Articles by Rebecca Groves

I am amazed daily by what we can learn: all the opportunities for learning and discovery available and accessible to us. This is something to intentionally instill in our children: the importance of looking for those opportunities and looking forward to learning new things. Is it just me, or does this desire wane as our students get older? As I get older, I am developing a deeper appreciation for education, specifically my own learning. I know this is something my mother and my teachers wanted for me from the very beginning and all through my years of education. It is what we hope for every student; what we pray over every child. It is also something we can, and must, model for every learner.

You've bought the perfect writing curriculum and even lined up a tutor, but is your student truly equipped to thrive? In homeschooling, success in writing often hinges less on the program itself and more on the personalized environment, tools, and process that make the subject feel approachable and owned. From discovering a student's ideal learning spot to curating fun, interest-driven supplies like favorite-colored pens or themed notebooks, and experimenting with processes like mind maps or free-writing, small tweaks can transform dread into discovery. Join your child in building a space and routine that fits them—you might just nurture the next great storyteller.

As homeschool curriculum consultants, we sometimes feel like Curriculum Detectives. We tap into our inner Sherlock Holmes to investigate further into the crisis at hand. More often than not, when we are talking with you, we are helping you dig into the situation—for example, possibly the situation of “my child hates math.” This is the presenting issue, but we cannot stop our investigation there. This is something the Curriculum Consultant Team at Rainbow Resource Center is doing every time we work with a family. We are equipped to evaluate each interaction through the lens of our FAMILY Way, our extensive homeschool curriculum library, and the hive-mind of the team to find the deeper cause. 

There are moments in my day-to-day life that reveal to me that I am still learning. As parents, guardians, educators, and adults, there are always days when we must rally. But there are mornings when you wake up and the weight of the world presses you down deeper into your blankets and pillows. These are the mornings when having a rally plan for ourselves AND for the education of our children is crucial. In these instances, there is more at stake than just not having time for a shower or your morning workout. This is the molding of our children's minds and their education. It’s worth the rally!

Sometimes, just getting started is the hardest part of the writing process. In college, my writing professors noted my ability to get content on the page and how this was a gift for a writer. On the other hand, the red pen was dominant on all my papers, and a few were “not worthy of a grade.” You might be wondering whether or not you should grade your homeschooler's writing assignments. In this article, we will look at some of the benefits of deciding not to grade!

“If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” How many times have we heard this saying or have said this to our children? When we are learning a new skill, whether baking, a sport, crafting, or math homework, practice does make progress! We have this mentality when it comes to learning new things. What about when we are developing a new habit?

With your children, you may have noticed that they lack a desire to learn or have developed an apathy towards discovery. Whether this is in a certain subject or even the curiosity for general knowledge. How do we spark and engage our students to pursue curiosity?

“The fourteen-toed sloth crossed the Mississippi River in a neon orange battle tank. Just so he could taste the wild palm trees of Nebraska.” While this may seem like comical nonsense, Mad Libs® educate children, and let’s be honest, adults, too! This silly way to introduce grammar practice into errand running, down time, or scheduled grammar time is a game changer for students.

Our language skills progress as we grow, mature, and learn. Squiggles turn to letters, to words, to sentences, and before we know it, we are writing essays, papers, and reports! The written word allows us to express our ideas, understandings, and findings to others. As this skill develops for your young students, a new skill needs to emerge in your personal teacher toolbox: the ability to evaluate, assess, and grade our students’ writing. So, where do you start?

When our littles wake up or refuse to nap and show big emotions, we instinctively extend grace and compassion. As our big-feeling little ones try to accomplish day-to-day tasks, we guide them, break down big tasks into small steps, take our time, and make things fun. When a spouse or a loved one returns from a long day at work and that exhaustion is visible, we evaluate, adjust, and extend grace as we interact. Why is it, then, that when we look in the mirror or evaluate our semester of homeschooling, grace can get thrown out the window?! We tend to be our own worst critics, and this has a way of derailing even the best things in our lives.