The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy (and SAT Essay Prep)
Posted on February 19, 2008
Filed Under Inspiration, Penmanship, Poetry, SAT Prep, Teaching Writing | Leave a Comment
I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires. Read more
Visit Your Library From Home (Count Birds, Too!)
Posted on February 12, 2008
Filed Under Homeschool, News | 2 Comments
Do you get tired of hearing that the internet has changed everything? It’s pretty much true, you know, and that isn’t a bad thing. For one thing, it brings a wealth of knowledge to your desktop, no matter where you live. As long as you can get online, you have almost unlimited resources!
I have to admit that I don’t always pay attention to what is available, but when I visited our local library system’s website yesterday, I was struck by the array of reference materials I could access from home, completely free. Many of them used to be available only if you were on site at the library, and some are subscription-only reference materials that would be quite costly if you were to pay for them individually.
To discover what your library offers, you can start by locating your library system’s website with a Google search. Once there, look for “electronic resources” or “links,” and starting exploring! Read more
High School Scheduling- Some Non-Traditional Options
Posted on February 5, 2008
Filed Under Homeschool, Organization / Time Management, Records & Transcripts | 6 Comments
When was the last time you thought about the best way to schedule your school days? Six subjects, one hour each per day, five days a week– ho hum. Maybe it’s time to ask some questions about scheduling!
Why are high school subjects scheduled like this?
- Does it work well?
- What does it accomplish?
- Is an hour enough time for a student to grow interested in a subject, hear a lesson, and do the associated work?
- Does this format work equally well for all subjects?
- Is this the best format for your student’s learning style?
- If this is the best way for students to study a subject, why are college classes not scheduled this way? Read more
Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins: A Review
Posted on January 29, 2008
Filed Under Evaluating Writing, Homeschool, Reviews, Teaching Writing | 1 Comment
I have a weakness for books with funny titles– especially if they are about writing, grammar, style, and usage. Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins: The Careful Writer’s Guide to the Taboos, Bugbears and Outmoded Rules of English Usage by Theodore M. Bernstein has finally made its way from my Amazon wish list to my desktop, and I’ve been enjoying it immensely.Bernstein, a former editorial director of the New York Times Book Division, a 25-year journalism professor at Columbia’s School of Journalism, and consultant on usage for the Random House and American Heritage dictionaries, tackles some of the unfortunate strictures that have made writing more difficult than it needs to be. With delightful good humor, he routs “Syntax Scarecrows” and other distractions, while answering grammar, usage, and style questions you didn’t know you should be asking. Read more
Our Students Need to Write More
Posted on January 22, 2008
Filed Under Homeschool, Observations, Penmanship, SAT Prep, Teaching Writing | 8 CommentsDuring the past decade, I’ve spent a fair amount of time evaluating student writing and teaching SAT prep essay workshops and online high school literature classes. I’ve had the chance to read hundreds of papers from students all over the country, and I’ve discovered one small key to success in writing: Write More...
That’s a directive that easily questioned– write more what? Words? Minutes? Pages? My response is simple– YES to all of the above. Students who write often, tend to write better and more easily than students who are rarely required to pick up a pen (or turn on the computer). Read more
High School Requirements: The Wrong Question?
Posted on January 15, 2008
Filed Under Homeschool, Records & Transcripts | 2 CommentsAs you consider whether or how to homeschool through high school, there are a few major questions that may crop up. One of the first questions I often hear is about “high school requirements.”
Parents wonder how many years of which subjects their student must take in order to graduate from high school, and that’s certainly an understandable question. However, there are reasons why it isn’t the most important question you need to ask. Read more
High School Transcripts- Frequently Asked Questions
Posted on January 8, 2008
Filed Under Early College, Homeschool, Inspiration, Records & Transcripts | 7 Comments
Creating a high school transcript is easier than it looks, but there are a few questions that tend to recur like dandelions in springtime. The beginning of the spring semester seems a good time to review a couple of the questions that are most frequently asked.The winner of the most FAQ (frequently asked question) contest would have to be some variation of the following:
Q- My 10-year-old is doing Saxon Calculus this year. Can we count it on his high school transcript? Read more
Family Travel on a Budget = Great Memories!
Posted on December 18, 2007
Filed Under Inspiration, Travel | 4 Comments
I’ve been thinking of Paris in December– it’s almost inevitable if you’ve ever been there at that time. There’s no place quite like it, and the delight of walking miles through this compact, beautiful city is unsurpassed.
When we were there, we stayed less than a block from this sparkling intersection, and were less than two blocks from the Seine. We walked everywhere, warming our hands with hot chestnuts from the street vendors (the best ones were from the vendor by BHV on Rue Rivoli).
Parisians decorate lavishly for the holidays, as you can see in the photo, and it’s great fun to walk the streets after dark, visiting temporary outdoor ice rinks at the Eiffel tower and the Hotel de Ville. We enjoyed giant crepes from sidewalk vendors. Our favorites were slathered in butter and sugar, and rolled for easy eating. Quite delectable with a cup of hot chocolate from a cafe!
One of the most enjoyable things you can do with your teens is to take short trips. A brief trip to a very special place is a fun way to celebrate graduation or mark a life milestone, and it’s especially easy to do if you homeschool. Although travel can be expensive, there are things you can do to make it more budget-friendly. Read more
Charlotte Mason on the Folly of Teachers Who Talk Too Much
Posted on December 11, 2007
Filed Under Homeschool | Leave a CommentOne of the things I most appreciate about Charlotte Mason is her deep understanding of how children learn. I well remember m
y own extreme boredom as teachers or other adults droned on and on about something I already understood. It’s something I’ve always tried not to do to my own sons, but I’ve found that it’s a great temptation;-).I love this passage from A Philosophy of Education, pages 52-53 (in the context of a discussion of why children lose intellectual curiousity…):
“…the more the teacher works, the greater the incuria of the children, so the class is prodded with marks, the boys take places, the bogie of an oncoming examination is held before them. Some spasmodic effort is the result, but no vital response…
“I can touch here on no more than two potent means of creating incuria in a class. One is the talky-talky of the teacher. We all know how we are bored by the person in private life who explains and expounds. What reason have we to suppose that children are not equally bored? Read more
Review: Pick Two Deluxe- Is It the Perfect Game?
Posted on December 4, 2007
Filed Under Homeschool, Reviews | 6 CommentsBe sure to visit the December sale on my audio workshops- Homeschooling Through High School: There’s Joy in the Journey and Teaching Language Arts the Easy, Natural Way! They are only $9.95 for the month of December.
As the year winds down, it’s time to start thinking of fun things to do during the semester break. How about a delightful game that almost anyone can learn and enjoy?
Our family enjoys playing games. When we get together with extended family or with friends, chances are that we’ll be sitting around the
table with a board game or cards before the evening has ended. Our favorite games include Scattergories, TriBond, Cranium, Mille Borne, and a few others.However, a new game has taken center stage since we first discovered it this summer. Pick Two Deluxe, billed as “The Definitive Crossword Game,” is fast, fun, and even educational (though many people don’t even realize they’re sharpening their brains as they play!). This super simple game comes with 240 letter tiles, a pencil, score pad, and a velvety bag for the tiles. (There a non-deluxe Pick Two, but it comes with fewer tiles, so you can’t play with as many people.) Read more
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