HERD Blog Feeds

The Arts & Student Creativity

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:22:19 -0600

by Gregory Schmidt

Since this is the garden month, our first venture into student creativity will fall under the discipline of drawing and design. If you did find yourself a supply of matt board or have some other large-sized medium upon which to draw, color, paint or do three-dimensional montage your students can get started right away.

Help Your Children Learn through Physical Play

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:20:17 -0600

by Dr. Phyllis Books, DC

As a homeschooling family, you are in a unique position to help your children learn, and not only because your children are in a loving, supportive learning environment.

It’s because you have the flexibility to schedule playtime anytime. What an amazing advantage you have over the school system!

Common Bad Sense Says Run The Other Way ~ Part 1

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:19:15 -0600

by Steven David Horwich

The following is an excerpt from Mr. Horwich’s new book, Not Alternative Education – Universal Private Education. This is part one of his article, Common Bad Sense Says Run The Other Way. It deals with reasons why one should homeschool.

"Talk Math" To Learn Math

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:12:10 -0600

by Josh Rappaport

In my tutoring, I use a variety of ways to help students connect to math. One of the techniques I use involves an imaginative approach: together, the student and I create a fictional situation and imbue it with mathematical content. Then the student and I pretend the situation is happening as we speak. And as we talk about it, we explore the mathematical ideas.

Breaking the SMS Habit & Reinforcing Good Grammar at Home

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:10:29 -0600

by Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal

Cursive is heading out the door... even reading real books that aren't digital seems as though it could go the way of the dodo bird any day now. Our world is changing quickly and it's changing the way we speak, think and learn.

Factors Affecting Happiness

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:08:40 -0600

by Pennie Sempell

I visited the Himalayan country of Bhutan quite a few years ago. A progressive step taken in Bhutan decades ago is the measuring of its people’s happiness. They took the lead in what is now a growing interest in studying Gross National Happiness.

First steps to take when your child struggles with reading

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:05:46 -0600

by Sarah Major, M.Ed

Each child differs from the next in how they learn, what their strengths are, and what they prefer as they learn. Within traditional classrooms whether at home or in school, many children struggle and others fail outright. Children that struggle or fail are very sensitive to their failure, which gives rise to a whole new set of issues. The confidence that fuels success in learning is an emotional state that arises from our experiences.

Bassists or Bass Player?

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:00:43 -0600

by Mike Overly

Let's begin with a super simple definition of the bass. The bass is a low pitched stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers. Wow, perhaps that's a bit too simple, let's take a closer look at this essential instrument. We'll start with the Double Bass.

Horses and Home Schooling – Learn About An Animal They Love

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:00:45 -0600

by Christy Landwehr

Is your child’s imaginary friend a horse? Does she draw horses during art? Are her favorite books Black Beauty, War Horse, Horse Whisperer and the Black Stallion? If you have a child who is passionate about horses, why not utilize that passion to teach her math, science, history, literature, and much more!

Use Writing to Teach Reading

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:24:16 -0600

by Sarah Major, M.Ed

For many children, using writing as a vehicle for teaching them to read makes a whole lot of sense. For those children who are global, random, right-brained, visual, kinesthetic, or tactile learners (anything other than the obviously left-brained learners), it is most certainly a method worth starting with when they are first learning to read. It would also be a great thing to do if the child has already been in a traditional teaching environment and had little success in learning to read.

Vacations are a Wonderful Thing!

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:23:32 -0600

by Pennie Sempell

Vacations are a wonderful thing. On that we can all agree. Summer is a few months away, but it is not to soon to start a conversation in your family about a place where you would like to go to share ‘down time’ and genuine quality time together. Since my children were young, I took them to many campgrounds in the United States and travels to foreign country.

200 Guitarists

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:19:08 -0600

by Mike Overly

Guitar is such an amazing instrument if for no other reason than it is found in virtually every genre and style of music. This list of 200 guitarists proves that!

Finding the Right Time to Get Your Homeschool Child On Track to Read

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:18:57 -0600

by Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal

Learning to read is something we all remember, for the most part. In fact, many of us even remember the age at which we learned to read and use this number as a factor in judging intelligence. Given our culture's competitive predisposition, it's no surprise that many parents are eager to get their children on track and learning to read at a young age.

Are You Squelching Your Child’s Creativity?

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:14:34 -0600

by Barbara Frank

How well I remember the art project that taught me not to be creative in school.

My kindergarten teacher handed out mimeographed drawings of a rabbit eating lettuce in a garden to each of us. Then she held up her neatly colored version for us to emulate.

The Arts & Student Creativity

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:12:08 -0600

by Gregory Schmidt

Believe it or not, the majority of Americans get their first meaningful experience with theater, cinema, singing, dancing, speech, music and drawing in their local churches. It's not secular society nor public schools that initially get our kids interested in various art forms. Yes, it's within the safety of our own churches that most of us engage in these areas of human experience.

Finding the GCF with Quick-and-Easy Steps

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:10:56 -0600

by Josh Rappaport

In last month’s article, I presented a quick-and-easy way to find the Least Common Multiple (LCM, aka LCD) for any pair of numbers.

In this month’s article, I’d like to provide a similarly quick-and-easy way to find the LCM’s close cousin, the Greatest Common Factor (GCF, aka GCD).

Hard Questions About Homeschooling (Part Eight)

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:08:11 -0600

~ EVERYONE HATES HOMESCHOOL (Part II)!
by Steven David Horwich

Please read Part I of this article if you have not, first. We’ll pick up where we left off.

Addressing an Aversion to Reading in the Homeschool Environment

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:53:46 -0700

by Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal

Reading together can be one of the greatest bonding experiences a parent and child have. Of course, teaching your child to read in a homeschool environment can be stressful and overwhelming for you and for your child— after all, reading is an artificial process and the exact opposite of natural speech. What if during this already difficult process your child begins presenting with an aversion to reading? How can you effectively intervene to encourage your child to engage in reading and enjoy the experience?

Taming the SAT Test Monster

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:46:28 -0700

by Jean Burk

Taking the SAT and PSAT/NMSQT tests can be a very scary experience. Stress can be a giant that freezes students in their tracks. But there’s nothing to fear! Preparation and knowledge can help alleviate the test anxiety that many students face. Here are some important steps to help relieve the fear that seems to lurk in the minds of many students:

1. Create a similar test environment when practicing for the real test.

Hard Questions About Homeschooling (Part Seven)

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:36:20 -0700

THE WORLD SEEMS TO HATE HOMESCHOOL (Part I)!
by Steven David Horwich

This is the last article in a series answering hard questions dealing with homeschooling.
In article one, we made a brief list of major concerns and objections one might encounter to homeschooling. This article is long enough that I’ve had to break into two parts.

Let’s take up the final point on that list now.

- No support in the community for homeschooling.