http://www.interlochen.org/

Are you a homeschooling parent searching for ways to bring the arts into your curriculum? If so, you’re not alone. Many families look for a trusted homeschool art curriculum that’s both accessible and meaningful, but often feel underqualified to teach the arts themselves or struggle to find a reliable local option.

The good news: There are more resources available than ever, to help families provide students with quality arts education at home. From structured online programs to expert-designed lessons, here are five trusted ways to bring world-class arts instruction into your homeschool.

1. Start with Structure: Look for a Complete Arts Curriculum

When parents search for “homeschool art curriculum,” what they often want is more than project ideas—they want a program with structure and progression. A strong curriculum doesn’t just introduce isolated skills, but builds them step by step across disciplines like music, creative writing, visual arts, film, and theatre.

Some online platforms offer a wide range of courses designed by professional teaching artists, giving families a ready-to-use structure that fits seamlessly into a homeschool plan. Search for an online arts curriculum that complements your student’s interests while also fitting the rhythm of your family’s lifestyle.

2. Rely on Expert Instructors

For many families, the biggest hurdle is confidence: “I’m not an artist, how can I teach this well?” That’s where programs taught by experts can make all the difference. A trusted online course should connect your student with educators who are passionate about their art form, skilled at breaking down complex concepts, and experienced at engaging learners virtually.

Parents don’t have to be the teacher, programs like Interlochen Online handle the instruction while parents support and encourage from the sidelines.

3. Balance Affordability with Value

Cost is always a factor when building a homeschool curriculum. Free resources may offer quick activities, but often lack structure or personal feedback. On the other hand, private lessons can be prohibitively expensive.

High-value, short-term online courses often provide a middle ground. Many offer multi-week sessions or certificate-style programs that deliver clear outcomes without requiring a long-term financial commitment. For families balancing multiple subjects, this combination of affordability and depth can make all the difference.

4. Prioritize Community and Connection

Homeschooling offers flexibility, but it can sometimes take more effort and intentionality to create connections, especially for students passionate about the arts. That’s why community is an essential component of any strong curriculum. Look for programs that include live sessions, group discussions, or peer-to-peer feedback, giving students the chance to connect with others who share their interests.

A supportive community doesn’t just enhance learning—it helps students feel motivated, understood, and part of something bigger.

5. Think Ahead: Arts and College Preparation

The arts aren’t just enrichment, they can also play an important role in preparing for the future. A number of online programs now offer college advising, whether for students pursuing the arts or not. From essay writing to résumé coaching to audition prep, this type of support can make a big difference when it’s time to apply to college.

Families who plan ahead and choose arts programs with future goals in mind will find that creative study can be both personally enriching and practically valuable.

Bringing It All Together

Families don’t need to be professional artists, or piece together dozens of disconnected resources, to provide their students with high-quality arts education at home. By focusing on structure, expert teaching, affordability, community, and college preparation, parents can find programs that meet their homeschool needs and inspire their students to thrive.

Interlochen Online is one example of an organization offering accessible, world-class arts instruction that fits seamlessly into a homeschool plan. But whichever path you choose, the right arts program can enrich your student’s education, build their confidence, and connect them with a wider world of creativity. Ω

What is Make Sense!?

www.makesensegames.com

Make Sense! is a set of language games designed to teach English syntax (the way sentences are structured), including logic around Who does What, When, Where, How, Why, etc. It’s a “sentence building” toolkit built around cards and game play.

Here are some key features:

• It’s a kit of five games (skill + chance) using 732 cards which can combine to yield tens of thousands of sentences, both simple and more complex ones.
• The components include phrases (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW, WHY, DETAILS/RESULT etc.) rather than focusing only on parts of speech.
• Games are designed to be flexible (in difficulty, time, competitiveness/cooperativeness), to support pronunciation, intonation, oral pause, punctuation, vocabulary, idioms.
• There is also a solitaire syntax companion product (for self-study or small group / buddy study) using decks of cards to create sentences with rules similar to classic Solitaire.

Pedagogical Foundations

For homeschoolers, knowing why this works is just as important as what it does.

• Cumulative syntax as generative learning: The idea is that sentence-structure learning shouldn’t be rote memorization of grammar rules, but more like building with building blocks: Phrases that can be combined in many ways to create new sentences. This supports creativity in language use, not just accuracy.
• Mental rehearsal: Players are constantly trying out possible sentence structures as they play, trying to fit cards, phrase blocks etc., which requires thinking ahead about what kinds of sentences are possible in order to play well. This kind of predictive thinking strengthens syntax skills.
• Adaptability: Because the games can be modified (difficulty, speed, what rules you emphasize), they can be used across different learner levels (from lower-intermediate to advanced) and by different ages.

How it Works for Homeschoolers

Here’s how a homeschooling family might use Make Sense! effectively, including strengths and possible limitations.

Strengths

1. Interactive and fun
   For many learners, especially those who get bored with worksheets or grammar drills, this makes syntax lively. Game-elements (chance, competition or cooperation) help maintain interest.
2. Flexible pacing and levels
   Families can adjust how much time is spent, the difficulty, whether you use all the games or just one, etc. You can slow things down for kids who need more time or speed it up for those ready to push further.
3. Promotes speaking, comprehension, and writing
   Even though the medium is cards and game play, there are opportunities for speaking (reading cards, forming sentences out loud), listening, and eventually writing (reproducing or creating own sentences). Parents can extend game time into writing prompts: “Take one of your sentence combinations and write a short paragraph using it.”
4. Self-study and peer study options
   The solitaire syntax decks or buddy study options make it possible for learners to work independently or with a peer. That’s helpful in homeschooling where sometimes you may want your child to do something on his/her own while you are occupied elsewhere.
5. Durability and material quality
   The game is physical, with durable cards, which is nice because homeschoolers often like manipulatives and tactile learning tools. Less reliance entirely on screen-time.

Things To Be Mindful Of / Limitations

1. Age / Level Appropriateness
   While the product is adjustable, it is intended more for lower-intermediate to advanced English learners. Younger children (say early elementary) or those just starting with complex sentence structure might find it overwhelming unless the parent modifies heavily. Homeschoolers with younger or early readers may need to introduce sentence structure more gently first.
2. Initial investment (time/materials)
   There may be some upfront effort: Learning the game rules, possibly printing or preparing materials, deciding how to adapt for your child, perhaps creating follow-up tasks (writing, expansion) to solidify learning.
3. Supplementation needed
   It’s strong for syntax, but you’ll probably want to pair it with vocabulary building, reading, writing, grammar/exercise work. It’s not a full grammar curriculum in itself, but rather a powerful supplement or component.
4. Monitoring/assessment
   As with many game-based tools, parents/home educators need to observe how well a child is transferring what they learn in the game into speaking and writing outside of it. That means building in assessments or informal checks: Writing assignments, conversations, etc.

Practical Suggestions for Using in Homeschool

Here are some strategies and sample schedules to integrate Make Sense! into a homeschooling program.

Value for Teachers / School Use

Though the focus here is on homeschooling, there are some features that also make Make Sense! attractive to classroom teachers:

• Teachers can scale classes (up to 12 players) and adjust difficulty so that mixed-ability groups can all participate.
• They often praise the adaptability, how the cards can be used in multiple ways. Learning can be differentiated.
• Teachers report increased student engagement: instead of grammar drills, students enjoy creating sentences, exploring “what if” possibilities, figuring out structure by doing rather than just listening.
• For ESL / EFL settings especially, this helps students who need to work on syntax and sentence fluency in addition to vocabulary and pronunciation.

Who It’s Best Suited For

Putting it all together, here are the kinds of homeschooling or schooling situations in which Make Sense! is likely to be especially effective:

• Families with children in upper elementary through high school who are ready for more complex sentence structure.
• Students learning English as a second language (ESL / ELL) or for whom grammar is still a weak point.
• Homeschoolers who like hands-on, game-based, exploratory learning rather than lecture / drill style grammar.
• Parents who are willing to adapt and supplement: using the game plus other reading / writing work to reinforce what’s learned.

Overall, Make Sense! Sentence Builder is a robust, game-based tool that offers a strong way to improve sentence structure, fluency, and syntax understanding in an engaging way. For homeschooling families, its flexibility, hands-on nature, and the balance of skill + chance make it especially appealing. It’s not a one-stop grammar curriculum, but as part of a language arts program it can do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of making writing and speaking feel more dynamic and less like drill. Ω

by Michael Leppert

In response to the Jan 29, 2025, Executive Order 14191, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed that a review be conducted of the Pentagon’s support for military families who choose to homeschool their kids.

The review, ordered in mid-May, includes the following statement: “Homeschooling offers an individualized approach for students and highlights the significant role parents play in the educational process.”

Hegseth said the evaluation was part of a Defense Department-wide review of educational choices for military families, following the executive order that directed the Pentagon to consider using its available funding to cover the costs of private, religious, and public charter schools for children in military families.

His statement included [the aim is] “ensuring military families receive strong educational support, maintain morale and readiness, reinforcing the overall stability and effectiveness of our military communities.”

No date for the completion of the Pentagon’s review has been announced.

According to a study by the Johns Hopkins School of Education, roughly 12 percent of active-duty military families homeschooled their children in the 2023-24 school year, twice the rate of non-military families, 6 percent. This military percentage dedication to homeschooling continued through the pandemic, when civilian schools were shuttered.

The Hopkins study found that in light of frequent relocations or separation of family members, homeschooling provides a stable, high-priority element in military families’ lives.

​https://cottonwoodgulch.org/
9223 4th St NW
Albuquerque, NM 87114

“A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. A flash flood may fill the gulch with a torrent of rain.”

by Michael Leppert

The Great Southwest is one of the most beautiful regions of the United States. Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions makes it available to us in all its desert splendor and wonder, up close and personal, exploring its mysteries deeply. The huge expanses of blue sky, low humidity and colorful, captivating mountains and sandy stretches to infinity, make the Southwest truly unique in the world. It also provides a powerful Native American presence that makes one want to respect the earth and allow future generations to enjoy it.

For 99 years, Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions has offered families a broad spectrum of treks to bring young people into the New Mexico countryside. Currently, there are 9 Summer Treks, each with a different focused goal and age range. The overall age range of the treks is from 8 to 18 in various groupings. The Turquoise Trek is for female-identifying trekkers, the Prairie Trek is for male-identifying trekkers and the Family Trek is self-explanatory. The Get Outdoors Trek (GO! Trek) is a perfect introductory trek for 8-12-year-olds, to the Gulch and to outdoor living.

There is a Paleontology Trek (June 21 to July 11, 2025) that provides guided field experience in this scientific discipline and includes two museum visits to see scientists and serious students at work. It also provides 4 credit hours from Mesalands Community College.

But kids don’t have all of the fun! Cottonwood Gulch offers a few Adult Treks, too. See the website for details on these treks.

Finally, Cottonwood Gulch offers a variety of school programs. Homeschoolers might be able to take advantage of these if you have a support group that can register as a class. Contact Director of School Programs, at Theresa.lewis@cottonwoodgulch.org for this feature.

If you are fortunate enough to live near New Mexico, take advantage of Cottonwood’s unique and inviting array of treks. If you don’t live near the Southwest, make a plan to visit Cottonwood and become acquainted with this beautiful, rugged, pure section of our country. You will no doubt fall in love with it!  Ω