Fall 2020

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FALL 2020 HOMESCHOOL IOWA 15
kids present are the ones that bother them the most. In this way,
they are self-sifting and giving us, as parents, an understanding
of places we need to give feedback. This is a place where we can
build trust with our children’s hearts. I don’t take these sharing times
lightly. Many of the topics are weighty matters, but our kids’lives are
being shaped in conversations like these.
Current Events Helps Gain Understanding &
Responding to Deficits of Knowledge.
Sometimes, a simple discussion time is enough. Other times, as
with social justice issues, personal liberties or racism, as we have
seen presented this year with China and Black Lives Matter, we need
to build a better response. Our children need to see us take action
and advocate for others so that they can begin to act out what we
model. In response to the news this year, we are exploring China and
the Eastern Hemisphere in depth in the upcoming homeschool year.
Last year, we spent a large portion of the year on the history and
origins of slavery and the effect it has had on people groups around
the world and in the United were able to draw on what we
learned and listen to the news to help deepen our understanding of
the current cultural climate.
These are hard topics. As a parent, there are times when we will
not have the answers. In these moments, student and teacher are
can allow ourselves to be citizens in a bigger world where
we are learning together. No matter what the topic, we are equip-
ping the future with our children’s education. We cannot stick our-
heads in the sand when it comes to these difficult but worldview
shaping topics.
Current Events Gives us a Starting Place
As an adult, I have learned to recognize the false ideas and beliefs
I adopted in ignorance. With our guidance and input, children create
their own conclusions about the world using the information they
observe. These inner ideas shape us. By making current events a
topic in your homeschool, you give a platform where your child can
voice what they perceive about the news stories they are presented.
We can help clear away false narratives and perceptions before they
take root. When we spend time talking about the news, we reduce
fear and help create a culture of empathy in our home. When we act
on these lessons in our communities, we intentionally take school
outside of the walls of our home. I encourage you to purposefully
meet people and visit places to counter negative stereotypes and
help shape a worldview that reflects God’s standard, not man’s.
Current Events Help Build Better Arguments
As our children reach older teens, studying current events can
help our children avoid speaking in platitudes and give substance
to their arguments. By graduation, every student should be a criti-
cal thinker and not a parrot of ideas. As a parent, my goal in our
discussion time is not to resolve all my students’ questions but to
become a great listener and ask engaging questions. When this is
done well, our children are willing to spend greater amounts of time
on a topic. In turn, their understanding grows from headlines to full
paragraphs.
Making current events a subject in our homeschool has helped
our college-age children to articulate their thoughts and opinions
and listen to others on campus and in the classroom. They are of-
ten part of a small number of students willing to offer input in the
classroom. They now see how the daily discussions of reading as-
signments and current events prepared them for a future of healthy
debate and social discourse; skills much needed in the world today.
Amber is an Iowan who blogs at shi is a Mother, a wife, a Homeschool teacher,
blogger and a writer sharing the story of how God changed her life, turned her world upside down and led her down
a path of creativity, forgiveness and a healthy dose of self love. Through her blog and her homeschool consulting
services she offers hope, help and guidance to new homeschool parents who are finding their own way.
• C-SPAN Classroom is a good source for current government and historical news, offering a wide array of resources that you can
use to supplement your current curriculum, create short lessons within the My C-SPAN Classroom area of the website, and more.
Check it out here:
•WORLDMagazine is an investment for the whole family: TheWORLDKids Dashboard is full of interactive resources, encouraging
young readers. TheWORLDTeen annual membership includes print magazines, online content, and bonus materials to reinforce
learning. They offer both a print and digital version of the magazine. WORLD Magazine is a Christian publication, the print issue
arrives bi-weekly so it is still current when it arrives on your doorstep. You can also listen toWORLD Radio, a podcast fromWORLD
Magazine. Check it out here: and here:
• Newsla is a site created for teachers that will allow you to find articles at a wide variety of reading levels so that you can present
the same current event article to your entire family at the same time. You can also read articles on the Newsla app as well. The ar-
ticles are kid friendly, relevant, and geared for students. The GOOD NEWS and FOR KIDS sections of Newsla can help you balance
the negative and positive things happening in the world. I also appreciate that each article is immediately identified by author,
source, and who did the adaptation. Check it out here:
• Your local newspaper is also an important source, especially for staying in touch with what is happening in your local communities.
Other options to check out:
• Time for Kids: check it out here:
• Scholastic News: Check it out here:
• The Smithsonian for Kids: Check it out here:
• Dogo News: Check it out here:
• Youngzine: Check it out here:
• Newsomatic: Check it out here:
• Kids Post: Check it out here:
• News for Kids: check it out here:
• God’sWorld News: check it out here:
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