• My Favorites for 0-3 Yrs

  • My idea of education is to unsettle the minds of the young and inflame their intellects. Robert Maynard Hutchins

    I am not a teacher; only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead--ahead of myself as well as of you. George Bernard Shaw

    The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. Robert Maynard Hutchins

    The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's time. Sydney J. Harris

    Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army. Edward Everett

    There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. Walt Streightiff

    You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself. Galileo Galilei

    [Education] consists mainly in what we have unlearned. Mark Twain

    The mother's heart is the child's school-room. Henry Ward Beecher

    Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. Marion C. Garretty

    Only the curious will learn and only the resolute will overcome the obstacles to learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence quotient. Edmund S. Wilson

    It is little short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not already completely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry... I believe that one could even deprive a healthy beast of prey of its voraciousness if one could force it with a whip to eat continuously whether it were hungry or not... Albert Einstein

    An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. Spanish Proverb

    Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance. Will Durant

    The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. John Lubbock

    Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it. William Haley

    Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire. William B. Yeats

    It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. Frederick Douglass

    It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense. Robert G. Ingersoll

    The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests. Author Unknown

    Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. Roger Lewin

    That best academy, a mother's knee. James Russell Lowell

    The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. Sydney J. Harris

    But, good gracious, you've got to educate him first. You can't expect a boy to be vicious till he's been to a good school. Saki (H. H. Munro)

    The great difficulty in education is to get experience out of ideas. George Santayana

    Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. Meryl Streep

    You send your child to the schoolmaster, but 'tis the schoolboys who educate him. Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Education aims to give you a boost up the ladder of knowledge. Too often, it just gives you a cramp on one of its rungs. Martin H. Fischer

    Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants. John W. Gardner

    The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher. Elbert Hubbard

    Education is too important to be left solely to educators. Francis Keppel

    An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life. Author Unknown

    There's nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child. Frank A. Clark

    Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. John Dewey

    Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. Robert Fulghum

    I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. Mark Twain

    One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters. George Herbert

    If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. Abigail Van Buren

    To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while. Josh Billings

  • Favorites for Ages 3-6

  • Favorites for Ages 6-9

  • Favorites For Ages 9-12

  • My Homeschool Library

February 11, 2010

Kumon Books: Fun Skill-Building For Children

I saw one of these eye-catching Kumon books while I was browsing online and decided to buy one. I’m so glad I did. I use my own copier so all my children can enjoy these. They help kids develop their fine motor skills. A motto of Kumon is Speed + Accuracy= Mastery.

These first ones are very simple, for ages 2-5.

Let’s Color! has very easy first activities. The one I have is More Let’s Color!

Let’s Fold has big lines to follow. On the opposite side is a picture of the outside of a lemon, so when it’s folded you see the outside and open it to see the inside. These are hard to copy because they’re double sided. So cute!

As the book progresses, the activities get more challenging, little by little. This is beginning origami at it’s finest!

Let’s Cut Paper starts with straight lines, then lines that bend. This one is More Let’s Cut Paper.

On the cover of each book is its age range.

My First Book of Tracing has easy activities and mazes for ages 2-5.

My First Book of Cutting has colorful pictures with big lines.

My First Book of Mazes starts easy . . .

but gets harder.

Once your child can use scissors and glue, My Book of Pasting builds skills from there.

My preschoolers absolutely love these activities!

My Book of Easy Crafts is appropriate for ages 4-8.  It says ages 4-6 on the cover, but my 7 yr-old will be doing the harder ones for a while.

They are double sided and so creative.

My Book of Amazing Crafts has even more exciting projects. This simple one makes it possible to change the faces and dress of the characters.

The projects get much more challenging (and popular) in the second half of the book.

I’m just starting to use this one with my 5 and 7 year old, to teach and improve their writing skills.

Not only does My Book of Writing Words offer an interesting format for writing practice, but it also uses short rhyming words and phrases throughout the book. Rhymes make everything easier to learn!

I’ve never been big on formal curriculum. I’ve always tried to find the most fun, pleasant (for me too), colorful, engaging books and activities for my kids (without dropping a wad). Nurturing their love of learning is a number one goal for me.

These books retail for $5.95-6.95 each, but run on average, new and used from 15¢ to $3 each plus shipping. So for some you’re mainly paying shipping. Amazon has good prices, but if you can find a seller on Half.com that’s offering multiple items you want, they will discount the shipping. This savings can really add up.

It takes a little time to hunt down the best deals, but you and your kids will love these!

January 3, 2010

Teaching Kids Through Travel: Our Trips to Bolivia

From the time our children were born, we’ve talked about exposing them to other cultures and by so doing, widening their vision of the world. We also wanted our children to understand the bounty that we enjoy in America and to internalize the importance of service. I’ve come to realize that children will learn these values if the parents exemplify them and are passionate about them.

Bolivian children

Bolivian children

Read more…

November 27, 2009

Walking the Freedom Trail

History was never my favorite subject in school. Part of the reason is the way it was taught to me, by professors, out of textbooks – boring! It made me think that history was just a bunch of dates, names and facts that had no practical relevance to me. I couldn’t have cared less.

After reading A Thomas Jefferson Education, I think about “learning” differently, and I see history through new eyes. I have more of a desire to know WHY things happened and pass that desire on to my children. For this reason, I jumped at the opportunity to accompany Mike to his continuing medical education conference in Boston with our older kids. It was a chance to make history come alive for us. Read more…

November 10, 2009

Our Boston Trip: Learning About the Revolution

This year we chose Boston as the place for Mike to do his Continuing Medical Education. We decided to bring along our oldest 3, and visit my cousin, Lisa and her husband, Dave, who live there with their 6 children.

Boston Fall Leaves

We saw the beautiful Boston fall leaves

We had a blast! We packed so much into each day, it amazed us all. The education and inspiration we got from each one of these days is equivalent to a month of formal learning, in my reckoning. Good planning helped and so did super helpful hosts. Read more…

October 26, 2009

Inspire, Not Require: How I Got Music In My Blood

I mentioned in a recent post that my mom sang professionally. Her name is Sandi Griffiths and she sang on the Lawrence Welk Show for about 12 years.

Sandi, Salli in pink

My mother is on left with red hair.

This had a real impact on our family. We’ve all enjoyed singing our whole lives, although none of us have achieved degrees in music.

I want to make a connection with a concept I mentioned in my last post called “You, Not Them.” This concept involves teaching your children through your own example. Hence the importance of developing your personal talents, increasing various skills, and investing in your own passions and dreams. When your children see you doing these things, they follow your example and become passionate, too. Read more…

October 23, 2009

After Our Decision to Homeschool

We started interviewing for jobs during Mike’s last year of residency. He set up several interviews in California and Utah. I was a big city girl from LA, and he was a small town boy from Lehi, Utah.

We knew we wanted to be somewhat close to family. Most of the interviews were in places we didn’t want to live, or were too far from family.

The possibility we liked the most was a group in southern Utah.

DSCN1523

Nearby Bryce Canyon

The area was right in between both our families, it was beautiful, it had plenty of culture like the Shakespearian Festival, and it had a small liberal arts college called George Wythe. Read more…

October 18, 2009

Singing: It Brings Me Joy

Posted in Home Educating

I love to sing. I sang a lot with my family growing up. My mom sang professionally, but we never took any lessons. I took choir in high school. We sang in our church once in a while. We sang Christmas carols every year to our neighbors and friends. It was a big family tradition for a long time, until everyone left the nest. Read more…

October 10, 2009

Why We Decided to Homeschool

When my kids were young, the thought of homeschooling never occurred to me. I was public schooled through 12th grade, except for 3 years of elementary in a private Presbyterian school.

When Mike was in medical school, I started having grand dreams of traveling the world doing service. We both wanted to expose our children to other cultures and the rich differences that existed in the world. Read more…

  • About Jenni

    I am a do-it-yourself, happily married, mother of six rambunctious kids. I finished my master herbalist degree this past summer-whew! I am passionate about empowering people, especially women, mothers and fathers, to be teachers, chefs, and doctors in their own homes.
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    • Enjoyed another fabulous dinner with our Persnickety friends (the Richenbachs) & 2 PR Chicks at an amazing Indian restaurant called Nirvana.
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  • Disclaimer:

    I am not a doctor (that would be my husband). Any advice or recommendations you find on this site should not be construed as medical advice. I do not claim to be able to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease (you can do that yourself). If you choose to follow my example, you will be taking responsibility for your own health and wellness.

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