Are you beating your head against a wall? Is your thirteen year old impossible to teach? Is the curriculum that has worked so well in the past suddenly "boring?"
I recently spoke with a mother of many who, after completing an enjoyable unit study of reading and discussion on Holland, decided her fourteen year old son should follow-up this project with something concrete. She asked him to write an essay on the history of the development of the tulip industry - a topic they had all found to be interesting. As days of reluctance dragged into weeks of resistance, a normally affable mother-son relationship became outright antagonistic....
Once upon a time in the not too distant past, there was a home schooling family.
Pa worked, and Ma stayed at home, teaching their five children. They had begun their home school adventure much like many other families, merely bringing school home...
Does your family love games? Or would you like to incorporate more family games but are not sure where to start? Games have been proven to rapidly develop cognitive functions in all ages.
Games the Build the Brain is a favourite resource of home schooling families everywhere! Find a fabulous game in this booklet, and learn which cognitive skills it builds and supports. Then, play it with your family to reap the cognitive and relationship benefits!
Are you wondering what's new or what's coming up with WISDOM? Did you accidentally delete your e-Newsletter? No problem! Below, you can find a list of e-Newsletters from this school year.
If you'd like to receive our e-newsletter, please contact our office.
When I think of the movie line "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My," it makes me think about the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. For those of you who haven’t seen it or need a refresher, I will summarize some of my favourite characters.
There were 3 characters that all needed something. They figured if they met the Wizard of Oz, he could give them what they needed.
There was The Scarecrow who needed a brain. A Tin Man who needed a heart and The Lion who needed courage.
Thankfully we are born with a brain and a heart. And I think it’s fair to say that courage can come and go in our lives. But as parent’s, we are responsible for facilitating growth in all 3 of these areas. And I believe that the Lord has designed us all uniquely. We are all born with different gifts and talents. That’s what makes us special. When my sons were younger at times I felt overwhelmed towards the great responsibility it was to raise them. What if I make a mistake? What if I forget to teach them a life skill? What if I am too strict? What if I am too lenient? Yet as our children grow up, so do we as parents. We adapt to their needs and opportunities that facilitate character building.
Happy Home Schooling! This eLetter (Terry’s Terrific Learning Connections or Terry’s Tender Loving Care) is meant to encourage and inspire families homeschooling their children.
I hope you had a lovely Christmas and break with your family. Many of us are back at homeschooling now and perhaps some are wondering what to do. (What to do with the kids, what to do with homeschooling, what to do as a couple, what to do with current events, what to do with life, and more….)
My best advice is just to keep going. Pull yourself up and just keep going. Don’t make permanent decisions in troubled times. If you are tired, rest. If you are discouraged, look for encouragement everywhere you can. If you are anxious, quit worrying and trust God for each day. Easier said than done, I know. Try going on a media fast - even for a few hours a day - and reading your Bible more. I do like to keep up with Current Events, but I also know Who is in control and I will continue to trust Him.
One thing I learned years ago is that the *official* Homeschool Year is half over at the end of January. You still have another five months to go and so much homeschooling can still be accomplished. (And I homeschooled unofficially through the summer most years, too. It’s not the same *heavy* homeschooling, but a lot can get accomplished then, too. Homeschooling quickly became our life – 24/7 – and it was so good. I hope it is good for your family, too!)
So, this is the Official FUN TLC of the year. I love homeschooling and I love having fun – AND I love combining the two! What better time of the year to focus on fun than right now?
It was with the support of their local school principal that Ken and Marlane Noster brought home their eldest child, half way through grade 3; but the superintendent threatened to charge them with truancy. The late 80’s were rife with inconsistencies in treatment of home schoolers.
Although it is entirely speculative by its nature, the FUTURE is a big subject to talk about. In fact, perhaps because it is so big, it sometimes dominates our present. The future presents us with a plethora of "what if's" at every turn, and if we aren't careful we can become overwhelmed by its possibilities: intimidated, scattered, swamped or even terrified. On the other hand, because the future is speculative, it is possible to desire it more than the present; because the future contains a glimpse of the eternal, it is extremely appealing to the believer.
Here is a summary of information that should be helpful to those who want to participate in the WISDOM Homeschooling Science and Technology events:
The event is NOT a competition. There will be no ‘judges’ and there are no prizes. Rather, this is an opportunity for a student or family to summarize their course of study in an area of science and/or technology. No one should feel as though someone else has a ‘better’ topic. Rather, this is an opportunity to share YOUR learning with others. Thereby, everyone can benefit by being exposed to a greater variety of topics that might not be achievable on one’s own.