homeschool Archives - Page 4 of 6

Finally, Online Math that Works: A Review of Mr. D. Math

April 10, 2017 by Susan 9 Comments

Do you have a favorite teacher? What about a least favorite? A good teacher can make a difficult subject make sense and a bad teacher can make you hate even your favorite subject. Am I right??

My College Algebra teacher was t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e. He used to talk about how math was like a banana hanging from the ceiling, and we were all gorillas trying to reach it. He said he was going to push a chair under the banana for us. What?! Yeah, that was my reaction too. That story is the only thing I remember from his class.

We’ve been using a new math curriculum that I love, and my math-gifted-but-non-math-loving son “likes better than anything else” we’ve used. (It is still math, after all). And his reason why?

The teacher.

Online Shop Grand Opening!!

April 3, 2017 by Susan 7 Comments

We’re Open!!

What are all the words for excited? Giddy. Thrilled. Jazzed. Beside myself. Yeah, all of those! The day has finally arrived to unveil what I’ve been working on for months. Special goodies just for you!

Welcome to The Sparrow’s Home Shop

(cue sound of cheering crowds)

The shop is populated by three categories: Digital Products, Handmade Products, and Recommended Resources. And while we’re starting small, we’ll be adding products along the way.

Click here to go to the shop now.

**Update** The shop closed for a variety of reasons. Largest of which is that I realized that sales is not my bag. If you want to talk tea or salve or homeschooling through high school…please drop me a note and I’d love to chat. (Chatting is most definitely my bag!)

Paradigm Accelerated: Principles & Precepts of Economics Review

March 20, 2017 by Susan Leave a Comment

I have always said that one of the very best things about homeschooling is that you can do what works for you and your kids. One thing I’ve learned in teaching two boys who learn differently than I do: It’s my job to find what works for them.

That’s what we do as homeschool parents. We think about how our kids learn, try different things, and soon we start to see a pattern of what works and what doesn’t.

With that in mind, I’d like to tell you about an economics curriculum that I’ve had the pleasure to review and help you determine if it would be a good fit for your family.

Picture Books from Candlewick Press: Practicing the Art of Strewing

March 8, 2017 by Susan 5 Comments

Do you practice strewing? If you don’t strew, you’re missing some teachable moments with your kids. You probably strew and don’t even know it. Are you asking: What is strewing?!

Strewing is simply consciously leaving material around the house for children to discover and engage with.

One of the places I like to strew is in the bathroom…captive audience, you see. One of my nieces said once that she loved using the bathroom at my house because she always learned something. (At the time, I was swapping out pages with the Greek and Latin roots to English words in a clear page protector hung on the wall).

Depending on the ages of your kids, you can strew building toys, art supplies, or puzzles. Lately, I’ve been strewing books. And I have found a fantastic resource for them: Candlewick Press.

We Returned Our Homeschool History Curriculum After One Week (And Replaced it With This)

January 11, 2017 by Susan 16 Comments

I love shopping curriculum.

When we started homeschooling years ago, I had so much fun perusing and selecting. I was especially excited about history curriculum. My boys had both told me that they ‘hated social studies’. The reason why was that they had studied essentially the same material from kindergarten through 5th grade.

Communities, maps, Native Americans, the colonies, and settlers. Every year.

Because of that, I chose to start our homeschool adventure with a chronological study of history, starting with the ancient world.

I was so excited about the curriculum I had chosen. It had positive reviews, lots of activities, and audio discs to accompany each lesson that were said to engage and delight students.

And it ended up being a perfect example of what has become my favorite thing about homeschooling: If something doesn’t work you get to try something else. (We learned this with our math curriculum, too!)

Food for Thought #11

December 15, 2016 by Susan 11 Comments

Marriage, parenting, homeschooling and faith…that kind of sums up the bulk of my online reading typically. Throw in some politics for good measure. What have you been reading?