Preparing

I am in the process of preparing for next school year. I have been organizing curriculum materials, decorating, and trying out different schedules. I still have a long list of things to do including painting our school room.Once the school room is painted, I can set up the math calendar and hang maps. I cannot wait because once all of that is up, the room will really feel like school to us!

This whole process is really exciting to me. I LOVE to plan. Thinking through all of the possibilities makes me feel like we can do anything! I am already searching for books and thinking about extension activities that we can try out. I think E is tired of hearing about what my plans are for the fall, but the kids cannot wait for it to start!

Now if I could get E to help me out with the set up, I could get it finished in no time…

Building Excitement for Homeschooling

Montessori school is out for the summer, and we are homeschooling both kids full time this fall. I planned on taking some time this summer to really get my head wrapped around our schedule, goals, and the like while having a few minor summer projects for the kids. As I started organizing my things for school, I decided to show the kids our school supplies in order to build excitement for school at home. (There have been some negative comments about the idea of home education directed at the kids recently.) They thoroughly enjoyed the sneak peek! We have talked about school at home a bit recently, too.

Despite the fact that the kids have been sick with fevers and coughs this week, there has been much enthusiasm about starting school at home. Apparently the kids want to start the school year now. They demanded school work today. A2 kept asking for a project. I think she wanted to do one of the mosaics from a kit that we have been working on. (They each take about an hour to complete with a lot of assistance from me. I just didn’t have it in me today to do it.) They wouldn’t back down until I found something for them to do. We did puzzles together for a long while. C5 also read a book to me, and we reviewed some sight words. We even talked a bit about place value today. All of that work was on top of cleaning our home. It was definitely a productive day for us!

It looks like I was successful in making the idea of homeschooling positive.

Photo courtesy of tiffanywashko

Sticky Note Learning: Miscellaneous Ideas

Here are a few more creative ideas for using sticky notes to enhance learning in your homeschool.

~Create a scavenger hunt. On each sticky note write a clue about where the next sticky note is. Or you could include math problems, trivia questions, or riddles on the sticky notes. Place the notes all over the house. This is a great activity for rainy or snowy days or times when it feel like you need to change things up a bit.

~Practice descriptive writing with famous paintings. Have your children write descriptive sentences about the artwork on individual sticky notes. Post the notes around the painting. Then the notes can be moved around in order to plan a paragraph or a story about the painting. (Photo courtesy of tomsaint11)

~Practice rhythm. Write sixteenth notes, eighth notes, quarter notes, and rests on individual sticky notes, and place them in any order on a wall. Use percussion instruments such as drums, claves, or a xylophone and play the rhythm posted. Mix the notes up and play the new rhythm. (Photo courtesy of calm a llama down)

~Have your child label scientific drawings using flag post-it notes. For example, create a poster with a drawing of a flower on it. Have your children use the flags to label the parts of a flower. The same poster can be used later as a test of that knowledge.

Have fun!

Homeschool Sticky Note Science

Sticky notes can motivate your kinesthetic child to learn science concepts in your homeschool. Try out these ideas.

~Create a Periodic Table using a different color sticky note for each column on the table. Have your child write the symbols for each of the elements on individual sticky notes. You can even expect your child to write the atomic mass of the element on the sticky. Then each of the sticky notes needs to be placed on the wall in order to construct the table. Another time you can scramble up those sticky notes and have your child reconstruct the table based on the color coding and atomic mass of each element. Ask questions and discuss the similarities of the elements in the same columns. “Are they liquids or gases?” “Are they colorless?” Are they reactive or non reactive?”

~Have your child use sticky notes to show the life cycles of different animals. Have your child draw a picture of each stage in the cycle and label it on individual stickies. You can then post different life cycles on the same wall in order to compare them and make conclusions.

~Be a weather tracker! Laminate a map of the US and post it. Use different color flag stickies for the various kinds of weather and write that information on a key on the map. Each day have your child record the weather forecast by placing the correct color flag in the different regions of the country (Midwest, North East, etc.). Your child can even be the meteorologist and give the weather report to you each day. As you collect data, make observations about weather patterns that occur and discuss.

There are many other ways that you can use sticky notes to learn science, too. I hope this gets you started!

Photo courtesy of General Wesc

Homeschool Sticky Note Literacy

My kids love sticky notes. Do yours? This is the first post in a series on how to motivate children to learn using sticky notes.

Encourage Literacy Skills

~Emergent readers can use sticky notes to label items in a room. For example, you would write “table” on a sticky and your child would place it on a table. Then your child can “read the room” using a pointer and reading each of the words. You have the freedom to take the stickies off the items in the room and play games with them. Put them in alphabetical order. Find words that rhyme. Find words that fit into particular categories such as furniture or toys.

~Help your beginning reader to practice reading words and constructing sentences. Either have your child dictate a sentence to you or choose a sentence out of a book you have read together. Write one word on each sticky note and scramble the sentence. Post the notes on a wall. Have your child reconstruct the sentence.

~Practice spelling with sticky notes. Choose a “secret” word. Write each of the letters on individual sticky notes. Have your child make as many words as possible with those letters. Record each of the words spelled on new sticky notes. At the end have your child try to find the “secret” word. Use the words made to highlight spelling patterns such as “ae”, “ing”, or “ch”.

~Sticky notes can help you add a kinesthetic component to brainstorming before writing by creating a web on a wall. Have your child write one idea on each sticky note and post it on the web. Or practice writing paragraphs by having your child write one sentence on a sticky note at a time. S/he can move the sticky notes around in order to create a cohesive paragraph.

~Teach vocabulary with sticky notes. Write synonyms on separate sticky notes and post the vocabulary words around the house. Have your child collect the words and match the synonyms on a wall in your school room. Or create a vocabulary obstical course by posting words around the house. Have your child read the word and act out the meaning of the word.

Have fun using sticky notes to encourage literacy skills!

Photo courtesy of Viernest

Other Ways of Using Puppets in Your Homeschool

In the past I have written about the benefits of using puppets in your homeschool to encourage literacy. Here are a few other ideas for how you can use puppets to motivate your children and encourage learning in your homeschool.

~A puppet can help your younger child to develop language skills. Young children love puppets and are often willing to open up to them. Take advantage of this and have your child and tell the puppet stories. Ask your child probing questions to encourage more developed ideas.

~Your child can teach a puppet something you’ve recently learned about. For example, have your child explain a process in math or science to the puppet. The puppet can ask questions in order to encourage your child to add details to the explanation. This is a great way to assess your child’s understanding.

~If you are studying a particular historical time period, have your child make puppets that reflect the dress of the time. Then have your child create and perform a puppet show that includes historically accurate details. Music and art can be woven into the the performance as appropriate. Or your child could make puppets of a certain historical figure and have that puppet engage with the audience in character.

Try using puppets in your homeschool.

Photos courtesy of Wendy Piersall (@eMom)

Fun Homeschool Math Fact Mastery

Learning math facts is necessary to help your child solve more complicated math problems efficiently. In the past I have posted some ideas to make learning math facts fun. Here are more ways of mastering them in your homeschool without the drudgery.

~While reciting the facts, do a hand clapping game. Girls especially love these kinds of games.

~Play card games:

• Cribbage is a great one to play with children who are slightly older. You have to make sums of 21 & 15. You also have to multiply when you get the same score multiple times. You can find the rules of the game here.
• Black Jack is another game helpful in teaching addition facts. (I had a teacher who called it “21″ instead.). While playing the game, you have to find sums up to 21 quickly.

~Make flashcards, one set with the product/sum and one with the equation.

• Play “Go Fish” by matching the equation to the product/sum.
• Play “Concentration” by matching the equation to the product/sum.

~Play Soduku. You can play online here.

~Learn the doubles - 2+2, 3+3, 4+4, etc. Also focus on the the trickier facts – 5+6, 5+7, 5+8, 5+9, 6+7, 7+8, 7+9, & 8+9. You can make up songs to help remember them.

Photo courtesy of peiqianlong

I Need to Temper My Temper

Patience is required for parenting and definitely necessary when you homeschool your kids. How is that I don’t have ANY patience these days? I have to find a way to change that. My fuse blows often enough that I think that the kids are getting suspicious about whether I truly am sorry for yelling yet again. I don’t know why I do it because it really is the least effective method of motivating the children to do anything.

I have a plan, though.

1. I will take the advice that I read in a devotion from Proverbs 31 Ministries today. It helped me to think about what is behind my anger, and maybe it will help you, too.
2. I will go to bed earlier so I get enough rest.
3. I will have my quiet time in the morning. I have been spending time with God at night, but I think I need to start the day with God.
4. As I learned at Mom to Mom, I will distinguish between childhood irresponsibility and willful disobedience. They are not the same and should not be treated the same way.
5. I will find a more effective way of transitioning my children from one thing to another. That is when they fall apart most often.
6. I will pray in the moment and take time to listen to what God has to say.

How do you get through the day without losing your temper?

Photo courtesy of hampdenarchy

A Traditional Literature Theme: Tall Tales

Continue your Traditional Literature study in your homeschool with Tall Tales. These stories are short, fun, and engaging. If your children are resistant to reading, Tall Tales can be a great way to capture their interest.

~You can find copies of American Tall Tales here. There are also comprehension quizzes on this site.

~You can find a unit study on Tall Tales at German Town Academy.

~Tall Tales fit into a unit of study on the westward expansion. You can find general information about America in the 1800’s at this website. You will also find a host of educational resources at this website.

~Some Tall Tales are based on actual people. You can have your children research the lives of the Johnny Appleseed and Davey Crockett and compare the facts they find to the exaggerations in Tall Tales.

~You can make a lapbook on Johnny Appleseed. Homeschool Share has a free one.

~Have your children write their own Tall Tales. Remember to include exaggeration in the tales. Illustrations would complete the stories.

Photo courtesy of cliff1066

Homeschoolers, Make Math Facts Fun!

Photo by Dicemanic

Learning math facts can be boring and tedious. Here are a few ways that you can make learning them more interesting in your home school. Trying these ideas might motivate your children to memorize those facts instead of counting!

Photo by apesara

• Teach fact family trees. For example, one fact family tree is 2,3,5. 2is 2,3,5. 2
  English: World English Bible - WEB
  3 Many peoples shall go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh, To the house of the God of Jacob; And he will teach us of his ways, And we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
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  +3=5, 3+2=5, 5-3=2, 5-2=3. It also works for multiplication and division – 2,3,6. 2×3=6, 3×2=6, 6÷2=3, 6÷3=2. Remembering three numbers is an easy way to memorize the basic facts. Also have your child write the equations on trees with the three numbers written on top.

• Practice addition facts by playing dice games. Create a game board and game pieces. Roll the dice and add the two numbers together. Move that many spaces forward on the board.

• Another way to practice addition facts is to play “Make 10″ with a set of cards numbered 0-9. It is played just like “Go Fish” except you add two numbers whose sum is 10.
• Practice multiplication facts by playing “Circles and Stars”. Roll a die. Draw that many circles. Roll the die again. Draw that many stars in each circle. Write the equation that your picture represents.

Have fun learning basic math facts by making a few simple changes in your homeschool curriculum.