In my experience, no one makes comparisons more than homeschoolers. We say things like: “Mrs. Jones is better than I am at teaching math,” or “Why can’t we get our kids to do their violin practice as well as Mrs. Smith’s children?” or “That family doesn’t let their kids watch television—they’re better than we are.”
Read More »7 Ways Our Children Can Keep Their Way Pure | Part 5
In the “Armor of God,” with which we are all called to equip ourselves (Ephesians 6:10-18), the Word of God is the “sword of the Spirit.” Daily, reverent reading of Sacred Scripture can help us to immerse ourselves in the mind of Christ and cultivate our personal relationship with Him. It can also help us to develop a living, breathing, personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, the Author of Sacred Scripture.
Read More »6 Tips to Surviving Christmas
Sometimes it seems like the work for Mom is never ending in our large Catholic families. By Thanksgiving, the first quarter assignments have been completed and the homeschooling is clipping along nicely. Then Bang! Along comes the Christmas season, doubling the work load but halving the class time! It’s more than a little discouraging!
Read More »Homeschool Analogies: Got Any?
Someone mentioned to my wife lately that she doesn’t usually read my fatherhood/homeschooling columns because I use too many sports analogies. For instance, over the years, I have written that baseball is like “raspberry sorbet for the mind;” I have said that life is about “how many shots you take, rather than how many baskets you make;” and I recently wrote that being a good father was like being a “hockey goalie,” and so forth.
Read More »Christmas Time in High School
As we move toward December, we all think about Christmas. It’s a busy time, and it’s easy to put off schoolwork. However, students in high school don’t have as much leeway as elementary students.
Read More »“Two Good Choices! Which One Do I Pick?!”
In Robert Frost’s famous poem “The Road Not Taken,” a traveler recalls a moment in his life when he reached a crossroads. He comes to a turning point on the journey and pauses to consider which path to follow. Both roads have fair prospects and great allure.
Read More »Why Study a Foreign Language?
The study of a foreign language is an important component of a good education. Many studies have been done that confirm this. A research report “Regarding World Language Education: The Benefits of Second Language Study,” was published in 2007.
Read More »7 Ways Our Children Can Keep Their Way Pure | Part 4
Have you ever been asked by an evangelical Christian if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? What do you say? My answer is simple: Yes. I have indeed committed my life to Jesus Christ and invited Him to be my Lord...
Read More »‘The First Christmas’ Crossword
Download this ‘The First Christmas’ Crossword! A fun activity to challenge your knowledge of facts and trivia on Christmas. For all ages! Answer questions like: 1) Catholics celebrate the feast of the Immaculate ___ of Mary on December 8. 2) The feast mentioned above means that Mary was conceived without ___ sin.
Read More »7 Ways Our Children Can Keep Their Way Pure | Part 3
We are not alone in our fervent desire to help our children remain true to their Catholic Faith. The Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Queen of Heaven and Earth, earnestly desires their salvation as well, and she can show them how to stay close to Jesus throughout their lives.
Read More »What Advice Do You Have for Homeschooling Several Children at Once?
What advice do you have for homeschooling several children at once? I have discovered that my son does not learn like my daughter did. Why can’t my son read any ...
Read More »Dealing with the “I hate History!” Syndrome
by Dr Anne Carrol | Home schooling parents are often faced with the “I hate history” syndrome. But they can transform antipathy into enthusiasm. Everything we teach our children should have as its ultimate purpose the glory of God and the good of souls, and history is no exception. How specifically can we teach history so that it fulfills these purposes?
Read More »Why We Should Sit at the Kids’ Table
As I took a little trip down the memory lane of my mind, I started to explain to my little children that, although I was 42 years old, I had never quite “graduated” from the kids’ table. At first this bothered me, but I had come to respect the camaraderie, the conviviality...
Read More »From England, With Love
“Look at those huge rain clouds!” I said to my sister Molly as we scrambled up the wide, sloping green hills of Uffington in our search for the famous 374-foot White Horse carved into the chalky ground.
Read More »Dare to Ask The Question That Could Change Your Life
by Mary Lou Warren | Do you find that you never seem to have enough time to do important things in your life? Is your time frittered away with minutia and time-wasting activities? How much time do you spend on repeated actions and routines that brings you no closer to where you want to go, to do, or to become?
Read More »Are Kids Better Off Poor?
The children of the Hollywood producer will never need to work a day in their lives. They can have anything they want; or more specifically, they can have anything their super wealthy dad is willing to buy for them. Ordinary families tell their children that they cannot have everything simply due to lack of money. For the super wealthy, that's just not true.
Read More »How to Homeschool Better… Immediately
As we parents sit down to help our children with their homeschooling, I think we would have to admit that some of the biggest distractions are often the ones inside ourselves—the ones that keep popping into our minds as we attempt to teach.
Read More »‘Be Like Little Children’: How Not to Lose Wonder
As the freshness of childhood and the exuberance of youth fade, and life assumes a regularity and familiarity, it is all too easy to become jaded and blasé. Instead of ...
Read More »Homeschooling With A Limp: This Mom Won’t Quit
Tonight I’m making chicken noodle soup for dinner. I need the comfort that it brings to me because today my meds aren’t working. One of the hardest challenges that I face as a homeschooling mother is dealing with hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland).
Read More »7 Ways Our Children Can Keep Their Way Pure | Part 2
If we and our children are to keep our faith, we must immerse ourselves in the mind of Christ, not the mindset of the world. Knowing the teachings of the Magisterium (teaching authority) of the Catholic Church is essential to living a life that is pleasing to God. How can we learn these teachings?
Read More »