The following post is from Jennifer, a lifelong educator: See all of the Homework Helps posts here. Many schools require students to read extensively during their break. It’s one thing to move your eyes over the words on each page, and quite another to really grasp the deeper meanings in a book. No matter what…
Okay, this is it (I think!) -- the final post in my homeschooling series for the summer. I thought I'd give you a quick peek into how we organize our homeschool work. It's really not anything groundbreaking or fancy, but I always appreciate seeing what other people are doing, and there is one tool I'm…
The following post is from Jason & Jennifer Bruce of New Season Design: Summer is in full-swing at our house! You'd think that the summer break from our school routine would have our eight-year-old daughter in relaxation mode. Instead, I noticed that she was antsy, not sure of what to do with herself during the day.…
Whew. I've been working on this post for months now! A ton of people asked about the books we purchased when I placed my (ahem, first) book order for the upcoming year, and as I was working to organize that list, I decided to fill in the gaps for year at the same time, so…
The following post is from Kristina of Toddler Approved: As a parent, there really isn't a start or end to when we can create learning time with our kids. We can find ways to help our kids learn new skills (or review old ones) through the simplest tasks or activities. I love to find ways…
I've talked a lot about our move to "independent work" with the girls as I described our curriculum plans for the upcoming year and our reasons for schooling year-round, and truly, I can't describe how much of a difference this has made for us. Instead of always feeling overwhelmed and like I was dropping the…
The following post is from Jennifer, a lifelong educator: See all of the Homework Helps posts here. I can hear it now…"A schedule?!? But, Mom, it’s summer!" Most kids aren’t overjoyed about doing school work during vacation, but if you set up a routine that works around their anticipated play times, you’ll encourage cooperation and help your…
We're in homeschool planning mode around here, and I've shared my 2013-2014 curriculum plans as well as why we school year-round. I still have a few more things to share with you in the coming weeks, but I also have a few things to sell! All of the following curriculum is in like-new condition. We…
The following post is from Jennifer, a lifelong educator: See all of the Homework Helps posts here. Because American students lag behind much of the world on standardized tests, most schools are increasing the emphasis on math. Summer is a great time to help your child solidify the skills that they learned this past school…
We school year-round because of the flexibility it gives us to take time off as needed throughout the official school year, both for planned breaks (like Christmas and our recent trip to Florida) and for the unexpected -- a benefit I always point out when the girls complain about doing school in the summer. (Read…