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Blog — Teens

WriteShop-My Favorite Writing Program For My Child

Posted by Michelle Osborn on

WriteShop

Guest Post by Michelle Cleveland  

WriteShop is not only an excellent writing program, it is also excellent is helping the parent/teacher know what and how to teach and how to correct writing assignments! You can teach your child to write and the process does not need to be daunting! 

Although I enjoyed writing classes when I was in school (years and years ago), the idea of teaching our children a writing program was extremely intimidating and overwhelming. An experienced homeschooling friend (who was teaching her teens at the time) recommended I try WriteShop.

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Music is Powerful: Harness the Power in Your Homeschool

Posted by Michelle Osborn on

Music is Powerful- Ways to Harness the Power in Your Homeschool

 Guest post from Martha Reineke of FreeSchoolLinks. at Musicinourhomeschools.com

MUSIC IS POWERFUL: WAYS TO HARNESS THE POWER IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL

Have you ever laid in a hammock, or on a towel next to the ocean, listening to the sound of the waves lapping at the shore? There is just something about the rhythmic crash of the waves that lulls you into a state of relaxation. You cannot long rest near the shoreline without feeling the effects of the waves.

What if there were a way to have the effects of such a location, without having to travel long distances to the ocean? Similar to the lapping waves, is the beat of a drum, or the sway of a soothing melody. Music is powerful.

Music isn’t just a tool for physical and emotional therapy, however. Music, and learning to play an instrument have been directly linked to higher grades, improved cognitive function and increased concentration levels. Scientists at John’s Hopkins College have experimented with music and shown that educators who employ music in their classrooms have seen an improvement in their students’.... read more

  

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What's A Unit Study?

Posted by Michelle Osborn on

Hands-on learning is lapbooks, drama, unit studies, games, nature walks, and building projects; creating artwork for Grandma and baking treats for the neighbors; sewing and beading and paper crafting. Hands-on learning is gardening and raising fish or lizards or sea monkeys. Hands-on learning is knitting hats for orphanages and entering rabbits in county fairs; collecting flowers or insects, rocks or chickens or snakes, and identifying them, researching their habits and habitats, and building exhibits. Hands-on learning is creating code for computer games and creating home-based businesses as entrepreneurs.

Your children will have far better memories and a far greater learning capacity,.... continue reading.

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Preschool and Beyond: One Room Schoolhouse or Three Ring Circus?

Posted by Michelle Osborn on

Preschool through high school: one-room schoolhouse or three-ring circus? At our house, it's a three-ring circus, for sure. If you’ve ever seen my monkeys, you’d know why. But I wouldn’t change it for the world (grin!).

It’s just that it's so loud. It’s messy. The house is like a barn. You clean. But when you turn around, it’s a disaster again. And the day is monotonous. Over and over,....continue reading

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How to Teach Math to Kids Who Hate it (or maybe it’s you!)

Posted by Michelle Osborn on

Some children were created with math brains and it comes easy, and some are better at music or language arts. Instead of getting frustrated with the kids because the kids are frustrated with math, change things up for both of you. When tears start happening, this is what I do:

  • If using a textbook, I let them do the practice problems for the new concept, and then just the even or odd numbers for the rest of the lesson. Or they take.... continue reading

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