About Jena

Jena homeschooled her three children all the way to college. When they left the nest, she wanted to keep teaching, so she started a masters degree in elementary education. She is now a reading teacher in a public school, helping children from kindergarten to eighth grade. She blogs about her homeschooling years and her interest-led philosophy at Yarns of the Heart.

When home is school

by on April 3, 2013
in methods & philosophies · 13 Comments

the great balancing act
Written by contributor Jena of Yarns of the Heart

We all know the feeling, right? School schedules versus family time. Housework versus textbooks. Who wins? Who should win? After homeschooling three kids to high school graduation, here are my thoughts on the subject.

#1 Life is learning.

Try to look at daily life as full of learning opportunities. Going to the grocery store is vocabulary instruction (what is a pomegranate?) and a math lesson (how much is this item per ounce?). It’s also economics (let’s stay within our budget). Here’s a link to free resources dealing with a trip to the grocery store.

Any routine family activity involves learning. Just let your kids in on your thinking processes. Why are we doing this? How can we do it more efficiently, more economically? You’ll be amazed at what they discover.
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How to build a strong foundation for your child

by on February 13, 2013
in a mom's education · 5 Comments

house bricks

Written by contributor Jena of Yarns of the Heart

We have only one chance with our children. They will only be toddlers once. Thank goodness!

And they will only be seven years old once, ten years old once, fourteen years old once, and then they will be out the door.

They come back once in a while, but it’s never the same.

So while you have those little ones at home, make the most of it. This is your window of opportunity. Build a strong foundation that will support them the rest of their lives.
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You should say you’re sorry

by on January 9, 2013
in a mom's education · 11 Comments

Written by contributor Jena of Yarns of the Heart

A note from Jamie: This week only you can purchase both of my books, Steady Days & Mindset for Moms, as part of a motherhood ebook bundle–5 titles for just $7.40! Head here for more details.

I‘ve been reading through my journals lately. A little over fourteen years ago, here’s what my four-year-old Missa (the one in the red shirt) said to me over dinner:

“You should say you’re sorry for yelling at me about the ice cream.”

I kissed her and said I was sorry.

“If you want to make me cry, just yell at me.”

A little later she said, thoughtfully, “Just because you yell at me doesn’t mean you don’t love me, right? You’re teaching me things I need to learn, right?”
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Holiday homeschooling back in the day

by on December 10, 2012
in inspiration · 16 Comments

Written by contributor Jena Borah of Yarns of the Heart

My homeschooling days are now in the past, and I’m glad I have piles of journals, full of memories. Here’s a look at my entry fourteen years ago as we were preparing for Christmas. The kids were 9, 6, and 4.

November 19, 1998

Today was a good day. Meg (age 6) is making progress in reading. We played reading games and I changed the clue word for the letter u to “up” instead of “umbrella” because sometimes she pronounces it “imbrella.” I made signs with the word up and arrows and put them all over the house.
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Let them read!

by on October 24, 2012
in methods & philosophies · 31 Comments

Written by contributor Jena Borah of Yarns of the Heart

A note from Jamie: Sign up to receive blog updates from Simple Homeschool and get my new ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom FREE! Click here for details.

Did you know the best way to help your kids become better readers is to let them read what they want? Research supports it, my reading professors echoed it, and in fact, The Illinois Reading Council Journal published two articles on the topic this quarter.

The secret to this simple teaching method is intrinsic motivation. If students want to read the material, they spend more time and try harder, figuring out ways to understand. As a result, they invent comprehension strategies that are personally meaningful and the information is more likely to stick with them.
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How to help your child learn to read

by on September 19, 2012
in methods & philosophies · 22 Comments

Written by contributor Jena Borah of Yarns of the Heart

My little guy was six years old and we had been casually talking about letters and their corresponding sounds. I put a phonics page on my refrigerator and used it as a guide to talk about letters and sounds over a box of cereal every morning.

A month or two later, we were at the library and he noticed a banner on the wall that said “Reading is magic!” It must have been Halloween time. He turned to me and said, “Yes, reading is magic,” and continued playing with the toy train.

What? Did you just read that?

Not every child learns to read as easily as Peter. My daughter was 10 before it started to make sense to her, but all children go through that first stage of learning their letters and sounds.

5 Simple Tips for Teaching Reading

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