Our Twist

The meaning of our slogan…

We use a combination of visual, written, verbal, and hands-on methods to teach the lessons (rather than just focusing on one type of method). Keeping a balance of various methods as well as introducing topics and skills in unit chunks (to allow for focus on one thing at a time) help to make lessons “stick”!

Real sweetness of a home comes from building good relationships with one another and exalting Jesus Christ. We encourage families to learn together daily from the Bible which is refreshing to our lives and “sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb” (see Psalm 19:7-10, 119:103, 138:2c).

• To summarize the second part of our slogan: Most of our curriculum does not give specific direction for Bible readings or spiritual conversations. We believe that the parents have this responsibility, instead of the academic curriculum writer, to choose Bible verses and related conversations which are best suited to their individual family. However, we definitely want to encourage families to be students of God’s Word, not just “schoolwork”.
• We see “homeschooling” as a different task from “parenting” or “discipleship”, even though of course, these tasks often can be combined. All parents should “parent” their child(ren). But homeschooling parents also provide academic schooling to their kids, and are not just parenting them.
• Homeschooling families only doing discipleship or parenting tasks can end up with students who struggle with academic skills more. And homeschooling families who are only looking after academic studies/sports groups, can end up with students who are disconnected in knowing good relationships both with people and spiritually. Homeschool parents have chosen to both parent and to homeschool their child(ren).)

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Introductory Notes

On this page, you can read about the general characteristics of the “Peppermint Stick” approach to learning!

“PSLC” is the short form of our long name – Peppermint Stick Learning Company. Sometimes we just call it “Peppermint Stick”!

Curriculum is a TOOL to help YOU provide some direction and structure to your child’s learning. It provides guidance and helps to reduce time and effort in gathering or coming up with one’s own lessons.

Curriculum can be very helpful but it is limited. Books simply cannot contain everything needed for a good education. While many of our resources apply the academics towards “real life”, we believe that a successful education includes many learning experiences which simply cannot (and should not) be articulated best in a book. As mentioned above, building good relationships is important too! (I wrote further about this topic in this post, in the last section which is called “Relationships Matter”.)

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What is Your Style/Approach?

The products we sell tend to be adaptable for use within almost any of the common educational styles/approaches that you may have heard of. While our “Peppermint Stick” style is unique in a sense and sometimes has some different characteristics compared to typical curriculum, it is also very flexible in how it can be used to meet the needs of today’s families! Our customers come from varied backgrounds (e.g. Traditional, Charlotte Mason, Eclectic, Unschooling, etc.).

Our “Peppermint Stick” style is effective and fun, often having a combination of various methods.

But we don’t combine all subject areas together – instead we present separate units or sections of study within the subject. This can be thought of as non-integrative.

• Examples: Science curriculum might provide a bunch of units to be studied in a year (e.g. a unit per month) but not be mixed in with geography lessons. Math could have one main type of skill to practice for a couple of weeks and is neither spiral (too mixed) nor mastery-based (too long of units). Skills for language arts are often presented separately (e.g. phonics, spelling, comprehension, grammar) rather than integrated together into say, history lessons, even though of course, reading and writing skills can be applied in any subject.
• There are different ways that people choose to organize their thoughts.
  • One is like a casserole, everything integrated together so that a bite consists of a little of this and a little of that, followed by a bowl of trifle. It can be very delicious and nutritious. 
  • Another way is like a divided plate of salad on one part, hamburger or steak on another part with a bit of gravy perhaps, then mashed potatoes, then carrots.
  • Our “Peppermint Stick” style is more like that second plate (and why not add a peppermint after dessert of course!) in the sense that, based on our experience, study, and opinion, lessons just seem to stick much better for longer term if things are studied in chunks of the same thing to chew through. It is simply our preference, is super-effective, and fits the relaxed style of a home very well!

We also highly value the concept of multi-level learning for at least some topics – where the topic might be able to be generally organized as the same for a wider age range while the depth and/or skills can be different. Multi-level isn’t necessarily the same as multi-age – it means not keeping a grade 4 kid bored and stuck with a grade 1 sibling’s level. (Multi-level/multi-grade teaching was a method that worked very well historically in one-room schoolhouses with eight grades and one teacher – both of my parents and an aunt taught in this kind.)

Rob and I began Peppermint Stick Learning Company Inc. when our oldest child was young. As a homeschool mom, I wanted lessons that truly stick for the long-term (without unnecessary repetition, wasting of time), were refreshing for a “real life” mom like me (Joy) to use, and have sweet simplicity and practicality to them!

• We love using different methods of learning – hands-on, visual, written, and verbal activities – and variety works! Learn with projects, real life experiences, notebooks, meaningful worksheets, presentations, age-appropriate instructions, easy-to-read layouts/font-sizing, and simple pictures!

• Much of our curriculum can be rearranged as desired without difficulty and is self-paced.

• How our curriculum is designed helps to train students to grasp the important skill of independent learning!

• Teach lessons which are relevant to a child’s world and understandable in a child’s language.

• Relax in the freedom to teach with your own choices of literature!

• We want to inspire children to explore and soar and not hold them back, even if that means learning to read before memorizing the alphabet, if that is what they end up doing. We desire to see children grow in knowledge, skills, and wisdom at any age and believe they have the potential of learning so much and loving it too!

To watch a short video or so about the background of PSLC or see some of our curriculum “flip-thrus”, please check out our Vimeo page here! 😊

Like a Peppermint Stick…

School-time should be sweet, not boring, nor simply endured until a break!

My definition of “fun” = simple delights with a good purpose – something that can bring a smile!

• Considerate of Childhood: Children naturally love simplicity and flexibility to explore many things to learn! We like cute and simple visuals, fun activities which can be (hopefully) set up and cleaned up by children, and freedom for many assignments to keep-it-simple or be extra creative. We like having the opportunities of taking some learning outdoors, perhaps making a few learning/play centers (rather than just desk work), and absorbing more than just “the basic 3R’s” for subjects.

• The “Surprise Factor”: Not every lesson has to be predictable in layout/structure or the method of learning. We all like surprises! You really don’t want to see a bored student in mid-winter who is soooooo used to a routine – “Do this page the same way you have the previous pages of this book for the past few months, subject after subject.” When I was a student, I did well with my studies – partly because my teachers allowed me to be unpredictable! I want to my resources not just to “cover the content” but instead, be thoughtfully designed to be refreshing to those who will use them!

• Learn in chunks, bite-size pieces of the stuff in the same category; focused learning. Our unit chunks do not last all year; instead think of a few days, a week, a month, depending on the topic. Nor are they units that keep the same topic for all subjects, all month. You can have a different topic for each subject!

• Make it clear and straightforward – with age-appropriate instructions, less distracting layouts with good font-sizing.

• Incorporate different methods of learning – variety works! We love a balance of hands-on, visual, written, and oral activities! Here are a few reasons why:
  • Spice – Sure, some children can manage OK without the variety but it is much more effective if you add in the spice of “variety”! Lessons have the likelihood of really sticking or being reinforced if the skills and knowledge are presented or expressed in more than just a traditional-written-method. This is how my favourite teachers (including my mom) taught me!
  • More Wide-Reaching – Having variety is beneficial for all kinds of learners (and teachers), regardless of individual strengths/weaknesses. This variety means that the “Peppermint Stick” approach works well with a wider audience and might be enjoyed by the whole family, not just one child who has a particular learning style. Older siblings can share memories and stories about the lessons and projects if they have enjoyed the same type of schooling.
  • Project-based learning assignments, real life experiences, and notebooks, are often more meaningful and more memorable than doing tests. (Yes, knowing how to write tests well is an important skill but, for homeschooled students, it isn’t necessary to constantly test and drill to prove one’s understanding because you live and eat with your students and likely know quite well already whether or not they have grasped their lessons.) (Some provinces and states require reporting and some parents want to keep more than just a portfolio of student work. If you need some help in this, we do offer some tips for how you can evaluate student work here.)

• Scope and Sequence:
  • We encourage you to repeat units of topics a few times (e.g. 3) over the years of schooling, beginning at a foundational level (e.g. primary level), building on that during a later year (e.g. junior-intermediate level), and then building on that further (senior level studies). To see an example of what this can look like, we show a “Four-Year Rotational Planning Guide” at this link. In other words, to understand some topics sufficiently, it often takes years of learning something at different stages/ages of development.
  • Flexibility – We recognize each family and each school classroom has individual needs, interests, and abilities. Much of our curriculum can be rearranged as desired without difficulty and is self-paced.
  • We don’t hold students “inside a box” of sequences and developmental expectations. Our undated curriculum enables our customers to make choices as to “what” is studied in their homes “when” and in “what order”. (We have helpful planning guides with ideas and suggestions of course, and tips in our blog.)
  • We do arrange (organize) our curriculum into general levels and units which we think are a reasonable “scope and sequence”. We are Canadian-focused and as such, did consider our ministry of education’s general scope and sequence for many topics or skills, although some of those would be what was taught decades ago. You can read more about why we considered our country’s educational standards to a certain extent on this page here.

• Most of our curriculum is reusable or reproducible! Coming from the perspective of a homeschool mom of a large family, if you can reuse curriculum, it should be easier to plan and overall, less expensive.
  • We try to cut down on the amount of paper and ink used (and amounts stored in basements). We want you to have the opportunity to keep a meaningful record of learning, rather than a wad of scattered printouts from “wherever” or stacks of consumable workbooks in a portfolio box.

• Guided lessons encourage independent learning and “teaching back” some of the time. You know a lesson sticks when students can do this and take a measure of responsibility to explore topics of interest further.
  • Independent learning is not just about being able to “read and retell” on your own. It goes beyond that to understand enough to be able to also apply what was learned to a different or new situation or related topic. This includes following a pattern of modelled writing, making summary notes, organizing thoughts and plans, knowing how to use reference materials and so on. Training students, little by little, the skills involved for independent learning is a feature of what our curriculum aims to do.
  • If students can grasp independent learning skills, they will –
    • gain confidence in their knowledge
    • be equipped to help younger siblings
    • delight in deeper studies of interest
    • thrive on both “together-groupwork” time and “on-own” time because they have a freedom to accomplish a significant amount of stuff at their own pace.

Like me, do you desire your children to grow strong as eager lifelong learners? Spoon-feeding them, entertaining them with mainly flashy and fluffy trivia, or keeping everyone together at the same pace for everything isn’t going to help much, in my opinion. Independent learning needs some guidance along the way and it is a very important part of education that is often overlooked.

If this skill is not encouraged in the home gradually, it is more challenging at older levels or if other family responsibilities increase (e.g. new baby, etc.) to expect a student to suddenly manage well with their education. So PSLC seeks to begin that skill in primary levels, in contrast to what many other homeschool companies do.

• Relevant and Practical: “Twist” together what you learn with your daily life! We like lessons presented in a manner that is relevant to a child’s world and understandable in a child’s language – practical for a child’s life either now and/or in the future. Being practical is very important to us!

• Materials: Our style easily wraps around everyday homey life and is very flexible to use. It uses commonly-found “around-the-home” materials. (Example: “Pinch clothespins around a hand towel before today’s printing lesson. This exercise warms-up finger muscles.”)

• Real Life: We’re right in the midst of a home environment with children when this curriculum is designed. I’m not on an adult team in an office in a big city company and I’m not retired from homeschooling. Nor do other people write for me. I, as a real homeschooling mom living in this season of my life, design it while my children are near me, and almost always test it out in my family first before it gets published for sale. Yes, we DO use much of what we sell! And our children critique it and make suggestions – they are a very important part of “my team”! ♥ Most of our homeschool years to date have included a baby or toddler as well; I understand what “real life” is like!
• Of course, our resources can be used in a classroom setting. But they have been originally developed to work well at the homes of families, like us, who want something that can wrap around our real lives!
• A note about “Deschooling?” This is a word that is becoming more popular in homeschool advice. If all it means is to learn to be flexible and wrap learning around real life which is now a home instead of a formal classroom, that’s fine. But if it means a “get-through-schooling-to get-to do-what-we-want-to-instead-of-education” mentality, then we’ve missed the whole point of having the privilege of educating our children at home! When this term “deschooling” is being used in the context of excusing sloppy school plans, a freedom to do whatever a person feels like most of the time, aiming at nothing much but what tickles the ears/mind/known pleasures – then this new word seems to me to express a low value of education – and that, to me, is a problem.
  • So I don’t tell homeschoolers to “deschool” – because it can mean the exact opposite to valuing a solid education. We SHOULD be intentional both with the privilege to make a plan and guide the learning as well as the opportunity to demonstrate to our children that academic education is highly valuable in our families.
  • I agree that you don’t need a timed schedule with buzzers for recess or regular drilled tests – but those things are easily put aside in a home setting without needing a ‘period of time to readjust’. You’re simply your child’s next teacher and we all understand that each teacher can do things differently than the previous teacher. I don’t think you don’t need to read books on how to readjust and deschool – just begin and be the teacher as well as the parent, building a good relationship your child can enjoy learning from.
  • The real problem I think is that parents don’t want to be the next teacher – they want something easy that runs itself so that they don’t have to put as much time and effort into homeschooling and can carry on with their own other priorities instead. This doesn’t work well. You’ll generally get whatever you put into something. If you’ve decided to homeschool, then you are saying that you are desiring to now to take on additional responsibilities to also have “the teacher role” to guide their studies (even if you arrange for some subject areas to be taught or supplemented with other resources). Please, if you haven’t already, read further about this topic in this post, in the last section which is called “Relationships Matter”.
  • For the moms who were schoolteachers but now think they need to “deschool” their thinking drastically from how they taught school, it appears that they’re admitting that they didn’t make learning fun for students in their classes, when they could have. So the issue is not really to “deschool” now but rather, to reflect on how they could have taught classes better so those students could enjoy their education and, if they returned to the classroom, they would not change back to boringness.
  • My mom taught in both classrooms and at home – and in similar fashion in both situations. She made the lessons stick well and enjoyed well by the students, regardless of the place in which she taught. As a former schoolteacher of more than 10 years in public schools, she never had to “deschool” in order to homeschool.

Links for More Details Per Subject Area –

Our Twist on Reading and Writing

Our Twist on Math

Our Twist on Science

Our Twist on History and Geography

Our Twist on Teaching the Bible and Character Ed.

Our Twist on the Arts

Other Related Links

And here are a few other links for specific points relating to our approach to education at PSLC:

A COMPARISON: We often have been asked to describe our style by comparing it with other more-common approaches to education. If this is of interest to you, please go to this link here for that.

“SPECIAL NEEDS” Students: To see if our curriculum might be able to help with teaching “special needs” students, please click here.

ABOUT INTEGRATING THE BIBLE: Some books that we publish have very little or no Biblical content. Almost all of our academic curriculum can easily be used in a variety of home school, private school, or even public school settings. However, we do not compromise our Statement of Faith do write from such a Christian perspective when issues arise. If you want to read about this further, please see the page linked below:

OUR BIBLICAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION:  We follow some guidelines for how we choose our product-line. To view that page, please click here.