Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Award Program
As a member of the SecularHomeschooling.com, I am finding so many resources to add to my homeschooling collection. Recently, I came across a post in which a member shared the Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Award Program. It was a timely find too as I just shared my family’s love of reading! Here are a few details from the site: Acknowledging the value of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ appreciation of classic literature for young people, the Mensa Foundation is providing a year-round challenge to kids of all ages based on the NEH’s “Summertime Reading” list. Download the reading lists by grade level: Kindergarten through 3rd grade reading list 4th through 6th grade reading list 7th through 8th grade reading list 9th through 12th grade reading list This gave me a great idea. I am already doing a personal reading challenge this year (aiming to reading 52 b00ks [...] Continue reading
Lost in a book (and there’s no need to come find us)
I thank my mother for instilling in me, a love of books. She always made them available to me and despite her rigid rules of the house, she never made me put a book away of i were reading past curfew. I grew up in a three-bedroom apartment in the Bronx. Because my sisters and I shared a bedroom, the third room was made into a den. Shelves lined the walls filled with books covering a range of topics- from medicine to fiction to history. And when there was no more room left on the shelves, books spilled out into the hallway and onto make-shift bookshelves in my walk-in closet and on my desk. I lived in a world of words, often writing as much as I read. My husband had a different experience. He read a lot- usually stories from the Bible- but that fizzled as he got older. [...] Continue reading
Local-area resources offer lessons in true socialization
One of the most used arguments against Homeschooling is that children who do not attend traditional schools lack socialization. Unfortunately, this over-used con is predicated on a misunderstanding regarding the definition of “socialization”. Socialization, refers to the process of learning ones culture and how to behave appropriately within that culture. On a more basic level, socializing is functioning successfully in society. One could argue that the modern-day institutions of education are actually the antithesis of socialization and some children who attend these schools are in many ways more socially inept than those who do not. If as parents and educators we wish to prepare our children for the task of socializing in the real world, what better way for a child to learn to function in society than to be immersed in that culture everyday? Below are four resources in the New York City Metropolitan Area for homeschooling parents- and [...] Continue reading
Homeschooling Myths Debunked
Let’s clarify some of the most common misconceptions about homeschooling, because quite frankly, there are too many good reasons to homeschool and way too many myths associated with doing so. The Argument: Homeschooling hinders the social development of children because they cannot learn to interact with others. It also hinders their ability to deal with diversity. School should NOT be the primary method of developing social skills. School is not where children learn how to behave in society. That job has been traditionally the job of the parent and it is about time that it is returned to them. School is not about socializing. It is a structured environment meant for learning. Because so many parents think that students should socialize in school, emphasis has been taken off academics and placed on social skills. Social skills are taught at home, in the community, and through activities outside the classroom. The [...] Continue reading