Author Archives: Mary Adalbert

Perhaps no subject gives homeschooling parents more angst than math. Even math lovers understand that there are many ways to present mathematical concepts and the key to unlocking math for students depends upon how they learn. And there are thousands of homeschool online math options to choose from.

How do you know what’s right for your child?

Many homeschooling parents are turning to the web to find their math solution. The benefits of online learning are well known and make online math curriculum worth considering. With instant feedback, visual presentation, and flexibility, online math courses can be a life saver for homeschooling parents. But, is online math learning an option for your child? If your child fits the following, online math could be the solution you need!

1. Visual Learners– Online learning greatly benefits visual learners, those who need to see and visualize concepts in order to grasp them. Because most online math curriculum learning options include videos, your visual learner will be presented with material in the way their brain best connects with. An added plus, you can always review and rewind any videos or lessons that your student didn’t quite grasp.
2. On-the-Go Learners– Is your student an elite athlete or performer who needs to be on the go? Online math courses are as flexible as you need them to be and go where you go. Many programs can even be done on a tablet. All you need is an internet connection. Online math can help you save time by accessing it quickly and help build time management skills since you can work on school in between practices, shows, competitions or travels. Students can take the time needed to do as much or as little during each online session adding to the convenience.
3. Remediation– Students who need remediation or who have gaps in their math understanding will greatly benefit from online math courses. Online courses provide immediate feedback so they can quickly and easily review what they missed, and they will often show the specific concepts and applications that a student struggles with, pointing you to more practice or lesson reviews.
4. Needs a Different Perspective– Let’s face it, sometimes we simply reach the end of what we feel comfortable teaching! Whether it’s our struggle to teach the mathematical concepts or our child just needs another teaching method, online math courses can relieve your stress of teaching as well as giving your student another avenue for learning.
5. Exceptional High School Achievers– If you’re out of your math league trying to teach advanced math concepts to your teenager, an online math course can not only give your student an outstanding course but it will also ensure high school credits if you use an accredited curriculum. Have an extremely exceptional learner? Consider taking an online AP or Dual Enrollment online math course to help your student gain high school and college credit simultaneously.

Math can be challenging, but finding the right curriculum doesn’t have to be. Consider going online to give your student the right solution to this math equation!

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Earth day is right around the corner, and with it a chance to celebrate and explore God’s creation in new and exciting ways. But, earth day activities can get boring and stale as the years go by. Go beyond reduce, reuse, and recycle with these fun, engaging Earth Day lesson plans for homeschoolers. Think science experiments, online interactives, and even a few Earth Day inspired treats. Take Earth Day to a new planet with these 10 great Earth Day lesson plans for homeschoolers.

10 Great Earth Day Lessons and Activities

• Start a week of Earth Day activities by whipping up a few delicious Earth Day snacks including Dirt Cups, Earth Cookies, or earth inspired popcorn!
• Make learning about the sun and solar energy even sweeter by building an Earth Day Pizza or Smores Oven.
• Who doesn’t want to play with mud and learn all about microorganisms? Get your hands dirty as you experiment with Mud Microbiology in this lesson from the National Science Teacher’s Association.
• What’s eating you? Wander through the science of the food chain with this fun online lesson and interactive game.
• Earth Day lessons will be infinitely more fun when you’re exploring endangered species and ecosystems! Teach your students about the sustainability in ecosystems with this exciting lesson from scholastic.com.
• Artistic and visual learners will love examining these Earth Day posters and then creating their own! Have your artist research a scientific or environmental cause that interests them and then design an informative poster using whatever materials inspire him!
• Enjoy Earth Day lessons as a bunch of book worms with this environment inspired reading list. And because it’s grouped by grade, you’ll find something for every level of reader in your home planet.
• Make your Earth Day lessons come alive through videos. Nature Works Everywhere has compiled over 40 video based lesson plans and activities to celebrate everything under the sun. Learn about everything from vultures to forest fires to beach erosion.
• Have crafty kiddos? Get your hands on these enriching 20 Earth Day crafts and activities from notimeforflashcards.com
• Not inspired? You’re sure to find an Earth Day lesson plan or activity you love among this list of 50 Earth Day activities.

Make this Earth Day a celebration of science, exploration, and creativity. And make sure to add an element of hands-on learning so that your Earth Day will spark a curiosity and love of learning within creation! How do you plan to spend your Earth Day? Tell us in a comment below!

Easter is right around the corner and your kids are most likely dreaming of egg hunts, Resurrection egg devotions, and all things candy! While holiday seasons are fun and memorable, the buzz in the house can make it hard to homeschool and get your to-do list accomplished each day. Combine this with spring fever and you’ve got a recipe for drawn out lessons and spaced out kiddos. The answer: embrace the season with seasonal lessons and fun Easter craft ideas for your little chickadees!  After all, homeschooling is about more family time and flexibility so take some time to celebrate with these homeschool friendly Easter crafts for kids!

8 Great Homeschooling Easter Crafts for Kids

• Hop to it– Grab a few books from the library about bunnies, or read about them here. It’s a great opportunity for your kids to learn fun facts about the animal and their habitat. Then make this cute bunny mask.
• Carrot Kids– Have little ones, or even a few big ones, that love to garden? Why not start planting your seedlings, including a few carrot plants, then make these adorable carrot footprints. The best part: they make a great Easter keepsake or card for a family member!
• Eggciting Experiments– Tired of the same old dying egg routine? Engage students with these fun egg themed science experiments. Kids will be amazed at the Science they can learn from eggs, and later you can still dye eggs when you’re done!
• Jelly Belly Bracelets– It may be hard to get older students to play along this Easter season, but not if you tempt them with these fun jelly bean bracelets! Find out how jelly beans are made, incorporating them into your science or math lesson. Then sharpen those fine motor skills with these jelly bean bracelets from Artsy Creations!
• Resurrection Garden– Hide the truth of Easter in their hearts by going through this Easter devotional with your children then creating a Resurrection Garden.
• Jeepers Peepers– Easter wouldn’t be the same without Peeps! Try this fun science experiment using the marshmallow birds. Then after they learned and recorded their scientific results, make this adorable wreath.
• Robins Eggs– Take egg decorating to a new level with these 3 elevated egg decorating ideas. Older kids will enjoy the challenge, and you’ll love the way these look on your Easter table!
• Stained Art– Take your students on an art history journey by studying famous stained glass from around the world then make these stained glass eggs to practice what your little artists have learned! They can be as simple or as intricate as your students’ ability level.

Enjoy the spring holiday season with these homeschool and learning friendly Easter crafts for kids! You’ll create new and exciting Easter memories and learn something along the way. How are you planning to celebrate Easter this year?

Training, practice and determination create champions. And if you’re a student-athlete, you’re very familiar with this formula. You’ve dreamed of stepping onto the podium just like your role models. No doubt you are also accustomed to busy training schedules and long days of practice and school which are followed by long nights of studying, all the while juggling your athletic dreams, family requirements and school responsibilities. Talk about a tough balancing act! And getting into a great college where you can shine on the court and in the classroom is all part of the game plan. Will it be a challenge? Absolutely. But it’s possible to reach your athletic goals and the college of your dreams. We’ll draw you a road map to academic success with:

5 Keys to Success for a Student-Athlete

Tip 1: Watch the Clock
As an athlete, you know how important time is. And managing the clock can mean the difference between winning and losing. Organizing your time is a critical skill for academic success as well. Because there often aren’t enough hours in the day, scheduling your day is a key piece of being successful. One great way to stay on top of time is to create a schedule for sports and school and stick to it. List your goals and then plot them in your schedule monthly. For school, start with a list of important assignments or projects and then list the steps it will take to complete them before the due date. Knowing what your goals are and charting your course puts you on the path to achieving them!

Tip 2: Focus on Success, and Failure
Learning why you didn’t win is often the key to winning in the future! While it’s important to not dwell on your failures or mistakes, it’s also important to evaluate what went wrong to see if you can prevent it from happening again. This rule also applies to academics! Do you know what your academic strengths and weaknesses are? Knowing your struggles is the first step to overcoming them. Whether you’re unorganized, lose track of time, or struggle with test-taking, overcoming your academic challenges takes awareness and focus. Make a list of the areas you want to strengthen and find a few resources to help you win over them.

Tip 3: Get the Right Fit
Knowing what you want to accomplish is the first part of success, and finding the right path is the second. Just as you can’t take the field without proper equipment, you won’t do well in school without the right tools. Do you know how you learn best? Do you want to be NCAA-eligible? What are NCAA regulations? What style of school is the right mix for you and your family: online or textbooks? And if you dream of a career after your sporting days are over, you’ll want to be sure to take the right classes to get you there. Not sure of where to go with this? Let us help! Find out more about flexible, customized homeschool programs that help you reach NCAA requirements here.

Tip 4: Test Your Limits
As an athlete you’ve been taught to push yourself, to go to the end of what you think you can accomplish and then give a little more. Testing the limits is part of finding out what you’re made of and how far you can go. That same drive that you apply to your sport can take you far in school and a future career. But only if you’re on the right path and know what’s possible. Find out all of your academic and school options before boxing yourself into a traditional school that can’t give you the flexibility and portability you need!

Tip 5: Get Good Coaching
A good coach is always there, by your side, through the successes and failures. Coaches nurture champions. This is true for academics as well. You need a school or program that fully supports you and provides the help you need to accomplish your goals. Do your teachers or homeschool program box you into time requirements that hold you back? Are you left with questions that impact your future? If so, it’s time to find a better coach. The academic program you need will include expert advice in important areas like NCAA, college applications, AP or Dual Enrollment, and more.

Ready to learn more about securing your future as an athlete? Download our free eBook 5 Keys to Success for Student Athletes today! The eBook includes resources and printable handouts that you can use to ensure your success!

We all love our children and want what is best for them. That’s why it can be so hard to hear that our child has a learning disability. Chances are you’ve suspected it for a while as you watched your student struggle in school with tasks that just seemed easier for other children. That’s exactly what happened to Evan Porter, a Bridgeway HOPE student who loves science, skiing, and playing the saxophone. When he was in 3rd grade his parents, both of whom teach and work in public schools, began to see gaps in Evan’s education that were very concerning. Thankfully Evan’s parents, Amy and Michael Porter, chose to consider alternative education. After taking the leap, Amy and Michael found out what many others in their shoes have, that children with learning disabilities can achieve more success through homeschooling.

When Evan began to struggle in school, Amy knew that something had to change. She first tried homeschooling through the state, but ran into the same problems that Evan had in the public school. Evan wasn’t getting what he needed to thrive, and the state homeschool program had too little flexibility, and Amy had no control over what her children were learning. Amy and Michael realized that this wasn’t homeschooling and decided to do it alone by picking and choosing curriculum and designing a homeschool program for Evan and his sister Ellie. It was about this time in 7th grade when Evan was officially diagnosed with dyslexia, a reading and processing disability that impacts every aspect of Evan’s schooling. This realization came as a surprise that was packed with some guilt for not noticing and recognizing the signs earlier. They soon realized, however, that God was leading them on this journey and would help them find a solution for Evan.

When managing homeschooling on their own became too difficult and tracking grades too cumbersome, Amy decided to find a homeschool partner that would allow her to stay in control but provide the support Evan and she so desperately needed. She began researching online and soon landed on Bridgeway’s HOPE program, which has proven to be a great fit. It’s a program that offers the support and accreditation they were looking for and it’s in a format tailored to Evan’s needs. The best part is that Evan is finally getting the learning support he needs to address his dyslexia and learn at his own pace! “God completely answered our prayers,” says Amy. Now, even though Evan can still become frustrated with his schoolwork, “he knows that God has a purpose and a plan for his struggles and how he can encourage others.” We know that children with learning disabilities can achieve more success through homeschooling because homeschooling provides the flexibility, support, and individualization that helps students with learning struggles thrive.

When asked how he was doing in the HOPE program, Evan said “I am writing a lot better and am learning definitions of words, building a better vocabulary.” Bridgeway’s HOPE program has helped Evan to dream again, and has made him “a better student which will help me learn what I need to for my future.” What’s in that future for Evan now that the doors to learning and confidence are wide open? Evan dreams of being a paramedic or firefighter, and to have a family one day. His best advice to students who struggle through learning disabilities like him is, “Don’t give up. Keep working hard, moving forward, and trying your best.”

Evan, we are proud of your growth, determination, and for being an example to others! We pray that you will continue to chase your dreams for your future, and know that you will encourage many others with your story along the way.

If you have a child struggling with a learning disability, don’t stay stuck. Keep moving forward and find a homeschooling program that works for your family. Children with learning disabilities can achieve more success through homeschooling. We can provide the support that makes it possible. Please contact Bridgeway Academy at 800-863-1474 so that we can answer your questions and help rekindle your child’s dreams.

As homeschool parents we’re always looking for ways to keep little hands (and even big ones!) engaged and to keep our lessons fresh and exciting. And, with Valentine’s Day looming, your kiddos may already be asking what special valentine crafts, lesson, or goodie you’ve got prepared for them.  Haven’t been struck by the creativity arrow for creative Valentine crafts for kids? That’s ok! We’ve got you covered.

Check out our most unique Valentine craft ideas for kids below:

• Colorful Cupids- If your kids are like mine, they love art and creating with their own hands and a heart and doily Valentine just isn’t going to cut it. Why not make this Valentine’s Day a bit more creative and exciting by learning about color blending and then making your Valentine’s cards. Color blending just means mixing 2 colors to create a new color all your own. Older students will enjoy this color blending lesson where they are challenged to create 100 different colors and then paint 100 different hearts. Little ones would enjoy making these melted crayon hearts and watching their blended colors emerge as they draw.
• XOXO- Everyone will love throwing an “X’s and O’s” party for Valentine’s Day. Start by making Valentine cards in the shape of X and O’s. Then play a game where everyone lists as many words starting with X and O as possible. Create a treasure hunt and make them hunt for their Valentine’s gifts or treats where X marks the spot. Finally, make your favorite cookies or rice crispy treats in the shapes of, you guessed it, x’s and o’s. You’ll be sure to get lots of hugs and kisses after these fun Valentine crafts and activities!
• Hearts Desire- Have big kids or science lovers that aren’t into Valentine’s Day? Get them into celebrating by making the day all about the heart. Study the heart and its functions in different kinds of animals as compared to humans (start with this video tutorial!). Diagram the heart and then go online to play around with this interactive heart by NOVA. Want a hands-on component, watch this video on heart surgery stitches and practice using a needle, thread, and card stock. If you can stomach it, dissect a heart together to better understand how it works! Do a word study on how the “heart” is both a physical organ but also seen as the source of our emotions. Then, finish the day by playing a round of, you guessed it, hearts!
• Roses are Red- Let’s face it, poetry often isn’t’ the most popular part of our language arts studies. Why not take a fresh look at poetry with Valentine’s crafts and activities that center on rhyme and rhythm? Teach your students a little about poetry first (think rhyme, meter, rhythm, etc.) to give them a good foundation. Need some ideas for how to teach poetry?  Check out this blog showing the best poetry resources for homeschoolers by age level. Then, sweeten the lesson by using conversation heart candy to create your own Valentine poems, haiku, or limericks.

Looking for more traditional Valentine crafts for kids? Here are a few simple, traditional activities for all ages.

• Little ones will enjoy making this handprint heart to give or keep.
• Want to spread the love in a creative way? You’ll find the perfect homemade Valentine’s Day card for your little ones among these 20!
• Have fun in the kitchen creating these Valentine’s Day treats with your little love bugs!
• Create unique and beautiful roses using a celery stalk. This Valentine activity is one of my family’s favorite and a must try!

What Valentine crafts and activities are you planning to make your holiday sweet? Share in a comment below! 

Has your child recently been diagnosed with a learning disability? Are you worried that school is going to pose insurmountable challenges? Of course parents want what is best for their children. And academic success, while important, isn’t the only important aspect of your child’s life. What’s most important, at the end of the day, is that your child is a happy and thriving person. With encouragement and the right support, your child can enjoy learning even while managing the challenges that arise from having a disability.  

Children who demonstrate a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and intellectual abilities in one or more of the areas of oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skills, reading comprehension, mathematical calculation, mathematical reasoning, or spelling, are said to have a learning disability. Many children with learning disabilities require varied teaching strategies and thrive with the right instruction. The essential question to ponder is: What can I do to help this child learn in the most effective manner that is unique to him or her?

1. Keep a positive outlook. A learning disability isn’t the end of the world. We all face obstacles in life, and your role as a parent is to teach your child how to deal with those obstacles without becoming discouraged or overwhelmed. When tests, school bureaucracy and paperwork distract from your child’s well-being, it’s time to get the big picture in perspective and remember that your child needs you to stand tall as a pillar of emotional and moral support.  
2. Step up as an advocate for your child. Receiving special help for your child can be a challenge, but as a homeschooling family you’ll have the flexibility and the freedom to ensure that he or she receives what is necessary. Try to effectively utilize your role as a proactive parent and work on finding ways to boost your child’s potential for success. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and doubtful, it is still possible to remain calm and reasonable. You make a big difference in your child’s life, so remember to approach all challenges with optimism and faith.
3. Identify your child’s learning style. Every child, regardless of having a disability or not, has a unique learning style. Children who are visual learners learn best by seeing or reading. Other children learn best by listening. And other children, who are kinesthetic learners, do best by doing. You can help a child with a learning disability by identifying his or her primary learning style, then taking steps to make sure that style of learning is reinforced in your homeschool classroom.
4.  Exercise, eat right, and sleep. It might sound like common sense, but exercising, eating right, and getting sufficient sleep are critical for a learning disabled child. It is of the utmost importance to keep this balance. If children with learning disabilities are eating right and getting enough sleep and exercise, they will be able to better focus, concentrate and work hard.  
   * Regular physical activity makes a huge difference in mood, energy, and mental clarity. Encourage your learning disabled child to get outside, move and play.  
   * Eating right will aid your child’s growth and development. A healthy, nutrient-dense diet full of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein will help boost mental focus. Be sure your child starts the day with a good breakfast, too.  
   * Children require more sleep than adults. On average, preschoolers need from 11-13 hours per night, middle school children need about 10-11 hours, and teens and preteens need from 8½-10 hours. You can help make sure your child is getting the sleep he or she needs by enforcing a set bedtime. The type of light emitted by electronic screens (computers, televisions, iPods and iPads, portable video players, etc.) is activating to the brain. Powering off all electronics at least an hour or two before lights out will help them wind down.
5. Become your own expert.Get used to conducting your own research and keep yourself privy to new developments in learning disability programs, therapies, and educational techniques. While it’s okay to lean on others — teachers, therapists, doctors — for solutions, remember that you’re the foremost expert on your child. Your own expertise will be what counts the most when it comes to finding the tools he or she needs in order to learn.
   The following resource list is here to help you get started with your quest. Many times, finding the best method to reach and connect with your learning disabled child will require trial and error. 
   The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). This national organization for homeschooling is always an excellent resource to answer your questions.
   Special Needs Homeschooling. This great resource contains informative articles posted by parents and teachers about various special needs issues.
   National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network (NATHHAN).  This site is designed to help Christian Families Homeschool Special Needs Children.
   While researching the best options for your child, take the time to build relationships with other parents. Having a support system can encourage you through the difficult moments. Try visiting the Learning Disabilities Association of America to find a community for your family where you can share advice and receive help when needed.

   Want to learn how homeschooling can help your student with a learning disability? Call 800-863-1474 to speak with a homeschooling specialist.

Homeschooling can challenge the organizational skills of even the most organized parents.  How can you keep different ages and abilities organized with academic work, field trips, extracurricular activities, and other appointments?  If you’re looking for a few quick and simple methods for organizing your homeschooler’s work, then have a look at some of our favorites.

1. Let’s talk storage.

There are way too many options for storage than could fit in one post; but to keep it simple, a few of the popular favorites include the Ikea KALLAX shelving unit and some of these ClosetMaid cubes.  We all know that before you can even think about organizing papers and books, you need to have your shelves and cubbies picked out.  The best part is that you can have fun picking out different colored baskets or inserts that all of your kids love. And the colored cubes are perfect to store not only books, but also manipulatives, alphabet tiles, color cubes, lacing buttons, blocks and more- keeping the school workspace clutter free. And if you would like to see some inspirational school work spaces that have shelving units set up in different ways, this article shares some fantastic ideas!   

2. Don’t forget about binders.

Just as there are a wide variety of storage units for all of your homeschooling needs, there are also an endless variety of binders and folders, all of which have the potential for being used in their own neat little system.  This homeschool organization site has some great images of different ways that you can color code your binders, as well as a few helpful hints for how to actually go about the process for placing sheets in the correct folder by week or month.  

You don’t have to be an artist to come up with some creative ways to organize school work with binders.  Some homeschool moms and dads like to keep all of their finished worksheets in annual binders which makes creating the end-of-year portfolios much easier. Others use folders to organize each child’s work by week or by subject and these Blue Organizer Bins from Lakeshore Learning are an amazing visual to see if that’s the best way for your family to organize.   

3. Take a load off.

Now that you have decided on your shelves and binders, it’s time to create some multi-functional items to use in your homeschooling space. Try sitting down on a Storage crate seat to think of all the work your homeschooler is going to complete in the next week and how exciting it will be to not have loose leaf papers scattered all around the house.  These crates can be used to hold books or binders for the week, and they are comfortable and cute to leave in your homeschool space. 

4. Seat sacks are where it’s at.

Ever wonder how the table can get so cluttered in a matter of minutes?  It seems like every project needs additional papers, colored pencils, scissors, pens, glitter, erasers, etc. And by the time the project is completed, the workplace has spun out of control!  Try creating some seat sacks for each of your kids. Possibly one of the cutest ideas for homeschoolers, this bag gives your child the chance to store all of his or her work in a tidy little bag that fits neatly on the back of your kitchen chair.  If you’ve got sewing skills, this could be an easy weekend project. And it can be a great opportunity for kids to help by choosing some fabrics and colors they want. 

5. When in doubt- color code.

Color-coding simplifies life, especially in multi-child families. All you need to do is assign each child a color (or have them pick their own color), then organize storage cubes, binders, organizers, file folders and crates based on their colors. Lots of homeschool families use this kind of system and it really works wonders on keeping school work organized and neat.  And it gives each child a sense of responsibility for the schoolwork assigned to them each week. Want to take color-coding to the next level?  Use colored pens for adding entries or planning events in your weekly calendar. This will help you visualize the overlap of which child needs to be where and at what time. 

Most of all, when trying to create a better organization system remember that every family is a little different and organizing tips that help one family, might not work for your kids.  Be willing to try some of these teacher organization tips with the understanding that you may need to tweak them for your family.

Want more homeschooling tips?  Follow our blog and facebook page to get additional tips and resources for your family!

It’s 2016 and unless you live under a rock, you’re aware of the impact that computers, smart phones, tablets, and other Internet accessible devices have on modern day life. The homeschool community is just as vulnerable to anyone else when it comes to the repercussions of the Internet Age.  And believe it or not, there are already generations of children who cannot envision what life was like before the Internet.  Children now grow up watching their family members navigate the world from devices in the comfort of their homes.  Yet because of this false sense of security that is generated, they are unfortunately oblivious to many of the dangers that exist online.  This danger comes in the form of spammers, hackers, scammers and predators who actively work to harm unaware people. And we want to help all families understand online safety for kids. 

Every parent, whether homeschooling or not, needs to decide the appropriate age for allowing their children to access the Internet.  This is a complex decision because it involves several considerations, including your child’s age and your child’s maturity.  You also need to assess what the intentions are for accessing the Internet in the first place. Is it for a school project?  Is it simply out of curiosity?  Obviously the best way to protect your children from Internet dangers is by keeping them away from it altogether.  But oftentimes that is not an option, so the following tips and resources will work to keep them safe.

1. Keep the lines of communication open. 

Talk and explain the dangers of the internet to your children.  Homeschooled children need to know about cyber-bullying, computer viruses, and stranger danger. You can teach Internet safety to both young children and teenagers.  They will consequently learn the importance of Internet safety, and you can supplement their knowledge with age-appropriate tips that will help them navigate their computer time appropriately.  

Some of the tips you might want to include are: never give out personal information like addresses or telephone numbers, never agree to meet someone in person who was met online, never give out passwords to anyone, never download or install software without parental approval, and never open email from a stranger, especially if it has an attachment.  Each family will have its own way of implementing some or all of these tips, but the important point is that your children learn to think critically about how the Internet is both a powerful and a precarious world to navigate.

2. Consider attending Safer Internet Day 2016.

This online event takes place on February 9th, 2016, and was coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre.  The special event sees that hundreds of organizations get involved to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children all over the world.  

Have a look at K-12 Digital Citizenship Education.  
This site is loaded with curriculum materials that are designed to empower children of various ages to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world. 

3. Check out Digital Compass.  

Digital Compass is a great site for children to learn the fundamentals of digital citizenship.  It hosts a range of choose-your-own-adventure interactive experiences geared toward grades 6-9. Your children can explore digital dilemmas, make good or bad decisions and try out possible solutions through stories and mini-games – all without risking real-world consequences.

5. Have a look at some safe YouTube channels.

There are so many options available on YouTube that it can be tough to know what’s good. Here are a couple that we have enjoyed. Vsauce is a fun way to explore science, just note that the beginning of the Earth is not based on a Christian basis. Smarter Every Day looks at science and actually does all of the experiments in front of the camera. Sixty Symbols shares information on Physics, the planets, and Engineering, giving live footage to their knowledge and actions.  And if you would like an even more comprehensive list of safe YouTube channels, try The Wired Homeschooler’s article entitled “13 YouTube Channels Every Homeschooler Should Watch.”

We want online safety for kids to be a top priority for every family, so that each child can enjoy the many benefits of technology in a safe manner. Want more tips?  Follow our Blog and Facebook page to get the most recent homeschooling help information!

It’s that time of year where families start thinking about some New Year’s Resolutions. And for homeschooling families, making New Year’s Resolutions together can be a great way to share ideas about goals for the upcoming year, and to reflect on some of the experiences from the previous year.  Even if you don’t think that you’ll stick to each resolution, it is still a fun way to set goals, get the whole family involved, and to come up with new ways for improving your homeschooling curriculum as a whole.  Here are some of our favorite New Year’s resolutions and we hope they inspire your family.  

1. Consider joining a homeschool co-op or a homeschool group. Homeschool education groups provide support, socialization, educational opportunities and networking for homeschool families.  Starting off the New Year with a group is a great way to get involved with other families who share some of the same visions that you do.  See what passions and needs each of your kids have and try finding something that everyone will enjoy.   Finding a co-op or group that’s a good fit can be a priceless asset to your homeschooling experience.  
2. Set reading goals.  Growing up, I couldn’t stop reading!  In fact there were many days that my parents had to take away my books until I finished the rest of my subjects. I just couldn’t get enough!  But some kids don’t feel the same way. Try to make it fun by implementing reading activities into your homeschool curriculum through read-alouds and quiet independent reading. By doing this you are setting your children up for more chances to succeed academically and helping them expand vocabulary and critical thinking skills.  There are also several great reading programs you can participate in, such as the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program, and Heifer International’s Read to Feed program.  You can also consider organizing a Reach for the Stars reading incentive challenge, where kids earn free books to donate to their public library or another community organization.
3. Decide to try a ‘relaxed schedule.’ Homeschoolers have some advantages when it comes to scheduling.  They can juggle academics and field trips around other obligations as they pop up.  This can be a help, but it can also be a hindrance.  Sometimes, families try to do too much and end up over-scheduling or missing key components to that day’s curriculum.  For the New Year, why not sit down and talk about what areas in your schedule you feel you have mastered, and which areas need some help.  Try to arrange your schedule beginning in January so that it works for every family member’s needs, but don’t be afraid to re-evaluate and rearrange if needed. 
4. Take a course on survival skills.  Life skills are a crucial aspect to any homeschooling curriculum.  In our hectic and frazzled world, it’s easy to understand why more and more children are growing up without learning how to take care of themselves. Well, they can’t take care of themselves without the convenience of first world privileges.  Encouraging your children to think for themselves and to become independent is one way of ensuring that they can take care of themselves alone.  There are many homeschool families who learn how to make their own soap, build a fire, practice archery, create a shelter, and understand emergency preparedness skills.  Find a skill that your whole family finds interesting and take time to learn that skill throughout the next year!
5. Volunteer and look for service projects. Volunteer work builds character and encourages children to think of people other than themselves.  Every community has some way for your children to get involved in volunteer work.  You can make volunteering and service work a standard in your homeschool curriculum and think about signing up for seasonal projects.  Your children will walk away having helped someone less fortunate and will probably have some cherished memories, as well.
6. Re-evaluate your curriculum. The New Year is an excellent time for reflecting on the past few months and assessing what has worked well in your curriculum, and what has flopped.  Try not to feel locked in whatever you selected at the beginning of the year, because sometimes even the best ideas don’t always pan out as expected.  Try to walk into the New Year with a sense of openness to trying new material, and devote more time in subject areas that aren’t your strengths.  Maybe setting a goal for the New Year will include scheduling 10 minutes a day for timed math drills and 20 minutes a day for independent reading time.
7. Rearrange and redecorate your area. After a few months of school, many homeschool families feel like their kitchens are filled with ungraded papers, or there’s a pile of artwork that still needs to get hung up. And the school room seems dreary after taking down the Christmas decorations.  The New Year the perfect opportunity to declutter and refresh your homeschool space.  Ed Snap Shots is hosting a Refresh Your Homeschool Space Challenge where families will receive a daily email through January that includes a 5-6 minute daily task, inspiration, resources and helpful tips and links. What a fun way to keep things interesting!
8. Start a Bible study. Lots of homeschool families already have a study incorporated into their curriculum, but if you don’t, try adding something!  You can get together with some families at your church, other homeschooling families you know, or just having a study in the mornings around the breakfast table. The New Year is a great time to refocus on having a routine time to build your family’s faith. Want another idea?  Try New Beginnings: A Biblical Study Towards Change from Kim at Not Consumed. It’s only $4.99 and offers a 5 day look at what Scripture has to say about change, giving a personal assessment section and can be adapted for multiple age levels.

Happy New Year!  Everyone here at Bridgeway wishes your family the very best as you and your family make some New Year’s Resolutions together.
Do you have any Resolutions that your family has made?  Please share them with us! We would love to hear from you.

Are you a homeschool family looking for a few Christmas ideas to add to your curriculum?  There are many options for families who want to incorporate the holiday spirit into their winter curriculum.  The only tricky part is deciding how to squeeze in all of your subjects while still managing to complete all of your other holiday tasks.  If you’re looking for a few ideas to get you started, check out the following Christmas lesson plans and homeschool activities that are sure to keep you covered through January.

Greeting Cards.  

Think about having your children write their own notes or letters this year to include in your Christmas cards.  You can teach fine arts skills by having them design your family’s card, then teach handwriting, English and spelling skills by addressing the envelopes by hand.  You can even add in some computer skills by creating a database of family and friends’ addresses on your PC or Mac.  Finish it off by utilizing math skills when you compute postage.  You can also use e-cards from a number of free online sites.

Read Holiday Classics

Why not download a copy of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens and then choose selected passages to illustrate?  You can also encourage your children to think about the true meaning of gift giving with a reading of  The Gift of the Magi. How about reading Luke 2, from the Bible to learn about the first Christmas?  Children have the opportunity to learn some old English grammar with this reading. You can use these classics to talk about how language evolves and look at how some words cease being used and how new ones are created.  For more, try Holiday Stories and How to Choose Them by Marty Layne, or share The Children’s Book of Christmas Stories.

Teach how to handle money.

If your children are younger, you can teach them about addition and counting. You can use this in real life by going shopping and having them add their purchases together and multiply the tax. Your Christmas lesson plan can focus on budget skills too!  Shopping with a Christmas list is a great opportunity for kids to learn more about how to budget and how to stick to their budget.  If your children are older, you can work on more advanced skills like Algebra and Geometry. For example, when it comes to wrapping your gifts, you can have a discussion about the surface area of solids for a geometry lesson.  And you can work on estimation skills by measuring dimensions with a tape measure after trying to estimate the exact amount of paper you need.

Get artistic.

You can teach your children about complimentary colors by looking at wrapping paper  and ribbon.  If you have access to a color printer, you can even print out Christmas wrap personally designed by your children. Here’s a link for festive holiday clip art to use for your projects.  And what would Christmas be without a gingerbread house?  You can bring in some history by using your building time to create a house from another era, or even a house from some time in the future.  Some of the math questions you can use include:  How is the structure held in place by the geometry of the pieces?  How can you make parts of the house symmetrical?

Teach some science.

You can utilize science skills by teaching about The Star of Bethlehem.  There are many many theories as to what the wise men really saw and why it propelled them to seek a newborn king. Did they witness a comet or a supernova? If your area has clear skies mid-December, get outside and look for the Geminids Meteor Shower display.  You can teach science with a lesson on holiday plants, too.  Find out how Christmas trees are cultivated, and whether or not they can be planted after the holiday.  There are lots of great sites to learn about poinsettias and mistletoe and holly.  Check out this one if you’d like to learn how to sing The Holly and the Ivy.

Teach through festivals.

Keep your eyes open for local cultural festivals in your community.  Think about joining in with other cultural groups.   The Jews celebrate the Festival of Hanukkah, and the Germans celebrate St Nicholas’ Day.  Italians wait for Old Befana, and Mexicans celebrate with pinatas.  African-Americans celebrate several days of Kwanzaa, Celts the Winter Solstice, and the Scots Hogmanay.

 Teach the value of volunteering.

Reach out to your local community by spreading some cheer to those without family, or those who are less fortunate.  You can collect food for the hungry and participate in caroling at a senior citizen center or a health care facility.  If you are looking to get more involved, there are usually volunteer services and coordinators at nearby churches or city hall.

Incorporate visual and performing arts.

Your homeschoolers can join a chorus or just form an impromptu group and go caroling around the neighborhood. Some families participate in a Christmas play or join in a community sing-along of The Messiah. If you play an instrument, you can incorporate it into the production so others can sing along. Research the words to favorite holiday songs online, and publish a family sing-along book, so everyone will have the words.  Another fun idea is to learn how to play popular carols on a pennywhistle.

Be creative.

You can always utilize arts and crafts skills by making decorations for the tree.  Browse fine art books at the library to see how the Christmas story is told through painting and sculpture. Make candles or scented soap. Homemade gifts and craft supplies make great stocking stuffers or presents for young children.  Sew, knit or quilt gifts and decorations.

Check out some dance or theater.

How about getting tickets to see The Nutcracker?  There are many great theater productions this time of year and many of them are great for all ages of kids!  Remember that some places even offer group deals or discount tickets for students too!  If you are really ambitious, you could also try your own performance of A Christmas Carol.

Check out some of these great lesson plan links:

A Mini-Study of Christmas from Home School in the Woods has some great ideas for homeschooling families.  There are many aspects of this holiday that are interesting to learn about. For Christians, it is important to know and understand just how events and traditions come about by using the Bible.

Christmas Around the World.  This virtual theme unit takes you around the world to learn more about different Christmas holiday traditions and stories.

Clay Christmas Ornaments. This site has a great lesson on making your own clay Christmas ornaments and is geared toward the primary grades.
I hope this gives you lots of inspiration for Christmas lesson plans and how to create educational activities in your holiday preparations. If you want more tips, follow our blog and facebook page!  And most of all, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

With so many changes in technology you are no longer limited to needing to travel for field trips! If the weather is too bad to travel or if it’s to expensive to take your entire family on a vacation, don’t fret. Check out these amazing ideas that your whole family can participate in and create those fun memories together in homeschool virtual field trips from the comfort of your own living room.  

With a computer and a little creativity, you can transport yourself to almost any place imaginable.  So if you’re ready to learn and have fun, then consider planning a virtual field tip for your next homeschooling adventure.  Here’s a sampling of some of our favorite virtual field trip ideas:

 Google Art Projects

This site has a collection of over 1,000 works from more than 15 highly esteemed art museums from around the world.  Your homeschooler can virtually walk through the museums and gaze at paintings from world renowned artists.

 Google Sky

Travel the stars and galaxy with Google Sky. You can explore constellations, watch the birth of distant galaxies, and even change the view of Google sky to see what the sky would look like if we had the ability to view the universe in x-rays or infrared. So don’t just look at the sky from your backyard! Take some time to study the stars and then see it for yourself.

 Panoramas

Ever wonder what it would be like to see the 7 wonders of the world? Now you can virtually visit them right inside your homeschool classroom.  This site offers spectacular imagery in panoramic views and includes The Great Wall in China, The Colosseum in Rome, The Taj Mahal in India, and Machu Picchu in Peru. 

 The Oxford University Museum of Natural History

This virtual tour will put your homeschooler inside The Oxford University Museum of Natural History. This museum is home to an extensive collection of geology, mineralogy, zoology, and entomology from around the world.  It also includes local dinosaur finds, a 40 ft Tyrannosaurus rex, an observation beehive and so much more!  

 Smithsonian

With the Night at the Museum movies becoming famous, so has the curiosity of the Smithsonian. How would your family like to walk the halls and see the sites of this infamous museum?  This site offers a complete virtual tour where your homeschooler simply follows the blue arrow around the museum and it feels like you are actually there!

 4-H Virtual Farm

Want to discover more about animals and farming?  Invite your homeschooler on this virtual tour and discover what life is like out on a farm.  If you’ve never seen corn grow or never seen a cow milked, then this virtual tour might be of interest to both you and your child.

 Inside the White House

Studying government or have curious kids that want to know more about the President and the White House? Step right into the White House with this interactive tour.  You can check out the briefing room and even view the décor and art. Don’t stop there, also check out the separate West Wing tour and their video series.

Nine Planets

This website provides children with an overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system. And each page is interactive! So take some time to explore each page and you will get text, images from NASA and even movies.  

Live from Antarctica 2

For a trip to another environment, how about Live from Antarctica 2? Most families never have the opportunity to visit the continent, but through this program students can follow a team of explorers through every step of a trip across the frozen continent. The site includes activities, researcher questions and answers, links to related sites, and more.

Discovery Education

This interactive site allows your child to take part in the following exciting trips:  On the Trail: Meet the Animals of North America, North America: Behind the Scenery, and North America: Explore Glacier National Park to name a few. This gives each person in your family the chance to find something of interest and experience it for themselves!

With the advances in modern technology now available online, virtual field trips are an excellent way to liven up your homeschool day and venture out into the world without the expenses and the scheduling restrictions.

 Although it is different from visiting a place in person, a virtual field trip is still a great way to break out of your routine. The next time you’re looking for a unique learning experience for your homeschooler, consider booking your trip to one of the many online destinations.  

We hope this was fun and helpful for your family!  Want more tips and ideas for your homeschooling day?  Follow our blog and like us on Facebook where you will get the most updated information for your family!