By Guest Author Marcia Washburn

[Editor’s note: In “Eight Habits for Highly Successful Homeschooling, Part 1,” Marcia discussed the first three habits. You may read Part 1 here.]

HABIT #4: Become a student of your child

Study your child. What is his temperament?¹ What is her learning style?² What is his love language?³ 

Is my child ready to learn this particular skill I’m trying to teach? One of our sons taught himself to read at age four; another was still not reading at age ten. We set aside the phonics materials, continuing with his other subjects; when we returned to reading instruction six months later, he could read! It was simply a readiness issue. 

Another son rapidly progressed to third grade math while in kindergarten but got stuck on division. He stayed at the same math level for two years until his readiness level finally caught up and he moved on again.

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By Guest Author Marcia Washburn

What is a successful homeschool? What does it look like? Is it defined by children who score highly on standardized tests? Is it one in which everyone can’t wait to start school each day? 

As we begin a new year, let’s enlarge our vision a bit. Let’s examine the habits that lead to highly successful homeschools.

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By Guest Author Vicki Bentley

Mathematics is simply the study of the patterns and order in the world that God has made. It ranges from elementary arithmetic — the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division — to more advanced math, the language of the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, music, and more.

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By Guest Author Barbara West

This fall when you see geese heading south for the winter, you will notice them flying along in a “V” formation. What might be of interest to you is what has been discovered about why they fly in this formation. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in this “V” formation, the entire flock can fly a minimum of 71% farther than if they flew on their own. 

What do geese flying in formation have in common with homeschooling? So much! Below are a few lessons we can take from the geese.

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