Making homeschool decisions easy
I have heard for so long that using anything by Michael Clay Thompson for language arts instruction is a WISE decision. We are heavily classical in our homeschool, and this fueled our decision to investigate these materials. This year we decided to try Building Language. It has been a solid addition to not only our language arts curriculum, but also has reinforced our history
Spelling is a subject we all struggle with but for some of us it’s an extra challenge. I found sequential spelling to be an answer for my reluctant speller. No weekly spelling tests over random lists but instead a logical progression built on a familiar foundation. Like building blocks, sequential spelling begins with basic word families and quickly builds on them. Most spelling curricula focus
Wondering what your student can do with all those wonderful writing skills they learn using IEW in the younger years? The IEW system is a complete writing system that homeschooling families can build on from year to year. If your family has worked through the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style course and your older student is now looking for ways to use apply their
Let’s be honest. In the ocean of children’s books, there’s a whole lot of flotsam and jetsam. Just because a book is popular doesn’t mean it’s worthwhile. On the flip side, just because a book is decades old doesn’t mean it’s a classic. Parents, particularly homeschooling parents, need someone whom they can trust to help them guide their children toward high-quality literature. A superb resource
“I dwell in Possibility/A fairer house than Prose,/More numerous of windows,/Superior of doors.” Emily Dickinson, “I dwell in Possibility” Poetry is a flexible area of study. It can be studied on its own, and for its own merit. On the other hand, born of cultural, historical, and personal experience, poetry can enhance the study of any subject. For me, the trouble with poetry is how to
I was reminded again why we’ll be heading into our sixth year enjoying Rod and Staff English. Yesterday, third grader and I read… How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103 The assignment to emphasize that when we read God’s word we “should be careful to get all the good sweetness we can… …We must not
My beginning readers are children who have been raised on a wide variety of literature, from Dora the Explorer books (which do not really count as literature) to classics like Heidi and everything in between. As they have begun learning to read one thing I have tried to find are beautiful books on their level. I’m sorry, I’ve seen those beginning readers where the whole
Wordplay Café by Michael Kline is a set of grammar and vocabulary lessons disguised as a book of games. Truth be told, there are a few lessons that cover logic and Greek and Latin in there, too. The set up of the book itself mimics a menu at a café. There are recipes for games, brain candy (interesting word and language facts), unfortunate cookies (made up
