Sam Blumenfeld

Columnist for Practical Homeschooling Magazine.

Born and educated in New York City, Samuel Blumenfeld has written eight books on education, including several that are considered homeschool classics. His latest book is The Marlowe-Shakespeare Connection.

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Homeschooling Articles by Sam Blumenfeld

The Whole-Language Boondoggle Sam Blumenfeld explains why "look-say" reading never works.

High School for Freedom! Whereas high school students from public schools are impinged from thinking about a successful career path due to wasted time in multiculuralism and Outcome-Based Education, homeschoolers have the time to plan their careers while in high school.

Dyslexia: The Man-Made Disease Sam Blumenfeld squares off against The Cat in the Hat.

Teach Reading to the “Learning Disabled” Sam outlines some strategies that will help in teaching reading to the learning disabled.

Uncle Sam Wants Your Child on his National Database From the number of your child's cavities to his private religious and political beliefs, the new national educational database is just a teensy bit too intrusive, don't you think? And it's online now. It's a good thing you homeschool.

Why the Internet will Never Replace Books

Teach Reading to the "Learning Disabled" Sam outlines some strategies that will help

Homeschooling and Charter Schools Charter Schools: Would they put the "home" back in school or the "school" back in home?

Homeschoolers and Vouchers Should homeschoolers get involved with proposed voucher systems?

The History of Public Education The untold history of public schools.

College At Home Save time, money & more!

Learning from The "Old Dead Guys" Learning from those who lived before us.

The Meaning of Educational Freedom The case for abolishing compulsory attendance.

The Importance of Rote Learning Rote learning is still important.

The Exodus Continues As the schools get worse, more parents are considering homeschool.

A World Without Public School What would really happen if we repealed the compulsory attendance laws?

The Benefits of Teaching History at Home What you can learn that the schools will never teach you.

How to Tell Real from Phony Phonics? How to tell whether a program will really teach your child to read, or just pretend to.

Getting Started in Arithmetic Mr. Blumenfeld kicks off a new column on how to tutor, by tracing the history of arithmetic.

Teaching Arithmetic Find out what counts about how to teach arithmetic.

Teaching the Alphabet The first step in reading is to learn the names of the letters. Learn how to teach this foundational skill.

Teaching the Alphabet Sounds So many sounds, so few letters. Sam's the man with a plan for making sense of it all.

Teaching Blends Teaching your little one to read the traditional intensive phonics way - meet the blends and digraphs.

Teaching Long Vowels Teaching your little one to read the traditional intensive phonics way - learning the long vowels.

The History of Geometry Education Sam takes us on a tour of the history of geometry education. Here's looking at Euclid!

Never Bored Again Slackers or just bored?

Learning Greek It's Greek to him.

How and Why to Teach Shakespeare Why study Shakespeare?

How to Get the Most Out of Homeschool Conventions Sam tells vendors and attendees how to get the most out of homeschool conventions.

Forgotten American History: The Barbary Wars

Forgotten American History: God's Providence in the American Revolution

Forgotten American History: The Spanish-American War

Forgotten American History: The Great Awakening

Forgotten American History: Puritan Education

Colonial Education: The Free Market in Action Education in the 13 colonies

America Started with Educational Freedom

How Harvard Became Liberal

The Glory of the Alphabet The alphabet - foundation of modern western culture.

19th Century Communists & the Origin of American Public Education Learn what 19th Century American communists had to do with the founding of the public schools.

The Benefits of Cursive Writing The case for skipping manuscript handwriting and teaching cursive from the start.

It Pays to Know Your Legislator Why you should get to know your state legislator.

Intelligent by Design Is the universe the result of random processes or was it designed? A look at intelligent design.

Teaching Kids to Enjoy Classical Music Developing an appreciation for classical music in our students.

Before Compulsory Education: The Private Academies Before public education, how did kids get taught?

What Schools Teach: Then and Now

The Real Meaning of Easter It's more than a parade, a season, or a bonnet.

The Truth About Independence Day Why Independence Day is worth celebrating.

The Benefits of Reading Biographies Biographies can help your children face life's challenges.

Why We Celebrate Veterans Day The meaning of Veterans Day and why we celebrate it.

The Purposes of Education The four-fold purpose of education.

Why Homeschoolers Should be Book Collectors You're already collecting books. Why not do it for cash?

How History Was Taught Back Then How history used to be taught in U.S. schools.

The American Almanac: A Great Learning Tool What is an almanac and how can we use it in homeschool?

The Fun of Going to an Antiques Auction Find out how to own a piece of history.

Politics and Homeschoolers: A Primer Understanding the political process.

A Novel Suggestion How reading novels benefits our homeschool curriculum.

Who Wrote Shakespeare? Who wrote the plays attributed to Shakespeare?

Why Homeschoolers Should Learn Public Speaking Why public speaking is a skill homeschoolers need to have.

The Presidency The importance of the American presidency.

Party Politics in the United States Although George Washington tried to discourage the creation of “party spirit” (meaning political factions), it was inevitable that politicians would line up against one another along ideological lines.

The Road to an American Independent Nation The process that led the 13 colonies to become the United States

George Washington: Our First President's First Term The highlights of the first term of our nations first president

George Washington: Our First President's Second Term Sam Blumenfeld provides a quick summary of George Washington's second and final term as president of the United States of America.

Celebrating Flag Day Flag Day seems to be a point in history long forgotten, but Sam Blumenfeld has brought it back to life.

Going to School Back in the Great Depression The schools during the Great Depression were quite different from what we have today.

Middle School During the Great Depression Middle school was certainly quite different during the Great Depression compared to what it is today.

High School During the Depression Learn what high school was like during the Great Depression.

Inventions and Progress The benefits and pitfalls of innovation.

On Falling in Love Sam explores the connection between being homeschooled and future success in love.

A Taste of the Old Days Sam gives us a little taste of what elementary school was like 70 years ago.

The True Root of American Freedom Sam Blumenfeld shows how all our freedoms in America derive from God the Creator.

Classical Gems on YouTube A great place to find classical music selections

Curing Dyslexia Can dyslexia be cured? Sam Blumenfeld says it can!

How to Increase Your Vocabulary Some practical tips on how to improve your word power

The Joy of Journaling Some practical tips on how to improve your word power

Christmas and Hanukkah 70 Years Ago Sam Blumenfeld remembers how Christmas and Hanukkah were celebrated back in the 1940s