One of the biggest concerns I hear from potential homeschoolers is the concern about their child’s future.

Because I work with so many homeschooling families, I have trouble understanding this concern.  The homeschoolers I know are confident, successful, and outgoing.  They conduct themselves with dignity and are able to handle conversations with individuals from all different age groups and walks of life.

One of the newer curriculum options we added to those available through Bridgeway Academy is the Walch Daily Skillbuilders package.  The full language arts package includes the following titles:

• Daily Skillbuilders Reading
• Daily Skillbuilders Spelling and Phonics
• Daily Skillsbuilders Vocabulary
• Daily Skillbuilders Grammar and Usage

There are varied opinions about ACE out there.  Some say it is a fabulous curriculum; others say it is too easy; still others say it is too hard.

So it seems to be a good curriculum on which to provide a review.

If you are looking for a bright, cheery, upbeat workbook that covers all of the concepts required in either first (Language Smarts B), second (Language Smarts C) or third grade (Language Smarts C), then you will enjoy the Critical Thinking Press Language Smarts series.  These thick colorful workbooks are filled with activities designed to introduce your child to concepts such as alphabetical order, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and mechanics as well as various forms of writing.

Ever wish people would stop asking those ridiculous questions about homeschooling?

Found this fun video on the Twelve Days of Homeschooling that hits the perception challenges perfectly!

Check it out and get ready for a good laugh!

Sometimes the hardest thing about homeschooling is making the decision to do it.  Often parents wrestle with questions like “can I do it?” or “will they miss their friends?” or even “what will we do all day?”

Just fielded a question the other day about what homeschoolers can do after they finish their “school work.”  Without some kind of plan, our kids begin to act a bit crazy.  :-)   Let’s face it, we know that we don’t need a 6-7 hour day to complete school when we are working with our kids at home.  So what do you do with those extra hours?

When I first began to conduct homeschool evaluations, I remember often struggling with whether I should allow homeschoolers to list audio books on their reading lists.  If they didn’t actually read the book, was I doing a disservice by not calling it into question?  The fact is, reading is designed to help children build their reading comprehension skills and to develop their ability to think critically about a book . . . right?

As Moms and homeschoolers, it is so easy to let the little things become far too big.  Because our job is so important, we want to do it right and we want our kids to do it right.  And so often we want our kids to perform as though they are little adults who understand responsibility and accountability.

It is that attitude that gets me into trouble all the time!

Okay, so I am back to my philosophical teaching ideas.  Here we are in the midst of advent, and I can already see how our focus is changing.  Where my kids just a week ago didn’t have any idea what to put on their Christmas list, they are now coming up with all kinds of ideas.

They have shifted their thinking from what they have to what they want.