Barbara Frank

I just read an article called “Thomas Edison: Poster Child for the Home Schooled.” The author shares some interesting information about Edison, for whom school did not work at all. His mother’s love and concern are what helped Edison become an inventor and scientist instead of the failure his teacher predicted.

Edison led quite a life: a millionaire before he turned 40, he earned (and lost) several fortunes in different areas of business, including electric lighting, phonographs and motion picture production. It was Edison who famously said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

I read a wonderful book about Edison while doing research for my upcoming book, Thriving in the 21^st Century. I highly recommend it to adults and to young people who are interested in business and innovation. It’s called At Work with Thomas Edison: 10 Business Lessons from America’s Greatest Innovator by Blaine McCormick.

There are always certain products that seem to be “in vogue” in the homeschool community. Some are fads, and others are of lasting value.

One book of lasting value that I bought when it was all the rage among homeschooling parents is The Book of Virtues. This anthology of classic character-building stories was assembled by former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett.

It’s a hefty volume, handily organized by virtues, i.e. there are chapters on compassion, faith, loyalty, etc. In each chapter are stories and poems with the appropriate theme. I used to assign certain stories to my children whenever I thought a specific virtue needed to be emphasized (I know, obvious, right?) Reading these stories often led to some really good discussions among us.

This is a great book for reading aloud to your children, or for your own reading when you only have time to read a classic short story as opposed to a novel. Bennett later introduced other versions of this book specifically for younger children. But I think the stories in this book are useful for reading to or by all children.

The success of The Book of Virtues led to Bennett editing another book, The Moral Compass, which is similar to the first book except that the stories are grouped by subject instead of virtue. We kept both books, even though we’re almost done homeschooling, because the contents are so good. Give one of these volumes to your children on a rainy day and I think you’ll find them spending quite a while with it.

Do you ever feel like your life is out of control? Like there’s so much going on and no matter what you do, you can’t seem to get on top of things? » Read the rest of this entry «

Teaching my son math has been a long process. He finally gets the concepts of adding and subtracting, but only in a very concrete way. Taking it to the abstract is too hard for him, so he doesn’t do computations with numbers greater than 100 as his siblings did when they were learning math.

He also tends to lose what he’s learned if he doesn’t review his math facts regularly. So I occasionally pick up new books to use with him. A new book holds his interest even when the concepts it teaches are not new to him.

Recently I picked up a new book for him called “Subtraction Secrets.” It was recommended to me by a clerk in a teacher supply store. This book contains 30 map puzzles that require my son to do subtraction problems, then use the answers to determine how to find a specific point on each map.

He likes these problems because they’re entertaining. I like the fact that he reviews subtraction, he learns very basic map skills, and he enjoys doing the puzzles. This book is reproducible, so I can keep copying the puzzles for him as long as he needs them.

There’s another book in the series called “Addition Adventures.” I didn’t buy it because the addition problems in it require the student to figure out one of the addends instead of the sum. For instance:

Instead of 7 + 5 = ___

It says 7 + ___ = 12

My son’s not there yet; it’s a little too abstract for him. But we’ll work up to it.

Here are sample pages for both “Subtraction Secrets” and “Addition Adventures.” The publisher recommends these books for ages 6-10, but I think the typical 8-10 year old would find them too easy. Six-to-seven year-olds will probably enjoy them as much as my son does.

I’ve written before that homeschooled kids tackle adult life with great gusto. At least that’s been my experience. My adult kids have eagerly embraced their schooling and/or work. In today’s world, that means lots of work hours and steady commitment to the job.

My son and his wife both have jobs that they love and in which they’re successful. Work takes up enough of their lives that they have to commit to spending time together. It doesn’t just happen. This is a lesson we all learn sooner or later, but they’re learning it right now; so far they appear to be keeping up with the balancing act.

But at some point they’re going to want children, and that’s when the balancing act becomes more complex. Men in particular feel the need to excel at their jobs in order to feed, clothe and shelter their growing families. But sometimes they can become so involved with their jobs that work takes priority over their families, and they can’t see it. » Read the rest of this entry «

We have a new book out just this week. And my husband painted the cover art! Learn more about this “new old” book below:

Do your boys enjoy reading? Do you have trouble finding books that catch their interest and are good for them to read? Then you’ll love Shovelhorns, the Biography of a Moose, and Black Bruin, the Biography of a Bear, two classic novels in one new book.

These two wildlife animal stories will captivate your boys. These aren’t namby-pamby tales but realistic adventures written by naturalist Clarence Hawkes in the early 1900’s: classic stories which boys will enjoy.

Best of all, you’ll get two of Clarence Hawkes’ wildlife adventures in one book. Readers of all ages will love these stories, but especially boys who enjoy the outdoors and stories that don’t hold back from telling about the life and death struggles that occur in the wild.

Shovelhorns, the Biography of a Moose, first published in 1909, is the story of a moose in the harsh woods of New Brunswick, Canada. Relive the life of this moose as he grows from a small calf to a great bull moose. Learn how his mother protects him from a fierce wolf pack. As he matures, he experiences his own adventures and battles, including his be­friend­ing by the son of a Northern hunting guide, and the inevitable time in his life when he must prove he is deserving of the title “King of the Wilderness.”

Following this story is another exciting adventure. Black Bruin, the Biography of a Bear, first published in 1908, is the story of a black bear in northern New York. You’ll be hooked from the start as you read the exciting circumstances of how Black Bruin becomes part of a young farmer’s family. This black bear from the wild desires freedom, and his strength and appetite bring him constant conflict. You’ll be enthralled reading the many trials Black Bruin faces as he strives to be “King of the Mountain.”

Clarence Hawkes’ storytelling will keep your boys (and you) turning the pages and wanting to read more of his wildlife adventures from this exciting era. Both stories are beautifully illustrated by Charles Copeland.

DOWNLOAD TWO FREE SAMPLES FROM THIS BOOK HERE: http://www.cardamompublishers.com/stories-for-boys.htm

Are you intimidated by the thought of homeschooling your kids all the way through high school? I was.

Do you worry that you’re not up to the challenge of homeschooling your teens? I did.

Do you wonder what it’s like, living with teenagers every day? I was pretty curious about that myself.

I never thought I’d homeschool my children all the way through high school. I wasn’t even sure I could do it. But I did, and I’m sure glad I did. But it wasn’t always easy, and there were times when I needed some encouragement.

You can have that encouragement, and get a little peek into the world of homeschooling teenagers in the process, with “Homeschooling Your Teenagers.” It’s an eBook with eleven articles* from the archives of “The Imperfect Homeschooler.” These articles are no longer available online….but you can have them for yourself now in Amazon Kindle eBook format for only 99 cents (reg. $7.95) by clicking here.

*Plus, there’s a list of links to online resources that will help you homeschool your teen for free!

Like many people, I began homeschooling by imitating the schools of my youth. I bought a boxful of curriculum, divided it into daily assignments, and taught my kids right out of those books.

And there wasn’t anything especially bad about that, except that after the initial excitement wore off, my kids started to get bored. Instead of being excited about doing school, they ranked it right down there with making their beds and setting the table—something we have to do, so let’s get it over with. » Read the rest of this entry «

He loved to learn but he hated school.

Does that sound like any of your children? Does it sound like you? If you answered yes to either or both of those questions, I think you’d like Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar. » Read the rest of this entry «

Woohoo! My newest book is out 

There’s nothing like the feel of a fresh new book, right fellow book lovers? And I’ve got to tell you that seeing my name on it and knowing that it’s the result of a couple of years’ worth of work is a good feeling!

Hot off the press: Women of the Old Testament: 14 In-Depth Bible Studies for Teens with Mother-Daughter Discussion Starters, a book I wrote six years ago for our daughter Mary, who was 13 at the time. » Read the rest of this entry «

I first heard about homeschooling when our eldest was a newborn and our child-related clutter was limited to a diaper bag, a playpen and a few baby toys and stuffed animals.

Fast-forward 26 years…..after two moves in two years, we continue to fight the paring- down battle of stuff even though two children have left home and two remain. In one box I find old bottles of tempera paints that are easy to pitch because they’re all dried up. In another I find a set of rubber stamps that bring back memories of my children stamping out their names in ink and coloring in the letters. Still perfectly good and made much sturdier than what can be found in stores today, they’re not so easy to give up because of their condition and the fact that they bring back so many memories. Multiply that by many boxes’ worth of art supplies, books, drawings, book reports, educational games, hobby supplies and small craft projects (at least I didn’t keep the big ones!), and you can understand why it’s taking us so long to go through everything. » Read the rest of this entry «

It probably doesn’t surprise you that I like reprints of vintage books, especially since Cardamom just came out with one and there’s another in the works (fiction for boys this time).

The vintage reprint I’m reading right now is from Popular Mechanics, and it’s called The Girl Mechanic: Classic Crafts, Games & Toys to Build. It’s a cute little book filled with a wide range of projects, all with the original vintage illustrations. » Read the rest of this entry «

….reader Linda D., whose entry was randomly drawn for a free copy of Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks With Over 125 Illustrations. Congratulations, Linda!

I want to thank everyone who entered all seven giveaway contests. I loved reading your responses! Makes me proud to be part of a fantastic group of people: homeschool moms 

Quite a few copies of Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks sold over the weekend (thank you, everyone!). We’re also so happy to be part of this week’s Classical Homeschooling Carnival.

Now we’ve added a free downloadable sample story from the book for those who’d like to ”look inside.” Let us know what you think!

to get your free copy (reg. $13.95) of The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling. The deadline is midnight tonight. Don’t miss out!