10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Homeschooling
GeekMom Jenny has been homeschooling her kids for over ten years. Read about some of the lessons she’s learned along the way.
Continue ReadingGeekMom Jenny has been homeschooling her kids for over ten years. Read about some of the lessons she’s learned along the way.
Continue ReadingThere are still books—even new books—out there that help feed our curiosity with more questions and the answers to those questions. Here are two new ones that fill that role.
Continue ReadingAmong the biggest of homeschooling perks in my world is the fact that our family is able to play games frequently. We don’t have to try to squeeze in a family game night on an already jam-packed weekend, but rather we can play daily and sometimes multiple times daily if we desire.
Continue ReadingWith all the monthly box subscriptions available on the market these days it can be tough to choose. As an educator mom and unexpected homeschooler, we have tried a number of monthly subscription kits over the years. Some are fantastic and some are anything but… and then there is ‘Groovy Lab in a Box’, which is amazing.
Continue ReadingThe Manga Guides have a fun solution to learning what can be a tough topic to understand.
Continue ReadingI swear I’ll stop posting about the Cavs soon. Really. But here’s the thing. Even if you’re not a Cavs fan, there are lessons to be learned from these NBA Finals.
Continue ReadingGamified learning and game-based learning are terms that get thrown around all the time in education, with one often being conflated with the other. Here’s a short primer on the subject.
Continue ReadingYounger kids, without the bludgeon of logic, may be better able to open their minds to intuition.
Continue ReadingWhen math is just a part of the fun, learning is fun too!
Continue ReadingHow do most gardeners learn to garden?
Continue ReadingIt was with a bit of trepidation that I observed my kid’s first brushes with orthography in grammar school. When it became apparent that something had to be done in the way of regular spelling exercises, my first thought was daily dictations, such as I had been subjected to by my parents. I had hated them (the dictations, not the parents), but spelling could never be fun, it seemed.
Continue ReadingIn an effort to go through life with more mindfulness and as a way to teach my kids to be more introspective and thoughtful about themselves, we have begun a daily family meditation. Not the legs-crossed/eyes-closed/upturned-hands/”Om” type of meditation, but rather the kind where you read short but meaningful passages and discuss them. It only takes about ten minutes per day, but it builds a lot of personal skills in all of us.
Continue ReadingThe author grabs life by the cubes, and tackles a challenge over thirty years old: Rubik’s 3x3x3 puzzle cube.
Continue ReadingSome people think homeschoolers teach their kids at home, short and simple. Well, that’s not entirely true. Sure, I might teach my son, the Chief, how to do math, or how to find out more information about his favorite planet, or we might read stories together. But truly, the learning goes both ways.
Continue ReadingIs there a better way to learn about space than through Lego?
Continue ReadingInvented by a first grade teacher and mom, this simple teaching tool is available in 12 styles.
Continue ReadingOne of our jobs as parents is to keep our kids learning, keeping them curious about the world and
adapting to changes in society. This is actually not difficult to do, but it does take effort, and
learning about how kids learn is extremely helpful for this task. The Curiosity Cycle will help you accomplish this.
GEMS was started to address the well documented but underserved problem of girls not taking high-level math and science classes in high school, thereby limiting their college and career options. It has evolved over the years into a full-focus STEM program, addressing the dearth of female engineers and computer scientists, in addition to the workforce problem of low numbers of female workers in these fields.
Continue ReadingWhat’s a great way to bring science into your family life? Attend a talk by your local, friendly scientists!
Continue ReadingAs geeks, we love to share our passions. But let’s be honest. A lot of us really, really suck at it when it’s time to teach a friend.
Continue ReadingAccording to one expert, most common learning strategies are actually hurting our ability to acquire and retain long-term knowledge.
Continue ReadingWithout a sense of smell, you wouldn’t be able to tell something is burning from the next room. On the other hand, you can’t smell dirty laundry either. Check out the winning video that explains all this from The Brain Awareness Video Contest.
Continue ReadingIn honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day, Mango Languages has a free course in talking like a pirate. Get started to be ready for the big day!
Continue ReadingBeing called a geek used to be an insult, but we all know it as a badge of honor. Fostering geekiness, however, often has to be an intentional choice to get out of the way of our innate joy of learning. Here are eleven things to consider with your own young geeks.
Continue ReadingIt’s never too early to introduce a child to the wonders of science! Here’s an example of a multi-step reaction that’s super simple, extremely cheap, and a great summertime activity for your toddler.
Continue ReadingLast year my son started at our local pre-school and ever since his appetite for knowledge has simply grown and grown. Every day he points out letters, number, and shapes around our home or on the street and asks what they are. He’s even asked for phonics books as his bedtime story. It’s something I want to encourage and so when Wombi released a new series of three Monster apps that teach letters, shapes, and numbers I was eager to see what he would make of them.
Continue ReadingArduino Adventures: Escape from Gemini Station is a great introduction to Arduino robotics projects for kids (and adults who want an easy starting point.) The book was written by James Floyd Kelly and Harold Timmis and published by Apress.
Continue ReadingAn interview with the three founders of 3 Elles, creators of wonderful apps for children like “Letter Sounds” and “Numberland.”
Continue ReadingUse one simple item in your home to raise language-savvy kids.
Continue ReadingInformation technology is changing the way we receive information. This 20 minute documentary looks at how access to information is changing education.
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