Articles written by Alexa Payne

Advanced Search

What is Helium

About me - Alexa Payne

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Arts & Humanities > Language Learning Tips The best way to learn a foreign language: 8 of 48
The No-Nonsense Guide to Learning a Foreign Language1. Grammar. If you don't want to learn grammar, you don't want to learn. Period. So-called conversational methods that teach phrases will give you the ability to have a very stilted and inflexible "conversation". Grammar will set you free. Instead of having to memorize phras... More..
Hobbies & Games > Kids Games & Toys Creative toys for young children: 1 of 6
Toys that encourage creativity should be simple and adaptable to many uses. Blocks are the number one great toy for kids. Wooden blocks teach kids all kinds of lessons. My oldest daughter Eliza tried over and over again to build a building starting on one thin cylindrical block, and it kept falling down. She tried over and ov... More..
Education > Homeschooling How to follow your children's interests in guiding your homeschool: 1 of 6
Following your child in homeschooling really means dashing a little ahead to open doors and windows so that they can see more and have more opportunities on their learning journey than they would have if they made it alone.How you follow your child's interests depends on your child. Some kids develop deep passions and dive ri... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: The decision to homeschool: 8 of 46
Every homeschooling parent knows this: the decision to homeschool is not made once, but every day. Just about every homeschooling parent I know has threatened their child with sending them to school. "Kaylee, I just give up. If you can't do a page of math I'm just going to have to send you to school." It is almost universally... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Childbirth & Labor Why giving birth is painful: 3 of 12
Why is giving birth painful?A really powerful muscle is working hard to stretch open the cervix, and press a hard object out a small opening. In the process it grinds that hard object (the back of the baby's head) against tissues and nerves, and stretches the tissues it passes by. How can it reasonably be expected to not be p... More..
Pets & Animals > Birds The best birdwatching destinations in the US: 2 of 8
What is the best place to see birds in the U.S.? There are so many fantastic birdwatching destinations in the U.S. that the question is almost meaningless. Whether a given spot is the best place for you will depend on what time of year you are there and what kind of birds you like to see.We spent a day with a guide in the Whi... More..
Education > Homeschooling Book reviews: The Well-Trained Mind, by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer: 3 of 8
I'm not an organized homeschooler. My best lessons are accidental, like when I'm cleaning out the fridge and I say, "Hey kids! Orange mold! Where's that microscope?"But every now and again I have a little too much coffee and decide I'm going to organize the upcoming year. The book I always grab is The Well-Trained Mind by Jes... More..
Education > Early Childhood Ed The importance of art and messy play for children: 5 of 12
Children learn from art and messy playIt is by touching, squeezing, exploring, digging, pouring that children come to have an intuitive understanding of the physical world. In the process of this play and exploration they develop fine and gross motor skills. They take pride in their discoveries and creations. And they exerciz... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Child Discipline Strategies Should parents use rewards to motivate their child's behavior?: 13 of 30
Are kids "punished by rewards" as the title of the bestselling book by Alfie Kohn claims, or are rewards a sound parenting technique backed up by behavioral research? The answer is both.Alfie Kohn cites research showing that "gold stars, incentive plans, As and praise" do not work for complex and creative tasks. In fact they ... More..
Education > Homeschooling Identifying the most effective types of products for homeschool learning: 2 of 4
The best products for you will depend on you and your child. I found out the hard way that what suited me best, was not what suited my child.Do you need structure? Do you feel that there are certain standards a child should meet at a given age and that standardized testing is a good measure of progress?If so, you may be most ... More..