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One of the biggest fears within the homeschooling community is that homeschooling lends to the possibility of educational gaps. I hear it all of the time. The fears are real. As homeschooling parents we may not have had the training that school teachers had so we think that we don't have it all together and that those teachers have a secret ingredient that we are missing. What if our kids are missing out?
Well, let me dispel your fears right now. As a former educator with a degree in Christian education, I have worked in Christian schools in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and even on the mission field in India and I will tell you that there is no secret ingredient. The training and experience help, but teachers are always learning whether in the school setting or within the home education arena.
Having graduated one so far and with two high schoolers and two lower elementary kids still to go, I have found that as the teacher in the home I have more freedom than I ever did in the classroom. I can look at each child, assess their needs, and focus on strengthening their weaknesses while encouraging their strengths.
I had to do this with one of my teens and she has grown tremendously over the years because of it.
The issue was in her problem-solving skills. That area was lacking and I found that by introducing logic puzzles it would help her use parts of her brain that she may not be exercising otherwise.
Now, she sees something that needs to be done and is able to work out a solution using trial and error on her own. For example, my snapdragons in the greenhouse were finally in full bloom ready to be sold at the local farmer's markets but there was one problem—aphids. Those nasty white bugs were destroying my beautiful flowers. Knowing that ladybugs eat aphids, my daughter took the vacuum hose, sucked up dozens of ladybugs that we needed to deal with in our basement and then poured them out in the greenhouse on my flowers. The ladybugs survived and were happier in their new location. Two problems—solved!
Problem solving is an integral skill in life. When your teen goes to the DMV to take their driving test, the instructor is not looking only to see if your child can answer all of the questions correctly, there is a road test. A test where the student is put in a real life situation with real drivers and scenarios that your child could potentially be faced with. It is the same in our homeschool. We need to teach our children to know how to problem solve. At one point I realized that this was a gap that was missing in the curriculum I was using so I am always trying to be proactive in filling this so-called gap with advanced puzzles for my kids to keep their brains sharp.
Like I mentioned earlier, we do not need to fear gaps but when we see a weakness in our child we embrace it and strengthen it. Educational puzzles is how I combat this in our home.
IQ Gears, part of the Tenth Grade Timberdoodle Homeschool Kit, is one of the advanced puzzles that my daughter keeps on hand. When looking for something to do in between subjects, she will grab IQ Gears on her own and work on it. I got it for her to integrate into her curriculum this year but there is no need to officially add it, she works on it on her own. It's a game. It's fun. It's educational and available at any time. That is the best kind of educational tool by far! It does not have to be labeled “school” but it is an avenue for learning with piles of long-term benefits.
This activity includes gears that are the puzzle pieces. With 120 levels, my daughter is constantly kept busy as she is continually trying to level-up. This is the perfect activity for the homeschool shelf. Though created for teens, kids of all ages could give it a go. I highly recommend adding this to your home!
Disclaimer: Many thanks to Timberdoodle for providing this product in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
