Tag Archives: Homeschooling

The Budding Scientist inside Every Child, #2

“Young children live in the here-and-now world around them, which they use as a laboratory for their explorations.” Lucy Sprague Mitchell Children’s author Ruth Kraus put this idea into practice. She asked a group of children to define the purposes … Continue reading

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The Budding Scientist inside every Child, #1

Inside every child lives a budding scientist. Each has his unique set of tools, a specific environment, and some degree of nourishment. It is our responsibility to apply a balanced amount of guidance. As we observe the child and the … Continue reading

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Social Media and a New Type of Learner

In an article from Signature Magazine (May 1970) the well-loved American news broadcaster, Walter Cronkite from CBS Evening News, questioned the sufficiency of television news programs.  He believed that the limited reading ability of the American populous (in 1970) was not … Continue reading

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Stepping Outside of the Familiar (What I learned from Sam, #5)

Samuel Blumenfeld was an independent thinker on a solitary quest, and a master at research. (The indexes of his books will show this.) Devoted to improving American literacy, he became a dedicated activist for education reform. His research extended outside … Continue reading

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Who Taught George Washington? (What I learned from Sam, #2)

Who taught George Washington? How about Benjamin Franklin? Thomas Jefferson? Do you care to guess? Lawrence A. Cremin (author of “American Education: The Colonial Experience 1607-1783”) describes the signers of the Declaration of Independence and of the U.S. Constitution as … Continue reading

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Fines Levied on Truant’s Parents (What I learned from Sam, #1)

Fines levied on parents of truants? “What fines?” you may ask. “For skipping school?” “That’s tyranny!” “We’ve got to do something about this!” But where? When? Believe it or not, the first example of compulsory school attendance was in Württemberg, … Continue reading

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Raving Customers (Homeschooling with Peter Watt: Episode 3)

“Dianna and I are just beginning lesson 7. After going over lessons three and four Dianna was so excited that she could read that she hugged my neck and told me she loved me. She said, ‘Oh mommy, my wish … Continue reading

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How to Handle the Messes

The little ones are finally asleep. I tiptoe from their room, being careful not to let the door creak. I choose to leave the lights off. Must not wake them. I need to sleep tonight. Working my way to the … Continue reading

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Anywhere School (Homeschooling Resources #2)

“I’m late, I’m late for A very important date. No time to say hello, good-bye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late” (The White Rabbit — Alice in Wonderland)  Do you ever feel stuck on a tread mill, unable to step … Continue reading

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The Crayon Catastrophe (Homeschooling Regret #1)

Homeschooling a large family on a limited income required many sacrifices. Pinching pennies was the key to survival. Most of my curriculum was either found at used bookstores, or I created it myself. And I bought supplies for the lowest … Continue reading

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