SPED Homeschool: Resources for Homeschooling Children with Special Needs
By Kathy Kuhl Last spring a friend told me about SPED Homeschool, a nonprofit and website serving the homeschooling special needs community. (SPED is short for Special Education.) Since the friend was Cheryl Swope, I paid attention. You may have heard me give workshops with Cheryl. (My review of her excellent book is in the […]
Prep for a New Homeschool Year
by Kathy Kuhl You’ve got your new notebooks, new planner, pencils, books, and new curriculum. The homeschool year is about to begin. It’s an exciting time, isn’t it? I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the promise of new books, notebooks, and planners. It’s a new beginning! So, think you’re ready? No? (It’s […]
Summer Holidays: Fun, fizzle, or flame out?
By Kathy Kuhl For most families, thoughts of a summer holiday–with family picnics, parades, fireworks, and other patriotic celebrations–are happy thoughts. But for some of us with kids who learn differently, they are times of stress. Are you longing for fireworks without emotional fireworks? Cookouts without meltdowns? Parades without panic? Manage your hopes You […]
Three Steps to Protect our Kids from Abusers
By Kathy Kuhl I don’t know any parents eager to talk to their kids about sexual abuse. But making body parts and sex unmentionable is more dangerous than being uncomfortable. I don’t want us to be paranoid, but “wise as serpents, innocent as doves.” This is a sad topic to consider, but ignoring it […]
Facing our Fears of Homeschooling
by Kathy Kuhl Since most families have recently restarted their homeschools this time of year, now is a good time to consider our attitudes. The start of an academic year usually cheers me up: new books, new tools, a new start. But some kids don’t feel that way. They dread the start of studies. They […]
Living with Grace: Making the Most of Life
by Kathy Kuhl Last month a gracious ninety-four-year-old woman was my hostess for nine days. Grace is a neighbor of my daughter. When she heard I was coming to Southern California to help with the new baby, Grace offered me her guest room, rather than let me rent a hotel room or sleep on my […]
Siblings of children with learning challenges and other special needs
by Kathy Kuhl When one of your children needs most of your attention, how do you take care of their siblings? Whether your child has learning challenges, medical issues, or other special needs, one of the many challenges you face is how to make time to care for your other children. How can you stay aware […]
The Motivation Breakthrough: Book Review
By Kathy Kuhl Review of The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child by Richard Lavoie Richard Lavoie is a world-class teacher with a real heart for children and teens. For many years he headed Eagle Hill School, a school for children with learning disabilities, so he knows about discouraged, frustrated students and […]
Review and refresh before you resume
by Kathy Kuhl As the holidays wind down, as we put away the Christmas stockings, and get ready to resume teaching our kids, take a few minutes to think about the big picture for your homeschool. Maybe your first thought will be that you’re too tired to get back to homeschooling! Take a day away […]
Giving Thanks
by Kathy Kuhl Homeschooling is underway, the weather is changing, and you have dozens of things to do before the holidays, so I’ll keep this short. As good parents, you’ve been working on your kids manners for years. “What do you say?” we prompt them. “Thank you,” they learn, even when it comes out “Tank […]