Since 1st grade, Jozlin has displayed a strong resistance to writing. Assigning a paragraph or even one sentence would send her into a downward spiral of emotions. For over a year much of my mental energy was spent trying to develop a way to kindle a love of writing within her heart. Thankfully I’m not in […]
This year, Jozlin is learning cursive. To her it’s an exciting secret code. Jozlin says, “I love learning to write cursive because it is beautiful, it strengthens and exercises my hand, and it teaches me to read better.” Cursive is now the coveted subject in the Barnes Family Homeschool. Zaylee flew through level 1 handwriting,
In the past we paid our girls allowance. Some questions that I struggled with were: What constitutes a fair allowance? Sometimes the kids don’t help well with chores… what should I do? I teach my kids to pay tithing… beyond that how do I teach them to balance spending and saving money? Those questions were answered when we switched
Watching my children has provided incredible opportunities to learn. Each child has strengths and spiritual gifts. I am in awe at the wonderful things these children do without any prompting. Zaylee, who turns 7 next month, is a note writer. She writes notes expressing her love, get well notes, and notes of encouragement. Her notes
Earlier this week, a good friend asked me how we manage screen time. This is an important topic to address. Many people believe no screen time is the answer to everything. On the other hand, some believe unlimited screen time is okay. I believe setting boundaries to limit screen time in the answer. In this
There was a time in life when I observed homeschoolers with doubtful curiosity. I asked many questions and I found their way of life to be different. I wondered many things including how do they socialize? How do those moms survive without a break? Are they really learning what they need to? How will they
As a mother, my passion for learning helps bring a new excitement for learning into our home. While pursuing my interests in music composition and drawing, I am finding my children enjoy watching and learning alongside me. About a month ago, I was planning out the steps needed to launch my new songs. One step
In 3rd grade, Jozlin is working to master multiplication facts, long division, and stacked multiplication. Multiplication facts are FOUNDATIONAL and CRITICAL. It feels like we are standing at the bottom of a nasty cliff. She must memorize these facts in order to make the climb to smoothly sail forward in her mathematical career. *Note: I
