Crock-Pot for Homeschooling: A Dozen Ingredients for Healthy Nourishment

This is a great article by an experienced homeschooling mom of 4 as well as a child development specialist.  

 http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/paula_harper_christensen_2.html

The site this article is found on is an excellent resource that you may want to bookmark.

http://www.besthomeschooling.org/index.html

Posted in General Homeschooling Information, Reading Room | No Comments »

A Comparison of Traditional vs. Natural Learning

I bookmarked this page awhile back and now I remember why.  It’s an amazing resource.  What a great chart to share with anyone who has doubts about non-traditional approaches to education.  I hope you find this helpful.

A Comparison of Traditional vs. Natural Learning

Posted in Child-Led Learning | No Comments »

Learning Style Quizzes

And here are some learning style quizzes that may be helpful:

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/calculators/learningstyle /index.jhtml?grade=bigkid

http://www.homeschoolviews.com/quiz/quiz-child.html

Understanding how your child learns best is the key to being successful!! Remember that most children learn best by DOING rather than by traditional methods. 

Ah..here’s another great link (scroll down past the ads):

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/assets.htm

Posted in Learning Styles and Special Needs | No Comments »

Boys and Girls Learn Differently!

I was talking with a mom last week who was really concerned about her little boy not being able to write and draw as well as his friend (who is a girl). I gathered some info for her about how boys tend to develop later in the area of fine motor skills than girls do (and usually earlier in the area of gross motor skills). Anyway, I found one article for teachers that I thought had some good, concise info about gender differences in regard to learning. While it is not written specifically for homeschoolers, the points are still relevant–especially for parents of boys.

The New Gender Gap: Why are So Many Boys Floundering while Girls are Soaring?  

Posted in Learning Styles and Special Needs | 10 Comments »

Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literature

I used this site frequently as a teacher.    I love that it focuses only on award-winning books for children.  Therefore, you know that you’re going to find high quality books when you run a search on a particular topic. The search feature has many options, allowing you to tailor the search to fit your needs. 

 Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literature

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My Journey from Public School Teacher to Homeschooling Mom

During my years as a classroom teacher, I felt stifled and frustrated. I wanted so much more for my students! I worked many long hours in order to incorporate a hands-on approach to learning in my classroom. I sought out ways to help meet the varying academic needs of my students. Despite my efforts, high stakes testing and the “institution” of school in general kept getting in the way of real learning.

 Read the rest of the article.

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Home Education Magazine

From their site:

Home Education Magazine is the oldest, most respected, and most informative homeschooling magazine, available via subscription and in libraries and bookstores nationwide.

Founded by a homeschooling family in 1983 and still published by those founders, every issue includes 8-10 feature articles which address the interests and the concerns of homeschooling parents. This award-winning magazine, produced by our experienced homeschooling staff for over 21 years, brings a common sense approach and reassuring support to our readers in issue after information-packed issue. Our editors, staff, and writers are veteran homeschooling parents with a passion for sharing what works, what doesn’t, what to look for and what to avoid. For over two decades this magazine has published writing that has consistently helped families address their concerns about learning, socialization, curriculum, legal and political issues, and higher education. Best of all, Home Education Magazine provides you with a connection to the wider homeschooling community through newsletters, email discussion lists and forums, support group networking pages at our website and much more. In over 21 years of publishing, Home Education Magazine has become a trusted name in homeschooling, providing our subscribers with information that encourages homeschooling families and thereby strengthens the homeschooling movement.

Support groups, discussion lists, resource pages, and more can be found on the website as well as subscription info for the magazine. EXCELLENT resource.

http://www.homeedmag.com/