Carnival of Homeschooling- The Spring Fever Edition

tulips

Is anyone else ready for spring? The daffodils are up, forsythia is glowing at the edges of the woods, and from my cozy spot by the woodstove, the bright sunlight offers the illusion of warmth. It’s quickly dispelled by the damp chill when I open the windows, but the boisterous bird song renews faith that spring is on its way.With spring almost here, I thought we all might enjoy a lovely floral journey for the March 31, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. Our writers have submitted some excellent posts, so gather ’round and enjoy the Carnival!

We’ll begin with a bit of late breaking news: Better parenting leads to more competent children hosted at “Why Homeschool” Henry Cate reports that studies confirm that loving and firm parents have more competent children. Really? Read more

Decision-Making: The “Anti-Supposed To” Manifesto

I’ve recently heard a lot of questions around the idea of “supposed to.”

What am I supposed to wear?
Are there supposed to be lines between every paragraph?
Are we supposed to wash the dishes in the left or right side of the sink?
Are we supposed to write on both sides of the page?
What is my student supposed to do with her literature assignments?
Are we supposed to use cursive?
Are you supposed to send flowers?

Enough, already! Sometimes you’re just supposed to do what needs to be done in the very best way you can. This is very important when teaching children. Too many “supposed to’s” and they lose the initiative to learn and to try new things because they imagine there’s only one right way to do anything. What a mental prison! Read more

Streamline Your Life with Habits

Charlotte Mason believed that a habit is “ten natures,” and she was right. Habits can make life smoother by automating repetitive tasks. By simply thinking through the things you do each day, and figuring out how to do them most efficiently, you can make time in your life for more interesting and rewarding pursuits. How can habits make your life easier? Here are some of the ways I’ve found:

Habit: Making a daily habit of reading and meditation can help you become more focused on the important things in life.

Habit: Plan lessons once month or once a semester, rather than once a week or on the fly.

Result: When you plan many lessons at once, you will be deeply enough involved to see the big picture and can create a well-balanced, creative course of study, rather than slapping together the basics at the last minute. Read more

Words, Words, Words- Celebrating Words Matter Week 2009

The National Association of Independent Writers and Editors has issued the following challenge:

We believe that words matter. Do you?

We invite bloggers everywhere to write on the idea that “words matter.” Once you post, please sign up in the Mr. Linky in this post and use the “Share” button to add the post to your favorite networks, so that others will be able to easily find the various posts. You’re welcome to leave a comment as well. Words matter!

You can read more about the event at the Words Matter Week page.

I decided to post a few word-centered quotes in response to the challenge. I hope you enjoy them!