This week’s Star Wars Shining Moment: the re-enactment of the trash compactor scene. Now… moving forward to the topic of this post… Our Star Wars Reward System. I love reward systems! Acknowledging hard work, effort, and goodness always helps to improve the morale of every day life. We kicked off the year with a ‘Star …
The start of school is a magical time! New school supplies, a new classroom, and the anticipation of what the year will bring. Would my kids miss out on the excitment of a new school year because we homeschool? I have learned there is no need to fret. The excitement of my children for the …
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 …
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 …
Learning to play the piano, or a musical instrument, is something I advocate! In my opinion, learning to play an instrument aids in brain development, the ability to read, mathematical skills, endurance, and perseverance. I enjoy teaching my own children to play piano. It is not always easy. At times it can be down right …
Piano Lessons: What we do to increase Interest and Engagement Read More »
