I remember that when I was in third grade in public school (way back in 1980), I memorized math facts. My family had moved to Iowa from Oklahoma halfway through the fall semester, and the new school had a room at the end of the hall with a dinosaur of…
Back when my mom began homeschooling, I was the eldest child and a junior in high school with lots of prior experience in public speaking. I was in the drama club in middle school, in the student government in high school, and even a part of the cheerleading squad for…
This has been a very busy week for us, but great educational steps took place in spite of my crazy schedule. With my husband traveling and my best friend visiting from out of state, I was a pretty distracted teacher/mother. In our homeschool this week… Despite all of this, Joel…
After our recent close encounters with mule deer in our neighborhood, the girls wrote the following poems to express what they learned about deer in our factual research, Biblical study and personal experiences with these beautiful creatures. The details of our experience and nature writing assignment can be found in…
Another national election has come and gone: The results are in, and today, we move forward. For me, this election was significant not just because I had strong personal convictions about the issues our country faces, but because I was able to share that passion with my daughters and see…
This weekend I came to a better appreciation of living in a swing state: It can be pretty exciting and fun the week before a national election if you stop answering your phone and watching live TV, and take advantage of all the live appearances instead. Swing states get lots…
My experiences changing curriculum have been pretty well documented on this blog. If you haven’t followed my journey, here are the highlights of our curriculum exploration over the past two years… First Year: My Father’s World and why it didn’t work for us Second Year: Why I chose to try…
The Ward Family — Day 29 — September 14, 2012 Today we met for school at my sister’s house. While the kids worked on their math, I ran to the store for sugar cubes and icing. After most of the kids had finished with their math (Joel was being silly…
I can’t believe we have been in school for one month already! Friday was a fun day. After Devotion and Math, Joel got to use the points he earned in August and go “shopping” in our prize bucket! He had 100 points. He picked out an angry birds slap bracelet,…
By Rosanna Ward Monday was the first day of our new school year. Even though I don’t believe that learning should be limited to “school” — and decidedly believe that much real learning takes place outside “school” hours — I do so love new beginnings. I love New Year’s Day,…
Although my son Joel and I have been reading and doing math facts practice all summer, along with golf and swim lessons, August 6th will be our “official” back-to-school start date. That means back into (um… or beginning) a routine: bedtime, awake, chores, breakfast, devotionals, no cartoons, and a full…
Welcome to “Ask a NextGen Homeschooler…” It’s your turn to ask the writers at NextGen Homeschool — four formerly homeschooled moms who are now homeschooling our children — to weigh in on your homeschooling questions. From the practical to the personal, all questions are welcome — whether you’re a current homeschooler…