RSA Animate: Changing Educational Paradigms

The RSA or Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce is a fascinating organization based in Britain. It brings thinkers and speakers from all over the world to attempt to seek solutions for today's challenges. The talk above, given by Sir Ken Robinson, is wonderful. One of the things I love about the RSA Animate talks is that they're illustrated - and who doesn't love a good illustrated story? This talk on educational models tackles a lot in eleven minutes and is well worth listening to. Not only does Robinson address the outdated structure of our schools, he also talks about ADHD, divergent thinking, and the best environments for learning. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think about this talk and if you would be interested in seeing more like it!

Happy reading!

Online BFB Resources

Although we're admittedly late in carving out a little space in the blogging world, we have enjoyed watching the wonderful online homeschooling community grow over the past several years. It's been so inspiring to see all these homeschooling parents blogging about their experiences, curriculum choices, struggles, triumphs, and so much more. It seems there are now discussion boards for all sorts of topics, everything from using Charlotte Mason to homeschooling children with special needs. We'd like to share a couple online resources related to BFB. Jimmie over at Jimmie's Collage writes great curriculum reviews and she's recently posted a review of our History of the Horse study guide on Squidoo.

For people looking for interactive resources, one of our customers started a Yahoo! Group for BFB users and you can join it by clicking on the link.

This is a really great group with people discussing all sorts of topics related to education and using BFB curriculum. Some of the users even upload content for a few of the study guides!

At our website there are free resources available for download, the opportunity to review products, articles on education, and answers to frequently asked questions. 

And we're curious...do you blog? Have you connected with other homeschoolers online? What are your favorite online resources, websites, and blogs? Feel free to leave website addresses in the comments so others can be inspired as well. And if you've written a review of a BFB product, be sure to share that link. We are happy to receive helpful feedback, both positive and critical, as that helps us to continually strive to improve our products! 

Have a lovely weekend and happy reading!

Product Feature: The Revised and Expanded Geography Through Literature Study Guide

As many of you know we are working our way through each of our study guides and updating, expanding, and revising them. Our Geography Through Literature study guide is a perennial customer favorite. It's also a wonderful summers study for those of you looking to keep young minds engaged while also having a lot of fun and exploring new subjects! Using Holling C. Holling's wonderful books, Paddle to the Sea, Tree in the Trail, Minn of the Mississippi, and Seabird, students are exposed to much more than geography. In each fascinating story there are elements of biology, botany, history, and ecology. Follow carved model of a canoe with an Indian through the Great Lakes, discover the Mississippi through the story of a snapping turtle named Minn, uncover centuries of history observed by a cottonwood tree situated at a crossroads of American history and geography, and take to the seas with an ivory seagull carved by a whaler and handed down through generations of sailor. Each book is a door to another world and time. As a child I spent hours pouring over Holling's intricate drawings, so rich with detail. As an adult I now recognize the immense task the author undertook in writing these treasures; the research, the writing, the drawing. His passion for the subjects comes through each page.

In order to help teachers and parents get the most out of these wonderful books, our Geography Through Literature study guide employs the Charlotte Mason approach. Each lesson will help your students to read, reason, relate, and record using the discussion and comprehension topics, ideas for further research, helpful diagrams and illustrations, mapping activities, an answer key, and much more. There are ten lessons for each title and the mapping activities will utilize the specially designed Geography Through Literature Map Set. The full-color guide is available in both hardcopy and downloadable formats. For those of you interested in doing the study, we have a package with the study guide, books, and maps for only $63.95! That's an 18% savings!

If you have any questions about the study, feel free to ask in the questions form. And for those of you who have completed this study, feel free to share your experience and suggestions. We loving hearing from you and are inspired by the creative ways you use our curriculum!

Sir Ken Robinson on Education

One of my favorite websites is ted.com. It features talks given at Ted conferences by experts in science, health, history, literature, education, and much more. I find many of the talks challenging, inspiring, and thought-provoking. One of the most challenging lecturers is Sir Ken Robinson, a British academic, who questions the educational paradigms of our day and seeks solutions to the problems that face our school systems. He argues that our current school systems, with their emphasis on grades, standardized curriculum, and testing, stifle creativity. The importance placed on getting the "right" answer causes students to squelch their naturally curious instincts. He argues that the ramifications of this are widespread and dangerous. Like he says, "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." The implications of this for creating leaders who are able to think outside of accepted norms places us at a distinct disadvantage for finding solutions to the problems facing our society, whether economic, medical, agricultural, artistic, technological, or social. The following talk is fascinating and I highly recommend taking twenty minutes to watch it.

As homeschooling parents who have opted out of the traditional classroom setting, I would love to hear what you are doing to encourage your children to be creative thinkers? How do you uphold educational standards while fostering children's inherent curiosity? Or do you think these standards are artificial? How are your children inspired?

Over the next weeks I will be sharing more videos and I hope you find them encouraging and inspiring. 

A discussion on education

Hartlepool Cultural Services

When my family began homeschooling in 1984, I was four years old. Homeschooling was still something that most people were unable to comprehend and I endured lots of people asking me if I did school in my pajamas. My parents had to address the sudden spike in concern over the socialization of their children. Since that time, we've seen homeschooling grow, both in numbers and diversity. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s it seemed that most people, including my family, were choosing this educational model for reasons of faith. It was a matter of deep conviction. Later waves of home educators included people who were fleeing poor public school systems and wanted to give their children better educational opportunities. Others were seeking alternatives for children with learning disabilities or options for students who did not thrive in a classroom setting. The movement now includes people who choose to homeschool for all sorts of reasons and who come from all backgrounds, races, faiths, and socioeconomic circumstances.

Recently, homeschooling has attracted more parents with liberal and progressive convictions, and this has resulted in an interesting debate between Astra Taylor and Dana Goldstein. Astra Taylor was unschooled until 11th grade and is now a movie producer. She wrote an article in the literary magazine n+1 relating her experience and thoughts on education. Dana Goldstein, an education reporter, wrote a response to Taylor's piece in which she states that liberals and progressives have an obligation to invest in their public schools, and that includes sending their children to schools that may not offer the best educational opportunities. This exchange set off a firestorm of debate and brought up many fascinating points. It's interesting to me because I know this same discussion happened between many Christians when home education became more popular. People wondered if they had a responsibility to engage with their schools and try to improve them from within the system. Others argued that their first responsibility was to their children and nuclear family.

To the Best of Our Knowledge just hosted a fascinating discussion between Taylor and Goldstein. It addresses issues of educational reform, social values, and much more. You can listen to the entire program by clicking here.

One of the most important questions asked by the host was "What, for you, is the purpose of education?" I think that is such a fundamental question to consider when making educational choices. As most of BFB's customers have made the decision to home school, I would love to hear what you think is the point of education. And if you do listen to the program, what do you think? What is your reaction? 

Celebrating World Read Aloud Day!

Today is World Read Aloud Day and we at BFB think that's something to celebrate. Having grown up in a family where a high priority was placed on reading together, I can attest to the fact that those hours reap great rewards! Study after study affirms the fact that children raised in families that read together go on to perform better academically, are more socially well adjusted, and will pursue higher levels of education. One major study involving more than 70,000 people in 27 countries found that simply the presence of twenty books in the home was an indicator of increased propensity toward learning. Children raised in homes where there were over 500 books pursued between two and six more years of advanced education. Students enrolled in school systems where literature is no longer read but the emphasis is on worksheets and textbooks can overcome those educational deficiencies if they are encouraged to read at home. Books are powerful and if they are read together that power is multiplied.

Beyond the academic, good literature opens new worlds, encourages curiosity and wonder, develops empathy and compassion, and models virtues any parent would want to develop in their children.  A great story reminds us of who we are and who we'd like to be.  To Kill a Mockingbird has inspired thousands of young hearts to stand up against injustice and defend the poor. Miss Rumphius shows us the beauty that is always present for those who search it out. The simple and costly faith exemplified in The Clown of God pricks our consciences. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve evenings spent exploring the magical worlds of Narnia as my dad read aloud to his four wide-eyed children. We laughed at the hilarious antics of Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows. We bonded as Little Britches struggled through his difficult childhood in the wild west and overcame adversity at every turn. I remember my mom barely being able to finish reading Amos Fortune, Free Man as emotion choked her throat at the example of gracious generosity shown by the hero. Thus is the power of a great story, whether fictional or factual, it becomes greater when it is shared. A good story is not something that you can horde up and save for yourself, it is meant to be communal. Have you ever met a book lover who wasn't evangelistic about her latest literary discovery?

And, finally, good stories bond us together. Just as the ancients gathered around their fires and told the stories of Odysseus, we continue that legacy when we read with our children. That time of sitting close together and experiencing the same emotions creates bonds. It conveys to our children our values and beliefs. It creates opportunities for honest conversation, inquiry and explanation.

Today, we encourage you to set aside some time to share a great story with your family. On our Facebook Page, people have listed books that they are reading as a family. If you're looking for inspiration, that's a great place to check out. Also, please let us know what your favorite read-alouds are by leaving a comment below.  We would love to see what you're reading and what books you remember from your childhood.

Happy reading!

Product Feature: The Revised and Expanded History of the Horse Study Guide

As many of our customers know, we've been working on revising and expanding many of our study guides. With each passing year, it seems that there are more and more resources available to enrich each study and we are having a great time exploring new websites, literature, movies, and more. The most recent revision has been our well-loved History of the Horse. A favorite since its publication in 1997, Hilary B. Severson's guide has opened the wonderful world of horse history to thousands of young readers. We are excited to announce this new full-color expansion. Here is a rundown of some of the changes:

1. The lesson plan now features 92 easy-to-use lessons. This is to allow for ease of scheduling and students can easily finish the study in one school year by completing three lessons each week. This course also makes a delightful summer course!

2. Expanded background and biographical information on the featured authors. All our expanded guides now feature notes and background information in order to facilitate learning. The guides still encourage students to seek out information by way of assigned research projects, but we also know that sometimes having the information at your fingertips is a lot more useful and helpful!

3. This guide now features even more helpful diagrams and graphics.

4. The expansion also includes more comprehension questions, more research topics, more hands-on activities, more suggested readings, and links to interactive and informative websites, as well as suggested videos! 

History of the Horse by Hilary B. Severson, daughter of Russ and Rea Berg, and newly expanded by Joshua Berg is available in both hardcopy and instant download form. 

We would love to hear what you think of these changes and are also happy to answer any questions. Also, please let us know if you have suggestions for changes on any of our study guides.

Happy reading!