Creativity and Art Builds Skills

Creativity and Art help kids develop critical divergent thinking skills, along with problem-solving skills. In addition, creativity and art provide outlets for processing ideas, expressing emotions, and simply having fun in a low-stress, peaceful manner.

This painting -- "Raining Rainbows" -- was inspired by watching the rain fall upon a lake near our home. As I applied the paints, the vision took on a life of its own, feeling as if I were watching a rainbow streaming down into the waters of the lake.

Easy enough for kids to try, abstract pieces like these are especially enjoyable and rewarding to render. They help boost creativity and provide a gratifying sense of accomplishment. This, in turn, helps to build self-confidence, new skill sets, and a new, fun hobby, as well!

The short YouTube video of this painting can be viewed here: Quick Abstract Art Try your own version of the painting!

Happy homeschooling!

New Year! New Knowledge! New Ideas!

As the New Year unfolds, New Learning Ideas are available from EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Examples include:

1. New Views of Our Galaxy

2. Fascinating Facts about Our Galaxy

3. Earth – Layer by Layer

4. Science Vocabulary and Terms

5. Dogs - Fascinating Facts

6. Cats - Fascinating Facts

7. Math Strategies

8. Math Flashcard Games

9. Climate Change Teen

10. Reading Aloud for All Ages
- Reading Suggestions for Ages 3-6
- Reading Suggestions for Ages 6-8
- Reading Suggestions for Ages 9-12
- Reading Suggestions for Ages 13+

Visit Everything Homeschooling at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy New Year and 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!

Creative Homeschooling

Creativity is an important component of each day.

Much has been said about problem-solving skills, which are certainly important. But expecting children to solve a problem, or to come up with solutions, without having ample opportunities to be creative and inventive, can limit their abilities to solve problems.

Therefore, creative-thinking skills are as important as critical-thinking skills. To help foster creativity in children, we can avoid focusing on perfectionism, or on making comparisons or judgments, which only add pressure, stress, and anxiety.

For children, the creative process is always more important than the end result or product. The benefits lie within the creative activity itself: the enjoyment, the freedom, the exploration, the hands-on learning.

Respect and support for creative endeavors, experiments, and projects is much more helpful. If a project doesn't turn out the way a child anticipated, we can encourage him to try again or to consider a different approach the next time. We want to refrain from taking over the project and telling him how we would do it.

The following ideas encourage creativity in your children:

1. Allow plenty of free time for working on creative projects.

2. Create space for projects, so children can easily revisit them and work on projects between other activities.

3. Provide plenty of craft and creative materials: papers, card stock, colored pencils, markers, crayons, paints, paste, glue, tape, safety scissors, clay, craft sticks, chenille stems, beads, sequins, glitter, felt, yarn, buttons, gears, dials, nuts, bolts, spindles, construction pieces, small motor parts or solar parts, etc.

4. Encourage discussions about projects and activities, including "what-if" questions, alternative ideas, and unique visions.

5. Allow quiet time and solitude for contemplation and creation.

6. Be a creative role model, participate in creative projects, and encourage brainstorming sessions and collaboration on projects.

For creative ideas on homeschooling your children, plus Weekly Homeschool Lessons for Grades K-12, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com and have fun learning!

Happy homeschooling!

Back to School Costs versus Summer Learning Fun

It's still Summer! And we're still enjoying Summer Learning Fun at EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Meanwhile, some families are spending far too much money on back to school costs. I just read that the cost for school supplies, alone, is approximately $100 per child, according to the National Retail Federation. And with clothes, shoes, and electronics, the cost can be close to $700 per family with kids in kindergarten through high school!

Fortunately, through EverythingHomeschooling.com, families can educate ALL their children, from Kindergarten through High School, for FREE! And that allows children to remain in a safe, comfortable, low-stress environment — which is priceless!

Avoid the outrageous Back-to-School costs this year and come join us! It'll be less stressful for you and your family, and your children will enjoy a fun, well-rounded education all year long through our site: EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy Homeschooling!