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Why Homeschooling Works – A Preschool Example

Why Homeschooling Works - A Preschool Example

I was asked again recently if homeschooling really works. 

For some reason, I’m always caught off guard when I hear this. After all, I see home education work everyday!  

My own kids… my homeschooling friends’ kids… students I see at our co-op… they’re all growing and learning and turning into capable young people. 

Does it work? Of course it works! It’s been working in one form or another for millennia! Homeschooling is an amazing way to learn!

But only ten short years ago I actually asked the very same question.

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3 Useful Discipleship Tools for Christian Parents

3 Useful Discipleship Tools for Christian Parents

Christian parents often feel like they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or, maybe more accurately, we’re standing on the Rock in a hard place.  We’re called by the Lord (our “Rock” in Psalm 18:2) to “bring [our children] up in the training and instruction of the Lord” but our “post-truth” culture makes that a seemingly impossible goal. 

Traditional, Christian morals and values are eroding in our society at breakneck speed and we’re constantly inundated with messages contrary to Biblical teaching. Once-a-week, Sunday school flannel board lessons may have cut it thirty years ago (arguably), but times have definitely changed. 

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Top 10 Time-Saving Tips for Homeschoolers

Top 10 Time-Saving Tips for Homeschoolers with hour glass on sand background

Homeschoolers have gained back a lot of time with their kids by keeping them home. But it still seems like it’s never enough! So, in the spirit of not wasting any more of this precious commodity, let’s get right to the tips!

The list below includes the top ten ways I’ve learned to save time in our homeschool. It’s organized from very general to very specific – hopefully there’s an idea for everyone!

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How to Unfairly Judge (and Annoy) a Homeschooler

How to unfairly judge and annoy a homeschooler title with judge's gavel

WARNING: Just so we’re all on the same page, the following post is facetious and dripping with sarcasm. Please read it with this in mind. 

If you’re looking to anger, alienate, or distance yourself from the homeschooling family down the street but just don’t know where to start, look no further! Here are 7 easy ways to judge them unfairly and really annoy them in the process!

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Kids Are Always Learning (Even on a Sick Day)

Kids are Always Learning (Even on a Sick Day) title with sick boy reading in bed

I love autumn. The older I get, the more I prefer autumn to my previous favorite season, summer. Apple picking, cider donuts, colorful scenery, veggie garden harvests, and cozy sweaters on crisp fall days…. yes, there’s a lot to love about this season! 

Except, of course, the inevitable cold or flu that someone catches and brings home to share with the family. 

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Homeschool Teaching Tip #5: Be Interesting

Homeschool Teaching Tip 5 Be Interesting with balloon image

This post is part of a series of helpful teaching tips for homeschoolers. If you haven’t yet, check out Tip #1, Tip #2, Tip #3, and Tip #4. 

I was going to title this post “Don’t Be Boring” but that sounded kind of harsh. Plus, psychologists tell us it’s good to frame things positively if possible. (You know… like when you calmly encourage your toddler to “use the markers on the paper” instead of yelling “DON’T DRAW ON GRANDMA’S FACE WHILE SHE’S SLEEPING!”)

So, whether you think of it as trying NOT to be boring or trying to BE interesting, the point of Tip #5 is to make life and learning fun!

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Homeschool Teaching Tip #3: Find a Hook

Homeschool Teaching Tip #3: Find a Hook

This post is part of a series of helpful teaching tips for homeschoolers. If you haven’t yet, check out Tip #1 and Tip #2. There may be affiliate links in this post – click here to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Imagine you walk into a classroom and take a seat at your desk. There you find a worksheet with a tree diagram. The teacher announces that you’ll be studying trees today. She lists the vocabulary words you should add to your diagram.

Now imagine instead that you walk into a classroom with a three foot wide slice of tree trunk on a table with a few magnifying glasses scattered next to it. The teacher invites you to study the tree for a few minutes and see what you see. 

I’m guessing I’m not the only one who would find the second scenario more interesting. 

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Homeschool Teaching Tip #2: Know Your Objective

Homeschool Teaching Tip #2: Know Your Objective

This post is part of a series of helpful teaching tips for homeschoolers. Check out the first post here. 

If you look up “how to create a lesson plan,” the first thing that most resources will tell you is to “Know Your Objective.”  That is, know what the main point of the lesson is. For example, “after this lesson, the student will be able to name the four largest moons of Jupiter.” 

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Homeschool Teaching Tip #1: Know Your Child

Homeschool Teaching Tip #1: Know Your Child

When I started homeschooling, one of the first things I did was to check out a stack of “how-to-teach” books from the library. I was hoping to find the secrets to successful homeschool teaching.

I found about 30% of the information to be really helpful. The other 70% was geared toward navigating the public school system. They covered things like managing classes of 20+ students, working with parents and school administration, and decorating classroom bulletin boards. 

Don’t get me wrong. A lot of it was good information. But it just wasn’t relevant for me as a new homeschool mom.

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