What drives big thinkers, creators, and leaders who achieve success on their own terms? Jamie McMillin wanted to find out, hoping her quest would help her raise and educate her own two children. She delved into biographies of luminaries including Margaret Mead, Pearl Buck, Marie Curie, Louis Armstrong, Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Beatrix […]
Continue ReadingI received lots of kudos for getting to interview Joy Hakim. Maybe this is because most of my friends are geeks of some sort, most homeschool their kids, and we all have read Joy’s books, amazed at how she draws us into learning so easily with her gift of storytelling. I hope you enjoy this […]
Continue ReadingFor my Muse of Nerds this month, I’ll formally introduce you to someone I have talked about in the past: Dr. Michele McColgan of Siena College. I met her through our homeschooling group (she has two elementary-aged children) and she …
Continue ReadingSAT language scores aren’t near the levels seen in the early 1970’s. Some test-takers resort to cheating, most recently seven teens from Great Neck, NY, who hired an impersonator to stand in (well, sit in) for them. The company that administers the SAT estimates cheating, mostly by collaboration, occurs in only one-tenth of 1 percent of […]
Continue ReadingThis past summer Siena College held robotics camps for children ages 7 – 12. They were a huge success, with children learning how to build and program robots, plus, understand the physics behind the movements. Working with NXT can be fun, but challenging. To keep up the interest behind the mechanics, each camp had a […]
Continue ReadingThis past summer Siena College held robotics camps for children ages 7 – 12. They were a huge success, with children learning how to build and program robots, plus, understand the physics behind the movements. Working with NXT can be …
Continue ReadingSeptember 14 was a momentous day for homeschoolers–and anyone interested in education. On the anniversary of the death of education pioneer John Holt, Holt Associates has made freely available all the back issues of Growing Without Schooling magazine for anyone, anywhere, to read. In 1995, Growing Without Schooling changed my life and dramatically shaped the […]
Continue ReadingI have to admit: I didn’t plan to homeschool. And yet, now that I’ve gone and done it (for more than a dozen years, now) I can tell you that the thing that kept me coming back for more, year after year, was seeing how my kids thrived. Our method of homeschooling leans heavily toward […]
Continue ReadingWe like spending time with people who delight in the same things that fascinate us. That might be playing bagpipes, understanding Civil War strategy, making homemade cheese, or brewing beer. Who doesn’t love talking about a favorite topic? It’s certainly easy to build friendships that way. Shared interests also foster greater enthusiasm and motivate […]
Continue ReadingEarlier this year I did a series of posts of Stories About Girls: books that featured female main characters, with a broad range of types of books and subject matter. I tried to pick a lot of books that both …
Continue ReadingIf you are a classroom teacher, home school instructor or after school program director, Lego Education wants to give you $5,000. As kids and teachers say “so long” to summer and head back to schools, the behemoth of brick has …
Continue ReadingEvery summer I run a History through the Creative Arts camp for homeschoolers in my area. It started as a way to do history with my own children that was based on something other than war and politics. I find …
Continue ReadingI’m constantly amazed at the quality of some of the educational resources I find online. As a homeschooling, internet-savvy parent, my list of educational bookmarks is long and growing all the time. Some resources are very specific in their content, …
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Welcome to the first edition of GeekMom Debate! GeekMoms are nothing if not opinionated, so we’re giving them a chance to present different sides of the same topic. For another take on the question of dealing with kids who hate school, read Alisson Clark’s post My Kid Hates School. I’m (Mostly) OK with That. As […]
Continue ReadingThese are not your usual worksheets. You may balk and say that worksheets are ruining education today. And for the most part, I would agree with you. But let me reiterate: these are not your usual worksheets. Since I am …
Continue ReadingWe homeschoolers often get a bum rap for trying to insulate our kids from evolutionary theory. But it’s just as likely that your public school student has never heard of the subject. In fact, “about one-third of biology teachers support …
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