Changing Seasons + Nature Studies

As Winter slides into Spring, we see remarkable changes all around us. Winter snows and chilly temperatures are behind us, and warmer weather and sunny skies are ahead of us.

The same is true for our homeschool experiences. We can open ourselves to remarkable changes, to sunnier times, easier days, and spectacular studies and learning.

We need only look to nature to inspire us. Everything around us looks brighter, cheerier, more colorful. Follow Mother Nature's lead and live in the excitement of spring, of flowers blossoming, birds singing merrily, and beautiful new changes outside our windows almost daily.

From our observations of these things, we find peace and hope. From our interactions with nature -- up close and personal -- we learn new information, acquire vast knowledge, and keep these wonderful experiences in our memories indefinitely.

This week, I spent time reviewing my experiences painting nature scenes, mainly winter scenes, and recalling the falling snow -- probably the last snowfall of the season. And I treasured those experiences. I've shared them through a video here on YouTube -- Nature Inspired Art -- from my art studio, Misty Glow Studio.

Take time to paint your experiences from this past winter, or sketch or draw or create your memories in some way. And plan ahead for the spring months to come. When you can take your learning experiences outdoors, into nature, a park, a playground, or a forest, the learning becomes much more real and profound.

Here are just a few inspiring books to read for the spring months ahead:

* Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring
* The Hidden Rainbow: A Springtime Book For Kids
* My Forest Is Green
* Make Art with Nature: Find Inspiration and Materials From Nature
* Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail
* Big Book of Nature Art
* Science in the Wild: Explore, Discover, and Learn from Nature

Happy homeschooling!

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!

September Learning Ideas

September has 30 days, and that’s 30 new things to learn about this month.

Here’s some tips and ideas to get you started:

* Fall begins this month – find out when and why.

* Track the time of sunrises and sunsets this September. Compare the differences between the times in early September and the times in late September. How does this affect your daily activities?

* Record the high and low temperatures in early September and in late September. How much do they vary? Why might it be cooler in late September, compared to early September?

* Start creating fall crafts on the 1st day of September and continue each day of the month. By the end of the month, you’ll have armloads of decorations to make your room and your home “fall festive” and “fall welcoming.”

* National Hummingbird Day occurs in September. Provide extra nectar for them, or make sugar-water. That will give them energy for their flight south in a few weeks. Where do they go each fall? Research this and create a report on hummingbirds, complete with maps and illustrations.

* National Wildlife Day is September 4. Read books on wildlife, such as Rewilding: Bringing Wildlife Back Where It Belongs; Wildlife Ranger Action Guide; Animal Habitats; Homes in the Wild; and similar books to enjoy and discuss.

* Cheese Pizza Day is September 5. Make your own cheese pizza – and add any toppings you like!

* Read-a-Book Day is September 6. Start a reading log and try to read a book a day. At the end of this year, add up the total number of books you’ve read!

* Share Your Care Day is September 9. Do you remember Care Bears, or do you still have one? You don’t need one, though, to show you care about someone. Think of all the ways you can show others you care about them.

* National Grandparents Day is September 10. This is an excellent day to show your grandparents how much you care about them, too!

* Ants on a Log Day is September 12. Have you ever made Ants on a Log? If not, this is the day to do it! See how creative you can be, making delicious treats like this. Or create new treats and give them a new name.

* Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day is September 13. See recipes for kids at this link (https://cookingwithkids.org/recipes/) or check out some library books on kid cooks, such as Kids Can Cook Anything; The Big, Fun Kids Cookbook; The Recipe-a-Day Kids Cookbook; and others.

* National Parents Day Off is September 14. When kids take over the kitchen on the 13th, have them prepare a meal for the 14th, when parents “have the day off.” Since this day is also National Live Creative Day, have kids plan creative learning activities for today, the 14th, while parents take the day off!

* As Fall approaches, paint or sketch the trees and scenery outside your window. Then, in a few weeks, paint or sketch the same scene again. Have the leaves begun to change colors? Why is this? Paint the scene again in October or December. How is it different, and why?

* Take a September Field Trip to your local library and see the books they’ve displayed there this month. Try books, such as Heroes: September 11, 2001; Goodbye, Summer, Hello, Autumn; Apple Pies and Hayrides; Why Do Leaves Change Colors; and more.

See the September calendar here for more ideas this month:
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/september/

For more September activities, see these:
https://www.whereimaginationgrows.com/kids-activities-for-september/

You’ll see ideas for working parents, families, stepfamilies, pets, dogs, autumn equinox, fall crafts, gymnastics, outdoor activities, pirates, hobbits, creating diaries, creating comic books, magic, apples, orchards, apple math, apple drop, fall foliage, fall tree art, fall wreaths, and more!

Turn the ideas into fun learning adventures!

Happy homeschooling!

New Year, New Ideas, New Interests, New Learning!

It’s a New Year and Time for New Ideas, New Interests, New Learning! You can try to learn something new every day, but if that’s not always feasible, definitely try to learn at least 52 new things this year. That’s 1 new thing you can learn each week of the year.

Here’s a few to get you started:

1. “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” said Albert Einstein. What do you think he meant by this? He felt that imagination opened up an entire world of possibilities. And he felt that imagination was a major factor in scientific research. How do you use your imagination? You can imagine a make-believe world, imagine a new world, imagine a new story, new song, new artwork, new adventures, new ideas. It’s all possible, because you have imagination! Imagine and create new things this week!

2. “Creativity is intelligence having fun,” Albert Einstein said. When you are having fun creating things, you are using your intelligence! Create clay objects, create a wire sculpture, create twirling mobiles, create with construction kits, create a building, create a model, create art, create whatever interests you. And you’ll know you’re using your intelligence, creating, learning, and having fun this week!

3. “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled,” said Plutarch, a Greek philosopher. By kindling a fire or sparking an idea in your mind, you are filled with excitement, curiosity, new interests, and new learning! When an idea excites or interests you, learning naturally occurs. This is because you are excited about it and want to learn all you can about it. Be excited and curious, and learn more this week!

4. “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning,” observed writer William Arthur Ward. Imagine this: Without a wick, a candle can’t burn very well. Without curiosity, one can’t learn very well. Find ways to spark your own curiosity this week by asking questions like: “What if? How? Why? Who? When? Where?” Regardless of the subjects you might be studying this week, be curious about them. Ask more questions! Go further! Be curious! Learn more!

5. “Ask questions and you will gain new knowledge,” many have observed. If the tower you built collapsed, ask why and how you can keep it from collapsing the next time. If the clay sculpture you created didn’t turn out as expected, ask how you might improve it next time. If the story you wrote isn’t as exciting as you’d hoped, ask what characters or situations could liven it up. If this week’s history lesson, or math lesson, or science experiment is confusing or dull, ask what activities could make the lessons more exciting, more real, more fun, more clear. When you ask yourself, or others, you will find answers, every day and every week!

Explore! Experiment! Imagine! Create! Read! Write! Play! Build! Ask! Seek! Research! Be Curious! Be Innovative! Be Adventurous!

Resolve to make this new year an exciting one filled with fun, imaginative, creative learning!

Happy homeschooling every week of this new year!

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!

Free Books to Read + Benefits of Reading

Here are 7 important benefits of reading, followed by 12 websites that provide free books for your children to read online.

1. Reading a book or story for 20 to 30 minutes per day is considered “brain food” for your children!

2. Reading stimulates and exercises various areas of the brain, and it enhances language skills and vocabulary skills every day.

3. Reading makes connections in the brain, building upon current knowledge and leading to additional knowledge and comprehension each time a new book is read.

4. Reading fires up the imagination and creativity, opening your child’s mind to greater possibilities, ideas, and inspiration.

5. Reading increases attention spans and concentration, helping children to focus better, stay in the moment, and stay on-task.

6. Reading improves test scores and skills in all subjects areas, including math, science, technology, social studies, art, music, as well as reading, writing, and language arts.

7. Reading is pure joy, taking us anywhere we want to go! Read together as a family, and encourage children to read on their own, to help establish a wonderful reading habit that will provide entertainment and education for a lifetime.

Free Books to Read!

Here’s a variety of Children’s Books for free. Read, discuss, dramatize, draw, explore, experiment - you’ll be learning every day! And you can start right now!

1. Storyline Online: Stories Read to Children

2. Free Children’s Stories: Free Children’s Stories

3. Magic Keys Books: Magic Keys Books

4. Story Jumper: Story Jumper

5. Story Berries: Story Berries

6. Free Kid’s Books: Free Kid’s Books

7. Shakespeare's Plays: Shakespeare Plays

8. Project Gutenberg Children’s Books: Project Gutenberg Books

9. Open Library: Open Library

10. Funbrain Reading: Funbrain Books

11. Epic Books: Epic Books

12. Reading Resources: Reading Resources

Local Libraries: Of course, your local library is one of the greatest free resources for reading! Besides stories and reading for pleasure, here's a few ideas for books on specific topics:

Book Suggestions on Specific Topics:

1. Spectacular Stories for Curious Kids (history)

2. World's Wildest Places and the People Protecting Them (social studies)

3. Super Cool Science Experiments for Kids (science)

4. Math Riddles for Smart Kids (math)

5. Ultimate Book of the Future (technology)

6. Organic Artist for Kids (art and nature)

7. Make Music: Creating, Playing, Composing (music)

Note: Keep a Reading Log, tracking the books and stories children have read. Include the title of the book, the author, and the date read. Have children describe why they liked the story, and have them sketch the cover or illustrations from the book. Tally up the number of books read daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. You'll be amazed at the results!

Happy homeschooling!

Unschooling Activities, Curiosity, and Learning!

Children are born with natural curiosity. When their curiosity is suppressed, their learning is diminished. When their curiosity is encouraged with nurturing guidance, their learning accelerates. Unschooling focuses on interest-driven activities sparked by curiosity. Your guidance can help enhance your child’s curiosity, creativeness, and education.

Here are some unschooling activities that have been suggested by our readers. These are just a few of the many possibilities. Each can radiate out into further learning and even more activities. Below this list is additional information on why and how unschooling works so well.

Remember: Playing is learning! These activities and ideas can evolve into a world of learning!

Unschooling Activities Suggested by Readers:

• Daily explorations and play
• Hands-on activities
• Science experiments
• Invention projects
• Construction projects
• Composing or playing music
• Arts and crafts
• Drawing and painting
• Sculpting, clay, and pottery
• Puzzles and sorting games
• Pretend play
• Forts and teepees
• Scrapbooking
• Journaling
• Creative writing
• Writing books and stories
• Reading and researching
• Library trips
• New books or authors to read
• Drama, acting, and performing
• Dancing and singing
• Making videos and animations
• Board games
• Outdoor or backyard games
• Family games
• Nature walks
• Relay races
• Scavenger hunts
• Math manipulatives
• Cooking and baking
• Gardening
• Decorating
• Home projects
• Sports activities
• Recreational activities
• Family activities
• Camping and hiking
• Weekend trips or getaways
• Swimming and skating
• Surfing and skiing
• Gymnastics or wall-climbing
• Picnics and socials
• Field trips
• Museum and zoo visits
• Local tours
• Community courses
• Family discussions
• Family newsletters
• Family businesses
• Apprenticeships
• Internships
• Volunteering
• Life skills
• Interest-driven learning pursuits
• Independent learning activities
• Natural living and learning every day

Curiosity increases activity in specific areas of the brain, helping people to absorb and retain information longer. When you are interested and curious about a topic, your brain becomes more inclined to learn about it. Children who are allowed to ask questions, and to remain curious about the world around them, remain eager to learn.

Children are naturally curious about everything, and because curiosity helps them to learn, it’s a trait that should never be discouraged. Asking “Why?” is an innate part of the way children learn. They should always be encouraged to ask why, and to be encouraged to find answers to “Why?”

Unschooling is one of the most natural ways for children to seek the answers to their “Why” questions, and one of the most natural ways for children to acquire knowledge. You’ll want to keep their curiosity alive and encourage them to follow their interests as they learn about the world around them.

Children gain a huge amount of knowledge and skills between birth and age five, without formal schooling. They learn by experimenting, doing, trying and failing, then trying again. Rarely are they deterred, and rarely do they give up. Young children love to experiment. They enjoy trying things their own way, and if it doesn’t work, they’ll try another way. Just as curiosity is an in-born trait in children, so is the desire to learn new things.

Trying the Unschooling Method

If you’re not sure about the unschooling method, try unschooling during weekends, vacations, summertime, or any time! Watch them play, and you’ll see them learn. Encourage their curiosity, and guide them in finding answers and resources. Follow their interests, and you’ll learn right alongside them. You’ll certainly be amazed at how adept they are at learning through the myriad topics that interest them.

More Unschooling Activities

Children are eager to play, and, consequently, learn. Sometimes, though, they might feel that they’ve forgotten how to play, or can’t think of anything to do. Spend time brainstorming ideas together. Ask your children what they’d like to do if they had all the time in the world to do whatever they liked. Then explore those ideas together.

Revisit fun activities from the past, which they might’ve forgotten about, but which could interest them in new or different ways now.

Activities could include:

• Building simple models or 3D structures
• Performing plays based on books or movies
• Creating new types of board games to play
• Designing video games for handheld devices
• Learning to play new instruments and composing music
• Writing and creating comic books or cartoon strips
• Performing and making videos of scientific experiments
• Using LEGO sets or electronic kits to create new gadgets
• Cooking or baking new concoctions for the family

Every day provides multiple ideas for playing, unschooling, and learning. There’s no limit to what your children can do and achieve!

Happy homeschooling!

Hands-On Math Activities for Everyday Learning

Math opportunities surround your child every day. From telling time to food preparations, measurements, temperature variations, counting, adding, money matters, time requirements, sports scores, game strategies, construction toys, craft creations, algebra and building projects, distances and speeds, fractions and percents, fascinating Fibonacci numbers— your child can practice math in real life every day!

When children are engaged in real-life activities, they learn quicker and retain what they learned longer.

As Maria Montessori said, “What the hand does, the mind remembers.” This is especially true for comprehending math concepts.

Daily Math Fun and Learning

From shape-sorting games to determining the perimeter and area of each of the shapes, you can apply that exercise to nearly any object. Take that idea further by determining the perimeter and area of the room you’re in, as well as each room in your home. Go outside and determine the overall perimeter of your entire house or complex, then calculate total square footage. Which room is the largest in your home? Which room is the smallest? Why are the rooms and homes designed in the size and shape that they are?

In this way, a simple shape-sorting game has grown into real-life learning, making connections between basic shapes, living spaces, and home design. This is an important lesson: Take fun, simple games or daily lessons and make connections to the things that are real in life, the things that are a part of everyday life. This is when education and knowledge clicks, and learning makes sense and solidifies in a child’s mind.

With math opportunities all around us, it’s easy to practice mathematical skills each day. Simply discuss math concepts as you play together, do household chores together, cook and bake together. When you run errands or take daily walks together, determine distances traveled, the speed you’re traveling, and the time it takes to travel those distances. The more your children practice real-life math exercises, the better they’ll become.

Math Games

Board games and card games are great ways to develop and sharpen math skills, as well as reasoning and strategy skills. Bring out the board games each evening, on weekends, or anytime during the homeschool day! Play old favorites, such as Risk, Monopoly or Monopoly Junior, PayDay, or Chess. Try games such as Math Bingo, Math Lotto, Sum Swamp, Cloud Hoppers, Mountain Raiders, 24 Math Game, Pizza Fraction Fun, Adsumudi, Smath, Equate Math, and similar math games.

Play “store” and see what it’s like to open and run your own shop. Use play money or real money, “sell” retail items or consignment items, and keep a running inventory in your pretend store. Record expenses and sales in homemade ledger books, and determine the daily and weekly income—or income potential—of your shop.

Another fun business is the online game of Lemonade Stand. Kids will gain experience in nearly every aspect of a business: pricing, sales, inventory control, and handling the ups and downs of the economy over a period of several days. Make a pitcher of lemonade and head over to the computer and open your lemonade stand!

For math and reasoning games, visit the website FunBrain.com. There's Math Baseball, Cake Monster, MathCar Racing, Math Soccer, Measure It, Shape Surveyor, Guess the Number, Fresh Baked Fractions, and many more. Most of the games are available in Easy, Medium, Hard, and Super Hard levels for all age groups and skill levels.

Mastering Math Skills

Basic math, or arithmetic, includes counting, adding, subtracting, estimating, measuring, and calculating. As your children progress through the elementary years, additional mathematical skills will be introduced. When your child has grasped the basics, you’ll be able to help him build upon a solid mathematical foundation.

Math skills introduced in traditional schools move along so quickly, though, that if a child doesn’t catch them the first time around, they’ve often lost that window of opportunity. In your homeschool, however, if you see that your child is still struggling with basic subtraction, for instance, you won’t want to move ahead to more complex problems until he has mastered the basics. Fortunately, you have plenty of time for practicing basic concepts in your home. There’s no specific timeframe your child must stay within.

When your child has achieved true comprehension of subtraction, along with the ability to perform the calculations flawlessly, then he can move on to the next lessons. You will know without a doubt that he has truly mastered the skills he needs before moving ahead. With this solid foundation, he is ready for multiplication and division, fractions and decimals, estimation and measurement, problem solving, and more challenging mathematical equations.

Math Manipulatives

Using hands-on examples of math problems will help children better understand the abstract concepts that are introduced. You can use any objects for counting, adding, and subtracting, from buttons to beans to plastic animal counters. You can also use an abacus or counting frame with plastic beads.

Math manipulatives are available online or at retail or educational supply stores. However, you can often make your own. From poster board or construction paper, you can create coin-sized counters, pattern blocks, fraction circles, fraction slices, fraction bars, cardboard clocks, and mathematical charts. You can also make rulers, number lines, geometric boards, play money, and flashcards. And your children will enjoy the cutting and creative activities, too.

Everyday Math

Daily situations present excellent ways to put math skills to regular, logical use. In a normal day, your family can practice telling time as the minutes and hours go by. You and your children can estimate, then measure ingredients when cooking on a daily basis.

Practice money skills by regularly setting up "stores" in your home. Have children put prices on items gathered from the pantry or on toys or books gathered from their room. Make purchases, have children add up the total costs, pay with play or real money, and have children count out your correct change.

When grocery shopping, children can keep running tabs of the items you’re purchasing and see how close they come to the actual total. At the gasoline station, they can calculate the cost of your tank of gas. Then, based upon how many gallons of gasoline are in the tank and how many miles your car gets to a gallon, they can determine how far this tank of gas will go.

Every day offers mathematical problems that can be fun to solve, clearly showing children the importance of learning and applying math skills in real life.

Books and Activity Books such as Real World Math, Math Connections, Math Art, Math Wise, Real-Life Math Problem Solving, Real-World Math for Hands-On Fun, Hands-On Math Projects with Real-Life Applications provide interesting activities that help your child understand and relate key math skills to everyday life.

Remember to jot down activities and lessons in your lesson logbook or on our log sheets (available here: Weekly Planner Log link.)

Note: Some material published here include excerpts from my book, The Everything Guide to Homeschooling, by Sherri Linsenbach, available online or in libraries and bookstores.

Happy Homeschooling!

500+ Science Experiments and Activities

Hundreds of Science Experiments and Activities will keep learning fun and educational this year!

With 500+ Activities, you’ll never be without a topic to teach over the coming year! And, of course, your children will be sharpening ALL their skills – reading, writing, reasoning, math, technology – while having fun with the experiments!

From Easy to More Challenging, the experiments noted here have clear, easy-to-follow instructions, illustrations, photos, and explanations.

Get Started Now!

400+ Experiments and Activities are illustrated at Scientific American, on topics such as Curling Metals, Airplane Launchers, Marble Roller Coasters, Wind-Powered Cars, Earthquake Structures, Blood Flow Models, Double Helix, Archimedes Screw, Building Bridges, Designing Cell Phone Stands, Art Science, Smartphone Science, Making Batteries, Making Rainbows, Making Robots, Making Rockets, and much more! There’s 20+ pages, each with 20 Science Experiments or Activities, for a total of 400+ Learning Activities! Click here:

Scientific American Experiments

100+ Experiments and Activities from Easy Science Experiments to STEM Activities and Rocket Science are offered at Science Fun. The experiments focus on popular topics often taught in school, such as Color, Light, Sound, Water, Electricity, Magnetism, Force and Motion, Weather and Air, Gravity, Density, Balloon Science, Chemical Reactions, Marine Life, Animals, Human Body, Dinosaurs, Fossils, Rocks, Geology, Crystals, Biology, Botany, Ecology, STEM and Engineering Activities, Rocket Science and Space Experiments. Click here:

Science Fun Experiments

40+ Science Experiments are shown here, with colorful instructions and explanations on the “why” behind the science concepts. See how to Create Clouds, Friction Racers, Anti-Gravity Chambers, Windmill Cams, Rainbow-Colored Xylophones, Popsicle Stick Harmonicas, Geysers, Rockets, and more! Click here:

Home Science Experiments

40+ More Science Experiments focusing on Life Science, Physical Science, and Planetary Science are available at Bill Nye the Science Guy’s site. Experiments include Temperature Time Warp, Bending Light, Marble Madness, Inertia, Barometer in a Bottle, Erosion Explosion, Twistin’ Tornado, and more. Click here:

Bill Nye Experiments

Log the Learning!

Note the Science Experiments, the Subject Areas, and the Concepts Learned through the experiments. Lessons learned and skills sharpened include Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Math Skills, Calculation Skills, Measurement Skills, Reasoning Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Spatial Skills, Creative Thinking Skills, Reading, Writing, Journaling, Arts and Crafts, Geology, Geography, Social Science, and more. Jot down the lessons and activities in your lesson logbook or on our log sheets (available here: Weekly Planner Log link.)

Happy Homeschooling!

Weekly Homeschool Activities & Lessons: The World Around Me

Recent learning activities focused on your child asking: “Where in the World Am I?” and “Who in the World Am I?” (See previous posts from August 1 and August 4.)

This week, have your child think about: “The World Around Me.”

Learning opportunities abound when thinking about the many things that are around us: Air, Water, Grass, Trees, Flowers, Plants, Animals, Birds, Insects, Sky, Clouds, Rivers, Oceans, Mountains, People, and much, much more! Just one of these topics could result in learning and lessons for days, weeks, months, or years! And they're interesting to kids of all ages!

The Troposphere -- or world around us -- is the layer of the Atmosphere that includes these many things that surround us. Find our Troposphere in this colorful chart of our Atmosphere: Atmosphere to View. Read more about the Troposphere and other layers of the Atmosphere at that website, too.

Art Project: Draw and color your own chart of the atmosphere, similar to the one you saw above. Or use different colors of construction paper to create the different levels of the atmosphere. Determine where the Earth and the troposphere is. Then cut out and color shapes to indicate the Earth, mountains, trees, sky, sun, clouds, birds, airplanes, meteors, stars, spaceships, etc. Then glue them in their proper layers of the atmosphere. Discuss the ones that you see most often and the ones you see only occasionally. Why is that?

Fun Science Project: Create your own 3-Dimensional World. Use cardboard and boxes, construction paper, tissue paper, etc., to replicate the views you see around you. Glue “grass” onto the cardboard. Create houses, trees, and animals (from boxes and construction paper), flowers and plants (from colorful tissue paper), sidewalks and creek banks (from small rocks and twigs). Use your imagination to create your own 3-dimensional world!

Math Skills: Determine distances and heights: How tall are the trees around you? How tall is your house? How long is your sidewalk and how long is your street? How long is the river that flows through your town? How high are the clouds? How high do the airplanes fly? How far away is the sun and the moon? How far away are the stars? Write these down in a Science Journal. Make a Chart, showing the “shortest/closest” items, all the way up to the “tallest/farthest away” places.

More Math Skills: More on distances and heights: How far does our troposphere extend (about 10 miles)? How far is 10 miles? How far is 1 mile? How far is 5,280 feet (1 mile)? How far is 10 miles (52,800 feet)? How far is 1 foot or 3 feet? How long is the room you are in? How long is your sidewalk or driveway? Measure these with rulers, yardsticks, tape measures. Walk or bike 1 mile with your parents (5,280 feet). Ride 10 miles in a car with your parents (52,800 feet). Think of how all these distances relate in the world around you and above you. Write about these distances in your Science Journal or Make Charts illustrating these distances.

Field Trips and Photographs: Take field trips through your neighborhood, towns, and cities. Take photos of scenes in your world, such as fields, woods, rivers, mountains, parks, birds, squirrels, deer, horses, buildings, barns, bridges, benches, people walking, people biking, kites flying, planes flying, clouds drifting. Take field trips often, and take photos often, too. Put the photos in a scrapbook or journal. Describe this world around you, and how it changes from time to time, or from season to season.

Draw or Paint Pictures inspired by your field trips and photos. Display your artwork or keep your drawings and paintings in an Art box, folder, or portfolio. Draw or paint your world often. Always keep your art projects to look back on.

Read Books on Troposphere and Atmosphere, such as Stickmen's Guide to Earth's Atmosphere in Layers; Our Amazing Sky; Atmosphere: Earth Science; and The Layers of Earth’s Atmosphere. What more did you learn in these books?

Read Books on the World Around Us, such as Explore My World series; Exploring Nature Activity Book; Secret World of Plants; One Million Insects; Fascinating Animal Book; The Skies Above My Eyes; Sky Gazing: Guide to the Moon, Sun, Planet, Stars; and books on Around Town; Country Life; Farm Life; City Life. Discuss how these books relate to your world around you.

Music on Troposphere and Atmosphere: The Atmosphere Song by Math Dad. Have fun with this one!

Lessons learned and skills sharpened: Earth science, Life science, the World, Math Skills, Measurements, Calculating Distances, Social Studies, Communities, Reading, Writing, Journaling, Science Projects, Research Skills, Critical Thinking, Spatial Thinking, Creative Thinking, Arts and Crafts, Music, Field Trips, Photography, Scrapbooking, Painting, Drawing, and more. Jot down these lessons and activities in your lesson logbook or on our log sheets (available here: Weekly Planner Log link.)

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Lessons, Learning Activities, Who I Am

An earlier, fun lesson focused on having your child ask: “Where in the world am I?” (See the previous post from August 1.)

Those Educational Activities covered Social Studies, Geography, Community, Map-Making, Math Skills, Reading, Writing, Researching, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Spatial Thinking, Reasoning Skills, Computer Skills, Arts and Crafts, Music, and more.

Now have your children ask: “Who in the world am I?” Remembering who we are and our place in the world is important for each of us, at any age!

Discuss Children's Sense of Self and who they are. Maybe they’re an only child, or one of many. What’s their place in the family: oldest child, youngest child, middle child, and how do they feel about that?

Family Tree activity: Create or draw a unique Family Tree or print one from a source such as: Family Trees to Print. Have kids list their brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, and even aunts, uncles, and cousins if they’d like.

Genealogy activity: To learn more about Family History, try creating a Family Record and Migration Maps, showing where one’s ancestors originated from or traveled from. Record details about ancestors in the Family Record or Create a Scrapbook showing your family’s history. For Family Records or Migration Maps, see these Genealogy Printables: Family Records to Print.

Family Interviews: Encourage your children to contact relatives and ask them questions about their experiences as kids, where they lived, how they lived, what they did as kids in the summer and winter, and how life has changed for them over the years. As parents, share details about your own youth, too.

Write this information in a Family History Notebook, or add the details in a Scrapbook or Family Record.

Do the Math: Use Math Skills to calculate each family member’s current age, based on their birth dates or birth year. Determine the year that a grandparent was 8 years old and riding a bike to the store. Or the year a great-grandparent moved across the country when he or she was 12 years old. Have your own children determine how old they were when they learned to ride a bike, or moved to a new location, or learned to play an instrument, or started a new hobby. Put this information in the Family History Records, too!

Hobbies: Children can think about their hobbies or special interests, and write about them in their notebook or journal. Which hobbies or activities have they enjoyed the most? Why? What new hobbies or activities would your children like to try next? Help them take the next steps to pursue their current interests.

Personality and Character: Why are hobbies and special interests important to us? It’s part of Who We Are. It’s part of our Character, our Personality, our Human Nature. Who Am I? I am someone who likes to ________ (fill in the blank!). Then go for it! Be true to your nature and follow your dreams!

Self-Description: Describe yourself, through writing, video, or audio recordings. Describe your Personality: your daily disposition, your happiness, your eagerness, your struggles or challenges, and how you feel about that. Describe your Character: your unique traits, your thoughts, your behaviors, your actions, and why you feel the way you do.

Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence: Think about what makes you feel good about yourself. Maybe it’s being good in math, reading, writing, art, or music. Maybe it’s being good at basketball or swimming. Maybe it’s organizing your collections, or building things, or science projects, or creating new ideas. Maybe it’s helping your sister or brother, or helping your parents. Every day, there’s things you can do that make you proud of yourself. These things increase your self-confidence, your self-esteem, your self-worth, your self-joy! Do these things as often as possible!

Self-Improvement: We all have room for self-improvement! If there’s things your child wants to get better at, remind them that they can “Try, Try Again!” Some say that if you really want to get better at something, do it every day – maybe 15 minutes a day, maybe an hour a day, maybe 2 hours a day, or even more. Depending on how badly your child wants to improve, help them set a daily practice schedule that works for them.

Self-Responsibility: What’s your child’s sense of responsibility to his or her self? Taking care of toys, books, collectibles, and art supplies might top the list for many kids. Brushing teeth, bathing, grooming, etc., are also at the top of the list. Keeping their room neat and organized can be a responsibility. They can also help with their laundry, sorting and putting away clothes. Having age-appropriate chores and accomplishing them can be part of their responsibilities. Having age-appropriate rules and following the rules is a responsibility. Being a responsible and helpful person is always part of Who We Are.

Art Projects: Create a diorama of your home, as simple or complex as your child would like. Have your child create paper figures of each member of your family, as basic or detailed as they like. Then place the figures in various rooms of the house, where the family can interact with each other. Place the family members’ names on the figures, label the rooms of the house, describe the events occurring in the diorama, and display it on a shelf. Have the diorama “tell a story” of your child’s life today. In a few weeks or months, make another diorama, depicting your child’s story at that point in their life. Have your child think about “Who I Am Today” compared with “Who I Was Yesterday.”

Games to Play: Family History Bingo, Family Tree Connection, The Genealogy Game, Ancestree Game, Pando Family History, The Family History Ball, Family Trivia, and even The Oregon Trail.

Books to Read: Who I Am; I Like Myself; Self-Confidence Building Book; I Am, I Can Affirmations; Unplug: 365 Fun Family-Friendly Activities for Kids; I Can Do It; Steam Kids Projects; Hobby Time Adventure Journal; Family Tree Activity Book; and more.

Lessons learned and skills sharpened: History, Social Studies, Math, Reading, Writing, Science, Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, Arts and Crafts, Research Skills, Scrapbooking, Journaling, Hobbies, and more. Jot down these lessons and activities in your lesson logbook or on our log sheets (available here: Weekly Planner Log link.)

Happy Homeschooling!

Weekly Homeschool Lessons, Learning Activities, Where I Am

Some “school years” begin in August (which seems too early!), but we at Everything Homeschooling will begin providing homeschool activities and homeschool lessons this month, too.

To ease into your homeschool year, here are some learning ideas and activities, which will be fun and educational for your children this week. See the end of this post for ways to document homeschool activities each week.

Week 1:

Have your children ask: “Where in the world am I?”

Then think about that. Maybe their answers will include: Home. With my family. In a town or city. In the country. On a farm.

Then ask your children: What’s the name of your town, city, or neighborhood? What’s your address? Write this down.

How far do you live from the grocery store, the dollar store or convenience store, library, park, zoo, gym, museum, recreation center, and other special places?

Draw a map of your area and label these places on your map. Mark the location of your home on the map, too, along with your address.

Do the math: Determine how far each of these places are from your home. Use Google Maps to measure the distance and calculate the time it takes to travel there by car or by walking or biking. Or, track the distance and time it takes the next time you visit those places.

Write these details on your map or keep them in a notebook.

Print maps of the world, the United States, regional maps, state maps, and more here: Maps to Print link.

Label the maps, noting your location in the world, in the United States, and in your state.

Learn more about map making and reading maps, research different types of maps, view aerial or satellite maps, street maps, terrain or topography maps, and more.

Arts and Crafts Activities: Make your own map by cutting out colorful shapes to match states or provinces. Cut out an outline of your country from cardboard, then glue your states in place. Be creative, and use whatever colorful materials or supplies you have to make your map unique and decorative!

Music and Songs: On the Map Song; Geography Songs; 50 States Songs; 7 Continents Songs; and more.

Books to Read: Me on the Map; Where on Earth?; Beginner’s World Atlas; Fun with 50 States; Maps & Geography; Geography: A Visual Encyclopedia; Draw the USA; Draw the World; Geography Activity Books; and many more at your library or online.

Games to Play: World Game Board Game; Race Across the USA; Great States; Ticket to Ride; Map of the World Puzzles; United States Puzzles; and more.

Lessons learned and skills honed: Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Community, Geography, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Math Skills, Map Drawing, Spatial Thinking, Computer Skills, Technology, Reasoning Skills, Arts and Crafts, Music, and more. Jot down these lessons and activities in your lesson logbook or on our log sheets (available here: Weekly Planner Log link.)

Happy Homeschooling!

Everything Homeschooling Returns 2022!

Yes, EverythingHomeschooling.com is returning here this year! The Covid pandemic is subsiding, thankfully. But it reminded us of something we've always known: learning can take place anywhere, anytime. Buildings or facilities, away from the security and comfort of home, are not required for learning. Why? Because children naturally learn every day. How? Because children are naturally curious, always seeking answers to their many questions.

We, as human beings, are born curious. It's an important driving force for how we learn. We are inquisitive, by nature, always wanting to learn more. We do not require teaching facilities. We only require people who respect our curiosity, our thoughts, and our ideas, who are willing to listen, and to provide guidance in finding the answers we seek. This is what our children need, possibly now more than ever before.

And we at Everything Homeschooling will be here to help guide and assist in your educational and learning adventures. If you have questions, email us at EVHomeschooling@gmail.com.

We'll be adding more information in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, think about the things your children have learned this summer, either on their own or with you. Ask them what new things they might want to learn, or new hobbies or activities they'd like to try, in the days and weeks to come. Learning will naturally occur as they pursue the activities they most enjoy!

Happy homeschooling!

Flexibility and Freedom to Learn

Flexibility and Freedom to Learn! These two concepts make a major difference in the home-school environment. Some families are still struggling with online schools or virtual school programs. Some children find virtual schools boring, uninteresting, or not challenging enough. Others find the blocks of time required for certain subjects to be restrictive or too limiting. These issues all hinder the real learning children could be pursuing.

Virtual school programs – as an alternative to face-to-face learning – might sound okay. To some, virtual schools might seem similar to homeschooling. But as most homeschoolers know, homeschooling isn’t “school at home.”

Homeschooling is a whole-child, well-rounded, natural way of learning that occurs every day – just as children naturally learned and acquired necessary skills from the time they were born, with guidance and care from parents. True homeschooling automatically puts your child’s happiness, health, unique learning style, innate curiosity, life skills, life goals, and real interest in learning first and foremost.

Keep Flexibility and Freedom to Learn in mind this week – and in all the weeks to come. If your child is interested in cats this week, read books, picture books, and illustrated articles on cats of all types – pet cats, domestic cats, feral cats, tigers, lions, cheetahs, panthers, cougars, leopards, jaguars, ocelots, pumas, and more in the Felidae family of cats and wildcats.

Watch cats in real time, online, at rescue centers or zoos, view images of cats and their anatomy, compare their likenesses and differences, compare their running speeds, distances they can cover, their habitats, their behaviors and characteristics, the way they care for their young, the challenges they’ve faced in the past and could face in the future.

Allow children plenty of time, flexibility, and freedom to learn all they want to learn about cats – or dogs, birds, bears, whales, fish, frogs, insects, spiders, snakes – wherever their interest lies this week, or next week, and in the weeks to come.

Maybe it’s robots that excites your child this week. How many different types of robots are there? Walking robots, talking robots, flying robots, swimming robots, crawling robots, one-legged robots, bipedal, tripedal, quadrupedal, hexapods. Who knew there were so many different types of robots!

What types can your child design or build? There’s wheeled robots, mobile robots, stationary robots, remote-controlled robots, autonomous robots, virtual robots, military robots, space robots, social-services robots, industrial robots, domestic robots!

Robots, alone, could encompass an entire month or semester of learning! And with freedom and flexibility, this one topic would include all areas of learning: reading, creating, drawing, describing, writing, calculating, programming, math applications, scientific applications, historic applications, creative thinking, critical thinking, analytical thinking, logical thinking, reasoning skills, inventive skills, and problem-solving skills.

All children deserve freedom and flexibility to learn about a wide variety of subjects and to pursue topics that capture their interests. That’s the beauty and the benefits of homeschooling!

Hundreds more learning ideas and educational activities are provided by EverythingHomeschooling.com for a well-rounded, interesting school year.

Happy homeschooling!

Learn Through Nature

Nature is all around us -- the woods by our house, the park down the street, the yard outside our back door. Take 20 or 30 minutes today to explore your yard, park, or woods. Then, in a small notebook, jot down everything you notice during your explorations. This can be your field guide to the natural world surrounding your home or neighborhood.

Draw your observations in your notebook, too. Even a quick, rough sketch of a few things you and your child noticed will help you recall your field trip into nature. Over the coming week, revisit the notebook and sketches, and research nature's beauty: the crystal ice formations in a puddle or creek, the patterns found on a pine cone or fern leaf, the intricate chimney of a crayfish.

Why -- and how -- does the magic of nature occur? Read, research, question, discuss, and learn! Nature provides a bountiful education covering a world of topics for all ages!

Happy homeschooling from EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Heart-Health Activities + Valentines

Heart-Health Activities: February is American Heart Month, highlighting the importance of healthy hearts, fun activities, and healthy foods. Use heart-themed activity sheets to help your children learn more about healthy hearts.

1. Print a Heart diagram and/or a “Heart House” diagram to learn more about the workings of the heart.

2. Print a Healthy Heart Coloring Page featuring healthy foods.

3. Print a Heart Healthy Calorie Calculation Math Sheet, helping to solve math problems while counting calories.

4. Print a Move-It Minutes Tracking Chart, to track time spent on active play or daily exercises.

5. Print a Count Your Steps Tracking Chart, to track the number of steps achieved on walks or runs.

6. Have your child draw an illustration of a working heart. Then see how many parts of the heart he or she can label correctly.

7. Encourage children to design and create their own Valentine's Day cards. Then compare their creations to the illustrations of working hearts. In what ways do their creations resemble working hearts? Have fun and be creative!

Keep these activity sheets, illustrations, and creations in your child's portfolio or learning logs.

See EverythingHomeschooling.com for these and hundreds more learning activities.

Weekly lessons are also available for 9 months of learning fun in all subject areas!

Happy homeschooling!

Mid-Year Homeschool or Second Semester Homeschooling

Second Semester Homeschool or Mid-Year Homeschooling

You can begin homeschooling your children at any time of the year. Many families prefer to make the transition during the semester break.

Here are some helpful ideas to make the transition go smoothly:

• Check state laws by contacting your state's homeschool association or the homeschool division of your state's department of education.

• Allow plenty of time for your children to decompress, to reconnect with the normal rhythms of family life, and to "find themselves" again.

• Don't stress over what "to teach" or be intimidated by Common Core Standards. The Standards only pertain to public schools. Your homeschool need not be governed by Common Core Standards. If you want to follow the Standards for English and Math, you may read them on the CoreStandards.org website. (Note: State standards have been around since the beginning of public schools and continually evolve or are changed.)

• Discuss your children's interests, then take a field trip to your local library. Check out armloads of books, DVDs, and educational games that relate to your child's current interests.

• Observe your child's best learning style, i.e., visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic learning styles. Incorporate specific activities that best support or supplement your child's unique ways of garnering, processing, and absorbing information.

• Start a scrapbook at the beginning of your homeschool and allow children to be as creative with it as they want to be. Encourage them to add to the scrapbook regularly. This will become a type of "portfolio" or "record" of your child's daily or weekly homeschool experiences.

• For daily and weekly homeschooling, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Make a Globe, Learn about Olympics and Learn about Your World

Become more familiar with your world by making a globe and locating Sochi, the setting for the Winter Olympics, on your globe. Make a balloon globe and label Sochi on the globe. Then label your state and town on the balloon globe, and determine the distance between your hometown and Sochi.

To make a balloon globe -- or a papier mache globe -- follow the easy instructions on our "Today's Lesson" at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

For daily lessons all year, see the "Weekly Lessons" on our site at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

For hands-on activities, see the "Hands-On Experiments" on our site at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Remember: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." - Confucius

Happy homeschooling!

Free Science Experiments

 Try these fun and educational Science Experiments featured on our Free Activities page! 

1. Sprouting Seeds Activity
2. Learning with Seeds
3. Submarine Play - Sinking/Floating
4. Sinking a Marshmallow
5. Cloud in a Bottle
6. Tornado in a Bottle
7. Crystals on Paper Tree
8. Exploding Art
9. Bouncing Cornstarch Ball
10. Butterfly Activities

Click the Free Activities link to get started:

EverythingHomeschooling.com

Happy Homeschooling!

Free Homeschool Activities and Weekly Homeschool Lessons

Free Learning Activities This Week

- Valentine’s Day Crafts: Hearts Quilt, Be-Mine Jewelry, Bumpy Love Bug Sculpture
- Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages
- Valentine’s Day History and Origins
- Plus: Build Paper Skyscrapers
- Learn about Skyscrapers and Tall Structures
- Static Electricity Activities
- Library Activities and the Dewey Decimal System
- Learn about Charles Dickens and his books
- Learn about Submarine Technology, and more free activities!

For Free Activities, click:

EverythingHomeschooling.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Black History Month Activity

Read and Research these African-American Women Inventors:

Write brief descriptions about these women. What did they invent or accomplish? Which is most amazing to you? How have they inspired you?

1. Miriam Benjamin
2. Sarah Boone
3. Sarah Goode
4. Lyda D. Newman
5. Judy W. Reed

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This Week's Lessons: Week 20

Language Arts:
- Take the Book Adventure;
- Write and Illustrate a Book, with Activity Lab;
- Play the Educational Language Arts Games on Nouns, Verbs, Grammar, and more;
- Practice the Vocabulary, Spelling, and Reading Skills;
- Read the Featured Book Online, Starting Today!

Social Studies:
- Learn about Black History Month;
- Explore Culture, History, Geography, Government, and Economics;
- Learn about Natural Wonders, World Geography, and more;
- Play the History and Geography Games;
- Choose a Variety of Social Studies Games to Test Your Knowledge Base.

Math:
- Practice Math Skills with Math Magician, Multiplication Bridge, Olympic Challenge, and more;
- Learn from Probability Activities, such as Fish Tank, Coin Toss, Train Race, and more;
- Refresh Fraction Skills with Flowering Fractions, Wise Up, and Who Wants Pizza;
- Enhance Algebra, Geometry, Graphing Skills, and Overall Math Skills;
- Play the Money Games, Fraction Games, and Improve Everyday Math Skills.

Science:
- “Visit” SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Discovery Cove online, to Observe and Learn about Animals;
- Try the Activity on Food Chains and Draw Examples of an Ecosystem;
- Learn about the Animal Kingdom, Vertebrates, Invertebrates, and more;
- Explore the “Cells” page to Learn More about Plant Cells, Animal Cells, Mitosis, Meiosis, Cell Biology, and more.
- Learn about Energy, Matter, Light, the Solar System, and more, with This Week’s Science Lessons!

Life Skills, Health, and Safety:
- Get Kids and Teens Cooking with the Featured Kid-Friendly Recipes;
- See Healthy Recipes for Kids and Help Them Understand Nutritional Information;
- Learn about Being a Hero in the Community;
- See How to Develop Good Character;
- Learn about Compassion and How to be More Compassionate.

Art and Music:
- Create Art Online with the Interactive Art Applications and Ideas;
- Use the Interactive Ideas to Replicate Art on Drawing Paper or Canvas;
- Learn How to Read Music through the Basic Instructions;
- Create Music Online and Play the Music Online;
- Duplicate Your Online Musical Compositions on Your Piano, Recorder, Guitar, or Other Musical Instrument.

LEARN All of the Above and MORE! Just click the Grades K-2 Lessons, Grades 3-6 Lessons, Grades 6-9 Lessons, or Grades 9-12 Lessons on our Everything Homeschooling site at:

.EverythingHomeschooling.com

Happy Homeschooling!