Spring is a great time to homeschool at the beach. It isn’t too hot and there aren’t many folks around. The sound of the ocean and the texture of the sand are soothing. Recently I took C5, A2, and P4 (my nephew) to the beach, and we had a great experience. Here are a few things that we did that you might want to try out.

~Go for a walk along the beach. It is really great exercise. Read more about the benefits of walking on the beach at Discover Walking.

~Skip rocks on the water. You can find out how to skip rocks at wikiHow. If you want to know why stones skip on the water, you’ll find information about the physics behind it at The Library of Congress.

~Collect rocks and shells. In addition to what I have included here, you can find more information about geology and art with rocks at Suite 101.

-Categorize the rocks and shells by size, by color, by shape, etc.

-Examine the rocks to find different geometric shapes. We found rectangles and trapezoids.

-Use the rocks that you collected to build with. The kids built a really great tower together.

-We used those shells and rocks to “write” the kids’ initials.

~Build sand castles. You can research the physics behind why sand castles sand at BNET. This post also includes an experiment for you to try.

Have fun and make memories at the beach with your kids!

Photo courtesy of MyAngelG

~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!

~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

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

Enhance your learning by discussing:

• the properties of liquids and solids,
• Non-Newtonian fluids,
• and what viscosity is.

Experimenting with Oobleck is a great way to get your kinesthetic, tacticle, and/or visual learners engaged in learning about liquids and solids. Have fun and get messy this Halloween!

• Study the skeletal system. Construct your own skeletons and name the major bones in the body. Dissect a whole fish from the grocery story and investigate its skeleton. Learn about x-rays. Research calcium and how it is absorbed.
• Study the heart. In your book you can name the parts of the heart, include a mini report on Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (the first heart surgeon), include data from heart rate experiments, etc.
• Study hematology. Blood is quite gory! Learn about red and white blood cells and about how blood coagulates. Investigate blood typing. Contact the Red Cross to find out more about blood donation.

The ideas are endless, but hopefully this will get you thinking outside of the box. Have fun!

If you are in the San Diego area, you and your children can actually take part in the hands-on learning that happens here. The activities on the ship are geared towards children in grades 2-8. There are also pre- and post-visit materials available for grades 4-8. Since the museum is in California, the activities are all linked to the California Content Standards. Your whole family can stay the night, too! There is a long waiting list, so you have to make reservations about 6 months in advance. Reservations open on August 18th.

What a unique opportunity for your family to learn together and have some fun!

We went to The Garden in the Woods today to hike. When we checked in today, they presented us with a bag full of goodies. It included binoculars, a magnifying glass, a BINGO game, a bug handbook, and a small journal with crayons. I thought that it was a fabulous idea! The kids loved everything in the bag, and the supplies certainly enhanced the trip. I’ve been thinking about it a little more, and I think we’ll take an adventure bag with us  when we go out adventuring.

Take apart the bag for a moment. Think about why certain items should be included. The science journal with colored pencils is the most important component of the bag. This journal will keep a record of your child’s science work for a particular unit of study. Being required to accurately draw a picture of something in the journal will also cause your child to observe more carefully and think. Your child will also practice writing for a different purpose in this journal. This is a great way to get your reluctant writer to do a little writing. It is often easier to write about experiences and something tangible than something abstract.

The other components of the bag basically add to the quality of your child’s observations. The binoculars and magnifying glass make it possible to look closely at something and create an accurate drawing of it. This allows your child to use real tools to make observations with. It takes practice to master using these tools correctly. This is a chance to take risks with those skills since there isn’t any pressure on a family hike.

I love the idea of including a handbook or field guide. Your reluctant reader might be more willing to read up on exciting creatures and interesting plants knowing that you are heading out on an adventure. The photographs and illustrations in these books also make it much more compelling to read while the shorter bits of text make it less intimidating. You might look for particular animals or plant life from the book while on the hike, too.

If you bring a camera, your child can document the trip in photographs. What a great opportunity to try out a different medium for art! Depending on how much you know about photography, you can help your child with composing a shot and using lighting in an artistic way. Your child could use the photographs in a scrapbook if you like.

Additionally, I would include a small first aid kit in the bag. We have had many incidents that require first aid while we are hiking. Also talk about basic safety before you go adventuring and review some basic rules for the trip (stay with the group, don’t jump into the water, don’t eat anything you see growing, etc.).

Of course, it would be too much to try out all of the ideas on one adventure trip, but it us great to have all of your important adventuring tools in one place. It allows you to go out on a hike, and follow your child’s lead to see which tools from the trusty adventure bag s/he uses. Go out and have fun with your adventure bag!

One great project is a garden. Gardening incorporates layers of skills, and it is great for kinesthetic and tactile learners. Obviously it is a science project, but there is so much more that you can do with it. My family has started a garden this summer, and we are having fun with it! The kids are really excited about watering the plants and making observations. We are trying to make more detailed observations about the shape and colors that we see in the garden. Here are some tips to add learning to your gardening experience.

• Do some research together about what plants grow in different kinds of light, and allow your children some choice about what to plant in the garden.
• Lookat the seeds before you plant them. Observe the shape, color, and texture.
• Use your science journals to make observations about the garden. Remember to make careful observations about the plants.
• The scientific drawings should be accurate – down to the colors. Remember to include written observations.
• Measure the plants as they grow and chart it. Make predictions about how much each plant will grow.
• Use new vocabulary when you talk about the garden. Talk about tilling the soil and fertilizing the plants. Name the tools. Find more information about gardening vocabulary at Katina’s Little Gardeners.

Your gardening experience should be a fun family project. Enjoy!