When I follow-up my learning with an application of the learning, I am more likely to remember what I learned. I’ve found this works well for my children, too. After field trips, I like to pause and reinforce the learning. I especially like to do it creatively. When I found this book at the library, …
Recording from LDSHE 2018 “Deeper Focus Through Fewer Distractions” “The ability to pay attention, to control the content of your consciousness, is critical to a good life. When you’re constantly interrupted by external things…by self-generated interruptions, or by your own efforts to multitask and juggle several tasks at once, the chronic distractions erode your sense of having …
What does a good homeschool day look like? What does a bad homeschool day look like? What would it take to have more good days? In this class we will discuss how to bring out the best in ourselves and others. The conversation will begin with our use of time, setting intentional direction for our …
The French term mise en place (pronounced meez-ahn-plahs) encompasses the idea of having all of your ingredients, tools and supplies ready to go before you start cooking. Chefs employ this method to streamline their workstations. The organizational system of mise en place is so rigorous that chefs should be able to find the ingredients they …
You already know it’s important to exercise. You’re familiar with the list of benefits to your strength, metabolism, and sleep. Here’s one advantage you may not be as familiar with: exercise makes a big difference for learning.As one of the world’s foremost authorities on the brain-fitness connection, Harvard neuropsychiatrist John Ratey wrote Spark: The Revolutionary New …
The Optimistic Child by Martin E.P. Seligman A child throws down his pencil in exasperation, and shoves the book away, shouting, “I hate this math, I can never learn to do it! The problems are always too hard! My schoolwork is impossible!” As homeschooling parents, we have all seen frustration like this begin to cloud the …
Describing the contrasting responses to the same naturally occurring phenomena, volatility specialist Nassim Nicholas Taleb begins his book Antifragile (Random House 2014) with this analogy, “wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire.” He argues that rather than suffering from the effects of unpredictable shocks, chaos, and disorder, we must use them. Taleb continues the analogy by describing what it would be like …
Influential Organizational Development leader Peter Block writes about the questions we ask as we begin a journey or pursue a dream. Forcefully, he teaches, “How is the wrong question.” He continues, “The rush to a How [question and] answer runs the risk of skipping the profound question: Is this worth doing? And it skirts the …
Managing a Homeschool experience requires many of the same skills as managing a business. In her book, Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, Business management guru Liz Wiseman coined a term to describe effective managers. She calls them “multipliers.” Simply put, multipliers multiply the intelligence of others around them, enabling people to become …
Playtime Permutations: A Christmastime (or Anytime!) Tradition One of the reasons I love homeschooling my children is so that they can have the time and shared experiences that will allow them to develop good friendships with each other. But, since we are home together most days, I find that sometimes I feel like we are …
