Subject Helps | Heart of the Matter

Putting the Homeschool Cart Before the Horse

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7 I started attending our local homeschool conference when my oldest child was 22 months old, and I am so glad I did! At that point, my husband...

For the Love of Reading

Sometimes people ask how I instilled the love of reading in our pre-teen boys. I usually reply that I read to them when they were young. However, another mom remarked that she read to her kids too, but none of them like to read,...

Making Writing Interesting

In our schooling, I’ve always struggled with what to require for writing. I love to write, always have, and I believe a big part of that has come from my love for reading good literature. In one sense, I want to allow...

Encouraging the Reluctant Writer

Isn’t it amazing how different each of our children can be? As homeschoolers, we get to witness this first hand as we work with our students at home. Out of four children, I have one who can hardly wait to get started and could...

Would You Rather…

In our family, we often play a game called “Would you rather?” This is an actual board game now, but we have always done it just while waiting in doctor’s offices, long car trips, etc. This school year, I am using the idea...

$Does God Care About My Math Curriculum?$

Does God Care About My Math Curriculum?

I have never considered math to be my strong subject, even though I always got good grades in math in my school days. It just never came easy to me, and I certainly never enjoyed it! So, when it came to teaching my children, I...

How Far Did it Travel?

Geography with preschoolers can seem a little overwhelming, especially when trying to teach them the concept of distance. Here’s a fun way to help them understand how far things travel and you only have to travel as far as...

Use Big Words

My then 8-year-old bounds down the stairs to find my mom and me as we are discussing nothing in particular. “That pot on the stove, it’s chittering; I think it’s ready.” And off he runs, ready to conquer...

Tips on Editing your Child’s Writing

Does sitting down with your child to edit his writing strike terror in your heart? Do you have visions that resemble something close to a dog fight? Editing your child’s writing does not have to be an emotionally charged event....

The Missing Ingredient

My first two children spoiled me rotten. Their happy attitudes toward our home school adventure fed my home-school-mom pride. They gobbled up nearly everything I placed on their educational plates. I thought that whatever I...