Writing is the primary basis upon which your work, your learning, and your intellect will be judged—in college, in the workplace, and in the community.
Most homeschooling parents want their child to write well. The problem is, according to responses from the Homeschool Sanity Facebook community, many parents don’t know how to teach their child to write. The problem may be:
The parent didn’t learn to write well. Parents’ own education was inadequate or they needed special tutoring that they didn’t get.
The parent is a natural writer. It’s difficult to teach the fundamentals of a skill that seems second-nature. Some of us need help breaking it down for our kids.
The child is resistant. A physical or learning disability gets in the way. There’s a psychological resistance of unknown origin. Or the curriculum or approach used has been rejected.
Whatever the reason for finding writing instruction a challenge, this is the simplest and best solution:
Encourage Your Child to Read
Research studies have found a relationship between reading skills and time spent reading and writing skills. While studies do not indicate that explicit writing instruction isn’t needed, there is clear evidence that the best way to teach your child to write is to teach them to read. Then encourage them to read often.
Reading teaches your child use of language, grammar, and punctuation. As this Huffington Post article suggests, it’s foolish to expect our children to be good writers if they aren’t good readers. It’s like expecting your child to be a great musician when they do not listen to music.
My son became very proficient in Spanish in part by watching movies in Spanish and listening to Spanish music. When I asked him if I could speak fluently by just doing that, he laughed. It takes more than that. Learning to write is the same. Children need instruction in writing that will amplify the benefits of reading.
Grammar Galaxy, my beginning language arts curriculum, encourages children to read daily and motivates them to write, too. Learn more at GrammarGalaxyBooks.com.
I received this product at no charge and was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own. I do not recommend products I would not use or recommend to friends.
I love audiobooks. They are a great way of passing the time whether you are traveling or doing chores. They build vocabulary and reading skills, too. But I’ve had a hard time finding audiobooks that hold my children’s interest.
I have to admit that I was nervous about listening to audio dramas from Heirloom Audio. I thought maybe they were for those homeschooled kids who love listening to anything because their parents won’t let them watch TV. That wouldn’t be my kids. And I had a real challenge on my hands when I wanted to listen to the first set of CDs called In Freedom’s Cause. My 14-year-old son was going to be in the car with me. He gives almost everything low marks. He is like Mikey from the old commercial who shocked his family by liking Life cereal.
My Family’s Reaction to Heirloom Audio
I knew that Heirloom audios were produced by the former writer and director of Adventures in Odyssey. My boys did enjoy those. They listened to them in a CD player in their bedroom at night. I had listened to them with my older boys. My youngest two boys had recently asked me to give away their CD player because they were done with all the audios they had. Adventures in Odyssey definitely appeals to a younger crowd. I was worried that my 14-year-old would be insulted by the audio. “This is for little kids!” I was sure he would say. My planned response was, “Then let your younger brother enjoy it.”
I loved the movie Braveheart, the story of William Wallace, but have never considered letting my children watch it. I am not squeamish, but the amount of blood in that movie was much too much for me. I thought it would be great if they could hear the story without the violence. I was in a rush to get on the road, so I popped the CD into our car’s player and started listening with the boys. I was shocked both by what I heard and what I didn’t hear.
First, I couldn’t believe the quality of these audios. I produce a podcast, so I know how challenging good audio is. The musical score was like that of the finest movie you would see in a theater. And no wonder. I later learned that the soundtrack was composed by Emmy-winning composer John Campbell, who also composed the original score for The Chronicles of Narnia. The sound effects communicated the story as well as a movie, but without the visuals. And the acting? Absolutely amazing. I’ve done some acting and I’ve given accents a try. I couldn’t believe the authenticity of the Scottish accents in In Freedom’s Cause. If I had read the actors’ credits on the CD cases of all the Heirloom audios before beginning to listen, I wouldn’t have been shocked. They include: The Lord of the Rings, Mom’s Night Out, Rudy, Fireproof, Star Wars, Tarzan, The Hobbit, and more. Click HERE to hear the actors recording and discussing this audio.
I was also shocked that I didn’t hear any complaints from the back seat. In fact, I heard silence until we got back into the car to return home from our visit. “Turn it back on!” my 14-year-old insisted. We didn’t finish In Freedom’s Cause in one trip, so when only my 14-year-old was going to be traveling with us two days later, he insisted on finishing it, even though my youngest would have to listen separately. For his part, my 10-year-old told me, “You need to give it a good review. It’s great!”
After our first trip listening, I told the boys that their father would enjoy the CD. I didn’t think about it again until my husband returned from an all-day trip in the car the CD was in. He told me he had turned on the radio and the William Wallace audio had come on. Even though he was in the middle of the story, he told me he was hooked. He listened to the rest. He was thrilled when I told him I had more. “I can’t wait to listen to With Lee in Virginia,” he told me. I agree. If my kids didn’t like these audios, I would listen to them myself.
Why Heirloom Audios are Better Than Audiobooks
So you’ve gotten the idea that we like Heirloom Audio’s dramas. But why do I say they are better than audiobooks?
#1 They are more engaging
The music, the multiple actors, and the quality sound effects capture kids’ attention better than standard audiobooks. Kids who don’t like traditional audiobooks are likely to love these audios. They appeal to a wider age range. The company says they’re appropriate for ages 6 to adult and I agree. I think they will especially appeal to boys, who can be much harder to engage with audiobooks. When you hear the sword being drawn and men in battle, boys in particular will stay with the story.
#2 They teach history
You can certainly find audiobooks that teach history, but I haven’t found any of this quality that teach children. I love learning history through biographical stories. That’s exactly how Heirloom Audio teaches. The Dragon and the Raven teaches about King Alfred of Wessex. I don’t remember who he is, so I need to listen! Under Drake’s Flag is about Sir Frances Drake. The Spanish Inquisition will come to life for you and your children.
#3 They inspire faith
Most audiobooks do not have a Christian worldview. Those that do usually don’t go beyond “God loves you.” In Freedom’s Cause dealt with the importance of God’s Word in a believer’s life, why we shouldn’t take revenge, and why bad things happen to good people. I know many adults who could benefit from these lessons. The most powerful way of teaching our children the faith after our own example is through story.
#4 They include study guides
Each audio drama includes a study guide. It was from the study guide for In Freedom’s Cause that I learned more about G.A. Henty, who wrote the book about Wallace and Bruce. I also got to see a statue of William Wallace. And I was very impressed with the guide itself. Questions to help your child listen and understand are included. You could take breaks on a long trip to discuss what you’ve heard or after lunchtime listening session. Excellent discussion questions about faith and character are also included. Even more impressive are the vocabulary word lists, maps, and research assignments that take the learning deeper.
I always think we will do school in the car, especially when we are on a big road trip. These dramas make that possible and without complaints!
Now You Can Save Big on Heirloom Audio
You’re going to want to get a copy of all these CDs that are also downloadable, especially with the special offer that’s available to my readers. You will get 67% off retail. That’s amazing, considering that they are worth every penny of the retail price. I hope you’ll order today.
I can’t wait to get started on another audio in the car tonight!
Scripture memorization is an underused and powerful tool for strengthening families. I’m thrilled that Carlie Kercheval is guest posting today on this important topic. I hope you’ll take a minute to learn more about the tool she’s created to help make Scripture memory easy.
Scripture memorization is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. When I was a young Christian woman, God made it very clear that I needed to get into the habit of memorizing His Word. I was a college student when I accepted Christ and was already in the habit of studying, so Scripture memory seemed to be a natural fit. I am actually quite fond of memorizing facts so when I first started my memorization journey, I approached it from a standpoint of just another “class” I was taking. But God had so much more in store for me. It wouldn’t be until years later that I’d realize the positive effect that Scripture memorization would have upon my family.
As a busy homeschooling, work-at-home mom of three children, I have found myself able to draw from the deep well of Scripture planted in my heart over the years. And sometimes the verses buried deep within my heart are the only things that have carried me through seasons of hardship. I am amazed at just how sovereign our God is and how much attention He pays to the details of our lives. Over the years I have noticed many benefits of Scripture memorization, but today I want to focus on three of them. Here are three ways Scripture memorization has been a blessing to my family.
3 Ways Scripture Memorization Has Blessed My Family
1. Provided a peaceful atmosphere. This has been especially true for me during two specific seasons of life: raising young children while homeschooling and during the 5 separate year-long deployments our family has endured as an active duty military family. As any mom knows, raising children is no easy feat. While we can usually focus on the long-term benefits of child-rearing in the day in and day out, sometimes we need some help to remind us why we should keep going. Scripture memory has given me the ability to draw on God’s Word quickly when I have feelings of anger or fear. Armed with God’s Word, I’ve been able to maintain a consistent atmosphere of peace in our home. And this is such a wonderful blessing!
Having the “muscle memory” of God’s Word in my heart has allowed me to stay sane when my husband was on the battlefield for a little more than 5 cumulative years. The peace of God has never been far from me as His Word is within me. This has been such a blessing to my family as it has helped me stay on track when my emotions have tried to get the best of me. I am so grateful for God’s peace found through His Word. I honestly don’t think I could have survived this long without it.
2. Created a strong family bond that includes God’s Word. When I met my husband, Michael, we were in a college fellowship on the campus of Washington State University. There was a small core group of college kids that used to get together 3-4 nights a week to pray and study the Bible. When Michael and I got engaged, we started another group just for Scripture memorization. It was a blast! Without us even knowing it, the foundation was set for our family-to-be.
Here we are, 18 years later, still memorizing Scripture together and with our three precious children. Scripture memorization has created a beautiful bond between my husband and I as well as with the children. Our memory verse time has become a wonderful way that we can get God’s Word into our hearts and minds all while growing closer to one another. For our family, Scripture memorization is a daily activity. And if mom or dad forgets — one of the children is sure to remind us!
3. Helped me remain diligent in reading God’s Word. If I am being honest, there have been many seasons of motherhood where I haven’t been able to read the Bible as much as I wanted to. However, I’ve still made sure to continuously memorize Scripture over the years. So even if I only read one Scripture a day, it helped me to continue the daily habit of reading God’s Word. I am thankful that when I didn’t have the focused time or energy to dig deep, God was still building up an arsenal of His Word in my heart!
Could you use some help memorizing more of God’s Word?
Be sure to grab your copy of this brand new book along with the companion prayer journal and printable 3×5 memory verse cards during the launch week special! And if you buy your copy August 1-8, you will receive some wonderful bonus products as well!
It is my hope that Matters of the Heart will help you hide more of God’s Word in your heart all while building your faith in Him. It is my firm belief that memorizing more of God’s Word will bless you and your family in countless ways. Will you meet me in His Word? Let’s encourage one another to commit our heart and mind to more Scripture memory this year!
Carlie Kercheval is a happily married work-at-home homeschooling mom. She and her college sweetheart have been blessed with 3 precious children to raise while traveling the world as a military family. Carlie is the founder of Today’s Frugal Mom™ and Fulfilling Your Vows™. She is also the co-author of Learning to Speak Life Books™. When she is not busy enjoying her family and the great outdoors, you can find her cozied up somewhere under a blanket with a good book.
People have mixed reactions to my blog name (and social media handle). Some people think I’m a scary person. When I comment on Periscope, people don’t want to refer to me as Psycho. That’s understandable. Many people laugh. Today I want to tell you the story behind the name.
Years ago I had mom friends who chatted online using instant messenger. Can you tell how long ago that was? I wanted to come up with a funny handle for myself.
Psycho
I tried to incorporate the fact that I am a psychologist. I’m a clinical psychologist who started practicing in a Christian practice. As the only female psychologist, I saw every kind of client. I really enjoyed working as part of a team when we had an inpatient unit. I enjoyed outpatient less because there was so little time for professional interaction. It made this sanguine lady lonely.
When I was pregnant with my first, I asked to go part-time, which my supervisor was glad to accommodate. I thought that would be the perfect situation. But then my baby kept getting ear infections from being in daycare, even part-time. I constantly had to cancel appointments. So I decided to work just two evenings a week. When my second son was born, I quit completely.
People often tell me that I can go back to counseling when I’m done homeschooling. But I don’t see myself doing that. When I was pregnant with my first baby, I taught psychology at the university and I absolutely loved it. Teaching is my first love: teaching my own children and now teaching through this blog, my podcast, social media, and conferences.
With 6
I had just had my sixth baby when I created the handle. The truth is I wasn’t nearly as psycho with six as I had been with three. I had three children ages three and under, one of which had a difficult temperament. I had no older children to help me.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth babies were relatively easy. But I’ve had my share of challenging times. You may want to read why I’ll never be a perfect homeschooler. After prayer, my coping strategy of choice for dealing with the demands of parenting and homeschooling a large family is humor. So many of the things I thought were disastrous when the kids were little now just seem funny. I wish I hadn’t wasted so much anxiety on them.
Now I hope to bring that perspective to moms in the trenches. I share from a psychologist’s, veteran homeschooling mom’s perspective. But I also share from my heart. I would love to have you subscribe so you won’t miss a post.
I love this guest post by Amy Michaels. Amy offers a whole course on teaching reading as well as choosing curriculum, teaching gifted kids, and much more as part of her THRIVE Homeschooling Academy. If you are a new homeschooler or need help creating a homeschool that works for your family, I highly recommend it.
When teaching your child to read, do you know that one of the most important components of reading is often overlooked?
Yes, phonics are important.
Decoding unknown words is absolutely a valuable set of skills.
Reading fluently can boost someone’s confidence.
However, there is something that is even more important when teaching your child to read.
Know what it is?
It is simply this: discussing what you think and learn from a book can make all the difference between a mediocre reader and a reading enthusiast.
Why Conversational Reading is So Important
When we take the time to talk about what we read with our children, powerful thinking and learning happens.
As adults, we know this. We start conversations with, “I am reading the BEST book!” and we share what great insights have inspired us. We have book clubs to expand our knowledge and discussion our “ah-HA!” moments with our friends. We highlight our favorite passages, dog-ear pages, and swap books with friends who share our interests.
Why?
When we share our thinking about what we read, we engage the brain to exchange information with others.
As homeschoolers, the most important part of teaching your child to read is sharing the meaning of what is being read!
You instinctively knew this even when your child was a baby. You didn’t start by teaching your child to sound out each letter in a word when your child was 9 months old. Instead, you pointed to the pictures and named what you saw. If you saw a dog, you would say, “See the doggie? Dogs say, “Woof, woof.” You helped your child make connections from the books to what they could understand.
Conversations are the best and most simple way to do this!
How to Engage Kids in Conversation While Reading
My kids and I just started reading Grammar Galaxy, and it is a terrific example of how important it is to have conversations after reading. After we read a chapter, we make predictions about what we think is going to happen next. We talk about new vocabulary words that we learned, and we think about how we can use those words to something in our lives now. We make connections about how what the characters are doing reminds us of something we did (or wouldn’t do).
All of these discussions ensure that the kids are actively engaged in thinking about what they are reading. This makes reading a valued experience for a child. By investing our time and attention in our child’s thoughts about reading, we give them an opportunity to share part of their learning experience with us. What they share sometimes surprises me (like how my daughter was pronouncing “Penelope” as “pineapple,” which made us both giggle). Sometimes, what they share is profound (like the time my child decided that she wasn’t letting a friend’s criticism bother her b/c she was reminded of ourconversation after reading in a book that she has a choice about whether to believe others’ words).
Having conversations about books your child reads or that you read to them is the single BEST thing that you can do to help your child be a successful reading enthusiast.
This isn’t a list of specific skills to check off. You won’t find this in a curriculum. It is just about you taking just a few minutes to ask your child their thoughts about what they reading. Their responses are powerful and priceless, and it can make a world of difference in your child’s reading success.
Amy Michaels is a former classroom teacher and Gifted Educational Specialist turned homeschooler. She is the founder of ThriveHomeschooling.com and Thrive Homeschooling Academy. She works as an Educational Consultant to homeschooling parents by sharing systems to simplify and customize their homeschooling to see their kids THRIVE.
It takes a lot of confidence to claim that you have the best 4th of July idea when a quick Pinterest search returns thousands of ideas. But I’m sure. I have the best 4th of July idea and I think when you finish this post, you’ll agree with me.
Why I Love the 4th of July
See, I absolutely LOVE the 4th of July. When I was a kid, the 4th of July was a favorite because we always had company. Either my father’s huge family would join us or my mother’s smaller family would. Either way, the day was filled with amazing food, fun games, and fireworks. I loved helping my mother get ready for the day. Watermelon, potato salad, and cake! I can’t ever remember a bad 4th of July. Everyone was always in a good mood.
It’s not surprising then that when it came time to choose a wedding date, I chose the 4th of July. At least it’s not surprising to me. Other people are usually surprised. My wedding day continued the 4th of July tradition for me. It was a time for family, food, and celebration. My husband and I have been married for 24 years and we still have fireworks.
The Best 4th of July Idea
You might be thinking that I’m going to suggest that you plan a 4th of July wedding date. Nope. Even though I don’t regret it at all, there was some grumbling about people not being able to find babysitters on that day. So keep that in mind for your future kids’ wedding planning.
You may be wondering if I have a special dish that we always serve on the 4th. I have made some fun red-white-and-blue dishes over the years, but no, that’s not the best 4th of July idea.
You may think that there’s a special activity that we’ve enjoyed that you just have to try. While we’ve done everything from play horse shoes, to having a huge fireworks display, to spending the holiday on a cruise shop, that’s not the best idea either.
Oh, now you think you’ve got it. It’s spending time thanking God for the freedom we have in this country. That’s the most important part of the day, right? We do take our freedom and God’s blessings for granted. I would never miss an opportunity to remind myself and others about all we have to be thankful for. I also think it’s important to teach our children about the 4th of July. They should know about our country’s history. There are great materials that make teaching them easy. But that isn’t the best idea I’m referencing.
The best 4th of July idea could be any or all of these ideas if you use them to make memories. My memories of 4th of July over the years give me such joy. That’s what I want to give to my children: wonderful memories of this day. You don’t have to make Pinterest-beautiful recipes or play games that require carpentry and art skills as prep. You don’t have to have Martha-Stewart-worthy decorations or plan a month-long study of the holiday. But you do have to do something–anything–special. Then enjoy it with your family. Have fun!
The last and most important piece of making 4th of July memories is to record them. Take pictures. Shoot videos. And for heaven’s sake, get in FRONT of the camera too. Your kids will treasure the photos and videos of you enjoying the day.
You know what would make the 4th of July even more memorable for me? Share a 4th of July picture of YOU with me at Homeschool Sanity on Facebook. Happy 4th to you, dear friend.
If you’re looking for ideas to make your 4th of July memorable, be sure to check out the hop posts below.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
