Homeschool Readin’, ‘Ritin’, and ‘Rithmetic with the 8 Great Smarts

Every homeschooler must contend with the parameters of the homeschool law in his or her state of residence. In addition to that, we aim to discern what each of our children may actually need – in due time – to launch successfully into adult life. We know that every child must be able to understand spoken language and comprehend a variety of written texts. We realize that each should speak comprehensibly and communicate clearly in writing. And we accept that the ability to work with certain mathematical constructs – particularly those related to arithmetic – is essential to managing as an adult.

But how do we figure out what else each child should study? And how can we most effectively help our kids maneuver through and master whatever we decide each one needs?

I believe that a powerful answer to such questions comes from what was originally called the theory of multiple intelligences – i.e., the subject of both Kathy Koch’s book, 8 Great Smarts, and my forthcoming companion for homeschooling parents, 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers.

In 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers, I examine the broad subject areas homeschoolers consider – math, language arts, science, social studies, fine arts, religious education, and electives – in light of each of the eight multiple intelligence strengths with which kids (and adults) are wired (i.e., body, logic, music, nature, people, picture, self, and word smart). Drawing from my own experiences and that of some veteran homeschooling friends, I give practical and creative suggestions for how to tackle each subject with each smarts strength in mind.

For example, it makes intuitive sense that a logic-smart child may resonate with math and that a word-smart teen may enjoy language arts. But what about the highly nature-smart kid who must still demonstrate mathematical competency, or the very body-smart child who must, of course, learn to read and write? And how can we use each smarts strength to facilitate the study of other subjects, such as science, history, and religious education? Beyond the basics, how can we harness the smarts to customize a kid’s elective studies in order to maximize his joy in learning and perhaps even guide him toward an eventual career path?

8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers addresses these questions and more. My prayer as I wrote was that those in the homeschooling community I love would be blessed and encouraged to persevere in the task of holistically raising and educating their children. That is my continued prayer now as you pick it up and begin reading.

CK

Don’t Kiss Summer Good-Bye Just Yet

It’s mid-July. If you’re like many homeschooling parents, that means you’ve already bid adieu to “summer vacation” in your mind and are right now at this very minute singing the “what curriculum am I going to use this year” blues. I get it. Even I – a year-round unschooler of sorts – sang that ditty now and then as my girls grew and matured and transitioned from one season of life to another.

I’m hoping, though, that I can help you, this year and going forward.

You see, through a series of circumstances only God could have orchestrated, I was led and empowered last fall to write a book – 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers – that Moody will release on Tuesday, August 3. And it was my prayer as I penned every phrase that my words would be God’s and that those words would bless the socks off every parent who reads them.

Is 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers “gospel?” Of course not. But I do believe God can use its ideas to revolutionize your homeschooling experience. I say that because Kathy Koch's general-audience parenting book, 8 Great Smarts – first published when my girls were toddlers – became one of the pillars upon which my husband and I successfully built their educational endeavors. We, of course, experienced inevitable ups and downs on our home-learning journey. But our road was observably smoother and more enjoyable than that of many of my peers, a reality I’ve always attributed to the fact that we’d been blessed to learn from the time my kids were young how the Lord had hard-wired them in terms of each one’s “smarts” strengths. So, when Kathy asked me to write a treatment of “the smarts” concept just for my beloved homeschooling community, I set aside other projects, pulled out the crockpot for my family’s dinners for a few weeks, and went all-in.

If you haven’t already read the original 8 Great Smarts, please do so – either before or after reading 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers. You can glean much from my book without having read Kathy’s, but the applications I make – specific to the home-learning environment – will resonate more deeply if you also understand Kathy’s theoretical framework.

In writing 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers, I seek to empower homeschooling parents. I want those who read it to feel capable of intentionally choosing learning materials and methods with confidence, knowing that the tools you utilize on your kids’ homeschooling journey truly match the ways in which God has specifically designed each of them. So, don’t kiss summer good-bye just yet! Wait, instead, to read 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers. Then use its ideas to help you make wise, logical, strategic curricular choices.

CK