saving seeds
Friday, 14 September 2018 / Published in * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

Fall Nature Study: Saving Seeds

  Each spring, my children and I start seeds for nature study. Eventually, we transplant them to the garden, care for the plants and harvest the fruit. A few years ago, we decided to allow the process to come full circle by learning how to save the seeds, as well. There are a few different
sight word reading game
Friday, 31 August 2018 / Published in * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

Sight Word Driving: An Active Reading Game

  The ability to decode words you don’t know is an essential part of reading. That’s why children need a basic understanding of phonics. But you can’t sound out every word, and you want to get to the point where you can read fluently without stopping to sound them out, so your child must also
scripture
Wednesday, 29 August 2018 / Published in * Encouragement, * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

Teaching on Historical Figures Like Scripture Does – Part Four

  In closing our case study on the life of Moses, one final analysis remains: what was the impact of his life on history, and how are we to remember him? As you can probably guess, the Bible gives us a pattern for how we can accurately and truthfully judge the merits and follies of
scripture
Wednesday, 22 August 2018 / Published in * Encouragement, * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

Teaching on Historical Figures Like Scripture Does – Part Three

  The Life of Moses: Race and Pace in Storytelling Not only does scriptural history teach us about the hearts of the men and women God used to make history, it also employs a mechanism known to storytellers as race and pace. Race and pace is the rhythm of a story. For example, in the
vocabulary
Monday, 20 August 2018 / Published in * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

Growing Your Child’s Vocabulary Organically

  Recently, as we were en route to a camping trip, my six-year-old wondered how much longer the ride would take. Instead of asking, “Are we there yet?” she said, “How much more time until we reach our destination?” My husband and I chuckled at her choice of words, but we weren’t surprised. In addition,
Wednesday, 15 August 2018 / Published in * Encouragement, * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

Teaching on Historical Figures Like Scripture Does – Part Two

  After acquainting us with Moses’ world, he makes his debut on the scriptural pages. As our man takes the stage, the Bible utilizes several storytelling mechanisms that set it apart from traditional methods of teaching history. Tell me the story or tell me the facts Getting barebone facts of history is not a problem
count as schoolwork
Tuesday, 14 August 2018 / Published in * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

Reading Should Count as Schoolwork

  “Reading through the Lord of the Rings should count as schoolwork,” or so said my 13-year-old son just now. Although I don’t plan on letting him follow Frodo and Pippin’s adventures to the exclusion of all else, he does have a point. Long ago, about the time I first devoured the Lord of the
teach accountability
Monday, 13 August 2018 / Published in * Encouragement, * Teaching Methods, Articles, Blog

How to Teach Accountability

  How do you teach a child to be accountable for their own actions and embrace personal responsibility? Starting young is ideal, but even teens who have been coddled for far too long can learn to be held accountable. 1. Lead by example. It has been said that, when it comes to children, “Much more