Category Archives: Learning

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making the most of public speaking

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

One thing all kids need is confident public speaking. The ability to persuade, inform and entertain is a priceless ability, and homeschooled kids have many terrific opportunities to hone their skills–and tools to help them do it better. TED talks are very popular, and with good reason. If you aren’t aware of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) then visit their archives for public speakers and topics that run the gamut. They are interesting to watch, especially … read on, my friend…

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Practical application of timelines

Posted on April 30, 2009 by

This is a guest post by JoAnne Bennett, a dear friend and mentor. She was kind enough to provide the following post and I’m so glad she did. We will use the time line for the facts which must be memorized for that unit.  As we do an overview to introduce the unit, I emphasize that these are the most important events.  We will add other significant events as they are discovered and discuss their … read on, my friend…

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Art preservation made easy–and fun

Posted on March 28, 2009 by

As parents, as I think even more as homeschooling families, we accumulate a plethora of art projects. And after a while you start to wonder what to do with it all. You don’t feel right tossing it but you certainly don’t want piles of artsy goodness all over the house. My friend Renae had a post the other day about saving art work and of course a quandary like that just gets my mind going. … read on, my friend…

Posted in Art, Celebrations, Creative Homeschool | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Dictionary games

Posted on March 26, 2009 by

Vocabulary words (and dictionary skills) can sometimes be the thing to fall through the cracks of a busy homeschool day. We all want our kid to have a wide and varied word list to draw from, if for no other reason than to banish “um” and “like” from the verbal atmosphere. Here are some games to make that task a little more fun. They don’t have to be competitive but I don’t know a kid … read on, my friend…

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Average kids are gonna rule the world

Posted on March 25, 2009 by

I’m convinced of it. The over-achievers are distracted with perfection and, well, over achieving. Their parents make sure they always get a trophy and always get an A and that they always feel good. The slackers aren’t a threat because they are mostly lazy–mentally, if not physically. Their parents might not make them do chores if they don’t feel like it. They may just lack ambition and their parents don’t require more. But they are … read on, my friend…

Posted in general goings-on, Journal, Learning | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Calling all creative families

Posted on March 21, 2009 by

If you are an artist, musician writer, entrepeneur or general creative type and you homeschool, I want to talk to you. If would like to participate in a new ebook, please contact me at anna at annahawthorne dot com. Don’t miss this opportunity!

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How much fun can you fit on one page?

Posted on March 9, 2009 by

Books are great tools for homeschoolers. It seems there is no end to the creative possibilities. But sometimes the choices can seem a bit overwhelming, or the process is complicated and you stress about creating content that will be worthy of the container. How about trying a book that is made from one page, a little book that can be cut and pasted and scribbled to your heart’s content. Fill it with poetry or facts … read on, my friend…

Posted in Book arts, Creative Homeschool, Learning, Paper Arts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Enjoying a good word study

Posted on March 8, 2009 by

Word studies are hard. And dry. And time-consuming. At least that’s how some people see it. Even the title makes me chortle. Who ever heard of such a thing as actually being fun? Well, everything we do for our kids’ education can be something we enjoy. If not all of it, then at least some part. You may not know what a word study is. Or you may avoid them. Or you may do them … read on, my friend…

Posted in General BPA, General Lessons | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

5 uses for school glue

Posted on March 3, 2009 by

I don’t know about you, but when it’s back to school time I can’t resist stocking up on white glue. It was only 5 cents a bottle, after all. But now I have about 20 bottles of it. So what do I do with all this white gluey goodness? (I mean besides letting the kiddos rub it on their skin and peel it off?)

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Hope for the next generation

Posted on February 27, 2009 by

My oldest daughter (10) entered this year’s essay contest from our state’s Christian homeschool organization. The topic was “The Role of Christians in Government.” When I saw the title I knew she just had to enter. It took a lot of prodding but I finally got a paper out of her. She typed it up, then saw that it had to be hand written, so she copied it and we put both copies in the … read on, my friend…

Posted in General BPA, Government, History | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments