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Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter - Jan. 27, 2006 Vol. II Issue 2
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In this issue:

> 1. From the Editor's Desk
> 2. Article - Natural Consequences
> 3. Letters to the Editor - Home "Classrooms"
> 4. (New Feature) Say What? Absurd Homeschool Comments
> 5. Feature Article - Your Young Naturalist
> 6. Homeschool Curriculum Ideas of the Week
> 7. Free Homeschool Resources

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1. From the Editor's Desk
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Welcome!

Sorry about the tardiness of this newsletter. I decided to elaborate a bit on the first Curriculum Idea of the Week, below. I added a new web page and several samples of child-created field guides. I think you'll agree it was a good idea!

The other day I had a discussion with my daughter about "natural consequences." Now that she is the mother of two little girls, she is thinking more about disciplinary methods: how to be "firm but fair," the value of using time-outs, etc. This is the same struggle I think we all experience as we feel our way down the parenthood trail. I know with five children of my
own, it seemed a never-ending task to find just the right way to keep each child on the straight and narrow without damaging his or her self-esteem.

My little grand daughters, of course, are perfect angels, but at times they have their moments. "Drama" we call it. I know about "drama" because I had three sisters of my own (no brothers). I often wondered how my father survived while constantly surrounded by five emotional females...

As I remember it, natural consequences were of little use in school. An infraction was an
infraction, all treated the same, resulting in a reprimand, sitting in the hallway, staying after
school, or taking a trip to the Principal's office. The classic image of the child sitting in the
corner wearing the dunce hat may be a bit outdated; but I honestly think we would be hard-pressed to find many examples of natural consequences used in the average school setting, even today. For example, if a child is fooling around with a bottle of paint, resulting in paint splattered on the tables and floor, would the child be required to clean it up, or would he be reprimanded and sent to the Principal's office?

As I raised my own children, I always tried to bear in mind that my children needed to recognize and deal with the problems that they created when they misbehaved or made poor choices, just as we adults do. This is not easy by any means, especially when dealing with bad behavior or laziness or meanness. When emotions fly, it's difficult to focus on what's really going on and what happened as a result.

Using natural consequences can and should be an integral facet of your homeschool experience. In the process, our children will learn to become responsible adults; accountable for their own choices (good or bad) and their own actions. Learn more in the article below, "Teaching Children with Natural Consequences."

Until next time,

Sandra B.
Editor

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2. Article
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Teaching Children with Natural Consequences
© Judy H. Wright, Parent Educator
www.ArtichokePress.com

There is no better place for your child to learn values, standards, and social skills than in the home. There is no better teaching method than letting natural consequences take place. If
you as an adult don't pay the phone bill, they cut off your service. If your child doesn't turn in his report, he receives a low grade.

If there is no natural consequence, parents sometimes have to establish a logical one. Make sure that your children have a clear understanding of their actions and the consequences. We want them to comprehend that for every action there is a reaction, either pleasant or unpleasant.

There should be no question that when you ruin your sister's sweater, you pay for a new one, or if the laundry isn't done by the agreed-upon time you need to stay home and finish it instead of going out with friends. If your child is responsible for feeding the dog, then the dog should be fed before the child sits down to breakfast, as the animal cannot go to the refrigerator and fill up his bowl when he is hungry.

Consequences must fit the misbehavior in order for it to be a teaching tool.

Discipline (teaching to self-govern) is most effective when it assists the child in assuming personal responsibility and learning accountability for actions.

It is frequently more effective to ask children what they think is a fair consequence rather than arbitrarily handing out a life sentence. It gives them a chance to examine the problem and come up with other solutions. It also helps them to assume personal responsibility for their choices and actions.

You will be amazed at the wise answers your children will give you when you ask them, "What do you think is fair?" or even, "This is a real problem. What should we do about it?"

The easier road is to yell at them, ground them, or punish them, but that road doesn't teach them much or allow them to solve their own problems. It only makes the parent resentful and the child angry. The higher road takes a few more minutes, a calmer voice, and a more reasonable manner, but it leaves the child with his/her pride intact and tools to recognize how actions impact other people and things.

This article was written by Judy H. Wright, a Parent Educator and author living in Missoula, Mt. For more Free articles and parenting tips, please go to www.ArtichokePress.com. To arrange to have Judy speak to your organization or group, please contact her at Judy@ArtichokePress.com
or 406-549-9813

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3. Letters to the Editor
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Question:

Is it a good idea to have school desks and an actual classroom for homeschoolers so that they have a certain place where "school" takes place each day? Or is a more relaxed environment better?

Answer:

It really depends on you and how you want to conduct your homeschool. Most parents, in my experience, start out thinking they must imitate the classroom situation, buying school desks, a chalkboard, and other classroom furnishings. We opted to stay away from individual school desks, instead purchasing a large round school table with adjustable legs and comfortable folding chairs: perfect for classwork, homework, projects, board games, you name it. We also found a very large book display rack behind a store that went out of business: perfect for displaying children's books so the covers could be seen instead of just the spines! We stored our paper, art, and other supplies in built-in cabinets.

I think the most important aspect of any homeschool is not so much the furnishings or the room arrangement. (In other words, if your children WANT school desks, by all means, get them!) However, if your school "starts" and "ends" at a certain time each day, and the children must sit still and listen and do a lot of worksheets and drills and raise their hands to speak or go to the bathroom... in my opinion these types of things rather defeat the purpose of homeschooling. A less restrictive environment that encourages self-directed learning and promotes personal responsibility is what homeschooling is really all about, no matter where the learning takes place.

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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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4. Say What? This Week's Absurd Homeschool Comments
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Mike Farris, the co-founder of HSDLA, recently asked readers of his column to submit "dumb statements" people have made regarding homeschooling. (I've heard quite a few whoppers myself over the years; haven't we all?) Just for fun, we'll feature a few of these silly comments in this and future issues.

From the Austin family:
A stranger said, "Don't you think your children are being deprived of the thrill of buying school supplies at Wal-Mart when everyone else does?"

From MDT:
My neighbor was picking my brain about getting the public school to challenge her first grader. She was concerned because my first grader was already reading while her son of the same age was just learning the sounds of letters. Nonetheless she challenged my homeschooling saying my son would still miss out. "It's important for him socially too. He needs to be offered drugs so he can turn them down."

From Barb Palmer:
Our girls' friends from the neighborhood ask, "If you are homeschooled, who teaches you?"

Note: Send the most ridiculous comment(s) you've heard about homeschooling to us at submissions@allthingshomeschool.com and we'll publish them in "Say What?"

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5. Feature Article
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Your Young Naturalist - Part I

By Sandra Bynum

When you mention "science," most children immediately think of animals, reptiles, birds, and insects. To children, nature's creatures and science are synonymous. Exploring the out-of-doors evokes great excitement and intrigue. Here are some ways you can encourage your little naturalists to investigate their world.

What does a naturalist do? A naturalist objectively observes earth's creatures, learns more about them and their habitat, and gains a better understanding of the natural world. Children as young as two instinctively show an interest in living things (flowers, ladybugs, snails) so as they grow older, children can easily be encouraged to take a closer look.

Observing nature, of course, means spending a lot of time out-of-doors. Maybe this is one reason children so enjoy nature study! Obviously the first habitat to be investigated would be one's own backyard. A few inexpensive tools will help with the process, while emphasizing to your child the value of the work to be done. You'll need:

tweezers
an examining tray (or a rigid plastic container)
a magnifying glass
a butterfly net
jars with hole-punched lids (or cheese cloth and rubber bands)
binoculars
small garden shovel
small blank tablet
crayon and paper
a pen or pencil
set of colored pencils

With these simple items, your young naturalists can collect and study a wide assortment of fascinating bugs and creatures such as lady bugs, snails, slugs, butterflies, moths, fireflies,
caterpillars, June bugs, earthworms, spiders, and potato bugs. (Use special care if capturing bees!) They can discover and examine bird's nests, snail trails, underground hiding places, flowers, spider webs, and seed pods. They can draw pictures of their discoveries and make notes about their observations, and they can make leaf and tree bark rubbings.

For nature walks and field trips beyond the backyard, add these items to your little naturalists' daypacks:

pocket knife
clippers
camera (one that can take close-ups including most digital models)
pocket field guides (National Audubon Society for excellent photos)
killing jar, cotton, and ether for collecting insect specimens
plastic and/or muslin bags
local or area map
compass
backpack to carry it all in

I include the killing jar only if you intend to collect butterflies and other insects for further study. As a child I was a great collector of butterflies and moths, and today my collection is still intact. However, it is certainly possible to "collect" specimens using only the notebook, (indispensable!), field guides, and camera.

Be sure to dress appropriately before starting out, considering the weather, your destination, and what you intend to do. Is the weather wet or hot and sunny? Will you be exploring a rocky seashore or a muddy meadow or a sandy desert?

Your two most valuable tools are your senses and your notebook. Emphasize to your children that the notebook should be meticulously kept. Using all of your senses, write down your observations on the spot. Don't expect to remember them later. Quick notes are fine--they can be expanded upon when you get home. Your notebook is the place for drawings and sketches too. Elaborate detailed drawings with labels are great if time permits; otherwise a simple sketch can be refined later. Use colored pencils to indicate color placements, then fill them in at home. Observations should include the organism itself and its behavior, as well as the environment in which it is found and the other creatures to be found within this same habitat. Nothing is insignificant. A well-kept, lavishly illustrated naturalist's notebook is invaluable and an essential addition to your child's homeschool portfolio.

Gerald Durrell describes 17 different environments that you can explore in his fabulous book, A Practical Guide For the Amateur Naturalist:

1. Home and Yard
2. Fields and Fencerows
3. Scrub, Shrub, and Chaparral
4. Grasslands
5. Desert
6. Tundra
7. Deciduous Woodlands
8. Coniferous Woodlands
9. Tropical Forest
10. Mountain
11. Ponds and Streams
12. Marshlands
13. Coastal Wetlands
14. Cliffs and Dunes
15. Smooth Shores
16. Rocky Shores
17. Seas and Oceans

During our homeschooling years, we were able to explore 12 of these 17 habitats. We lived in two different areas of California during this time, and the 12 habitats were within a short distance of one or the other. You can do it too!

Next issue you'll learn how to help your young naturalist set up a workroom, and what to do with your specimens once you arrive back home. For an excellent resource chockful of investigations, explorations, and projects, (and beautiful color photographs), consider adding The Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell to your homeschool library. You can find it at
http://www.allthingshomeschool.com/HS_magazines.htm#Science Activity
Books and Magazines

Also we recommend the National Audubon Society's Field Guides, particularly (North American, or your region of the world) Mammals, Reptiles and Amphibians, Birds, Butterflies, Insects and Spiders, Trees, and Wild Flowers. Find more information here:
http://www.allthingshomeschool.com/HS_references.htm

For science equipment to help your child safely explore and examine nature's creatures, see our collection of science observation tools at:
http://www.allthingshomeschool.com/HS_science.htm

Also try Usborne Books at Home Kid Kits. Visit: http://www.ubah.com/ecommerce/results.asp?sid=Z1719&gid=14883397 to learn more about the Usborne World of the Microscope Kid Kit, the Young Naturalist Kid Kits, and many other great science Kid Kits.

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You'll find many more activities just right for homeschoolers in our new e-book,

101 MORE Hands-On Tried & True Homeschool Curriculum Ideas You'll Love! Publication is scheduled for March, 2006. Good news! Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter subscribers will receive very special pricing.

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6. Homeschool Curriculum Ideas of the Week
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1) Your child can make his or her own field guides. This is a great activity to do after several outdoor observation field trips, and goes a bit beyond keeping the naturalist's notebook (as described above). The child will select an area such as birds, butterflies, reptiles, or seashells. Then, referring to his notes, sketches, and photos, he will create a bound book of local species or varieties he has personally observed and recorded. Each specimen should be carefully illustrated in detail, correctly colored, and accurately identified so that someone else could actually use this field guide to make identifications. My oldest daughter made a particularly beautiful wildflower field guide, which you can see on our website at http://allthingshomeschool.com/field_guides.htm

2) One source of confusion for many students of the English language is the concept of homonyms. These are, as you know, words that are pronounced the same but are spelled differently (and have different meanings). Some students have no problem with these, but to others they are a never-ending source of confusion. Use word puzzles and quizzes to help your children learn to recognize homonyms and spell them correctly. You can make these up, as well as discussing them whenever they come up in their reading and writing activities. For more practice, give them these exercises--the first is easy, the second more challenging:

a. Each of these words has a homonym that is a living creature. First, what is the definition of the first word? What is its homonym? Can you spell the homonym correctly? What kind of living creature is it? Describe it!

Hoarse, Be, Bore, Knew, You, Dough, Bare, Flee, Hair, Links, Aunt, Dear

b. Each of the following definitions has two answers. The first one will fit the definition, the second will be a homonym of the first answer that is some type of plant life (fruit, plant, vegetable, berry, grain, etc.):

To peel or remove the skin from: P________ and P________
A unit of weight in gems: C________ and C________
What water does when it escapes: L________ and L________
To put underground: B________ and B________
An animal's soft warm coat: F_______ and F_______
The seashore: B________ and B________
Objects placed in straight lines: R________ and R________
Pound or hit: B_______ and B_______

Homonyms Quiz Answers:
a. horse, bee, boar, gnu, ewe, doe, bear, flea, hare, linx, ant, deer
b. pare-pear, carat-carrot, leak-leek, bury-berry, fur-fir, beach-beech, rows-rose, beat-beet

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7. Free Online Homeschooling Resources
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http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/index.htm
Valentine's crafts and activities from DLTK! Find craft ideas, recipes, games, puzzles, and more; including Valentine cards your kids can print out and color. Holiday activities and many more categories, too.

http://www.funbrain.com/kidscenter.html
Games, games, games! Math games, word games, just plain fun games. Also web books, comics, and MadLibs. Lots of fun, all levels of difficulty. By Pearson Education.

http://www.funbrain.com/brain/MathBrain/MathBrain.html
Math Arcade on FunBrain, Can you beat all 25 games? By Pearson Education.

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
Did you know that this month was Benjamin's Franklin's 300th birthday? Let Ben introduce your child to the United States government. Four learning levels and many great topics and activities. Learn about Ben Franklin along the way!

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