I just received a membership renewal in the mail with my last shipment, so I am renewing! I have been highly encouraged through many articles in your magazines. They've kept me focused some days, brought me back to reality others, and simply helped me to have fun homeschooling my children! I love this magazine and will make sure I get to it first over other magazines lying around! 

You know, not getting it "every" month makes me enjoy receiving it even more and gives me more time to soak up what you guys publish. I don't feel like I have to rush through because another will be in 3 weeks later for me to have to rush through. You guys are doing a great job all around. Thank you for your commitment to encourage and educate me as a homeschooling parent!
--Christina L. Anderson, Sherwood, Arkansas

Thank you so much for the beautiful article "Can You Shelter Your Child Too Much?" that I received via e-mail. I really enjoyed reading this article and love the way you compare it to how our Heavenly Father shelters us.

I absolutely love your magazine; it is the best homeschooling magazine I have ever read!  It encourages, uplifts, gives just plain good advice (Deborah Wuehler is my favorite) and I could go on and on. I do like The Natural Schoolhouse, too, so I can try out the different recipes for naturally and safely cleaning my house and doing my laundry and now the square-foot gardening one! I want to try square-foot gardening, so thanks for the tips!

I also love the Homeschool Minute! I enjoy reading the helpful and, once again, encouraging articles. My sister and I were just discussing the latest one on comparing ourselves to the public school and did we love it! I save almost all of these Homeschool Minute s and am planning to put them in a special file so I can reread them along with my copies of The Old Schoolhouse ® Magazine when I start getting overwhelmed and think I have to do everything perfect with our homeschooling.

Also, congratulations on your beautiful new baby! The picture of your big boys with their baby sister was so cute! Your son in the middle looks so proud! Big sister looks proud, too.

On another note, I want to thank you for always using the King James Version of the Bible. I am sure God blesses you for that and may He continue to bless you for encouraging us Christian homeschoolers.
--Neva Emery, New Hampshire

Dear Deborah,
I have enjoyed the articles you have written and been greatly moved and inspired by them, especially "Take Cover! We Have an Enemy."

I faxed a copy to a non-patron of The Old Schoolhouse ® Magazine for their reading pleasure. Great truths!
--Lisa Ringel, Fort Wayne, Indiana

God's Providence

Greetings TOS Staff:
In God's typical providential fashion, your recent issue, Winter 07/08, arrived yesterday. I don't know why this even surprises me any more, but this was even more providential than normal.

I'll give you a bit of background. I am President of a very small support group in the mountains of Northern California. After five years, our Private Homeschool Group is beginning to re-blossom. I have wanted to do some sort of open house/informational meeting but felt that we just weren't ready yet and planned to let the issue rest for a few more years. But at our most recent Leadership Meeting in early December, without any forethought from me, it came to the table that we should have an Open House. It was one of those steamrolling discussions and in 20 minutes we had all voted to move forward with a basic outline of what we thought would work. After the holidays the realization that I had to put this all together hit me like a ton of bricks. I began praying and brainstorming. Ideas came together, but I was still worried that even our own members would participate. I called each family and got a 90% positive vote to move forward. God was not letting me off the hook. 

In order to guide our guests I began working on a "how to homeschool" brochure the same day as your Winter issue arrived. What a relief to know I am on the right track! And the resources you listed are so helpful to me. This is the main purpose of my writing. I would like permission to reproduce and distribute "Simple Recipes for Successful Homeschooling." This brochure matches almost exactly what I had begun to write and it makes sense to not spend my time reinventing the wheel with so many other details to attend to. 

So thank you so very much for the bounty of information and inspiration. There is obviously no detail too minor for our God to consider. I look forward to hearing from you.
--Heidi Vaughan, Truckee, California

Hi Heidi,
You certainly may have permission to reprint that brochure. Our website has a color version that is really nice, located here: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/How_To_Homeschool/tosbrochure.pdf .

Thank you for your kind words, Heidi, and we are so glad that God is providential in His timing for you!
--Deborah Wuehler, Senior Editor

Civil War Controversy

I am writing in regards to the winter 07-08 issue. The article titled "Civil War History and Controversy: An Interview with Chandra Manning" [by Karen Braun] I found to be extremely offensive. I especially take offense to the idea that a "substantial" number of Southerners were godless. I do not doubt that many soldiers didn't care one whit about God, but I don't believe it was all on the side of the South. I'm sure it was true for just as many Northern soldiers! To publish such a biased article was very irresponsible. Mrs. Manning gave her opinion on the causes of the Civil War. Others have also researched this subject and come to completely different conclusions. Needless to say, I will not be renewing my subscription. I have always enjoyed your magazine, but this shows how little you regard those of us living below the Mason Dixon line. 
--Penny Watkins

Dear Penny,
Thanks very much for your thoughts on TOS's article regarding Chandra Manning's book, What This Cruel War Was Over. It is our hope here at TOS that the articles we publish will challenge our readers and stimulate discussion on the topics covered. It is an encouragement to us to know that our subscribers are "digging into" our content, as you have, and providing us with your thoughtful feedback.

Several of our TOS staff have read the book and found its premise compelling, on the basis of Chandra Manning's exhaustive research into the writings of thousands of soldiers from both sides of the conflict. What was particularly interesting in the book is Ms. Manning's discovery, from the letters these soldiers wrote, of a deep level of spiritual concern regarding the war, expressed by men in both the Confederate and Union armies. Interestingly, in general these men revealed a differing expression of that spirituality as the bloody conflict dragged on. This difference was consistent with the region and culture they emerged from. The Confederate soldiers saw the long war as God's displeasure with a lack of personal piety "in the camp." The Union soldiers saw it as God's judgment on a nation that had tolerated human bondage since its birth.

Overall, Manning's book looks to be an important addition to the extensive body of works that helps us understand our national heritage and the bloody conflict that preserved us as a nation. It also gives us an interesting glimpse into the spiritual lives of those who fought on both sides. Reading this book would be a valuable endeavor for all Christian homeschoolers.

Thanks again.
--Bates Estabrooks, TOS Staff Consultant

Editor's Note: You can find more information about the Civil War on our website here: http://www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/civilwar/ .  

Errors in the Winter 07-08 Issue

Missing Thermodynamics

On the cover of the Winter 2007-2008 issue it says "Science: Hands-on Thermodynamics." We have been trying to find that within the magazine and just can't find it, what page is that on? Thank you.
--Nathan Woods

Dear Nathan,
The title you mentioned was a mistake on the last issue's cover. It should have just said "Hands-on Science." We apologize for the misleading title.

Thank you for bringing it to our attention and for your support of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
--Deborah Wuehler, Senior Editor

Missing Caption

On page 52 of our last issue, in the Homeschool Nation column, which was titled "The 80-20 Principle, Preserving a Spiritual Legacy in Our Children" [by John Seel], the caption beneath the photo should have said "John Seel." We apologize for the mistake.

Homeschooling an Only Child

Hello! I have been getting your magazine for a little while now and I absolutely love it. There is only one thing that I would love to see and [that is] some stuff about homeschooling only one child. I only have one child and he is 8. It sometimes gets lonely homeschooling, especially when the majority of homeschoolers have more than one child, and I would love to read about others that have only one child also.

Thank you and God bless for being part of such a wonderful magazine.
--Anonymous

Hi, and thanks so much for writing in. We have some really great resources for homeschooling only one child. They are as follows:

· A new entry every week under our Homeschooling Only One blog at HomeschoolBlogger: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HSBCompanyBlog/hsingonlyone/ .

· You also can read that writer's own blog and meet new friends who homeschool only one, right here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC .

· We have a weekly email newsletter that covers many topics about homeschooling. It may answer some of your other homeschooling questions. The newsletter is a short read, and we call it The Homeschool Minute . You can find the archives of The Homeschool Minute right here: http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/E_News/Homeschool_Minute_Archives.php .

I will also direct you to our Minute to Minute editor, Elisabeth, who can either direct you to one of our Minute to Minute emails that addresses issues related to homeschooling only one child, or she may be able to use your question in an upcoming email, asking other moms who homeschool only one how they do it.

I hope this helps a bit. Thanks again for writing in!
--Deborah Wuehler, Senior Editor

Dear Paul and Gena,
A friend of mine emailed after many years and was explaining to me her homeschool experience and why she has "failed" . . . Here is a portion of her letter:

I was not nearly as successful in my homeschooling endeavor. My daughter has begun 9th grade this year. School has never been easy and it has always taken forever to accomplish anything. I'm sure my own pathologies contribute to her lack of success. I contacted a tutoring service. They will be matching her up with a tutor. She may be the first since my generation to not graduate from high school. Her life looks very scary to me. Relatives have purchased helps (a new computer for this Christmas to help with her research needs). However, resources are of little avail if you can't process, read, and type fast enough to complete assignments on time.

I suppose I have persisted in this path because academic failure seemed better to me than exposing her to all of the negative influences of an inner-city public high school. I can only beg the Lord for grace and ask that He carve out a place for her in this world.

I was hoping you could help or direct me to some sites or others who could help. I have never dealt with a special learner so I don't know the first resource, but I know they are out there. I would love to be able to give her some hope and the ability to take charge of this situation for her daughter especially, but also for her son it seems as well. The Christian school charges double tuition for "special needs" in her area, and her children I feel are simply not able to "keep up" in traditional school! I had heard you have a special-needs newsletter and I would love to share that with her, but I couldn't find your sign-up.

Any help you can offer is very welcome! Thank you!
--A Concerned Friend

Dear Concerned,
So glad you wrote in. It sounds like your friend has a found a good friend in you. That is so neat to hear how you want to help her be successful in homeschooling. It definitely sounds like homeschooling is exactly what she needs to keep doing.

On our website there is a section which lists different special-needs articles that have been archived from our print magazine. We call this our Resource Room, and it can be found here: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/How_To_Homeschool/articles/resource-room.php.

There may be some areas mentioned here where she needs more help or more support. Our "Simple Recipes for Successful Homeschooling" brochure can be found here: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/How_To_Homeschool/tosbrochure.pdf.

She may need to get in contact with or hear from other special-needs moms. Every Monday our HomeschoolBlogger   site has a Special Needs entry, which can be found here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HSBCompanyBlog/specialneeds/.

An excellent resource for special learning is this well-researched book written by our Special Needs expert, Christine Field. The book is titled Homeschooling the Challenging Child and is published by Broadman and Holman. Christine's website is http://www.homefieldadvantage.org/.

The last thing I will mention is that our print magazine focuses on special needs in every Summer issue. If you would like a copy of our past Summer's issue to give your friend, just give me your mailing address and I will see that you get a copy of it.

Thank you for contacting us, and thank you for being a friend to one in need.
--Deborah Wuehler, Senior Editor

Greetings, Deb!
One of the places I love to read my magazines is at night in bed when all the littles are in their own beds. Unfortunately, I cannot do that with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. When I read it I get so excited by the ideas that I cannot sleep. And then there is the problem of wanting to go on the computer to check out the products you have reviewed. Additionally, there are often authors who have their blog or web addresses in the article, and I just love to visit them and see what other nuggets of inspiration they have. It re-motivates me with every issue and gives me a fresh vision for homeschooling.

Furthermore, you have created a delightful homeschool community through HomeschoolBlogger, where I also get numerous ideas and encouragement. I love the fact that all of us bloggers there are homeschoolers and it just feels safe.

Although The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has many more interactive and Internet features, I also appreciate your online curricula and book reviews, which often lead me to your store. Thank you!

Oh by the way. . . please enter me in the contest. I love your contests too.
--Cheryl Parker, Zimmerman, Minnesota

Following the Iditarod

We were just realizing that the Iditarod was starting and thought it might be fun to take a break from our Little House Unit Study, when your fabulous article came along! Thank you so much!

We're now building a salt dough topographical map of the race route, and the kids are working on mini sleds to place along the route as we track a few mushers. (See them in the painting process below.)

Some other great things to grab at the library are The Alaska Almanac (lots of great facts laid out encyclopedia style), Over Alaska (great DVD with aerial shots of Alaska), Iditarod Classics (short chapters of about 20 mushers and their first-person experiences--might have been on your list already).

Thanks again! You saved me a lot of work and encouraged us to get started earlier than we probably would have.
--Sara Griffin, Eastern Washington State

New Subscriber

I am a recent subscriber to TOS and I am floored not only by the content but by the thoughtfulness and customer service, already!   Before I even received the 1st issue, I got a wonderful packet of freebies and such. I was getting anxious about my first issue and contacted customer service. Within 2 hours I had my answer! You are doing a wonderful job! Thank you for answering God's call in your lives! Many homeschoolers are better for it; we're one family!
--Mrs. Marianne Handlir, Belcamp, Maryland

Hi Marianne,
Thank you so much for your kind words. It means so much to have folks take the time and let us know that what we do matters and is appreciated. I know I'm biased, but we do, indeed, have an excellent group of ladies here in Customer Service! Thanks for sending this sweet note that I can share with them.
--Dena Wood, Director of Finance and Customer Relations

 Hi Deborah,
Just wanted to drop you a line to tell you how much I enjoyed your editorial in the Winter 2007-2008 TOS magazine. It was awesome and really spoke to me. I especially loved this line: "If you are feeling like you don't belong, you are probably right where you should be." I find myself feeling that way frequently as I'm surrounded with friends whose children love Hannah Montana, High School Musical , etc., along with other very worldly pursuits. My girls think this craze is ridiculous, and I'm glad they do! But, I still have to be mindful of what the next craze will be so I can keep them sheltered.

I also enjoyed Gena's enewsletter about sheltering children. Unless one lives in a cave and never goes out, I feel it's impossible to shelter your kids too much!  

Have a good day and I look forward to your next enewsletter and next TOS editorial. Blessings to you and your family.
--Pat Trembley, Reading, Pennsylvania

On Being Called to Homeschool

Hi Deborah,
I enjoy your writing! When it comes to homeschooling, how do you know you are called to do just that? Is this calling the same sort of thing that a man who is meant to preach might experience?
--Laura Ayers, Mineola, Texas

Dear Laura,
I'm not sure where Deborah said she was "called" to homeschool; I did not see that in her recent article titled "Take Cover! We Have an Enemy." However, if she said that, I'm confident it was in the context of being obedient to God's Word regarding the teaching and training of children rather than simply schooling. God calls all His people to be obedient to His Word.

One way some of God's people are being obedient is by protecting their children from having to learn the godless thinking being taught in government schools by teaching them at home. Millions of Christian parents have taken the education of their children as their own responsibility before God, rather than a government one, since the early 1980s. As a result, these parents have reaped much spiritual fruit, as well as many academic advantages, for themselves and their children.

In truth, what a government school does best is to impart secular teaching, beginning early on with the so-called "fact" of evolution--that the origin of life has been determined by the word of scientists, not by the Word of God. They have effectively taken God (the Bible) out of any meaningful classroom discussions, as well as removed Him from public school curricula. This enabled the public school to present life from the insidious perspective of the humanist. Further, the schools decide what academic and social subjects are important for children to learn and guide their thinking when it comes to moral issues--all from an unapologetic, secular worldview. Christian parents who understand this are, thereby, called to obey God's scriptural commands to protect their children from this kind of daily godless assault, which continues year after year in a child's public school experience. 

It is interesting to note that virtually all of God's people agree that the secular way of thinking about such issues as abortion, pornography, and homosexuality are wrong, even sinful. However, when it comes to government schools, which either support and/or teach children these secular ways of thinking, the Body of Christ is acutely divided. Deborah is simply saying that Godly parents should not send their children to godless government schools. I believe she is saying this out of care and love for fellow Christians so that they might wake up to this simple and important truth. In this context, more and more parents are being "called" to homeschool but have really begun to understand that the real issue is not schooling. Rather, the real issue, as Deborah's article points out, is "obedience to God's Word."
--Pat Marcum, TOS "Growing Homeschooling" Workshops
(pmarcum@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com)

Language Arts Question

Hi there,

I receive your newsletter and read many of the articles. Can you direct a question to the appropriate person for me? I'm not sure which homeschool contributor that may be.

I have an eight-year-old who will be nine in August. When it comes to language arts I'm just not sure what she should be learning. She works on spelling with her list words now up to 20. We do language lessons, which work on parts of speech and poems. I have her write in a journal and also do other forms of writing, and I have her do worksheets from the Internet that pertain to language arts. I'm just not sure how much emphasis I should be putting on the mechanics of language right now. Do I have her write in a journal and not correct it so she is only working on getting her thoughts out and improving her writing abilities? Do I give her something separate only for the purpose of correcting mechanics?

Please pass this along to whoever can offer up some advice.

Thank you!
--Becky King, Castle Rock, Colorado

Dear Becky,
If it were my eight-year-old, I would do some of what you are doing, and I would not bother with some. One activity I would drop is the twenty-word spelling lists, especially if these come from a spelling book. Those words are isolated from the vocabulary your daughter needs in history and other topics she is now studying. She may spell them correctly on Friday's test and then either misspell them the next week or maybe never use them at all in her writing.

A second activity I would drop is the language lessons on parts of speech--and any other formal grammar that may be in the lessons. An eight-year-old uses most grammar correctly, and learning that formal stuff will not improve her writing. When a sentence is not correct, read it aloud and let her fix it by sound. After she is a pretty good writer, some time in the teen years, she could study some units on formal grammar. Even then I would not continue through year after year to burn her out on grammar.

Plenty of research shows that grammar knowledge is not the route to good writing, but our society thinks it is, so you may not wish to advertise to grandparents and others that you are lightening up on grammar. Just show off some good writing now and then.

Reading and memorizing poems is good. The journal writing is good if she likes it--about half of all children do. Other writing is good. I would not bother too much with worksheets from the Internet unless certain ones look especially valuable or needful for your daughter.

Now to the hardest question you raised: How much correcting should you do, and how much writing should you just accept as is? First, I'll say to count writing in history and other subjects as part of your language [studies]. That way you won't need many extra projects just called "language." You cannot work for perfection in all those school assignments, but on some projects your child needs to strive for perfection in the mechanics of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, indenting, and such, because she needs to learn that the real world beyond school requires it.

The first project for perfection is letters to relatives or letters to the editor. On these, help the child fix up all the errors and have her recopy until you are proud to send them out. Some school assignments that she saves in notebooks or that evaluators may look over are worth some fixing up too. You can be more lax on some of the daily writing to enable you to get more schooling done and not get bogged down all the time with language. You could point out little problems and let her use an eraser.

Use your judgment about these matters and take the long view. Next semester and next year your child's writing will be better as you keep working. Don't stress over her forgetting today what you thought she learned yesterday.

Back to the spelling: If you want lists, make them from words your daughter misspells, and in that case the lists should be only five or six words long. That's probably how many she needs to learn on each twenty-word list. You don't need lists every week, because fixing up the spelling in writing projects qualifies as spelling study.

Conversation is excellent language learning too. All the talking, listening, reading, and writing will pay off. Quit worrying.
--Ruth Beechick, TOS Curriculum Specialist

Readers Helping Readers

Mom and Kids Beginning to Hate Homeschooling

I've been receiving your e-mails for a short time and love to hear about the issues people are facing in homeschooling. I do not have many homeschooling contacts outside the home since we are a one-car family and that prohibits us from going out much during the day, so I thought I'd see what people on here have to say.

My daughter is almost 8 and my son is 6. I started homeschooling when my daughter was around 4. She was very easy and I loved homeschooling her.

When my son started to show interest I started him on reading and writing. Now he is in first grade. He struggles every day with his reading and he absolutely hates school. His attention span is very low and I try to be patient with him but I don't know what to do when I sit there with him and ask him to write the same number/letter three times and he's still staring around the room. When I get firm he gets upset and it's all over. It can take him 30 minutes to write down three words for handwriting. I have tried to cut down on book work and spent more time doing science and history, which are two subjects he loves.

My daughter has also started to hate school. She grumbles about everything, and our relationship, which is absolutely wonderful during the rest of the day, does a nose dive during school. She gets angry about doing work and arguments break out. I have been trying very hard to remain patient with her, and the only thing that does anything is to give her consequences (go upstairs and calm down, no computer/games). This gets her more upset, but when she calms down she'll get busy again.

I have been wondering lately if I can do this any more and if they would be better off in a public school. I know this isn't really true and it is not an option, but I just wonder if I'm doing what's best for them and if I can continue to do it.
--Kim

Your Voice

Ahhhh, reading your letter set me back several years when our situation was similar. School was a drag at our house, and I was sure that everyone else I knew was getting it right while we were in full failure.

I look back and wish I just would have "chilled" a bit! What would it hurt to take a day for games and fun with Mom? How about practicing writing in pudding or in the tub with shaving cream? Try and mix up the plan a bit with hands-on activities. My son loathed sitting still for any length of time. When I finally realized that he was learning while wiggling I just let him wiggle more. I would let him play with clay while we read out loud. We used lots of sidewalk chalk . . . the whole neighborhood got in on the seven days of Creation!

My advice to you is to love those kiddos, cuddle them, read a lot, play more, and laugh together.

Always pray for wisdom. God is faithful to complete the work He's started in you and in them.
--Barbara Long

I am a homeschooling mom of four. I understand the frustration of a child not wanting to "school." So maybe if you take the "school" out of the home, it will be something your children will look forward to. Home is a place where children should be able to be comfortable in, be accepted, and learn. Don't turn your home into a replica of the system. I tried that, and we, my children and I, were very frustrated.

Maybe if you do two days a week of structured learning and the rest of the week let it be child-led learning, then you will have what you want and what they want. Sometimes as parents, especially homeschooling parents, we fear that our children won't know enough or that we haven't done enough. We think like this because we fear what everyone will think.

We don't want our children to grow up having negative memories about being home. We want them to grow up knowing that we made home a place where learning happens all the time, whether books are opened or not. So, close the books for a while. Take a walk, go to the park, or take a field trip. Let the kids do something that they enjoy. Hey, do something that you enjoy. Just remember that the most important thing in homeschooling is "home"; put the "schooling" on the shelf for a while. I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
--Shesta

Kim, please do not give up. The joy of homeschooling is that you are in control. The heavenly Father has led you on this journey to homeschool; just remember every day you homeschool you are bringing glory to Christ, through your children. What better way to please Christ. We are responsible for our children's education. If you are seriously thinking of state schooling, just think, if your children are like this at home surrounded by love and a mother whom they adore, what will they be like at school surrounded by 101 distractions? They would slip through the net of "education."

You are equipped with what they need as your children. God has led you on this path and will never leave you. Our 6-year-old daughter was going through a similar experience due to illness, moving home, a number of things. I was beginning to lose my relationship with her; I felt terrible. I prayed every spare minute I had, but I eventually realized I was trying too hard to make the school day the way I thought it should be. Instead, I let my daughter lead the way, and for nearly two weeks we focused on her favorite lessons: History, Baking, Bible Study, and Nature. We got so close, and now we start every lesson with prayers instead of ending the lesson with prayers and I don't make an issue of things. When she gets frustrated or upset, we go for a walk; we change the room we are in. A change of surroundings can make such a difference. I have also introduced new responsibilities that help her to focus on getting one thing done so that she can move onto the next. It's hard. It's not easy, but Christ did not promise days without rain or a lifetime without pain, but he did promise to carry us when we struggle and never leave us.

Remember, taking a week or two out of schooling will not harm their development; re-discover your children, have fun, and remember children learn without even knowing that they are doing so.

God bless and I will keep you in our prayers.
--Lorna

I had the very same problem. My son had no interest if he thought he was "being taught" something. So I changed my tactic. I never mention that what he is doing is a "lesson" or "school" or that he is even "learning."

There are many ways to "sneak" the lesson/learning in with fun and everyday activities so that your children will never even know they are learning (they're all curious and want to learn, but seem not to want to be taught!).

Math and science can be incorporated through shopping at the store (numbers, money, adding), cooking (measurements, ingredients, textures), going to the bank, getting gas, and playing games such as dominoes (where they have to add). Cell phones and computers are a great way to start a learning conversation about electricity, power, satellites, etc. Some of these things may only take 20 minutes, yet others get a curiosity that leads to a trip to the library to discover more. If you see the President on television, make a comment such as "Did you know his dad was our President too?" Take that simple conversation to a discussion about history and Presidents. Make a state map "dart board"; pick a different state each time you play as the "target," and they learn with fun.

Incorporate everyday chores, activities, and happenings into their lives, and they will learn. They will ask, they will enjoy, and all of you will have fun while you do it. Use your imagination and theirs will soar!
--Kathy

I have learned with my older children to find their big interest and try to have something in their day that will help them learn about it. Right now they love studying about fish, because we recently purchased an aquarium. Their uncle raises parakeets, so they also enjoy learning about them. They have done some reports on them for science.

Also, on Fridays we attend a homeschool co-op, which is a lot of support for us. If you can get together with other homeschooled kids, I think it is also support for the kids, because they talk about what they are reading about. Also, of course we try to pray more during the rough times. Hopefully some of this will help. I'll remember you all in our prayers! Take care!
--Marilyn Wessel

This advice may not sound very profound, but I would suggest that you relax and look at the faces of your children and remember why it is you are homeschooling. Is it so your children will be intellectual giants or to provide a safe and loving learning environment?

I have recently discovered books by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore: The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook and Better Late Than Early. They emphasize not beginning formal education until around age 8 to 10. I know that seems scary, but in my family I can see where this could benefit. Find their books (local library or online), read them, and relax. There is also a website you can visit: www.moorefoundation.com. Don't give up.
--Dianne Stamper

The Readers Helping Readers question and answers were taken from those that appear in our Minute to Minute enewsletter. Subscribe on our website at www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/e_News and join the discussion! Your question or answer may appear in our next issue.