homeschool Archives | The Sparrow's Home

Meet DSST, the CLEP test’s lesser known cousin

October 15, 2018 by Susan

Earning college credits with DSST tests is an amazing way to save money on college. With a few resources to help you study, you can be earning credits in no time!

I was compensated for my time in writing this review. Opinions are always my own.

$30,000. That’s my estimate of how much we’ve saved on our boys’ college through earning credits by exam. Thirty-thousand-dollars!

Credits by exam is exactly what it sounds like. A person takes a test and if they pass, they are awarded college credits. If you’ve heard of this amazing money-saver, you’ve likely heard of CLEP. CLEP tests are the most commonly known college credit granting tests.

We love CLEP tests! But there’s another way to earn these credits by exam that many people miss… DSST tests. (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests).

I think it’s time more people were introduced to this overlooked resource.

Ever wonder if you can learn languages on your own?

July 23, 2018 by Susan

I was compensated for my time reviewing this product/service, writing this review, and hosting the giveaway. As always, all opinions are my own.

What do you do when your child wants to learn a language that you don’t know, and there aren’t any convenient and affordable classes nearby?

We dipped our toes into a number of different languages in our homeschooling. Over the years the boys tried Spanish, Greek, Russian and French. I learned quickly that trying to learn a language, even at an introductory level, without a teacher who knows that language is not super productive.

I knew Spanish well and had studied Russian a bit. And not surprisingly, those two courses went so much better than the ones I didn’t know. We even used a computer program for one course and it was terribly confusing and not intuitive at all.

So when my youngest expressed an interest in learning Japanese, I was kind of at a loss. Japanese?

No prep. No busy work. No Kidding. Homeschoolers, this is the high school literature curriculum you’ve been looking for.

June 25, 2018 by Susan

I was compensated for my time in writing this review. As always, all opinions are genuinely my own.

One of the best parts of homeschooling is that you can do what works for your family. But what about when what works for you as a teacher doesn’t necessarily work for your kids as students?

As hard as it is, moms, this is when we need to defer to their learning style above our own.

I looooved English classes in high school. Exploring different kinds of literature, short stories, poetry, writing…swoon. My two boys gag at the sight of a poem. One enjoys reading, one endures it, but neither would pick many of the novels that they are assigned.

When it comes to literature studies, finding something that works for both them and me was challenging. But I did it!

What’s the secret to family trips with more learning, more memories?

June 18, 2018 by Susan

Summer is often the time when families hit the road. Whether it’s a vacation, visiting family, or heading off to camps and conferences… we are on the move.

The first really long road trip we made as a family was from Minnesota to Louisiana for a wedding when the boys were just about 2 and 3 years old. This was before ipads and other devices so we did what we could: We wedged a tiny TV between the front two seats and made a 6 hour video tape of Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder episodes to entertain the troops.

Before you say, “What were you thinking…6 hours of Dora?!” We weren’t totally crazy, we also brought The Wiggles videos.

Oh, wait. Nevermind.

As kids get older, though, there is so much that you can do to make family trips more enjoyable, more memory-filled, and more intentionally filled with learning.

This science curriculum with a Biblical worldview teaches critical thinking better than anything you’ll find

February 12, 2018 by Susan

I was given a copy of By Design Science to review, and am being compensated for my time in writing it. All opinions are always mine.

We talk about science a lot around my house. Because my husband speaks on the topic of creation vs. evolution, he is always sharing the latest news on the topic with us. He’s also particularly interested in what a science curriculum is teaching, and it’s something we discuss frequently. So when I learned about By Design Science for grades 1-8, I needed to know more!