The Names of the Fifty States

Are you learning the geography of the United States in your homeschool? TeacherTube has this funny song that can help your children learn the names of the states in alphabetical order. The song, “Let’s Learn the 50 States”, is sung by Teacher and the Rockbots.

Maybe your kids can come up with their own song about the names of all of the states and create a music video for it!

Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks

Snowflakes for ‘Tweens and Teens

I have more ideas for learning about snowflakes in your homeschool. Your ‘tween and teen might be interested in these ideas.

~Did you know that shape of a snowflake is determined by the temperature outside? About.com has answers to questions that are most commonly asked about snow.

~Try this experiment with your high schooler: Make a Crystalline Model.

~You can also make a Borax snowflake with older children.

~Watch this time elapsed snowflake-video to see a snowflake grow. The website, Physical Review Focus, where this video appears, also has more information about snowflakes. The information is appropriate for teens.

Enjoy learning more about the snow with your ‘tween and teen!

Photo courtesy of yellowcloud

Snowflakes Are Falling In Your Homeschool

It is the middle of the winter, and most places have plenty of snow. Learn about snowflakes this month in your homeschool.

~Wilson Bentley is famous for photographing snowflakes. He successfully photographed his first snowflake on January 15, 1885. Try researching his work and life. Watch this informative video about his life. It starts out told in the first person.

-There is a Snowflake Bentley website where you can find out more about his life. There are also copies of his photographs posted there.

-Read the following books to research Bentley’s life:

Snowflake Bentley (Caldecott Medal Book)

The Snowflake Man: A Biography of Wilson A. Bentley

My Brother Loved Snowflakes: The Story of Wilson A. Bentley, the Snowflake Man

~Learn about snowflakes. Go to the Cal Tech website for host of information.

-Read the following books to research snowflakes:

Snowflakes in Photographs

Ken Libbrecht’s Field Guide to Snowflakes

The Snowflake : A Water Cycle Story

-Observe snowflakes. How Stuff Works has a great lesson plan for this science experiment.

~Make snowflakes in various artistic ways. These books can help:

Snowflakes for all Seasons

Make Your Own Paper Snowflakes

Easy Tatting (Dover Needlework Series)

~At ProTeacher you can find a few math activities related to a snow theme. My two favorites are:

-Have a snowball fight. Write a math fact on a piece of white paper and crumple it up in a ball. Make a whole pile of these. Throw your “snowballs” at each other for a specified time. Then everyone takes turns reading the math facts out loud. Repeat.

-Use shaving cream on a table or desk as your snow. Have your child write in the shaving cream. Write math facts or draw shapes. Recite a number such as one hundred forty five and have your child write it in the shaving cream – 145.

Photos, Snowflake-024 & Snowflake-009, courtesy of yellowcloud

Indoor P.E. Games for Your Homeschool

This time of year it is really difficult to stay active with the kids especially when it is far too cold to go outside. Here are a few indoor P.E. ideas to try in your homeschool this winter.

~Have fun dancing together. For example, hold a dance marathon. Teach the kids a few dance moves like the Mash Potato, the Swim, or the Twist. See who can dance for the longest time. Or try teaching the kids different kinds of dances such as line dancing, hula dancing, the waltz, swing dancing, or salsa.

~Play Silent Ball. Use a soft ball (the “splashers” balls work well for this). The ball has to be tossed to another person and make it around the room without any noise being made. No one can talk or giggle. See how long you can keep the ball moving.

~Make an obstacle course in the living room. Include something like a “balance beam”. (You could put a masking tape line on the floor for that.) Make a tunnel to crawl through with blankets hung over a couple of chairs. Make a space for the kids to roll across the floor a certain distance. To make it even more fun, let the kids design the obstacle course!

~Thanks to Geof Nieboer for the fun indoor game, Sock Wrestling. His website, Games Kids Play, has the rules for a larger group. In “sock wrestling” the goal is simply to get your opponent’s socks off. For the homeschooler with only a few children, I recommend letting each of your children “sock wrestle” against a parent. They could also”sock wrestle” each other or a friend if you feel comfortable with that.

~Make or purchase your own beanbags. Play Tic Tac Toe or play a traditional beanbag toss game to  accumulate points, for example. Or try a “beanbag race”. Here’s how to play. Place a bucket on one end of two lines. Place a large pile of beanbags at the opposite end of the lines. Have each child place a beanbag on his/her head and walk to the other end of the line keeping the bag balanced on his/her head. Place the bean bag in the bucket and hop on one foot to get another beanbag. The winner is the child with the most beanbags in the bucket.

~Play balloon volleyball. Set up something as the net and play according to regular volleyball rules. Have fun jumping and playing this living room friendly version of volleyball.

Have fun with your children indoors this winter!

Trust the Process, Homeschoolers

Trust the process.

I think homeschoolers often want their approach to education to work, to be the right way to go. Then the children hit a wall with their learning, and you get frustrated and discouraged by it. It makes you want to push to try to force “it” to happen. It’s as if you think that if you try harder, something will click in your child’s mind. I find that I sometimes push too hard in this very situation.

Trust the process.

As a teacher I know about how children learn. I know that it pays to be patient and encouraging. Children need time practice. They need time to store and retrieve new information. Children need time to synthesize new information. It all takes time. I know that.

Trust the process.

As a mother I want the very best for my children. I know that our society values beauty and intelligence, and I want both for my children because I love them so. As a mother, I believe that my children are both beautiful and intelligent. Somehow I feel like they have to prove that to the rest of the world, though. Sometimes I push them so they can prove themselves to this fallen world.

Trust the process.

Then I hear that little voice in the back of my mind telling me that I need to back off. I need to love my children and teach them about our mighty, loving God. I have to trust the process because there is nothing that I can do to make “it” happen or to speed up that process. In fact, proving themselves simply is not important.

Trust the process.

God is in control. He loves my children more than I can imagine. He has a plan for each of them. According to God, my children do not have to prove themselves to anyone in this fallen world. They have to love God and their neighbor. That is what He wants from them. Through that process they will learn and do great things because they are doing things for God – not me.

Trust the process.

Photo by ninjaeil902

Inauguration Day 2009 for Homeschoolers

Tomorrow is Inauguration Day! Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. Here are a few things you can do to celebrate in your homeschool. Some activities will take you through the next month or so if you want to extend the theme.

~You can go to the White House website and watch videos, look at pictures, take virtual tours, and read a whole lot of history. There are also games for kids. It is a great website with so much to offer you and your children.

~You can research president-elect Barack Obama. There is a brief biography on the inauguration website.

~Learn about the United States government by reading about what each of the branches is responsible for.

~Do some research on Washington D.C. You can find games and lots of information at Washington D.C. for Kids.

~Complete a study of African American history including a time line of major events. The University of Washington has a great time line that you can use.

~This presidency is historic and the inauguration is an historic event. The following video by the Associated Press, “Emancipation to Inauguration”, summarizes the history of the movement toward equality for African Americans. Please note that this video is meant for either your own background knowledge or for mature students – most likely high school students. Please preview it before you decide whether or not to show it to your children.

Success for the Beginning Reader in Your Homeschool

Photo by pingu1963

Has your child just started to read in your homeschool? Here are a few tips for the beginning reader.

~Have your child practice rereading that first book as much as possible. Start an autograph book for anyone who listens to your child read. Doing this builds excitement for reading since everyone will affirm your child’s efforts.

~Record yourself reading the book, and have your child follow along with that recording pointing to the words. This adds more opportunities to practice independently.

~Remind your child to point to each word while reading. This helps beginning readers to read the words instead of saying the words from memory.

~Create flashcards with the words in the book. Make doubles so you can play “concentration” and “go fish”. This allows your child to practice reading these words in a playful way.

~Cue your child to use different strategies if s/he gets stuck. For example, use the picture clues to figure out tricky words. This allows your child to word solve independently and builds confidence.

~Remind your child to look at all of the letters in the word. Sometimes beginning readers guess the word based on the first letter or two.

~Have fun with your child and be positive!

Provide many opportunities for your child to be successful with reading because that will help your child to learn to love reading in the end.

Referring Your Homeschooled Child for Educational Testing

Photo by mcaretaker

Are you homeschooling a child who you suspect needs special education services? Did you know that you can have your school district evaluate your child? If it turns out that your child needs services, the school district is obligated to provide them. Here are a few tips to help you navigate the process.

~Many schools provide a Kindergarten screening that can identify children who may need educational testing to determine if there is a learning issue. If you are not sure about pursuing educational testing for your pre-Kindergartner, this is a great opportunity. The screening is less time consuming and is a great option if parents are on the fence about the need for educational testing. Contact the school district if you are interested in participating in the screening.

~If you are certain that you want your child to have educational testing, you need to write a letter to the special education department of your school district. According to federal law, the school district has 60 days to start an initial evaluation after receiving your letter requesting one. Usually you need to include in your letter:

-the child’s full name, date of birth, race, and the city/state the child was born in,
-the parents’ full names,
-and a summary of the concerns you have for your child.

*Be sure to call to the school district to find out what specific information is necessary to include in the letter, though.

~Once you begin the process of having your child evaluated, remember to keep all paperwork that comes from the school and all of the communication you send to the school. Keeping good records is important because you’ll be able to refer back to that paperwork later, especially before a meeting.

~After your child is evaluated, you will receive the report from the testing two days before the official team meeting, which you are obligated to be invited to. Remember to read everything in the report carefully. Write down all of your questions, too. If you feel like you need help, you can consult with a parent advocate. You are your child’s advocate, so it is important that you understand the report.

~Participate actively in the team meeting. Ask any questions that you have. You should be included in any decisions that are made about your child.

~You can find more information and tips about the special education process at Helium.

Discouraged Homeschooler?

Photo by Saad.Akhtar

Have you been a discouraged homeschooler lately?

I know that we all go through that from time to time. I found a great post about this very topic on the Alpha Omega Publications Blog. The post is encouraging and reminds us that we are not home educating our children alone.

God will provide for you in your time of need.

When I talk to other people about homeschooling, I get mixed responses. I love talking to people who completely support me and my husband for being able to do it. Then I get discouraged when I talk to people who are naysayers. When I am discouraged, it helps to talk with seasoned homeschoolers. The homeschoolers I know are willing to share their ideas and tips when you mention that you have questions or need help. Remember that it is imperative to have support and seek out help when you need it. You are not in this alone!

God will provide for you in your time of need.

Last week I met a seasoned homeschooler at C4’s dance class. She homeschools five children, so she knows what she is talking about. She had many great tips to share with me this week based on the conversation we had last week. I find her presence comforting, too. Her personality is very different than mine, and I appreciate that. I feel as though God place her in my life so I can learn from her. Just seeing her interact with her kids over the next few weeks will teach me more than I could imagine. I feel blessed to know her! I feel encouraged now that I am on the right track.

God provided for me in my time of need.

A Dance and Tumble Class?

Photo by msburrows

As a homeschooling family, we are always looking for opportunities for our children to learn skills that we value but cannot provide ourselves. For our family, we seek out physical activities for our very busy and precocious children. We suggested that my dad give the girls dance/gymnastics classes for Christmas for this very reason. Today was C4’s first “Dance and Tumble” class for the winter session at the YMCA.

Not only did we want C4 to join a gymnastics/dance class for physical education and dance skills, but we also knew that there would be social, emotional, and neurological benefits from the class.

~C4 has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and she is definitely a sensory seeker. The activities in this class provide lots of proprioceptive input, which will help her with motor planning and balance. There are plenty of deep pressure activities in the class as well such as rolling, hopping, and jumping.

~This class gives C4 the opportunity to make some friendships outside of our current circle of friends. I hope that she can connect with other little girls who share her interest in dancing and gymnastics. The class gives her a topic to discuss with her friends, shared experiences, and time away from me and her sister to establish new friendships.

~I hope that the experiences she has will build her confidence in her physical abilities resulting in a better sense of what she can do independently. She often tells me that she is unable to complete a task that I have seen her do a dozen times. I suspect that her frustration is a result of her SPD sometimes and other times is part of her limit-testing as a strong-willed child. Perhaps she will gain better control over her proprioceptive function through her dance class and maybe learn a little about following the rules.

~Most of all, I hope that C4 has fun in this class. Today she was so excited that she was going to her class that she simply could not nap. As we got ready to leave the house, she kept telling A2 about how she was going to a special dance class that Papa gave to her for Christmas. When we arrived, she ran right into the room. She dove into the class. She smiled. She laughed. She was thrilled by the end of class. She made sure to tell Daddy all about her experiences.

I have high hopes for this little class!