One of my favorite homeschooling activities over the years has been reading aloud to my kids, whatever their ages. Sometimes it seems as though reading aloud is just one more thing to do, but it actually saves homeschooling time and effort. It is certainly one of the most efficient and effective ways to learn. It […]
child raising
Butterfly Chrysalises and our Children’s Salvation
The other day I spent 40 minutes watching a butterfly ‘nursery’. A few butterflies had partially emerged from their chrysalises. Some were dangling from their empty former home, occasionally flapping their tiny, awkwardly-shaped wings. Others, already looking like proper butterflies, rested or tried out their long new tongues,* curling and uncurling them repeatedly. The most […]
Review: Real Food Kids Cooking Course
We have about 18 years to teach our kids all sorts of academics, from reading to advanced math. It’s an overwhelming load, and occasionally homeschooling parents forget the importance of practical subjects like nutrition and cooking. This is a bad thing, because food and food preparation choices can affect our lives in many ways. In […]
Cooperative Board Games
Competition is important, but so is cooperation. From many points of view, in fact, cooperation is by far the more valuable but it is not an easy thing to teach in our very competitive world. What’s more, nothing spoils a family game faster than siblings bickering about losing or winning. For these reasons, I was […]
Learning by Puzzling
Puzzles are fun and they are also an excellent way to learn visual information. Searching for just the right piece, whether by color, pattern, or shape, makes one actually see the picture. The process of holding that information in one’s mind while searching through dozens or hundreds of similar puzzle pieces develops concentration. Puzzling itself […]