Nov

30

How to Make History Fun

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 30, 2008 | 1 Comment

History should definitely be fun.  Yet, most of my history teachers throughout my public school days made history as boring as possible.  To them, it just seemed to be a series of dates, names, and vocabulary words.  With one exception: Mr. Wolfe.  He was the coolest history teacher in all of Junior High.  And because [...]

Nov

24

Houghton Mifflin — Online Educational Resources

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 24, 2008 | 2 Comments

My ten year old daughter — she just had a birthday & I can’t believe she’s now a decade old! — told me today that she and her younger sister plan to enter a spelling bee in January.  Now, my older girl has had a love-hate relationship with spelling.  She enjoys writing songs and stories [...]

Nov

21

Question: “Hey, Dad. Can I Help?” Answer: “Yes.”

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 21, 2008 | 4 Comments

Our children want to spend time with us.  As much as some may complain that kids today are addicted to the internet, video games, text-messaging and other forms of hypnotic electronica, I believe that if we welcomed more opportunities for our kids to spend time with us, most children would jump at the chance.
For example, [...]

Nov

18

Homeschool Perks

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Whenever I tell people my reasons for homeschooling, I focus on very academic reasons:

Excellent Educational Opportunities
Statistically More Likely to Succeed in College
One-on-One Teaching
Develops Self-motivation Skills

However, I do have to admit there are a few perks to this homeschool gig that aren’t so academic… but they are still wonderful reasons to school at home.
1) Sleeping In!  [...]

Nov

15

Take Off with NASA TV

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

A few blog posts ago, I was discussing the pros and cons of that electronic friend (or dreaded living room fiend depending on who you ask), the television set. 
Well, today was a terrific example of when to watch TV, NASA TV to be specific.  This afternoon the Space Shuttle Endeavor rocketed into the sky — [...]

Nov

13

The Importance of Teachers

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

One might erroneously believe that homeschoolers dislike or distrust teachers.  On the contrary, most homeschool parents LOVE teachers.  For one, we parents are primarily teachers of our own children.  But we also know that other teachers (whether fellow home school parents, public school teachers, or specialized instructors) are invaluable to our children’s development.  And teachers [...]

Nov

8

Math for Art Lovers

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 8, 2008 | 1 Comment

My kids love to draw.
However, they aren’t too devoted to their long division homework.  That’s why some days we combine art with mathematics.  One way to do this is quite simple: Create Pictures with Geometery!
For example, as I’m typing this blog entry, my daughters are busy at work on an art project.  I have asked [...]

Nov

6

The Time Management Blues

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 6, 2008 | 1 Comment

Whew!
I’ve been busy at work — teaching classes and grading lots of papers.  My wife has been overwhelmed by Birthday Season.  Our girls’ birthdays are within two weeks of one another, so we’re very busy this time of year.  And then there’s the general chores that we try (but often fail) to stay up to [...]

Nov

3

Does Brain Age Work?

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 3, 2008 | 1 Comment

Nintendo games such as “Brain Age” have been popular for a few years.  And like a lot of fads, my family is usually the last to get on the band wagon (if we bother hopping on at all)!
Advertisements suggest that “Brain Age” will exercise your pre-frontal lobe.  The implication is that your brain will get [...]