Ten reader-favorite how-tos from the archives: Reading, notebooking, narrating & more!
Tag Archives: Beechick Basics
10 Favorite How-Tos {2019–2020}
Ten favorite How-Tos from the archives: 1. Skill Subjects vs. Content Subjects {The Key to Simplifying} 2. Teach a Child to Read: The Natural Way 3. Language Arts the Natural Way: Narrating 4. 14 Forms of Writing for the Older Student: Character Sketch 5. 10 Ways to Use Notebooking: #3Continue reading “10 Favorite How-Tos {2019–2020}”
7 Lessons for Teaching Writing
We learn to write by reading and writing. This natural method of learning to write is actually the MOST effective way to learn.
10 Steps to Build a Better Speller
Memorize your weekly spelling word list, ace the test, promptly delete that information — sometimes permanently! If you were one of those students who could get A’s in spelling — without ever becoming a competent speller — this one is for you (and your students!).
Letter Generator Interactive {Free}
After a child is able to write comfortably, he will need things to write. We have suggested 8 writing activities for the younger student — one of which is writing a letter. This free Letter Generator interactive at ReadWriteThink.org is an excellent guide for the younger writer. The letter generator provides an easy way toContinue reading “Letter Generator Interactive {Free}”
Activity: Measure Length and Distance
Here are ideas for exploring measuring length and distance — in a natural way:
First Year in Number {Free eBook}
One of the things Dr. Ruth Beechick always recommended when it comes to arithmetic and young children is to start with the concrete. This is the advantage you will find in a book like First Year in Number by Franklin Hoyt and Harriet Peet. With real objects, three-year-olds can do problems that are not introducedContinue reading “First Year in Number {Free eBook}”
NASA Pre-K – 2 Educator Guide {Free}
If you are looking for a hands-on science option geared toward young children, you may enjoy this free, 104-page K–2 Educator Guide from NASA! 3…2…1…Liftoff! is a multi-discipline approach to science in the early years. Subtitled An Educator’s Guide With Activities in Science, Mathematics, Technology, and Language Arts, the guide offers a complete listing ofContinue reading “NASA Pre-K – 2 Educator Guide {Free}”
Skill Subjects vs. Content Subjects {The Key to Simplifying}
Here is the key to simplifying home education — understand the difference between skill subjects and content subjects.
6 Ways to Encourage Your Children to Pursue Their Interests
In the midst of academic basics, scopes and sequences, record keeping, and chores, here are 6 ways to encourage your children to pursue their interests.
Making Wise Curriculum Purchases: Math
Math is one of those areas where we tend to struggle. Our frustrations in this area tend to stem from one of a handful of problems: A particular math curriculum just doesn’t seem to fit a particular child. There are too many activities associated with each lesson. Our child is not “getting it.” The materialContinue reading “Making Wise Curriculum Purchases: Math”
Teach a Child to Read: The Natural Way
Teaching a child to read is one of the areas that we tend to make more complicated than it needs to be. One easy solution is to simply teach a child to read in a natural way. Frequently, many of our problems in this area stem from simple impatience! We tend to start before ourContinue reading “Teach a Child to Read: The Natural Way”
3 Ways to Develop Critical Thinking Skills
In a chapter titled “Thinking Skills” in her book A Biblical Home Education, Ruth Beechick explains that we don’t need a “thinking” class. Instead we want our children to apply critical thinking skills to every subject. She relates an anecdote involving four children, five and under, whose mother has helped them think about the factContinue reading “3 Ways to Develop Critical Thinking Skills”
Language Arts the Natural Way: Dictation
We started by reading to our child, familiarizing him with language. At some point we had him narrate to us what was read, absorbing the language. Our child traced his name. Then he began copying — letters, sentences, paragraphs. Now that he is familiar with language and has been writing comfortably for some time, weContinue reading “Language Arts the Natural Way: Dictation”
Language Arts the Natural Way: Copying
Once a child is comfortable holding a pencil, he can begin copying. Rather than starting with copywork, some prefer to start with tracing. Probably your child’s first writing lesson was when you printed his name and he traced it or copied it. Or maybe you started even earlier with one letter instead of a word….Continue reading “Language Arts the Natural Way: Copying”
Language Arts the Natural Way: Narrating
Narrating employs all of the skills we use in writing — but without the pencil.
Language Arts the Natural Way: Reading
Most great writers are great readers. That makes sense if you consider that, by reading, an authors’ words and the way they are used are input, and “copied” when we write — albeit with our own words and style. Someone once said that the books I read will make the difference between who I wasContinue reading “Language Arts the Natural Way: Reading”
Language Arts the Natural Way: Introduction
Before your child reaches school age, does he know how to talk? How did he learn? Did you pull out the flashcards, go over grammar, show him diagrams of how to form sounds with his mouth, use neat ditties to encourage that sound out of the mouth? Probably not. More likely he simply imitated youContinue reading “Language Arts the Natural Way: Introduction”
Alpha-Phonics Workbook {Free}
Alpha-Phonics workbook free. There really is nothing more natural than teaching a child to read — much like we teach him to walk or talk — but we make it more complicated than it needs to be.
10 Ways to Become a Better Editor of Your Child’s Writing
What if I don’t feel competent to edit my child’s writing? 10 ways to become a better editor.
How to Use Noah Webster’s Reading Handbook
Noah Webster’s Reading Handbook published by Christian Liberty Press is a great inexpensive option for those who feel they need more guidance than is offered in A Home Start in Reading by Ruth Beechick. The Reading Handbook uses the same method, but is already laid out for you in lessons. Cathy Duffy recommends Noah Webster’sContinue reading “How to Use Noah Webster’s Reading Handbook”
6 Ways to Get the Most from Literature-Based Studies
Wonderful literature is a necessary complement to learning no matter what methods we use to educate our children. But for those who rely on a literature-based approach, it is particularly important to process what we read. If you wish to move items from your surface, short-term memory to long-term storage, you must process them inContinue reading “6 Ways to Get the Most from Literature-Based Studies”
“Natural” Language Arts Scope and Sequence {Free}
One of the problems with doing things the “natural” way is also one of its key benefits — freedom. We do hear occasionally from those homeschool moms who really like the idea of educating their children in a more natural way, but who also struggle to find the structure necessary to implement any plan. StructureContinue reading ““Natural” Language Arts Scope and Sequence {Free}”
10 Reasons Why You are Your Child’s Best Teacher
You don’t have to worry about school reform, specialized training, educational psychology, classroom management, or a host of other burdens teachers today face. You can simply teach your own child. The best form of education is individualized one-on-one tutoring. That is what we do when we educate our children at home. Because you are yourContinue reading “10 Reasons Why You are Your Child’s Best Teacher”
