teaching boys

Mythbuster: It’s Too Hard to Homeschool Tween and Teen Boys
"Could you talk about homeschooling boys? My son is driving me crazy! And you have six..." Back when we were on the board of our state homeschool organization, we heard that a lot from support group leaders. It's how we got started speaking and writing about boys and it's still something we hear all the time. "Once boys hit puberty,…
Boys Bummed by Math
Our initiation into homeschooling middle school - and the pangs of early adolescence - happened in math. Our oldest son was an early reader and just rocketed along with elementary math. We were delighted! And we encouraged him to keep working ahead ... soon he was two years ahead of his age group in math.…
Sweet Rewards
The other day, a college president called our boy. That boy. The one I wondered if I'd ever be able to teach him enough to fill out an application to work in fast food. It all started when he was small. I was pretty confident when we started teaching him. His older brothers all learned…
Helping Boys Love to Read
"How do I get my son to read???" is a common question when we speak about homeschooling boys. Here's what we've done: Be patient when you are teaching them to read. Earlier is not better when it comes to boys. The average boy five years old has the same developmental reading readiness as a girl…
Boy Secrets: School – What to Do About the Wiggles?
  This is one of the hardest lessons for a mother of boys to learn. We just think, Buckle down for a little while and we'll be done. Why can't you just concentrate for a few more minutes? What we've got to remember is that after a certain point, it's taking all his energy and…
Teaching Languages
This weekend we were at the HINTS Conference in Charlotte and I happened to have the most interesting conversation with Caryn Hommel of Excelerate Language. I thought I'd come back over and interview her so you guys could hear from her, too. Hi Caryn, tell me again why you believe the way most language programs work…
Preschool and Thirty-Three Classic Picture Books
This series of articles is in response to the question, "What curriculum do you use?" which we're freqently asked. Read the first in the series here. Don't miss the freebie at the bottom of the post! Preschool is a time when you can really hardly fail. You have years and years and years to make up for…
So, What Curriculum Do You Use?
Folks ask us all the time, "So, what curriculum do you use?" Let me begin to answer by telling you a story. Many years ago, one of my dear friends asked me the same thing as she began homeschooling her children. I was happy to tell her because I believed I'd found the very best…
ADHD: Maybe–But Maybe Not
Guest post by parenting columnist and psychologist John Rosemond     A mother asks why I don’t believe in ADHD. Her son has ADHD. After administering a battery of tests, a psychologist said so. According to the mother, the psychologist also said the boy probably inherited the disorder—a biochemical imbalance—from his father, who admitted to having…
Baby, You Can Drive My Doll
Several years ago, a friend of ours decided to eliminate gender stereotypes from her children’s upbringing. When her daughter was born, Mom bought trucks and construction toys for the child to play with. When a son came along, she bought him a baby doll. As it turned out, her kids weren’t buying it—neither one of…