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Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter - September 15, 2006 Vol. II Issue 13
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In this issue:

> 1. From the Editor's Desk
> 2. Blackfoot Art Center Update
> 3. Article - A Good Memory Will Change Your Child's Life
> 4. Letters to the Editor
> 5. Feature Article - Homeschool Spanish - 3 Ways to Liven Up Your Lessons
> 6. Homeschool Curriculum Idea of the Week - Amazing Solar System Project
> 7. Free Homeschool Resources

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1. From the Editor's Desk
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Wow, I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Blackfoot, all of a sudden, it's COLD! Autumn is suddenly upon us, and I don't know if I'm altogether happy... I love cold weather, but I like a bit of nice, cool, jeans-and-sweatshirt weather for a while.

Did you know that children who develop good memories become more eager learners? In this issue, Pamela Connolly will help you discover simple ways to help your child cultivate a great memory. (I've added a link to one of my online articles as well - for specific memory improvement techniques that anyone can use.)

If you have children who are learning a foreign language, you may have found it challenging to bring their language lessons alive. After all, that's one reason we chose homeschooling, right? In our feature article, you'll learn some great, practical techniques for livening up those language lessons (in this case Spanish), which should help make learning a foreign language fun! It's all a matter of usage, not just studying vocabulary and grammar.

Don't miss our Curriculum Idea of the Week, which is a real eye-opening project involving art, astronomy, and math. My children loved it and I think yours will too!

Happy homeschooling!

Sandra B.
Editor

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2. Blackfoot Art Center Update
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Just a few notes here:

1) We've just installed our first Blackfoot Art Center art show! I was able secure a floor-to-ceiling glass case at the Blackfoot Library for the last two weeks of September. Even with very short notice (approved last Wednesday) I was able to collect artwork from 12 children and get the show set up at the library this afternoon. It looks fabulous!

To take a look, click on the link below - I took a few pictures after getting it all set up:

www.allthingshomeschool.com/first_art_show.htm

2) We have three homeschoolers' art classes set up at this point - two with openings still available:

Monday - Reserved for one-day workshops to start in October - check the Art Center website soon for upcoming workshops
Tuesday - 2-3:30 pm, ages 8 to 11; FULL
Wednesday - 11:30 am to 1 pm, two openings
Thursday - Scheduling a class for 12 and up; anyone interested?
Friday - 10:30 am - 12:00 pm, Meridian group, FULL; afternoon is open for a group class.
Saturday - Reserved for workshops, all invited, schedule to be posted soon.

3) Would you like to support art education for children by sending a donation to the Blackfoot Art Center? It's super easy to do! You'll find a donation button right on the Art Center website just by scrolling down a bit. It's in the right side-bar, just below our Archives. Help us keep art education alive in Idaho. And remember, through our weblog you can find and use our step-by-step lesson plans and sample student work no matter where you live!

Update: The Blackfoot Art Center Store is now open for business! Click on the Store link on our weblog and find art books, art magazines, and art supplies. Feel free to browse a bit, and remember that your purchase will benefit the Blackfoot Art Center and children's art education.

Contact information:
blackfoot_artcenter@yahoo.com
208-785-0828

http://blackfootartcenter.blogspot.com

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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!

Best of all, you can get 75 Craft Recipes for Kids FREE! Find out how right here.

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3. Article
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A Good Memory Will Change Your Child's Life
by Pamela Connolly

Would you like to help your child develop an amazing memory quickly and easily? Have you ever envied someone because of his or her incredible memory? Did that person seem to learn and remember everything effortlessly? Chances are that your answer is...Yes!

As children begin their education and face the mountains of facts and formulas ahead of them, they will need tools to simplify their learning and master subjects. A good memory will change your child's life. You can help them develop a good memory and have fun doing it!

These are tried and true techniques I have used throughout my life with different types of learners, different ages of students, and differing subject matter. You, too, can make them a part of your child's life and education (and your own).

I received my primary education in a religious school, where I was expected to LEARN.

I was forced (yes-forced) to memorize by rote every day. This ranged from multiplication tables to Robert Frost, but every day it was something. Worse, every day we had to stand up in the front of the class and recite the lesson. The performance anxiety was intense. It was pure torture. Little did I realize, from that perceived trauma, that I would develop techniques that would supercharge my brain power. Later in college, I majored in the History of Art, which required memorizing thousands of seemingly random facts. It was nothing to be expected to know 200 dates, artists, objects of art, and the history surrounding them for one exam. Wow, so much stuff and so little time!

I never dreamed that my shortcuts were so special, that they'd be the keys that would catapult me to the top of my class and give me the edge over my classmates.

I thought everyone used them. Whoa... was I wrong! When my classmates were struggling, cramming, and panicking, I slid through the curriculum and exams with ease.

For the last 30 years, I taught my memory techniques to my students (as an elementary school teacher). It was wonderful watching the "skulls full of mush" develop into eager learners.

Recently, I have branched out into studying why and how learning and memory occur. I have been focusing on the brain, how we learn, and how we remember.

The brain is a miraculous thing! Train it properly once and you are its master for life!

Here's the first step: Encourage your child to look at the world around them. Yes, LOOK ... (I told you it was easy.) Just look and talk and talk and talk to your child, almost non-stop, (no matter what their age) about what you see. Emphasize colors, textures, positioning of objects in your surroundings. Point out how various items interact. Ask "why" and "how" questions. Something as simple as how the egg you're frying "interacts" with the pan - how it spits, congeals, gets crispy, etc. Notice the little things. Use your senses; use your adjectives. Call attention to cause and effect.

This gets children interested in all things around them. Depending on the age of your child, elicit input - anything. Help your child to develop his or her natural curiosity about the world.

Encourage participation.

It is critical that they get the gist of this without too much prompting. Take as long as your child needs to develop this "new attention"! This "attention" is the foundation to ALL memory, so perfect it now! Make this heightened awareness a normal part of your conversations with them.

This is the first step in developing your child's memory. Make sure each child gets a grasp of this concept before moving on. I guarantee they will enjoy this "game" and never realize they are developing skills that will serve them their whole lives.

A good memory is fundamental to all learning.

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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. To improve your child's memory, visit http://www.1stopezmemory.com

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For more information about improving memory - including helpful techniques that work for all ages - please visit Senior Weblogs and read my article:

http://www.seniorweblogs.com/health/senior_memory.aspx

Sandra B.

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4. Letters to the Editor
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None this week.

* * * * *

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

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5. Feature Article
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Homeschool Spanish - 3 Ways to Liven Up Your Lessons
by Jim Sarris

Are you interested in making the Spanish learning in your home more exciting?

If your kids are studying outside the home, do you feel they need a more lively approach to keep them interested?

Homeschool Spanish can be tough. Many levels to teach, boring and repetitive materials and no connection to the language all make for a tough going.

The thing is, as a homeschooling parent, you're used to making things come alive.

You bake a cake and make a math lesson out of it. You walk in the park,
discover plants and learn about science.

But fear not. I'm about to show you how you can add three tricks to your homeschool Spanish atmosphere that will get your creative juices flowing and help you liven up your lessons.

Key #1 - Bring Spanish to life in your home
Any child wants (and needs) to feel connected to what they're learning. That's why homeschooling is such a blessing. Those connections are real easy when you're the one in charge.

Well, why not start to incorporate some common expressions into your daily routine and see how things go. Here a starter list of phrases you can use with your child
- No me digas! - You're kidding!
- Qué va! - No way!
- No quiero - I don't want to (a biggie with the younger ones)
- Qué pasa aquí? - What's going on here?

Naturally there are more but, let's not get ahead of ourselves. One expression every couple of days will be enough to get them involved...and you too.

In fact, the whole family can start creating typical phrases that can be used day in and day and allow your homeschool Spanish experience to grow like a freshly watered plant.

Key #2 - Serve it up in ways your kids like it.
Most kids love music, TV or reading. So why not try to include a little of each into your Spanish lessons.

For example, for the little ones, there are educational programs (ex. Dora the Explorer) on TV that attempt to use Spanish in a fun and informative way.

If your children are in their teens, you can find Spanish music that's similar to their tastes. You can find any type of music online or ask in your local music store. Then, once you have the music, you can use the lyrics to study the words, the expressions or the tenses.

Reading is no different. You can find bilingual texts of Dr. Seuss' series or Clifford the Big Red Dog for the little ones and similar titles for the older kids. Just go online at Google or check your local library.

Key #3 - Find a great idea and copy it
This is important because it saves you the most time and money.

If you're the teacher and the material is a little...dry, go out and look for resources that have innovative, "outside-the-box" approaches to learning. They don't have to be language texts. The idea is to find an approach you like and copy it.

Go browse some local bookstores or libraries. Go surfing on the internet. If you like what you see, study it a bit and think of ways to use the same technique in your Spanish lessons.

Here's an example: Vocabulary Cartoons is a wonderful book that uses mnemonics and visuals to memorize SAT words. Well, why not use the same technique to memorize Spanish words?

If you think you like the resource, make sure it has a guarantee (the longer the better) so you can try it at home.

This whole process doesn't have to cost any money and will certainly save you time thinking up new ways to inject excitement into your homeschool Spanish lessons.

As a homeschooling parent, you have options a public school teacher doesn't have. Why not take advantage of them?

And remember, if your kids are learning outside the home, you can find something fun to use with them so that they maintain their interest through the year.

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Jim Sarris, author of Comic Mnemonics, has created a resource for homeschool families that makes learning Spanish fun and easier using visuals and mnemonics. For free samples and video tutorial, visit www.learnspanishfaster.com/homeschoolspanish.html

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6. Homeschool Curriculum Idea of the Week
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Here's a great astronomy lesson everyone that will amaze your kids!

You know how those cute little solar system maps fit so neatly on your bulletin board?

HA!

In reality, even if the smallest planet measured just one inch in diameter, your map would spread across the wall, down the hall, around the living room and into the kitchen if depicted correctly. This fascinating "hands-on" activity will help your children learn about the ACTUAL relative distances between the planets.

Essential topics to explore:

Astronomical Units - Because the distances between the planets are so large, it is more practical to use a unit that is larger than miles (or kilometers). The Astronomical Unit (A.U.) is equal in length to 93 million miles, the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. Thus, the Earth is exactly one A.U. from the Sun. Mercury and Venus are less than one A.U. from the Sun, and Mars and the outer planets are more. Learn more about the three most commonly used measures of stellar distance here:

http://www.twcac.org/Tutorials/Stellar%20Distance.htm

Bode's Law - In 1772, a German astronomer, Johannes Bode, discovered a curious mathematical relationship in the distances of the planets from the sun (except Neptune and Pluto). Begin with the following numbers:

0 3 6 12 24 48 96 192
Notice these numbers - except for 3 - are each the previous number doubled. Now, add 4 to each number:

4 7 10 16 28 52 100 196
These numbers represent each of the planets in order from the Sun; thus, number 4 represents Mercury, 7 represents Venus, 10 represents Earth, and so on. By the way, there is no planet at 28, but there IS an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which may have been a planet at one time.

Now, simply divide the number given for a planet by 10 to find its A.U. from the sun. For example, Mercury would be .7 or 1/7 A.U. and Jupiter is 5.2 A.U.

Here's what you need to create your "true" solar system model:

construction paper
scissors
compass and pencil (to make various sized circles)

roll of white (paper) adding machine tape
art materials (crayons, oil pastels, colored chalk, whatever you have)
glue
masking tape
felt tip marker

1)   Determine a distance to represent one Astronomical Unit (the distance from your planet Earth to your Sun). At first my children decided on 12 inches, but discovered that if our inner planets were just three inches in diameter, there would be no room between them at all in our model, which certainly didn't look right! Let the children discover this for themselves and decide on a solution (either a larger A.U. distance such as 20 inches (?) or smaller planets, which may be harder to color and recognize)

2)   Using the compass, draw and cut out circles representing the Sun and each of the planets on the construction paper, using appropriate colors and relative sizes. They can now color and design them to look similar to each of the nine planets (remember to make Saturn's rings).

3)   Glue the Sun to the end of the paper roll. Glue the Earth to the position on the paper representing one A.U. and write "1 A.U." next to it on the paper along with the name of the planet. Now, simply place the rest of the planets along the paper roll by using your selected A.U. measurement and calculating where they each should go. For example, if you have selected 24 inches to represent 1 A.U. and if Jupiter is 5.2 A.U. from the Sun, you would position Jupiter 5.2 times 24 inches from the Sun on your model, which equals 124.8 inches, or approximately 10 1/2 feet. Wow!

You'll need to figure Neptune's and Pluto's A.U. and respective positions by dividing their distances from the Sun by 93,000,000. Hint: it's easier is to divide the number of millions by 93. For example, since Pluto is 3,666 million miles from the sun, divide 3,666 by 93 to find it's A.U. from the Sun. Of course, the children should look up these distances, either in an encyclopedia or on the Internet. Try the following link for planetary facts and more planetary lesson plans:

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/solar-system/planets/2183.html

4)   Once all of the planets have been positioned, glued, and labeled, the children will now have to figure out how to hang the model. They may indeed find themselves winding it along the walls and down the halls, (maybe a six inches from the ceiling). What a great hands-on introduction to the the study of our solar system!

PS - Our model hung on our walls throughout our house until we eventually moved. Then we donated it to our local county Office of Education, where it was hung down a very long hallway and greatly admired by the staff. (And a tribute to the wonderful educational opportunities available to children learning at home!)

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7. Free Online Homeschooling Resources
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http://www.syvum.com/learn/languages/English_Spanish/
Learn to speak Spanish through games and activities. Find translations from English to Spanish with audio clips for pronunciation. Words are arranged alphabetically by topic for easy search. Also learn common phrases and improve vocabulary skills in other languages such as German, French, and Italian. This site also features brain teasers and math puzzles - wow!

http://www.thefutureschannel.com/about.php
The Futures Channel: This terrific site uses high quality multimedia content to create a channel between the scientists, engineers, explorers, and visionaries who are shaping the future, and today’s learners who will one day succeed them. View a variety of online movies that will enliven your math and science curriculums while enhancing your homeschoolers' learning experiences.

http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/aunty/index.html
Find lots of math challenges for children in grades K-5, presented in story form. Creative methods and strategies for solving these challenges are encouraged - after all, there's never just one way to arrive at an answer! Teacher / Parent Guide for each challenge is included.

http://www.dositey.com/
For grades K-8, find language arts activities (reading, writing, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills), math challenges, and mind twisters. "Just 15 minutes a day with Dositey programs or worksheets makes children eager to learn." Site sells educational products, but has many excellent free online activities.

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