101 Homeschool Ideas

Memory is not what it used to be! And I don’t mean what you put in your computer. Memorization is taking a backseat in today’s approach to curriculum… and in case you were wondering, that is not a good thing.   Memorization is necessary We are all familiar with the phrase: “Use it or Lose CONTINUE

Do you have a child that is falling behind with their learning? How do you help your homeschool child when you feel like they are not performing? Today, I want to talk about helping your homeschool child get out of a learning rut. Helping Your Homeschool Child These are tricky questions… Especially if you are CONTINUE

Kelly Starrett has written a book that has completely changed my life. Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World has been a huge blessing to me and my lower back. Last November I started experiencing severe lower back pain. My doctor told me that the space between my discs was shrinking and that I would eventually have to get surgery to fuse the discs. I started researching and somehow stumbled on this book. My school purchased me a standing desk and I went from sitting 4-6 hours a day to sitting a total of 1 hour throughout the whole day (INCLUDING LUNCH). What does that have to do with homeschool children? Well, everything actually. In this podcast, I introduce the idea of having your children stand to do their homework. Look for a post later in the week that will go further into depth regarding Dr. Starrett's research and explain the why's behind some of the things I say in this episode.

This is now the third time that Bill and I have talked about historical figures and the role of stories in teaching our children appropriate moral codes in our day. Heirloom Audio Productions have produced several audio adventures that strive to put God back into critical historical events and the lives of those that made the events reality. They attempt to combat the effort to ignore in some cases, and in others, blatantly remove all reference to God--as though the people of the past were only as religious as a bar of soap. I have listened to every one of their productions and I enjoy them as much as my children do. Jump over to the website to see link to other Heirloom Audio Production CDs.

Current educational research demonstrates the HUGE benefits that come from studying in shorter spurts with breaks rather than study-binging for long periods of time. Check out the podcast episode 88 and figure out why breaks in your day might be just the thing you need to help your children get more out of less time. CONTINUE

What is it about games that get parents so excited? As I looked back over the past two years of podcasts, by far the most successful episodes have dealt with how to build relationships with your children through games. I was actually a little surprised. We have posted some great information on learning styles and CONTINUE

Episode 86 is a fraction of the length of my typical podcast length because we are talking about how you can teach your 7 or 8 year-old children the foundational information about fractions. So let’s just jump in and divide the subject up. Here are just 3 ideas that will help your children Visualize the CONTINUE

Have you ever noticed at the dinner table how quickly younger children lose interest when you start a conversation with their older brothers and sisters? How long does it take for your older children to drift back to electronic devices when your youngest child starts repeating every single detail of the day? Dinner time can CONTINUE

In today's episode, I share some of our personal approaches to customizing the homeschool experience for our children. Specifically, I share what we had to do with our 14 year-old son this year because at the end of last year, he really began to struggle. I believe that the single greatest advantage to homeschool is your ability, as the parent, to change the educational process WHENEVER YOU WANT!!! You don't have to wait for district approval. You don't have to wait for legislative funding. You don't have to wait for... well, for anything. If you get the feeling like your current approach to math just is not working for your child--then CHANGE IT TOMORROW!

Writing can be such a huge chore--teaching it can be even worse! What do you do when your children begin to whither up every time you mention writing an essay or report? Well, make it fun! If they are having fun, they won't even realize that it is work.

Is it possible? Could it be? Are they really?   Public Universities Getting Rid of Standardized Tests? No more pencils… No more books… No more teacher’s ugly looks… Well, I don’t know about the other things, but there are a growing number of colleges and universities that are getting rid of the standardized test requirements CONTINUE

Here is the next episode. Enjoy. Episode show notes coming soon!!!

In today’s episode I sat down with Bill Heid, the executive producer for Heirloom Audio Productions. Bill and I visited last December about their INCREDIBLE audio adventure, In Freedom’s Cause. Click here to check out that podcast interview. Today, Bill and I are talking about “With Lee in Virginia,” Heirloom Audio Productions newest audio adventure. To CONTINUE

In our episode today I have an awesome resource for you that will help you teach your children how to be more creative in their writing! If you have ever given your children a writing assignment, you have probably felt the frustration of receiving a one sentence answer. They have addressed your answer, but there CONTINUE

Today I am going to address a voice question that came to me a few weeks ago from Sarah. I think this is a really GREAT QUESTION ABOUT HOMESCHOOL! It is a question that every parent has worried about as they stand on the edge of the homeschool decision.   How can I get everything CONTINUE