Vicki Bentley

71 posts

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 […]

boys n pond

Keeping Preschool in Perspective

I didn’t go to kindergarten, nor did I have the benefit of a preschool program, yet I might be perceived by some to be a well-adjusted, academically adequate, productive person. When I was growing up, kindergarten was “pre-school” — it was not mandatory and not all kids went. Many kids […]

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 […]

What Should I Be Teaching My Child?

You may wonder, “What should I teach my child this year?” If your child is in, say, kindergarten or third grade or sixth grade, you may wonder what most kids might know at that grade level. If you are using an all-inclusive curriculum package, this may not be a pressing […]

To Grade or Not to Grade

[This post contains affiliate links.] At the elementary and junior high levels, grades are a progress report of sorts, a mechanism for a teacher in a conventional setting to let parents know how a child is doing. The report card qualifies and quantifies how the child is doing in school—in […]

Everyday Math for Young Learners

Mathematics is simply the study of the patterns and order in the world that God has made. It ranges from elementary arithmetic—the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—to more advanced math, the language of the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, music, and more. As Becky Cooke and Diane Kummer […]

A Day in Our Homeschool

As I type, Anna is curled up on the sofa in the school room, reading King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry so she can work on her History of the Horse unit (a Beautiful Feet publication). Leah is packing to join Anna and me to minister for a week […]

Kids at Home? Everyday Activities to Reinforce Math Skills

With the recent school closings, many parents are scrambling for some at-home activities to continue kids’ school learning. It’s okay to let your kids simply read, or learn about something they want to learn about, or work on a hobby. But if you’d feel more comfortable focusing on some core […]

Kids at Home? Activities to Reinforce Language Arts Skills

With the recent school closings, many parents are scrambling for some at-home activities to continue kids’ school learning. It’s okay to let your kids simply read, or learn about something they want to learn about, or take some virtual field trips, or work on a hobby. But if you’d feel […]