Curriculum is defined as:
1. courses offered by an educational institution,
2. a list of all the courses of study offered by a school or college,
3. a program or plan of activities.
Your "homeschool curriculum" probably matches definition #3, above. New homeschoolers often become confused over "which curriculum to use" or "where to buy a curriculum."
But a homeschool curriculum is simply a "plan of activities" that you use in your homeschool. It need not be an expensive curriculum, nor does it need to incorporate textbooks or workbooks.
Your children will learn more readily and more fully when you and they homeschool in a manner that best complements their unique learning styles.
Observe your child's preferred style of learning -- such as hands-on learning through touch (tactile), or through moving and doing (kinesthetic), or seeing/visualizing (visual), or hearing/verbal (auditory), or a combination of these.
For help determining your child's learning style, check out some of these books:
* 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers, by Tina Hollenbeck
* Discover Your Child’s Learning Style, by Mariaemma Willis
* How Children Learn, by John Holt
* Learning All the Time, by John Holt
* The Way They Learn, by Cynthia Tobias
Remember: Homeschooling is not a "school at home." Don’t confuse yourself, or your children, thinking that it should be. You’ll only make it harder on yourself.
As John Holt warned: “To parents I say, above all else, don’t let your home become some terrible miniature copy of the school. Live together, as well as you can; enjoy life together, as much as you can. Ask questions to find out something about the world itself, not to find out whether or not someone knows it.”
Remind yourself each day that your duty is to guide your children, not force instruction upon them. Your role is to help them learn how to learn and to encourage them to seek answers to questions, find materials and information that will help them learn, explore the things that interest them, and allow them the freedom to learn in the style that works best for them.
This, then, will become the curriculum -- the "plan of activities" -- that best suits your children and your family!
For more help creating your own homeschool curriculum, using homeschooling or unschooling activities, or hundreds of educational ideas for weekly homeschool lessons, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
For a pastel painting demo, see "Summer Fields" at MistyGlowStudio.com or on my YouTube channel here: Misty Glow Studio.
Happy homeschooling!
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2025
Monday, August 4, 2025
Create Your Curriculum + Weekly Planner Log Book
Welcome back! And best wishes for a fun and educational homeschool year!
Starting out, you might want to create own curriculum based on your family's goals and objectives for your children.
To write your curriculum, you’ll want to list your educational philosophies, goals, and objectives.
You can download the Homeschool Educational Goals PDF here. Then list your goals and objectives for each child and keep with your homeschool papers.
To record daily activities in a logbook, you may use our Weekly Planner Log Book forms. The Log Sheets can be downloaded at this Weekly Planner Log link.
Print as many as you'd like to plan your days and weeks in advance, or to easily jot down the activities and learning events at the end of each day, week by week.
These Google Doc forms might prompt you to request permission, but I'll see the notification and enable downloading.
For more in-depth planning for the upcoming homeschool year, feel free to read the following post.
Happy Homeschooling!
Planning pointers for the coming year:
As you prepare for the upcoming homeschool year, revisit – or create – a list of your educational goals for your children. If you didn’t reach all your homeschool goals last year, simply move them to this year’s list of goals.
Educational goals for your child might include:
* Developing a love of learning
* Enhancing curiosity in special interests or topics
* Finding joy in daily activities or hobbies
* Managing time and responsibilities better
* Volunteering in the community
Educational objectives and outcomes could include:
* Reading classic literature or books by favorite authors
* Trying more advanced science experiments and recording results
* Applying mental math skills or logic for solving problems
* Researching famous people or current events
* Focusing on daily life skills to increase abilities and self-confidence
From these goals and objectives, you can begin planning a curriculum (the knowledge and skills you’d like your child to acquire) along with creating lesson plans (the activities or studies that support or complement your curriculum).
Curriculum Plans
When planning a curriculum, consider your children’s wishes and input on what they’d like to learn in the coming year. Children will often surprise you with the wonderful ideas and learning suggestions they come up with! Together, you and your children can create a curriculum that is fun, interesting, and challenging to ensure a well-rounded education.
To create a curriculum, think about your educational goals, philosophies, or ambitions for your child. Then determine the objectives or plans needed to achieve those goals. These are explained more fully here:
• Educational philosophies center on what you believe your children should learn in order to achieve happiness and success in their lives. This can include morals and values, respect and responsibility, manners and kindness toward others, faith and spirituality, a love for learning, and a love for life.
• Educational aims or ambitions for your children could include life skills and self-reliance; critical thinking and reasoning skills; creative thinking skills; the ability to work well with others; to enjoy one’s work, life, and career; to show love and respect for one’s family; to be a responsible and upstanding citizen; and to contribute to one’s community.
• Learning goals and objectives should support your educational philosophies and aims for your child. For instance:
* Learning self-discipline and self-control is critical to a happy family life and career.
* Proper manners, social skills, and speaking skills are important when working with others or when contributing to the community.
* Good reading, math, science, or technology skills are imperative to all areas of one’s life, from daily living to getting ahead in one’s career.
* Artistic and creative skills add joy and meaning to one’s life.
* Healthy habits and life skills contribute to a long, productive life.
Write a Curriculum
Once you’ve determined your family’s philosophies, as well as your ambitions for your child’s education and the goals or objectives to support those ambitions, you can begin designing the curriculum. But don’t forget to consider your children’s interests and learning styles!
To write your curriculum, you’ll want to list your educational philosophies, goals, and objectives (see the Homeschool Forms link here), and keep them in a special folder labeled “Curriculum.” On the days when you forget where you are headed with your child’s education, reviewing the list of goals and objectives will be a great help!
A curriculum outline for Grade 5 Social Studies, for instance, could include:
* United States history
* Discovery of America and early settlements
* Colonial and pioneer life in America
* American Revolution and independence
* Westward movement
* Geography of United States
* Industrial Revolution
* Natural resources
* Cultural resources and relationships
Lessons and activities you do with your children will be based on the topics noted on a simple curriculum outline, similar to the above outline.
As you continue determining subject areas your child will study (i.e., Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Science, Technology, Arts and Music, Health, and Life Skills), you’ll want to slant them toward the goals and aims that you have listed for your child’s education.
For instance, a goal for your child might be having a good, healthy life. Therefore, in studying the human body in Science, you might want to:
* Emphasize lessons on health and nutrition
* Focus on the way the body functions
* Learn how the bones and muscles work in tandem
* Determine how blood carries nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body
* Research the respiratory and digestive systems
* Point out how proper nutrition, exercise, and healthy habits help the body function as it was designed to function.
As you can see, once you have your goals established for your child (for example, being a healthy individual), you’ll be able to focus on the objectives that you want the lessons to convey (in this case, how to achieve and maintain a healthy body).
Children master skills at varying ages and rates. Keep in mind that your child might read well at age 6, but another might struggle with reading at age 8. Or one child might grasp the relation between fractions and decimals at age 8, while another might not grasp the concept until age 10. One child might write well in cursive at age 9; another may not display attractive penmanship until age 12 or later. So, consider your child’s unique skills and abilities when setting educational goals and objectives.
Less Formal Curriculum
Designing a curriculum might seem like a lot of work. Yet, most parents already have an idea of the educational goals or ambitions for their children, even if they haven’t written them down in a formal outline.
Most parents are already in tune with their children’s interests, abilities, and learning styles, so it might not be necessary to document the objectives of each lesson. You might not need to go into detail regarding the studies or activities that will complement your child’s learning goals.
Unschooling
Unschooling is a nice option for many families. In an unschooling environment, the curriculum tends to accommodate the children’s curiosity and their interest-led activities. Don’t worry! When children are interested in a topic, they will learn! Plus, they’ll retain what they learn for a longer period of time.
If you need to present evidence of the “curriculum” you use for your “unschooled homeschool,” you can illustrate how your children’s interests and activities (such as their hobbies, experiments, creative projects, talents, discussions or books read) accomplish the goals and philosophies your family believes in – even in an unschooling environment.
Convey the unschooled curriculum with photos or short videos showing daily or weekly activities, projects, or experiments. Your child can create artwork or build models or sculptures depicting various projects. Perhaps, together, you can build a bookcase or shelves to hold the projects, sculptures, art, experiments, and displays, then take photos or brief videos of that, too. This serves as proof of continuous learning, regardless of your family’s style of home education.
To record activities in a logbook, you may use our Weekly Planner Log Book forms. The log sheets can be viewed and printed via this Weekly Planner Log link. You may use the log sheets to plan your days and weeks in advance, or to easily jot down the activities and learning events at the end of the day.
Create Lesson Plans
Lesson plans are the activities or studies that complement and carry out the intent of the curriculum and educational goals for your children.
For instance, one of your goals might be for your child to play an active part in your community as a caring, concerned individual. Therefore, you might want to create a lesson plan for Social Studies that has the objective of interacting with others for the good of the community.
Lesson plans, for this objective, could include researching the history of volunteerism in communities. Examples could include Benjamin Franklin, who helped to establish the first volunteer fire department, or Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross through volunteering her services. Your children could read biographies of these people, as well as books on how to volunteer. Then they could write or share their thoughts and ideas on how they could help others in your community.
Other parts of the lesson plan could include drawing posters of volunteers, visiting the headquarters of local volunteer associations, and taking an active part in community volunteer programs, such as canned food drives, clothing or toy collections, animal shelter assistance, or visiting with the elderly in nursing homes. Be sure to take photos or videos documenting these activities, too.
In our next post, we’ll cover Lessons Plans in more detail. Stay tuned!
Happy homeschooling!
Starting out, you might want to create own curriculum based on your family's goals and objectives for your children.
To write your curriculum, you’ll want to list your educational philosophies, goals, and objectives.
You can download the Homeschool Educational Goals PDF here. Then list your goals and objectives for each child and keep with your homeschool papers.
To record daily activities in a logbook, you may use our Weekly Planner Log Book forms. The Log Sheets can be downloaded at this Weekly Planner Log link.
Print as many as you'd like to plan your days and weeks in advance, or to easily jot down the activities and learning events at the end of each day, week by week.
These Google Doc forms might prompt you to request permission, but I'll see the notification and enable downloading.
For more in-depth planning for the upcoming homeschool year, feel free to read the following post.
Happy Homeschooling!
Planning pointers for the coming year:
As you prepare for the upcoming homeschool year, revisit – or create – a list of your educational goals for your children. If you didn’t reach all your homeschool goals last year, simply move them to this year’s list of goals.
Educational goals for your child might include:
* Developing a love of learning
* Enhancing curiosity in special interests or topics
* Finding joy in daily activities or hobbies
* Managing time and responsibilities better
* Volunteering in the community
Educational objectives and outcomes could include:
* Reading classic literature or books by favorite authors
* Trying more advanced science experiments and recording results
* Applying mental math skills or logic for solving problems
* Researching famous people or current events
* Focusing on daily life skills to increase abilities and self-confidence
From these goals and objectives, you can begin planning a curriculum (the knowledge and skills you’d like your child to acquire) along with creating lesson plans (the activities or studies that support or complement your curriculum).
Curriculum Plans
When planning a curriculum, consider your children’s wishes and input on what they’d like to learn in the coming year. Children will often surprise you with the wonderful ideas and learning suggestions they come up with! Together, you and your children can create a curriculum that is fun, interesting, and challenging to ensure a well-rounded education.
To create a curriculum, think about your educational goals, philosophies, or ambitions for your child. Then determine the objectives or plans needed to achieve those goals. These are explained more fully here:
• Educational philosophies center on what you believe your children should learn in order to achieve happiness and success in their lives. This can include morals and values, respect and responsibility, manners and kindness toward others, faith and spirituality, a love for learning, and a love for life.
• Educational aims or ambitions for your children could include life skills and self-reliance; critical thinking and reasoning skills; creative thinking skills; the ability to work well with others; to enjoy one’s work, life, and career; to show love and respect for one’s family; to be a responsible and upstanding citizen; and to contribute to one’s community.
• Learning goals and objectives should support your educational philosophies and aims for your child. For instance:
* Learning self-discipline and self-control is critical to a happy family life and career.
* Proper manners, social skills, and speaking skills are important when working with others or when contributing to the community.
* Good reading, math, science, or technology skills are imperative to all areas of one’s life, from daily living to getting ahead in one’s career.
* Artistic and creative skills add joy and meaning to one’s life.
* Healthy habits and life skills contribute to a long, productive life.
Write a Curriculum
Once you’ve determined your family’s philosophies, as well as your ambitions for your child’s education and the goals or objectives to support those ambitions, you can begin designing the curriculum. But don’t forget to consider your children’s interests and learning styles!
To write your curriculum, you’ll want to list your educational philosophies, goals, and objectives (see the Homeschool Forms link here), and keep them in a special folder labeled “Curriculum.” On the days when you forget where you are headed with your child’s education, reviewing the list of goals and objectives will be a great help!
A curriculum outline for Grade 5 Social Studies, for instance, could include:
* United States history
* Discovery of America and early settlements
* Colonial and pioneer life in America
* American Revolution and independence
* Westward movement
* Geography of United States
* Industrial Revolution
* Natural resources
* Cultural resources and relationships
Lessons and activities you do with your children will be based on the topics noted on a simple curriculum outline, similar to the above outline.
As you continue determining subject areas your child will study (i.e., Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Science, Technology, Arts and Music, Health, and Life Skills), you’ll want to slant them toward the goals and aims that you have listed for your child’s education.
For instance, a goal for your child might be having a good, healthy life. Therefore, in studying the human body in Science, you might want to:
* Emphasize lessons on health and nutrition
* Focus on the way the body functions
* Learn how the bones and muscles work in tandem
* Determine how blood carries nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body
* Research the respiratory and digestive systems
* Point out how proper nutrition, exercise, and healthy habits help the body function as it was designed to function.
As you can see, once you have your goals established for your child (for example, being a healthy individual), you’ll be able to focus on the objectives that you want the lessons to convey (in this case, how to achieve and maintain a healthy body).
Children master skills at varying ages and rates. Keep in mind that your child might read well at age 6, but another might struggle with reading at age 8. Or one child might grasp the relation between fractions and decimals at age 8, while another might not grasp the concept until age 10. One child might write well in cursive at age 9; another may not display attractive penmanship until age 12 or later. So, consider your child’s unique skills and abilities when setting educational goals and objectives.
Less Formal Curriculum
Designing a curriculum might seem like a lot of work. Yet, most parents already have an idea of the educational goals or ambitions for their children, even if they haven’t written them down in a formal outline.
Most parents are already in tune with their children’s interests, abilities, and learning styles, so it might not be necessary to document the objectives of each lesson. You might not need to go into detail regarding the studies or activities that will complement your child’s learning goals.
Unschooling
Unschooling is a nice option for many families. In an unschooling environment, the curriculum tends to accommodate the children’s curiosity and their interest-led activities. Don’t worry! When children are interested in a topic, they will learn! Plus, they’ll retain what they learn for a longer period of time.
If you need to present evidence of the “curriculum” you use for your “unschooled homeschool,” you can illustrate how your children’s interests and activities (such as their hobbies, experiments, creative projects, talents, discussions or books read) accomplish the goals and philosophies your family believes in – even in an unschooling environment.
Convey the unschooled curriculum with photos or short videos showing daily or weekly activities, projects, or experiments. Your child can create artwork or build models or sculptures depicting various projects. Perhaps, together, you can build a bookcase or shelves to hold the projects, sculptures, art, experiments, and displays, then take photos or brief videos of that, too. This serves as proof of continuous learning, regardless of your family’s style of home education.
To record activities in a logbook, you may use our Weekly Planner Log Book forms. The log sheets can be viewed and printed via this Weekly Planner Log link. You may use the log sheets to plan your days and weeks in advance, or to easily jot down the activities and learning events at the end of the day.
Create Lesson Plans
Lesson plans are the activities or studies that complement and carry out the intent of the curriculum and educational goals for your children.
For instance, one of your goals might be for your child to play an active part in your community as a caring, concerned individual. Therefore, you might want to create a lesson plan for Social Studies that has the objective of interacting with others for the good of the community.
Lesson plans, for this objective, could include researching the history of volunteerism in communities. Examples could include Benjamin Franklin, who helped to establish the first volunteer fire department, or Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross through volunteering her services. Your children could read biographies of these people, as well as books on how to volunteer. Then they could write or share their thoughts and ideas on how they could help others in your community.
Other parts of the lesson plan could include drawing posters of volunteers, visiting the headquarters of local volunteer associations, and taking an active part in community volunteer programs, such as canned food drives, clothing or toy collections, animal shelter assistance, or visiting with the elderly in nursing homes. Be sure to take photos or videos documenting these activities, too.
In our next post, we’ll cover Lessons Plans in more detail. Stay tuned!
Happy homeschooling!
Monday, September 30, 2024
31 Learning Ideas + Art Fun
Inktober art fun -- and learning fun -- is here! If you’re not familiar with Inktober, it’s a challenge to improve one’s drawing skills. As the name implies, it’s drawing with ink each day in October, following 31 specific Inktober prompts. (You can quickly find the prompts by entering "Inktober 2024" online.)
You can also create your own Inktober prompts, and find loads of learning ideas through them, too.
If drawing with ink is too messy or intimidating, use whatever medium works for each of your children, be it crayon, pencil, marker, watercolor paint, etc.
Sketching each day is a great way to create a daily art habit that results in fun, joy, and a sense of accomplishment for everyone.
Plus, many educational ideas can be gleaned from the daily drawing prompts, as well.
For instance, Inktober prompts for October 2024 include topics such as Backpack, Discover, Hike, Horizon, Journal, Rhinoceros, Expedition, Scarecrow, Violin, Landmark.
As children sketch these topics, think of the educational ideas that can grow from them!
Here are a several learning ideas:
Using the “Backpack” drawing prompt, what “educational materials” might be inside the Backpack your children sketch? A Math Book? Draw a Math Book along with the Backpack. Then, from this idea, have fun with Math -- such as Online Math Games, or play Math Board Games, or engage in Mental Math Challenges with each other. What other learning ideas might be inside that Backpack?
With the “Discover” Inktober prompt, your children might draw a picture of something new they Discovered recently, thereby sketching and capturing that new knowledge on paper. Or maybe they’d want to draw an illustration of a Discovery made by explorers or inventors. This could lead to a world of learning and perhaps even encourage them to try their own inventions.
The “Hike” drawing prompt could take children anywhere in the world. This could involve educational subjects such as Geography and Social Studies (hiking to different areas, learning about mountains and forests or different cultures). Plus Math and Science skills could be practiced, by using logic to map out the time required for making the Hike, along with math calculations for determining the distance covered in the Hike.
With the “Expedition” prompt, research “Famous Expeditions” or “Historic Expeditions” (see Historical Expeditions). These are full of learning ideas for Social Studies, Geography, History, Science, Math, and more. Or plan the logistics of your own Expedition as field trips or day trips in your area. Then sketch your local Expeditions and discuss how much you learn through these trips.
For drawing prompts like “Rhinoceros” see photos of Rhinos online, read any of the many books about Rhinos, and learn about why some species are endangered. Go on an Expedition or field trip to your local zoo to see the rhinoceros and learn about their habitat, savannas, and grasslands. Make sketches of their environment, too, or sketches of any other animals or areas in the zoo.
Whether using the specific Inktober prompts – or using 31 or more of your own family’s ideas – imagine the numeours ways you can expand learning opportunities, simply based upon the fun, engaging activity of drawing, sketching, and creating!
It’s a form of daily learning that your children will enjoy and always remember! And imagine how much fun and learning your children would have if you created prompts like this for each day of every month!
It’s so enjoyable that I've set up my own Art Studio (see Misty Glow Studio) for embracing art inspiration and experimenting with creativity. Perhaps your children can, too!
If interested in seeing my Nature-Inspired Paintings, please visit:
My Website: MistyGlowStudio.com
My Etsy shop: Etsy.com/Shop/MistyGlowStudio
My YouTube channel: YouTube.com/MistyGlowStudio
Happy homeschooling!
You can also create your own Inktober prompts, and find loads of learning ideas through them, too.
If drawing with ink is too messy or intimidating, use whatever medium works for each of your children, be it crayon, pencil, marker, watercolor paint, etc.
Sketching each day is a great way to create a daily art habit that results in fun, joy, and a sense of accomplishment for everyone.
Plus, many educational ideas can be gleaned from the daily drawing prompts, as well.
For instance, Inktober prompts for October 2024 include topics such as Backpack, Discover, Hike, Horizon, Journal, Rhinoceros, Expedition, Scarecrow, Violin, Landmark.
As children sketch these topics, think of the educational ideas that can grow from them!
Here are a several learning ideas:
Using the “Backpack” drawing prompt, what “educational materials” might be inside the Backpack your children sketch? A Math Book? Draw a Math Book along with the Backpack. Then, from this idea, have fun with Math -- such as Online Math Games, or play Math Board Games, or engage in Mental Math Challenges with each other. What other learning ideas might be inside that Backpack?
With the “Discover” Inktober prompt, your children might draw a picture of something new they Discovered recently, thereby sketching and capturing that new knowledge on paper. Or maybe they’d want to draw an illustration of a Discovery made by explorers or inventors. This could lead to a world of learning and perhaps even encourage them to try their own inventions.
The “Hike” drawing prompt could take children anywhere in the world. This could involve educational subjects such as Geography and Social Studies (hiking to different areas, learning about mountains and forests or different cultures). Plus Math and Science skills could be practiced, by using logic to map out the time required for making the Hike, along with math calculations for determining the distance covered in the Hike.
With the “Expedition” prompt, research “Famous Expeditions” or “Historic Expeditions” (see Historical Expeditions). These are full of learning ideas for Social Studies, Geography, History, Science, Math, and more. Or plan the logistics of your own Expedition as field trips or day trips in your area. Then sketch your local Expeditions and discuss how much you learn through these trips.
For drawing prompts like “Rhinoceros” see photos of Rhinos online, read any of the many books about Rhinos, and learn about why some species are endangered. Go on an Expedition or field trip to your local zoo to see the rhinoceros and learn about their habitat, savannas, and grasslands. Make sketches of their environment, too, or sketches of any other animals or areas in the zoo.
Whether using the specific Inktober prompts – or using 31 or more of your own family’s ideas – imagine the numeours ways you can expand learning opportunities, simply based upon the fun, engaging activity of drawing, sketching, and creating!
It’s a form of daily learning that your children will enjoy and always remember! And imagine how much fun and learning your children would have if you created prompts like this for each day of every month!
It’s so enjoyable that I've set up my own Art Studio (see Misty Glow Studio) for embracing art inspiration and experimenting with creativity. Perhaps your children can, too!
If interested in seeing my Nature-Inspired Paintings, please visit:
My Website: MistyGlowStudio.com
My Etsy shop: Etsy.com/Shop/MistyGlowStudio
My YouTube channel: YouTube.com/MistyGlowStudio
Happy homeschooling!
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Year’s Worth of Free Learning Ideas + Weekly Lessons and Fun Activities
August is often the beginning of the homeschool year for many families.
If you’re not quite ready or you’re struggling for ideas, this “Free Curriculum Guideline” can provide a year’s worth of educational ideas for the coming weeks and months.
Subjects Areas, Topics, and Sub-Topics are all outlined in an easy-to-view format for each grade level from Kindergarten through Elementary, Middle School, and High School.
For weekly lessons based on the subjects and topics outlined, you and your children can select books from your local public library. The more interesting the books are to your children, the better they’ll learn, too!
Online resources, activities, and experiments are also plentiful for complementing the subjects and topics outlined. The more “hands-on” the activities are, the more your children will enjoy learning. We have hundreds of activities listed here on our blog for weekly learning, too.
The “Curriculum Guideline” is provided by World Book and is titled "Typical Course of Study."
You’ll see all the core subjects areas (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Science) plus Arts, Technology, and Health and Safety, with topics and sub-topics listed for each subject area on the guidelines. It's a great resource and is available free at this link:
https://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study.aspx
We’ll be providing learning ideas and educational activities once again in the coming weeks. Be sure to check the labels below for Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Weekly Homeschool Lessons, and more!
If interested in seeing my Nature-Inspired Paintings, please visit:
My Website: MistyGlowStudio.com
My Etsy shop: Etsy.com/Shop/MistyGlowStudio
My YouTube channel: YouTube.com/MistyGlowStudio
Happy Homeschooling!
If you’re not quite ready or you’re struggling for ideas, this “Free Curriculum Guideline” can provide a year’s worth of educational ideas for the coming weeks and months.
Subjects Areas, Topics, and Sub-Topics are all outlined in an easy-to-view format for each grade level from Kindergarten through Elementary, Middle School, and High School.
For weekly lessons based on the subjects and topics outlined, you and your children can select books from your local public library. The more interesting the books are to your children, the better they’ll learn, too!
Online resources, activities, and experiments are also plentiful for complementing the subjects and topics outlined. The more “hands-on” the activities are, the more your children will enjoy learning. We have hundreds of activities listed here on our blog for weekly learning, too.
The “Curriculum Guideline” is provided by World Book and is titled "Typical Course of Study."
You’ll see all the core subjects areas (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Science) plus Arts, Technology, and Health and Safety, with topics and sub-topics listed for each subject area on the guidelines. It's a great resource and is available free at this link:
https://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study.aspx
We’ll be providing learning ideas and educational activities once again in the coming weeks. Be sure to check the labels below for Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Weekly Homeschool Lessons, and more!
If interested in seeing my Nature-Inspired Paintings, please visit:
My Website: MistyGlowStudio.com
My Etsy shop: Etsy.com/Shop/MistyGlowStudio
My YouTube channel: YouTube.com/MistyGlowStudio
Happy Homeschooling!
Monday, October 9, 2023
Monday Homeschool + Weekly Learning Ideas
What do we do on Monday when our weeks become overly busy or we face unexpected difficulties?
Some weeks, everything flows smoothly. Other weeks, things are more challenging.
Life doesn’t always go smoothly. This, in itself, is a good homeschool lesson. Having the ability to cope, to be flexible, to change directions, to adjust, to laugh at life’s lemons and to smile at simple joys – these are skills that make life and homeschool easier.
Yet, we still have to Do Something on Monday when facing a busy week. What do we do when we haven’t had time to think of activities or lesson plans?
What Do I Do Monday? is a book by John Holt, who has provided momentous ideas on education and learning. Mr. Holt was a homeschool pioneer, whose thoughts, beliefs, and writings on homeschooling and unschooling were ahead of his times.
Prior to writing numerous books on how children learn (and how they fail), John was a school teacher. But as a teacher, his focus was primarily on observing learning processes in children, rather than forcing a curriculum on them. As a result, his views often conflicted with those of school administrators.
So John turned his attention to helping parents and teachers. He shared first-hand experiences, insight, and details on children actively engaged in learning. He spent years with students and with families, closely observing how children learned best, then documenting and sharing his findings.
Some of John’s books include How Children Fail, How Children Learn, the previously mentioned What Do I Do Monday?, Freedom and Beyond, and others. His books can be found in libraries or online, and are especially inspirational to homeschooling and unschooling families.
Here are some learning ideas and quotes, courtesy of John Holt:
* “I believe that we learn best when we, not others, are deciding what we are going to try to learn, and when, and how, and for what reasons or purposes.” – John Holt
* Ask your children: “What would YOU like to do Monday?” If they can’t think of anything, try a 10-minute brainstorming session on what could be interesting, new, different, fun, etc. Then allow them to decide what they'd like to learn, and when and how, and give them the freedom to pursue those ideas this week.
* Make lists of favorite things during the day, the weeks, and in the months to come. Keep a running list in a notebook or journal. Encourage everyone in the family to keep his or her own list. Then review your lists for learning ideas each week.
* Examples: Here are some examples of "favorite things" from John Holt.
1. Places you like. These can be big places, or they can be little places, and you can like them for different reasons. Put them on your list, as many as you can think of, then learn more about those places.
2. People you’d like to know. Jot down the names of people who interest you, then learn more about them. They can be people from the past, people in the news today, people in your community, or even ancestors in your family.
3. Books you’d like to read. One favorite book can lead to another. Keep a list of books you’d like to read online or check out from the library. Write down favorite authors, too, and read other books they’ve written.
4. Paintings, sculptures, or other artwork. Keep a running list of art projects or techniques you want to try. Learn about different art movements or styles, such as Cubism, Pointillism, Futurism, Pop Art, etc., and try your hand at them.
5. Things you like to do. These can be trivial (simple) or not so trivial (more complex). Ideas could include cutting-and-pasting paper shapes, making castles from boxes, building structures with construction kits, writing skits or plays to perform, learning to play an instrument, making doll clothes, building a bookshelf, creating a computer program, etc.
In just these 5 ideas listed above, there could be weeks of learning ideas, hands-on activities, and new knowledge and skills gained through them.
Tip: An “Idea Jar” is an alternative, or a complement, to list-making. Have kids jot ideas on paper, then cut them apart, fold them up, and drop them into the Idea Jar. Each Monday, have them draw a few ideas from the jar, and there’s your learning ideas for the week!
Continue adding to the jar or to your lists as often as possible. Then you'll always have learning ideas at your fingertips each Monday!
Happy homeschooling!
Some weeks, everything flows smoothly. Other weeks, things are more challenging.
Life doesn’t always go smoothly. This, in itself, is a good homeschool lesson. Having the ability to cope, to be flexible, to change directions, to adjust, to laugh at life’s lemons and to smile at simple joys – these are skills that make life and homeschool easier.
Yet, we still have to Do Something on Monday when facing a busy week. What do we do when we haven’t had time to think of activities or lesson plans?
What Do I Do Monday? is a book by John Holt, who has provided momentous ideas on education and learning. Mr. Holt was a homeschool pioneer, whose thoughts, beliefs, and writings on homeschooling and unschooling were ahead of his times.
Prior to writing numerous books on how children learn (and how they fail), John was a school teacher. But as a teacher, his focus was primarily on observing learning processes in children, rather than forcing a curriculum on them. As a result, his views often conflicted with those of school administrators.
So John turned his attention to helping parents and teachers. He shared first-hand experiences, insight, and details on children actively engaged in learning. He spent years with students and with families, closely observing how children learned best, then documenting and sharing his findings.
Some of John’s books include How Children Fail, How Children Learn, the previously mentioned What Do I Do Monday?, Freedom and Beyond, and others. His books can be found in libraries or online, and are especially inspirational to homeschooling and unschooling families.
Here are some learning ideas and quotes, courtesy of John Holt:
* “I believe that we learn best when we, not others, are deciding what we are going to try to learn, and when, and how, and for what reasons or purposes.” – John Holt
* Ask your children: “What would YOU like to do Monday?” If they can’t think of anything, try a 10-minute brainstorming session on what could be interesting, new, different, fun, etc. Then allow them to decide what they'd like to learn, and when and how, and give them the freedom to pursue those ideas this week.
* Make lists of favorite things during the day, the weeks, and in the months to come. Keep a running list in a notebook or journal. Encourage everyone in the family to keep his or her own list. Then review your lists for learning ideas each week.
* Examples: Here are some examples of "favorite things" from John Holt.
1. Places you like. These can be big places, or they can be little places, and you can like them for different reasons. Put them on your list, as many as you can think of, then learn more about those places.
2. People you’d like to know. Jot down the names of people who interest you, then learn more about them. They can be people from the past, people in the news today, people in your community, or even ancestors in your family.
3. Books you’d like to read. One favorite book can lead to another. Keep a list of books you’d like to read online or check out from the library. Write down favorite authors, too, and read other books they’ve written.
4. Paintings, sculptures, or other artwork. Keep a running list of art projects or techniques you want to try. Learn about different art movements or styles, such as Cubism, Pointillism, Futurism, Pop Art, etc., and try your hand at them.
5. Things you like to do. These can be trivial (simple) or not so trivial (more complex). Ideas could include cutting-and-pasting paper shapes, making castles from boxes, building structures with construction kits, writing skits or plays to perform, learning to play an instrument, making doll clothes, building a bookshelf, creating a computer program, etc.
In just these 5 ideas listed above, there could be weeks of learning ideas, hands-on activities, and new knowledge and skills gained through them.
Tip: An “Idea Jar” is an alternative, or a complement, to list-making. Have kids jot ideas on paper, then cut them apart, fold them up, and drop them into the Idea Jar. Each Monday, have them draw a few ideas from the jar, and there’s your learning ideas for the week!
Continue adding to the jar or to your lists as often as possible. Then you'll always have learning ideas at your fingertips each Monday!
Happy homeschooling!
Monday, September 25, 2023
5 Secrets for a Fun, Educational Homeschool Week
Here's 5 Secrets a Homeschool Family shared with us:
5 Subjects – 5 Days. Or one subject per day.
This homeschool family shared "5 Secrets" about their interesting homeschool schedule. A typical homeschool day for them revolves around one subject per day (or five subjects per week).
And best of all, their schedule is flexible, depending on how they’re feeling each week.
Here’s an example from one of their recent weeks:
1. Monday - Language Arts / Literature: Selecting favorite books to read and using them to recognize nouns, verbs, and all parts of speech. Then creating and writing sentences, paragraphs, and their own stories, while focusing on using descriptive parts of speech, new vocabulary words, and proper spelling.
2. Tuesday – Science / Experiments: Using the Scientific Method to test ideas or hypotheses when contemplating a variety of experiments. The experiments they choose can last the entire day, from morning till night, and Mom said Science Day is their favorite day of the week. The kids eagerly record their ideas, experiments, predictions, test methods, and results in their Science Journals at the end of Science Day, too.
3. Wednesday – Social Studies / History: Currently they’re reading the “Who Was?” series of historical biographies, which include over 200 books, such as Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?, Who Was Sacagawea?, Who Was Albert Einstein?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, Martin Luther King, Maria Tallchief, John Kennedy, Louis Armstrong, The Beatles, etc. The kids are enjoying the format, and the topics cross over into Literature, Science, the Arts, as well as providing social issues to discuss and their impact on today’s culture.
4. Thursday – Math / Technology: Since Math Day lasts all day, they sometimes start with reviewing math facts, such as using Multiplication and Division Flash Cards and timing the kids on how quickly they can get the answers. Then they move on to Math Games, such as Swat, Splat, or Math Bingo. They might also use manipulatives or toys such as Math Fidget Toys, Tubo toy, or Montessori-type math items to practice Math skills. Soon they’re creating with Marble Run sets, Mazes, Lego blocks, Construction sets, Bridge-Building kits, etc. These use mathematical planning, reasoning skills, logic, creative thinking, and critical thinking skills. At some point during the day, they’ll do some math worksheets, which usually focus on solving word problems.
5. Friday – Cultural Arts / Music: This is another favorite day for the kids, according to Mom. The kids get to choose the types of art, craft, and music activities they want to do on Fridays. Mom also said she found it interesting that if the kids read a historical biography such as Who Were the Beatles?, they were interested in playing Beatles music that week. Or if they read Who Was Pablo Picasso?, the kids were engrossed in creating their own versions of Picasso art.
Although each of the days above has a designated subject, this family finds that topics and subject areas often overlap.
So even if Monday is Literature Day, they could find themselves thinking about Math if they’re reading The Phantom Tollbooth, or Science and Time Travel if reading A Wrinkle in Time.
Or if Wednesday is History Day, they could be covering Geography or Science or Math or Art or Music, depending on the type of Historical Biographies they’re reading.
Also, there’s flexibility in this family’s schedule. If they don’t “feel like” Social Studies on Wednesday or Math on Thursday, they’ll switch things up.
Or if Mom realizes the kids are getting overwhelmed by too much Math one day, they’ll switch to doing something else, even if it’s unrelated to Math.
Maybe they’ll take a field trip to a local museum or library, or go on a picnic and a nature hike, or bake or cook favorite recipes, or bring out tubs of craft items and create something off the top of their heads. They often find that Math works its way into whatever they’re doing, anyway.
Overall, they’ve found this homeschool schedule fun, interesting, educational, flexible, and a great way to provide a well-rounded pool of knowledge and learning activities. It’s something your family might enjoy experimenting with, too.
Click any of the Labels below for more ideas for all subjects areas.
Happy homeschooling!
5 Subjects – 5 Days. Or one subject per day.
This homeschool family shared "5 Secrets" about their interesting homeschool schedule. A typical homeschool day for them revolves around one subject per day (or five subjects per week).
And best of all, their schedule is flexible, depending on how they’re feeling each week.
Here’s an example from one of their recent weeks:
1. Monday - Language Arts / Literature: Selecting favorite books to read and using them to recognize nouns, verbs, and all parts of speech. Then creating and writing sentences, paragraphs, and their own stories, while focusing on using descriptive parts of speech, new vocabulary words, and proper spelling.
2. Tuesday – Science / Experiments: Using the Scientific Method to test ideas or hypotheses when contemplating a variety of experiments. The experiments they choose can last the entire day, from morning till night, and Mom said Science Day is their favorite day of the week. The kids eagerly record their ideas, experiments, predictions, test methods, and results in their Science Journals at the end of Science Day, too.
3. Wednesday – Social Studies / History: Currently they’re reading the “Who Was?” series of historical biographies, which include over 200 books, such as Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?, Who Was Sacagawea?, Who Was Albert Einstein?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, Martin Luther King, Maria Tallchief, John Kennedy, Louis Armstrong, The Beatles, etc. The kids are enjoying the format, and the topics cross over into Literature, Science, the Arts, as well as providing social issues to discuss and their impact on today’s culture.
4. Thursday – Math / Technology: Since Math Day lasts all day, they sometimes start with reviewing math facts, such as using Multiplication and Division Flash Cards and timing the kids on how quickly they can get the answers. Then they move on to Math Games, such as Swat, Splat, or Math Bingo. They might also use manipulatives or toys such as Math Fidget Toys, Tubo toy, or Montessori-type math items to practice Math skills. Soon they’re creating with Marble Run sets, Mazes, Lego blocks, Construction sets, Bridge-Building kits, etc. These use mathematical planning, reasoning skills, logic, creative thinking, and critical thinking skills. At some point during the day, they’ll do some math worksheets, which usually focus on solving word problems.
5. Friday – Cultural Arts / Music: This is another favorite day for the kids, according to Mom. The kids get to choose the types of art, craft, and music activities they want to do on Fridays. Mom also said she found it interesting that if the kids read a historical biography such as Who Were the Beatles?, they were interested in playing Beatles music that week. Or if they read Who Was Pablo Picasso?, the kids were engrossed in creating their own versions of Picasso art.
Although each of the days above has a designated subject, this family finds that topics and subject areas often overlap.
So even if Monday is Literature Day, they could find themselves thinking about Math if they’re reading The Phantom Tollbooth, or Science and Time Travel if reading A Wrinkle in Time.
Or if Wednesday is History Day, they could be covering Geography or Science or Math or Art or Music, depending on the type of Historical Biographies they’re reading.
Also, there’s flexibility in this family’s schedule. If they don’t “feel like” Social Studies on Wednesday or Math on Thursday, they’ll switch things up.
Or if Mom realizes the kids are getting overwhelmed by too much Math one day, they’ll switch to doing something else, even if it’s unrelated to Math.
Maybe they’ll take a field trip to a local museum or library, or go on a picnic and a nature hike, or bake or cook favorite recipes, or bring out tubs of craft items and create something off the top of their heads. They often find that Math works its way into whatever they’re doing, anyway.
Overall, they’ve found this homeschool schedule fun, interesting, educational, flexible, and a great way to provide a well-rounded pool of knowledge and learning activities. It’s something your family might enjoy experimenting with, too.
Click any of the Labels below for more ideas for all subjects areas.
Happy homeschooling!
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Free Worksheets for Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies
If your kids enjoy worksheets, here are Hundreds of Free, Printable Worksheets for Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies.
But if your kids do NOT enjoy worksheets, these links provide a multitude of topics to explore and learn more about throughout the year.
These sites are especially easy to browse and easy to download or print worksheets.
MATH:
* Math Worksheets Grades 1 – 6:
Here’s free, printable Math Worksheets for each week of the year, on Numbers, Patterns, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Measurement, Money, Mental Math, and more for Grades 1 – 6:
https://www.mathworksheets.com
* More Math Worksheets Grades K – 7:
Here’s more free, printable Math Worksheets, focusing on Math Skills, Math Puzzles, Money, Measurement, Roman Numerals, Fractions, Decimals, Venn Diagrams, Bar Graphs, and more for Grades for K – 7:
https://www.futuristicmath.com/worksheets.html
* Even More Math Worksheets Grades K – 8:
Here’s even more free, printable Math Worksheets, focusing on Math, Geometry, Algebra, Equations, Percentages, Measurement, Statistics, Logistics, Trigonometry, Calculus, and more for Grades K – 8:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/math.php
SCIENCE:
* Science Worksheets Grades K – 6:
Here’s free, printable Science Worksheets, focusing on Insects, Plants, Animals, Life Cycles, Classification, Human Body, Matter, Mixtures, Force, Motion, Heat, Chemical Changes, Earth, Solar System, and more for Grades K – 6:
https://www.ecosystemforkids.com/worksheets.html
* More Science Worksheets Grades 1 – 7:
Here’s more free, printable Science Worksheets, focusing on Plants, Insects, Animals, Dinosaurs, Herbivores, Food Chain, Human Body, Five Senses, Weather, Electricity, Machines, Magnetism, Periodic Table, and more for Grades 1 – 7:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/science.php
LANGUAGE ARTS:
* Language Arts Worksheets Grades K – 12:
Here’s free, printable Language Arts Worksheets, focusing on Reading (Story Elements, Comprehension, Literature); Spelling (Word Lists by Grade); Vocabulary (Dictionary Skills, Word Roots, Prefix, Suffix); Grammar (Parts of Speech, Sentence Structure); Composition (Writing, Editing); and more for Grades K – 12:
https://www.k12reader.com/reading-worksheets-by-main-subject/
* More Language Arts Worksheets Grades 1 – 8:
Here’s more free, printable Language Arts Worksheets, focusing on Phonics, Alphabet, Vocabulary, Sentence Structure, Writing Prompts, Grammar, Comprehension, Cause and Effect, Metaphors, Similes, Idioms, Alliteration, and more for Grades 1 – 8:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/language-arts.php
SOCIAL STUDIES:
* Social Studies Worksheets Grades 1 – 6:
Here’s free, printable Social Studies Worksheets, focusing on Colonial America, Fifty States, Map Skills, Continents, Oceans, Landforms, Explorers, Presidents, Famous Men, Famous Women, and more for Grades 1 – 6:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/social-studies.php
* More Social Studies Worksheets Grades 1 – 8:
Here’s more free, printable Social Studies Worksheets, focusing on Explorers, Map Skills, Landforms, Notable People, Native Americans, Early America, American Revolution, Branches of Government, the Wars, States and Capitals, and more for Grades 1 – 8:
https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/full-social-studies.html
FUN LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
Hands-On Activities, Unschooling Ideas, Science Experiments, STEM Projects, and hundreds of FUN learning activities are available here on our site. Just click the labels below. And remember to Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter in the column at right.
Happy Homeschooling!
But if your kids do NOT enjoy worksheets, these links provide a multitude of topics to explore and learn more about throughout the year.
These sites are especially easy to browse and easy to download or print worksheets.
MATH:
* Math Worksheets Grades 1 – 6:
Here’s free, printable Math Worksheets for each week of the year, on Numbers, Patterns, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Measurement, Money, Mental Math, and more for Grades 1 – 6:
https://www.mathworksheets.com
* More Math Worksheets Grades K – 7:
Here’s more free, printable Math Worksheets, focusing on Math Skills, Math Puzzles, Money, Measurement, Roman Numerals, Fractions, Decimals, Venn Diagrams, Bar Graphs, and more for Grades for K – 7:
https://www.futuristicmath.com/worksheets.html
* Even More Math Worksheets Grades K – 8:
Here’s even more free, printable Math Worksheets, focusing on Math, Geometry, Algebra, Equations, Percentages, Measurement, Statistics, Logistics, Trigonometry, Calculus, and more for Grades K – 8:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/math.php
SCIENCE:
* Science Worksheets Grades K – 6:
Here’s free, printable Science Worksheets, focusing on Insects, Plants, Animals, Life Cycles, Classification, Human Body, Matter, Mixtures, Force, Motion, Heat, Chemical Changes, Earth, Solar System, and more for Grades K – 6:
https://www.ecosystemforkids.com/worksheets.html
* More Science Worksheets Grades 1 – 7:
Here’s more free, printable Science Worksheets, focusing on Plants, Insects, Animals, Dinosaurs, Herbivores, Food Chain, Human Body, Five Senses, Weather, Electricity, Machines, Magnetism, Periodic Table, and more for Grades 1 – 7:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/science.php
LANGUAGE ARTS:
* Language Arts Worksheets Grades K – 12:
Here’s free, printable Language Arts Worksheets, focusing on Reading (Story Elements, Comprehension, Literature); Spelling (Word Lists by Grade); Vocabulary (Dictionary Skills, Word Roots, Prefix, Suffix); Grammar (Parts of Speech, Sentence Structure); Composition (Writing, Editing); and more for Grades K – 12:
https://www.k12reader.com/reading-worksheets-by-main-subject/
* More Language Arts Worksheets Grades 1 – 8:
Here’s more free, printable Language Arts Worksheets, focusing on Phonics, Alphabet, Vocabulary, Sentence Structure, Writing Prompts, Grammar, Comprehension, Cause and Effect, Metaphors, Similes, Idioms, Alliteration, and more for Grades 1 – 8:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/language-arts.php
SOCIAL STUDIES:
* Social Studies Worksheets Grades 1 – 6:
Here’s free, printable Social Studies Worksheets, focusing on Colonial America, Fifty States, Map Skills, Continents, Oceans, Landforms, Explorers, Presidents, Famous Men, Famous Women, and more for Grades 1 – 6:
https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/social-studies.php
* More Social Studies Worksheets Grades 1 – 8:
Here’s more free, printable Social Studies Worksheets, focusing on Explorers, Map Skills, Landforms, Notable People, Native Americans, Early America, American Revolution, Branches of Government, the Wars, States and Capitals, and more for Grades 1 – 8:
https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/full-social-studies.html
FUN LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
Hands-On Activities, Unschooling Ideas, Science Experiments, STEM Projects, and hundreds of FUN learning activities are available here on our site. Just click the labels below. And remember to Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter in the column at right.
Happy Homeschooling!
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
40+ STEM and STEAM Activities
Create your own STEM Academy! We hear a lot about STEM School or STEM Academy or STEAM Projects.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.
STEAM includes Art, so it's Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math.
Here are 40+ STEM and STEAM Activities to start your own STEM Academy!
Note: If you keep Lesson Logs, these activities fall under Science, Math, Technology, Language Arts, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, History, Arts, Research Skills, and Life Skills. Take the ideas and run with them!
40+ STEAM and STEM Activities with links to projects:
* Bubble Flute (Click here)
* Rainbow Colors Experiment (Click here)
* Musical Glass Xylophone (Click here)
* Kite Creation (Click here)
* Bridge Building (Click here)
* Skyscraper Construction (Click here)
* Dome Building Project (Click here)
* Miniature Furniture Creations (Click here)
* Sailboat Creations (Click here)
* Snack Pulley Project (Click here)
* Solar Race Cars (Click here)
* Solar Leaf + Art Projects (Click here)
* Battery Potato Clock (Click here)
* Radio from Bottle (Click here)
* Motor Construction (Click here)
* Tiny Dancers Creation (Click here)
* Magic Wand Creation (Click here)
* Spectroscope Construction (Click here)
* Coding Card Game (Click here)
* Coding with Hotwheels (Click here)
* Coding Unplugged Activities (Click here)
* Flappy Bird Coding Game (Click here)
* Food Color Fireworks (Click here)
* Color Separation Experiment (Click here)
* Slippery Slime Creations (Click here)
* Glow-in-the-Dark Slime (Click here)
* Glitter Slime (Click here)
* Modeling Clay (Click here)
* Glue from Milk (Click here)
* Colorful Candy Crystals (Click here)
* Ice Cream in a Bag (Click here)
* Soda Bottle Explosion (Click here)
* Volcano Variations (Click here)
* String Art Creations (Click here)
* Math Art Projects (Click here)
* Math LEGO Tessellations (Click here)
* 3D Art Tessellations (Click here)
* Marble Course Creations (Click here)
* LEGO Maze (Click here)
* Colorful Cardboard Maze (Click here)
* Math Infinity Fun (Click here)
* Magic Squares Math Practice (Click here)
Remember to discuss and review the projects together. Take photos and record the experiments and activities. Have kids write descriptions of their experiments and their thoughts on them.
Brainstorm ways to build upon the activities or create variations of them. Then plan future projects for more STEM and STEAM fun and learning!
Happy homeschooling!
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.
STEAM includes Art, so it's Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math.
Here are 40+ STEM and STEAM Activities to start your own STEM Academy!
Note: If you keep Lesson Logs, these activities fall under Science, Math, Technology, Language Arts, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, History, Arts, Research Skills, and Life Skills. Take the ideas and run with them!
40+ STEAM and STEM Activities with links to projects:
* Bubble Flute (Click here)
* Rainbow Colors Experiment (Click here)
* Musical Glass Xylophone (Click here)
* Kite Creation (Click here)
* Bridge Building (Click here)
* Skyscraper Construction (Click here)
* Dome Building Project (Click here)
* Miniature Furniture Creations (Click here)
* Sailboat Creations (Click here)
* Snack Pulley Project (Click here)
* Solar Race Cars (Click here)
* Solar Leaf + Art Projects (Click here)
* Battery Potato Clock (Click here)
* Radio from Bottle (Click here)
* Motor Construction (Click here)
* Tiny Dancers Creation (Click here)
* Magic Wand Creation (Click here)
* Spectroscope Construction (Click here)
* Coding Card Game (Click here)
* Coding with Hotwheels (Click here)
* Coding Unplugged Activities (Click here)
* Flappy Bird Coding Game (Click here)
* Food Color Fireworks (Click here)
* Color Separation Experiment (Click here)
* Slippery Slime Creations (Click here)
* Glow-in-the-Dark Slime (Click here)
* Glitter Slime (Click here)
* Modeling Clay (Click here)
* Glue from Milk (Click here)
* Colorful Candy Crystals (Click here)
* Ice Cream in a Bag (Click here)
* Soda Bottle Explosion (Click here)
* Volcano Variations (Click here)
* String Art Creations (Click here)
* Math Art Projects (Click here)
* Math LEGO Tessellations (Click here)
* 3D Art Tessellations (Click here)
* Marble Course Creations (Click here)
* LEGO Maze (Click here)
* Colorful Cardboard Maze (Click here)
* Math Infinity Fun (Click here)
* Magic Squares Math Practice (Click here)
Remember to discuss and review the projects together. Take photos and record the experiments and activities. Have kids write descriptions of their experiments and their thoughts on them.
Brainstorm ways to build upon the activities or create variations of them. Then plan future projects for more STEM and STEAM fun and learning!
Happy homeschooling!
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Love of Learning + Months (Years) of Activities!
What’s more important than education and learning? The LOVE of learning!
How do children develop a love of learning?
By immersing themselves in things they enjoy, things that interest them, and things they wonder about.
Below, we’ll include many “love of learning” ideas for your children to do, to experiment with, to research, to learn more about. These will cover Science, Math, Technology, Life Skills, Social Studies, Reading, Writing, Literature, Art, Music, and more.
Any topics that interest your children, or that they wonder about, will be learned and retained more thoroughly when topics or ideas captivate and fascinate them.
The brain has a huge capacity for constantly learning, for continuously absorbing new information, and for storing and recalling this knowledge. This occurs more rapidly when thoughts and ideas are truly interesting to your children.
Provide the freedom and flexibility for your children to wonder, ponder, peruse, and use the vast amount of knowledge and wisdom that’s literally at their fingertips.
Allow children time to experiment, create, try new things, and simply play throughout their day.
How do children “learn how to learn”?
Simple, really: “Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” – O. Fred Donaldson, Author and Play Specialist
Ask your children what they want to learn more about today. Then do that again tomorrow and each day that follows.
Here are some activities and ideas to help them start thinking about and developing a “love of learning”.
When doing the activities ask them:
1. Which is their favorite?
2. Why is it their favorite?
3. What more would they like to do or learn about?
4. How could they expand upon the experiments or activities?
Here are Activity Ideas for a Month of Learning or YEARS of Learning!
Remember to discuss each activity and ideas inspired by these:
1. Build with Legos, K’Nex, Magnetic Tiles, Marble Runs (math, technology)
2. Create clay figures, animals, jewelry, vases, mugs (science, life skills, art)
3. Draw family members, your backyard, your room (social studies, math, art)
4. Sketch urban areas, architecture, your city’s projects (social studies, math, art)
5. Paint landscapes, mountains, streams, oceans, habitats (science, art)
6. Paste shapes, tissue paper, stickers to create collages of landmarks (geography, social studies, art)
7. Design new games, board games, video games, fun games (technology, science, math)
8. Bake cupcakes, pastries, experiment with new food creations (math, science, life skills)
9. Experiment with creating slime, volcanoes, tornados, kitchen science reactions (science, math)
10. Glue junk items, gears, cogs, nuts, bolts to create sculptures (technology, science, art)
11. Make clocks, thermometers, rain gauges, anemometers (math, science, life skills)
12. Create dioramas of dinosaur eras, animal habitats, cityscapes (social studies, science)
13. Draw famous people, places, animals, insects, events (history, social studies, art)
14. Design maps of towns, cities, neighborhoods, states, regions, world (geography, art)
15. Construct stages for puppet shows, dramas, theater performances (math, science, art)
16. Make musical instruments, play music, perform concerts (music, art)
17. Write/Animate stories, plays, scripts, games, comic books (writing, reading, art)
18. Read stories aloud, using character voices or rewriting endings (reading, literature)
19. Draw favorite scenes from books, video games, or movies (reading, literature, art)
20. Compose music inspired by songs, musicals, video games (music, art)
21. Create scripts inspired by favorite movies, plays, video games (reading, literature)
22. Program code for games, apps, electronics, robotics (technology, science, math)
23. Hike through parks, take nature walks, photograph scenery (science, art)
24. Devise outdoor fun, games, scavenger hunts, forts, play items (science, math)
25. Create new styles of sports, basketball, baseball, football, soccer (research, reading)
26. Build bridges, architecture, sculptures with straws, toothpicks, marshmallows (technology, science)
27. Design solar system models or ecosystems, using new ideas, new materials (science, math, art)
28. Construct models of human body, dinosaurs, dragons, cars, planes, ships (math, science)
29. Build robots, transformers, solar-powered or battery-powered items, electrical circuits, snap circuits (science, math)
30. Design and create journals, sketchbooks, notebooks to record your experiments, activities, and paintings (math, science, life skills, art)
31. Construct and create boxes to display or hold your creations, by deconstructing other boxes and reconstructing new boxes to showcase your projects (math, life skills, science, art)
Encourage your children to take these ideas and run with them! To have fun with them, to be as creative as they want, to put their own unique spin on them. The “love of learning” that will occur can last a lifetime!
Happy homeschooling!
How do children develop a love of learning?
By immersing themselves in things they enjoy, things that interest them, and things they wonder about.
Below, we’ll include many “love of learning” ideas for your children to do, to experiment with, to research, to learn more about. These will cover Science, Math, Technology, Life Skills, Social Studies, Reading, Writing, Literature, Art, Music, and more.
Any topics that interest your children, or that they wonder about, will be learned and retained more thoroughly when topics or ideas captivate and fascinate them.
The brain has a huge capacity for constantly learning, for continuously absorbing new information, and for storing and recalling this knowledge. This occurs more rapidly when thoughts and ideas are truly interesting to your children.
Provide the freedom and flexibility for your children to wonder, ponder, peruse, and use the vast amount of knowledge and wisdom that’s literally at their fingertips.
Allow children time to experiment, create, try new things, and simply play throughout their day.
How do children “learn how to learn”?
Simple, really: “Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” – O. Fred Donaldson, Author and Play Specialist
Ask your children what they want to learn more about today. Then do that again tomorrow and each day that follows.
Here are some activities and ideas to help them start thinking about and developing a “love of learning”.
When doing the activities ask them:
1. Which is their favorite?
2. Why is it their favorite?
3. What more would they like to do or learn about?
4. How could they expand upon the experiments or activities?
Here are Activity Ideas for a Month of Learning or YEARS of Learning!
Remember to discuss each activity and ideas inspired by these:
1. Build with Legos, K’Nex, Magnetic Tiles, Marble Runs (math, technology)
2. Create clay figures, animals, jewelry, vases, mugs (science, life skills, art)
3. Draw family members, your backyard, your room (social studies, math, art)
4. Sketch urban areas, architecture, your city’s projects (social studies, math, art)
5. Paint landscapes, mountains, streams, oceans, habitats (science, art)
6. Paste shapes, tissue paper, stickers to create collages of landmarks (geography, social studies, art)
7. Design new games, board games, video games, fun games (technology, science, math)
8. Bake cupcakes, pastries, experiment with new food creations (math, science, life skills)
9. Experiment with creating slime, volcanoes, tornados, kitchen science reactions (science, math)
10. Glue junk items, gears, cogs, nuts, bolts to create sculptures (technology, science, art)
11. Make clocks, thermometers, rain gauges, anemometers (math, science, life skills)
12. Create dioramas of dinosaur eras, animal habitats, cityscapes (social studies, science)
13. Draw famous people, places, animals, insects, events (history, social studies, art)
14. Design maps of towns, cities, neighborhoods, states, regions, world (geography, art)
15. Construct stages for puppet shows, dramas, theater performances (math, science, art)
16. Make musical instruments, play music, perform concerts (music, art)
17. Write/Animate stories, plays, scripts, games, comic books (writing, reading, art)
18. Read stories aloud, using character voices or rewriting endings (reading, literature)
19. Draw favorite scenes from books, video games, or movies (reading, literature, art)
20. Compose music inspired by songs, musicals, video games (music, art)
21. Create scripts inspired by favorite movies, plays, video games (reading, literature)
22. Program code for games, apps, electronics, robotics (technology, science, math)
23. Hike through parks, take nature walks, photograph scenery (science, art)
24. Devise outdoor fun, games, scavenger hunts, forts, play items (science, math)
25. Create new styles of sports, basketball, baseball, football, soccer (research, reading)
26. Build bridges, architecture, sculptures with straws, toothpicks, marshmallows (technology, science)
27. Design solar system models or ecosystems, using new ideas, new materials (science, math, art)
28. Construct models of human body, dinosaurs, dragons, cars, planes, ships (math, science)
29. Build robots, transformers, solar-powered or battery-powered items, electrical circuits, snap circuits (science, math)
30. Design and create journals, sketchbooks, notebooks to record your experiments, activities, and paintings (math, science, life skills, art)
31. Construct and create boxes to display or hold your creations, by deconstructing other boxes and reconstructing new boxes to showcase your projects (math, life skills, science, art)
Encourage your children to take these ideas and run with them! To have fun with them, to be as creative as they want, to put their own unique spin on them. The “love of learning” that will occur can last a lifetime!
Happy homeschooling!
Friday, February 3, 2023
Fun February Learning Ideas
February is short, but mighty! It’s known for Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Heart Health Awareness, Black History Month, and much more.
Here's dozens of learning ideas, including Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more!
See the Following Ideas or the February National Day Calendar here: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february. Then click on any day of the month for fun learning ideas, or browse the following examples.
Some great examples:
February 4 is National Play Outside Day. Play your favorite games together outdoors, or see more great outdoor games here: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/outdoor/great-outdoor-games. It’s also National Homemade Soup Day, so after a fun day playing outside, make a big pot of homemade soup together!
February 7 is National Periodic Table Day. Research the history of the periodic table and the purpose of the table: https://mocomi.com/periodic-table. Then spend an afternoon doing fun science experiments together.
February 9 is National Pizza Day. Make homemade pizza AND make homemade fractions! Use paper plates, poster board, cardboard, or construction paper to make different types of “pizza” and “toppings.” Then cut the “pizzas” in half, quarters, thirds, sixths, etc., and practice fraction math while enjoying a real, home-cooked pizza.
February 11 is National Inventor’s Day. What new things can your kids invent on this day or this month? Read Inventors Who Changed the World, or Accidental Inventions That Changed Our World, or Amazing Inventions That Changed the World, or many other similar books available at your library.
February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Research the history of Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine. Then have fun seeing who can make the most unusual valentine, the prettiest one, the tiniest one, the most colorful one, the most intricate one! And write poems to go along with the homemade valentines!
February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Discuss what this means, then brainstorm ways of performing acts of kindness for each other, for other family members, friends, acquaintances, and people you meet. How can this change the way you feel? And how might this affect people if you performed acts of kindness every day?
February 20 is Presidents Day. How many presidents have we had? Who was the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth presidents? Who is the current president? See if you can memorize them all! Were any of the presidents from your state?
February 21 is Mardi Gras, which is French for Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. Research the origins of this day and how people choose to celebrate it. Have fun making Mardi Gras crafts! See ideas here: https://funfamilycrafts.com/category/seasonal-holiday/holidays/mardi-gras.
February 26 is Tell a Fairy Tale Day. Read some popular fairy tales here: https://www.storyberries.com/category/fairy-tales/famous-fairy-tales. Then have kids write or tell fairy tales, using their own imagination.
Black History Month Activities. Try these Black History Month crafts https://www.creativechild.com/articles/view/29-days-of-crafts-for-black-history-month, or view many others online. For Black History books, see https://www.weareteachers.com/black-history-books-for-kids.
Love Your Heart. Brisk walking is one of the best activities to keep your heart strong. Count your daily steps to see if you're getting a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. Together, walk around the block, along park trails, jog or dance through your house, and tally up your steps. Make a chart to track who is getting the most steps daily.
These are just a few fun ideas from the month of February. These cover topics such as Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more! See the National Day Calendar for more ideas this month: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february!
Happy homeschooling!
Here's dozens of learning ideas, including Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more!
See the Following Ideas or the February National Day Calendar here: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february. Then click on any day of the month for fun learning ideas, or browse the following examples.
Some great examples:
February 4 is National Play Outside Day. Play your favorite games together outdoors, or see more great outdoor games here: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/outdoor/great-outdoor-games. It’s also National Homemade Soup Day, so after a fun day playing outside, make a big pot of homemade soup together!
February 7 is National Periodic Table Day. Research the history of the periodic table and the purpose of the table: https://mocomi.com/periodic-table. Then spend an afternoon doing fun science experiments together.
February 9 is National Pizza Day. Make homemade pizza AND make homemade fractions! Use paper plates, poster board, cardboard, or construction paper to make different types of “pizza” and “toppings.” Then cut the “pizzas” in half, quarters, thirds, sixths, etc., and practice fraction math while enjoying a real, home-cooked pizza.
February 11 is National Inventor’s Day. What new things can your kids invent on this day or this month? Read Inventors Who Changed the World, or Accidental Inventions That Changed Our World, or Amazing Inventions That Changed the World, or many other similar books available at your library.
February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Research the history of Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine. Then have fun seeing who can make the most unusual valentine, the prettiest one, the tiniest one, the most colorful one, the most intricate one! And write poems to go along with the homemade valentines!
February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Discuss what this means, then brainstorm ways of performing acts of kindness for each other, for other family members, friends, acquaintances, and people you meet. How can this change the way you feel? And how might this affect people if you performed acts of kindness every day?
February 20 is Presidents Day. How many presidents have we had? Who was the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth presidents? Who is the current president? See if you can memorize them all! Were any of the presidents from your state?
February 21 is Mardi Gras, which is French for Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. Research the origins of this day and how people choose to celebrate it. Have fun making Mardi Gras crafts! See ideas here: https://funfamilycrafts.com/category/seasonal-holiday/holidays/mardi-gras.
February 26 is Tell a Fairy Tale Day. Read some popular fairy tales here: https://www.storyberries.com/category/fairy-tales/famous-fairy-tales. Then have kids write or tell fairy tales, using their own imagination.
Black History Month Activities. Try these Black History Month crafts https://www.creativechild.com/articles/view/29-days-of-crafts-for-black-history-month, or view many others online. For Black History books, see https://www.weareteachers.com/black-history-books-for-kids.
Love Your Heart. Brisk walking is one of the best activities to keep your heart strong. Count your daily steps to see if you're getting a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. Together, walk around the block, along park trails, jog or dance through your house, and tally up your steps. Make a chart to track who is getting the most steps daily.
These are just a few fun ideas from the month of February. These cover topics such as Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more! See the National Day Calendar for more ideas this month: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february!
Happy homeschooling!
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Weekly Lessons for All Grade Levels
Here are some Lesson Plan Ideas for this week, including Nature Journaling and Math in Nature.
Language Arts
- Why Nature Journaling works: "The long-time industrialized approach, the so-called factory model of schooling, has failed many.... Nature journaling, by helping learners become observant or immersed in, and reflective on, the world around them, sets the stage for lifelong self-learning from primary sources.... It incorporates sciences, local social and natural history, math, language, art, and physical education into one, integrated practice." (Clare Walker Leslie, from Keeping a Nature Journal).
- Read about the learning workshops based on Keeping a Nature Journal by author Clare Walker Leslie.
- See examples of Nature Journaling from the book entitled My Nature Journal: A Personal Nature Guide for Young People.
- Create a unique, artistically inspired Nature Journal of your own.
- Books on Nature Journaling: My Nature Journal: A Personal Nature Guide for Young People by Adrienne Olmstead. Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles Roth. Nature Log Kids: A Kid's Journal to Record Their Nature Experiences by Deanna Brandt.
- As you write about and sketch scenes from Nature, immerse yourselves in Nature activities, such as rock collecting, leaf collages, nature scavenger hunts, inspecting animal tracks, insects, plants, and pond life. After sketching and investigating, notice how children begin seeing their world differently and more clearly.
- Journal writing activities: Have children regularly compose poems or songs based on some of their Nature sketches. Have them create imaginative stories revolving around topics inspired by their Nature Journals, such as a bird's travels, a rabbit's adventures, a tree's history, a flower's hopes, a seed's beginnings and future, a stream's journey, etc.
Social Studies
- View the beautifully illustrated Nature Journal of Aleta Karstad. Discuss the ways that sketches and writings from Nature can document the history and ongoing changes of a place.
- See how to make and keep a Nature Journal, according to John Muir, the inspiration for and first president of the Sierra Club. Read "What Is a Nature Journal" then "Make Your Own Journal."
- Learn more about John Muir, read his biography, and read quotes by John Muir at the Sierra Club site (https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/bio/default.aspx).
- Use your Nature Journal to document the history of places near you. Sketch the way they appear today and date your sketches. Sketch the same scenes a month from now, and three months from now, remembering to date the sketches each time. Discuss the changes and how the areas might have looked 100 years ago, and 100 years from now.
- Take field trips to places of interest nearby, bringing along your Nature Journal. Sketch new buildings or stores that now stand where fields or woods once stood. Research the history of those areas. Find previous photos of those locations and sketch how the area once looked. How have the changes affected your community? What are the positive and the negative effects of the changes?
- Determine if any upcoming changes, developments, or new construction are being planned for your community. Sketch those areas as they appear today, before the changes or construction occur. Sketch the locations periodically, as the changes progress. You will have a graphic and descriptive history of those areas, which you can share with others in the future.
- If you sketch and document changes within your community, consider donating your Nature Journal to your local library or as an exhibit for special events at your local museum.
Math
- Research Math in Nature. Learn about Fibonacci numbers in Nature, patterns in Nature, and spirals in Nature.
- Fibonacci numbers can also be seen in flower petals and seed heads. Find flowers or seed heads in nature and sketch them. Or sketch those that you find on the Internet. Label and date your sketches in your Nature Journal.
- Learn more about Fibonacci numbers in flowers, shells, trees, leaf arrangements, pinecones, pineapples, and more.
- Find pinecones or view pinecones on the Internet. Then sketch your pinecones, noting the spirals in the cone.
- Make bird feeders from your pinecones for your backyard friends, too.
Science
- Create a "Backyard Wildlife Scrapbook" of your own Backyard Wildlife Habitat.
- Investigate the animals and plants, make your own "animal cards" or "plant cards", construct dioramas or poster displays of their habitats and ecosystems, and write reports or label your projects with descriptive paragraphs.
- Get more Nature Journal ideas from the Smithsonian's richly illustrated "Introduction to the Nature Journal".
- Create Journal pages for recording nature observations and drawing sketches of what you see each day.
- Remember to encourage your children's enthusiasm, ideas, and activities, and run with them! Allow them to lead you in new and varied directions, for fun, well-rounded learning your children will remember for a lifetime!
Life Skills
- The process of sketching and drawing helps children to learn how to focus in the "here-and-now." The end results of their artwork help children see how "effort correlates to results."
- Accomplishments and improvements in drawing capabilities show children how "practice makes perfect". They will see, and better understand, that building skills does require time and effort. But they'll also see that the process is fun and inspirational, making skill-building all the more enjoyable and worthwhile.
- Sketch "everyday life" scenarios, such as mom doing yard work, dad cooking, siblings doing daily chores, the family playing games together, family members caring for or playing with pets, the mail carrier delivering mail, the neighbor taking out the trash, etc.
- Read "Getting Back to Nature with Your Kids" (https://www.livingmags.info/features/back-to-nature) and "Nature and Kids" (https://www.ahaparenting.com/read/nature). Then discuss ways to enjoy the outdoors, while staying safe and healthy at the same time.
- Brainstorm all the fun outdoor activities you could take part in and make a list of them.
Arts and Music
- Create a unique Nature Journal and always keep it handy.
- Try illustrations from Aleta Karstad's journal.
- Listen to your favorite music while sketching, drawing, or painting. See if the music helps to inspire your drawings, or does it hinder your inspiration? What types of music are most enjoyable to listen to while you're drawing?
- Try drawing birds and learn about John James Audubon.
Check back often for more lesson plan ideas to come!
Happy homeschooling!
Language Arts
- Why Nature Journaling works: "The long-time industrialized approach, the so-called factory model of schooling, has failed many.... Nature journaling, by helping learners become observant or immersed in, and reflective on, the world around them, sets the stage for lifelong self-learning from primary sources.... It incorporates sciences, local social and natural history, math, language, art, and physical education into one, integrated practice." (Clare Walker Leslie, from Keeping a Nature Journal).
- Read about the learning workshops based on Keeping a Nature Journal by author Clare Walker Leslie.
- See examples of Nature Journaling from the book entitled My Nature Journal: A Personal Nature Guide for Young People.
- Create a unique, artistically inspired Nature Journal of your own.
- Books on Nature Journaling: My Nature Journal: A Personal Nature Guide for Young People by Adrienne Olmstead. Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles Roth. Nature Log Kids: A Kid's Journal to Record Their Nature Experiences by Deanna Brandt.
- As you write about and sketch scenes from Nature, immerse yourselves in Nature activities, such as rock collecting, leaf collages, nature scavenger hunts, inspecting animal tracks, insects, plants, and pond life. After sketching and investigating, notice how children begin seeing their world differently and more clearly.
- Journal writing activities: Have children regularly compose poems or songs based on some of their Nature sketches. Have them create imaginative stories revolving around topics inspired by their Nature Journals, such as a bird's travels, a rabbit's adventures, a tree's history, a flower's hopes, a seed's beginnings and future, a stream's journey, etc.
Social Studies
- View the beautifully illustrated Nature Journal of Aleta Karstad. Discuss the ways that sketches and writings from Nature can document the history and ongoing changes of a place.
- See how to make and keep a Nature Journal, according to John Muir, the inspiration for and first president of the Sierra Club. Read "What Is a Nature Journal" then "Make Your Own Journal."
- Learn more about John Muir, read his biography, and read quotes by John Muir at the Sierra Club site (https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/bio/default.aspx).
- Use your Nature Journal to document the history of places near you. Sketch the way they appear today and date your sketches. Sketch the same scenes a month from now, and three months from now, remembering to date the sketches each time. Discuss the changes and how the areas might have looked 100 years ago, and 100 years from now.
- Take field trips to places of interest nearby, bringing along your Nature Journal. Sketch new buildings or stores that now stand where fields or woods once stood. Research the history of those areas. Find previous photos of those locations and sketch how the area once looked. How have the changes affected your community? What are the positive and the negative effects of the changes?
- Determine if any upcoming changes, developments, or new construction are being planned for your community. Sketch those areas as they appear today, before the changes or construction occur. Sketch the locations periodically, as the changes progress. You will have a graphic and descriptive history of those areas, which you can share with others in the future.
- If you sketch and document changes within your community, consider donating your Nature Journal to your local library or as an exhibit for special events at your local museum.
Math
- Research Math in Nature. Learn about Fibonacci numbers in Nature, patterns in Nature, and spirals in Nature.
- Fibonacci numbers can also be seen in flower petals and seed heads. Find flowers or seed heads in nature and sketch them. Or sketch those that you find on the Internet. Label and date your sketches in your Nature Journal.
- Learn more about Fibonacci numbers in flowers, shells, trees, leaf arrangements, pinecones, pineapples, and more.
- Find pinecones or view pinecones on the Internet. Then sketch your pinecones, noting the spirals in the cone.
- Make bird feeders from your pinecones for your backyard friends, too.
Science
- Create a "Backyard Wildlife Scrapbook" of your own Backyard Wildlife Habitat.
- Investigate the animals and plants, make your own "animal cards" or "plant cards", construct dioramas or poster displays of their habitats and ecosystems, and write reports or label your projects with descriptive paragraphs.
- Get more Nature Journal ideas from the Smithsonian's richly illustrated "Introduction to the Nature Journal".
- Create Journal pages for recording nature observations and drawing sketches of what you see each day.
- Remember to encourage your children's enthusiasm, ideas, and activities, and run with them! Allow them to lead you in new and varied directions, for fun, well-rounded learning your children will remember for a lifetime!
Life Skills
- The process of sketching and drawing helps children to learn how to focus in the "here-and-now." The end results of their artwork help children see how "effort correlates to results."
- Accomplishments and improvements in drawing capabilities show children how "practice makes perfect". They will see, and better understand, that building skills does require time and effort. But they'll also see that the process is fun and inspirational, making skill-building all the more enjoyable and worthwhile.
- Sketch "everyday life" scenarios, such as mom doing yard work, dad cooking, siblings doing daily chores, the family playing games together, family members caring for or playing with pets, the mail carrier delivering mail, the neighbor taking out the trash, etc.
- Read "Getting Back to Nature with Your Kids" (https://www.livingmags.info/features/back-to-nature) and "Nature and Kids" (https://www.ahaparenting.com/read/nature). Then discuss ways to enjoy the outdoors, while staying safe and healthy at the same time.
- Brainstorm all the fun outdoor activities you could take part in and make a list of them.
Arts and Music
- Create a unique Nature Journal and always keep it handy.
- Try illustrations from Aleta Karstad's journal.
- Listen to your favorite music while sketching, drawing, or painting. See if the music helps to inspire your drawings, or does it hinder your inspiration? What types of music are most enjoyable to listen to while you're drawing?
- Try drawing birds and learn about John James Audubon.
Check back often for more lesson plan ideas to come!
Happy homeschooling!
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
50+ Learning Activities for This Last Week of Summer
Summer is coming to a close. Autumn officially begins on September 22 this year. That means we have about 7 days of summer left, and we should all enjoy it to the fullest. Get outside, soak up the last of the Summer Sun, and savor it. Make this last week of summer fun, special, memorable, and educational!
Take the “Classroom” outside! As soon as the morning chores are done, head outside. Pack sack lunches, lunch boxes, a thermos, bottles of water, and snacks. Bring along backpacks, phones, cameras, binoculars, step counters or fitness trackers, books, field guides, notebooks, paper, pencils, pens.
Use your backyard, local parks, nature trails, or any green space for your “classroom” this week. Free your mind from daily worries and embrace the present moments spent outside with your children. Be open to whatever crosses your path as you observe and absorb your surroundings together. Try to visit different areas each day.
Flexibility is key this week – yet learning will occur! If your children are following a specific homeschool program and need to stay on-track, take the lessons with you. Allow them to complete lessons outside. Then engage with nature and let children spread their wings and explore.
As they explore the outdoors, what do they see? What can they do in this space? How do they feel here? What more would they like to do or see? Where else would they like to go? Encourage them to write or sketch these observations and feelings – Language Arts has now begun!
7 Days of Learning, 50 Activities
For 7 days of learning and 50+ activities, try these activities outdoors. You can do one activity per day, or all the activities each day, or variations of the activities every day, all year, rain or shine! And learning will naturally occur, each and every day.
1. Language Arts:
• Go on “Story Walks” along nature trails, in local parks, or in library gardens.
• Create your own “Story Walk” in your backyard or neighborhood green space.
• Read favorite books while swinging or relaxing in the branches of a tree.
• Sketch the scenes and vistas surrounding you, then describe why they're special to you.
• Read signs and plaques describing local areas of interest.
• Discuss things you had never noticed or experienced, and why they’re interesting.
• Write stories or essays about the places you visit and the things you see this week.
2. Social Studies:
• Create a map of your community parks, neighborhood green spaces, nature trails.
• Each day, draw the route you take, using different colors to indicate different days and areas visited.
• Describe landmarks encountered, such as gates or sign posts, trailheads or information displays, boulders or stone formations, waterfalls or creeks, bridges or boardwalks, monuments or memorials, etc.
• Learn the difference between “natural landmarks” and “cultural landmarks.”
• Research these landmark terms: geological landmarks, biological landmarks, architecture landmarks, archaeological landmarks, and see how they differ.
• Discuss how your local landmarks relate to the history of your town or community.
• Photograph, draw, or sketch these landmarks, and write about their history and importance to your area.
3. Science:
• Use field guides and binoculars to identify plants; wildflowers; trees; birds; insects; animals; urban wildlife; rivers, streams, or pond life; ocean, beach, or shoreline life, etc.
• Learn which birds, butterflies, or wildflowers are most common in your backyard or local parks.
• Plant flowers that attract birds, hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees to your own backyard.
• Build bird feeders, birdhouses, butterfly houses, bat houses, or natural habitats that will draw beneficial animals to your location.
• Plan dozens of outdoor activities by using books such as Outdoor Science Experiments; Backyard Science and Discovery; Nature Smarts; Outdoor Science Projects; and Exploring Nature.
• Observe the sky and clouds overhead. What type of cloud formations do you see? What type of weather might they bring? How has the location of the sun changed since you left your house this morning? Draw or describe these in your Science Journal.
• Write about your favorite places in your Science Journal or notebook, describing why those areas felt special to you, and add photos or drawings of them, too.
4. Math:
• Consult step counters, pedometers, or fitness trackers to tally up total steps and distance of nature walks each day.
• Determine the time spent on each walk, and if using a fitness tracker, determine the number of calories burned per time and distance.
• For comparisons, run around a track or trail, and compare that to walking the same track or trail, in terms of steps, time, distance, and calories burned.
• Create a chart in your Math Journal or notebook, illustrating the daily steps, distance, time, and calories burned.
• Using the map from Social Studies, calculate the distance or miles between your house and the park, nature trail, creek, local store, downtown square, etc.
• Using the construction ideas from Science, calculate the size, dimensions, openings, slats, etc. for birdhouses, feeders, bat houses, and other outdoor science projects.
• Formulate and draw blueprints or plans for constructing these projects, based upon your calculations, then take photos of the completed projects.
5. Life Skills:
• Use decision-making skills on where to walk or explore the outdoors each day, deciding what items to take along, what the weather will be like, and what to wear each day.
• Use critical-thinking skills on how to reach the places you want to go, the best routes to take, the most-interesting paths or trails to follow, the many things you can learn.
• Observe and note everything around you – the good and the not-so-good – and discuss why it's important to observe your surroundings.
• Obey safety rules and “rules of the road” – watching traffic, even on nature trails, exercising caution at crosswalks, and paying attention to traffic signals.
• Be respectful of other walkers, hikers, bicyclists, horse trail riders, and others who are outside to enjoy a day in nature.
• Be careful and aware of the inhabitants of nature, from insects and snakes, to bears and wolves, to alligators and sharks – it’s their home, too, so maintain safe distances.
• Clean up after picnics and science projects, and leave no trace behind – in other words: “Take only memories, leave only footprints.”
6. Art:
• Draw detailed maps of trails or places visited each day.
• Paint or draw colorful sketches of butterflies on flowers, birds in trees, fish in ponds, waves along the shoreline.
• Try urban sketches of landscapers working in the park, tables and umbrellas in an outdoor café, shopkeepers opening their doors, delivery trucks outside a storefront.
• Sketch a strolling musician, a plein air art event in the park, artwork in an art gallery, iron or concrete sculptures in the park.
• Learn about famous and not-so-famous artists, painters, sculptors in your town and the artwork they created.
• Try copying one of the artist’s artwork or creations, then try it again, in your own style.
• Take photos of all the artistic views you see on your walks, or outdoors in your own backyard, then sketch, paint, or create them from your photos.
7. Music:
• Listen – intently – to Nature’s Music: the birds singing to each other, the wind in the trees, crickets chirping in tall grasses, dry leaves rustling along the sidewalk, gravel crunching beneath your feet, the creek gurgling over rocks, waves crashing against the shoreline.
• Replicate these sounds of Nature’s Music the best you can, singing like the birds, whooshing like the wind, chirping like the crickets, gurgling like the creek.
• Create your own songs about nature, composing the lyrics and melody to express your feelings about being outside.
• Dance to the music from a concert in the park.
• Learn about the local musicians in your area and try to see their performances.
• Visit music stores and look at new music or instruments you’d like to learn to play.
• Perform a musical or create a play based upon your experiences in nature this week.
Remember to explore nature often, and enjoy the great outdoors, rain or shine, summer or winter, spring or fall – and enjoy it all!
Happy homeschooling!
Thursday, April 23, 2015
April Learning Activities
The month of April offers many fun learning topics!
What new things can you learn in April? Learn about 5 new topics and surprise your family and friends with your new-found knowledge!
To help you get started, here are some April events you could learn about:
Happy homeschooling!
What new things can you learn in April? Learn about 5 new topics and surprise your family and friends with your new-found knowledge!
To help you get started, here are some April events you could learn about:
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1. The first ice-cream sundae was made in 1892, and the first iPad in the U.S. was sold in 2010. Have you experienced either of these?
2. Richard Peck was born in 1934. Who was Richard Peck, and what did he write?
3. Explorers reached the North Pole in April. Who are some of those explorers? Where is the North Pole, and how might you travel there?
4. The Civil War ended in 1865. Who surrendered? What is Appomattox, and where is it located?
5. The Civil Rights Act was signed in 1964. What is the Civil Rights Act?
6. Beverly Cleary was born in 1916. Who was Beverly Cleary, and what did she write?
7. The Titanic struck an iceberg and sunk in 1912. What was The Titanic? What is an iceberg, and where might you find more icebergs?
8. Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452. Who was Da Vinci, and what are some of the many things he accomplished?
9. On April 18, 1775, what famous horseman rode from Boston to Lexington? What message did he carry, and why?
10. The Curies made an amazing discovery in 1902. Who were the Curies and what did they discover?
11. Earth Day was established in 1970. What is the purpose of Earth Day? How do you celebrate Earth Day?
12. William Shakespeare was born in 1564. Who was Shakespeare, and what did he write?
13. The Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990. What is its purpose? How might you build a model Hubble Telescope?
14. Charles Francis Richter was born in 1900. What is he known for? Part of his name provides a helpful clue.
15. What is Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day? How might you celebrate the day?
16. April 27 is Tell-a-Story Day. Tell a story to family and friends. Also tell them about the many things you learned this month!
Happy homeschooling!
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