Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Violet just started 8th grade last week.  She is a very bright girl who has gotten through school without much work at all.  We have, in the last few years had to remind her a few times that it is ok to push herself a little bit and not just get through with the minimum […]

I’m sure that most homeschoolers have already got their plans for the upcoming school year completed. I also know how often I choose to supplement my planned lessons with a little something extra. Considering how expensive homeschooling can be and how difficult it is to survive as a one income family in today’s world, I […]

It’s *gulp* the end of July and we are finally getting into the swing of summer. One of the activities that we let slide for the first bit of summer was reading. It wasn’t intentional, but bedtimes were pushed back, company was plenty, and routines were discarded in favor of freedom. […]

With apologies to Robert Frost, I find myself at a crossroads - My daughter is slowly turning into a teenager and I wrestle with this eternal question: Do I do my best to turn situations and experiences into learning sessions, or do I let her do what she wants and fully support it? Where’s the […]

There is a debate circling schools, states, and the parents of multiples. Many schools have created policies of mandatory separation for twins (or high-order multiples) once they enter kindergarten. Many parents of multiples are angry and are fighting the schools or trying to pass federal or state legislation that would allow them to keep their […]

I’m writing this poolside at our gym, watching swimming classes. My kids aren’t in the water right now, but I’ll have the pleasure of watching their classes in a couple of weeks.
How do you teach children to swim when you don’t know whether they’ve ever been in water before? This was the problem Peter and […]

My wife and I are having an open-ended, open-minded, gloves-off discussion about our son. Specifically, the debate is whether or not he is, at 16, old enough to get a job.
I won’t give away whose position is what. Instead, I’m going to implore you to weigh in. What’s the right age for employment? Does girl […]

My kids are taught in the public school system, which means that summer vacation is soon to arrive.
Now, most kids would want to use that time as a vacation from *all* learning. But just like a car that’s not being used, you need to start the engine every once in a while or it’ll […]

For the second year in a row, I have helped organize the Book Fair at our local elementary school. We use a local shop, rather than Scholastic, and the Fair always has amazing books I’ve never seen before. This is not a fund raiser for the school- we pass on the discounts to […]

Should summer vacation be a full on vacation from learning or should parents try to work some educational activities in there? What about actual school work, such as math workbooks or non-fiction reading? How do you handle summer vacation with your children?
I really believe that three months is too long to go without any structured […]