|
Get
your
own
copy
of
101
Hands-On,
Tried
&
True
Homeschool
Curriculum
Ideas
You'll
Love!
for a
treasure
trove
of
homeschool
reading,
writing,
and
math
ideas
you
can
really
use!
Here's
how...
|
Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter - August 18, 2006
Vol. II Issue 12
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this issue:
> 1. From the Editor's Desk
> 2. Blackfoot Art Center Update
> 3. Article - Three Effective Tips for Planning
and Managing Homeschool Lessons
> 4. Letters to the Editor - Everyone Wants
Attention!
> 5. Say What? Absurd Homeschool Comments
> 6. Feature Article - How Homeschoolers Can Teach
Subjects They Don’t Know
> 7. Homeschool Curriculum Idea of the Week
> 8. Free Homeschool Resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. From the Editor's Desk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I always considered my homeschool to be
"year-round," as do most homeschooling families.
After all -- learning does not have to stop due to
warmer weather! However, the fact is that
homeschooling is often a bit more relaxed during
the summer months, with breaks for summer camp,
vacation time, and just plain fun. As September
and back-to-school reminders roll around, however,
it's time to start thinking about formal
lesson-planning once again.
In this issue, you'll find tips and ideas for
planning your new school year. In Jennifer
Thieme's article, Three Effective Tips for
Planning and Managing Homeschool Lessons,
you'll learn how to plan your lessons around your
resource / text books so that you may actually
finish them! In Pamela Connolly's feature article,
you'll find that you do not have to be an expert
in a given subject to teach it.
Of course, you'll also find some great (free)
online resources and a fun homeschool curriculum
idea that will get the kids into the library!
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Sandra B.
Editor
PS. If you are located in the Southern Hemisphere,
my apologies for my consistently backwards
seasonal references - I hope you are enjoying mild
winter weather! Personally, I love the winter and
am looking forward to cooler temperatures and,
yes, SNOW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Blackfoot Art Center Update
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As we near the end of our Summer 2006 Classes
at the Blackfoot Art Center, I want to thank you
for your overwhelming support and patronage. Our
Spring / Summer art classes have been a great
success; in fact, our third session "Art is Fun"
class (for ages 4-6) was so popular, it had to be
split into two full classes!
I hope I have been able to assist in the creative
arts education of your children, either through
their participation in our classes or through our
step-by-step online art projects on our
weblog. In September I will be taking a bit of
a break from teaching regular art classes as I
create and schedule new art classes and one-day
creative arts workshops.
HOWEVER, homeschoolers are always welcome to
contact us about group classes, which we will
start at any time. If you live in the Blackfoot
Idaho area, just let us know how many
homeschoolers will be attending, their ages, and
what days and times are best for your group. We
can ideally offer a quality ongoing art program
for groups of up to five or six children (ages 4
and up). Costs are very reasonable, and we offer
sibling discounts. To get your requested days and
times, please contact us with your information
soon at
blackfoot_artcenter@yahoo.com or by
calling 208-785-0828.
By the way, if you don't happen to live in the
Blackfoot area, you'll still enjoy the ongoing
step-by-step art projects you'll find on our
weblog, so please, check it often. I try to
post new art lesson ideas weekly.
http://blackfootartcenter.blogspot.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Find some terrific arts and crafts activities
you can do at home in our ebook,
75 Craft Recipes For Kids: Crafty Concoctions Your
Children Will Love!
Here is a sample play dough recipe that we use in
our art classes, and it really is WAY better than
store bought. Try it out with your kids!
BETTER-THAN-STORE-BOUGHT PLAY DOUGH
1
cup flour
½
cup salt
1
cup water
1
tablespoon vegetable oil
2
tablespoon cream of tarter
Few
drops of food coloring
Mix
all ingredients in a pan. Cook over low heat,
stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until
mixture pulls away from sides of pan and becomes a
large ball. This takes just a minute. Do not over
cook. Quickly remove from pan and knead on kitchen
counter until smooth. This can be stored in a
re-sealable bag in the refrigerator for several
months. Note: Double or triple recipe to create
many colors.
You'll find many more great recipes just like this
one, and best of all, you can get 75 Craft
Recipes for Kids FREE!
Find out how right here.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Article
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three Effective Tips for Planning and Managing
Homeschool Lessons
By Jennifer Thieme
Tip #1
Basic Lesson Planning
If you use different books from different
publishers, it can get a little confusing trying
to figure out and remember how many lessons (or
pages) per day (or week) you need to complete to
finish each book by the end of the year.
First, take your teacher's manual and see how many
lessons there are. Then, divide this by the total
number of school days you have in the year. Let's
say, for example, that your literature book has
122 lessons. If there are 180 days in the school
year, you need to do three lessons per week to
finish the book, with a few weeks needing four
lessons. If your history book has 112 lessons, you
will do three per week and will able to finish a
little earlier than the end of the year.
Once you established this, write it down in your
lesson plan book in a prominent place to serve as
a reminder.
Tip #2
Calculate Percentage of Book Finished
To determine if you are "on track" to finish a
book by the end of the school year, first find out
how far along you are in the school calendar. For
example, if you have just finished school day
number 36 and you have 180 school days in the
year, you have completed 20% of the school year
(36 divided by 180 = 20%).
Next, determine how far you have come in each
subject. To do this, take the lessons completed
and divide them by the total lessons. For example,
if you just finished lesson 35 in your English
textbook and there are 160 lessons, you are 22%
finished. If you just finished lesson six in
science and there are 64 lessons, you are about 9%
finished. If you've completed 20% of your school
year, you are slightly ahead in English, but
significantly behind in science.
Tip #3
Avoid Burnout
Tip #1 and Tip #2 are only guides. Becoming a
slave to them will lead to homeschool burnout.
Life will interfere with homeschool plans. This is
part of what makes homeschooling so great--you
will have many opportunities to turn real life
into real lessons. Get creative: taking your
neighbor to the hospital become a social studies
lesson for your fourth grader. Getting the oil
changed in your car becomes a auto shop lesson for
your teenage son. Grocery shopping becomes a math
and home economics lesson for your junior high
student. Setting the table is a sorting activity
for your pre-schooler.
Think on your feet, and remember that learning
occurs in many forms, a few of which are from
textbooks.
======================
Jennifer Thieme began homeschooling her three
children in 1996. She's the administrator for a
small, private ISP she established for herself and
a few friends. Her articles have appeared in
Practical Homeschooling and the Intuit
ProConnection Newsletter. She operates a
bookkeeping and tax service out of her home. Visit
her business website:
http://www.jenniferthieme.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Thieme
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Letters to the Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Question:
My children are 2, 4, and 6 years old. This
past year I homeschooled my kindergartener,
thinking it would be easy for me and fun for her.
However, it was not easy for me with all three of
them constantly vying for my attention. I know
that my daughter felt the stress, and often she
asked about going to school with her friends. As
she begins first grade, I'm worried that I will
not be able to adequately teach her with so many
distractions around here. I have no doubt that
homeschooling is best for my daughter, but I don't
want to neglect the younger children. How can I be
there for them, while giving my homeschooler the
attention that she needs?
Answer:
If you know that homeschooling is best for
your children, then the next step is to figure out
how to make it work for your family. And guess
what? Just as every family is different and
unique, homeschooling is just as unique from
family to family. I see mothering skills and
homeschooling skills as basically the same thing.
What were you doing with your daughter prior to
homeschooling her? You likely nurtured her and
encouraged her and her siblings as they grew and
acquired basic skills such as crawling, walking,
and learning new words. You likely taught her the
alphabet, how to count, and her colors as well.
Was your household any different then than it is
now? The truth is, as our children come into this
world and grow, we nurture them and teach them all
along. Why should anything change when they reach
school age?
The point I am making is that homeschooling does
not have to mean that everything suddenly changes.
It does not mean that one child will be learning
while everyone else must be occupied in some other
way. In my opinion, successful homeschooling
requires two things: good parenting and including
everyone - even the youngest ones. Your goal as
you begin to homeschool is to find out what works
for your family. What kinds of learning activities
are enjoyable and fun? How can you ensure that
everyone is included and involved? If something
doesn't work, learn from it, make adjustments, and
move on. It takes time to become a good teacher,
just as it takes time to become a better mother
and parent.
Your four-year-old can contribute greatly to your
homeschool. Children of this age are constantly
learning, so who is to say he should not be an
active participant in your homeschool? Even your
two-year-old can benefit from your day-to-day
learning activities, as long as she is given
plenty of age-appropriate activities to keep her
busy. Take your children "school shopping," and
let them select markers, pencils, glue sticks,
scissors, paint, lined paper, and drawing paper.
This way you'll always have something for the
younger ones to do that can be connected to the
current homeschool subject. Set up a designated
area of your home as your "school room." Set up
bookcases, a group table (your kitchen table
works), and a bulletin board. Make sure everything
is accessible to the children, and that they
participate in updating the bulletin board,
planning subjects to study, and selecting books to
read or to add to your library.
The theme here is cooperation. Everyone should
understand that they have an important place in
your homeschool, just as they are each important
members of your family.
School lessons per se should be short and sweet
for young children. Children ages six and under
need no more than a couple hours of school. This
time should include fun learning activities that
the children will look forward to. Reading
exciting stories, singing together, visiting
points of interest in your community, and doing
hands-on math and science activities can be fun
and enjoyable for all. Be sure to include art
activities whenever possible: did you know you can
to incorporate art into any academic subject? What
youngster does not love art?
For some specific ideas for teaching first graders
that can easily be adjusted to include younger
children, take a look at my article at:
http://www.pagewise.com/homeschool-first-grade.htm
Best wishes to you!
Sandra B.
* * * * *
Editor's note: Do you have a question or a
comment about an article or feature in this
newsletter, or homeschooling in general? We would
love to hear from you! Please email your comments
to:
sandrabynum@allthingshomeschool.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Say What? This Week's Absurd Homeschool
Comments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are looking for more crazy or ridiculous
comments and questions you have heard concerning
homeschooling. (Please see previous issues You
won't believe the things people say !) If you've
heard any doozies lately, please forward them
along with your response(s), to the email address
below, and we'll publish them in a future edition
of "Say What?"
Please forward your submission to
submissions@allthingshomeschool.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Feature Article
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How Homeschoolers Can Teach Subjects They Don’t
Know
by Pamela Connolly
Are you intimidated by professionals who criticize
you and say that you're not able to provide an
adequate education because you don’t have a formal
education?
Look at the reality of the homeschool vs. the
public school. The majority of public school
teachers have a formal education and are
credentialed by the State. But look at who is
getting the better education. Homeschoolers
outshine their public school counterparts on every
level! It is the homeschooled child who wins
spelling bees, geography bees, and SATs.
Homeschooling parents can not and do not have to
be experts in every subject matter. When faced
with teaching a course unfamiliar to them, whether
it be calculus or English grammar, homeschoolers
can take advantage of the flexibility of
homeschooling and the many resources available to
them.
Here are some suggestions to help you handle
subjects you don’t feel qualified to teach.
1. First of all relax and have faith in yourself!
You will always be the best teacher for your
children. You have been teaching them since their
birth.
2. Join a homeschooling group or association that
follows your style and philosophy. You can find
them on the internet or ask the public school
district office for a list or organization.
3. Other homeschoolers are your best resource.
Don’t hesitate to ask how others have overcome a
dilemma. They probably have dealt with a similar
challenge.
4. Network any way you can -- from the grocery
store line to formal organizations.
5. Network online. Find blogs, homeschooling chat
rooms, forums, and discussion groups. Join in,
share ideas, and see how others handled dilemmas
and challenges.
6. Get help from others. Schedule course time when
other people are available. Your spouse may be
good at a particular subject. A friend or
colleague may be willing to teach your kids
calculus. Don’t forget to pay them. If money is a
problem, offer to pay them with services. Or have
your kids perform services to repay them, such as
moving lawns, washing cars, or cooking meals. Be
creative, bartering is a great way of payment.
7. Form a consortium and trade talents. You may
have a gift for math while another parent is good
at science. Find out who is good at what. A
passion for a subject is more important than a
formal education.
8. Hire a tutor. You can find tutors for a
reasonable price at the local public school. The
school office usually keeps a list of honor
students who are willing to tutor. Sit in on the
tutoring sessions so you can learn along with your
child.
9. Contact a tutoring center in your area. You can
use them on a one-time basis, periodically or for
a long period of time. They are great for
troubleshooting and clearing up a confusion.
10. For more involved subjects like chemistry or
physics, check if your local community college
offers courses for younger students or has tutors
for hire or trade.
11. Check out tutoring services online. Search
under tutoring.
You have the power. Be creative and you will have
bright, inquisitive and well-rounded children.
Trust yourself ... you know what is best for your
children!
======================
Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the
San Diego School District. She has been teaching
kids how to type for over 11 years. To teach your
child typing, visit
http://www.1stoplearntotype.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Homeschool Curriculum Idea of the Week
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How often does your family visit the library?
How well do your children know how to use the
library, or how to find the locations of various
types of information? You can help your children
become more "library literate" by sending them on
an information scavenger hunt!
To get started, you'll first need to write up
age-appropriate lists of items for each child to
find. Maker sure they have a basic knowledge of
how to use the computer / card catalog before they
begin their search. Rules might include a time
limit and NOT having the librarian find everything
for them, although it is okay to ask for
directions on how to find something or look
something up. (After all, that's what the
librarian is there for.) Also, you must determine
what the child must bring back as "proof " that
the information was located.
Their lists can consist of specific tidbits of
information, such as finding the population of
Spain in the year 2000, or the distance of the
planet Saturn from the sun. Or, they might be
required to find yesterday's headline in an
out-of-state newspaper or the titles of three
books written by Ernest Hemingway. Make sure that
you give them tasks that involve finding
information in a variety of resources and
different areas of the library.
To prove that they have found what is on their
lists, you may ask that they bring back certain
items such as periodicals, books, or reference
materials; all bookmarked to the information being
sought. Otherwise, they may simply write down the
information that they found and where they found
it when reporting back to you.
This activity can be exciting and interesting for
children who may otherwise have little interest in
learning how to use the library. If you have more
than one child searching, the added challenge of
completing one's list first makes this a fun way
to learn more about using the library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8. Free Online Homeschooling Resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.mathgoodies.com/homeschool/
On this site, you'll find a variety of
resources to assist homeschooling families in
their educational journeys. They have math
lessons, worksheets, puzzles, books, links and
other resources, all of which are ideal for
homeschoolers!
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/miscellaneous.htm
Here is a variety of craft ideas that don't
really fit into most traditional themes. You'll
find crafts associated with things like learning
to read, going to the dentist, rainbows, cowboys,
or cleaning one's room. You may find something
that's just perfect for your lesson!
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/summer.html
Does your child understand why summer turns to
fall? This website teaches all about the seasons
and how they work. Find lots of online games
related to astronomy here as well!
http://www.happychild.org.uk/home1.htm
Project HappyChild is a massive project
to link children all across the world. They are
building an index of Educational Resources
available on the Internet for schools, parents,
and children, as well as a network of links to
schools in many countries. Find 14 main areas
leading to free games and worksheets, facts,
language translations, and ways that kids can help
less fortunate children around the world.
All Things Homeschool Home
| Archives | Submissions
| e-Books |
e-Store
Copyright 2006 AllThingsHomeschool.com - All
Rights Reserved
|
