News
How Much Screen Time Should Children Have?
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Do you ever worry that your children are spending too much time in front of an electronic screen? I’m not just talking about vegging out in front of the TV. I’m talking about all of the screens that have infiltrated our homes — TV, gaming systems, iPads, computers, even phones. Now, there are even screens for books. Who doesn’t love the ease and convenience of the Kindle or Nook? And if you’ve ever had to wait with a busy child in a doctor’s office, you know the games on your phone can make the whole visit easier.
And not all of these screens are mindless. In our homeschool, I regularly More >
2012 Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards Ballot
0Do you love your children’s curricula and want to reward their makers? Well, you can do it through Practical Homeschooling’s annual Reader Awards. Visit the Awards Ballot and cast your vote for the best and worst in homeschool curricula.
In addition to sharing your experience, you will be entered in a drawing to win over $50 in science books by Janice VanCleave.
Ballots must be cast by June 1, 2012. So get voting!
Free: Growing Without Schooling, the Original Unschooling Magazine
0Growing Without Schooling (GWS), the original unschooling magazine, created by John Holt, is now making all of its issues available online for free. If you are interested in learning more about unschooling, this would be an ideal place to find out more about it in its truest sense.
John Holt (1923-1985) was a professional educator who came to believe that education is an intensely personal journey. He advocated allowing children follow their own interests and was a forefather of the modern homeschooling movement. His book, Teach Your Own, is still a favorite.
Medford, MA, Sept. 14, 2011: Holt More >
Canadian Study Supports Homeschooling’s Benefits
0In 2011, Concordia University and Mount Allison University published a study showing the academic benefits of homeschooling. While homeschool families have been proclaiming the benefits of homeschooling for years, it seems the general public is finally catching on.
Participants between the ages of 5 and 10 years old were evaluated by standardized test on their reading, writing and math skills. Structured homeschoolers, those who use curriculum, outperformed across the board. Unschoolers didn’t fare as well, scoring lower in all categories.
Although public school children we assessed were More >
Preparing for the STEM Future
0As home educators, we can’t help but be mindful of the direction the world is going. If we’re to prepare our children adequately for the future, we have to keep an eye on the indicators. In November, Forbes posted an article by James Marshall Crotty entitled Are Hispanics America’s Next Great STEM Innovators?
If you’re unfamiliar with the acronym STEM, it stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. While the article’s point is to show how America’s Hispanic population is set to take this area by storm, there are interesting statistics that all parents can use. And for those More >
How Important is Playtime?
0Last night my husband and I attended the lecture “Playful Learning” by Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a child psychologist and author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards, at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. This lecture interested me because I have read of the importance of playtime for children and, but I specifically wanted to know:
- Should children’s play be free or planned?
- For what age is play especially important?
Personally, I have observed a growing trend away from playtime for children. More and more media has become more and more consuming, and more and more children are in More >
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Defends Homeschooling His Kids
1Here is an interesting article entitled Jamaica’s Prime Minister Defends Homeschooling His Kids posted by Wendy Wright on the site Turtle Bay and Beyond. You can imagine that critics are threatened that a world leader and his wife would choose homeschooling over their country’s educational system, but PM Andrew Holness sums up their decision beautifully.
“Despite several interventions, we came to the conclusion that it would be best to create an individualised learning solution that would cater to his interest and stimulate his appetite for knowledge while teaching in the way he learns best,” More >
Scholastic Teacher Express $1 SALE
1Check out Scholastic Teacher Express for huge savings on ebooks! Hundreds of titles are on sale for $1 — no extra shipping charges, no taxes. The titles can broken up by grade or subject. Even if you are dedicated to a specific curriculum, take a look. You can supplement what you currently have with hands-on activities, art projects, worksheets and more.
Some of the titles that caught my attention include Teaching with Aesop’s Fables, Easy Holiday & Seasonal Art Projects with Paper, and Easy and Quick Learning Games: Science. Of course, my children are in early elementary, but books for all More >
Great Homeschooling Articles on TODAY Show.com
0Last week TODAY Show.com ran a series of articles on homeschooling in America. I have enjoyed them and am thrilled to see the subject of homeschooling making it into the mainstream press… in a positive way. Not only should this make it easier for homeschooling families to gain acceptance (fewer blank stares and pursed lips when we admit that we educate our kiddos at home), but it may begin the homeschool discussion for other families. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
New Homeschooling Dads
2The July 2010 issue of Parents magazine ran an especially fascinating article entitled “The New American Dad,” and I couldn’t help wonder how the information in it might affect homeschooling. In it, journalist Paul Scott investigated a new trend in American families, something he called “the new neither,” men who are “neither stay-at-home dads nor primary breadwinners but guys who work a little and parent a little and likely spend a fair amount of time worrying about not doing so hot at either.”
As I read the article, I found myself smiling at the new tug-of-war dads are feeling. I smile More >
