In The TJED Trenches

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

2011-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" to anyone wanting to understand how money works. I was very impressed with how the topics are explained and with how pertinent this information is to our day and time. I wish I had known this information when I was a young adult, I know I would have made different decisions based on that knowledge. For homeschool curriculum, we were able to

Adult Transitions

2011-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've written several posts about young adults (teens) transitioning to Scholar Phase. But, as I move into mentoring adults it is trickier to describe, analyze, and portray what transitioning to Scholar Phase looks like in an adult. This is largely due to the fact that we (the adults) all had a full conveyor-belt education. For those of us using Leadership Education methods, our children have been

Father, Husband, Mentor

2011-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every six months we re-write our Compass as part of our Six Month Inventory, Six Month Purge, and Six Month "No". These three six month activities help us to reorganize our time and efforts. Mike is taking a major role in our weekly Mentor Meetings (also know as FEC - Family Executive Council) and wrote his own Compass as well. I am very happy to see the entire family working together in our

Shh! Scholar in Progress!

2011-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

During our Mentor Meetings Sunday night, a startling discovery was made....I interrupt my Scholars too much. Nayna politely asked during the meeting to not be interrupted during her study hours. I was pretty surprised, because I thought my kids have pretty un-interrupted time, but she explained herself well and was able to make excellent observations about the issue. Mike then commented, "When

How Did It Happen?

2011-04-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

I've been re-reading "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank. The second time through is definitely an eye-opener. I am understanding things I did not get before. I wanted to share a couple of insights from the book that I feel are relevant in today's society. From Alas, Babylon: Note: In this scene, Randy is talking to his brother, a colonel in the military, about the real threat of war in America. It is

Mentoring Adult Children

2010-08-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your post Sandra. I think I actually put this topic on the schedule and then got so busy with my scholar age kids I totally forgot to write about my older ones! It's a new subject I am very passionate about. It's been an interesting journey over the past 18 years to mentor through all the phases. Our fourth child just "graduated" from high school in May and started his fist week in

Mentoring Adult Children

2010-08-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

Weeks ago, when I first saw this topic on the schedule I decided I wouldn't be posting since it wasn't something I had knowledge of. Now that has changed since my oldest is officially an adult. For some reason that development shocked me a bit.While I no longer mentor him academically - his university studies involve subjects outside my area of expertise - I am pleased to say that my husband and

How do you Inspire?

2010-08-18T01:12:00.000-07:00

One of the concepts that most attracted me to Thomas Jefferson Education was the key, "Inspire, not Require". Ironically, and perhaps not surprisingly, it was the one I found most difficult to implement. "How exactly do you inspire?" I often wondered. A couple of years into my journey I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do have a few more than I used to. And many of the most successful

Trivium Mastery

2010-08-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Diane Lockman is the author is the author of Trivium Mastery. She also has a website (www.classicalscholar.com) full of plenty of free, helpful articles. Her approach to education is that mastering three skills (language, thought and speech) preferably before the teenage years is the authentic approach to a classical education. Once these skills have been mastered the student then goes on to the

The Annual Break, Ingredient #10

2010-08-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Huntington Beach, CA 07/26/10 This is a topic I posted on in May of this year, and the comments were Amazing! Please revisit it with me as we carefully consider this season... THE ANNUAL BREAK

Seasons: 'Founding's & 'Unraveling's

2010-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

We have been getting ready for school to 'start' at our home (learning never ends). Some things have been Founded and some things are still Unraveling before they get a new Founding. (If you're unfamiliar with these terms, check out The Fourth Turning) With a Thomas Jefferson Education, home education starts with ME. I recently reconfigured (newly Founded) my bedroom (well, ROB and I did) and

"Leadership Education" Re-Printing Sale!

2010-08-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our printing budget is committed to the 2 new books that are almost ready for release; meanwhile we've sold out of Leadership Education! Our win is your win; to pay for its reprinting, we're offering a "Reprint Pre-Print Blowout Sale!" $19.95 for Leadership Education delivered to your door...http://www.tjedonline.com/free-article.php?id=282 Pass it on! rd (Rachelle DeMille)

Making Everything Quality

2010-07-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

I hear an awful lot about ‘Inspire, Not Require’ and ‘You, Not Them’. These are powerful principles that truly perform miracles in the lives of my children. Sometimes, however, in our personal quests to set an example and set the stage for our children’s education, we forget that ultimately the quality of their education is still a choice that they must make. Our family has recently been

The Beauty of Core Phase

2010-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I did not learn about Leadership Education (TJED) until my children were 13, 10, and 8 respectively. It took me another 2 years to fully get "off the conveyor belt" and begin getting myself in the right mindset to make sure we all had a solid Core Phase. I knew my youngest needed Core Phase for sure, and my other children had things to improve as well. The most difficult realization I came to was

Core Phase Curriculum

2010-07-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have been asked several times if there is a core phase curriculum. The answer is yes, there is! It is very basic, so basic we tend to ignore it. It is:Right and WrongTrue and FalseGood and Bad One of the biggest mistakes I've made is that I have been one of those people that ignored the core phase curriculum. I didn't focus on the above instead I focused on reading, writing and arithmetic.

Unwritten...

2010-07-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

"Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten!!" I have been prayerfully preparing for a new season of learning in our home, and find that I'm filled with renewed joy and anticipation - Yeah!! This time last year, I was actively seeking relief of Conveyor Belt thinking, and so my plan was to Not plan. That attitude allowed us time to Detox, and reprogram, if you will. In the

A New Year

2010-07-21T02:20:00.000-07:00

The beginning of a new school year is a relatively simple matter when you are on the conveyor belt - simply purchase the supplies for the relevant grade and you are ready to go. Gearing up for another year of Leadership Education is not necessarily so simple, but far more worthwhile. I start with a six month inventory (ingredient number 8) for each child. This is a chance for me to really focus

Gearing up for the Fall

2010-07-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

With our Annual Break coming to a close we are thinking about our next six months. What do we want to have happen? Here's the 'short list' of some things we are doing and some changes we are making.Redoing our 6 month Compass and Binder. This is listed in the ingredients section under 'Binder'. Each family member (includinng mom and dad) sets 6 month goals and makes a list of things they want

A Daily Dose of The Baker Bunch

2010-07-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I began preparing my thoughts for this post, the "Facts of Life" theme song continued to come to mind..."You Take the Good, You Take the Bad, You Take them both, and there you have..." pretty much describes our days over the past year. When we finally jumped off the conveyor belt, we took the wise advice of seasoned TJEd families that recommended we allow ample time to Detox. Little did I

Our Not Very Typical Day

2010-07-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I first came across the principles of Thomas Jefferson Education I was intrigued but, being a practical sort of person, I had one large question. How did this work - what did it actually look like in real life? After eighteen months putting the ideas into practice I decided it would be a good time to answer my own question by documenting what a typical day looked like in my house. The idea

A Day In Our Home...

2010-07-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past several years, suddenly and quite without my permission, my kids have practically grown up! I have written a couple of posts about what our day looks like now and when we had foster children in core phase, but now I want to hear what YOUR day looks like. Do you have a schedule? What does it look like? Do you have scheduling challenges? I hope you will share. I know we can all

What our day looks like....

2010-07-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

We thought we would share with our readers and ourselves what our days look like in our homes.We have followed the proceeding schedule essentially since January. We have switched our piano practicing to be during Family Work time instead of before 8:30 A.M. Through the summer we have maintained this rough outline. Wake up times and bedtimes have been off due to outside commitments, but we have

Mistakes, I've Made a Few...

2010-07-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." — George Bernard Shaw What great news!! I can honestly express gratitude for the things I've learned the hard way (which seems to be my favorite way to learn). Likewise, I am always sweetly surprised by the value I find when I am truly willing to investigate my choices looking for lessons

Top 8 Mistakes in Scholar Phase

2010-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I was skimming through Leadership Education by Oliver and Rachel DeMille, looking for areas in which to improve my mentoring techniques when I came across pages 212-224 about "The Top Eight Mistakes Parents Make with Scholar Phase". Considering the fact that all my children are now in Scholar phase (varying levels) I figured this was a good place to study again. Here is a list of the

Mistakes? I don't want to talk about it!

2010-07-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Just kidding. Sometimes though when I look back at my mistakes I think, "Why did I do that?" We aren't going to be perfect parents, especially in home education, but we still have to keep trying! Here are the mistakes I've made:I should have jumped off the conveyor belt the first time I heard about it.I should have given my kids a solid core phase including the all important core phase

The Jar of Character

2010-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Do You Sometimes Feel Like You've Lost Your Marbles? Do you struggle with creative ways to encourage Self-Control and Godly Character? If you're like me, you've tried numerous Chore Charts and Systems to support your family members in being excited about being accountable. I notice that many families practicing the Principles of A Thomas Jefferson Education, understand the importance of

Bean counting

2010-06-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

We had one very successful run with the bean counter game last year. I explained to the kids that I'd be awarding beans as I saw fit, but especially for work well done and for great behaviour, and that when the vase was full the whole family would be getting a treat. Everyone was eager to know what the treat would be and passionate discussion ensued when I announced that they got to decide.

Counting Beans?

2010-06-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

The bean counter game is ingredient #5 in Leadership Education book....This week we'll talk about beans!We have made several attempts to make this successful in our family. We took a quart jar to start and beginning filling it as suggested in the book. That was 1 1/2 years ago, and the bean jar is still not full! We would try to remember to throw beans in there, but we simply forgot. Since

"Afternoons are for Setting the Example!"

2010-06-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Is this how your afternoons feel? In "Leadership Education, The Phases of Learning", Oliver & Rachel DeMille remind us that afternoons are for setting the example. They suggest that our "example is not lost on the children, who learn much more from what they watch us do consistently than from what we assign them". When we finally made the leap into walking out TJEd Principles, I decided that

Afternoons = Naps...right?

2010-06-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

When my children were in Core Phase, I SOOO looked forward to nap time. I would literally keep checking the clock to see when I could put them down. When 12:30pm rolled around I would say, "Nap time!" in my most sing-song happy voice in hopes that the children would love that time as much as I did because once I got them settled, it was ME time! Even my Love of Learners practiced a "quiet time"

Afternoons: Ingredient #11

2010-06-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Afternoons look different in every family and in every phase. According to the DeMilles in, "Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning" they outline afternoons as ingredient #11.In the afternoon core phase children/adults will use this time to play. Love of Learners may work on projects, read or play. This is listed as a good time for club meeting, lessons, and play dates. Our scholar youth

A Relaxed Summer

2010-06-18T02:49:00.000-07:00

In Leadership Education the DeMilles say that summer is for family, especially work projects, evening work and family activities - especially visiting grandparents or extended family members who don't live close by. I try and fit a lot of this into our summer. Christmas is an early summer event here so that gives the first part of our summer a family and service focus. We live in suburbia but

Summertime Simulations!

2010-06-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Summertime at our house looks a little different than the rest of the year. With the structure largely removed from "regular" school days, our days are filled with swim team practice, projects, reading, and lots of work at our businesses (we have a couple of shaved iced/smoothie stores that are just the ticket on those triple digits days here in AZ!).One of my favorite things to add during the

Summer Time

2010-06-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Aren't summers wonderful? I love summer time. Everything is green and beautiful. The earth seems alive! What do we do in the summer time? In our family summer is our outdoor time. We have morning chores and a brief mom school a couple times a week. In the afternoon we have free time. We try to be outside as much of the time as we can. This means we often pack along our books and notebooks

Summertime Q & A

2010-06-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

As I ponder what we do in the summertime, I realize that it is not summertime everywhere around the world and we have authors and readers who are now in other seasons. So, I hope that if you fall into that category you can still find something useful as I write about summertime when it rolls back around for you. Q: What does it look like in your home? A: The family schedule looks like this:

Stepping OFF the Conveyor Belt Onto What????

2010-06-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

It has been quite an exciting year in our home as we jumped feet first, whole body OFF the Conveyor Belt!! As I mentioned in my introduction, I had delayed this act of courage and faith for MANY years, only to finally surrender to the Lifestyle of Leadership Education which I KNEW was a better choice!! I'd love to say that it has been an easy transition, and in many ways it has; however, this

"Conveyor Belt"...you mean like a factory?

2010-06-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yes....like a factory! That is what public education is like in the United States and many other countries around the world. Gone is the idea of mentoring students through their personal educations with decisions made on who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. I have attended several forums, seminars and classes on this subject and I never fail to glean more information.

Getting Off the Conveyor Belt

2010-06-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say we have been off the conveyor belt for six months! Getting to that point was scary though. It reminds me off going to the edge of the diving board and being afraid to jump! When you finally get up the nerve and do it you realize how much fun it is!Here are some thoughts that helped us (to go along with everyone else's great ideas!):1. I took down all the schedules. There was no

Getting Off the Conveyor Belt

2010-06-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

In an ideal world we would have read the book Thomas Jefferson Education before we had children, or at least while our children were still preschoolers. We would have got ourselves off the educational conveyor belt and would never have put them on it at all. However, many of us do not find ourselves in such an ideal position. For one reason or another we have our children on the educational

"But how do I actually do this?"

2010-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found yourself asking this question? At a forum I once asked of Dan Ralphs, "How do I get an 11 year old boy to read? He only likes to do things with his hands." Sound familiar? "How do I" questions are part of the process of implementing Leadership Education (TJED) in our homes. Almost every time someone asks me the question ("But how do I actually do this?"), they are either

Recipe Ingredient #10 - The Annual Break

2010-05-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, it's that time of year when American schools are preparing for Summer Break. Although, many of us no longer need to follow the agrarian time schedule, it is still recommended that we take an Annual Break. This Key Ingredient can lead to better study and renewed energy to continue pressing forward. When we consider taking a break from our daily studies, several questions may arise.

Core Phase

2010-05-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

A true principle that I believe in is the concept of core phase. Call it whatever you would like. I believe we each start at a place where we must build a foundation upon core values. Right and wrong are learned. True and false are evaluated. The reality of good and bad are discovered. In this phase we learn values and principles that will be a rock upon which we can built the rest of

Mom, Are You in There?

2010-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve been asleep lots of time—with my eyes closed, but my mind open. I think it’s a tactic employed by all moms with little ones, who are desperately in need of a little more sleep. But to be honest, it is seldom worth the effort it takes just to get “a few more minutes of shut-eye.” Remembering my failed attempts brought a smile at the story in John Holt’s, How Children Fail, of the little girl

Please Vote in Our Poll

2010-05-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

The bloggers from In the TJEd Trenches want to make sure that our posts are relevant to you, our readers. To find out what topics you are most interested in reading about we are currently running a poll. If you are reading this on the blog page then glance to your right and you'll see the poll. If you are subscribed via a reader please take the time to click over to the blog itself and cast your

Sundays

2010-04-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

In their book Leadership Education, Oliver and Rachel DeMille talk about 55 "ingredients" that they believe are essential to any leadership education family, especially for those with children in the Core and Love of Learning phases. For me, Sunday is probably the most essential ingredient, an assessment the DeMilles agree with, writing that "Sundays are the basic building block of the Leadership

Applying the Seven Keys of Great Teaching

2010-04-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Over six years ago, when I was first introduced to Thomas Jefferson Education I knew instantly that that was the truth I had been seeking! Applying it through the years as been a journey though.For a long time I had deluded myself into thinking that as long as I read classics to my children (and still carried on conveyor belt education) I was "doing it." Fast forward a couple of years and

Mission Phase - For Such A Time As This...

2010-04-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed how Leadership Education seems to naturally lead to a life of service? In Leadership Education, The Phases of Learning, Oliver and Rachel DeMille address the "metamorphosis of becoming that marks a new level of commitment to the primary allegiance, a new clarity and consecration to mission, a more refined ability to affect change in the world and a greater ability to impact the

Transitioning Phases

2010-04-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings from a hotel computer! Our move to Missouri has been an adventure as we wait another day for our home to be ready. Isn't that life though? Little glitches in our plans sometimes feel more like major setbacks, but are they really? Or, is it just what happens in our earthly experiences and should be considered expected reality rather than an unexpected crisis? Life is about transitioning

Structure Time, Not Content

2010-03-26T00:50:00.000-07:00

When I first came across the principles of Thomas Jefferson Education the key that most excited me, and that I expected would have the most impact on our family's approach to home education, was "Structure Time, Not Content". We were already implementing many of the other keys to some degree, but this one was new, especially when packaged as part of a quality classical education. With one child

Recipe Ingredient #6: The Six Month Purge

2010-03-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

In "Leadership Education, The Phases of Learning", Oliver and Rachel DeMille introduce us to A Recipe for Success: The Foundational Phases. I have come to value these 100 ingredients as a solid foundation for implementing Leadership Education in our home. The DeMilles relate these ingredients to Meringue. On page 59, they explain it this way, "We simply say that if you decide to put meringue

Southwest TJED Forum Review

2010-03-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

I had hoped to streamline my review for this post, however, I have been very sick for the past two weeks and decided maybe I should just post links to my full reviews. Also, I added some links to the reviews my children wrote. Southwest TJED Forum - Part 1 - Update on AZ Laws, The Renaissance of Kings Southwest TJED Forum - Part 2 - Adult Phases of Leadership Education Southwest TJED Forum -

"Doing" Math

2010-03-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

It seems that in leadership education that there are some subjects that just come easily. Or at least they come easily in our house. Religion, history, literature and even writing are all easy it seems, at least you know how to do it anyway. So what about math?A really great resource that I use in our home to help us know and understand math is the book Inteligro Math: The Holistic Approach to

Secure, Not Stressed

2010-02-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this new Key of Great Teaching!! How many times have you found yourself wondering what you've gotten yourself into, if you're Really doing the best thing for your family, or even How can I possibly...? Many times, Leadership Education requires a willingness to surrender our habits and beliefs to inspiration and wisdom. I have found this process to be a walk of faith, filled with daily

You NOT Them

2010-02-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Someone once described this key to me as YOU and THEM!! I liked the little twist they put on the principle of not getting so focused on what your kids are doing (or what you think they should be doing) that you forget that it all really starts with YOU!! Its reminds me that this journey of learning, studying, and growing is something that everyone (including mom and dad) need to be a part of!!

Core Phase

2010-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Core Phase. Hmmm. Yes, I'm going to discuss core phase. I think that core phase has been the phase I have least understood in Leadership Education. Here's some ways we have applied it in our home. These are only ideas. Voltaire said, "No opinion is worth burning your neighbor for." Please don't burn me!First, let's review. There are four major phases of learning in a Leadership Education. There

Review: Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens

2010-02-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

In Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens Oliver De Mille and Shannon Brooks do a great job of inspiring teens to obtain an excellent Scholar Phase education. They also do a great job of guiding teens through the process, giving them plenty of concrete tools and advice that will help them gain an excellent education for themselves.The inspiration comes especially in the first chapter, where the

A Beautiful World

2010-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

My name is Karen Packer and seventeen years ago I did something crazy. I started home schooling! To be perfectly honest, I undertook it kicking and screaming. OK, not literally, but if I had not felt compelled to do it—and received an unmistakable answer to prayer—I would never have ventured. It’s not that I didn’t like kids (we ended up having seven)—I just didn’t know what to do with them

Nanette's Introduction

2010-01-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

I am SO excited to share this journey with you! Let me begin by way of introduction: my name is Nanette. I am so grateful to be a Daughter of God, a Wife In Love, and a Mother on Purpose! I love to sing and truly believe that life is one long musical!! Our family jumped into Leadership Education about a year ago and our lives are changed, forever better!! I have to say that I am one of "

Sandra's Introducation

2010-01-14T23:59:00.000-08:00

I'm Sandra and I home school my four - R (Depth), K, (Scholar), W (LoL) and G (LoL) in an eclectic style, increasingly underpinned by my interpretation of the principles of Thomas Jefferson/Leadership Education. Since we're in the southern hemisphere it is currently summer and, academically, we are in a low tide phase. (This post - http://melissawiley.com/blog/2006/01/11/

Jumping off the Conveyor Belt

2010-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of the first things that a person soon hears about a Thomas Jefferson Education (or Leadership Education) is that you need to get off the conveyor belt. So what is that and why do you need to get off?The conveyor belt as described by DeMille is a the method of education given in the public school system. He said,"{The public school} is set up like a factory: everyone in the class gets the

Start Off the New Year Right

2010-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Fellow Leadership Education Families, This blog has been inspirational to many, including myself, and I hate to see it stagnate. I hope that with a few changes we can be an inspiring, thoughtful, intuitive, and downright honest blog again. By downright honest I mean that we post what really happens in our homes...no sugar coating here! The name itself was inspired by our founder, Heather

Changes in Organization

2009-12-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

I have been emailed personally about why this blog is no longer submitting new posts. Many of the authors of this blog have moved, some across the country, with many new challenges coming to bear in their lives. Some have needed to return to work due to economic pressures, including myself, although I do continue to educate my children at home using the Leadership Education method. I would like

A Bit of Charlotte Mason Home Education

2009-09-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

I went to a workshop on Charlotte Mason Home Education this weekend. I was pleased to find that many of the ideas were similar to Thomas Jefferson Education, especially in the first couple of phases.Here are some of the basic practices and ideas of Charlotte Mason that I think could be incorporated into TJEd...1. Living Books, not textbooks. This is essentially the same as TJEd's classics. Living

What Life's All About

2009-09-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

Our current read aloud is "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls who is also the author of "Where the Red Fern Grows." Both of those books are classics to me. Why? Because of quotes like this:"(Jay Berry) laughed and said, 'Grandpa, we sure have a lot of fun together, don't we?'"Grandpa smiled and said, '...You know, an old man like me can teach a young boy like you all the good things in life.

Chivalry...where has it gone?

2009-09-23T05:49:00.001-07:00

Cultural DictionarychivalryThe methods of training and standards of behavior for knights in the Middle Ages. The code of chivalry emphasized bravery, military skill, generosity in victory, piety, and courtesy to women.An experience my sister had this past weekend has been on my mind ever since I heard about it. Perhaps it is something that was unique to her area and circumstances...but as I

I Remember Mama

2009-09-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

My kids will also remember me nagging them to eat their veggies and other healthy fare. When I am dead and gone, I am sure that one of the things my children will remember most about me was that I was always making new schedules, chore charts, planner sheets, etc, in a vain attempt to "get organized". This new fall

Inspire Not Require

2009-09-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for a success story with this ingredient. Or maybe I should say it's time for me to see some success in this ingredient.... One of my sons has requested piano lessons and has played for three years. However, our daughter does not want to play. She is very musically talented. It's been painful at times for her not to be interested. People are always surprised to know that she doesn't

Does one method fit all students?

2009-09-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have read a lot of books on homeschooling, learning styles, and on education in general. My question is this...does one method fit all students?I started out with an online public school, changed to traditional homeschooling with a Classical curriculum, and then moved to Leadership Education (TJED). I've also studied Robinson Curriculum, A-Squared, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, and Montessori -

Spending time in Nature

2009-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

So last Monday we went to Red Butte Gardens here in Utah. The kids really enjoyed looking at all the different plants and reading the names. We took our nature notebooks and everyone was drawing and learning. Except for me instead of drawing I was taking pictures of the plants and of the kids.

Come on, show me your room!!

2009-09-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

With our recent move to Iowa we finally have a designated homeschool room. It has been fun trying to get it organized. But also a little stressful. I am not the world's best organizer. I just can't figure out the best system. But here are some pics of what I've got so far. The closetWhat I love: orange, (obviously). I actually have a room.All the storage.My charts on the wall.Evie's illustrations

Family Work

2009-09-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about Family Work ever since I read the following article. Family Work by Kathleen Slaugh Bahr and Cheri A. LovelessOne part of the article that particularly stuck out to me talks about doing mundane chores together. It says..."Ironically, it is the very things commonly disliked about family work that offer the greatest possibilities for nurturing close relationships and

Visitors

2009-09-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Late again-Sorry!We are being blessed with a last minute visit from my mom. We have been rearranging and doing some fall cleaning to prepare. It has been a really good motivation to get the house in order.We are all excited that she is coming but I am a little nervous about school. We have gotten into a pretty good routine this year but with all the preparations this week our routine is out the

Easy Science Projects

2009-09-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

We are in full swing again with "school." Or maybe I should just say with a schedule. We had a great first week. The kids were all super happy. Here are two things that were easy and a hit that we did for science.1. Can an egg float? Take four glasses of water and fill them 3/4 of the way full with water. In one cup stir in a tablespoon of flour, in another a tablespoon of salt, in another a

Activities - To do or not to do

2009-09-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

We live in a world where it seems younger and younger kids are being over schedule with activities and lessons. I know the Demilles don't suggest doing these things until kids are much older. I agree for the most part. But I think there are good reasons to have our kids doing some structured things outside of the home even at a young age.My kids are still core phase and I just signed up my 5 year

Back to School. Sort of.

2009-08-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

Now that the other kids on the street are back to school, I feel a push to make our homeschool more structured. I've been studying up in Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning about how to schedule days and weeks. We have started a basic morning routine (aka kidschool).I've been writing out a basic framework for the day on our cheeseboard/whiteboard. 1. Prayer 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3.

2009-08-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry that I am late. It has been Wednesday for me all day. That partnered with a 2, almost 3, year old who is learning all about independence and I am beat. (See the picture below for his workmanship. Can you see all of the foot prints and the dog licking it up off in the corner? When I told him emptying out the sugar was naughty he said, "No, it yummy!" How can I argue with that?) The

How did your home school structure change with a new baby?

2009-08-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

This post, I suppose, is more of a question than it is my sharing of experiences or lending advice. That is because we are soon going to be venturing into territory where my family has never gone before.....home schooling with a new baby! aaaaccckkkk!Seriously, I know its been done and is being done, but its something we've never done ourselves. When we first started homeschooling several

Key #1 - Classics, Not Textbooks

2009-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Public School Curriculum Curriculum is chosen by a school board in the form of a list of textbooks and basic outline or "scope" of what is to be taught. Each grade at a school is presented with this information. Some schools have a standardized curriculum handed to each teacher that they must teach, including the tests. Others allow the teachers more leeway into how they will use the textbook and

Encouraging Creativity

2009-08-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

Creativity is important to me. In fact, it is one of the main reasons I homeschool. Some people seem to think that creativity is hard to teach. I’ve been thinking about some of the things I do in my home to make it a more creative environment.Here are some basic ways to encourage creativity.1. Step out of the way. Allow the kids space to be creative. Avoid telling them the ‘right’ ways to do

An Introduction

2009-08-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm new here. My name is Emily. My hubby and I have three Core-Phasers, known online as Bubs (6), Welly-Bells (4), and Why-Why (6 mths). I love to read, write, craft, and hang out with the family. I blog at Homespun Light, where I talk about life and review clean books. In some ways, I feel new to homeschooling. In others, I feel like I have been doing it since my first baby was born. I

Taking Care of Mom

2009-08-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been trying not to go insane. This is always a good goal, don't ya think?I was talking to a teacher friend the other day who was lamenting the fact that she had to get her lesson plans done before school starts next week.I thought to myself, "Mmm...try making 7 different plans for kids of all ages and abilities."Being a Mom is a demanding job on its own. There is no denying that by

No Time for Sleep

2009-08-17T00:25:00.000-07:00

I am up at the wee hours of the night/morning writing and ponder and feeling like there are simply not enough hours in the day. I need sleep, but I feel like Reuven's father, in The Chosen by Chaim Potok, when he is so passionate about, and consumed in, the debate of his community. For Reuven's dad it was Jewish Zionism for me it is ... well ... I'm not going to go into it. It is potentially

Loving the flexibility of Home School!

2009-08-14T08:58:00.001-07:00

I can't remember if I've mentioned it here before, but this is what is on my mind this week so I'm going to go with it!Never before in our first four years of home schooling did we need to actually adjust so much as we have this past year and now this current year. It seems like life, up until last year, ran pretty smoothly.2008 brought all sorts of challenges that we've never before encountered

Math Dice Games

2009-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Trying to make math more interesting and less methodical is a bit tricky when they become teens. Many of the things I come up with are "dumb". But, here are some that I thought were better than worksheets, even if they seem a little "dumb" to my young adults when we first got started trying them out.What I like most about these games is that they can be played as a family with adaptations for

Some core issues - getting along

2009-08-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Our life has been pretty crazy lately, between unemployment and a big move our girls have had to face a lot of uncertainty and change lately. Our schedule and routine is non-existent and everyone is , let me say, CRABBY. The girls have been fighting A LOT and I have on more than one occasion threaten to send them to school if they don't stop. I know once we get settled in our new house and get

A Common Question

2009-08-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

This comment was left on my homeschooling blog this week. The person was "Anonymous" and didn't leave a name. So I thought I would answer it on this blog. This is a common question....I have 5 little kids and am having a really hard time figuring out how to do TJED without being conveyor belt, my kids ages are 8,6,4,4,1 do you have any ideas for a schedule, I am feeling those overwhelming

Ah! The Smell of school supplies.

2009-08-04T04:51:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of school supplies and all that it implies! I love thinking about all of the wonderful things we will be learning and doing this year and I love the sense of renewal a fresh box of crayons brings.This is only our second year homeschooling and implementing TJed principles and I am really excited to see what it brings. I now have an official Love of Learner who has requested

To Read or Not to Read

2009-07-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

I have never had a hard time answering this question...of course we read! Duh!I have finished the second level of the 5 Pillar Certification, if you don't know what that is check out this post. I am so excited! Now I just need to finish the third level...You, Not ThemOut of the list of books for level two, I read a couple of these over the summer, my favorite is "What is Seen and What is NOT Seen

I'm still Alive - favorite summer reads

2009-07-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I am sure I am supposed to have posted some time this week but life is still pretty out of whack. We are funally here in Iowa but we are living in a hotel till our house is ready. Kinda crazy.I have managed to read a few books this summer. Here are a few I really enjoyed:Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl. - Hands down this is a classic. I highly recommend it. Maisi Dobbs,

Summer Reads

2009-07-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is a list of our favorite summer reads:Family: A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle. The Wrinkle in Time series is a favorite that we keep coming back to.7 year old boy: Sloppy Joe by Dave Keane8 year old boy-Story of the World volume two by Susan Wise Bauer9 year old boy: The Peter and the Starcatchers series by Dave Barry.11 year old girl: Green Jasper by K.M. GrantMom: The Secret

Favorite Thing We Did This Summer: Pick Me! Pick Me!

2009-07-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that by summer's end, our favorite thing we did this summer will have been welcoming our baby boy into our family. That could be happening when this post is due, so I'm writing this in advance.So far, our favorite thing we did was picking blueberries with another homeschooling family. After an hour or so, the children got tired of blueberry picking and came up with a makeshift T-ball

Going Back to My Roots

2009-07-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already time to start talking about our favorite summer memories. Goodness, where has the time gone?I began this summer with a stomach full of knots. We were looking at a family reunion across the country, during difficult financial times. The drive had me nervous, family dynamics had me concerned, and I won't even mention all of the packing that a week long camping trip

Our Favorite Thing This Summer: Home Projects!

2009-07-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say we went on a fabulous vacation some where, but, I can't. This year it just hasn't been in the cards for us to do, time or money wise. That's okay, I don't think one summer of staying home is going to do us in! But because we've been home, we've been able to get some much needed home projects done. A man from our church/neighborhood helped us do quite a bit of it so we can't

Favorite Thing We Did This Summer

2009-07-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope our favorite thing we do this summer hasn't happened yet. Upcoming we have our Pioneer Day Celebration on July 24th, in our little town, chock full of activities, like free swimming, a parade, fireworks show, and a town dinner. Then the week after that we have our town's annual County Fair, a week long list of fun things to attend, like a demolition derby, rodeo, concert, and, of

Summer Hiking

2009-07-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we moved to a new location, with tons of things to do within 30 minutes of our home. Choosing a favorite thing we did this summer is like choosing a favorite song...so many good ones and my tastes change over time. Basically, our favorite thing we did was explore several sites near our new home.Walnut CanyonThis is a very cool place to go! The hike down is really easy...coming

Favorite Homeschool Memory

2009-07-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite home school memory is Mom School. We love Mom School in our house. (Other TJEders may refer to it as devotional or kid school). Every morning we sit on the couch together, sometimes with blankets and pj's, and we just read and read. It usually lasts 2-3 hours. We read from our core books, science books, history books, literature, poetry, fairy tales.... The list goes on and on.

Our Favorite Memory: just being together

2009-07-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I'm a few days late in posting, was supposed to on Thursday!I'd have to say that one of my favorite homeschool memories was from our first year of homeschooling. My children were 9, 5 and 1 at the time. We were all in the school room together, and the girls were using play-doh. My youngest daughter, who was 1 at the time, decided to sniff the play-doh. (it does have a funny kind of

Favorite Homeschool Memory: Reading

2009-07-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

We've now enjoyed one year of homeschool memory making. My favorite memory is reading outside in the shade of our trampoline. We put a blanket down on the ground under our trampoline and lay on it while I read a few chapters of our current read-aloud. We did this several times this past year. It was a nice change of pace that we looked forward to as often as the weather permitted.

One Random Day...

2009-07-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

Since the majority of my friends and family had no idea about TJED or the approach to schooling we are taking I thought it would be fun to document a day of child lead activities. This has become one of my favorite memories. It was a day in January:After our opening I thought it would be fun to see what the kids would do with pattern blocks. Maybe make some shapes, build some towers — pattern

Dino digging

2009-07-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

My favorite homeschooling memory was when I took up my kids and some of the cousins that homeschool nearby and we went hiking up a nearby hill. I had gone up previously and secretly hidden this "dinosaur rock" from this kit I got from Usborne and buried in the dirt on the hill. (You know, a rock that they hide little dino bones in and you have to chisel them out?) Anyway, I told the kids we were