It is that time of year when you need to evaluate your child’s progress in your homeschool. Here are a few tips for showcasing your child’s learning.

Create a portfolio of literacy and math skills. There are many ways to keep a portfolio, but here is one quick and simple way of creating one. Include the following items in your portfolio:

1. Information about your child’s literacy. You can find a comprehensive collection of printable assessment forms for all kinds of literacy assessment at Reading A-Z. Here are other ideas to help.

*A reading comprehension assessment is important for you to include because it tells you about your child’s readling level, comprehension skills, and what kinds of books to choose in the future. Story retellings are a great way of assessing your child’s reading comprehension. You can find an example of a retelling rubric (a scale that gives a score) here. You can also estimate your child’s reading level at ReadWriteSite: Level Estimator.

*Spelling tests can give a snapshot of your child’s knowledge of spelling patterns. The LA County Office of Education has directions for how to use spelling inventories to better understand specifically your child’s knowledge of words. All About Spelling offers spelling lists for grades 1-7 as well as the Dolch Sight Words list and the Ayers Spelling Scale. Education Place has a number of spelling lists for 1st-6th grades.

*A book list of all the literature your child has read and a book list including all the literature you have read aloud to your child gives a snapshot of your child as a reader. It will also help you choose books wisely in the future.

*Writing samples can showcase your child’s writing skills. Include a description of the assignment with each sample. Carefully choose samples that show what your child has learned. Choose a few different genres of writing, too: a report, a short story, a poem, etc.

2.Information about your child’s math competency.

*An end of year math test is a great way to show what math skills your child has retained this year. You can use the assessments that come with your curriculum if you wish. Otherwise, I have found two websites that have math assessments: Open-Ended Assessment in Math and Free Math Test.

*Work samples are also important to include. Carefully choose work that shows what your child has learned in math.

*Photographs of math projects with descriptions about the work are also important samples to include in a portfolio.

Hopefully this guide to creating a portfolio will help you to wrap up your school year with a good glimpse of what your child has learned!

Photo courtesy of Hey Paul

Summer is approaching and lots of families are planning vacations, and it is truly a wonderful idea to travel with your children. Go to Playground for Parents to read an excellent guest post by Renee from Mothers Raising Boys on why it is such a great idea to take your kids on trips. Even though travel with your kids can be difficult, you can be successful.  Here are some tips to improve your chances of having fun together while you travel.

Photo courtesy of twodolla

~Pack carefully for the traveling part of your vacation. Kids get bored easily in the car or on a plane. Here are a few things to take with you:

-A DVD player with a few movies your kids never get to see is a great thing to pack with you. It can provide much needed peace and quiet.

-Audio books and headphones can keep kids of all ages entertained for a while. You can also pick an audio book that the whole family will like.

-Lacing cards are a fun way to keep little ones’ hands busy. They don’t require a lot of supplies . Plus lacing cards help your children improve fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination.

-Take a trip to the local Dollar Store and fill a bag with cheap toys. The kids will like the fact that they are new. You won’t care if they get lost.

-A fun retro idea is to give your kids a Rubix cube. It’s compact and won’t make a mess. It will keep your kids’ attention and will keep those hands busy.

-Mad Libs are a fun and educational activity for the whole family. Everyone will have a few laughs!

-I give the kids gum. It keeps them happy!

-Little kids love lift-the-flap books. They keep small hands busy and little minds engaged.

-Create a scavenger hunt for your kids. You can use the printable lists found on MomsMinivan, too.

Photo courtesy of Andy and Tracy Sidesinger

~Be realistic about what you can do on your trip. PLAN!

-Young children get tired and cranky, so plan the things that you absolutely don’t want to miss for early in the day.

-Discuss lunch and dinner options before you head out for the day. You don’t want to have that discussion while the kids are melting down and you are famished.

*Remember to bring healthy snacks with you. You’ll save money, and the kids will have good food to fuel them throughout the day. Avoid the sugar crash!

*Don’t forget to bring water for the whole family – including you. Staying hydrated will make everyone happier and healthier.

-Bring a change of clothes for the little ones in case of an accident.

-Bring sunblock, hats, and sunglasses.

-Pack a map. It can save you!

-Let the kids help you decide on activities for the day.

-Plan for a place to meet up at a certain time if someone gets lost.

~Remember that your vacation is supposed to be FUN for everyone. If you aren’t having fun, then you need to change something!

Make some memories this summer!

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

Myths

Myths are creation tales that include supernatural activity. For a more detailed definition go to About.com.

• Spark Notes is packed with information about mythology. It can be a great resource for you as you start to learn about mythology.
• Have your children read Myths from various cultures such as Native American and Greek myths. Examine the themes that appear in those myth,s and create a grid to of those themes as a graphic organizer. You can also have your children illustrate the myths in order to help them visualize the stories better.
• Discuss the religious nature of the myths that you read. Since most myths have something to do with creation, take this opportunity to discuss creation according to the Bible. You can even make a creation lapbook with your children. I found a free creation lapbook from Lapbook Lessons.

Legends

Legends are stories partially based on fact, but have exaggerated details.

• Children of all ages, particularly boys, love legends! Who can resist the adventures of Robin Hood and King Arthur? These are great, action packed stories to read aloud.
• Write a script for a favorite legend and act it out, or simply have your children choose a favorite scene to turn into a skit.
• Since it is March, you can research the legend of St. Patrick at History.com. You can also find information about St. Patrick at RiverDeep.net
• Write a modern day Legend after examining others. Have your children include illustrations of the legendary hero and his/her adventures.

Photo courtesy of Jorge-11

My Favorite Author is using this theme this month, too. Stop by that blog for interviews with authors and reviews of books related to this theme. “What can you do with a traditional literature theme?” you ask. It is one of my favorite literature studies because it is truly a rich topic. Today I am sharing a few ways to engage your children in this study with Nursery Rhymes and Fables:

Photo by aturkus

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes are very short, funny, poetic stories. They are often historically and politically significant.

• Your little ones can participate in this study by reading Nursery Rhymes. These funny rhymes build phonemic awareness and are easily
  memorized. Have your little ones choose a few to commit to memory.
• Make and Break words from the rhymes. Use words such as Jill/hill, down/crown. Use the onsets and rimes to build new words (spill, fill, mill, bill).
• You can have your children illustrate several Nursery Rhymes and bind them into a book. Those illustrations are a great way to teach visualization, and they help you see if your child comprehends the text.
• Teens can research the political and historical significance to each of the rhymes. Then they can write their own Nursery Rhymes that have political and historical messages cleverly hidden in them.

Fables

Fables are short stories that have a moral or a lesson at the end.

• Since fables are so short, you can use them to practice oral reading. Have your children read them aloud with the goal of making the reading “sound like talking”.
• You can focus on memorization skills with Fables. Choose shorter ones that your older children can memorize and have the younger children memorize the moral.
• The lesson can spark an interesting discussion about morals. Ask your children what they think is the right choice in each situation.
• Fables can help you gauge your children’s comprehension because they are short and have a moral. Did your child predict the outcome based on the clues in the text? Did your child make connections to other stories or situations?

Look for more posts about using folklore in your homeschool.

Russian is another great option for your homeschool foreign language. Since it is widely spoken in the larger metropolitan areas of the US such as Boston, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco according to Wikipedia, you might find it helpful to have a background in Russian. It would also be useful to learn this language if you plan on traveling to or working in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus since it is primarily spoken there.

I like this particular lesson because it gives plenty of practice with a practical phrases. You are also able to see the translation of the words as you learn them, which can be helpful for visual learners when learning a language. The style of this particular video lends itself to kids who need minimal visual information and structured lessons. It is a no frills approach to language learning.

I hope this video gives you a glimpse at the Russian language and helps you decide if it is right for you.

Are you a homeschooler who wants to incorporate a foreign language into your curriculum? This video is an introduction to Mandarin Chinese and will hopefully give a taste of what the language is like.

I like how this particular video has a slow pace and gives many opportunities for you to practice the new vocabulary. The teacher speaks slowly and clearly as well. It is also helpful to see the pronunciation guide as you learn the vocabulary. Sadly this video is not as edgy as the Learning Japanese from Yoda video previously posted, but I still think that teens will like that the lesson is short and easy to follow.

This post is the first in a series on homeschool foreign language learning. This series is designed to introduce you and your children to some foreign language options and help you narrow down which  language you want to focus on before investing any time or money on a curriculum.

Have you thought about teaching your children a foreign language in your homeschool? Before you make a decision on what language your children should learn, give them a taste of several languages. Here is a first Japanese lesson for you (HT The Informed Parent). It is very entertaining.

I like how this particular lesson engages the viewer. I think it would be appealing to teens because of the camera work and the tidbits about Star Wars. Using videos made in a similar style would make foreign language learning more interesting for your children (and you, for that matter!).

I hope this taste of Japanese helps you and your children decide if it is a langauge you are interested in learning!

I hope that you are planning on “Seussing Up” your homeschool for Read Across America Day on March 2. The Sneetches can help you to do just that by opening a conversation about “Seuss-itivity” – tolerance. The Sneetches is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books! I have included activities here that appeal to a wide variety of ages.

~Read the book together. Take this opportunity to teach your children about racism and tolerance. Try this Star Belly activity at Teaching Tolerance. The activity can be modified for your homeschool by planning to do it with another family.

~The setting of The Sneetches is a beach. Put that sand to good use and make sand paintings. Kaboose has a plan for this activity.You can learn about Navajos as well since sand painting is important to their culture.

~Be an inventor! Sylvester McMonkey McBean was an inventor. Unlike McBean’s inventions, you can invent something that is helpful instead of harmful. Teacher Vision has lots of great ideas.

~This is a great opportunity to study geometry specifically looking at stars. Crayola has a great geometry lesson plan involving making 3D stars.

~Teach phonograms to your younger children with this fun game that I found at Hot Chalk’s. The game is similar to BINGO.

I hope you can share this very special book and its important message with your children.

Photo courtesy of evaxebra

~Read The Lorax. Have your children create a diorama of what the land looked like before the Once-ler chopped down the Truffula trees and what it looked like afterward. Be sure to include Brown Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans, and Humming-Fish in their habitats before and after the Once-ler came.

~Write a sequel to The Lorax. Tell what happens after the last Truffula seed is planted. Do all of the animals come back? Is the air and water clear now? Do new animals come? Make sure you reread The Lorax several times to help you when you plan your sequel.

~Study seeds by observing them sprout. The Watching Seeds Grow experiment will allow you to closely observe the seeds. Older kids might like to try an experiment about the affects of water quality on seed germination found at Salt Lake County Storm Water Quality Education Lesson and Activity Plans.

~Learn about how plants help our environment. Start a garden from seeds. Since it is still too cold to plant them outside in most areas, you can start growing your seeds inside your home. Make observations in a journal as they grow. Talk about how plants breathe. You can find a good summary of plant respiration at The Open Door Web Site. This science fair project idea is great for ‘tweens and teens.

~Learn to knit since the Once-ler and his family knitted the Thneeds in the book. There is a great tutorial at Crafttown including illustrations and definitions of vocabulary. This video from Expert Village shows you how to cast on.

You can also learn the knot stitch with this video.

I hope these ideas make learning fun!

Photo courtesy of Maine Coast Semester