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Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter - Mar. 10,
2006 Vol. II Issue 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this issue:
>
1. From the Editor's Desk
> 2. Article - Homeschooling Outside The Box
> 3. Letters to the Editor - Teaching Kindergarten
Math
> 4. Say What? Absurd Homeschool Comments
> 5. Feature Article - Developing Fluency in Young
Children
> 6. Homeschool Curriculum Ideas of the Week
> 7. Free Homeschool Resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. From the Editor's Desk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome!
Do you homeschool a child that gets bored with
traditional curriculum? This week's article,
Home-Schooling Outside The Box, discusses some
alternative education ideas that could possibly
help by getting you thinking about new ways to
teach. Written by experienced homeschooling dad
Michael Sakowski, this article will help you to
expand your homeschooling ideas and options.
Our feature article gives tips on how to develop
fluency in reading and language in young children
for strong literacy skills later on.
And as always, you'll also find more great
learning activities, advice, and free websites
that will enhance your children's homeschooling
experience.
Enjoy this issue!
Sandra B.
Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Article
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Homeschooling Outside The Box
By Michael Sakowski
My 12 year old son is creative and intelligent. He
can compose artistic and written works at a level
beyond that of many his age. So why can he be so
difficult to teach? When using standard
curriculum, it can be like pulling teeth to get
him to do anything more than the absolute minimum.
He races through the lessons, obtaining grades far
lower than he is capable of getting, or he easily
gets distracted and drags his feet, taking hours
to complete what should take minutes. Read on to
see how I confronted these problems.
When I took over homeschooling my then 10 year old
son, I used the traditional curriculum that he had
been using previously with his mother. Some of the
curriculum worked fine (we still use the Saxon
math series) but other traditional home school
curriculum just seemed to bring out the worst in
my child. He would easily get bored. He would lose
focus and often get distracted. After half a year,
I started searching for alternatives. When I found
new materials, I included my son on the decision
making process. He seemed to take a lot more
ownership as a result, even though I still had the
final say in what what curriculum we finally used.
Some of the things we do are listed below.
We use a science encyclopedia purchased at Sam's
Club for science. Why? Of all the books we looked
at it was the best text in terms of explaining
concepts and relating them to real world phenomena
(even though it wasn't meant to be a school text).
We sit down together and read several pages of
this science encyclopedia on a concept. Then, I
have my son write a 100 word report. He then edits
the report and we work on sentence composition. At
the end of the term, we print out all the articles
to make a 15-page report. In addition to the
reports, we do related science experiments
together and some of the younger siblings join in.
My son loves science!
My son and his younger brother are taught history
by my retired father-in-law (who happens to have a
major in history). My father-in-law makes use of
his library of books and tapes and records history
specials for the boys to watch. Now, my boys and I
sit down together at night to watch the evening
news - this I believe, is a result of their
grandfather discussing current events with them.
There is no comparing either of my sons' current
enthusiasm for history with the drudgery of
plowing through a traditional school history text
the way we used to do.
In addition to completing lessons in English and
grammar from a traditional school text, I
encourage my son to do some creative writing. He
started writing his own kids' novel which he has
now nearly finished. He is writing some pretty
silly stuff which would not be standard fare for
any of the English curricula I have seen. But he
is writing. In fact he is writing a lot! In 3
months from the time he started writing this novel
I have noticed a marked improvement in his
writing. When my son's book is completed, I will
publish it online and also have a friend who owns
book binding equipment bind up some copies for our
family and friends.
In summary, don't let yourself become boxed in
with traditional homeschool curriculum. There are
educational resources all around us if we look
hard enough. You don't have to use a "school"
text. Look on your book shelves or go to a local
second-hand book store to find books that might
serve as good texts. Involve your child in the
decision-making process. Borrow some materials
from your homeschooling friends and review the
books with your child. Use what will work for both
you and your child. Utilize any and all available
resources and above all, have fun as you and your
child learn!
Michael Sakowski works full time and homeschools
his son on the days he is able to work from home.
He also has a website,
http://www.schoolinyourhome.com that
showcases some of the resources he uses when
homeschooling.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Sakowski
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Letters to the Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Question:
My five-year-old son loves numbers and math. I
don't use a math curriculum with him as yet, but I
know that a kindergarten-level workbook would be
way too easy for him. Besides, I'm not so sure I
want the structure of a math curriculum; I think
he would find it boring. His fine motor skills are
not strong, so I don't think he is ready for
filling out answers in a workbook. How can I
encourage his excitement about math while avoiding
a traditional math curriculum, or should I?
Answer:
How fortunate for your son that you have
chosen to homeschool! There is no more effective
way to kill a child's enthusiasm than a
slow-moving, boring curriculum that stifles
natural curiosity. Outside of the traditional
classroom, he can fly! Most of my five children
were enthusiastic about math at kindergarten age,
and this is what I did:
First, I obtained the kindergarten level math
workbooks (including enrichment materials - for
more advanced students) available through our
local independent study program. My purpose was
two-fold. First, I wanted to know what a
kindergartner was supposed to know. Second, I
wanted the manipulatives that came with the
curriculum! My plan was to let my children race
through the workbooks at will. If writing was
tedious or difficult, we would devise other ways
to document their mastery of the material. Mostly,
we would use math manipulatives, math games,
calculators, pretend play (like setting up and
running a "store"), and real money to learn about
the math concepts that he should know and beyond.
Our independent study program at that time was
very flexible; it was okay to move along at any
comfortable pace as long as the student was
showing progress (no problem there!).
As my children grew older, they enjoyed doing math
worksheets; in fact all of my children have
enjoyed learning math in this way because they
knew they could learn at their own pace, and that
we would use hands-on learning activities whenever
needed to learn a new math concept. Also, our
curriculum, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston's
Mathematics Unlimited, had a number of different
facets, including practice and reinforcement, math
activities, enrichment, and creative problem
solving. Options in the math activity book alone
included a variety of calculator, mental math,
listening and reading, math relays, family
involvement, and manipulative activities;
something for everyone!
So, my advice to you is to do what feels right. As
you know, some children love math and others
dislike it and even "hate math." Be flexible and
eclectic. Use a good curriculum for guidance and
direction, but feel free to divert from it and
teach concepts using a variety of creative,
hands-on activities. Most importantly: make math
interesting and fun right from the start.
A highly recommended math curriculum for
homeschoolers is Singapore Math. It moves quickly
and caters to children with its bright pictures
and visual representations of the math formulas. A
free (and fun) math placement test is available at
http://www.sonlight.com/singapore-placement-tests.html.
I have also heard that
Saxon Math is a favorite with
homeschoolers, but I have never used it
personally.
Also, take a look at
http://www.mathcats.com
for lots more fun, creative math activities
and experiences that are perfect for young
children yearning to learn more about math.
* * * * *
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Say What? This Week's Absurd Homeschool
Comments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 forum.
From Angela Blackman:
A friend who is a paralegal at a very busy law
firm said, "How can
you ever think you can keep up with having four
kids at home? Don't they just run you off your
feet? I'd be exhausted by the end of the day."
Mike: It is a proven fact that assisting two
lawyers is the equivalent of having six kids or
else tending a dozen snakes -- depending on the
age of the lawyer.
From Pamela Minerd:
My father asked, "Will I have to bail you out of
jail for this?"
From Tracy Pina:
An acquaintance said, "Every kid has to get beat
up a few times in public school or they won't be
able to cope in the real world."
Mike: Sticks and stones will break my bones or
else I won't be well rounded.
* * * * *
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?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Feature Article
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Developing Fluency in Young Children
by Nicole Brekelbaum
Fluency in reading and talking can come at
different stages for different children. It is
important when that milestone is reached that
parents encourage their children to improve their
literacy skills. Here is a step-by-step guide to
developing your young child's language and reading
fluency.
Step 1: Does Your Child have the Ability to Link
Letters and Sounds Together?
We all know that letters of the alphabet form
words and that learning letters and sounds is
usually the predecessor to developing fluency in
young children. But how can we stimulate an early
interest in the alphabet?
To keep a child's mind engaged in the learning
process, it is a good idea to use fun, exciting
hands-on games. Many parents have had success
arranging magnetic letters on their kitchen
refrigerator and allowing children to touch,
manipulate and sound out the letters.
Another variation is to work with one letter a
week starting, for instance, with the letter A.
Place only the letter A on the refrigerator and
then do a weeklong lesson that focuses on the
letter A. At the end of the week place three more
letters on the refrigerator. Ask your child to
distinguish the letter A from the group, make the
sound of the letter A, and pronounce two or three
words that begin with the letter A. Continue this
learning technique for 25 more weeks until your
child begins to recognize and sound out each of
the 26 letters of the alphabet easily.
A home-schooling mom who has had remarkable
success with developing fluency in her kids has
created a useful online resource that teaches
children a letter a week. This free curriculum can
be found at Brightly Beaming Resources - http://www.letteroftheweek.com/.
Step 2: Is Your Child Familiar with Words that
Form Opposites?
Most kids enjoy learning about opposites since it
encourages sensory and motor development while at
the same time developing their literacy skills.
Children can recognize the difference between
sweet and sour by taste, hard and soft by touch,
slow and fast by adjusting their motor play, and
loud and quiet by altering their voice pitch. This
interactive approach is not only enjoyed by
toddlers and preschoolers but also provides a
great foundation for the development of literacy
skills later on in life.
Step 3: Can Your Child Build New Words from a
Single Core Word?
An important way to develop fluency is to provide
children with a rich variety of words. One
approach is to a take a familiar core word and
build a web of related words around it. For
example, using the word bat as a core word help
children find other related words such as
baseball, base, batsman, catcher and umpire.
Discuss the word bat further using a completely
different approach and inspire children to find
new words such as nocturnal, caves, wing span and
habitat. As children become familiar with related
words they gain the self-confidence needed to read
aloud and to decode new words.
Step 4: Can Your Child Sound Out Rhyming Words?
Rhyming words have sound appeal to kids. Listening
to nursery rhymes and poems allows children to
appreciate the beautiful yet comprehensive forms
of the spoken language. Encourage your child to
sound out rhyming words, making sure to praise him
even if the words he creates may not necessarily
be real words. The idea is that he has mastered
the listening technique that is required to
reproduce similar sounds.
Step 5: Has Your Child Learnt about Compound
Words?
Learning about compound words is a great way to
introduce word-building skills to children. Start
off by giving your child two very familiar words
and then ask him to join the words together and
read the composite word out loud. There is a 50%
chance that he may not create a compound word on
his first try. If he is unsuccessful be patient
and allow his natural hunger to learn inspire him
to manipulate the words correctly. Soon he will be
making some typical compound words such as batman,
baseball, and bookworm.
Step 6: Can Your Child Build Words using Ending
Clusters?
It is a good idea to introduce words with ending
clusters to kids around first or second grade, or
when you believe that they are developmentally
ready for this challenge. Examining the ending
clusters for a whole group of words is a big step
towards fluency. This step should be approached
with patience and care. Take a word, for example,
like light. The ending cluster here is "ight".
Remove the letter "l" and substitute the letter
"s" instead. Now you have the word sight. Continue
in this manner until your child begins to
recognize and pronounce words on his own such as
might, fight, fright and bright. Introduce other
ending clusters to him and help him become
familiar with manipulating words.
Step 7: Is Your Child Familiar with Beginning
Blends?
Beginning blends are great ways for children to
sound out words that are unfamiliar to them. Take
the beginning blend "ST" for instance. If a child
understands how to pronounce the words star and
start, then unfamiliar words such as stand, stop,
stamp and stall become easier to pronounce with
practice. Over time children begin to decode words
one at a time and can soon read a whole sentence.
Encouraging your child to read a familiar text can
also build fluency and comprehension. An excellent
easy reader is the "Dick and Jane" series. It
allows children to sound out familiar three and
four letter words in repetitive sentences thus
giving them the self-confidence they need to
master difficult pronunciations.
Step 8: Have You Encouraged Independent Reading?
Visit your local library to see what programs are
available that encourages reading. Usually
children can join their library's book club, gain
school credit from reading a number of library
books and sometimes win small prizes after
attaining reading milestones. Encourage your child
to search the library bookshelves for books that
are of interest to him and that are also
appropriate for his age. On occasion encourage him
to read aloud to you so that you can diagnose any
difficulties in his phonic skills such as slow
reading and poor comprehension. Oftentimes poor
readers have a slow word per minute count and have
difficulty decoding words, which may in turn lead
to poor comprehension of the text.
Step 9: Do You Read Books?
One very important way to develop fluency in kids
is to read books yourself. When children see
adults reading they understand firsthand the
benefits of improving their literacy skills.
Discuss books that you have read together, expand
on a particular lesson or theme seen in a book,
and encourage your child to develop a love for
reading.
About the Author
Nicole Brekelbaum is a published author, the
director of Young Achievers Inc. in Pflugerville,
Texas, and founder of Pflugerville Childcare
Online. Visit her company's website at
http://www.youngachieversinc.com
http://literacynews.com/blog_b/2006/02/28/p87
* * * * *
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.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Homeschool Curriculum Ideas of the Week
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) One of the best ways for
children to learn about art is to not only
experience the works of the masters, but to
replicate the masters' techniques and designs in
their own artistic creations. There are many
websites available to introduce you and your
children to past and contemporary artists and
their works. One site that features famous artists
and their works is
http://www.artquotes.net/directory/1masters_az.htm;
another is an online gallery of high
resolution artworks at
http://www.artrenewal.org/.
Find "the largest collection of free art
lessons on the Internet" at
http://www.kinderart.com/.
For example, learn about Henri Matisse by
first visiting
http://www.kinderart.com/arthistory/meetmatisse.shtml
to find out about Matisse and his
cut-out paper art. Learn about the artist and
explore his work through the Kinderart lesson; but
first, try an online, interactive art activity at
http://www.pbs.org/parents/creativity/sensory/matisse.html
to create more Matisse-style art right on your
computer screen.
2)
If you have acquired a copy of my e-book,
101 Hands-On, Tried &
True Homeschool Curriculum Ideas You'll Love!
you know that children can begin writing even
before they can read! The trick is to get children
so excited about a subject that they want to write
about it. Most every child has a fascination with
animals and seeks to become an "expert" about one
or more of his favorite species. Be sure you have
plenty of animal facts books in your home library.
Your kids will scour these for information, and
will be more than willing to share what they know
in their writing, which in turn will allow them to
complete both language arts and science
assignments.
This website has oodles of information about
individual animals as well as general animal facts
and animal record holders:
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/animals.html
Here is an interactive library of animal sound
bytes:
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/sound-library/index.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Free Online Homeschooling Resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.kaboose.com/
"Where families get going!" Find free craft
activities, healthy recipes, entertainment, party
ideas, clipart, and much more.
http://www.weeklyreader.com/
This online resource from Weekly Reader
includes opportunities for children and teens to
write poetry, short stories, and essays as well as
take part in polls. You'll find contests, games,
puzzles; as well as helpful information for
parents and families. And of course, subscription
information about all of Weekly Reader's excellent
student magazines. (We always subscribed while
homeschooling.)
http://www.rif.org/
"Reading is Fundamental: Celebrating the joy
of reading for over 40 years." Find advice,
articles, and booklists, as well as tips and
activities to motivate your children to read.
Reading activity calendars, read-along stories,
literacy games, and contests for kids.
http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/
Colorful, fun reading activities just for
kids, from rif.
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