Q: My child is a math whiz, but his work is so sloppy that he sometimes makes silly mistakes. What can I do to help him clean up his work?

A: Here are three tricks you can try to increase neatness with math assignments:
1. Have the student use graph paper. Allow only one number per box.
2. Require fewer daily problems. If your student knows he only has 15 problems to do rather than 30, he's less likely to rush through the assignment. If he's really a math whiz, maybe he's just bored with the routine. You might also consider assigning enrichment activities along with the daily lesson to encourage critical and creative thinking skills.
3. Give rewards or points for neatness. For example, give 1 point for the correct answer and a half point for readability and form; this is especially motivating for a high school student who needs excellent grades on his transcripts for college admission and scholarships. For younger students, you can let him earn stickers on a chart for each neat paper; he can trade in 10 stickers for a small prize; middle school students enjoy trading points for privileges.

In addition, I'd require the student to re-do any problem that is missed due to sloppiness and any problem for which you cannot read the answer.

Be sure that your child understands the reason why you require neatness. Discuss what might happen if a doctor, pharmacist, engineer or other person who uses math daily made an error due to sloppiness. What could the consequences be? We must always give our best effort in order to honor God and also to be effective with the job He has given us to do.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

My husband considered calling into his office this morning to say he couldn't get up due to overeating. We decided that this would be a bad career move, and drove two and a half hours to Iowa from Missouri early this morning so he could be back at work on time.

I'm sure you, too, are as stuffed as your grandmother's sofa, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to depart from my usual FAQ format and reflect on the reasons why I'm thankful to be a home schooling mom this year.

My Top Ten List In No Particular Order
1. I get to determine my own schedule and calendar.
2. I get the pleasure of all the light bulb moments.
3. I get to smile when my 5 year old sticks his tongue inside his cheek and grins with his big blue eyes because he's feeling proud of himself for reading.
4. I get to answer questions like, "Where's heaven?" and "Does hell have a door?" whenever the questions beg for an answer. No one has to wait until it's time for Bible class to talk about the Bible.
5. My three year old can cut instead of color if she asks nicely.
6. Smelly stickers. I also appreciate scented ink pads.
7. I get to learn something new every day.
8. I get to pray with my kids any time.
9. I get to hear my 3 year old recite the pledge of allegiance everyday.
10. Life is school, and school isn't life.

I hope you take some time to consider why you're thankful for home schooling this season. The freedom we have in America to educate our kids at home is a blessing. Let's work and pray together to guard that freedom.

Blessings,
Mrs. Sherry

Q: Okay, this is probably a dumb question, but what exactly is social studies, anyway?

A: Well, first of all, we know that there are no dumb questions, right?

Social studies is a blanket term which includes all branches of social sciences studies. These branches include primarily history, geography, and economics. It can also include, however, anthropology, psychology, sociology or any other discipline that focuses on individual development of persons, or how people interact with their environment or other people (hence the "social" part of the term).

If your high school student needs 3 social studies credits to graduate, he/she might complete classes from a list such as US History, world history, Bible history, Bible geography, old world history, world geography, state history, consumer economics, general psychology, or general sociology.

I recommend that all high school students take US history, world history and a modern geography course. Other social studies classes should be chosen as electives based on student interest.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

Q: We've decided to pull our 2 kids out of traditional school and home school after Christmas. I'm not a teacher, and I have no idea where to start. What do I do first?

A: Here are a few comments that I hope will steer you toward home schooling success:

1. First, realize that you don't have to be a "teacher" to home school. My education and professional experiences have helped me as a home school mom, but I know plenty of home school moms from a variety of backgrounds outside of education who do a fantastic job! My advice is to find one of those moms and ask her to help you get started.
2. Contact the Home School Legal Defense Association (hslda.org) to get the scoop on the laws in your state.
3. Find out from that great home school mom I mentioned earlier what support groups or co-ops are available in your area. Choose ONE that seems best, and get involved.
4. There are so many curriculum options and teaching/learning styles out there that the choices are often dizzying to new home schoolers. My advice is to choose a traditional, complete curriculum as you begin, and after you get your feet wet, feel free to begin to experiment. Do only what your state REQUIRES if you feel overwhelmed; in other words, stick to the basics, and don't worry about foreign language study, keyboarding and under-water basket weaving for now.

Everyone has an opinion about what curriculum is best, but my personal "traditional" favorites are A Beka (which most consider to be advanced), or Alpha Omega Life Pacs (simple to use, especially for those who need help with goal setting). If you're really nervous, you can always look into DVD or correspondence options.

If your children have special needs, the issue of curriculum can get a little stickier; that's where that helpful, experienced home school mom comes in again. It's always wise to learn from someone who's walked a little farther down the road than you have.

I hope this helps! If you have more specific questions regarding getting started, or if you're an experienced home school mom with more advice, please click on comments and share your thoughts.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

Q: Can you share some of your favorite ideas and resources for Christmas?

A: My husband, whom we affectionately call Clark (as in Clark Griswold), starts playing Christmas music in September around here. His theory is that if Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we'd better decorate, sing and celebrate like there's no tomorrow!

Here are a some of my favorite Christmas books:

Christmas in My Heart, A Treasury of Old-Fashioned Christmas Stories, edited by Joe Wheeler, Review and Herald Publishing (I got mine at Focus on the Family bookstore.) There are several volumes available; the short stories are wonderful read alouds, or are great literature assignments for older students. The vocabulary is great.

Just for Fun! Our favorite Christmas poetry book to read for giggles is Bob by Sandra Boynton. It's an oversized board book with whimsical rhymes published by Little Simon, Simon and Schuster.

The Best Thing About Christmas by Christine Tangvald, Standard Publishing; This book is so fun to read aloud with young children! I've used it often with small groups of pre-k children. It's fun to put objects related to each page in a large Christmas gift bag and pull them out as you read about them. The book tells about all the fun things about celebrating Christmas, but repeats the phrase, "but that's not the BEST thing about Christmas..." until the author reveals that the best thing is Jesus!

Bright Star, Bright Star, What Do You See? by Cassandre Maxwell, Augsburg Publishing; This beautiful book is patterned after the popular Brown Bear, Brown Bear book. Each page also features a small picture that represents a name of Christ.

The "J" is for Jesus (a rhyming board book that simplifies the candy cane story) by Alice Davidson, Zonderkidz Publishing; This book is easily memorized for a Christmas pageant or family presentation.

My Birthday, Jesus' Birthday, Holly Davis, Zondervan Publishing; This is a delightful book that compares the circumstances of a modern child's birth with Christ's.

The Pine Tree Parable, by Liz Curtis Higgs, Tommy Nelson Publishing; This is a great book from the seasonal series by Higgs.

What Nick and Holly Found in Grandpa's Attic and Adorenaments Activity Book (book and activities featuring the names of Christ) by Family Life

Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas by Susan Titus Osborn and Christine Tangvald, Standard Publishing (This is out of print, but is the best "around the world" book I've seen for younger children; I just met the author, and she has copies available for purchase. You can contact Susan Osborn at susanosb@aol.com; she'd probably even autograph it for you. I only paid $5 at the conference for the book, but the regular price plus s/h might be more.) Note: A member of our local home school group uses the "around the world" idea and writes to missionaries to collect more info about international Christmas customs. Then they pray and support the missionaries with whom they correspond. Great idea! Thanks for sharing it!

And, here's a Christmas reading project Idea: Have children record the story of the nativity from Luke, or a favorite Christmas book, onto an audio tape. Children can ring a jingle bell to indicate page turns, and older kids might enjoy adding extra sound effects. This makes a great, inexpensive gift for nursing home patients, grandparents or younger siblings or cousins!

I'll add more ideas throughout the advent season.

Have a great weekend, and take a break! We're decorating the tree today, and spending our time baking and drinking hot cocoa and enjoying each other's company. If you think of it, please pray for "Clark." Electricity can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry