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Breeding Readers: A Shortcut

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Every time I hear a child say that reading is boring, a little piece of my soul dies. I can’t imagine living in a world without the written word. I loved reading since I was very young. Reading is one of the most vital parts of education. Parents cannot overlook the importance of literacy. It is a fundamental skill, and statistically, a lack of reading can produce smaller vocabularies, lower cognitive ability and decrease your child's success in pursuing higher education. Encouraging your child to read does not have to be done in a formal way and can simply become a daily habit in your household. Set aside time everyday for reading together as a family or one-on-one with each child. Incorporate books into every subject area including science. I like Building Blocks of Science and Story of the World for science and history, respectively, because they both read more like a narrative and less like a textbook. I let my kids choose their own books when reading independently. I nev
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Using Screen Time in Your Homeschool

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 I am an 80s kid, so I learned more from watching Sesame Street, Animaniacs, Carmen San Diego, and Bill Nye the Science Guy than I ever did from school.   In today's homeschool world, however, screen time is a controversial topic. While some homeschoolers feel that it's important to limit screen time, others believe that there are times when the use of screens can be very helpful in learning. I think it’s important to remember that what we are trying to accomplish with homeschooling is not necessarily the same goal as elementary school. The homeschooling environment should be more focused on exploration and discovery of new ideas, whereas elementary school focuses on preparation for standardized testing. I think there's a middle ground where educational videos can help kids learn certain things faster without excessive distraction or limiting their ability to do hands-on activities. While homeschooling parents don't want screen time replacing direct instruction
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Unstructuring your Homeschool

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Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the handful of homeschool moms who does not have a problem with the institution of education. I don't mind if my kids stand in line and raise their hands to speak (actually I wish I could get them to raise their hands to speak at home!) I'm definitely an abberation though, as many home educators look for ways to make their homeschool less structured. However, the challenge then becomes how to lose the structure without making your homeschool TOO lax and risk your child not taking their education seriously. It may be difficult at times to get your child focused and stay on task in a relaxed homeschool environment, but it is not impossible. It takes patience and trial and error, but here are a few things I've learned in my own homeschool experience: Be organized, but not too organized. You don't need to schedule every second of every day, but you should have a general idea of what you wish to accomplish each day. My homes
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