by: Reverend Brenda Hoffman

Are your children growing bored with their textbooks? Are you growing tired of hearing them complain? Is it possible that your textbooks are the problem? If you've never thought about this, take a moment to think about it now. Think about how each child is unique. With this in mind, you'll be able to set out to find new ways to work with your child.

One idea... Unit studies. Doing a unit study with your child is one way in which you can help your child(ren) discover their own gifts and talents, as they learn about the world at our side. Unit studies can provide you with some wonderful experiences. So, take time to use unit studies, to begin a trail of discovery for both you AND your child(ren). This truly can be a powerful journey of discovery, because when you give your child(ren) a chance to follow their interests, the outcome can be surprising. Unit studies provide you with this opportunity. They also give your child(ren) a chance to obtain a better understanding of the way things work, the history of the world, their own abilities, and much more.

Some people seem to think that if you use unit studies that there will be holes in their child(ren)'s education. Truth be told though, no student ever completely finishes a textbook. The shame in this lies in the fact that the "good" stuff usually lies toward the end of the textbook. With a good education children are taught how to be able to think and how to build a sound foundation of learning. The whole point is to build a strong tree of knowledge for your child(ren) where upong they are able to place more information over the course of their lifetime.

As a mother, you're never going to be able to teach your child(ren) about everything, but you can teach your child(ren) how to think, how to investigate, and how to research and dig for answers. This, in and of itself, will be a priceless education for those who will be successful in a rapidly changing world. Unit studies hold all of this power within their "papers." When writing them, my intention is to provide this power for you to unpack for your child(ren). Enjoy!