Surfing and Extreme Homeschooling
Surfing and Extreme Homeschooling
When director Doug Pray first met the family, it was the surfing theme that commanded his attention. But as he began hearing their stories, "I started realizing that this was not a surf movie at all," he said from his home in Los Angeles. "This was an amazing opportunity to tell the story of a family who dared to live differently. A lot of Americans fantasize about doing this, and Doc did it for decades. The title does make you think about surfing, but it's metaphorical. There are times I wish the word 'surf' wasn't in the title." Read more...
Labels: homeschool, sports
Why are Homeschoolers so Touchy about Subway's Snub?
Why are Homeschoolers so Touchy about Subway's Snub?
What, me touchy? No, not really. I'm just shocked by their blatant lack of public relations prowess.
Actually this story hardly mentions Subway at all. It's all about the growing Homeschool sports movement.
As a private corporation, Subway is free to include or exclude anyone from their essay contest, and can set up the rules of their contest as they see fit. So why -- beside the blatant misspellings that even the eight-year-olds caught -- are homeschoolers so offended by this?
Homeschooling has grown in the United States to the point where 3 million children are currently being educated at home. Will Smith homeschools his kids, along with Winona Judd, NASCAR drivers, astronauts, lawyers, professors, doctors, nurses, and truck drivers -- all of whom are finding this educational choice works for their families. Read more...
Labels: homeschool, sports
Homeschool basketball
Homeschool basketball
Most high school athletes compete on teams where they go to school, but what about teams who are home-schooled?Well the Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA) created a basketball team of their own. But one thing is missing. They never play any home games. Read more...
Labels: homeschool, sports
Wisconsin Homeschooled athletes more common in college
Wisconsin Homeschooled athletes more common in college
In Wisconsin the establishment prevents homeschoolers from joining PS teams. However, this is not true in all states and may vary within some states.
High school provides an opportunity to play and gain notice for athletes who seek to play in college. But for home-schooled athletes, it’s a different story.
Only students who are enrolled in a public school can play on an athletic team, according to Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, which leaves home-schooled students to fend for themselves. Read more...
Labels: homeschool, sports, Wisconsin
Homeschooled Tebow deserved Heisman
Homeschooled Tebow deserved Heisman
Once homeschooled, now a Heisman winner. No correlation here, just remarkable. UPDATE: Of course you can also find people who think he didn't deserve it.
The Heisman is sacred. It is not won in a race, and not by a clever political campaign, marketing gimmicks, or in a beauty contest. Tebow deserved it for what he did on the football field, what he did in the classroom, and what he did away from campus.
Remember, just two years ago, he was a home-schooled kid who was able to play high school football in Florida by state law. Now in this, his first full season as a starter for the defending national champion Gators, Tebow had a record 51 touchdowns -- 29 passing and 22 rushing -- becoming college football's first 20-20 man. Read more...
Labels: College, homeschool, sports
Tebow's family ties
Tebow's family ties
Another article on the close knit Tebow family. Tim Tebow is a Heisman Trophy contender and was homeschooled.
As a top contender for the Heisman Trophy, Tim Tebow, the sophomore quarterback who has been dubbed Florida's superhero, will have the eyes of the sports world fixed on him.
But while the Gator Nation anxiously waits to hear if he will make history as the first sophomore to receive the coveted award, the tight-knit family who knows him best says instead of focusing on a win, they are focusing on supporting the baby of their family, whom they affectionately call Timmy. Read more...
Labels: College, homeschool, sports
Homeschooler Snaps Up Heisman Nomination
Homeschooler Snaps Up Heisman Nomination
Veteran blogger Izzy Lyman is still writing about homeschooling. She gives us a view into this amazing home-grown athlete.
The December 3rd 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated will be of special interest to education reformers.
Next to the cover photo of Chase Daniel, the University of Missouri’s plucky quarterback, is a smaller photo of Tim Tebow.
Tebow is also a QB, but he conducts his business, not on the plains but in “the Swamp,” the football stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville. All of 20 years old, he is a serious contender for this year’s coveted Heisman Trophy, the annual award given to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the nation. Read more...
Labels: College, homeschool, sports
Homeschoolers enjoy team sports
Homeschoolers enjoy team sports
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are at least 1.1 million students who are homeschooled in the United States.
Most of them don't have a chance to play competitive team sports as homeschoolers.
Thanks to Homeschool Unified Sports Teams of Lafayette (HUSTL), local youngsters can play volleyball, soccer and basketball against other homeschool teams. There also is an organized cheerleading squad. Read more...
Labels: homeschool, sports
Homeschooling and the Globe of Death
Of course homeschoolers come form all walks of life. Show biz and sports are common motivations to homeschool.
A nearly endless parade of denim, leather and chrome streamed into Frank Brown Park on Saturday afternoon as hundreds of riders rolled into Panama City Beach for the seventh-annual Thunder Beach Autumn Rally.
Many of the bikers meandered through the nearly dozen tents that offered everything from boots to patches to new motorcycles. But at 1 p.m., most of the bikers turned their attention to the center of the rally, where a rectangular ring featured motorcycles flying through the air and two teenagers riding in the Globe of Death. Read more...
Labels: homeschool, sports
Homeschooler's shot at football rejected
A northwest suburban school district again denied a home-schooled teen's request to try out for a high school football team.
After being turned down by school officials two seasons in a row, Eric Bender, 16, hoped his request to play for the Hampshire High School Whip-Purs might get more consideration this year because it was put before a school board committee in Carpentersville-based District 300. But after consulting with the district's attorneys, the Policy/Legislative Committee denied the request this week. Read more...
Labels: sports
Homeschooled may soon play on UT school teams
Students who are educated at home, or who attend private or charter schools, would be eligible to play on sports teams and participate in other extracurricular activities at regular public schools in the districts where they reside under a proposal that passed a final Senate vote Monday. Read more...
Labels: homeschool, sports, Utah
The Crucible
Below is an essay my son wrote on the Crucible. This is one of those books you’ll find on many “must read” high-school literature lists, and is a classic that has earned it’s place there. Who can forget John Proctor’s sacrifice for truth. Read more...
The Pilgrim Adventure: Our America series Volume 1
Homeschooling mom and author Susan Kilbride has a new history series that is sure to spark your child's interest in learning about our Country's roots. Here's what she shared with me about this new title, and she generously includes a free unit study on pilgrims. Finn & Ginny’s parents are lost back in time, and the two young twins have decided to go back to early America to find them. Read more...
Zero the Hero
A child's first exposure to math should be fun. Forget repetitive drills and boring worksheets. One of my favorite books I first used to teach my young boys the concept of counting was the M & M's Counting Book. It's a fun and yummy introduction to basic math. I'd get other colorful books from the library, anything creative and eye-catching would work for such an important concept. Read more...
Fablehaven
Siblings Kendra and Seth are sent to stay with their grandparents while their mother and father cruise the Caribbean. Disappointed not to be vacationing with them, the kids anticipate the 2 weeks will be drudgery. Contrary to their beliefs, when they arrive at their grandparents estate, they are surprised to find a tree house, swimming pool, and a gigantic playroom full of books and toys. What they don’t know is how many secrets await them. Read more...
Mathematical Reasoning: Middle School Supplement
There are some kids who have an insatiable appetite and intense passion for mathematics. You may recognize the signs: cruising through math homework, A+ average, may watch extra math lectures, answers your questions with statistical probabilities, and looks for logic and reasoning themes in both games and reading material. If you see this love for math in your middle schooler, you’re likely on the look-out for puzzle books or supplements to keep your budding Archimedes challenged and happy. Read more...
The Code Book
The Code Book is a nonfiction book on the history of code-makers and code-breakers. It starts out with the trial of Mary queen of Scotts--whether she lives or dies is determined entirely by queen Elizabeth’s code-masters. If they crack Mary’s code and see the messages she had been smuggling out of jail are plans for a rebellion, she’s as good as dead. The book recounts the captivating, historically accurate tale of the evolution of code. Read more...
Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner
I have a struggling learner, and we had a tough 4th grade school year. Math was a chore. Writing was like medieval torture, and the basic rules of grammar might have well been a foreign language. It seemed as though everything I tried to teach my son ran out of him like water through a sieve. We needed help. When I heard Kathy Kuhl was speaking at our local homeschooling convention this past June, I knew I had to go and hear her talk. Read more...
Chord Buddy
I fell in love with the guitar when I was 12 years old and my romance flourished for over three decades. I still have the Martin Sigma Anniversary acoustic my parents bought me when I turned 16. I admit the first year of learning to play was touch and go - sore fingers, muffled sounds, buzzing strings. It seemed I would never produce anything that resembled music. Never one to give up easily, I persisted and eventually things clicked. Read more...
The Ultimate Top Secret Guide to Taking Over the World
As soon as I read the title of this book I knew it would be just right for my 10-year-old reluctant reader. I toss him at least 3 different books a week – he'll read a chapter (if even that) and quickly loses interest. A typical boy, he likes video games, playing outdoors, staring out the window, eating candy, and scheming secret plots to take over the household. Household today. Country tomorrow, and I'm sure world domination is in his long-term plans. Read more...
SAT ACT TOEFL: College Prep English Practice
Now that two of my boys are in high school, my ears are frequently tuned towards SAT information. When to take it? How many times? How critical is scoring well to future college placement? And finally, how should my sons best prepare? If you want to know the basics of the test, visit here. Should a high SAT score be your goal? Of course you want your student to do well, but the SAT is only one piece of the puzzle. Read more...
Zondervan Bibles
Zondervan recently sent me three of their new bibles - The Liberty, The Clutch, and The Bloom. Looking at them brought back memories of when I bought my first bible 30 years ago. I went to the only Christian bookstore in town in search of the perfect one. Even back then I was overwhelmed by the choices. Read more...
Crypto Mind Benders: Famous Quotations
The Critical Thinking Company has a vast selection of materials to both teach and allow application of reasoning and thinking skills. As I've mentioned before, I've used an array of their products over my past 10 years of homeschooling. I recently sampled their Crypto Mind Benders: Famous Quotations, a tool that specifically requires the use of deductive and mathematical reasoning skills. Read more...
Bindi Wildlife Adventures Book 1: Trouble at the Zoo
Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin (AKA The Crocodile Hunter), has followed in her father's footsteps with her desire to help endangered wildlife. She's been a busy young lady – staring in a TV show, designing her own fashion wear, traveling the world, and now she's the heroine of her own adventure book series. Read more...
James Madison Critical Thinking Course
I am a huge fan of The Critical Thinking Company's products. Over the past 11 years of homeschooling I have used their Science Books 1 and 2, Editor in Chief, Building Thinking Skills, Mathematical Reasoning, and Mindbenders. When I heard about this new critical thinking course, I was anxious to review it. If you need convincing about why you should teach (or you yourself learn) critical thinking skills, click here. Read more...
Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers
This collection of fun science lessons and activities are designed to offer hands on experiments that will satisfy the curious nature of children, while making it easier for parents to teach science. Kids love to pour, measure, taste, alter, and explore their environment. If you can direct their experimentation to teach a concept, then you are more likely to help them remember the material. Read more...