10 Great Ways to Encourage Your Gifted Young Artist

Classroom Help, Informative, Organization

Published with Permission
Written by HEather Idoni
www.familyclassroom.net
www.TOSMagazine.com

My husband is a gifted artist who never had formal training or even a single art class. He is known locally for his magnificent large-scale reproductions of works by Renoir, Monet, John Singer Sargent, and Gustave Caillebotte. For him, painting has been a relaxing hobby for more than thirty years. One of my five sons is very similar to his father, so when I began to see his talent blooming at an early age, I enrolled him in some ongoing art classes that had become quite popular with local homeschooling families. He went to one class and absolutely hated it! While other kids were pleased to be told what to do, he rejected this method of instruction. Based on the experiences I have had with my artistic husband and son, I began to explore other ways to encourage and provide resources for my gifted, independent artists.

A few years ago, our Homeschooling Gifted Email Group received a question from a mom asking for suggestions about ways she could assist her young son, who was showing an exceptional and natural talent for drawing. I thought the answers given were excellent, so from them I have compiled ten great ways to encourage your young gifted artist! (more…)

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The Crown of the Aged

Informative, Single Parents, Uncategorized

Published with Permission
Written by Patricia Hunter
pollywogcreek.blogspot.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

“Tell me again,” my mom asked. “Why are you homeschooling your children?”

It was a question my parents asked often during our first few years of homeschooling. They weren’t openly critical of our decision to home school, but they didn’t understand our reasoning and convictions either.

My parents were educated in public schools, and after they had children of their own, they were satisfied to enroll us in the local public schools as well. Though our parents’ choices for our education weren’t a significant factor in our decision to home school our children, they initially interpreted it as criticism of the choices they had made as parents. (more…)

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Reading, Writing, and Reciting Poetry: Bringing Back Lost Arts!

Classroom Help, Informative

Published with Permission
Written by Maggie S. Hogan
www.BrightIdeasPress.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

Yes, your family can enjoy reading, writing, and reciting poetry. If you take the time to follow the suggestions in this article, you may find that poetry can become a glue that helps bind your family together. Really! Consider this: Funny poems will get the family laughing, thoughtful ones provide conversation starters, and Godly ones can unite a family in praise. Granted, not all children or teens are going to jump at the chance to sit down and recite poetry with Mom, Dad, and little brother, but persevere! Years later, grown siblings will look back and share laughs about poetry time . . . as they carefully preserve this tradition in their own families. Let’s look at the “whys” and the “hows” of cultivating this tradition in your family.

Why Memorize Poetry?

Memorizing or “learning by heart” was an important educational element for most of history until the mid twentieth century when misguided educators decided that rote learning somehow dampened creativity and learning. On the contrary, the benefits to memorizing are numerous. (more…)

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