I’d like to direct your attention to a new section of our website; but before I do, you need a bit of background. My wife Julia has been teaching at one of the biggest home school co-ops in the country, ACTS in Charlottesville VA, for thirteen years now. She home schooled our older boys before she started there, and taught full-time at a Christian school before that. She’s the kind of teacher your kids hope they get: fun, creative and attentive to their individual needs.

Over the years, Julia has had every kind of student you can think of—from avid to indifferent, from brilliant to learning-challenged, and from social butterfly to Asperger’s and autistic. She’s dreamed up tons of ideas for addressing the needs of each type. She’s also picked the brain of another experienced teacher, our friend and part-time helper Adrienne Vanderveer. Now hundreds of their ideas are available for free on a new section of our website called Tips and Tricks.

I must confess that I was a bit stunned when I saw all that’s on these new pages. I thought I knew what happened at co-op every week, but apparently not. If you’re waiting at home with your kids, wondering how to keep them going while the corona situation plays out, then you really should check out Tips and Tricks. It offers dozens of ideas that you can try right now, many without spending a nickel. Although most are specific to our products, there are also plenty that you can use with any program—or even no program at all. The most obvious are the writing tips at the bottom of our Core Material page. Don’t be fazed if an idea seems weird at first. Your best bet is to embrace the weirdness and see where your kids’ creative brains take them!