I believe it is important to be a learner, to be curious and to go deep with others. Here are my 3 favorite questions, great for personal reflection, a new acquaintance and an old friend. What are you passionate about? What is your story? What has God been telling you? Do you have a favorite question? Please share below.
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Homeschool: Raising Jerks
Well, this isn’t directly related to homeschooling, but I ran across an article recently and have to share. Fair warning, parents, this is going to sting a little. I’m pretty sure I agree with every statement though. We definitely have some things to work on even though our kids aren’t jerks yet. 🙂 Take a look at the article, How to Raise a Jerk by Reggie Joiner. I love the closing question, “How would you set out to raise a jerk?” Please share your answer below.
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Homeschool: Multiple Ages
Okay, parents, I’ll just let you know. You aren’t going to love this. I’ll just confess now, it wasn’t me who first said what I’m about to say. So if you do end up liking it, I don’t get credit. In the more likely event that you hate it…it wasn’t me. How do you homeschool with multiple ages? That’s the million dollar question. Especially when you have a toddler running around, this can seem impossible. How are you suppose to take care of a little one while also helping the older ones get through math, language arts, history and science? I was at a conference on homeschooling with my wife.…
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Homeschool: First-Timer Ideas
A friend who is homeschooling for the first time shared some ideas that are helping his family manage this new reality. Like many, he and his wife are working and homeschooling. They have two primary requirements for each day. Finish School Work Finish Chores After these, they then have added, to keep themselves and their children sane… One Hour of Reading One Hour Outside One Hour Creating The one hour of reading is outside of school work. Let them find something they love and go at it. The one hour of creating, could be anything. My friend mentioned learning to play the guitar, painting, whatever kind of creativity that sparks…
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Homeschool: Raising Readers
One of the best things we can do as parents is to plant in our kids a love for reading. After all, reading is foundational for all other types of education. It is the building block on which everything else is built. Two things, before we continue. First, learning to read is not the same thing as loving to read or identifying as a Reader. I have known how to read for decades but only recently became a Reader. Second, no, you do not have to homeschool to raise Readers. Our family loves homeschooling, but it is not for everyone. This is fine. However, since you are homeschooling right now,…
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April Series
Over the past week I shared these initial reactions on the Coronavirus: Decide to Change Forever Essential and Extra What Is God’s Will For My Life? A Better Response Now that we are in lockdown for another month, I plan to write a series of posts on the following themes: Listen – This continues to be a season of slowing down for many. The opportunity to be still and know God is God is huge. I hope to give little bits of encouragement as you pursue Jesus on a daily basis. If we can all silence our fears and focus on God, great things will happen. May you find opportunities…
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Are You Worried About Teaching Your Children Everything?
Are you worried about teaching your children everything they need to know before they leave your house? This is a common fear parents have. We worry there are going to be gaps in our kids education that will hold them back. Sarah MacKenzie, author, speaker and podcaster challenged an audience I was part of once. She simply asked, “Are there gaps in your education?” Wow! That hit me hard. For most of you that didn’t know, I moved nearly every year of my life. I went to three high schools in three states. There are gaps in my education for sure. This does not stop me though. I love to…
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The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
In 1979, Jim Trelease, a writer and staff artist for the Daily News, self-published his first edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook. In it he implored parents and teachers to read aloud to children. In a few weeks, the eighth edition of the book comes out. The results, he says, are clear. “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” Reading, Trelease says, is the building block for all other education. The book includes a plethora of stats and studies to substantiate his claims. His goal, however is not to make better readers, but to instill a love for…
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So You Want To Homeschool
There are many options available for education these days. All are wonderful. Because we homeschool, we often get asked about it. If that is you, this post will help you get started. Note: If you want someone to convince you why one form of education is better than another, you probably should look somewhere else. You are a good parent. You will do what is right for your family. If you have already decided to do homeschooling, here are some great resources. Start Here: There are a lot of different ways to homeschool. My wife leads the way homeschooling our kids. I play a support role. One of the articles…
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Shadow
Who is walking in your shadow? I was walking barefoot on the beach with my young daughter. We were holding hands and she was walking irregularly. She was kind of hopping and walking at the same time. I didn’t think anything of it. She was excited to be at the beach. Then she said, “Daddy, I’m trying to walk in your shadow.” In a moment, a flood of thoughts came into my mind. Is my shadow one she should walk in or should I point her to someone else? Do I need to change some things in order to be a shadow worth walking in? Regardless of my worthiness, should…
