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Homeschool Tips

80% Passing Grade: Learning for Mastery

My older children take chapter and lesson tests regularly, and if they get below 80% they fail.  In other words, if they get 79% or less they will redo the material, and I will reteach whatever is necessary. I’ve seen this concept raise eyebrows and meet with disapproval.  But is it really crazy?  Am I […]

Resolutions for 2013

So, I had some grandiose plans for 2013 and was going to post a beautiful New Year’s resolutions post.  Then we had our first day of school today, and I remembered a crucial detail:  a day has only 24 hours.  Oops!  So now I have a theme rather than a resolutions list: With joy, gratitude, […]

Kids’ Books, Creativity, and the 20 Percent Rule

I love kids’ books, especially picture books and nonfiction.  In fact, I’m convinced there’s no better way to learn the fundamentals of anything than to check out books from the children’s section of the library. Not only do you learn the basics of your topic without having to wade through the politics and posturing of […]

Our Annual Reading Week

“Mama!  We have more than a hundred books waiting for us at the library,” announced  Miss 10 early this morning.  Mr. 17 looked up from the news on his cell phone, shocked.  It is, objectively-speaking, a large number of library books, but this is, after all, our annual Reading Week. What’s Reading Week?  Well, one week […]

A Homeschooler Thinks about ‘The Power of Habit’ by Charles Duhigg

Habits run our lives.  Charlotte Mason recognized that almost a century ago, and nowadays scientists are studying what habits actually are. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg discusses why we do the things we do as well as how to understand and change our habits.  As a homeschooling mom, I believe habit training is […]