidays. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with gusto. Since that is the case, how can I not apply that same energy toward honoring the holiday recognized as Jesus' birth? Do the holidays disrupt your carefully made homeschooling plans? It did mine. Guilt attacked as we fell behind in our studies. Why did we fall behind ..read more

We’re thankful for the small things, too. It isn't difficult to find things to be thankful for. Even in difficult times, we can usually say the expected:  we're thankful for God, for Jesus, for the Holy Spirit, the Bible, etc. And they are the big four. If we dig just a little deeper, we add to the list:  we're thankful for our children, for our husbands, for our parents. But for the fun of it, let's dig way, way down and find little things to be thankful for. Maybe they won't be so little after all. Such as a baby's laugh. sunshine making a lace pattern on the hardwood floor ..read more

Organization for the organizationally challenged: The Calendar "Well begun is half done." Wise words from Aristotle. They are true because for many of us getting started is the hard part. We want to be organized, but how do we go about it? Taking the effort to plan and schedule can feel like a waste of time. Why not just jump in and get to work? That need to get the job done propels me to want to skip preliminaries. The result? We miss hands-on opportunities or object lessons because I don't have the materials on hand or can't find them. We lose valuable time while I search for the ingredients ..read more

Lesson Plan Organization I believe in lesson planning. When I've overslept and school must begin NOW, having a plan helps me jump in; however, the plan might not be as detailed as you may think. I want to avoid basing success on how well we stuck to the plan, rather than how well the plan worked for us. Always and ever the measurement of success is how much did my children learn. Did the lesson plan work? Also, I want to avoid basing success on how well we stuck to the plan, rather than how well the plan worked for us. Always and ever the measurement of success is how much did my children lear ..read more

I fully intend to write about the organized homeschool--and I have the notes to prove it, but God keeps sending me life-lessons that can't be ignored. Such as moving two households in one weekend--with three children ages four months, four years, and seven years. You might already imagine how flexibility might figure into this. Organization was attempted. There were lists, boxes were labeled with contents and the room to be delivered to, packing was finished (mostly) the day before (think wee hours of the morning) the loaders arrived. Food was planned ahead. We had dollies and carts and o ..read more