Why Homeschool

One of the reasons public schools don't improve

2009-07-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

A major impediment to improvement in public schools is that public school officials making bad decisions rarely suffer consequences. It is almost impossible to fire a bad teacher with tenure.

In Proof Districts can't reform themselves, Dave references an article where a Girl was suspended for videotaping unruly class. The article starts with:

----------
Allison Moore says she and her 15-year-old daughter complained for months about the chaotic environment in a Clayton Valley High School math class.
"The students weren't behaving," Moore said of the third period Introduction to Algebra class. "The teacher couldn't control the students. They were making a ruckus everyday, making it difficult to learn."
The ninth-grade students threw things around the room. Shortly after Christmas, students told the Times, someone exploded Play-Doh in the microwave, resulting in a smoke-filled classroom that teacher Michael Huang refused to air out. In other classes Huang taught, they said, students lit trash can fires and smoked cigarettes or even marijuana.
Moore said she told administrators about the problems in February, but added little seemed to change.
----------

The girl is very frustrated. She wants to learn. She isn't learning. Finally after months of complaining she video tapes the class one day on her cell phone. A friend of hers puts it up on the internet. The school officials find out and suspend her.

Dave raises some good points:

----------
This school has wasted an entire year of educational opportunity in math for these students. They will never get that time back. Yet, from the article it doesn't sound like any of the adults involved have any consequences. Sure, the teacher won't be there next year, but he had already resigned. Where are the consequences for the principal who ignored nearly a full school year's worth of complaints about the classroom? Wouldn't it have made sense for the principal to stop by at least once? Is there any doubt that they would have witnessed the chaos these students describe?
----------

I wonder if the rules should be changed to allow students to video tape their classes. Maybe we'd get a little more accountability.

----------
Technorati tags: parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education

NHELD has another reason to homeschool

2009-07-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Judy Aron brought my attention to a recent NHELD bulletin with another reason to homeschool.

Deborah G. Stevenson explains that the federal government is pushing mandatory swine flu vaccinations for children in public schools this fall, fall of 2009. She lists several problems with the vaccine. A big issue is that parents may not have any say or choice.

It is a good bulletin, worth reading the full text.

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education

Would you like to host a zoo animal?

2009-07-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

A recent news article caught my eye. Zoos Fear Forced Closure, Destruction of Animals starts with:

----------
Anyone want a giraffe?
A zoo operator says it will have to close a pair of Massachussetts zoos, lay off most of the 165 employees, find homes for some of the more-than-1,000 animals and possibly euthanize the rest of the animals unless the state restores millions of dollars in funding.
Patrons view giraffes at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston Thursday, June 13, 2002. Massachusetts, facing a $2 billion deficit, is proposing to drastically cut funding for two state-financed zoos.
----------

This reminded me of a similar problem back in 1984. The story goes that:

----------
During the summer of 1984, when the troubles at the city owned Atlanta Zoo were coming to a head, volunteers at the Atlanta Zoological Society (a privately sponsored support group, dedicated to improving the Zoo) were deluged by calls from members who had received a copy of the letter that follows and were panicking at the prospect of what it suggested. The letter was personally addressed to each and typed on NEW but official looking Atlanta Zoo stationary, embossed in sepia tones with the pictures of various animals usually found in zoos, and hand signed by the supposed sender. It is, of course a complete hoax, and no-one is really sure who was responsible for this rather elaborate prank:

THE ATLANTA ZOO
June 29, 1984

Mr. Jim Brueggemann 2279 Plaster Road (#7) Atlanta, Georgia 30345

Dear Mr. Brueggemann:

As you are aware, Atlanta's zoo is going through a very stressful period. The Board has considered several alternatives and we feel we have a novel, short-term solution to the zoo's current difficulties.

Our solution, which involves you, will immediately relieve the zoo staff of the problems of daily caring for the animals and give the staff the opportunity to perform much needed repairs in animal exhibits.

You have been selected to care for one of the animals for the rest of the summer. You were highly recommended to us because of:

(1) your concern for the reputation of the Atlanta Zoo
or
(2) your known love of animals.

Accordingly, Dixie, a 6,000-lb. hippopotamus from North Africa will soon be delivered to your home. You are totally responsible for her care; housing and feeding until September. Please call Dr. Emmett Asheley, who is on leave but still considered our zoo veterinarian, with your questions regarding Dixie's special diet requirements.

You'll agree, I'm sure, that by distributing our animals among caring metro-Atlanta citizens we are keeping our problems in "our own back yard," while constructively working toward having one of the finest zoological facilities in the country.

Sincerely,

Rufus Simms
Director
Animal Husbandry
----------

I wonder if anyone said "Sure, we can take the hippo."

----------
Technorati tags: zoo, troubles

A revolutionary thought - public school bullying may not be good for children

2009-07-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

A frequent criticism of homeschooling is the claim that the children will miss out on the benefit of public school socialization. Typically people say children have to learn how to deal with bullies.

It makes no sense to me. Why should we throw children into a hostile environment where they have little protection or guidance? As adults we would never tolerate the kinds of abuse that happen in public schools. If this happened in the workplace people would be arrested and some would be thrown in jail.

CT of Petticoat Government left a comment on one of my posts about this topic. She referred me to: Children Who Suffered Bullying Are More Likely To Develop Psychotic Symptoms In Early Adolescence:

----------
A report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry (one of the JAMA/Archives journals) indicates that children who have been mistreated over and over again by peers seem more prone to suffer from psychotic symptoms in early adolescence.
Background facts sustained in the report demonstrate that hallucinations and delusions are common in childhood and adulthood and are characteristic symptoms of psychosis. Children experiencing these symptoms have a greater probability of developing psychosis in later life. The researchers say: "Recent studies have demonstrated an association between traumatic events such as abuse in childhood and psychosis in adults."
----------

The next time someone claims public schools teach children how to deal with bullies, maybe I'll encourage them to read this study.

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education

The Carnival of Homeschooling is up!

2009-07-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Tami is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at Tami's Thoughts and Views.

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling

Homeschooling thought from my oldest daughter

2009-07-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

I asked my daughter to write up her thoughts about homeschooling:

----------
I have always enjoyed homeschooling. From being able to finish by noon if I work at it, to taking a plethora of classes, home schooling has always been the best option for me. I was a late reader, so home schooling allowed me to learn at my own pace. Often I will find something that fascinates me, from the Greek Pathogen to space-time, then I just log on to the computer and I will research till my curiosity is sated.

Often on school days I wake up at 5:50 am. Then my dad drives me to an early morning religion class. When I get back, I eat breakfast and then start on my Internet classes: History, English, and Science. When those are completed, I do the homework and then start math. By then it is lunch and all I have to do is music (clarinet and piano), Rosetta Stone Spanish, chores and any miscellaneous thing my mom plans.
----------

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education

Another beautiful picture from APOD - Three Galaxies

2009-07-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

Giovanni Benintende gave me permission to post his picture of Three Galaxies in Draco:

----------
Technorati tags: Astronomy, Astronomy Picture of the day, Three Galaxies Draco, Giovanni Benintende

Dave Carroll sings about his experience with United Airlines

2009-07-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is another instance of how the Internet gives power to one creative individual.

Dave Carroll flew with United and his guitar was damaged. He spent nine months trying to get compensation. He was ignored. He finally took his complaint to Youtube and produced United Breaks Guitars:

The video has gotten over two million hits in six days! United finally has said "We're sorry!"

The lesson here is one creative person can have great impact.

It is kind of fun, Taylor Guitar, who made the guitar, even has a video response.

(Hat tip: my Virginia brother)

----------
Technorati tags: United, breaks, guitars

Reminder: send in your entries for the next Carnival of Homeschooling

2009-07-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Tami will be hosting the next Carnival of Homeschooling at Tami's Thoughts and Views.

As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.

Here are the instructions for sending in a submission.

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling

Is this really true? Women spend nearly one year deciding what to wear

2009-07-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Interesting:

-----------
Women will spend almost one year of their lives deciding what to wear, a study found.
The average female will spend 287 days rifling through their wardrobe
Choosing outfits for work, nights out, dinner parties, holidays, gym and other activities means the average female will spend 287 days rifling through their wardrobe.
The biggest chunk of that time is used up picking a killer ensemble for Friday or Saturday nights out or selecting the right clothes for a holiday.
-----------

My guess is men spend between 10% to 20% of the time women spend.

(Hat tip: Digg)

----------
Technorati tags: women, men

Do you know someone who suffers from depression?

2009-07-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed Dr. Helen's interview with Dr. Steve Ilardi about his new book: The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs. The fifteen minute interview seemed pretty good, but I haven't read the book.

To beat depression Dr. Steve Ilardi says we need to:

1) Abundent physical activity
2) Better diet, more Omega three fats
3) More sunglight exposure
4) More sleep, like 8 to 9 hours a night
5) Social connectiveness
6) Avoid rumination by having more engaging activity

If you know someone who struggles with depression, check out the interview with Dr. Steve Ilardi.

----------
Technorati tags: depression

Cool TED talk: Catherine Mohr: Surgery's past, present and robotic future

2009-07-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a couple TED talks while doing some email when I realized Catherine Mohr was talking about a company a friend of mine works at: Intuitive Surgical. The video might be a bit much of you are squemish about blood:

Heart surgery is a big deal because it is so tramatic on the body. The kind of robotic tools Catherine talks about are much less invasive and allow much quicker recovery time.

It is a wonderful time to be alive.

----------
Technorati tags: Surgery, robotic

One problem with public schools - they pay teachers not to teach

2009-07-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

New York City public schools are well known for paying a few teachers to sit in a room, away from students. Public school officials have made the decision that it is cheaper to keep these bad teachers away from students than to try to fire them.

It looks like this problem is also happening in San Diego. When Schools Pay Teachers Not to Teach starts with:

----------
Lynne Holyoke knew her principal wanted to fire her. The retired art teacher said the two had often sparred over her teaching style. But instead, Holyoke said the school district made her an offer: Take a year off with pay and resign at the end of it. Holyoke agreed and spent the year on paid administrative leave, doing art therapy, volunteering and mulling her future.
"It was like a package to go," she said.
Holyoke is not the only educator who has been pulled from her classroom but paid nonetheless. Fifty-six educators have been put on paid administrative leave in San Diego Unified over the last six years, taken out of their ordinary jobs but kept on the payroll for anywhere from a few days to more than four years.
Some teachers have been accused of crimes or inappropriate behavior and are removed from their classes until the charges are proven or disproven. Some are awaiting hearings that decide whether they will be fired. A small number are suffering medical problems.
----------

I'd love to know how many teachers nationwide are being paid to stay away from students.

In general when employees at private companies break the law there is no problem in firing them. But teachers at public schools get tenure and a well financed teacher union to protect them. It is almost impossible to fire an average bad teacher.

Until this changes public schools will keep prompting many parents to turn to homeschooling.

(Hat tip: Friends of Dave)

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education

My wife may save me from losing my mind

2009-07-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

A recent study found Lower risk of dementia for married or cohabiting people:

----------
People who live alone have twice the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease in later life compared with married or cohabiting people, according to a research study led by Miia Kivipelto from Karolinska Institutet and published on the prominent British Medical Journal's website, bmj.com.
----------

This is another reason why I'm lucky to be married to Janine!

----------
Technorati tags: dementia, marriage

Cool - orbits in our solar system

2009-07-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

A NASA web site displays orbits of a few hundred of the asteriods in our solar system, along with the orbits of our planets. You'll need to have Java enabled for your web browser to see the orbits.

It is pretty cool.

----------
Technorati tags: asteriod, orbit

Anyone have a Math Rapper CD?

2009-07-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is fun:

I'm always amazed by people who can write songs like this.

If you have one of his CDs, tell me what you think of them. Are they worth buying?

(Hat tip: The Informed Parent)

----------
Technorati tags: Math, Rapper

Ronald Reagan on Socialized Medicine

2009-07-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have great concerns with the current push for nationalized health care. I was surprised to find this isn't a new idea. Ronald Reagan addressed this back in 1961:

(Hat tip: Carpe Diem)

----------
Technorati tags: Socialized, Medicine, nationalized, health, care

Malcolm Gladwell why public school are doing poorly

2009-07-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

In Most Likely To Succeed Malcolm Gladwell explores how hard it is to anticipate how well a person will perform. He starts off explaining how a football scout struggles to figure out which football players will do well on professional teams. Malcolm then reviews why it is hard to recognize who will be good teachers.

There are several good points in the column. I found this paragraph fascinating:

-----------
Hanushek recently did a back-of-the-envelope calculation about what even a rudimentary focus on teacher quality could mean for the United States. If you rank the countries of the world in terms of the academic performance of their schoolchildren, the U.S. is just below average, half a standard deviation below a clump of relatively high-performing countries like Canada and Belgium. According to Hanushek, the U.S. could close that gap simply by replacing the bottom six per cent to ten per cent of public-school teachers with teachers of average quality. After years of worrying about issues like school funding levels, class size, and curriculum design, many reformers have come to the conclusion that nothing matters more than finding people with the potential to be great teachers. But there's a hitch: no one knows what a person with the potential to be a great teacher looks like. The school system has a quarterback problem.
-----------

If we could change the politics of public schools and allow poor teachers to be fired, it would be a huge difference.

Here Malcolm writes about why certificates don't help in picking out good teachers:

-----------
A group of researchers - Thomas J. Kane, an economist at Harvard.s school of education; Douglas Staiger, an economist at Dartmouth; and Robert Gordon, a policy analyst at the Center for American Progress - have investigated whether it helps to have a teacher who has earned a teaching certification or a master's degree. Both are expensive, time-consuming credentials that almost every district expects teachers to acquire; neither makes a difference in the classroom. Test scores, graduate degrees, and certifications - as much as they appear related to teaching prowess - turn out to be about as useful in predicting success as having a quarterback throw footballs into a bunch of garbage cans.
-----------

I love this point:

-----------
In teaching, the implications are even more profound. They suggest that we shouldn't be raising standards. We should be lowering them, because there is no point in raising standards if standards don't track with what we care about. Teaching should be open to anyone with a pulse and a college degree - and teachers should be judged after they have started their jobs, not before. That means that the profession needs to start the equivalent of Ed Deutschlander's training camp. It needs an apprenticeship system that allows candidates to be rigorously evaluated. Kane and Staiger have calculated that, given the enormous differences between the top and the bottom of the profession, you'd probably have to try out four candidates to find one good teacher. That means tenure can't be routinely awarded, the way it is now. Currently, the salary structure of the teaching profession is highly rigid, and that would also have to change in a world where we want to rate teachers on their actual pe rformance. An apprentice should get apprentice wages. But if we find eighty-fifth-percentile teachers who can teach a year and a half.s material in one year, we're going to have to pay them a lot - both because we want them to stay and because the only way to get people to try out for what will suddenly be a high-risk profession is to offer those who survive the winnowing a healthy reward.
-----------

This explains one of the reasons why public schools do such a poor job. They are not sifting for good teachers. They are sifting for certified teachers, some of which do a good job, and some of which do a poor job.

----------
Technorati tags: parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education

From the archives - Reason to homeschool, to allow boys to be boys

2009-07-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

Boys Will Be Boys…Or Will They? is Linda Schrock Taylor's column from five years ago. She starts with:

----------
Boys most definitely should be allowed to be boys…and they could grow up more mentally and emotionally healthy…if government schools would stop trying to force boys – whether by the use of drugs, or the use of punishments – to act like girls. To better understand the destructive treatment of boys in today's society, I highly recommend The War Against Boys by Christina Hoff Sommers. Our culture is greatly harming our boys and creating problems that will germinate and grow to proportions unseen since Jack and the Beanstalk.
Jack. Remember him? Sent on an important errand to sell the family cow….which he did do…but for a handful of beans. Boys are sometimes like that, but fewer and fewer teachers appreciate boy-like behaviors, thoughts, perceptions and ways of approaching the world. What a shame, for boys are such fun. Boys are so refreshing. Boys, when allowed to be boys, are so unlike girls, and that is right and as it should be. Boys tend to be more loyal – less into tattling; more transparent – less into emotional game playing; more outspoken – less into pouting; more honest – less into manipulating.
One is never sure what a boy will pull out of a pocket, and I have been surprised, shocked or repulsed on many occasions. The latest pocket treasures are pretty safe, being these 'hacky-sacks' that the boys use to develop physical dexterity and eye/hand coordination. Those who believe that the boys are purposefully trying to antagonize teachers have it all wrong. Look beyond the fact that the boys are blocking the halls as they kick those little bags of sand (?), endangering any nearby glass – doors, trophy cases, eyewear – and realize that boys need to be physically and mentally active.
When the culture was healthier and more trusting of individuals, the boys carried their jackknives to school and tossed them in games such as "Mumbly-Peg"; dug circles in the sand for a game of marbles; carried shotguns to school and stored them in their lockers, eagerly anticipating an after school hunting expedition.
----------

She goes on to explain how public schools have become hostile to boys.

Yet another reason to homeschool.

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education

I figured out the difference between little boys and little girls

2009-07-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

Janine left the state yesterday to help a niece with a medical issue. I stayed home from work today to watch our children.

It hit me today that one of the differences between little boys and little girls is, with little boys there are toy cars all over the floor, and with little girls there are toy horses all over the floor.

----------
Technorati tags: parenting, children

Another beautiful picture from APOD - The North America and Pelican Nebulae

2009-07-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Danny Lee Russell gave me permission to post his picture of The North America and Pelican Nebulae:

----------
Technorati tags: Astronomy, Astronomy Picture of the day, North America Nebulae, Pelican Nebulae, Danny Russell

The Carnival of Homeschooling - the Founding Fathers edition

2009-07-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 184th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling!

July fourth is when the United States celebrates its independence from Great Britain. School taught me the basic facts of the Revolutionary War. As I grew older I grew more impressed by the caliber of men and the momentous events that lead to the formation of the United States.

(The following images are from various US Federal Government web sites.)

Founding Fathers

The Founding Fathers were an amazing set of men. They created a new country on a foundation of freedom. For centuries most countries were lead by kings. The Founding Fathers organized a new type of government. They were wise. They put limits on government and separated the powers. These men often gave credit to their mothers.

Homeschoolers know that mothers are very important in the raising of sons and daughters. Homeschoolers recognize the important of family, and spending time together as a family.

Beth shares some great thoughts about boys~ wild at heart, on her blog the brew*crew adventure. Now that Janine and I have a boy we’ve noticed some of the same issues.

Elena has 8 tips for homeschooling little boys! at her blog My Domestic Church.

Tonya writes about Getting Boys Interested in Reading on her blog Explore-Discover-Learn.

Keith wonders about the balance between Family Time vs. Computer Time??? Children's Ministry Buzz.

Freedom

The Founding Fathers saw Freedom as being at the very corner stone of life. Men should be free to make chooses. Men should be free to live their lives as they saw fit. The Founding Fathers created the United States with the intent that men would be free and stay free.

Homeschoolers also revere freedom. They fight to maintain their freedom from government interference. They oppose needless regulations. They stay informed and organized to keep limits on government bureaucracies.

Lara writes in Summer School Anyone? that one of the reasons she homeschools is: “…having the freedom to create your own school calendar is one of the many reasons I enjoy homeschooling.” on her blog Texas Homesteader.

Homeschoolers choose to homeschool for many reasons. In response to a post by Heather, Alasandra says two reasons to homeschool are Not the worst reasons to homeschool.

Free publications and fast food prizes can be useful in YOUR homeschool, too! Mrs. C explains how at her blog Homeschool and Etc.

Independence

Initially few American Colonists pushed for independence. The majority saw themselves as Englishmen. They wanted the rights and privileges of Englishmen. As Great Britain attempted to treat them as second class citizens more and more colonists decided independence as the only option for free man.

Many homeschoolers like their independence. They like being able to go slower, or faster, or deeper, or even skip certain topics. They like being able to teach when, where and how they feel is best.

We can be independent about where we learn. For example we can learn a lot outside the classic academic curriculum, here are some Life lessons on the farm, at Learning at Home.

We can be independent about how we learn. Jugglingpaynes has thoughts on exactly How do we learn? at Home Spun Juggling.

Not everything has to be learned from a book. Sebastian and her family been enjoying using audiobooks for school and have found some great sources of free books on audio. (From Percival Blakeney Academy)

Many of the Founding Fathers had private tutors. Meaghan has 5 Reasons You Should Find a Tutor for Your Child at Tutorfi.com.

Responsibility

The Founding Fathers understand that with freedom come responsibilities. Free men have a responsibility to maintain freedom. They need to continually watch the government, stay informed, be informed in their voting, and stay active in politics.

Homeschoolers recognize that they are responsible for the education of their children. It is often daunting at first, but over time they step up and shoulder their responsibilities.

Matthew comments on USA Today on Freedom from Responsibility on Jay P. Greene’s Blog. Matthew makes the point that many want freedom, but not responsibility.

As homeschoolers we have responsibilities to our children. We may also have responsibilities to each other. With Homeschooling, unschooling, not schooling Andrea encourages us as homeschoolers to work harder to get along, on her Atlanta Education Homeschool Blog.

Part of our responsibility can be to help others. Kerry answers the question about homeschooling of How did you get started? (From A Ten O'Clock Scholar)

Dana responds to a frequent question about multi-aged homeschooling on her blog Principled Discovery. You might drop by and see how others handle teaching children of different ages.

Trust in God

The Founding Fathers were varied in their religious beliefs, but they had a reference for the divine. They often started their meetings with prayer. Many pleaded with God for help in making decisions and his support in carrying out their plans.

Many homeschoolers are also deeply religious. They pray and study scriptures as a family. Many homeschool because they want their children to know God.

In Do They See God? Amy asks “When our children look at us, our actions and reactions and our every day interactions, do they readily see the Lord working in and through OUR lives?” from her blog Raising Arrows.

Jaime writes about Training Children on her blog For His Glory. She expands on the scripture from Proverbs 22:6 about training up a child.

With In God We Trust Wendy reflects on Independence Day reflections on what we should be teaching our children regarding the faith of our founding fathers, at A Divine Calling - Musings on Motherhood.

Sam reminds us about the Importance of Nature from My Green Garden.

Mama4x provides a thoughtful review of “Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space” on her blog higher education.

Growing in Grace has religious related posts by three young homeschooled girls. Miss Jessica wrote about sandalwood trees and their root system. Miss Monica June wrote about gathering and choosing acorns for planting. And Lady Jess has a fruit salad recipe.

Plans

The Founding Fathers were organized. They made plans on how to fight the war, how to work together, and what needed to be done. In crafting the structure of the Federal government they planned for the future.

Homeschoolers plan on a small scale. They make plans for meals, for school, for family activities and long range plans for their children.

Christy shares her plans about the Lazy Days of Summer? at her blog Mercy Every Morning.

Writing

The Founding Fathers wrote to each other all the time. They gave each other support; they asked for help and advice; they gave warnings about the British troops. They wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Homeschoolers also write all the time. They blog. They teach their children to write. They writer each other emails. They send questions and answers via mailing lists.

Writing Games is an introduction to a new, several-times-a-week sharing of writing prompts and ideas. PisecoMom says “We're hoping to have folks stop by and share their own writing!”

Misty asks How Do You Get Your Kids to Enjoy Writing? at Homeschool Bytes. She has some ideas to make writing more fun and interesting, but wants more.

Three letter printables help preschoolers to help spell short, simple words. Jolanthe gives the details from Homeschool Creations.

Learned from history

The Founding Fathers studied history. They realized that the best way to anticipate the future was to understand the past.

Homeschoolers also study history. They want to provide a strong understanding of major events and the motivations of people and nations.

MiaZagora listened to a radio program called “Talking it Over with Janet Parshall.” The program partly answered the question: What are the most reliable history resources? (From MiaZagora's Homeschool Minutes) I’ve asked my daughters to listen to the program.

Homeschoolers learn from history. Debbie shares the lessons she’s learned in Choosing Curriculum (and she has a freebie) at Debbie’s Digest.

Summer Learning....It's All Been Arranged has an observation from Barbara Frank that Summer is a good time to observe that our kids are wired to learn.

Homeschoolers also contemplate on their own history. After Six Years of Homeschooling Renae is feeling settled! Check out her recent experience which prompted this on her blog Life Nurturing Education.

In Reflections in Progress Amy ponders on a book she is reading and shares some homeschooling angst as she near the beginning of kindergarten for her eldest daughter, at her blog Hope Is the Word.

Educated

The Founding Fathers were all educated men. They were well read and recognized the value of education.

Homeschoolers also recognize the value of education. They work hard to make sure their children are educated.

Alan summarizes the results of a family "stock market" game for Economics credit, and the three important lessons that our kids learned, at Prose, Politics and Piety.

Math in the Real World: Erasing Debt Activity has some idea on developing relevant math lessons, at I Want to Teach Forever.

With My 10th grade report card qualifies me to have an opinion... Steven shares some of his concerns about public schools at Rough Fractals.

In Aiming For the Ideal Brenda (of The Family Revised) writes about how she learned to dream about the ideal homeschool space and then how to get that instead of limiting her dreams to just the space she had.

In Why didn't the Other Birds Help Him? Sister Lisa writes about a life lesson for my 6 yr old with the help from a science lesson, on her blog The HomeSpun Life.

In Credit Given Where Credit is Due Susan writes about the process an Illinois school district is determining how important accreditation is to quality learning. If a homeschooler/physician taught anatomy class isn't accredited, shouldn't it still be acknowledged in transfer to a public school? (From Corn and Oil)

Tiffany is Announcing - the Punctuation Police! from her blog Life on the Road. She admits “we're a bit on the ‘stickler’ side of things... But, hey, you have to draw a line somewhere!”

Christine was surprised to find that sometimes a day's activities get themed unexpectedly in Breakfast Entertainment, from her blog Our Curious Home.

Reviewed, again and again

For decades historians have reviewed the Founding Fathers. They point out their strengths and weaknesses.

Homeschoolers also do reviews. They review books and curriculums, giving their insights and observations.

Debbie reviews TOPS Green Thumbs: Corn and Beans, a science project, at her blog Debbie’s Homeschool Corner.

The Expanding Life has a review of “A Gift for Baby” by Jan Hunt

Summer can be a time to tweak our curriculum choices as well as new strategies to get the work done. Cheryl explores different resources and ideas about homeschooling and picking the right combination of resources. (Her blog HS-WAHM)

In New World Kids Review and Giveaway NerdMom reviewed a great book on teaching and encouraging creative thinking. She also has a copy to give away! (At Nerd Family Things)

Kris shares her Ten Must-Have's From the Back-to-School Aisle, from her blog Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

If you have enjoyed this carnival, please spread the word. Please mention the carnival on your blog, and other appropriate places.

Go here for the archives of previous carnivals.

Next week the carnival will be held at Tami's Thoughts and Views.

If you are interested in submitting a post for a future carnival, click here for information.

We thank everyone who has helped out. Thank you to all the participants in this carnival. And thanks to all those who help promote the Carnival of Homeschooling.

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling

Humor: The internet version of West Side Story

2009-07-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

My brother linked to Web Site Story. It is pretty funny.

----------
Technorati tags: Web, Site, Story

Reminder, and a plead, send in your entries for the next Carnival of Homeschooling

2009-07-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

My wife and I will be hosting the next Carnival of Homeschooling at our blog Why Homeschool.

As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.

Here are the instructions for sending in a submission.

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling

The Carnival of Homeschooling is up

2009-06-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sherene is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at the Norfolk Homeschooling Examiner. She broke the carnival up into six posts:

Part 1, "The lazy days of summer"
Part 2, "To unschool or not"
Part 3 , "This is the homeschool life"
Part 4, "Books, books and more books"
Part 5, "Crafty Homescholers"
Part 6, "Online Resources"

----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling