FiveJs

From the monthly archives:

September 2009

September 30, 2009

Should homeschoolers wear pajamas to school?

One of the perks of homeschooling is the ability to stay in pajamas all day long. And my kids and I have taken advantage of that perk on more occasions than I can count. It's just easier to stay in those comfy pj's, right?
But what I've finally come to grips with is that for our [...]

September 24, 2009

Help Your Kids Visualize Distances and Measurements

Judging distances and measurements, especially large measurements, is difficult for kids. 10 feet? 50 feet? Visualizing how long those distances actually are is a challenge.
What we've found that really helps is having something familiar and concrete to compare distances to. So for my own kids, I decided to give them some models for comparison, models [...]

September 16, 2009

My Case Against Learning States and Capitals

One of the first things children seem to learn when they study geography in school is the names of the states and capitals. It's generally considered a staple in a child's elementary curriculum, whether in public school or homeschool.
And really I don't have a problem with kids learning the U.S. capitals. There's nothing wrong with [...]

September 11, 2009

Free Homeschooling E-Book: "The New School Year"

Knowledge Quest, Inc. along with The Old Schoolhouse, Five in a Row, Amanda Bennett, Malia Russell and Ruth Beechick, are offering a wonderful free e-book to homeschooling families called The New School Year: Planning Your Course and Letting the Lord Determine Your Steps.
Has the new school year started with gusto at your house? Or guesses?
“I guess we’ll use this [...]

September 9, 2009

Homeschool Better with Flashcard Software

Jaden started Latin this year (using a fantastic curriculum called Cambridge Latin Course which we have both fallen in love with—review to come soon), so he needed a way to study his vocabulary words on a daily basis. I contemplated just having him make up some flashcards on 3×5 index cards, but he wasn't too [...]

September 8, 2009

The JoJo Bean Speaks!

My seven-year-old daughter, Joely, has had a blog since she turned six, but it's fallen a bit to the wayside lately. She hasn't written on it at all in the last six months.
But today Joely decided to write a little "story" on her long-neglected blog, so if you have a moment and don't mind, head [...]

September 2, 2009

What to do when your homeschooled child feels overwhelmed

My son is officially a seventh grader this year, and that means his schoolwork requires a lot more effort on his part. than in previous year. He's also doing a lot more of his work independently, so he's having to be much more self-motivated and self-disciplined.
Since we've switched to our new almost-year-round-calendar for this school [...]

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