Mary Jo Tate It’s my grandmother’s fault. Every time I visited her during my childhood, she’d give me books. Not just two or three books, but a boxful of books. She was a fourth-grade schoolteacher, and when she ordered from the book club for her class, she stocked up for me as well. Actually, my love of … Read more
How much can you learn about a novel from the first chapter? That was my experiment in today’s literature class (for homeschoolers in grades 9-12). I read the first chapter of Jane Eyre aloud and asked my students to tell me everything they noticed that might provide a clue to the rest of the novel. Here … Read more
Call me Bibliophile. Some hours ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and no patience left with the incompetent and oblivious people I encountered in a long day of shopping, I thought I would travel about a little and revisit Mitford. It is a way I have of driving off … Read more
One of the things I love about homeschooling is the opportunity for students to read whole books rather than textbook snippets. Every Friday I teach 18 students in grades 9-12 as part of a weekly homeschool co-op, and it’s thrilling to see these young people reading and discussing classic literature. We spend most of our … Read more
On the first day of public school in our town, we celebrate Homeschool Freedom Day (a term I coined years ago). Whether or not our homeschool year has started, we DON’T have lessons that day. Instead, we celebrate, usually by going to the park for a picnic with homeschooling friends . . . just because … Read more
Homechooling Today has been part of my family’s homeschool journey almost since the beginning. I’m honored to write the “Literature through the Centuries” column for the magazine and still enjoy reading each issue after 15 years of homeschooling. To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Homeschooling Today is hosting 20 weeks of fabulous prizes AND special Grand … Read more
Looking for encouragement and practical tips for your homeschool journey? Join me for the conference you can attend at home! There are dozens of speakers on a huge variety of topics ranging from communication to computer science to couponing! I’ll be speaking twice–once on overcoming interruptions and distractions and once on building a home library … Read more
83 Ways to Celebrate Valentines – February 1-14, 2012. Celebrate with us by receiving a gift! Includes history of Valentines Day, Homeschool Activities, Crafts, Special Family Activities and much more I am partnering with “How To Homeschool My Child” to bring you a special gift on Monday, February 13, 2012. Go to http://www.HowToHomeschoolMychild.com now to … Read more
One of my favorite parts of Christmas is reading aloud in front of the fire and the Christmas tree lights each evening in December. This year we’re reading The Handel’s Messiah Family Advent Reader, which includes 28 nightly devotionals and an audio CD with related bits of The Messiah to accompany each reading. A “Read … Read more
Twelve Days of Christmas – December 26, 2011 through January 6, 2012. Celebrate with us by receiving a gift for the season! I am partnering with Homeschooling Today magazine to bring you a special discount on January 2. Go to www.HomeschoolingToday.com now to sign up on the home page for the Homeschooling Helper e-newsletter to … Read more