We’ve talked a lot about brain training for cognitive skills here at Our Journey Westward. Closely related to cognitive skills are social skills. This article focuses on some easy ways to improve social skills in the homeschool. Don’t get “social skills” confused with “socialization”. One of the biggest thorns in the side of any homeschooler…
If you haven’t read part one, Discovering Dishonesty, click over to read it first. This is part two. Enjoy! I had to run errands, so I had my son come with me to discuss the infraction when I discovered dishonesty. With a house full of people, sometimes the quietest space we can find is the car. …
“Hey, come help me move this couch. I want to clean under it really well.” As I impatiently waited for one of my sons to appear and help, I saw a small paper folded up in the cushions. Upon further inspection, I knew immediately what it was and my heart sank. It was the assignment that had gone missing…
After a successful year of history with Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed series last year, we are back at it with Romans, Reformers, and Revolutionaries. History Revealed works well for our unit study, project-based learning, literature-based loving family. In fact, it’s been a perfect transition for my older kids to…
This post was originally published a few years ago, but I’ve seen a surge of questions and interest in how to plan student-led courses in high school. As you take a peek into the planning process of our high school equine course, I hope to help you cast a vision for developing your own course…
Ah…high school. Why do I love homeschooling high school so much? Mostly because my teens don’t need my constant attention and instruction anymore! Ha! While I’m not kidding about the independent learning thing above, there are other reasons I really enjoy the high school homeschool: We have great discussions. My children can (finally) logically defend issues that are…
We homeschool for many reasons, but one of them is more important than all of the others combined. It’s our desire to pass on a bold Christian faith that finds our children seeking God with all their hearts and sharing Him with others from here to eternity. While I know it’s God who does the work…
During my workshops about creative homeschooling and living math, I often talk about incorporating games into the school schedule. If your family has an established game night, you probably already know how educational many board and card games really are. Math, language, history, science, logic and so much more can be practiced without your kiddos…
At the IAHE Conference (Indiana Association of Home Educators), I taught four workshops. While they were all well-attended and well-received, one of the sessions sparked an emotional reaction like none other. My brain training session was the last on my schedule and one of the last of the weekend. I fully expected a low turnout…
I love using living books in our homeschool. If you’ve been around here any time at all, you know that living literature is a key tool I use across all ages and all subjects. Using literature to teach high school history works especially well. There are so many nuances of an event or era that…
Ah, fall. Beautiful weather, fun festivals, football…and the beginning of “sick season.” It’s the perfect time of year to teach middle and high school students about germs through some cool bacteria science experiments! I’ve harped to my son for years about the importance of hand-washing to prevent illness. Now that he has actually seen bacteria…
For years, we’ve taken at least one homeschool field trip each month of the school year. They have created some of our best memories and always almost supply us with wonderful learning opportunities. It may sound overwhelming to plan monthly field trips, but it’s really not that hard at all when you’re organized – and…
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