Python for Kids is a book from No Starch Press that aims to teach kids ages 10 and up and their parents about the Python programming language. I happen to have an 11 year old daughter for convenient review purposes, so we’ve been working through the book together.
Continue ReadingThere’s no substitute for direct, hands-on, person-to-person learning.
Continue ReadingExciting news for kids, parents, and autodidacts everywhere! Khan Academy, the innovative online platform that brings free education to the masses, has added computer science to their already stellar lineup of subjects. John Resig, Khan Academy’s Dean of Computer Science, describes the new offerings on his blog: We’re releasing a completely new platform that targets […]
Continue ReadingMany of us at GeekMom homeschool our kids, for a variety of reasons. I’ve homeschooled my kids from the start. My daughter just finished up fifth grade, and my son, second grade. Each of them has gotten a slightly different educational experience, due to available materials, my choices, and their strengths and weaknesses. Every year, usually in the spring, I start thinking about how to approach homeschooling for the fall. I make a list of materials to reuse, materials to buy, and websites and other resources to include. I think about how to approach the year, and how to structure our school time. And as my kids get older and life gets busier, I require more independence and personal responsibility from my kids.
Continue ReadingNot long after my children returned to public school after two-and-a-half years of homeschooling, it started. At this point, my older son was in 8th grade and so gym meant changing in a locker room with the other kids in his class. A couple of his peers developed a habit of coming up behind my […]
Continue ReadingWant to cause a ruckus? Criticize attention-deficit meds. Over three million U.S. kids take these drugs to help them stay calm and attentive. Parents may not be thrilled to dose their children but they are following expert advice to improve behavior and school performance. They tend to see results. And they don’t need to be […]
Continue ReadingWhat drives big thinkers, creators, and leaders who achieve success on their own terms? Jamie McMillin wanted to find out, hoping her quest would help her raise and educate her own two children. She delved into biographies of luminaries including Margaret Mead, Pearl Buck, Marie Curie, Louis Armstrong, Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Beatrix […]
Continue ReadingI received lots of kudos for getting to interview Joy Hakim. Maybe this is because most of my friends are geeks of some sort, most homeschool their kids, and we all have read Joy’s books, amazed at how she draws us into learning so easily with her gift of storytelling. I hope you enjoy this […]
Continue ReadingSnoopy dance! My son was accepted! My homeschooled son was accepted to University of Hawaii, Maui! But wait a minute. If you read the post I wrote about interest-led learning during GeekMom’s education week, you might remember me saying that my son had opted NOT to apply for college. He’s a musician, that boy. He’d […]
Continue ReadingSAT language scores aren’t near the levels seen in the early 1970’s. Some test-takers resort to cheating, most recently seven teens from Great Neck, NY, who hired an impersonator to stand in (well, sit in) for them. The company that administers the SAT estimates cheating, mostly by collaboration, occurs in only one-tenth of 1 percent of […]
Continue ReadingThis past summer Siena College held robotics camps for children ages 7 – 12. They were a huge success, with children learning how to build and program robots, plus, understand the physics behind the movements. Working with NXT can be fun, but challenging. To keep up the interest behind the mechanics, each camp had a […]
Continue ReadingSeptember 14 was a momentous day for homeschoolers–and anyone interested in education. On the anniversary of the death of education pioneer John Holt, Holt Associates has made freely available all the back issues of Growing Without Schooling magazine for anyone, anywhere, to read. In 1995, Growing Without Schooling changed my life and dramatically shaped the […]
Continue ReadingI have to admit: I didn’t plan to homeschool. And yet, now that I’ve gone and done it (for more than a dozen years, now) I can tell you that the thing that kept me coming back for more, year after year, was seeing how my kids thrived. Our method of homeschooling leans heavily toward […]
Continue ReadingWhen J.K. Rowling released each of her Harry Potter books, young fans flocked to bookstores, stayed up late finishing the books, and then eagerly shared feelings and predictions about future books, characters, etc. with friends. These fans learned everything they could about J.K. Rowling’s fictional world on their own without prompting and in addition to […]
Continue ReadingWe like spending time with people who delight in the same things that fascinate us. That might be playing bagpipes, understanding Civil War strategy, making homemade cheese, or brewing beer. Who doesn’t love talking about a favorite topic? It’s certainly easy to build friendships that way. Shared interests also foster greater enthusiasm and motivate […]
Continue ReadingBefore there are caps and gowns, there are capes and tights–in a metaphorical sense. Educators are superheroes, and now there is website dedicated to them (or maybe to some of them). Classroom Superheroes is a project of the National Education Association. Parents and students are invited to nominate Classroom Superheroes, and teachers can register themselves […]
Continue ReadingI didn’t get physics in high school. All I remember was Mr. Cleaves rubbing a wand and the rude comments the demonstration sparked (no pun intended). But I loved calculus and photography. Now I know why. It ‘s always the teacher. Finally, I get physics and it’s all because of Walter Lewin, Professor of Physics, […]
Continue ReadingGeekMom Editor Kathy Ceceri recently shared some of her “home laboratory” adventures with a visiting reporter from the New York Times. The article, Home Labs on the Rise for the Fun of Science, goes on to discuss USB microscopes, DNA extraction kits and infrared thermometers in greater detail, saying that they are just some of […]
Continue ReadingWelcome to the first edition of GeekMom Debate! GeekMoms are nothing if not opinionated, so we’re giving them a chance to present different sides of the same topic. For another take on the question of dealing with kids who hate school, read Alisson Clark’s post My Kid Hates School. I’m (Mostly) OK with That. As […]
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