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Welcome to the Parents’ Corner on CREATION.com!

Welcome to the Parents’ Corner on CREATION.com!

Parents' corner

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

For all parents interested in equipping their children, we are pleased to offer many recently published articles about relevant education subjects, several free resources, lots of inspiration, and much heartfelt encouragement. Take a look at the E-books section and download a free book - or all of them! We’ve included an introduction to the great variety of styles of education used around the world, some real science resources, and words of wisdom from veteran homeschoolers.

We are grateful to our friends at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine for their generous contribution of most of the content for this area of our website.

Would you like to know more about a particular subject area, or would you like to see additional themes featured in the Parents' Corner? We’re here to support you. Let us know how we can do that better.  Send us your suggestions and questions, and we’ll do our best to provide you with the information you request.

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Category Summaries

Getting Started

Whether you’ve chosen home schooling, Christian school, or public school for your children, the ultimate responsibility for your children’s education lies with you—their parents. The Parents’ Corner exists to encourage and equip you whether you’re homeschooling full-time or supplementing your child’s education with biblical resources at home. Welcome aboard! We are sure you will have lots of questions, such as:

  • Can I do this?
  • Am I crazy to even think about doing this?
  • Will my children succeed academically and be able to compete in the job market if we educate them at home?
  • Who can help me decide which curriculum to use? For that matter, what curricula are available?
  • How much does it cost to homeschool?
  • If I homeschool, can I still work full-time?
  • Are there support groups in my community?
  • How can I know for sure which education option is the absolute best choice for our family?
  • How can I excite my kids about being involved in their education?

We’ve gathered the information on this site to help answer these questions and more. We encourage you, no matter what educational choice is right for your family, to thoroughly review this information from veteran homeschoolers and families who want to help you succeed. We’re applauding your courage, and we want to offer help as you educate your children successfully, with joy!

Begin exploring the categories found on this page which provide in-depth information about educating your children!

Please note that while this area of the site was originally designed with homeschooling families in mind, and occasionally content will reflect this emphasis, all families will find useful resources to help them and their children.

Encouragement

All parents need a special dose of encouragement now and then—and let’s make that a godly one! You’ll be delighted by the wisdom, strength, and inspiration provided by the following articles and their amazing authors. Don your buoyant shoes and bounce back to a joyful life with the help of these likeminded homeschool parents who’ve been there. You’ll even find a medicinal dose of laughter hidden in there! “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might!” (Ephesians 6:10)

Staying the Course

Do your good intentions regarding your children's education sometimes fall through the cracks? Do you find yourself sluggishly off track and in need of fuel? It's important to be intentional about your children's education. What did you want to do with the kids this year? What are your priorities? Do you want more quality family time? Discover how to stay the course with fresh ideas and get recharged in the Lord’s strength.

Socialization?

If you decide to homeschool, inevitably the question pops up: “So, what about socialization?” Almost all conscientious parents worry about socialization to some degree. The information in the following articles may change your thinking about this issue. Is it really even a problem? Squelch your doubts, build your confidence, and learn how to answer even the toughest critics—including yourself! This is a collection of personal success stories, examples, research, ideas, and reassurance that your child is indeed being socialized in the best way possible, according to God’s standards.

Teaching Mathematics

How many moms like to teach mathematics? How many kids like to learn it? Is there a mathematics hater in your family? How often do you skip it for some other special activity? A bit too often? Don’t give up yet! Learn how to survive the mathematics wars! Be encouraged to stay the course, and learn how to make mathematics interesting, learnable, and maybe even fun!

Teaching Writing

God communicates with us through His written Word, the Bible. That says something about the importance of teaching our children good communication and writing skills! But teaching writing is one of the greatest challenges in homeschooling for some parents. Many students approaching the high school years haven’t had much practice in this area. Do we even know what constitutes good writing much less know how to teach it? What about the struggling reluctant writer? What can you do? How can you make writing fun for your student? Would you like to instill in your child a love for the written word and the Word of God? Find out the dos and don’ts from the experts, and get your students on a path to writing for God’s glory!

Teaching Reading

Learning to read is one of the most important skills your child will have to grasp and conquer. Why is it that some kids seem to pick it up by osmosis, yet others continually struggle? Many parents could use encouragement in this area, and they really need to understand more about the nature of reading difficulties, how to approach the problem, and how to work with and encourage their child in the process. Even if you have a 12-year-old who still can’t read, there’s help to be had! Enjoy reading with your kids and instill a love for great books in their hearts!

Language Arts

Language arts can be a challenging area for some who are trying to teach our children the “basics” of the English language. Don’t despair; there are fabulous resources available to equip you to do an excellent job. Included in this section are just a few ideas about the very best way to nurture your child’s language development.

Are your children naturally good spellers? If so, consider yourself blessed! Spelling is an important skill to master, and many students need extra help with this skill. Could you use some ideas and assistance to teach these spelling skills effectively? You and your children will benefit from the information you’ll find here at “Parents’ Corner”.

Do your kids enjoy opportunities to write independently? Encourage them to write poetry! It might provide just the spark needed to begin a fun, new, writing adventure! Take a look at our “how to” article about haiku, and then pull out your pen and paper and give it a try!

Real Science

Are your children reading and studying about real science this year? Where should your investigation begin? Is the study of creation scientific or historical? What is the evidence behind the creation vs. evolution conflict? How can we learn to refute falsehoods and present truth in a thorough, persuasive manner? Is it important to even study science? Why? What potential does a scientist have to bring glory to God? How can you introduce your students to God’s amazing creation in a way that will compel them to learn more?

If these are the types of questions you find yourself asking, take a closer look at these important issues. Become informed about the controversy and the arguments, not for the sake of argument but for the sake of giving your children an education whose foundation is truth, not conjecture. Let’s learn some real science and be enlightened to the truth—the whole truth!

Special Needs

With the exponential growth of homeschooling around the world, more parents of children with special learning needs are choosing to provide home-based instruction. Parents are discovering that homeschooling allows them to provide their child with a completely individualized education that caters to his physical or intellectual needs, allows plenty of time for hands-on learning and life skills instruction, and offers the child the opportunity to thrive. There is much support available through resources from parents and professionals who work with special needs children. If you are parenting a challenging child, you’ll want to discover the sometimes hidden blessings that are to be found and confront the many trying obstacles with Godly counsel.

Preschool

When does homeschooling your children actually start? Is it during the preschool years, or does it really begin at birth? What should you be concerned about when nurturing your little ones during this time? Are you making a sure path toward successful learning in the later years? How can you help with their language development? The preschool years are important years! The answers to these and other questions will be addressed here at “Parents’ Corner on CREATION.com”.

High School

If you are like many parents, you have concerns and questions about upper-level courses and how you are going to make it all work for your family. You may wonder about things like grades, transcripts, and diplomas. If you homeschool, will your student get into college or find a good job? As caring parents you need answers—the right answers—with ideas on how to encourage and equip your high schoolers toward their God-given purpose in life! Make your journey through the high school years a wonderful success with the help of the many authors featured in this list!

Charlotte Mason

Would you like your child to really relate to and learn from his subject matter? Homeschooling parents everywhere are enthusiastically applying this 18th century educator’s excellent approach to learning with their children: Exploring God’s creation through nature study; utilizing copywork and dictation exercises; creating topic notebooks; providing short lessons; instilling good habits; including fun, useful hobbies; studying the arts; enjoying real living books—these are but a slice in the pie of what a delicious Charlotte Mason philosophy of education may include! You’ll be encouraged to pursue a course of real learning (and thinking) with your children by means of joy, freedom, and beauty—Charlotte Mason style!

Classical Homeschooling

Have your children lost their “love for learning”? Do you want them to enjoy a quality education reading and learning from great living books (including history) even through grade 12? Educators are returning to classical education (a time-honored educational theory of the past) as modern educational methods continue to produce high school graduates who are sometimes illiterate, lacking in critical thinking skills, and morally bankrupt. If this sounds enticing to you, and a Christian worldview and learning virtue and wisdom are important, you’ll want to take a closer look at the lost tools of learning and discover more about a Christian classical education.

Unit Study

Do you want to really enjoy learning with your children? Unit studies are an effective learning tool which could be a fun change for your homeschool! Whether hands-on, literature-based, or topic-specific, you’ll want to find out more about these integrated studies. Do you want to supplement your curriculum choices with different methods and fun activities? Are you trying to build your own curriculum at little or no cost? Unit studies are a popular homeschooling choice! Make whatever you are studying come alive—discover unit studies!

International

Are you curious about what’s happening in the homeschooling/education area elsewhere in the world? What’s the big picture internationally? Would you like to read cross-cultural stories of how other faraway homeschooling families are making homeschooling work for them? Delve into these articles and glean the remarkable highlights of homeschooling from these international authors!

NOTE RE CMI’S HOMESCHOOL CORNER:

We’re grateful for the items supplied by The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) for this section of our site and are confident in their Christian stance and integrity. However, where there are references to external sites or third parties it is simply not practicable for either TOS or CMI to check these sites or individuals out in depth or on a continuing basis.

Thus, although all references were made by TOS in good faith at the time of first publication, neither they nor CMI are able to vouch for the ongoing credibility or stance of any third parties that may be mentioned. However, if we become aware of any issues that require it according to biblical standards of testimony, we will change/update the information on this section.