-by Mimi Rothschild

Most households have a digital camera nowadays, in our phones if nowhere else. We don’t have to worry about wasting film, having pictures developed, or any of the other complexities of traditional cameras. So let’s make best use of these handy tools for homeschool learning!

• Take cameras with you on nature walks and city strolls. Take photos of architectural details, interesting signs, or insects and make books and displays.
• Take pictures of cloud formations each day and post them along a wall, in your family blog, or in a notebook. Add the daily weather report or temperature, if your students are old enough. Sort them by types of clouds or by the weather that went with them, and bring them into your science lesson.
• Take pictures of the meals you cook together and use them to make a family cookbook, whether digital or paper. This can give kids great practice with writing and math (measuring ingredients, writing out the recipes, etc.) and the final product can be a very special gift for Mother’s Day or Christmas.
• Take step-by-step pictures showing a process you’re studying, whether it be tying shoes or planting a garden. Write out captions that explain the process.
• Go in search of letters, and photograph all 26 of them for a special alphabet book. You could also photograph things that begin with each letter sound, to go with the letter photos.
• Photograph different times of day at your house for studying daily schedules and time. For example, have a picture of the family getting ready in the morning, one of the kids studying, another of Dad coming home from work, and one of the family at dinner. Print out photos and let your little ones put the pictures in order for sequencing practice. Then let kids match them with clock faces showing the usual times for these activities.
• Take pictures of big art projects or special hands-on activities like plays and science experiments. Keep the photos in paper or digital albums and don’t worry about saving (and storing!) the big projects themselves.
• Make photo stories. Use action figures or dolls to act out historical events or stories from the Bible, snapping a photo of each tableau you set up. Put them together with paragraphs explaining the events.
• Make photo maps. Plan the map of a state, town, historical landmark, or perhaps of a place you plan to visit on vacation. Decide what kinds of images you need to illustrate the map. Take the planned pictures, shrink them down, and add them to your map. If you have the technical skills (or your students do) you can do this with Google Earth for a really fancy digital map.
• Take photos of your family every 30 minutes, and analyze the photos to determine how you’re using your time. Such pictures can not only reveal areas of stewardship of time that you might want to rethink, but also can show habits you might like to change. Are the kids snacking in most pictures? Are there signs of squabbling or inattention? This activity can lead to useful heart searching.

These are just ten of the ways you can use your camera to liven up lessons. Once you start, many more will occur to you. I suggest joining (free) www.gloryLane.com where you can create a personal family profile and upload your photos to share with other members of this Online Christian Community.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

In today’s life, we spend much of our time in age-segregated situations. Public school is one of the worst examples: not only do kids spend most of the day with people of exactly their own age, but often they are restricted from interacting with kids even just a year or two older. Even in our churches, we may divide the children into grades, have Sunday School classes for kids and adults broken down by age, and separate the old from the young for fellowship times as well. Many families live far from older relatives, and older people may choose to live in retirement communities rather than among noisy young families. Many of today’s kids are uncomfortable with elderly people, because they rarely spend time with them.

Is this God’s intention? Leviticus 19:32 tells us, “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.” That doesn’t suggest that we should avoid our elders. Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.” Job 12:12 teaches us that “Wisdom is with aged men; with long life is understanding.” These verses show that respect for the elderly is not only commanded by God, but deserved.

Still, the general separation of ages that we see in our country today can make it more difficult to help our children get accustomed to interacting with older people. One of the great things about homeschooling (and one of the things we can point out to those who fear that homeschooled kids don’t get “socialized” properly) is that our students often have more interaction with younger children and with adults. Other people may remark on how poised our kids are when they’re with adults, and how tender they are with their younger siblings. Let’s make the extra effort involved in bringing our children into contact with the older generation, too.

• If grandparents or great-grandparents don’t live nearby, give your kids the chance to learn the dying art of letter writing by building a letter to the grandparents into your weekly curriculum. A letter telling about what they’ve learned gives kids a great review opportunity, and the grandparents will enjoy it, too. You may also know some individual in your community who’d like to be your family’s courtesy grandparents, or “adopted” grandparent. Ask your pastor if there are any older members of the church who are isolated or far from their relatives.
• Visit a nursing home or retirement community. These facilities often have lots of visitors at Christmas, but not at other times of year. A young person who will read to, sing to, play chess with, or visit with residents can brighten their day. Be sure to call and discuss your plans with the administration first, and to check in at the nurses’ station or front desk when you arrive. Many such homes are strict about visitors and security, so your students will most enjoy their visit if it’s prearranged and they don’t face the risk of being challenged by staff.
• Arrange a skill swap with older people in your neighborhood. Many elderly people aren’t confident with computers, and would be pleased to have your teen come show them how to put their documents into digital folders, or to attach pictures to emails. In turn, your young people could learn to knit, to whittle, or to play an old-time game.

It may seem odd at first to set up opportunities for your kids to meet and spend time with their elders, but if those chances don’t come up naturally in their lives, it’s worth arranging. With practice, your students will become comfortable with the elderly and be able to learn from their wisdom.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is the quality of curriculum, and the subsequent high level of intelligence and abilities that our children end up with as a result. More than likely your students will be highly qualified for admission to an excellent, maybe even elite, college. Of course, these schools are not easy to get into, so you need to arm yourself and your future graduate with the right questions to ask when sitting down with the admissions officer at the school of his or her preference.

The thing to remember is that college admissions officers field hundreds, maybe thousands, of questions from potential students and their families each year. You don’t want to waste your time or theirs. Being prepared with a list of thoughtful, relevant questions will likely surprise and impress the weary college rep and hopefully help to keep your child at the top of his or her memory when it comes to decision time.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• What do you want students to know about this school?

• What kinds of students are you looking for?

• How is your enrollment changing?

• How do some students end up falling short of your expectations?

• Which types of students succeed here?

• How would you suggest a potential student prepare for your school?

• What is your school’s ultimate educational goal?

Of course, you will probably have other specific questions that you want answered, but be sure to phrase them intelligently and briefly. Avoid asking vague or general questions such as:

• What is the deadline for enrollment?

• How many students are enrolled here?

• What is the average class size?

• What are your most popular majors?

• When can we take a tour?

• What kinds of extracurricular activities are offered?

Although these questions are legitimate, and you surely want to know these things prior to deciding whether a certain college is right for your child, the answers to all of these can most likely be found on the school’s website or catalog. If you take a little extra time to do your homework, you will be better able to use your time with the admissions officer to delve into more important topics.

And lastly, the most important thing to remember is to listen. After you ask each of your questions, take the time to really hear the answer. Pay attention to what the admissions officer has to say, and you will get a better idea of whether or not the school will be a good fit for your child, and vice versa. The better prepared you are, the more you will gain from the meeting, and the easier it will be to make an informed, intelligent decision.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

In today’s economy, with the recession looming and unemployment rates on the rise, there has never been a better time to teach our children the importance of maintaining good finances. In fact, it is such an important part of every day life that I believe it should be consistently incorporated in your home school lessons. But how?

As always, we should start at the basics, our foundation, God’s Word. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it”. As parents, we know that this scripture applies to many aspects of life. Healthy finances should be one of them.

There are generally three key components of instructing children on how to manage money.

Communication. As with most anything, opening the gates of communication and keeping your children involved is one of the most effective ways to get them to learn. You should take the time to explain the concepts of earning, saving and spending. Informed children will become informed adults, armed to face the challenges of the real world.

Application. The expression “actions speak louder than words” rings true, particularly when it comes to healthy finances. Earning an allowance, putting that money in the bank, even a piggy bank, and spending it wisely are all ways to drive home the basic concepts of money management. Practice makes perfect.

Example. A child is like a sponge. And you are their primary influence. Watching how you handle money will create a lasting impression in their minds and mold the way they handle theirs in the future. As with anything else, you must practice what you preach. If you tell your children not to spend frivolously, yet they see you regularly spending money on unnecessary things, they will quickly forget your words and inevitably mimic your actions. Be careful to always provide a good example to the little ones in your charge.

So, what types of things should you introduce to your children to help create an understanding of the concept of finances? There are many angles to approach the subject, but the most important areas include:

• Income – assign your child certain household chores through which they can earn a weekly allowance

• Budget – draw up a very simple budget to teach your child how to categorize their income, such as savings, spending and giving.

• Tithing – it’s never too early to teach your child about the importance of giving back to God. II Corinthians 9:6-7 says “(Remember) this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously (that blessings may come to someone) will also reap generously and with blessings.” Tithing is a critical part of healthy finances, so make this point clear to your little ones.

• Saving – teach your child the importance of setting a certain amount of their income aside each time they are paid, and keep track so they can see their savings grow.

• Giving – explain to your child the importance of giving to others, and encourage them set aside some of their income each week to help those in need.

• Debt – the concept of borrowing, and the costs associated with it, should be introduced to children as soon as they are old enough to comprehend it. Explain the difficulty that can be involved in getting out of debt, and encourage children not to spend beyond their means, but to buy with cash whenever possible.

There has never been a more critical time to drive home the concept of good finances than now. Let older children see news stories about the economy, so they understand how very real the results of too much debt and not enough savings can be. By instilling good spending habits in your children from a very young age, you will help them to become financially independent and secure adults.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

Do you study in units? Do you have separate subjects at different times of the day? Do you get together with other families for special learning projects? There are many ways to organize the school day, and being able to make it just right for your particular students is one of the best reasons to homeschool.

Yet all these approaches can lead to a lack of integration of studies. Do your students end up with the idea that Ancient Egypt happened, and then, when it was all finished, along came Ancient Greece? Do you feel frustrated sometimes when your students don’t make connections that seem obvious to you? Do you love to follow the kids’ lead when they’re excited about a subject, but worry that your studies are too fragmented and might have gaps?

Timelines can help with all these problems, and many more. If you make a schoolroom timeline, you can add any lessons to that timeline in minutes, helping your kids to see the context, regardless of the subject area.

The time when a person lived, a nation was established, a picture was painted, a scientific discovery was made, a natural disaster took place – all these things can be marked on the timeline, giving you opportunities to put new information in context and review previously learned information as well.

You need to begin with a line. A long strand of string or yarn, a stretch of painter’s tape, or a banner of paper are all practical options. If possible, put your timeline on the wall of the room where you study so it’ll always be available. If this just won’t work with your decor, think about using an accordion fold or roll of paper so it can be stretched out and viewed all at once.

Now here’s your chance to integrate math and history. Calculate how long your timeline will be and how many years it will cover. Now, calculate how best to divide it: one inch per year is one option, but you might prefer to use one foot per decade or one yard for each century. Since these decisions depend on the space available, the length of time you’ve decided to include, and the number of events you want to be able to mark, this can be a terrific opportunity to practice problem solving and working well together.

Actually constructing the timeline will require measurement and more calculation. Mark and write in the basic time divisions neatly. This can be a chance for computer practice, if you want to print out the dates, or it can be an art or handwriting project.

Now, each time a date comes up in your studies, add it to the classroom timeline. You might want to start with some special family dates: the birthdays of all the kids, for example. Then, when you read about a person or place or thing or event, find its spot on the timeline.

You can use labels, strips of paper, lengths of yarn radiating out from the date points, or index cards lined up along the timeline. Add drawings, quotations, and even small objects. Soon, visitors to your home will be admiring your handiwork – and your students will really understand the relationship between Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

Valentine’s Day is a light-hearted holiday, a time for thinking about the people we love. Bring some hearty fun into your homeschool lessons with these ideas:

• Take leftover candy canes from Christmas (don’t we all have a few squirreled away still?) and make easy heart candies. Put parchment paper or foil onto a cookie sheet. Lay the candy canes in pairs with the curved hooks at the top and both ends touching to form hearts. Bake them in a 200 degree oven for about five minutes, just till they melt together. Let them cool before removing from the parchment paper or foil.
• Fold construction paper in half and cut hearts, discussing basic shapes or symmetry while you do so. Cut lots in different sizes, and lay them out on paper to form bodies, heads, hands, feet, and other parts of people or animals. Draw in details for your heart creatures.
• Study heart health. Learn about heart rates, heart-healthy foods, and how the heart works. Older students can check the details on the rates of heart disease in our nation, combining math and science in a sobering lesson. Move on to plan healthy meals for the family, and an exercise plan with the recommended amount of cardiovascular exercise for the week.
• Send valentines to friends and family, using the lesson as an opportunity to practice handwriting, letter writing, or poetry, depending on the ages of your students. Free ecards are an environmentally responsible possibility, but real physical mail is getting so rare that sending a card in an envelope can be an exciting event for the recipient.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

So many homeschool families have small family businesses which make it possible for one or both parents to devote plenty of time to homeschooling. We hear about families cheerily practicing math skills by working on small business accounting, gaining practical skills for their futures by working in the family business, or studying happily alongside the home working parents.

But we also hear about children working in the fields instead of studying, being kept out of school to babysit younger siblings while parents work, and being limited in their learning as the needs of the family business take precedence over the needs of the students.

We also hear about moms trying to earn from home and homeschool at the same time, ending up exhausted and unsatisfied with their accomplishments in either area.

Is it possible to combine homeschooling and a family business? Here are some strategies that help:
• Structure your learning – or at least some of it. We have friends who have a family band. Their kids not only perform in the band and learn business skills by assisting with management tasks, they also get to travel all over the country. We know these are valuable, educational experiences. But the kids spend their mornings working with very structured study materials. They make sure to get the basics covered, and then they benefit from the unstructured learning that is their life with the family band. You might choose to have the kids work on simple accounting or inventory tasks during math time, write business letters during writing, or help work out a marketing plan as part of a business skills class, but then make sure that all the other subjects are covered, too.
• Get feedback from the kids. Many kids are excited by the opportunity to take part in a family business, and to do tasks which they know are important and contribute to the family’s welfare. But few kids will really enjoy – or learn much from – hours of filing or packing up orders. While all students have to do some tasks they don’t enjoy, pay extra attention to feedback on work-related tasks to be sure you’re not letting the needs of the business come before the needs of the kids.
• Get help. Running a business takes a lot of work, and it may be necessary to delegate some tasks. Whether that means getting more help with homeschooling or with the business, be realistic about how much help you need. Work with the kids to set up a realistic schedule of times when you’ll work alongside them – you on the business and them on their schoolwork, when you’ll work together on business-related learning opportunities, and when you’ll work together on schoolwork and set the business aside. If all the tasks you need to do won’t fit into that schedule, then it’s time to delegate.

With caution, a family business can be a wonderful learning experience, a good way to increase funds for homeschool costs, and a chance for one or both parents to be available for homeschooling.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

Fashions in education come and go. As homeschoolers, we can usually ignore them. One of the areas that comes up repeatedly in different guises, though, is the question of critical thinking skills.

One year the pendulum swings so far that educators are saying, “It doesn’t matter what they learn, only that they learn how to learn.” The next, it’s back to the basics, with rote memorization of facts at the center of teaching. Then we’re back to critical thinking, but calling it “problem-solving.”

The latest version of this debate is being called “21st Century Skills,” and some educators are hailing it as the most important new thing on the horizon. Critical thinking, creativity, problem identification, and the ability to work with others to solve problems are all part of this new constellation of skills that we’re told has arisen from new technologies and new ways of approaching the world.

As homeschoolers, we aren’t bound by educational fashions, so we can see that there’s nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

James 1:5 tells us, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.” The source of wisdom is, and always has been, God, who created us with the ability to reason. The book of Proverbs talks often about critical thinking: “A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.” (Proverbs 14:15) “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” (Proverbs 19:2)

Critical thinking means that we read and listen carefully, making sure to understand and search for evidence for the claims made. We must be able to dissect the reasoning behind an argument and judge its validity. We should think creatively, since we are made in the image of the Creator God, and have the God-given the ability to think and to delight in new thoughts.

As for working collaboratively with others, we have the example of Jesus before us, as well as the word of God on the subject: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:13-18)

So how can we help our students to gain the ability to learn, understand, reason clearly, and yet also to work with others to solve problems peaceably?

Read together, and use questions like these to guide your children toward wisdom:

• “What’s the main idea here?”
• “What evidence does the author have for his claim?”
• “Are these facts or opinions?”
• “Can we check on this information and find out whether it’s true?”
• “Are there other explanations for this, or other ways to look at this?”

Approach problems, such as puzzles, complex math questions, and practical challenges, with a spirit of inquiry. Questions like these will help lead your kids to take a critical thinker’s approach to problem-solving:

• How can we describe the problem clearly?
• How many different ways can we think of to approach this problem?
• Exactly what would the best outcome look like?
• What steps could we take to solve this problem?
• What kinds of information do we need in order to find our best answer?

Finally, we should make sure that we don’t confuse critical thinking with a rebellious spirit. “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you,” says Proverbs 32:9. Our God-given understanding allows us to delight in learning about God’s ways, not to refuse the wisdom of God’s word.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

With winter weather and the time pressures of getting ready for the holidays, homeschoolers may be spending less time out and about. We can still give our kids the benefits of field trips, though. Later in this post, you’ll find a list of just some of the many wonderful museums you can visit online.

Get the most from your field trips by following a few simple steps:

•    Visit the site yourself first. This way, you can see what background your students will need in order to get the most from the online visit, and you can choose an appropriate objective for the visit.

•    Choose a learning objective for each of your children. Older students can write reports, while younger ones can do a virtual scavenger hunt, sending you a link to a page you asked them to find. Many sites also have games or quizzes designed for kids, and these can be excellent objectives.

•    Follow up. Just visiting is fun, but taking that knowledge and applying it to other lessons is the way to make the learning stick. Have students write, draw, retell their learning to other family members, or in other ways use the things they’ve learned.

Favorite places to visit:

•    The Cave of Lascaux is a beautiful website, allowing us to visit a place few people can see in the physical world. The artworks made there by early humans show that they, like their sovereign Creator, were made with a desire to create. Enjoy a Virtual Visit to the cave, learn its history, and finish up with online quizzes and puzzles.

•    Visit The Virtual Instrument Museum to see, hear, and learn about a dazzling array of instruments made from all kinds of different materials. You can enjoy exploring the museum in a free-form way, but it’s also a great opportunity to practice geography by finding the homes of all the instruments on a map as you explore, or to work on critical thinking skills by sorting the exhibits.

•    The National Museum of the American Indian has lots of wonderful exhibits. One is about the history of Native American women’s clothing. Another is the special online resource about Native American Codetalkers. Click on the “Education” button and then the “Print Resources” button to find a variety of PDF files to print out, including posters.

•    It isn’t only museums that make good virtual field trips. Check out the Virtual Cave for an excellent science lesson. There are plenty of amazing photographs, and lots of information as well.

•    The Exploratorium is probably the best science museum for kids around, and they have so many great resources that you’ll need to make more than one visit. Take time for free exploration, or build field trips into lots of your science lessons.

•    A cyber field trip on the Grimms Fairy Tales can include reading the classic fairy tales as well as some history and geography. National Geographic has done a good job on this website, with stories to read and listen to, plus background information and creepy graphics that add to the fun. The treasure chest on the left side of the home page hides the contents list, including kids’ activities.

The web is a wonderful thing, and it changes every day. If your favorite virtual field trip destinations disappear over time, you can find new ones by searching for “virtual museum” or for your favorite real-world museums – chances are they have online exhibits.

Leave us a comment telling us about your favorites!

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.

-by Mimi Rothschild

Are you traveling away from home soon? Homeschooling families have (yet another) advantage over public school families in that they have the flexibility to travel without having to miss school. Still, you will probably have to make some adjustments.

Here are some ways to approach schooling during the holidays:

•    Adjust your routine. Many families find that getting all the basic “book work” done in the morning and leaving the afternoon free for sightseeing and visiting works best. Lessons in the hotel room or guest room, on a regular schedule, can be reassuring for young children and help keep them from getting overexcited. On the other hand, if you’re fitting into the schedules of people you’re visiting, there’s nothing wrong with having lessons in the evenings or at other convenient times. Don’t make your children feel that they’re missing out on the fun. Even if  your routine is completely changed, though, consider keeping something like 15 minutes of reading every evening or something similar, to give a little bit of structure to the kids’ days and make it easier to get back into the swing of things when you return to schooling.

•    Consider how you plan to travel. Some kids can read in the car and some get carsick if they try. Airports can be a fine place to do math lessons, especially if you have your laptop along, but the combined excitement and boredom of air travel can make it hard for kids to concentrate. If you don’t yet know how your particular children will respond to the travel method you’ve chosen, plan to lower your expectations for them while traveling.

•    Take some time off. Sometimes this is truly the best plan. The schoolwork will still be there when you get back to it. Appreciate the opportunities that travel offers to make some unscheduled discoveries, and know that you can make the time up at another time of year if you feel you need to.