The term “animatronics” is a portmanteau of “animate” and “electronics” – it merges the two words together to express the blended meaning of those words. Animatronics are robotic figures that use mechanics, electronics, and computer control to make them move, speak, or perform like living creatures. Seen often in the entertainment industry, animatronics are popularly featured in theme parks, movies, and holiday displays.

The idea of creating moving mechanical figures (automatons) dates back thousands of years:

• Ancient Greece (3rd century BC): Inventors such as Ctesibius and later Hero of Alexandria created automated mechanical devices powered by water, air pressure, and weights.
• Middle Ages and Renaissance: Engineers built elaborate mechanical clocks with moving figures called automatons.
• 1700s: European craftsmen developed mechanical dolls that could write, draw, or play musical instruments.
• 1800s: European inventors started using high-precision mechanics to power automata, music boxes, and singing bird boxes.

These early automatons laid the foundation for today’s animatronic robots. Animatronic figures combine puppetry, anatomy, and mechatronics to imitate lifelike movements. They are typically built with an internal metal skeleton encased in a molded plastic body shell and covered with flexible rubber skin finished with hair, fabric, and other components to make them look realistic.

The modern era of animatronics began in 1961 when Walt Disney and his Imagineers developed sophisticated moving figures for entertainment and film. Disney coined the term Audio-Animatronics, referring to motorized figures synchronized with sound and movement.

During the 1970s and 1980s, animatronics became a major part of theme park attractions. Advances in hydraulics, pneumatics, and electronic controls allowed smoother and more realistic movements. In the 1980s and 1990s, animatronics became essential to special effects before CGI was widely available.

Advances in robotics, programming, rapid prototyping, and surfacing materials make today’s animatronics more lifelike than ever before. Thanks to microcontrollers that coordinate precise actions, modern filmmakers can create animatronic creatures and characters with highly expressive faces and natural movements to interact with human actors. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the animatronic ends and the CGI begins.

The Stan Winston School of Character Arts keeps the legacy of practical effects alive so that it may continue to enhance the entertainment experience. Check out this infographic on The History of Animatronics from Disney to cinema by Custom Entertainment Solutions (CES) Inc.

Do you have a favorite animatronic character? Which one?

IvyPanda’s Video Contest Scholarship is back for the tenth year in a row, looking to reward another pair of talented individuals!

Participants are allowed to make animated videos as well as film yourself or your friends. Each participant may submit only one video and win just one award.

Here are the details…

Scholarship Name: $1,500 Annual Video Contest Scholarship for Students

Eligibility: Current high school, college, or university students from any country. Winners will be required to send proof of their academic status or enrollment.

Awards: The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The runner-up prize is $500.

Deadline: October 31, 2026

Link: https://ivypanda.com/scholarship-video

Submission Requirements

Record an original video on one of the following topics:

• When everyone has AI, what makes a student’s work truly stand out?
• Career planning in the age of AI: How should students prepare today?
• If AI were your classmate, what could it teach you – and what would it never understand?

Your video must:

• Contain only copyright-free content.
• Cover one of the topics given above.
• Be in English only.
• Last between 1-1:30 minutes.
• Be submitted in one of the following formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI.
• Have a widescreen aspect ratio.
• Feature the official IvyPanda logo, clearly visible in one corner, throughout its entire duration.

Upload your video to one of these file-hosting services: Dropbox, Google Drive. NOTE: No video should be set to public access before the Contest.

Subscribe to IvyPanda’s first and second YouTube channels; like and share the Contest video-description on X, Facebook or Instagram.

Send an email to scholarship@ivypanda.com with “IvyPanda Video Contest Submission” as the subject line and the following content inside (in this particular order):

• The direct link to your uploaded video (the share option must be set to “Give access to anyone with the link”)
• The screenshots of your subscriptions to IvyPanda’s YouTube channels
• The screenshot of the Contest video-description shared on social media
• A creative, catchy title that reflects your ideas
• The detailed answer to the question: “Where did you find out about the IvyPanda Contest?”

If you are interested, you can see previous winners’ videos here:
https://ivypanda.com/scholarship-video#previous-scholarships-section

Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexel

Lucy Van Pelt: Are you afraid of responsibility? If you are, then you have hypengyophobia.

Charlie Brown: I don’t think that’s quite it.

Lucy: How about cats? If you’re afraid of cats, you have ailurophasia.

Charlie Brown: Well, sort of, but I’m not sure.

Lucy: Are you afraid of staircases? If you are, then you have climacaphobia. Maybe you have thalassophobia (fear of the ocean) or gephyrobia (fear of crossing bridges). Or maybe you have pantophobia. Do you think you have pantophobia?

Charlie Brown: What’s pantophobia?

Lucy: The fear of everything.

Charlie Brown: THAT’S IT!

This humorous exchange is one of the most memorable lines from the Peanuts animated classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965).

However, when you suffer from a phobia, it’s no laughing matter.

A phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an intense, irrational fear of a specific thing that may be way out of proportion to the actual danger involved with the object, situation, or activity.

For example, it’s normal to be cautious around certain breeds of dogs, but someone with cynophobia – an overwhelming fear of dogs – might be terrified even in the presence of a small, friendly dog.

Exposure to the source one’s phobia typically causes an immediate anxiety response, and the effects are usually more severe than ordinary fears. Phobias can result in avoidance behaviors, panic attacks, and significant distress that interferes with daily life.

People with a phobia often:

• Feel extreme anxiety when they encounter or even think about the feared thing.
• Experience physical symptoms such as a racing heart, sweating, trembling, dizziness, nausea, or shortness of breath.
• Recognize that their fear may be unreasonable, but still find it difficult to control.
• Try to avoid the source of their fear whenever possible.

Common phobias include:

• Acrophobia – fear of heights
• Aerophobia – fear of flying
• Agoraphobia – fear of public places or open spaces
• Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
• Astraphobia – fear of thunder and lightning
• Claustrophobia – fear of enclosed or confined spaces
• Dentophobia – fear of dental visits
• Glossophobia – fear of public speaking
• Nyctophobia – fear of darkness
• Ophidiophobia – fear of snakes
• Social phobia – fear of social situations
• Trypophobia – fear of clusters of small holes or circles

These phobias are all widely reported across clinical and population studies.

Social phobia and agoraphobia are often placed in their own category of anxiety disorders, because their triggers are typically broader in scope and more generalized than the other phobias which are triggered by a clear, identifiable stimulus.

Some uncommon phobias include:

• Arachibutyrophobia – Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth, often linked to choking or sticky textures.
• Globophobia – Fear of balloons, particularly the anticipation of them popping, which can trigger panic in festive environments.
• Kinemortophobia – Fear of zombies or fictional undead creatures, often linked to horror media.
• Nomophobia – Fear of being without a mobile phone, causing extreme anxiety when the phone is lost, out of battery, or out of service.
• Somniphobia – Fear of sleep, which can interfere with rest and overall health.

These very specific phobias highlight the diversity of human fears and demonstrate that even seemingly trivial or bizarre triggers can have a profound psychological impact.

How to Overcome a Phobia

The first step to overcoming a phobia is recognizing what it is and where it may have come from. A phobia may stem from something that happened in childhood, whether or not you remember it. For example, a traumatic medical experience may result in a fear of doctors (iatrophobia), needles (trypanophobia), or blood (hemophobia). A near-drowning event can bring on a fear of water (aquaphobia). An intense fear of germs (germaphobia) often intersects with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Observing a close family member exhibiting intense fear or anxiety can influence someone’s phobia development from an early age. Likewise, a family history of phobias increases the likelihood of personally developing a phobia, and people with a genetic predisposition to anxiety in general have a higher risk of developing multiple phobias.

You may be able to overcome a phobia through something called exposure therapy. It works by gradually training your brain to form a new memory that competes with the fear response. The principle is straightforward: you gradually confront the object of your fear in a controlled setting. Over time, being repeatedly exposed to the thing you fear without anything bad happening can reduce your emotional and physical responses until it no longer causes extreme distress.

For example, someone with a dog phobia (cynophobia) might try looking at photos of dogs, watching dog videos, sitting in a park where dogs walk by at a distance, standing near a calm dog on a leash, and eventually petting a friend’s gentle dog.

Talking to a trusted friend about your fear and letting them walk you through the steps of overcoming it can help you to challenge irrational thoughts related to the object of your fear. They can hold your hand and safely guide you through the process, supporting your efforts as you learn to manage the symptoms.

The critical rule is to stay in the situation long enough for your anxiety to peak and then decline on its own. If you run away at peak anxiety, this reinforces the idea that escape was necessary, which only strengthens the phobia. Persevering through the discomfort will teach your brain that the anxiety passes without anything bad happening. This can help you to manage and reduce the fear.

What are you afraid of? Let us know in the comments!

By Tab O.

Have you been to Home Depot lately? Even if you’re not shopping for home improvement products, it’s worth a visit just to see their Halloween displays. Home Depot’s giant Halloween animatronics have become a bit of a seasonal phenomenon, and each year the lineup gets bigger.

From towering scarecrows to fire-breathing dragons, Home Depot’s larger-than-life animatronics have become famous for bringing a mix of fright, fun, and fancy to front yards across the country. The most popular is Skelly, the 12-foot-tall skeleton that debuted in 2020 and developed a huge fan following.

Since then, Home Depot has expanded their exclusive collection with haunting figures like giant witches, werewolves, phantoms, scarecrows, pumpkin creatures, dragons, and other elaborate animated decorations. Designed with intricate details, motion-activated effects, and eye-catching illumination, each piece helps transform ordinary porches and lawns into Halloween showstoppers.

The 11-Foot Giant Mummy is a new addition for 2026. It features motion-activated lighting and adjustable posing. The 8-Foot Perilous Plant Monster is another new giant, with animated movement, sound effects, and illuminated eyes and mouth. Home Depot’s upgraded giant Skelly features app-controlled functions and Bluetooth voice features.

Movement is created by small electric motors, gearboxes, and servo motors. When someone walks by, motion sensors trigger a pre-programmed sequence of motion, sound, and lighting effects. Some newer products, such as the giant Skelly variants, include LCD “LifeEyes” technology, which uses digital displays to create animated eyes with different expressions. A small onboard control board stores and synchronizes pre-programmed animation routines.

Five Favorites

Home Depot’s Halloween animatronics offer something for every kind of Halloween enthusiast. If I were building a Halloween animatronics display, my five favorites are:

1. Wicked Woods Scowling Sapling because it’s something different from the usual skeletons, ghosts, and witches.
2. Knight Frostbane because the giant armored undead look is perfect for a fantasy-themed yard.
3. Plague Doctor because it’s awesomely creepy and looks incredible in person.
4. Zombie Velociraptor because velociraptors are scary enough as it is, and this one stands near life-size.
5. Dead Water Pirate Duo because who doesn’t love pirates, and you get two for the price of one.

Licensed Characters

In recent years, Home Depot has expanded beyond its original in-house characters and has offered licensed animatronics based on well-known entertainment properties. For example, the 2026 Halloween collection includes a 7-foot Frankenstein Monster and 6-foot Bride of Frankenstein licensed by Universal, as well as a 6.5-foot licensed Disney Maleficent animatronic.

For the younger crowd, the licensed Disney Stitch animated character is a good deal because it’s not too scary and it has interchangeable accessories for Halloween and Christmas. This one is also a bit different because it’s only 3 feet tall and is designed for indoor use only.

The technology behind Home Depot’s Halloween animatronics is a combination of fairly standard animatronic engineering and newer digital features. They use a mix of servo‑driven motors, LED/LCD visual systems, and Bluetooth‑enabled audio control to create lifelike movement and interactive effects. They’re basically simplified, mass-produced animatronic robots designed to create awesome Halloween effects at a consumer price point.

Which of these Halloween Animatronics do you like best? Leave a comment!

“Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower!” is the theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign that runs from October 4th to 10th. The key message focuses on safe charging practices that reduce the risk of overheating, smoke, fire, and failure of lithium-ion batteries.

Many of the devices we use in our daily lives—phones, tablets, laptops, power tools, battery-powered toys, e-bikes, and scooters, to name a few—run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which store high amounts of energy in a small space. If the batteries are damaged or charged incorrectly, they can overheat, start a fire, or even explode.

According to the AllFirefighter Editorial Team, “Most preventable battery-fire problems do not begin with dramatic abuse. They begin with shortcuts: the wrong charger, a damaged cable, charging on a bed, leaving large battery-powered equipment plugged in near an exit, or ignoring early warning signs like swelling, heat, or a strange odor.”

The convenience of lithium-ion batteries comes with a simple truth that firefighters already know well: when lithium-ion batteries fail, the fire problem can escalate fast. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) does not yet track data on the number of U.S. home fires involving lithium-ion batteries, but an increasing number of lithium-ion battery fires and explosions reported by fire departments, news outlets, and other sources underscores the potential hazards they present.

“Because lithium-ion batteries are a newer technology, not everyone is aware of the potential dangers they present, particularly when it comes to charging them safely,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. “Our goal for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign is to help people make informed choices and practice simple habits that can help greatly reduce those risks.”

With these concerns in mind, the 2026 Fire Prevention Week theme aims to give people the following rules to remember:

Use the correct charger

• Use the cord and charger that came with your device or ones approved by the manufacturer. Using the wrong charger can damage the battery and increase the risk of fire.

Charge on a hard, flat surface

• Charge devices on a table, desk, or other hard, flat surface. Do not charge them on beds, couches, or under pillows. Devices and chargers produce heat during normal charging. Soft surfaces can trap heat and block airflow, which can cause the battery to overheat.

Do not overcharge or leave devices plugged in unnecessarily

• Unplug your device when it is fully charged. Do not leave it plugged in longer than needed. Leaving a device plugged in too long can increase heat and stress on the battery.

Pay attention to heat, swelling, smoke, or odd smells

• Stop using your device if it feels very hot, starts to swell, is smoking, or has a strange smell. These are warning signs that the battery may be damaged or failing.

Be extra careful with larger batteries

• Charge larger items like e-bikes, scooters, and power tools outside and away from exits. These batteries are larger and store more energy. If they fail, fires can grow quickly and spread.

Charging During a Flight 

• When on a plane, keep your device where you can see it while charging. Do not charge devices in overhead compartments. Do not charge e-cigarettes or vapes on a plane. If a battery overheats or fails, it is important for the flight crew to respond quickly.

About Fire Prevention Week

The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week since 1922. Fire Prevention Week is celebrated throughout North America every October and is the oldest U.S. public health observance on record. For more than 100 years, Fire Prevention Week has worked to educate people about the risk of home fires and ways to minimize them. Local fire departments, schools, and community organizations play a key role in bringing Fire Prevention Week to life in their communities each year, spreading basic but critical fire safety messages.

The Fire Prevention Week 2026 campaign aims to better educate the public about how to safely charge lithium-ion powered devices, helping minimize associated risks at home and other locations. To learn more about Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower,” visit fpw.org. Additional Fire Prevention Week resources for parents and educators can be found at sparky.org and sparkyschoolhouse.org.

Free Printables

Attention all STEM students! Check out these downloadable PDF printables:

• How a Lithium-ion Battery Works
• Thermal Runway Explained

By Tab O.

The Baseus 240W USB C to USB C Cable is a retractable fast charging cord that’s braided, yet flat like a ribbon. It’s like a retractable tape measure, except that when you pull out one end, the other end automatically pulls out at the same time. Push the button, and they both retract back into the round plastic housing.

There’s a USB-C connector on each end. They nestle into an indentation to protect them. The flat cord pulls out and retracts smoothly, and doesn’t get twisted up during coiling/uncoiling. The mechanism didn’t get jammed, either, after I accidentally dropped the case.

The retractable charger is compact and easy to carry in your purse, pocket, or travel kit. It takes up less space than a loose cord. The cable pulls out to any length you want until it’s fully extended to 3 feet. The spring-loaded housing keeps the cable neatly coiled when not in use.

This design eliminates tangled knots and messy cords, protecting the cable while keeping your bag or workspace clutter-free. I imagine it will help extend the life of the cord, too, since the cord is stored safely inside the plastic case. I like how you can quickly extend it to the desired length and retract it instantly.

This is such a cool and stylish charger, including the neon green color! It even comes with a matching carabiner (they call it a portable buckle) on a lanyard loop that you can attach to a bag or backpack. This will save space while keeping your charging cable handy. No more rummaging around to find one!

This charger is especially useful in travel scenarios, like at airports, but you will need a power adapter to plug it into a wall outlet. Overall, the compact form factor and quick deployment make this retractable cable ideal for anyone who needs a reliable, neat and tidy charging solution on the go.

The thing I like most about this charger is the speed at which it charges. It’s super fast! I used it on vacation this summer and didn’t have much time in between sightseeing trips, but I’d plug my phone in at the hotel for a quick top-off and I’d be ready for another round of picture-taking in no time. For example, my Samsung Galaxy S24 would be at 25%, and in just 30 minutes it went up to 75%. It was 100% charged in an hour.

I think I’ll only get this type of retractable charging cable from now on. It’s great because it combines organization, protection, portability, versatility, and speed – making it a worthwhile upgrade if you want to reduce cable clutter and extend the life of your charging cords while being able to charge your devices quickly.

So if you’re looking for a new charger, I highly recommend the Baseus 240W USB C to USB C Cable.

Disclosure: Homeschooling Teen is an Amazon Associate. Clicking through the links on this page gives us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Why trust our recommendations? We know homeschooling families usually have limited incomes, so we don’t purposely choose the most expensive products just so we can get a bigger commission. In most cases, they’re items that we actually bought ourselves!

Have you ever noticed Disney’s enduring fascination with witches?

Many of Disney Animation Studios’ earliest stories were adaptations of classic fairy tales in which witches were central antagonists — the Evil Queen in Snow White, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, and Ursula in The Little Mermaid. These witches provided dramatic foil to the “good” protagonist, embodying the “good vs. evil” dynamic that makes a captivating story.

While the early Disney witches were evil villains, their later portrayals expanded into nuanced, sympathetic, or even helpful figures. Some are sweet, like Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and a few are comedic, like the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus.

Read the Bible

Isaiah 8:19-22 in the Bible tells us there is a spiritual realm that is not of God. It warns us not to take part in witchcraft or consult with mediums but to call on God for guidance.

Micah 5:12 promises that the LORD Himself will eradicate occult practices and their practitioners among His people: “I will destroy your witchcraft, and you will no longer cast spells.”

Deuteronomy 18: 10-12 warns us to avoid the occult arts in all forms including child sacrifice, divination, fortune telling, sorcery, witchcraft, casting spells, consulting mediums or spiritists, and calling up the dead – even declaring such acts “detestable to the LORD.”

Nevertheless, the Disney company continues to push an idealistic view of witchcraft on children and teens through colorful animations and enchanting stories.

Coven Academy

One Million Moms is making viewers aware of Disney’s new series Coven Academy that pushes witchcraft on tweens and teens. Rated PG-V, this dark series premieres October 1 on Freeform channel. The full season should be available the next day on Disney+, Hulu, and Freeform on Demand.

Coven Academy blends magic, mystery, and teen drama in a modern supernatural setting, using New Orleans as its backdrop. This original teen drama, AKA “teen soap opera,” follows three teenage witches and a warlock as they caught up in what Disney describes as “supernatural wars, forbidden love interests, and influential, dangerous desires.” These are dark and troubling themes.

Once again, Disney embraces the world of witchcraft and sorcery while promoting secular worldviews that reflect current culture. The series encourages witch sisterhood (covens) and teen romance. Borrowing ideas from Harry Potter and Twilight, it features an elite magic boarding school as well as vampires, teens with anger issues, and much more.

Hexed

The term hex is defined as a magical spell or the act of casting such a spell, particularly an evil spell or curse. True to this definition, Disney’s upcoming animated film Hexed introduces kids to a goth‑styled teenager who is drawn into a world of witches, demons, and sorcery.

This coming-of-age fantasy follows Billie Doe, a quirky teenage outsider who accidentally unlocks her magical powers, pulling her through a portal into Hexe, a hidden world of witches, where she also discovers family secrets that threaten the balance of the magical realm.

With an in-theater release date scheduled for November 25, 2026, the Hexed movie will be available just in time for Thanksgiving break when many kids are out of school.

Conclusion

The characterization of witches in Disney productions has come a long way. They used to be portrayed as mean, ugly old hags. Nowadays they are cool teenagers. But Psalm 139:13-14 emphasizes that our worth and identity come from God, not magical abilities.

Instead of being dark and dangerous, modern themes of magic, witchcraft, and occult practices are presented as harmless or whimsical. However, any magic used for personal gain, control, or advantage apart from God is condemned in Scripture. Galatians 5:19-21 lists sorcery among the “works of the flesh” that exclude a person from the kingdom of God.

This type of content is concerning, as it introduces kids to ideas and practices that the Bible warns us to avoid. Kids often begin dabbling with witchcraft out of a desire to control their lives and circumstances. Lacking a connection with God, these youth embrace the occult to “empower” themselves and make themselves their own “gods.”

Ephesians 5:11 reminds us: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” That being said, you can observe what occultists do, and educate yourself about their practices, as long as you don’t participate in them. But caution is recommended for impressionable children and young people who may not have a Bible-based foundation.

Watch this Foundation Worldview Podcast in which Elizabeth Urbanowicz answers your questions on Witchcraft, Magic, and Sorcery in Media:

Video Summary

• Does the story take place in a magical land, or on earth? Fantasy doesn’t necessarily encourage the practice of magic because it’s obviously a make-believe story in a fictitious place.
• Is the magic seen as a way of gaining power or manipulating others instead of looking to God for help in a situation? That’s idolatry – the act of giving devotion, reverence, or worship to any entity, object, or concept in place of the one true Creator.
• Is there a clear distinction between good and evil? Satan might masquerade as an angel of light, but there’s no question that he and his minions are evil.

Are you trying to hold on to more of your hard-earned cash, and tired of being nickel-and-dimed by endless bank fees?

These days, I do most of my banking with an online credit union, and honestly, I wish I’d made the switch sooner.

It felt strange at first not having a physical branch, but to be honest, how many times do you actually go into a bank anymore? Several of the bank locations nearest to me reduced their hours or closed their doors permanently. Upon entering one bank, they directed me to the ATM in the lobby, as if they didn’t even want to bother seeing customers. Then when mobile checking came along, I didn’t even need to visit the ATM to deposit checks.

It felt like my money was just sitting there, barely growing, while fees chipped away at my balance, and they didn’t even offer convenient in-person customer service, so what was I paying them for?

If you’re still with a traditional bank that’s nickel-and-diming you, it’s time to move on.

I was inspired to change after listening to Dave Ramsey, a personal finance educator and radio host, best known for The Ramsey Show and Financial Peace University. Ramsey is a fiscally conservative evangelical Christian who follows God’s plan for stewardship, saving, giving, and building wealth.

Dave Ramsey endorses FAIRWINDS Credit Union because it aligns closely with his financial principles, offers member‑focused services, and avoids the profit‑driven practices he criticizes in big banks.

Ramsey’s core message is to help people achieve financial peace, avoid debt, and build wealth. FAIRWINDS has committed to training its employees using these same principles, and it does not push debt products on customers.

FAIRWINDS is a member-owned, not-for-profit credit union that provides personal and business financial services, including checking and savings accounts, mortgages, loans and investments. FAIRWINDS was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

If you sign up for a FAIRWINDS Credit Union account, you can get cash out at any of its partner ATMs at credit unions across the country. These partner locations are a national network of credit unions where you can take care of in-person FAIRWINDS transactions, such as deposits, withdrawals, and transfers.

Some key facts about FAIRWINDS Credit Union:

• It operates as a credit union, meaning it is owned by its members rather than shareholders.
• Membership is available nationwide, according to its website.
• It offers personal banking, business banking, wealth management, loans, treasury services, merchant services, and retirement planning.
• The credit union emphasizes helping members reduce debt, build savings, and achieve financial freedom.

Unlike traditional banks, credit unions generally return profits to members through products, services, rates, and fees rather than distributing profits to investors. FAIRWINDS specifically describes itself as a not-for-profit financial institution focused on serving members. Its earnings are returned to members through rates, technology, and financial solutions rather than to stockholders.

So would you rather trust your hard-earned savings to a bank that is in business to generate profits for its shareholders and investors? Or a non-profit credit union that returns the profits to its members, which includes YOU?

Advantages of FAIRWINDS

• Member-owned structure.
• Focus on helping members save, reduce debt, and build wealth.
• Nationwide membership availability.
• Access to a large network of partner credit union locations and fee-free ATMs.

Note About Fees

Fairwinds Credit Union does have bank fees, but they are transparent, often waivable, and can be avoided with straightforward account activity or balance requirements. Fairwinds does have some monthly service charges and ATM out‑of‑network transaction fees, but they are transparent about it. The credit union states that “we’re not big fans of fees” and provides clear ways for members to avoid them.

Fairwinds allows you to waive many charges by meeting simple criteria such as:

• Maintaining a minimum balance
• Receiving a certain amount in direct deposits
• Having an investment account above a set threshold
• Making regular transfers or deposits

Also, if you don’t use your account regularly, be aware that there is a $10/month dormant account fee if your account is inactive for 12 months. You can monitor your account online or via mobile and set alerts to track activity and avoid charges.

Bottom Line

If you need international banking, extensive branch access, complex business services, or a broad range of financial products, a large bank may be a better fit. But if you’re looking for a simple savings account and a member-focused experience, a credit union such as FAIRWINDS can be attractive. Remember: banks are built to earn profits for shareholders, while credit unions like FAIRWINDS are built to serve their members.

Are you a fan of Lauren the Mortician? Many creepy careers involve death, distressing subjects, or disturbing environments. Others may seem creepy due to their eerie or unsettling nature. If you’re drawn to the morbid or macabre and are willing to embrace the dark side of employment, one of these weird careers may be for you!

1. Disaster Responder – Applies public health and safety principles in searching for bodies and recovering human remains – often while being exposed to unstable structures, mud, debris, biological contaminants, and other hazards.
2. Crime Scene Investigator – Anyone looking to enter the world of crime scene investigation should be prepared to deal with some gruesome sights.
3. Forensic Biologist – Collects samples of biological evidence (bodily fluids, bones, body parts, hair, insects, plants, animals) at a crime scene.
4. Forensic Cleaner – Cleans, disinfects, and decontaminates areas after violent crimes, suicides, accidents, and unattended deaths involving blood, decomposition, and physical trauma.
5. Mortician / Funeral Director – Handles arrangements for the deceased including transportation, body preparation, viewing logistics, and burial arrangements.
6. Embalmer – Specializes in preparing bodies for funeral services by cleaning the body, disguising any damage, and applying makeup.
7. Crematory Operator – Manages the cremation process, ensuring respectful handling of human or animal remains and compliance with state and local regulations.
8. Cemetery Worker – Caretakers or groundskeepers tend to the graves and memorials, while grave diggers excavate burial plots using modern machinery such as mini excavators.
9. Psychiatric Ward Attendant – Caring for mentally ill patients in institutional settings exposes psychiatric aides to high-risk patients in acute distress, suicidal crises, self-harm situations, and psychotic episodes – often dealing with emotional drama, verbal abuse, aggression, and even violence.
10. Hospice Nurse – Hospice nurses report having seen many unexplained phenomena in settings with dying patients.
11. Paranormal Tour Guide – Leads groups to suspected haunted buildings and areas, while telling stories or providing historical context about the potential hauntings and ghosts.
12. Ghost Hunter – Ghost hunters visit locations rumored to be haunted, especially at night, in search of supernatural activity using EMF meters and recording devices.
13. Haunted House Worker – A haunted house worker at a scary or horror-themed attraction may provide behind-the-scenes operational support or may be an actor responsible for safely scaring guests. Typically a seasonal job unless you’re lucky enough to get hired at a theme park.

These creepy careers require courage, emotional fortitude, and sometimes specialized training, but they can also be rewarding and offer competitive pay since they’re jobs that most people shy away from.

And finally, while their jobs aren’t inherently scary, just ask any CNA, security guard, EMT or paramedic – especially those who have worked night shifts – and they’re sure to have experienced some eerie unexplainable encounters.

Fordham University is a private Jesuit university in New York City, with campuses in the Bronx (Rose Hill) and Manhattan (Lincoln Center). These locations create opportunities for internships in finance, media, law, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, and more.

Fordham was founded in 1841 and emphasizes the Jesuit tradition of educating the “whole person” through intellectual, ethical, and social development. These Jesuit values tend to show up more in service, ethics, and social justice than in strict religious requirements. So, while Fordham is a Catholic and Jesuit institution, students from many religious and cultural backgrounds attend.

Academics

Fordham University combines strong academics with direct access to internships, networking, and career opportunities in one of the world’s largest cities. The university reports a 14:1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio. Small class sizes mean more interaction with professors than at many large public universities. Fordham offers programs across more than 60 disciplines and is particularly well known for liberal arts, communications, psychology, political science, humanities, law, and business. The Gabelli School of Business is one of Fordham’s most recognized schools and attracts students interested in finance, accounting, marketing, and management.

Campus

Ironically, many students and visitors consider the same features that seem spooky to be some of Fordham’s most beautiful qualities.

The old stone buildings with tall towers and arched windows are reminiscent of the same style associated with castles, cathedrals, and classic horror settings. At night the Gothic architecture can make it feel like the site of a classic ghost story.

During the day, the campus is often described as picturesque, having extensive tree-lined paths. In autumn, winter, or foggy weather, the combination of bare branches and historic buildings can feel especially spooky.

The old Rose Hill campus is actually known as one of the most haunted campuses in America, with a number of ghost stories to back it up.

Hauntings include a blonde ghost in the Keating Hall showers and phantom hands in Finlay Hall, which once housed an operating theater and morgue where cadavers were stored for dissection. Students and former residents have reported feeling watched, cold hands on their necks, or being pulled as if they were a cadaver. Some claim to have seen ghostly figures peering down on them from the loft.

The filming of The Exorcist scene, in which Father Karras reviews the audio evidence of Regan’s possession, adds to the eerie reputation of Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. The filming of the scene took place in the basement of Keating Hall.

Student Life

Fordham University’s student body includes various age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and residency statuses. The university offers a variety of student groups and associations designed to enhance campus life and provide leadership opportunities. Fordham also supports a strong athletics program, competing at the NCAA Division I level. Prospective students can expect a supportive network that encourages both educational and extracurricular achievement.

Homeschool Applicants

Fordham University explicitly accepts homeschooled students, and treats their application process much like that of traditional high school applicants. Homeschoolers can apply through the same channels and requirements as any other applicant, with some additional guidance to help present their homeschool background effectively.

Fordham’s official guidance states that homeschooled students may apply through any of its standard application plans — Early Action, Early Decision I, Regular Decision, or Early Decision II (with Early Action required for Dance and Theatre majors). The admission requirements are essentially the same as for other applicants, with some tailored elements for homeschoolers.

Required Application Components

• Common Application (including an essay)
• School Report in the Common App, completed by a primary instructor/counselor, describing the homeschool environment, educational philosophy, and motivation for homeschooling
• Transcript of the high school curriculum and grades (can be prepared by a parent, teacher/counselor, or homeschool organization; if the student attended a traditional school, an official transcript must come from that school)
• Letter of recommendation from a non‑family member
• Official college transcript if any college courses were taken during high school
• Optional: SAT/ACT scores (with Fordham’s test codes), short optional responses

Financial Aid & State Aid (NY Residents)

Homeschooled students are eligible for all merit awards and financial aid. New York State residents must show a high school diploma or equivalent, or pass an approved ability‑to‑benefit test, to qualify for state aid.

Key Points

• No special “homeschool track” — the process is integrated into Fordham’s standard admissions system.
• Equal consideration — homeschooled applicants are evaluated on the same holistic criteria as other students.
• Support for homeschoolers — Fordham provides specific guidance on documenting the homeschool experience in application materials.

Learn more at https://www.fordham.edu/undergraduate-admission/apply/homeschooled-students

Unlike the FAFSA, which is required for federal aid, the CSS Profile is an online application for non-federal financial aid. It is used by many colleges—especially private and selective schools—to award their own institutional grants and scholarships.

The College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile is an application created and run by the College Board, the same organization behind the SAT. Colleges use it to determine how much financial aid they can offer you—money that comes directly from the school, not the government.

The CSS Profile is required by about 400 colleges and scholarship programs, mostly private institutions and some selective public universities.

Why Colleges Use It

Schools use the CSS Profile because it collects much more detailed financial information than the FAFSA. This helps them build a clearer picture of your family’s financial situation so they can award institutional aid more precisely.

The CSS Profile may ask about:

• Home equity
• Non‑custodial parent income (if parents are divorced)
• Small business or rental property value
• Medical expenses
• Private school tuition for siblings

Because it’s more detailed, the institutional aid you receive can differ significantly from what FAFSA alone would suggest.

How it Differs from the FAFSA

When You Fill it Out

The CSS Profile opens October 1 each year, similar to the FAFSA. Many colleges—especially those with Early Action or Early Decision—have early deadlines, so completing it soon after it opens is important.

Why it Matters

If you’re applying to private or highly selective colleges, the CSS Profile can unlock thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships that you cannot receive through FAFSA alone. It’s a key part of maximizing your financial aid package. Apply now!

Image by Gerd Altmann

By Kristin

For busy homeschool parents juggling work, bills, and bedtime routines, life insurance can feel like one more adult task with unfamiliar terms and high stakes. The hard part isn’t caring about family financial security, it’s sorting through insurance options without getting overwhelmed or second-guessing every decision. Parenting and insurance collide in the same place: planning for the future while still managing today. With a clearer understanding of how life insurance works and what choices actually mean for a household, parents can move from anxious guessing to confident protection. This knowledge will also help parents teach their kids about life insurance as a key part of financial literacy education.

Understanding the Main Types of Life Insurance

A few basics make everything else easier. Term coverage is term life insurance that lasts for a set number of years, like 10, 20, or 30. Whole life is lifelong coverage with a built-in cash value component, while universal life is lifelong coverage with more flexible premiums and potential cash value growth.

Your premium is the amount you pay to keep the policy active. Your beneficiary is the life insurance beneficiary who receives the payout if you die. Once these words feel familiar, comparisons stop sounding like a foreign language.

Think of it like choosing a car. Term is a reliable lease, whole life is buying, and universal life is buying with adjustable payments. Knowing the labels keeps you from paying for features your family does not need. With the basics clear, it is easier to understand options like life settlements and quick online value estimates.

Explore Life Settlements: When Selling a Policy Might Help

Once you understand the major policy types, it can also help to know what options exist if the coverage you chose no longer fits your family’s reality. A life settlement is one path some policyholders consider when they no longer need their life insurance, or can’t afford to keep paying for it, because it allows them to sell an existing policy in the secondary life insurance market. This can be part of the “full lifecycle” of an insurance decision: you buy coverage to protect your family, and later you may reassess as needs, budgets, and circumstances change.

It’s a decision worth weighing carefully. Selling a policy generally means giving up the policy’s death benefit, which could affect the financial safety net you originally intended for your children or partner. Before taking steps, it’s wise to seek professional guidance so you understand the trade-offs.

If you’re simply trying to gauge whether it’s worth exploring further, a life settlement calculator can help you estimate your life settlement value based on inputs like the policy’s age and death benefit, plus the policyholder’s age and health status. Keep in mind the number you receive is only an estimate, not a purchase offer. With that context in mind, the next step is learning how to compare policies side-by-side so you can make a clear, confident choice.

Life Insurance Options at a Glance

Parents often choose coverage under pressure, then second-guess the details later. This quick life insurance comparison helps you weigh policy features, coverage benefits, premium costs, and tradeoffs side-by-side so you can match the policy to your family’s timeline.

If affordability is your top priority, term coverage often delivers the most death benefit for the premium. If you need coverage that cannot outlast you, permanent policies trade higher costs for longer guarantees. With the right comparison in hand, your next step can feel calm and doable.

Life Insurance Questions Parents Ask Most

Q: What coverage amount is “enough” for my family?
A: A practical starting point is replacing several years of income plus major debts like a mortgage and childcare. Then adjust for your timeline, such as how long until the kids are grown or a spouse could return to work. Ask an agent to show a few face amounts side by side so you can feel the tradeoffs.

Q: How do I know if term life is “safe,” or just temporary?
A: Term is meant to be temporary, and that can be exactly right for the years your family depends most on your income. The key is confirming what happens at the end of the term and what renewal might cost. If you want flexibility, ask whether conversion to permanent coverage is available.

Q: Can I switch policies later if my budget or health changes?
A: Often yes, but switching can mean new medical underwriting and new pricing. Before you replace anything, compare total costs, new contestability rules, and whether you would lose valuable riders. Get the replacement comparison in writing.

Q: What rights do I have after I buy a policy?
A: You can review your contract, request an in-force illustration for permanent coverage, and change beneficiaries anytime unless you named an irrevocable beneficiary. You can also cancel during the free-look period and get a refund, so open the packet and verify every detail.

Q: Should I worry that insurers will “bait and switch” premiums?
A: With level term, the premium is designed to stay the same for the level period, so confirm the exact years it is guaranteed. With permanent insurance, costs can shift based on policy design, so ask what fees are guaranteed and what can change. Big-picture stability helps too: the global life insurance market was valued at 3.1 trillion, and many carriers have long track records.

Turn Life Insurance Choices into Calm, Practical Family Security

It’s normal to want to protect your kids and still feel stuck between costs, confusing terms, and fear of choosing life insurance “wrong.” The steady path is informed decision making grounded in parental financial planning, matching coverage to real needs, clarifying what’s negotiable, and focusing on family protection strategies that fit your stage of life. When you take that approach, the noise fades and insurance confidence grows because the decision is tied to your family’s actual plan. Protecting your family starts with one clear decision, not perfect certainty.

Life insurance is a complex financial concept, but the basics—such as the idea of protecting loved ones and providing financial security—can be introduced to kids when they are old enough to grasp the concept. You can explain it in simple terms, using relatable examples, and connect it to family values and goals.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Studio Christ Ministries

You do not need a professional camera, an impressive résumé or thousands of followers to begin learning through service. A small, clearly defined volunteer project for a local church or nonprofit can help you practise writing, design or video editing while making something useful. For a homeschooled teenager, it can also connect independent study with teamwork and real feedback.

Start with a need, not an idea for your portfolio

Before offering to redesign a website or launch a social channel, ask the organisation what would actually help. Perhaps an event needs a readable poster. Maybe a short video needs accurate captions, or an information page needs clearer directions. A modest task that someone needs is a better starting point than a grand project nobody has time to supervise.

If you are under eighteen, involve a parent or guardian when choosing an organisation and arranging contact. Ask who will supervise the work, where communication will happen and whether there are age requirements. An initial project should have a clear adult contact and a scope that fits around your education.

Write a brief you can finish

Agree on one deliverable. Instead of promising to “help with social media,” try “draft three event captions for review by Friday.” Record the audience, required information, file format and person who will approve it. Include what is outside the task, such as publishing the posts or answering private messages.

This is useful practice in project management. You learn to estimate time, clarify instructions and ask questions before a misunderstanding becomes a problem. If an assignment is larger than expected, speak up early and agree on a smaller version. Reliability includes being honest about what you can complete.

Learn one skill deliberately

Choose a skill to improve alongside the deliverable. For a poster, this might be visual hierarchy: can a reader find the event name, date and location quickly? For captions, it might be concise writing. For a video, it might be readable subtitles and consistent audio levels.

Create a draft, request specific feedback and revise it. “Was the location easy to find?” is more useful than “Do you like it?” Keep a private learning note about the change you made and why. The process matters as much as the finished design.

Treat information and people with care

Working for a community does not give you permission to publish everything you encounter. Ask before using photographs, stories, contact details or an organisation’s logo. Use materials the organisation has approved, and let an authorised adult handle messages containing personal information.

For a portfolio, ask whether you may show the completed work. If permission is unavailable, describe the skill you practised without revealing private material. A sample using invented event details, clearly labelled as a practice exercise, can demonstrate your ability without exposing anyone’s information.

Finish with a useful handover

Give the coordinator the agreed files with understandable names and a brief note explaining what they contain. Confirm which version is approved and whether another step remains. Thank the person who reviewed your work, then reflect on what you would do differently next time.

For Christian students, service can be one practical way to use a developing gift for someone else’s benefit, a theme reflected in 1 Peter 4:10. The goal is not to make a community a stepping stone for your ambitions. It is to contribute responsibly while becoming more capable of helping. One small volunteer project, completed thoughtfully, is a worthwhile beginning.

Author Bio: Studio Christ is a Christian nonprofit based in the Netherlands, sharing the gospel through street outreach and online content. Volunteers contribute creative skills to its ministry. Learn more at https://studiochrist.org.

For October’s National Dyslexia Awareness Month, veteran educator Kim Feller has a compelling story for Homeschooling Teen readers.

By Kim Feller

For years, I was the teacher parents thanked.

I worked as a reading interventionist in a large public elementary school. My job was to help the kids who were struggling the most. I had special books for them. I had strategies. I had training.

And everyone thought I was doing a good job.

But there was one student I couldn’t stop thinking about.

His name was Jermiah. He was a skinny little boy with buzzed hair and enough energy for three kids. He would burst into my room full of personality and enthusiasm, even though he was falling further behind in reading.

I would sit down with him and show him a carefully chosen book. Before we read, we looked at the pictures. If there was a pony in the book, I would make sure he knew the word “pony.” Then we would practice predictable sentences such as, “I like the dog. I like the cat. I like the pony.”

Jermiah could make it through the book. But I knew something was wrong.

The next day, he might not recognize “pony” at all.

He was learning how to use the pictures and sentence patterns to figure out what a word might be. He wasn’t learning how to read the word itself.

And I was supposed to be the expert.

I thought the problem was the student

For a long time, I taught exactly the way I had been trained to teach.

When a student didn’t recognize a word, we encouraged them to use clues. Look at the picture. Think about what would make sense. Look at the first letter.

We also asked children to memorize lots of words.

Some kids did fine with this. Others didn’t.

And when those students continued to struggle, it was easy to assume they needed more practice. Maybe they weren’t reading enough at home. Maybe they weren’t paying attention. Maybe they needed to try harder.

Eventually, I began to wonder whether we were asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, “What is wrong with this student?” I started asking:

What if there is something wrong with the way I’m teaching?

That question changed my life.

The word nobody wanted to use

At the time, I knew almost nothing about dyslexia. In fact, teachers around me were discouraged from even using the word. But I kept meeting smart kids who had enormous difficulty learning to read and spell.

That combination confused me.

How could a child use sophisticated vocabulary in conversation, understand complicated ideas, build incredible things, create detailed artwork or solve difficult problems, but have trouble reading a simple sentence? Years later, I learned that this unevenness is common among people with dyslexia.

Difficulty reading does not mean difficulty thinking.

Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference. It can make processing written language, spelling and reading much harder. It can also affect things such as working memory and organization.

But it is not a measure of intelligence.

That distinction matters.

Especially if you are the person who has spent years wondering why something that seems easy for everybody else feels so difficult for you.

Your struggles can hide your strengths

Today I run Feller School in Madison, Wisconsin, a school designed especially for younger students with dyslexia.

One thing I notice constantly is how easy it is for a reading struggle to hide everything else a student can do.

I have taught children who struggle to decode very simple words but can listen to a story and discuss it with remarkable insight. They use sophisticated vocabulary. They remember details I have forgotten. They make connections between ideas. They solve problems creatively.

If you only handed those students a difficult passage and judged them by how quickly they could read it, you would get a completely distorted picture of what they know.

Think about that for a moment.

If reading is difficult for you, how many times have people measured your ability by something that is actually one of the hardest things for your brain to do?

And how many times have you done the same thing to yourself?

Sometimes you need a different method

Eventually, I discovered an approach to reading that was very different from the one I had been taught. Instead of asking students to guess words or memorize them as whole shapes, we taught them how written English works.

We taught sounds explicitly. We taught spelling patterns. We broke words into parts. We showed students how letters and groups of letters represent sounds.

We gave them a system.

That was especially important for many of my dyslexic students, because they often responded incredibly well when something had logic, structure and patterns.

Suddenly, instead of saying, “Just remember that word,” I could explain why a word worked the way it did. That changes the experience of learning.

There is a big difference between thinking, “Everybody else can do this and I can’t,” and thinking, “Nobody ever showed me how this works.”

One advantage of learning differently

If you are homeschooled, you may already understand something important about education:

There isn’t only one way to learn.

One of the great possibilities of homeschooling is that your education can be adjusted when something isn’t working. You may be able to use a different curriculum, spend more time on one skill, learn through a video instead of a textbook, listen to an audiobook while following along in print, or approach a subject in a completely different way.

That isn’t cheating. It’s learning.

Sometimes students get the idea that the “real” way to learn is whatever works for everybody else. I don’t believe that.

The goal of education isn’t to prove that you can learn something in exactly the same way another person does.

The goal is to learn.

What I wish more teenagers knew

Most of my students are younger than you. I work with children because I want to reach struggling readers as early as possible.

But there is something I wish I could tell every teenager who has struggled with reading, spelling or school:

Do not confuse difficulty with ability.

• Maybe you need more time to read something.
• Maybe spelling has never become automatic.
• Maybe you can explain an idea perfectly out loud and then stare at a blank screen when you try to write it.
• Maybe you remember everything you hear but struggle to remember what you just read.

Those things are worth understanding. If reading has always seemed unusually difficult, dyslexia may be something to investigate with your parents or another trusted adult.

But whatever the explanation turns out to be, struggling with one way of learning does not tell you how intelligent, creative or capable you are.

Jermiah taught me that.

I thought I was teaching him. Instead, he helped teach me one of the most important lessons of my career:

When a bright student keeps struggling, we shouldn’t immediately ask what is wrong with the student. Sometimes we need to ask what we could change about the way we are teaching.

Your brain may not learn exactly like someone else’s. That doesn’t make it a worse brain.

It just means we need to figure out how it learns.

About the Author

After decades of using standard public school reading curricula, Kim Feller realized her methods were failing struggling readers. She walked away from her classroom to found Wisconsin’s specialized Feller School and has released a new parent book, Your Brain Loves Patterns: A Parent’s Guide to Dyslexia and the Science of Reading. Her book demystifies complex “Science of Reading” data into clear, actionable advice, helping everyday parents of struggling readers spot instruction that is not working and advocate for their children.

Book Reviews: https://www.fellerschool.org/your-brain-loves-patterns

Published articles: https://www.fellerschool.org/media

Photo: Kim Family

Elias and Ariel Kim are a pair of gifted siblings from Bicester, Oxfordshire, who have achieved remarkable academic milestones at a very young age – with one completing his first year at university at just 14 years of age while his younger sister has already started her A-levels at age 12.

Their story is often cited in discussions of academic acceleration, homeschooling, and high‑achieving families in the UK.

Elias and Ariel’s parents, Sung-in Kim and Kyoung-hwa Jung, both have academic backgrounds — their mother teaches math, piano, and Korean, while their father is a senior lecturer in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Three older sisters – Juliana, Clara, and Ella – all of whom work as private tutors at NewGenTutor, an online tutoring company, have also supported Elias and Ariel’s education.

Clara said, “I always tell other people… ‘You have to be the one who needs to be self-motivated to self-study because [nobody] can do the study for you.’ And so that’s what Ariel and Elias did.”

The family, originally from South Korea, attribute much of the children’s success to early academic acceleration and strong parental guidance.

The Kim family was featured in Homeschooling Teen last year, and we thought you might like to know what Elias and Ariel are doing now. Here’s an update!

Elias Kim

Elias, 14, began studying at Imperial College London in September 2025. Building on his 2024 A-levels exams success, Elias received an unconditional offer to enter Biomedical Engineering – one of the most demanding programs at one of the UK’s most prestigious universities.

Elias secured his place at the university after taking five A-levels — Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Further Mathematics, and Biology — earning four A*s and one A.

He completed his first year with a first-class mark of 84.77%.

Reflecting on his first year, Elias admitted: “I felt very nervous and worried that I was not able to follow along well with the other university students, but I tried my best.”

He added: “The other students around me were so friendly but they were so surprised I was so young and taking the same class as them.”

Elias plans to become a Master of Engineering (MEng) by June 2029 before potentially switching to medicine or pursuing a PhD.

Elias showed exceptional ability at an early age, and skipped years at primary school. His parents and older sisters began homeschooling him along with his younger sister Ariel during the Covid pandemic.

Ariel Kim

Ariel, 12, is Elias’s younger sister and also a high-achieving student. Ariel started taking her GSCEs when she was nine years old, much earlier than the typical age of 14.

She completed her GSCEs this year with six Grade 9s and one Grade 8. Her results include: Grade 9 in Mathematics and Chemistry (2024), Grade 9 in Further Mathematics and Physics (2025), Grade 8 in Biology (2025), Grade 8 in Further Pure Mathematics, and Grade 9 in Biology (2026).

This year she also received an A grade in OCR Additional Mathematics – a post-GCSE qualification designed to bridge the gap between GCSE and A-level Mathematics. Ariel has now started A-levels in Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, and Physics, aiming to keep pace with and eventually surpass her brother’s achievements.

Ariel is obviously good at Biology and Mathematics, and has expressed ambitions to study Mathematics at Oxford. She is considering a career in academia, having stated: “I would like to be a lecturer to teach other students on fascinating subjects and share knowledge to other people.”

In her spare time, Ariel is passionate about jigsaw puzzles, chess, and portrait drawing. According to reporter Lula White at The Banbury Guardian, Ariel also “dreams of appearing on television, inspired by K-dramas and K-pop.”

Elias and Ariel Kim are a notable example of young academic achievement in the UK. The siblings’ early start, self-driven learning, and strong family support have enabled them to accelerate their education far beyond typical timelines.

Read more about Elias and Ariel in the news at https://newgentutor.com/news

Image by Natalia Lavrinenko from Pixabay

Dear Readers,

Happy October! Happy Autumn!

October marks a significant seasonal shift— bringing cooler temperatures, shorter days, and a noticeable transformation in the natural landscape. The sunlight softens, the air carries a hint of wood smoke, and the leaves begin their slow, graceful descent.

The cooler air, the fading colors, and the earlier sunsets all signal an opportunity to pause, reflect, and consider what matters most to you.

As we move toward the close of the year, I hope you will notice the natural beauty in transition, linger in moments of connection, and welcome the unexpected joys that come with change.

Here’s to a month of reflection, creative spirit, and a little bit of magic.

Happy Homeschooling!