Go north, go north with wings on your feet North with the wind, where the three rivers meet Look all around you and see Deep in the forest, there dragons will be. Oxford scholar C.S. Lewis remarked about how in his youth he developed an intense obsession with "northernness"—the mysterious northern lands of Britain and Scandinavia and their dark Norse myths that represented for him the embodiment of an unreachable, imaginary land. He recalls how, at certain points in his life, he would be shot through with “the stab, the pang, the inconsolable longing” for another world. This is far more than just an escape into ...Read More
Homeschooling Helping Your Kids Know God’s Word: What’s Handwriting Got to Do with It?
In some circles, handwriting practice and good penmanship are lost arts. Modern core curricula, for instance, have removed cursive altogether from public schools. Public education questions aside, what does handwriting have to do with your child's spiritual maturity? How is good handwriting connected to your child's spiritual growth and knowledge of the Word? Surprisingly, there are many connections... 1. Writing out the Scriptures reminds our kids that each and every word in the Bible is inspired. God himself wrote the Ten Commandments, etching them in stone with his finger (Exodus 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; ...Read More
7 Reasons I Love Dave Raymond’s Modernity
High school was about 20 years ago for me (yikes!), and yet I can still remember some of the lectures given by a few exceptional teachers. There's something about a great teacher who can bring a subject to life—something that can shape a student's mind for a lifetime. I imagine if I had Compass Classroom's Dave Raymond as one of my teachers in high school, I would be saying the same about him. Our family loves everything Compass Classroom puts out. From Latin to Economics, from biblical parables to tips for homeschoolers, they've got a lot to offer. This is why I was eager to check out Dave Raymond's new course, ...Read More
Astronomy Week – Live!
Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated with astronomy. I loved learning about the stars, moon, sun, and planets. I never really "grew out" of that passion, as I continue to teach astronomy to kids all over the world. I invite you AND your kids to join me for "Astronomy Week – Live!" on Facebook. When is Astronomy Week? August 8, 9, 10, and 11 at 2:00pm Eastern (1:00pm Central, 12:00pm Mountain, 11:00am Pacific). I'll be teaching for about 15-20 minutes per day. Why Should You Come to Astronomy Week? Because I'll be teaching you and your children some fun, hands-on learning activities you can do right ...Read More
“Homeschooling is Weird” and 7 Other Objections Homeschoolers Hear
I get it. To many people, homeschooling is weird to them—a foreign way of doing things. I wasn't homeschooled myself, and when I was growing up, I knew very few kids who were—and they seemed a little too "off the grid" to me. I never even considered the possibility that I would become a homeschooling dad some day. Still, what we label as "weird" is based, in large part, on what we have come to accept as "normal." When we see people intentionally living outside the norm, it naturally catches our eye. And perhaps it even makes us feel a little defensive or uncomfortable. No, homeschooling isn't for everyone. ...Read More
The Day God Invited Abraham to Do Astronomy
How many stars are in the sky? Before we answer the question we need to understand what we mean by the question. If you're asking how many stars we can count from the Earth (without a telescope), that just takes a little patience and a whole lot of time to count. One astronomer from Yale University counted 9,096 stars in the sky—that’s the whole sky around the Earth, not just the half you can see at one time. But if we are asking how many stars are in the universe, that takes some calculating... There are roughly 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 in the visible universe (that's one hundred octillion ...Read More
Objections to Homeschooling: “My kids won’t be socialized.”
It is perhaps the most common objection to homeschooling: what about socialization? For some people, the very idea of homeschooling conjures up images of homely kids who lack social skills and are lost in their own nerdy thoughts. Perhaps you've even met a few homeschooled misfits who have confirmed your suspicions. If you're interested in homeschooling but fear your kids will turn out to be social weirdos, here are some facts to consider... Fact #1: Public school churns out socially awkward people, too. Homeschooling doesn't have the market cornered on socially awkward kids. Anyone who went to public school can ...Read More
Transgenderism: 5 Things Your Kids Need to Hear You Say
I’ve been talking to my older boys recently about transgenderism — they are currently 12 and 7 years old. Like a lot of our conversations about sexual topics, my wife and I try to take advantage of teachable moments based on what’s happening in the news. For more than a year, the issue of transgenderism has become a more mainstream discussion, from Bruce Jenner’s transformation last year to the recent debates about bathroom policies. I’m often asked by Christian parents how we can talk to our kids about this subject of transgenderism. 5 Things to Say to Your Kids about Transgenderism Below are some talking points I ...Read More
