Vicki Bentley

34 posts

What to Do with Your Young Learner

Note: While this article is geared primarily for preschool, most of the suggestions are also applicable through the early primary grades. SEE RESOURCES listed at the bottom of the page.   A young mom writes: I’m new at homeschooling—I have 2-year-old twins. I want to teach them and get them […]

What About Socialization?

Q: What about socialization, and how can I be sure I’m doing a good job at it? Are there any tools to help me? A: It may help to first define terms: Socialization is the lifelong process through which people learn (dare I say internalize?) the values and norms of […]

Is my child ready to read

Is My Child Ready to Read?

Some of our kiddos read at age four, while others didn’t read till almost eight. One of my girls had no interest in even learning the alphabet as late as first grade, and I felt a bit panicked that she wasn’t reading at all in first grade, but she suddenly […]

When Math Doesn’t “Add Up” for Your Child

You know that all kids learn at different rates and have different strengths. But it’s still easy to get a bit nervous when your 4th (or 7th) grader seems to still not grasp concepts you’d think she should know — or that you know you’ve gone over. You get a […]

ElderCare & Homeschooling

An increasing number of homeschoolers are considering the question of whether to provide in-home care for aging parents or grandparents. Many of you face—or may someday face—the challenge of helping to manage a parent’s daily life of nurses and therapists, chemotherapy and blood transfusions, oxygen providers and medical equipment, prescriptions […]

Life is Still Messy

Let’s be real … homeschooling is not a cure for all that ails our families. Life is still messy. In fact, sometimes all that one-on-one time can really magnify shortcomings in our relationships with our children as well as with our spouses. Some of the most heartbreaking consulting calls I […]

Desktop Organization -- Everyday Homemaking

Controlling Paper Chaos

(I found this in my archives from almost ten years ago and realized I need to revive this system, as my desk paperwork is again running amok. Do you ever realize you KNOW what to do but just need a reminder?)   The photos in this blog (well, in all […]

Read Aloud to Build Skills and Relationships

Most of us read aloud to our little ones, but once they are able to read on their own, it’s tempting to leave the reading to the children themselves. No matter the age of our children, reading aloud is still a valuable family activity–even through the high school years! Hearing […]

You Aren’t in This Alone

Consider Your Local Homeschool Group I’ve been part of a local homeschool support group for more than 30 years. Now that I’m a “graduated” (aka veteran) homeschool mom, many of my friends are people I met through the group or other homeschool connections. My children’s homeschool group buddies provided the […]

flag and sparklers Civics for Ps through middle school

Civics for Preschool through Middle School

Why Study Civics? A parent recently shared with me that her family has been studying American history this year and has enjoyed learning about the Pilgrims, the battles of the American Revolution, and other stories of our nation’s Founding Fathers and their incredible faith. However, her family is dismayed by […]