Education

Some common misconceptions and myths about homeschooling from the socialization myth to the idea that we are all religious.

In this article, you will find a bit of literary criticism, written with the teacher in mind. You will also find critical literacy lesson plans for this Frances Hodgson Burnett classic.

You can stimulate language skills, imagination, and creativity through simple activities with preschool age children. Learn more about how to do it here.

Choosing a preschool is an important undertaking for parents, but their diligence shouldn't end there. They need to keep a watchful eye to make sure the quality remains high. After all, operating a preschool is a business and owners are concerned about their bottom line and keeping costs low.

Teaching kids about the stock market can be enjoyable and relevant when you follow kid-friendly companies that sell well-known consumer goods and products during a stock market simulation experiment.

A fun science experiment. Grow your own salt crystal garden. It's easy, and uses items you have around the house.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, as part of his Series of Unfortunate Events, is both entertaining and educational. Follow this study guide to learn about activities that can make your reading experience even better.

Homework is counterproductive. It causes family stress and fails to help the child learn, teaching only resentment. This article explores why.

This article is about how to make history fun for young children and engage both their minds and bodies in learning about the past.

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert is a whimsical children's picture book containing a family of collage-art snowmen. Use the ideas in this article to augment your preschool curriculum.

It is vital for parents and guardians of special needs children to understand the importance of the individual education program IEP). An IEP ensures your special needs child will get an appropriate education in the public school system.

The Waldorf method of education is gaining in popularity, but the tuition is expensive. Learn simple, easy ways to provide the benefits of this method to your child at home.

Parents in the United States are enthralled with academic preschools, buying into the belief that earlier is better. However, research shows that play is how kids learn best. It enhances their imaginations, promotes exploration, increases vocabulary, and builds social skills.

One-third to one-half of preschoolers are introverts. There's little acknowledgement of this reality, though, at most preschools today. Kids get crammed into noisy classrooms with constant interaction and teacher-led lessons with little or no time for quiet moments and self-directed learning.

Easy and fun snow and ice science experiments for kids. Includes making frost, snow, icicles, dry ice, exploding ice, and more cool experiments.

Calendar, craft projects, teacher-directed lessons, worksheets, and "letter of the week" are part of the daily routine at preschool but are they supported by research? A former teacher explains why they're not only a waste of time but even detrimental.

The Montessori method of education speaks to the curiosity within each child and allows each child to blossom. Learn simple ways of creating a Montessori home environment that will enable your child to soar to great heights.

Uniforms can help prevent bullying and violence over appearance, and discourage the theft of shoes and clothing.

As I enter my 7th year as a teacher, I share with you some of my favorite websites.

Are you wondering how many hours a day you should homeschool, how your kids can make friends, or if it will work for your family? Get answers to frequently asked questions from a former homeschooled kid and current homeschooling mom!

Everyone hates homework time. But what if there were just a few simple tips you could use to make homework more enjoyable for everyone?

Book ideas, sample questions, and a step-by-step guide on how to start a book club for your child.

A weather guide to teaching children how to read the natural weather by looking at reliable weather folklore.

Want a science fair project using your pet? Full instructions for a quick and easy science experiment for elementary students.

It's a sad state of affairs today when practices at America's preschools don't mirror the latest findings in brain research and the critical relationship between reading, literacy, and play. Preschools are misleading parents, making them believe academic rigor at an early age is best when it's not.

This slime changes color with the temperature, due to heat-sensitive pigment embedded in the recipe.

Students from around the country receive invitations to join the National Society of High School Scholars. What is this organization, and is the enrollment fee worth it?

Choosing a preschool program is a difficult choice for parents seeking a quality early childhood education curriculum for their children. This article addresses several areas of concern and suggests questions and observations parents should make before deciding on a preschool program for their child.

An article on the benefits of including children with special needs in mainstream schools, and things to consider when doing so.

Public charter schools can be an excellent school choice for many, but there are pros and cons just like with any other school. Find out how charters differ from traditional public schools.

The transition from elementary school to middle school can be overwhelming for many students. Here are specific organization strategies to help middle school students be successful.

If we want preschoolers to express themselves through art and feel empowered while doing so, we're going about it all wrong. Open-ended art activities (painting, drawing, and sculpting) have been replaced by teacher-directed craft projects, much to the detriment of young children.

This is a creative craft project based around pizzas. The article also includes ideas for expanding the activity into other subject areas, including maths, English, gardening and history.

Same-sex or single-gender education has advantages and disadvantages, so why aren't more schools implementing this way of teaching? I discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

For history to be fun, children must relate to it. Sometimes that means talking about poop.

I am a teacher of dyslexic children and a mother of a dyslexic child. This is advice on how to help with school, homework, and self-esteem.

Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the Chinese calendar year and each year is named after an animal. This Chinese Zodiac is an animal story based on the great race and should be in your short bedtime stories for kids collection

Our country's obsession with an "earlier is better" philosophy is cruel to children in kindergarten. A teacher points out how homogeneous reading groups, too many standards and assessments, and the elimination of imaginative play are evidence of this.

Complete, detailed instructions, links, and videos for easy and practical science fair project for 5th to 8th grade students.

Erupting volcanoes and bubbling test tubes are fun to watch and more fun to make.  Creating strange mad scientist concoctions is simpler than you may think using stuff already in the kitchen.

School doesn't have to be a boring place! Learn how to enjoy school more, along with some tips of how to earn good grades, join a sport, or join a club.

Leading a prayer walk for your school? I give tips, ideas, Bible verses, and step-by-step instructions to help you.

Choosing a preschool can be an overwhelming task for parents, leaving them in need of some expert advice. A long-time early childhood educator explains what moms and dads should avoid by detailing ten warning signs of a bad preschool. They include workbooks, long circle times, and no philosophy.

Round up the kids and try these fun projects to add a little springtime to your home.

The problem of bullying in schools is widespread in many countries. Students who experience bullying fear going to school. One way to help them is to build their self-esteem and assertiveness skills.

Contains printable templates of roosters made from circles, hearts, and triangles for teachers who work with farm themes and young children. The templates are available in English and Spanish.

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader is a T.V. show quiz game that can be integrated into your lesson plan at school or even played at home? Children of elementary and even middle school ages can learn a lot of general knowledge topics, helping them turn into well-rounded, educated world citizens.

Beginning home-schooling is a huge decision and can engender terror in the hearts of parents brave enough to undertake such a commitment. Fear not, it's not so scary after all. First comes 'deschooling'...

This article will provide parents of some of the youngest gifted learners with a way to begin teaching American history.

These online tools and poetry collections provide guideposts and inspire children writing and reading poems in a broad range of styles.

Music education is highly important for young children, increasing math skills, fine motor coordination, and helping children learn the benefits of perseverance and delayed gratification. Think your child is ready for music lessons? Consider the age of the child, developmental readiness, and time commitment before staring formal instrument lessons!

You may remember the perceptual-motor program at elementary school: walking on the balance beam, crawling through wooden shapes, and skipping around traffic cones. It combined physical and mental tasks designed to enhance balance, coordination, and gross motor skills. It's time to bring it back!

A list of Indian authors whom you must introduce to your child!

We're now experiencing the effects of less play and pretend in kindergarten as children and teens have higher rates of depression, anxiety, narcissism, and suicide. We need only to look at Germany, Japan, and Finland to get back on track and restore joy and wonder to the classroom.

When choosing a preschool, it's easy for parents to get enthralled by all the bells and whistles: their child learning Mandarin, doing yoga poses, and studying the violin. Yet, a former preschool teacher tells moms and dads that developmentally appropriate practices and lots of play matter most.

Parents can get enticed by STEM activities, foreign language instruction and music lessons, thinking they will give their child a leg up. What really matters most, though, is a preschool program with a strong philosophy that emphasizes a learn-by-doing approach: playing, socializing, and exploring.

The labor of Puritan life is frigid compared to Kit's childhood of relaxing warm beaches. Living near the recent Salem witch trials, she must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice for those she loves

Teaching preschool at home can be a fun learning adventure for you and your child. Learn about some simple preschool activities you can do at home with your preschooler to help your child be ready for Kindergarten.

Four simple activities for fourth-grade students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math concepts.

Looking for ways to teach your kids about money? Find 6 fun and educational money games you can play at home to help your child identify the different coins and their values.

A teacher explains how hands-on learning at preschool makes children curious, passionate, and self-motivated. They see themselves as the source of knowledge, not their teachers. Sadly, though, hands-on learning is being diminished as politicians demand that kids get prepped for kindergarten.

Bilingualism is a skill that gives children a lifelong advantage. It can be achieved, even if the parent is monolingual.

For teachers, parents, and librarians, a thorough list of books for children ages 3-8 which exemplify everyday diversity. These books feature diverse characters in everyday contemporary life.

Concepts learned at school are learned faster and retained longer when kids actively participate in an activity. Preschoolers excel when presented with an opportunity to physically engage in their learning. The lesson plan outlined below presents a fun, active method of teaching kids primary and secondary colours!

If you hear something often enough, you're bound to believe it. Busy moms and dads, juggling family and career, are highly susceptible to hearing and believing incorrect information about parenting young children. Now it's time to set the record straight on important issues affecting their kids.

Honest and candid insight from a real parent. Connections Academy is an online public school serving grades K-12. This guide will help you determine if this is the right fit for your family.

Going against decades of research in early childhood education, preschools today have become more academic than ever. Youngsters are now guinea pigs in an experiment that may prove highly detrimental to their futures and society's as a whole.

Is your child gifted or just bright for their age? Is there even a difference? This guide goes over signs of giftedness vs. signs of slightly higher intelligence in small children.

In this article, I discuss over a dozen different board games that are ideal for the elementary school classroom. I include variations and resources for many of these games.

Compete instructions on how to do a science fair project and set up a board. Includes pictures, examples, resources and step-by step original projects.

A teacher explains what phonological awareness is, why it's important, and how parents can promote it, turning their children into strong readers, writers, and spellers.

Do you feel guilty for not paying for your child's education? Don't. Paying for college is hard in this economy. Kids learn responsibility for their actions and have ownership in their education when they have to pay for their own college tuition.

Obsession or ally? How Lego contributes to a homeschool education by developing problem-solving and fine motor skills.

Modern technology can distract children and teens away from reading, but don’t despair. There are ways you can encourage young folk to pick up a book.

Choosing a preschool can be overwhelming. A long-time early childhood educator urges parents to pick a place with a strong philosophy that attracts a community of like-minded moms and dads. She recommends Montessori, Waldorf, and play-based cooperatives.

Enhance your child's science education with an engaging, fun lapbook of plant and animal cells.

As a teacher and mother of an autistic son, I'm outraged when school officials deceive parents with the inclusion lie. Students with special needs require special help and full inclusion is not enough. While it saves money in the short-term, it has a long-range negative impact for kids and society.

How to teach children/preschoolers/toddlers about zoo animals before and while attending zoos and aquariums.

Some practical tips for organizing a children's story time program including finding a host organization, planning a calendar, and other common-sense logistical considerations.

Are you teaching time to your own kids or to your students? Consider using Velcro materials. This article covers time skills that students learn in kindergarten through 4th grade.

Alphabet recognition is an important prerequisite to reading and writing. Here are some fun ways to work on learning the alphabet, such as alphabet puzzles, books, iPad/iPhone games, and Android alphabet games.

Numbers, shapes, and other mathematical concepts pop up in many of our daily activities. Share these opportunities with your children as a foundation for later learning.

As our education system grows more bureaucratic, elementary school teachers are under enormous pressure to assess students and meet Common Core standards. In the process, though, they can neglect the whole child (body, mind, and spirit) and that's when parents need to advocate for their kids.

Full instructions for winning middle school science fair project using robot made from NXT Lego Mindstorms.

Here are declamation pieces that secondary students can recite for school or contests.

Children become fluent in reading with practice, and these free, engaging reading games hold their attention and keep them motivated.

Are you driving your child's preschool teacher crazy? You probably are if you send your kid to class in fancy duds, expect special treatment for your precious tyke, fret about her being bullied, and pick her up late with no apology or explanation. Find out if you're the pain at preschool!

Find the best books and resources for elementary school-aged kids to learn more about the human body, cells, and genetics.

Regardless of your child's age, there are things you can start doing now to ease the transition from summer back to school. This article has six easy tips to help busy parents prepare their children for academic success. Plan ahead to enjoy a painless transition.

Christian craft projects for kids: ideas for Sunday school, vacation Bible school, CCD classes and home school.

It's a tragedy that the focus of preschool has become increasingly narrow with many parents now seeing it as merely a time to prepare kids for kindergarten. This short-sighted stance results in youngsters who are less creative, less curious, and less communicative.

Simple steps for easy early elementary school Science Fair Project. Teach your child or a group of children how to do a Science Project.

A comprehensive guide to help you teach your child to read in 30 days, designed for parents who are homeschooling or pre-schooling their children.

This article features activities in a lesson to help students with vision loss and others manage and organize money.

Looking for a great science fair project? Love to chew gum? Here you'll find complete instructions for gum science fair projects, with photos and videos. Sample project too!

There are pros and cons for uniform school dress codes. Should public schools have dress codes and uniforms? Do they really make a difference?

How do you explain space to kids? Here are some facts about space for kids, and fun activities for the whole family!

Most preschools have at least one circle time as part of their daily routine. Research, though, shows kids learn more with small group activities, kinesthetic learning, and hands-on exploration. Why then are circle times getting longer and being overused?

Tips to running a toddler classroom while keeping structure and order in a room full of one year olds.

Ever wonder if the songs you're singing to your children had a double meaning? Here you'll find the theories or life events that sparked each rhyme.