It's So Much More! Bible Isn’t CurriculumEvery year we are asked why we don’t include Bible courses as part of our curriculum kits. The answer? Bible is much bigger than a box on your school checklist. It should happen whether it’s a school day or not, whether you feel like it or don’t, and even whether you homeschool or *gasp* opt to send your children to school. On top of that, it desperately needs to be tailored to your family’s interests, time-frame, and perhaps even what you’re studying at church. A Terrible TragedyDuring our conference tours, we visited with a...

We had an email asking for tips for homeschooling a gifted daughter which prompted us to compile all our very best tips and tricks learned over the past decades. What would you add? 1. Disdain Busy-WorkYour child wants to learn, so don’t slow her down! If she has mastered multiplication, why are you still spending an hour a day reviewing it? Yes, she does need some review, but we’ve seen way too many families focus on completing every problem rather than mastering the material. One way to test this is to have her try doing only every other review problem...

Catering to the Learning Style of Your Baby PART 2 OF 2 ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 1993, SHORTLY AFTER THE ADDITION OF PEARL, BABY #5. As a teaching mom, my first assignment is to study my baby and learn how he learns best. Keep in mind that many babies are a blend of styles, but all babies will have a decided preference. When you are the parent of a visual baby, the road ahead of you will be fairly smooth. For whatever reason, nearly all canned curriculum is geared to the visual learner. Moreover, visual children who attend school have the greatest opportunity...

Learning Styles PART 1 OF 2 ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 1993, SHORTLY AFTER THE ADDITION OF PEARL, BABY #5. Having a newborn has reminded us again of why we teach our children at home. Teaching your child does not begin with kindergarten curriculum, nor does it begin with a preschool program, or even with your baby’s first step. Home education begins shortly after birth; it can begin with a cuddle. Doesn’t it seem that after you have your baby, friends and foes alike will rush to hold her? Our baby Pearl is no exception. She loves all the attention and seems...

Would you like to supplement your curriculum with a program that simultaneously improves your child’s visual perception, fine-motor skills, patience, problem solving, spatial perception, creativity, ability to follow directions, pre-reading skills, grasp of physics concepts and engineering ability? Better yet, what if your child could actually enjoy this curriculum and choose to do it whenever they could? No, this isn’t some mythical homeschool product guaranteed to solve all your problems for a large fee – we are talking about the Legos already strewn through your house, the ThinkPlay sets in our preschool curriculum and the Fischertechnic sets designed for older kids. Construction kits just might be the most underrated curriculum...