Focus on Special Needs
It is definitely that time of year again, isn’t it? The leaves cease to thrive, begin withering, and then finally fall to the ground. It would almost be mournful if the outcome wasn’t so amazing. In just a few short months the same [...]
My daughter started her sophomore year of homeschooling before we finally learned why school was so difficult for her.
We walked out of the third floor office of the learning specialist and neither of us spoke. Instead, we each attempted to absorb what the doctor just presented [...]
Being bilingual is a special gift, but it’s not a rarity. Did you know that over 60% of people in the world are bilingual? Among Americans, though, that rate is only 25%. Bilingualism brings very definite benefits: cognitive abilities such as creativity and problem solving skills; cultural awareness and sensitivity; [...]
We had already begun our homeschooling journey when our younger daughter was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Since she was only four years old at the time, I wasn’t all that concerned. She was still in the land of preschool, where other children are blissfully unaware of differences, and where she [...]
“I can’t do it! I told you I can’t!” your son shouts and then throws down his pencil and pushes the book away from him. He jumps up and knocks over his chair, “I hate this!” he yells. He stomps from the room and you hear his door slam once, [...]
Learning to Compensate
Dealing with learning challenges is difficult, but in high school, it can become seriously concerning. You don’t have to be afraid! With the great student to teacher ratio of homeschooling, and the love for your child, you have what it takes!
Debbie was at her lowest point when she [...]
“Let’s get Kevin! He’s a reader!” From the earliest days of kindergarten, my child was labeled by teachers and others. At every birthday party he was called on to read birthday cards. No matter what the spelling words, they were always too easy. No matter what the math concept, he [...]
It seems like such a simple concept. As babies, our children learned everything by touch. They picked things up, put it in their mouths, and rubbed it against their skins. Even board books came with plush and other materials to encourage children to feel and learn. [...]
One Size Fits Most.
That’s what they call it these days.
Gone are the days of t-shirts, hats or other clothing items with “One Size Fits All” written on the tag, or so it seems to me as I browse through the racks. Clothing manufacturers are finally noticing that we are [...]
I have said it before and I will say it again…
One of the most awesome, most beautiful things about homeschooling is the gift of time. You are out of the rat race. If you have anything to say about it–and of course, you do– your children WON’T be left behind. [...]
After my last post on homeschooling gifted children, several HOTM readers wondered what to do next. So you’ve preliminarily assessed your child’s personality and abilities, and you think she might be gifted. Regardless of whether her IQ is abnormally high or whether she would qualify for membership in MENSA, [...]
When you have a dream, there is always a gap between the vision and your current reality.
How you live in that space makes all that difference. In order to have the dream be reality you must develop into a person who has the capacity and skills to cause that dream. [...]
Lee Binz, The HomeScholar, is having a give-away! To celebrate the December 3 launch of her Total Transcript Solution, Lee is giving away a free copy to one lucky reader. All you have to do is go to this blog post and answer the following question:
“How will creating [...]
When I was little, my family would travel to my granny’s house for Thanksgiving. I loved this time of the year when our family would spend time together. And on Thanksgiving, we would all gather at the table, stare in awe of the Great Bird and all the fixings. We [...]
“Junior is taking violin, Latin, and computer science this year,” your neighbor brags, “his teachers are marvelous. He couldn’t be happier.” You smile politely and walk away, but then it happens – self-doubt returns.
Self-doubt is a dangerous thing. It undermines our good intentions and sabotages our efforts. Doubt prevents us [...]
Wow, this past year has zoomed by, I can’t believe it’s Thanksgiving week already! Is it just me, or do the days seem to speed by quicker when you have kiddos in the house?
I have plenty of Turkey Day linky-goodness to share with you so let’s get things rolling…
Check out [...]“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Collossians 3:15
Lately I have noticed that Thanksgiving is quickly being overshadowed by the capitalism of Christmas. Driving around in my town I have seen the Christmas trees [...]
It seems whenever I have a really difficult day, I don’t have a hard time making it known. True, I pray for help and strength to get through whatever the obstacle might be. But the last thing I need is for someone to snap at me or push me through [...]
1. Get an art calendar and hang it in your home. Make a point to spend time at least once a month discussing what you see in the artwork. Each month you will have a new reminder and a new art print.
2. Take a field trip to an art museum, [...]
Everywhere I go this week, I smell the sweet aroma of Thanksgiving. Stores are packed with people preparing for their Thanksgiving Holiday Meals. Our town is preparing for the start of Ski season and you can see the completion of hotel expansions and road construction winding down and store fronts [...]
Journey with Nikowa and her family as she shares with us her path through adoption.
Since we initially wanted to have our own baby, that’s what our hearts were set on– having an infant. We also knew that we wanted a girl, since we already [...]
Oh how I love art and crafting. Although all my kids have their own favorite activities, I am a watercolor fan. I truly wish I had a bit more time to develop my drawing and painting skills. When I lived up north I would take the littletons to art museums [...]
Welcome to Write At Home, a monthly feature here at HOTM. Marybeth Whalen will be introducing you to homeschool moms who write: curriculum authors, novelists, nonfiction writers, and popular bloggers and more. Many of us are deeply inspired by these moms who seem to “do it all.” This feature [...]
One of the greatest misconceptions that people have when they hear the term “homeschooling” is that children who are homeschooled do not have the same opportunities for social interaction as children who attend school. In reality, homeschooled children have many resources and opportunities to lead a social life, including church, [...]
Every now and then, we are placed, I believe divinely, in a warm and comforting space in our homeschooling experience where everything just seems to fit together. I relish those moments when there are unplanned and unexpected opportunities to really seal knowledge into their hearts and minds through the power [...]
Asperger’s Syndrome: a body like Gumby with a mind like Wolverine’s core being
Our son has always had a body he could do weird things with. He pops his jaw in and out of socket. He manipulates his fingers in a way that cracks and pops like wood on a fire. [...]
Home Educating Family Magazine: Changing the World Starts at Home
The Home-Educating Family is the gateway for your family to be a part of the most meaningful discussions taking place in the homeschooling community today.
Teaching your children at home in the 21st century is starkly different [...]
Fall is one of the most perfect seasons as far as I am concerned; I only wish it lasted longer. I love to breathe in the scent of warm soil, slowly decaying leaves, and the myriad of spices begging to be added to purees of pumpkin, squash or apple. How [...]
Hello friends! I want to start this week’s feature by apologizing to everyone for my lack of a submission last week. I got too caught up in getting unpacked and settled in and my mind was in a state of utter chaos. I completely spaced! I hope you will forgive [...]
“Mommy, can I help?”, pleads my three year-old daughter as I stand at the stove cooking dinner.
“Not right now, sweetie. The stove is hot and you could get burned.”
I see the disappointment in her eyes, so I pull out a can of frozen lemonade and ask her to help me [...]
When I first sat down to write this article, my mind was a flurry with partial ideas and the nervousness of what in the world do I share with people? How am I supposed to write something down to earth that will speak to their hearts and not sound preachy? [...]
How many times have you heard, or said, “A place for everything and everything in its place”? You know as well as I that this is a helpful adage. And getting it ingrained in your kids can certainly facilitate an easier clean-up time. Nothing worse than saying to your children [...]
My first two children spoiled me rotten. Their happy attitudes toward our home school adventure fed my home-school-mom pride. They gobbled up nearly everything I placed on their educational plates. I thought that whatever I decided to do would work the same way for all of my children. That is, [...]
The object of this study is to take some time out of our busy, often chaotic days and spend some time with women who have gone before us. Not just any women, but 26 women of the Bible. We’ll “Walk Among Them” and see how their [...]
Welcome to this week’s At the Forum. November is such a beautiful time of the year. Fall is taking place around many parts of the world and the colors are so vivid. Not just the season of fall makes November a picturesque month but, it is a start to the [...]
Thanksgiving is around the corner and so are the big family get togethers. A house full of relatives, smells, loud sounds, and cousins rough housing through the living room. Did your eyes just cross? Hmm, then perhaps you have children like mine. I have been blessed with 5 lovely children, [...]
From the moment I discovered I was pregnant (and believed it after 5 pregnancy tests – hey, that’s how many were in the package!), I anxiously anticipated and prayed about what my baby would look and be like. I prayed for him/her to have Daddy’s eyes and thick hair but [...]
Often as homeschooling parents, or simply parents in general, we love to ask others for advice. How do you do this? How did you teach that? I was approached a few days ago on a few issues and one woman replied back, “well I’m just going to have to follow [...]
Explore the science and the history behind the Biblical event that signaled the Messiah’s birth
It is easy to relegate it to an afterthought in a nativity scene or as just another tradition when it is placed atop the tree, but law professor Rick Larson wants everyone [...]
I love home schooling. While I am new to this and I still have the honeymoon feelings, I am still surprised at how challenging it is. I expected my first grade year to go quite easy. I am mean, how difficult is basic addition and English grammar? I can do [...]
If there is one thing I have learned recently, it’s that God has NOT changed His mind about me.
Not His plans, His purpose, His calling for my life. None of it has changed. Before the foundations of the world, He had a plan for my life, just like He [...]
My kids get bored easily. Do yours? A week of work pages, reading and recitation had left mine with a glazed over look in their eyes and groans when I mentioned beginning lessons for the day. Inwardly, I chided myself, “Look what you’ve done to them! Where is that relaxed [...]
Because the lyrics of my life include Rich Mullins’ songs, someone gave me a twenty-six page magazine about the self-proclaimed ragamuffin. There are many pithy quotes in the Release Extra, but this one echoes.
I don’t feed my ego by wearing pretentious clothes or by cutting my hair in pretentious ways [...]
I’m a believer in family reading time. We make time for it almost daily. There is a specialness that surrounds it. Reading stories as a family binds us together, as sharing an adventure together always should.
I’ve begun preparing to set sail on a voyage of thankfulness [...]
Nothing amazes my kids more than the weather. Where we live the weather changes constantly. From very cold with snow and ice to warm windy days literally within days of each other. Living up north has inspired my kids to learn more about extreme weather and how it affects us.
This [...]
One of my favorite gift-giving strategies is to focus on family gifts rather than individual gifts. This approach is an effective means of saving both time and money, two very important resources, especially this time of year! Deciding on one large present is much quicker than choosing several individual gifts. [...]
Late summer we were blessed to receive a gardening gift from a neighbor who has a farming business where his main home is located. He handed me a container filled with large bulbs of garlic and explained how they would need to be planted in the fall in order to [...]
Thank Goodness it is Friday. It has been a busy week in my household and the busyness has stretched its way to the Forum. I am sure I am not the only one who has benefited from the questions and advice that has been posted. We would like to extend [...]
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