homeschool Archives - Page 5 of 6

Integrating Gaming, Crafts and Other Real World Learning into Your Homeschool

December 14, 2016 by Susan 7 Comments

I received a free product and am being compensated for my time writing this post. As with anything on The Sparrow’s Home, my thoughts are my own.

I’ve been seeing the neatest things pop up on the blogs of unschooling families. When I see them, it can sometimes cause me to re-evaluate my own homeschooling philosophy. I’m definitely a bit of a free spirit, go-with-the-flow kind of gal. But I am also my mother’s daughter, and have a need for some organization and structure.

My boys are in high school now (my eldest graduates this year) and we are sold-out on our method of homeschooling high school. But I got to thinking…what if we had been unschoolers?

{Insert wavy arms and dream sequence music]

Fact or Fraud: 4 Common Science Textbook Errors

September 19, 2016 by Susan 12 Comments

Did you know that science textbooks from elementary school through college continue to print “facts” that were patently proven false decades ago? We examine these common textbook topics:

Peppered Moths
Embryonic Homology
The Miller Experiment
The Geologic Column

If your child’s textbook taught that bloodletting, heroin, and mercury were effective medical treatments, I imagine you’d take issue with that. After all, those practices were proven false long ago. Well, did you know that science textbooks from elementary school through college continue to print “facts” that were patently proven false (by mainstream science) decades ago.

Several years ago, my husband began studying evolution and the age of the earth with a critical eye. Since then he’s travelled to a number of states to present at camps, churches, and a Bible College. For Christians, he presents solid Biblical evidence. He also provides ample scientific evidence that is easy to understand that proves that evolution, besides being mathematically impossible, is wrought with lies and deception.

So let’s dig in to determine fact or fraud. I know some of these examples will look familiar to you…get ready for (as Paul Harvey used to say), “The rest of the story.”

DIY Whiteboard Lap Desk for Kids

September 8, 2016 by Susan 5 Comments

I promised last week when I wrote about what you need for your homeschool room that I’d share this craft with you. We made them our very first day of homeschool ever. My boys were entering 6th and 4th grades when we started homeschooling. I wanted for our first day of school to be special and fun. We planned to go out to lunch with dad and get ice cream. And I wanted to do some fun activities at home, too, something to remember our first day by.

One of the selling points of homeschool was that the boys could do their work anywhere… in their bedroom, in the treehouse, on the couch. In order to make that easier, we made these easy lap desks with cushions so they’d always have a surface to write on. As an added bonus, the lap desk surface is a whiteboard.

4 Must-Haves for Every Homeschool Room (Even if You Don’t Have a Designated Homeschool Room)

August 31, 2016 by Susan 7 Comments

What do you need for your homeschool room?

Before you can answer that question, you really need to ask: Do you need a dedicated homeschool room?

The best thing about homeschooling is that every family can do what works for them. We usually think curriculum when we talk about this, but it applies to every part of how we ‘do’ homeschool. And that includes where we homeschool.

Whether you have a designated homeschool room or do schoolwork at the kitchen table, there are 4 areas we all have to consider.

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Disney

August 9, 2016 by Susan 15 Comments

This is the ultimate guide to adding learning to your Disney vacation. Literature, history, geography, science, and more. You might be surprised how many educational opportunities there are!

Incorporating our real life into our schooling has always been important to us, like when we took an impromptu trip to Texas to spend a few weeks, and the ways we’ve learned about our state with fun first day of school field trips. So deciding to homeschool Disney World was a no-brainer!

Studying about an amusement park, you ask? Spending valuable school time learning about a cartoon Mouse?

If that’s what you’re thinking, you are in for a treat!

First Day of School Traditions for Your Homeschool

August 3, 2016 by Susan 11 Comments

When I say the words “first day of school”, what do you think of?

Sharpened pencils, that first swipe of crayon on a page, cracking open the glue sticks?

As a homeschooling family, we have tried to remember to take advantage of the freedom afforded us. We’ve incorporated travelling into our schooling, for one thing. Another thing that I’ve tried to do is make the first day of school unique.

Since we’re still several weeks out from school starting for most folks, I thought I’d share some of our best first days with you to hopefully get your creative juices flowing!