Table of Contents HEM March-April 1999

Articles

Taking the Road Less Traveled... and Then Stumbling - by Katje Sabin
Recently, a few of my deep-seated convictions about homeschooling have been tested, and this experience forced me to re-examine why and how my family learns best.

Cultural Diversity - by Yvette Dubel
My decision to homeschool was partly inspired by my desire to have my children grow to know themselves before meeting the labels society had in store for them.

Skipping Stones in Multicultural Waters - by Arun Toke
Recognizing cultural and ecological diversity to be essential components of our world, Skipping Stones promotes multicultural and nature education for everyone

When Being a Mom Isn't Enough - by Amy Hollingsworth
I was pretty darned committed to this motherhood thing. Still am. But out of the smoldering heap where I left my feminism wafted an ember with a little spark left. And the spark whispered, Isn't there more?

Taming the Tube: Television Access and Literacy - by Jim Dunn
The notion that the TV is neutral technology for communication, an objective lens on the world, is in this day frighteningly naive. We and our children are a product, packaged by the media and sold to their advertisers.

History: More Than Just Another Subject - by Heather Koppes
While dates are important for categorizing information and understanding the progression of events, dates and facts in themselves are pretty useless. We, as learners, just aren't geared that way.

It's Been Ten Years.... Does That Mean I Have Tenure? - by Sue Smith Heavenrich
I began homeschooling with only one wish: that my children would become educated. Not that I'd necessarily teach them all they need to know, but that they'd learn.

Lessons Learned from the Bowling Alley - by Janet Morris Grimes
As our bowling dates grew into a weekly ritual, I realized how much we were gaining from these excursions to the local Brunswick.

A Successful Field Trip is Just Four "P's" Away - by Beth Ann Erickson
As I stood behind the group of children surrounding our tour guide, it became painfully evident that the majority of the people attending this event were as ill-prepared as my son and I.

Homeschooling Journal -- Spring Day - by Carol Anderson
The undergrowth nearly reaches my shoulders on either side of the trail, and all that I can see of my ten-year-old daughter is the blond head that appears several yards ahead of me every few minutes.

Columns

Taking Charge - by Larry & Susan Kaseman
Curfews and Homeschoolers
As homeschoolers, we need to be prepared to oppose curfews, keeping in mind that curfews undermine everyone's basic freedoms and not letting the discussion shift to ways in which curfews can be fixed so they don't interfere with homeschoolers' community activities.

News Watch - by Linda Dobson
Home Visits, Public School Access, Homeschooling and the Military
Home Visits, Public School Access, Homeschooling and the Military

Homeschooling Books - by Lillian Jones
The Homeschooling Handbook
Review of The Homeschooling Handbook, by Mary Griffith

Good Stuff - by Becky Rupp
Pots, Bowls, and Mudpies: Clay for Kids
Pots, Bowls, and Mudpies: Clay for Kids, science, Cobblestone magazines: Footsteps and Appleseeds, Bethump'd with Words

So Many Books - by Joan Torkildson
Reviews of The Dragons of Lonely Island, The Life of Birds, Safari Sense-Abilities, The Children's Book of America

Notes From a Homeschooling Dad - by Jeff Kelety
The Boots That Wouldn't Float
Locomotion by means of kayak is a thing of quiet simplicity. no sails, rigging, motor, fuel tanks or even oarlocks. Just a slender, lithe hull and a two-bladed paddle.

Older Kids - by Cafi Cohen
Learning and Doing Science
Cafi's solid advice about teaching science to older kids.

The Homeschooler In College - by Peter Kowalke
Finding Accord with Journalism
Friends and relatives had identified me as a writer, and I had been able to mold words into paragraphs and loosely mimic writers when I was only 14, a scant year after learning about the concept of paragraphs.

Unschooling - by Sandra Dodd
Some families are less likely to play than others. Some adults have forgotten how.

It's Only Natural - by Barbara Theisen
Rise and Shine
When it comes to entertainment, nature has always far exceeded anything that modern technology has come up with. Convincing my two young daughters of this isn't always easy. However, our "rise and shine" mornings have proven a success.

Sunny Side Up - by Shannon D Vale
Public School, How Do I Love Thee?
Without a doubt, the blue ribbon award for most annoying question had to go to those inquiring minds who wanted to know if we were going to make our children homeschool for the duration. Their tone of voice suggested that homeschooling fell into a category reserved for the most heinous war crimes, pestilence, and the Black Plague.