history

Dear Friends,

April is a season of renewal and growth as winter comes to an end. Spring also is a time when children often get antsy (and parents too!) to see the end of the school year, counting the weeks until they complete their course work.

As one school year wraps up, you inevitably find yourself beginning to think about courses for next year. In this process, you can find guidance by taking note of special interests your children are developing, and think about how to foster those interests through projects or courses in the coming year. This month we offer some suggestions on projects and courses of study that fit closely with your students' highest level of interest--where they have the greatest desire to learn and stretch their knowledge base.

Before we begin though, here's a bit of friendly advice from two former homeschooling moms. Although specialized courses of study may be tempting to consider, you may only have the time, energy, and resources to pull off one, two, or three courses--or in some cases...

Dear Friends,

Greetings from one of the history making capitals of the world!

October means that most of you are back in the saddle of homeschooling yet another year. Last year is history! Each year we receive phone calls from parents who are making decisions concerning what history to teach, what order to teach the courses, how to teach history in an interesting way, and more.

Necessity of History Studies

History influences our lives from beginning to end. No one can escape it. Just looking at the calendar each month reminds us of some historical fact. We probably all remember the axioms that "history repeats itself" and "we should learn from history." If these are true, then it's important to take the study of history seriously whether we love it or not. In both of our families, there are some who are history buffs and others who tolerate the subject. Nevertheless, all were taught to respect the events and attempt to learn from them.

We recommend that all teens take...