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’ve been thinking a lot about joy lately—how it’s not another thing we have to do. It’s a gift given by a good Father to help us manage our way through this life well. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit that grows out of our relationship with Him as John 15 illustrates:
One of my biggest goals in life is to be a happy mom. By happy, I mean a mom that isn’t overly serious. One who plays with her kids when she can. And one who can laugh at herself. I saw a meme one Mother’s Day a few years ago that said, “Your kids don’t need a perfect mom. They need a happy one.” I saved it to my phone to remind myself of that from time to time. Because we can get lost in the diapers and the bad attitudes of our kids… the bickering. In these days of rambunctious brothers learning how to be friends and our sweet baby discovering she has an opinion, I forget. I lose my smile, and I just try to get through the day. I know some days that will be the best I can do, but I don’t want that to be my norm.

me your joy as a source of strength.
Thank you for the children you knit together and gifted to our family.
You have already given me everything
I need to be the mom they need today.
Help me walk in that provision.
Guide me through the challenging moments and help me savor the sweet ones.
May I see this day through
eyes of gratefulness.
Let my heart be light and my smile come easily as I put my trust in You.
I invite you to join me during the next thirty days and speak this prayer out loud over yourself. Let’s see if we can remind our hearts each day of the joy we have access to through Jesus. As He said:








hirty years ago Homeschooling Today magazine was founded by homeschooling parents with a vision to encourage and assist homeschooling families. Today, that vision continues with homeschool graduates Alex and Ashley Wiggers at the helm.
We are staunch supporters of homeschooling because we’ve seen the value of what this choice has to offer. In our homes, it was enjoyable, filled with learning that lasted, and built on the foundation of relationship. We are now continuing this legacy of freedom in learning with our own children. Parents, we believe in the power of influence you have as you walk with God, to provide everything your children need to fulfill their destinies. We believe that homeschoolers are uniquely fitted to become world changers because they’re used to doing things differently. Having been shown the true value of learning and what they’re capable of, these children will look at the world with eyes to help, lead, problem-solve, and display a depth of character that reflects the convictions of their faith.
This is what our children are called to do, but it won’t happen if we walk in fear. Our mission is to come alongside you with encouragement and practical help, to remind you that we’re in this together, and to help you see past the present trials into the reality of your true calling, equipping your children to be the remarkable people God created. Whether you are homeschooling for a season of life or the years to come, this movement can be a catalyst for courage. It will be through our ability to shed fear and embrace courage that we will enable our children to do the same!

n the last issue I told you that I got a little teary-eyed while reading the articles for the magazine, but this time I literally laughed out loud at one point. Let’s just say Steve Demme has a “way with words” at times. Isn’t the gift of all these emotions beautiful? They are evidence of a creative, deeply personal God.
I have to admit, though, I have a favorite emotion: laughter. Okay, I know that laughter isn’t technically an emotion, but it is an expression of joy. Don’t you want to laugh more? Don’t you want your children to look back at their homeschool experience and remember the fun they had? Don’t you want them to smile at their memories from growing up in your home?
Connie Albers talks about the power of building great memories with our kids in her column, Growing Relationships. Jennifer Cabrera, also known as the Hifalutin Homeschooler, shares how we need to lighten up a bit and quit taking everything so seriously. In his column, Taking the Sting Out of Math, Steve Demme will give you some fun tips for helping your kids remember some different math concepts (yes, math can be FUN), as well as ideas for family devotional time in Faith Filled Families. Kathy Eggers and Lesli Richards make a case for play in the lives of both our kids and us, while Colleen Kessler shares why our kids need to seek out adventures for learning. I’m continuing a series on changing how we think about teaching writing—and I pray it will help you to unburden yourself from expectations.
You’ll find lots more help from our team of experienced homeschoolers in these pages. As our copy editor Tracy shared while doing edits, “I wish I’d had this magazine years ago.”
By the way, have you seen Durenda Wilson’s new column, Dear Durenda? If you have something you’ve always wanted to ask her, send it to deardurenda@homeschoolingtoday.com and maybe she’ll pick it to write about in the Autumn Issue!



Let’s create a safe place for our children to learn—where our kids can make mistakes, be their unique and gifted selves, and know that they don’t have to “keep up” with the arbitrary standards and timelines for learning.
It’s time to focus on FUNschooling! In this issue, we’ll talk about building relationships, making memories, and ways to keep things more “light”! We want to hone in on the things that graduates look back on and say, “I loved it when we…”
This will be a very practical issue full of help for organization, chores, meal planning, and all the things that keep the home fires burning. Find out how to teach kids life skills with topics like time management and productivity, too!

winter 2022-23: celebrating the family
This digital only edition will help you to celebrate the holiday season, keeping first things first. But that’s not all! You’ll find both unique and practical ways to keep the homeschool fires burning throughout the winter season.
Ad Index
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State History: From a Christian Perspective
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The Homegrown Preschooler
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The Smiling Homeschooler & Todd Wilson
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Trail Guide to Learning Series
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Trim Healthy You
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Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
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Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
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Ad index
www.buildingfaithfamilies.org
CalcuLadder Math Drills
www.calculadder.com
Carole P. Roman
www.caroleproman.com
Cedar Grove Education
www.cedargroveeducation.com
Celebrate Simple & Cheryl Bastian
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Christianbook
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Connie Albers
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Creature Crew
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Daily Skill Building – Ad 1, Ad 2
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Demme Learning
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Dianne Craft: “Right Brain” Learning System
www.diannecraft.org
Durenda Wilson
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Evangel University
www.evangel.edu
Forgrave Financial Strategies
www.forgravefinancial.com
Great Homeschool Conventions
www.homeschooling.mom
Harding University
www.harding.edu
Hifalutin Homeschooler
www.hifalutinhomeschooler.com
Mid-America Christian University
www.macu.edu
Northwest University
www.northwest.edu
Onward Christian Academy
www.onwardchristianacademy.com
Rainbow Resources
www.rainbowresource.com
State History: From a Christian Perspective
www.statehistory.net
The Homegrown Preschooler
www.thehomegrownpreschooler.com
The Smiling Homeschooler & Todd Wilson
www.thesmilinghomeschooler.com
Trail Guide to Learning Series
www.trailguidetolearning.com
Trim Healthy You
www.trimhealthyou.net
Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
www.unitstudy.com
Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com








Summer is the perfect time to enjoy hands-on activities, build family relationships, and enjoy the great outdoors. There’s something for everyone in the Summer Activity Guide!




here is a myth about homeschoolers that has been circulating for decades. It’s this: because we don’t choose to send our kids to school, we are somehow overprotective and our kids will not be ready for the harsh realities of this cold, lost world. The truth is that most homeschoolers are actually more prepared, not less, and there is a good reason for that.
When parents decide to home educate their children, many times it is to protect their kids from things the parents know they simply are not ready for. The God-given nature of loving parents is to protect their kids, and that’s because kids need protection.
Throughout Scripture, we read the importance of protecting the vulnerable and needy. Who is more vulnerable than children? We are encouraged to care for the fatherless. Why? Because they have no father to naturally protect them.
It’s clear that protection is part of our God-given role as parents.
The problem comes when we allow the culture to inform our perspective instead of God’s Word and principles.
God says children need protection.
The culture says we should expose children to everything as soon as possible. Take one look around, and you can see how well that’s working out!
Although overprotection might be possible, I think the much bigger challenge is protecting our children enough.
Children need a childhood, one that feels safe and secure so they can get to the business of growing and developing healthy minds, bodies, and spirits. They need to experience plenty of beauty, goodness, and innocence which will help them understand more of who God is.

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with Steve Demme



by Ashley Wiggers
y boys and I had been learning about stars all week. We made a galaxy bottle, constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks, and checked out lots of books from the library on stars.
One activity I found sounded perfect for us, and I thought it could be a fun culmination of our celestial learning. Picture this: colorfully painted rocks with stars on them (using a stencil) and chalk lines connecting the rocks, creating large-scale constellations at our local park’s chalk drawing area! What could go wrong?
Well, insert actual people into my plan and it gets a little messy. For one thing, the whole stencil on a rock idea was not a good idea. Instead of colorful stars on our rocks, we ended up with a color mash-up blob. Since kids enjoy mixing bright colors more than using them, our decorated items often end up somewhere between brown and pukey green.

My oldest son was writing a descriptive paragraph once. He chose a plastic dinosaur to describe, opened the crayon box, and found an orange color that matched his toy—the name of it was Macaroni and Cheese Orange. Based on that name, I’m guessing you know the exact shade of orange of the dinosaur.
I made that experience into a game we would sometimes play in the car. I’d ask my sons to point to a car or other object we saw and give it a “Crayola” name. One of my favorites was when my youngest announced that the color of an SUV he saw was “melted mozzarella cheese cream.”
Why did we do this? Because I wanted to change my sons’ experience with learning how to write to be different from my own. I wanted them to enjoy being creative and realize that the written word is fun.

• Inspires a Love of Learning
• Produces Independent Thinkers
• Nurtures Curiosity
• Easy to Teach








o you homeschool over the summer or take summers off? No matter which approach you take, there are lots of ways to make learning fun through travel!
Even if you won’t be traveling far, you can take advantage of local opportunities or even virtual travel. However you travel, here are some ways to make it educational and fun.
Whether you’re going a few miles or far away, let your children look at a map and help you plan the route. This may seem like a dreaded task to you, but to kids, this can be lots of fun.
What if you will be going on a virtual trip? No worries! Get out that map and plan your route anyway. Then go online and take that virtual vacation and pretend you’re really there.
Our kids don’t always understand the time involved in planning, traveling, and completing activities once we’re there. To help avoid disappointment, let them help you think about exactly what your family wants to do at the destination and how much time everyone wants to give each activity.
This may be a little difficult for younger children, but they’ll learn with practice. And if it doesn’t all work out, you have the opportunity to give your children an example of what it means to be flexible and resourceful as you change plans and have a good attitude about it.


o you homeschool over the summer or take summers off? No matter which approach you take, there are lots of ways to make learning fun through travel!
Even if you won’t be traveling far, you can take advantage of local opportunities or even virtual travel. However you travel, here are some ways to make it educational and fun.
Whether you’re going a few miles or far away, let your children look at a map and help you plan the route. This may seem like a dreaded task to you, but to kids, this can be lots of fun.
What if you will be going on a virtual trip? No worries! Get out that map and plan your route anyway. Then go online and take that virtual vacation and pretend you’re really there.
Our kids don’t always understand the time involved in planning, traveling, and completing activities once we’re there. To help avoid disappointment, let them help you think about exactly what your family wants to do at the destination and how much time everyone wants to give each activity.
This may be a little difficult for younger children, but they’ll learn with practice. And if it doesn’t all work out, you have the opportunity to give your children an example of what it means to be flexible and resourceful as you change plans and have a good attitude about it.



by Connie Albers

At a recent family dinner, my oldest began, “Mom, do you remember the time we had to pull you out of the gator-infested river after you flipped the canoe, got wedged between two tree branches, and couldn’t break free?”
I promptly replied, “Of course, I remember! One of the scariest days of my life.” No sooner had I uttered those words when the kids began retelling the event in vivid detail. By the time the last person chimed in, the story was a blur of fact and fiction. At first, I tried to correct their inaccuracies—at least from my point of view. I eventually gave up and just let them talk while shaking my head and laughing as they recounted their mom frantically trying to climb back into a sinking boat as our oars and belongings traveled down the river. My harrowing experience didn’t end once my feet were safely on the riverbank. Before I could dry off, swarms of hungry mosquitos found me. According to the kids, I went from being terrified of being in the water to swatting and dancing as I tried not to be carried off by bloodthirsty mosquitoes.

When the poky little puppy and his four siblings dig a hole under the fence in the yard, he finds so many interesting things that he can’t make it back home in time for dinner. Their mother isn’t very happy that her sweet little puppies disobeyed her and left the safety of their yard. So, she makes them go to bed without dessert. But the poky little puppy is so late getting home that he sneaks in and eats the dessert that his siblings left in the bowl.
Not to spoil the story for you, but the poky little puppy finally does learn his lesson after many escapades into the wild, wild world outside the fence.

The story of the narrator, Billy Coleman, is told as a memory. Billy recounts his adventures earning money for his dogs, training them, and falling hopelessly in love with them.
It all begins as Billy sees an old hunting dog and remembers his dogs when he was a ten-year-old boy living in the Ozarks. Billy takes us back to the life of a poor boy and his family around the turn of the twentieth century. He shares his struggles with earning enough money to buy two hunting dogs and then having to retrieve them in another town without access to an automobile.
Through the book we learn about the people of the Oklahoma mountains and are excited as we watch the puppies grow into smart and athletic animals. Though the story has many happy parts, there are some sad ones that will definitely pull on your heartstrings.

The story begins with our narrator, Scout Finch, recalling her memories of being a six-year-old girl starting school. She shares her adventures with her brother Jem and their friend Dill. But the main plot of the story revolves around Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, and the legal defense he must give for a black man accused of rape by a white woman.
The book follows the trial of Tom Robinson, his defense, the accusations, and the emotions and feelings of those in the community. Scout and her family must learn to navigate a town that isn’t friendly to the children of a man who appears to be siding with someone most feel is guilty because of the color of his skin.


“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
To increase their confidence, I like to tell them that this concept is normally taught in pre-algebra to 12 or 13-year-old students. Now that they know how to make squares, use the blocks to show 4×4 (42) and 5×5 (52) as well as 10×10 (102).






Of course, homeschooling can’t be all fun and games, cocoa and stargazing, art and animal husbandry. Sigh. (Somewhere a new homeschooler is turning to her husband in a panic… “See? I told you we needed to get a goat or some chickens!”)


iving kids free reign with their own creativity in the kitchen is like fire to gasoline in the best of ways! Letting them create recipes and meals for themselves and other family members flames the spark for healthy cooking that will only burn brighter as they journey into adulthood.
If you want to instill a love for cooking in your children… a love for working with foods from the earth so they’ll be forever fascinated with God-given foods—whatever you do… don’t over supervise! Of course, they’ll need age-appropriate management to avert dangers. Providing easy recipes is a great jumping off point, too. But whatever children can do on their own is far better done on their own!


with
Michelle Moody
Like the renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci, who painted The Last Supper in 1498, many scientists were also accomplished artists. Albert Einstein even said, “The greatest scientists are artists as well.” Einstein, himself, played violin and piano, and Sir Frederick William Herschel was an astronomer and composer. Herschel discovered the planet Uranus, the existence of infrared radiation, and he also wrote twenty-four symphonies.
Fast forward to today, and we find many ideas for blending art with our science in what is called STEAM—which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.
So, how do science and art blend? Both disciplines involve experimenting. Scientists use the scientific method to observe what will happen when variables are changed or kept the same. To create a new work, an artist may experiment with different media, lighting, color, and more.

Colleen Kessler, M.Ed.
When I was a newer homeschool mom, I would have likely thrown journals into my backpack along with pencils, animal guides, and an idea of how I could turn this impromptu day off into a justifiable day of learning. Afterall, as a homeschool mom, I have the obligation to make sure the kids are learning every single day, don’t I?





She said she was tired of all the noise and needed it quiet to focus for her tests. I swear I even heard her say the words, “I completely turned my phone off and put it on the top shelf so it wouldn’t distract me.” While this might have seemed like an otherworldly event, she was actually making a choice similar to many other teens in her generation—unplugging.
More and more teens are getting tired of always being digitally connected. There has become an oversaturation of tech in their lives, and they are searching for a little simplicity. Consider these telling trends. Three years ago, less than one percent of teens intentionally opted for a flip phone; today that number is three percent. That may not seem like a lot, but that small number equates to several hundred thousand teens who are saying, “I don’t need all that stuff.”


Generally speaking, between 120 and 150 hours of instruction and coursework is considered one credit.




I remember being entertained for hours making mud patties, gathering sticks to build with mud, and jumping through lots of mud puddles. Muddy Boots: Outdoor Activities for Children by Down East Books is an outdoor project book providing 50 different projects. Each chapter focuses on different types of projects and activities, from making mud pies to building forts. There are even stick and stone activities. The final chapter offers more nature-focused explorations and hands-on activities. Nature scavenger hunts, pressing flowers, bird-watching, cloud watching, and identifying animal tracks are presented. Most activities take 30-60 minutes; a few may take 2+ hours.




Done with homeschooling and free as the sea,
But guilt comes like clouds in the sky
Ruining the summer and making us cry.
That’s how the world was set up. Opie got summers off on the Andy Griffith show. Greg and Marcia went camping with the family during the summer. Even Phineas and Ferb made an entire four-season cartoon about the magic of summer.
I think the desire for a summer break is in our DNA. We long for summer vacation like my dog yearns to have the place behind his ears scratched.

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