Dear Parent,

Thank you for your question!

I am glad that you are a workbook type homeschooler, because workbooks can be a critical part of schooling. Workbooks are a way of formally assessing the student's knowledge, so they can be useful as part of a complete CHC program.

However, it is also important not to rely solely on worksheets, because they can not only become boring if used too much, but they can also be insufficient for the lesson. That's why CHC lesson plans use manipulatives and hands-on activities to provide extra reinforcement and/or to make things a little more interesting.

Particularly in preschool and kindergarten, CHC's lesson plans incorporate multiple hands-on activities. In the younger grades, particularly Prek-1st, it is important to use as many hands-on activities as possible. The developmental age of the child is such that it is important for her to use as many senses as possible when learning.

It is true that the more senses a child uses when learning, the longer she will retain the information. For instance in math, when your child is learning to count, it is important that she see the numbers, touch the felt numbers, say them out loud and move them around. In reading it is helpful if she can form the letters with popsicle sticks, say them out-loud and sing them in a song. The more that she can visualize, the easier it will be for her to remember. So with workbooks and hands-on, it's not a case of either/or, but of both/and!

God bless you and your family!

Laura Nicholson