Wednesday, June 21, 2023

How Do I Teach in My Homeschool?

A Mom's Quest to Teach: How Do I Teach in My Homeschool?

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you.

New and seasoned homeschoolers are always interested in how others homeschool. Whether they want to know because they are starting on the homeschool journey themselves or they want to see if there is a better way to homeschool, the goings on in other homeschool households are always fun to read about! And as we modify and adapt our homeschool lessons and days as our children grow, we might need some new tips and tools, too. 

How I Teach a High Schooler 


I was a high school history teacher for several years, so homeschooling a high schooler should be easy, right? Well, the skills and methods needed to teach a classroom of teenagers are a bit different from those required to teach one high schooler who happens to be your stepson. The differences between teaching in a public school setting and a homeschool setting make almost all of the skills I acquired as a high school teacher unnecessary.

When you are homeschooling your high schooler, you have a relationship with that child already. Whether or not you homeschooled them from their first days of school or started at some point along the way, your bond with your child is stronger than any bond you will form with a student. Parents will also find that a lot of the problems of the high school classroom are not there in the same way. There will be distractions but not necessarily from other high schoolers. It is easier to discuss the common things that pop up when teaching high schoolers. From body odor to relationships, you have more authority as a parent, so you can more easily address these delicate topics. 

So how did I teach our high schooler? We used SchoolhouseTeachers.com as our primary curriculum for 10th-12th grades. Our oldest joined his younger siblings in the homeschooling journey after he had attended public school from preschool to ninth grade. Since SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an online curriculum, our son and I utilized email and shared documents as a way of sharing lesson plans, materials, assignments, and more. 

Takeaways from homeschooling a high schooler: 
  • High schoolers are pretty self-sufficient. 
  • Even though they can do things on their own, you still should check in with them. Whether that is through reminders sent or daily chats, you can easily find their struggles and missing assignments through communication. 
  • Communication is key. 
  • Allow them to participate in course selection when possible. 
  • Don't be afraid to change things if you need to during the homeschool year. 
If you want to read more about how we picked courses, set up a schedule, and more, I have shared several posts over the years: 



A Mom's Quest to Teach: How Do I Teach in My Homeschool? photograph of Memoria Press Latin curriculum


How I Teach an Elementary-Aged Child 


Currently, on our homeschool journey, I have taught preschool through fourth grade and tenth through twelfth grade. Each grade brings different joys, challenges, and requirements. When homeschooling younger elementary-aged children, a variety of resources and curriculum has been important for our son, but a box curriculum has been the key to homeschooling our daughter. 

For our daughter, we were fortunate enough to review the kindergarten level of My Father's World, God's Creation from A to Z in 2020. This curriculum was a great fit, so we have been using it ever since for her. This year we are including her older brother (who is in fourth grade) in some of the lessons, too. Having everything laid out in a teacher's manual makes homeschooling our daughter so easy. 

Our younger son seems to thrive on variety. We use a mix of curriculum resources for him, including the history and Bible components of his sister's box curriculum. We are currently using materials from Memoria Press for Latin, penmanship, science, and some additional history, as well as mathematics from both CTCMath and Math Mammoth. And we have two books from The Critical Thinking Co.™ that have helped build his language arts and critical thinking skills. And finally, we are finishing up a study guide from Progeny Press for The Cricket in Times Square (please note we did not read the edited version). 

I write out the tasks for each day in our children's agenda books. All the materials that they can complete independently, I put in a pile with their agenda. They can get started working right after breakfast by themselves or wait until I start working with them. I try to save the assignments they both do together to serve as breaks in between difficult work. That way we can have our read-aloud time or work on our memory verse as a break. 


Takeaways from homeschooling an elementary-aged child: 

  • Be prepared to change things if they are not working. 
  • Allow for time for siblings to work together and work independently. (Or if you belong to a co-op, make sure you have some courses that you do alone at home.) 
  •  School when your children are ready. You do not have to start at 7 am or be finished by 3 pm. You can school after dinner if you want or need to. 

How I Teach a Preschooler 

Preschoolers do not need a lot of formal education. Play is the most important thing for homeschooling a preschooler. But what do you do when they want to school because they have older siblings who are homeschooling? Well, that all depends on the child. 

Both our younger son and daughter enjoyed coloring, painting, and playing with Play Doh and educational toys to different degrees. They went through phases where they wanted worksheets to complete because their older brother was homeschooling with worksheets. Or they wanted to use scissors to cut but not practice cutting using the fancy book we bought for them. 

Takeaways from homeschooling a preschooler: 

  • Preschoolers are never predictable. 
  • Keep things simple with games, toys, etc., that you already own. 
  • If you want to use a curriculum, you can! 

Typical Day 


What is a typical day? There really isn't one. We homeschool year-round so that we can take off days or weeks when we need to. And even though we start the new year in September, we keep moving along with our curriculum from the previous 'year' if it is not completed and I see value in finishing it. We do not have to follow the tradition of the public school and try to cover the curriculum by a certain time. We can finish books, lessons, and more because we have the time and freedom to do so. 

How do you teach in your homeschool? Do you have a typical day? 

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap Compact Edition


A Mom's Quest to Teach logo: Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap Compact Edition

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you.


Do you use a Bible reading plan to help you stay on track when reading the Bible? Or perhaps you like a plan to learn more about what you are reading? A Bible reading plan can also help you focus your prayers while reading. The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble can help with all those goals. Following a chronological Bible reading plan, The Bible Recap summarizes each day's reading, explains, and connects the Scriptures for you. 

The new edition of The Bible Recap is a 759-page compact edition. It has an imitation leather cover with a ribbon marker and a place to list your name in the front. The content is the same as the original edition, providing a one-year guide to help you read and understand the entire Bible. 


A Mom's Quest to Teach logo: Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap Compact Edition inside look at pages


About the Book 

A chronological reading plan is listed as part of the contents, taking you through the entire Bible in 365 days. After an introduction from the author, there is an explanation as to how to use the Book. The Bible Recap quotes from the English Standard Version (ESV), but Cobble mentions other translations you might read. She recommends taking notes and writing questions. You should also keep an eye out for God as you read the Scripture, according to Cobble.

Each day is laid out over two pages. The summary and information are accompanied by "Today's God Shot." This is where Cobble relates how she thinks readers can see God's character. In some of the summaries, the information is simple and straight-forward such as when relating the searching of the sacks of Joseph's brothers:

"The squad opens the bags one by one, oldest to youngest, to heighten the suspense, and finds the cup in Ben's bag" (76). 

Sometimes, it is easy to see where Cobble shares her own thoughts, perspective, and ideas in the summaries. For example, when talking about Psalms 102-104, Cobble writes: 

"He segues from sharing God's sovereignty and might over all creation into asking God to use His power to wipe out the wicked. While this may sound harsh, we can probably view it less as some kind of personal vendetta and more as a desire for God's glory to be magnified" (263). 

At other times, you may need to look for context clues and be discerning to see where Cobble shares her own opinion or that of others on the Bible. Please remember every author of a book about the Bible brings their own knowledge, perspective, and ideas to their work. 


A Mom's Quest to Teach: Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap Compact Edition book cover


My Thoughts 

I really appreciate using a chronological Bible reading plan. My husband first introduced the idea to me, but I didn't start reading through the Bible in a year using a chronological plan until I reviewed the first edition of The Bible Recap. For me, it really helps put into perspective the events of the Bible as they took place rather than reading about the same event multiple times spread out through days, weeks, or months. 

With Cobble's focus upon looking for God on every page of the Bible, it is sometimes easier to see the common thread in the Bible. God speaks to us on every page – even those that are difficult to understand. I like to read her "God Shot" to see what her thoughts are on the day's reading. Using my own research and knowledge, I can accept what she says or look for a bigger interpretation. 

This new compact edition is quite lovely. The first one I received is very large and difficult to take with you. It is actually bigger than my Bible. So having a smaller, compact edition with a ribbon marker makes it very easy to bring The Bible Recap with me. And I love the ribbon marker. Now my bookmark won't fall out! 

The imitation leather cover makes this a nice gift option. If the inside cover had "presented to" rather than "this book belongs to," it would be even more appropriate as a gift. 

One thing I did like better about the first edition is that with the size of the book, you gained a lot more room to make notes in the margins. This compact edition does not leave much room for note-taking. And the pages are very thin so the ink shows through on the printed text. I haven't written in this book, but I would think anything I write would also bleed through or show through on the other side. 

If you enjoyed the earlier edition or accompanying materials to The Bible Recap, this will make a nice addition to your bookshelf. It would be a lovely gift for a family member, church member, or friend. 


Reviews of Other Books by Tara-Leigh Cobble 

Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap Discussion Guide

Book Club: Book Review of The God Shot by Tara-Leigh Cobble

Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap



Monday, June 5, 2023

Top Five Tips for Teaching History To Elementary-Aged Students

A Mom's Quest to Teach logo — Top Five Tips for Teaching History To Elementary-Aged Students

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

How do you approach teaching history to your young children? From living history to playing games, there are so many wonderful options when we want to incorporate history into our daily homeschool lessons. 

Top five tips for teaching history to elementary-aged students

Books, Books, and More Books 


There are so many wonderful resources for teaching history. We enjoy both fiction and non-fiction history books in our homeschool. Books can help bring history to life for your children and there are many that I could recommend to homeschooling families. You can read books together as read-alouds, ask your children to read them as part of their curriculum, or just shelf good history-related books on your bookshelves. If you and your children enjoy reading, books are a great way to learn more about history. 

Some favorites include: 
  • The Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder 
  • If You Were Me and Lived In... Series by Carole P. Roman 
  • The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls by M. J. Thomas 
  • Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry 
  • Toliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady 
  • The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
  • YWAM Publishing Heroes of History Series 

Historical Sites 


Getting out and actually seeing history provides so many wonderful opportunities. Some children learn better by seeing and doing and visiting historical sites can allow our elementary-aged children the opportunity to do both! 

Many historic sites give children the opportunity to try their hand at different crafts and skills. Or perhaps they have period clothing for your children to try on while visiting. And there may even be guides dressed in period clothing themselves who will give tours in character. 


photograph of wetlands in New Jersey



Games 


I am amazed by the number of games available for families who wish to include a new way to learn in their homeschool day. We have several that are perfect for reinforcing history facts and practicing geography in our homeschool. From board games to video games, there are options for every age! 

Some of our favorites: 
  • Professor Noggin's History of the United States Card game
  • Professor Noggin's American Revolution Card game 
  • Continent Race by Byron's Games 
  • Egyptians 
A Mom's Quest to Teach logo — Top Five Tips for Teaching History To Elementary-Aged Students with photograph of stovetop at Eckley Miner's Village


Movies, Documentaries, and Videos 


If you cannot visit a historic site in person, watching about it in a movie, documentary, or video is another good way to make that time period or location come to life. There are a great number of movies available so you will want to preview them before sharing them with your children. When pre-watching them, consider the following things: 
  • Is this movie appropriate for the age of my child? 
  • Is this movie historically accurate? How important is accuracy? Do I want my child to learn historical facts or get an idea of what life was like during that time period? 
  • Will I share the entire movie? 
  • Do we want to watch a fictional adaptation or a documentary? 
  • Who produced the movie? What were their motives?
Some favorite resources include: 
  • Drive Thru History (there are multiple series ranging from Bible history to American history) 
  • Gettysburg (1993) 
  • Robin Hood (1973 cartoon)
  • Cross Seven History Videos for Kids

Favorite Curriculum and Resources 


Sometimes you might just want a well-written full-year course, unit study, lap-book, or other curriculum resource to teach history to your elementary-aged student. Fortunately, there are a great number of options available to homeschoolers. From individual history classes that are available with a membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com to the textbook-based Our Star-Spangled Story from Notgrass History, you can pick and choose what works for your family. 

If you would prefer to not focus on a specific class but let your children's interest guide you, Home School in the Woods offers many different options. There are smaller lap-books that you can complete to larger unit studies focusing upon different time periods like the American Civil War or the Renaissance in Europe. 

Other favorites include: 
  • Drive Thru History 
  • YWAM Publishing Unit Studies
  • Memoria Press 

Final Thoughts 


As a former high school history teacher, I love all these ideas! We incorporate a variety of them into our homeschool day. While using Adventures in U.S. History from My Father's World, we also add in Drive Thru History America: Columbus to the Constitution during lunchtime on some days. When we want to take a break from formal studies, we have been learning about the Wonders of the World with Home School in the Woods. And the literature books from Our Star-Spangled Story by Notgrass History are very welcome additions to our read-aloud time. How do your elementary-aged students enjoy studying history?