thefriendlymoth

Why Is English Spelling So Weird?

English spelling is undeniably chaotic. There is an exception to pretty much every rule. However, while it doesn’t follow orderly rules, English spelling does have patterns. I think that learning a little background about how English spelling came to be is both fascinating and helpful.* There are about 44 phonemes (distinct sounds) in English, depending onContinue reading “Why Is English Spelling So Weird?”

Wild Word Games

Summer feeling looooooong? Here are three crazy word games to occupy minds young and old. Bananagram Poetry This game works just like Bananagrams (or Speed Scrabble if you play with Scrabble tiles instead of the nifty little banana bag), but after all the game is over there is one more step: everyone moves one place toContinue reading “Wild Word Games”

8 Ways Homeschooling Creates Success

I can credit homeschooling — unschooling in particular — with developing many of the traits that support me being a successful adult, and I see the same things in other grown-up homeschoolers I know. Here are eight foundations for success that homeschooling fosters: 1. Homeschooling develops self-motivation and self-discipline. “I could never homeschool! I don’t have enoughContinue reading “8 Ways Homeschooling Creates Success”

Sonnets: Shakespeare wrote ’em so why can’t we?

Sonnets are a staple of English-language poetry. They can also be intimidating to introduce to children, because of their density and formality and because lots of the best ones were written a long time ago. However, I’ve been teaching them — after a solid foundation in other poetry — for several years now, and whileContinue reading “Sonnets: Shakespeare wrote ’em so why can’t we?”