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!

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!

Fun Homeschool Activities and Learning!

We hope all of you had a great summer!

As always, my heart sinks a bit when I see the “Back-to-School” sales being advertised in July! "Hey, it's still summertime in my world!" July and August should consist of the "dog days" of summer, the “lazy, crazy days" of summer – swimming, picnics, ice cream socials, county fairs, and relaxing in the sunshine, letting daydreams dance across our minds.

Soon, though, we'll be gearing up for a new Homeschool Year at Everything Homeschooling. And we have LOTS of interesting and fun learning ideas to share!

We make it SO EASY for you to help your children learn at home, at their own pace, in their own ways. Remember: You don't need to be a "teacher" – just continue being your child's parent, the person they love and look up to the most!

Visit us often at EverythingHomeschooling.com for fun learning activities and more educational ideas for the coming year!

Happy homeschooling!

Science: Atoms, Molecules, and the Five States of Matter

Five States of Matter

Matter is all around you and is made up of atoms and molecules. What's an atom? What's a molecule? Keep reading!

Atoms are the building blocks of matter. You have billions and billions of atoms in your body.

Molecules are atoms connected by chemical bonds.

Matter has mass, takes up space, and is all around you. There are 5 states of matter: solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, and Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs).

Describe your experiments and observations on our Science Experiment Log Sheets.

Use our Homeschool Forms to record your daily lessons and learning activities.

For Homeschool Forms and Homeschool Activities 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!

Plan Homeschool Lessons & Homeschool Lesson Plans

Use These 5 Tips to Plan Your Homeschool Lessons:

1. As you go about your day, think of topics that you and your children would like to learn more about.

2. Keep several small notebooks handy for jotting down learning ideas as they come to you throughout the day.

3. Briefly search book websites, such as Amazon.com, to find books to complement your topics of interest.  For History lessons, for instance, you'll find "The Civil War for Kids" or "The American Revolution for Kids."  For Science experiments, try "Science in Seconds for Kids" or "150 Captivating Chemistry Experiments."  Note the book titles on your "Library List" and take a field trip to your local library this week to pick up the books.

4. With your ideas and books in-hand, spend a comfy afternoon relaxing, sipping tea or hot chocolate, and jotting down homeschool lessons for the coming week.  Use each book's table of contents and the index for lesson plan ideas, including reading and writing activities, hands-on projects and art-related projects, plus math and reasoning exercises, all gleaned from the books you've selected.

5. Follow this format with every topic or idea that comes to mind, and you'll have plenty of homeschool lessons and activities for each month.

Or, Use the Homeschool Lesson Plans Already Created for You and Your Children:

1. See our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

2. Click your child's grade level and follow the "Weekly Homeschool Lessons" outlined for you.

3. If you'd prefer to follow the "Free Homeschool Lessons" and "Free Creative Writing Lessons," you may click on those, instead of the Weekly Lessons.

4. Print the "Weekly Planner Log" and "Reading Log" Sheets from our "Homeschool Forms" page, and fill them out with the "Weekly Lessons" and "Books to Read" Suggestions.

5. Do lots of fun Hands-On Activities and Experiments to complement the Weekly Lessons. Keep the Log Sheets, your child's completed projects, and photos of projects in your child's portfolio or homeschool binder or box.

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Curriculum Tips & Homeschool Activities

A 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."

In reality, a homeschool curriculum is simply "a plan of homeschool activities" that you use in your homeschool.  It need not be an expensive curriculum, nor does it need to incorporate textbooks or workbooks.

Homeschoolers can use textbooks and workbooks if they'd like.  But it certainly isn't necessary.

Your child will learn more readily and more fully when you and they homeschool in a manner that best complements their own unique learning styles.  Spend a bit of time determining your child's own learning style.  Consult the book, Discover Your Child’s Learning Style, by Mariaemma Willis.  Then, based upon your child's learning style, create your own curriculum -- your own program or plan of homeschool activities.

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 child, not force instruction upon him. Your role is to help him learn how to learn and to encourage him to seek answers to questions, find materials and information that will help him learn, explore the things that interest him, and find new and challenging ways to learn.

This, then, will be your family's homeschool curriculum!

For more help with creating your own homeschool curriculum, using homeschool activities, or hundreds of educational ideas for weekly homeschool lessons, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Activities + Homeschool Lessons + Unschooling

Homeschooling begins to wind down for many families in May and June. However, your children can continue learning with fun, educational projects all Spring and Summer at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

It's a great time to try the "unschooling" method of homeschooling, too. Our site provides a section just for unschoolers or for those of you who would like to incorporate some of the unschooling strategies into your homeschools.

You might be so impressed with how much your children learn through "unschooling" over the Spring and Summer, you'll continue unschooling year-round! If so, come visit us often at EverythingHomeschooling.com, and watch for our expanded "Unschooling" section debuting soon on our Everything Homeschooling website.

Happy homeschooling!

How to Start Homeschooling

We've had some questions lately from parents who'd like to know where to start homeschooling.

When starting to homeschool your children -- the best place to start is WITH your children. Discuss what THEY want to learn, what they want to do, regardless of their age.

Remember that "homeschooling" is not "school at home." Rather, it is a natural part of living and learning each day. When families try to "school-at-home," both parents and children often end up disappointed, confused, or frustrated. That's why we are here for you.

Flexibility, variety, and fun ways of learning ARE the KEYS to successful home education.

If you're just starting out, it's helpful to check your state's homeschool regulations and see what they require. The state laws often sound intimidating, but generally they're quite simple to comply with. If you have questions about your state laws, please e-mail us.

In many cases, homeschool families keep a homeschool portfolio, which can include homeschool records. Our "Homeschool Forms" page includes printable Weekly Planner Sheets, Reading Logs, and other forms for our subscribers. For "Homeschool Forms" see EverythingHomeschooling.com. You may use the Forms if you are unschooling, deschooling, homeschooling, or eclectic-schooling.

To use our Weekly Lessons, see our Home page.

Go as far as your children would like to go with the activities -- and, most importantly, let them branch off into any other directions. That's the beauty of homeschooling -- pursuing amazing paths and new adventures sparked by one small idea.

Do the Weekly Challenges, the Hands-On Activities, the Daily Activities, Daily Writing Prompts, Field Trips, Unit Studies -- described on our Home page and designed to provide ideas and inspiration that are interesting, enjoyable, and educational. Write down the activities your children do on the Weekly Planner Sheets from our "Homeschool Forms" page. (Older children can write down the activities they do each day or each week, to save you time.)

The main goal of our site is "Click and Do." It's simple for working parents, single parents, stay-at-home parents. We provide hundreds of educational activities throughout each year.

Simply "Click and Do" the activities, and allow your children to learn, to explore, and to pursue the activities and special interests, or follow new ideas, as well. Help guide them along the exciting paths that inspire or enthuse them.

Feel free to e-mail us with your questions. Our contact information is on our Home page.

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Curriculum & Homeschool Lessons

Do you provide a Homeschool Curriculum?

This is one of the questions we're often asked at Everything Homeschooling.

Yes, we do!

However, different people have different concepts of what a curriculum is. By definition, a curriculum is "a course of study" or "a set of courses."

The Weekly Homeschool Lessons and Homeschool Activities at EverythingHomeschooling.com follow, or complement, the "Typical Course of Study" that most educational institutes follow across the nation.

Yet, even those educational curriculums will vary, depending on the regions or districts where the curriculum is being used.

What one probably means when asking if Everything Homeschooling provides a curriculum is: Do we provide a "packaged curriculum"?

A "packaged curriculum" is not the best educational resource for homeschooling your children.

Why not? Because every child is unique, every child has his or her own learning styles, and every child learns at his or her own pace. A "packaged curriculum," on the other hand, is not designed specifically for your individual child's learning style, pace, or interests.

At EverythingHomeschooling.com, we help YOU help your children learn, by providing Weekly Homeschool Lessons and Homeschool Activities that interest YOUR CHILDREN. Plus, this Homeschool Curriculum can be adapted to YOUR CHILD's individual learning styles and abilities, at any time.

The best Homeschool Curriculum is the one that captures your children's interests, keeps them wanting to learn more, and helps them retain what they've learned. This occurs when the homeschool lessons are fun, interesting, and hands-on. And also because the homeschool curriculum is adaptable, flexible, and varied -- to work for YOUR child!

This is the type of homeschool curriculum we offer at EverythingHomeschooling.com. It's easy to use, very affordable, and, above all, it helps to make your homeschool successful, interesting, and enjoyable, as well as educational for your child.

Happy homeschooling!

Avoid Homeschool Burnout

Your family can avoid homeschool burnout by discussing what is still enjoyable each day and what is not. Try these tips to reduce the chance of burnout in your homeschool:

• Discuss what is working and what is not. Ask for suggestions and ideas to inspire and motivate learning.
• Determine the ways your children learn best and use those learning methods.
• Add more flexibility to your homeschool days, and take advantage of spontaneous learning opportunities.
• Avoid over-scheduling your days. You need a good balance of quiet activities with the busy activities.
• Add more fun and laughter to your homeschool lessons and homeschool activities.
• Set aside homeschool curriculum packages or programs that are not interesting to your children. (If your children aren't interested, they won't learn as well.)
• Switch from "busy-work" -- such as worksheets, writing assignments, or dull reading assignments -- to fun, hands-on learning projects and science experiments.
• Try unit studies or "unschooling" for a while, rather than traditional subjects. Remember that "homeschool" is not "school at home." Experiment with different learning methods.
• Ask children what they would like to learn this week, this month, this year. Encourage them to find and share fun ways to learn those things.
• Take field trips to the library and allow children to check out books that appeal to them. Also guide them in selecting informative books that look interesting. Use those books as the backbone of your daily learning, and discuss the books you read.
• Use arts and crafts as an excellent way to reinforce learning and to complement the topics you read, study, or explore.
• Find online homeschool activities that promote family learning projects. Many interesting projects and activities are available at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
• Reduce stress by lowering your expectations. Try not to do so much each day. Get support and help from others.
• Have children record their daily lessons in their homeschool logs, organize their homeschool books and supplies, and clean up after homeschool experiments or learning projects.
• Ask family members to help with daily chores around the home and to be responsible for specific aspects of the homeschool day.
• Take time for yourself to relax and unwind. Spend at least an hour each day on something you especially enjoy, such as reading, painting, knitting, or sitting in the sunshine.

When you are rested, refreshed, and recharged, homeschooling will be easier, and children will be happier and will learn more! Happy homeschooling!

Start Homeschooling + Homeschool Activities + Unschooling Ideas

During the Christmas break, many families once again consider homeschooling. Here's a few things to keep in mind:

One of the first things you'll want to do is give your children some "down time" to decompress and to relax, after being in the school environment. There's no need to jump right into lessons today, or this week, or even next week. Just relax and enjoy being together.

Have lots of interesting discussions with your children, find out what their current interests are, and basically reconnect with who they are today. Ask for their ideas on things they'd like to learn, hobbies they'd like to try, things they'd like to build or create, etc.

Many children have lost the ability to think for themselves, after being in school. So allow them the freedom to relax for a while, to think for themselves, and to consider all the possibilities and opportunities now open to them, as a result of homeschooling.

Always keep in mind that homeschooling is not "school at home." Homeschooling is simply living and learning each day, in ways that are interesting for your child and fit your child's individual learning styles and goals. Yes, there will need to be some structure and organization to your days eventually, but focus on the above, first.

Other things, such as cursive writing and multiplication tables, can and will be learned in time. But, first, redeveloping a real interest and joy in learning is important for the child who has been in a school environment.

For lots of homeschool activities, homeschool lessons, unschooling ideas, and homeschool information, please visit us at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Creating Homeschool Lessons & Homeschool Activities

It's not difficult to create Homeschool Lessons or Homeschool Activities. It starts with "wondering" and "thinking."

These are two critical abilities that some people "don't have time for" in their busy days. But it's imperative that people shift their priorities, so that they do, indeed, have plenty of time for wondering and thinking about a wide variety of topics each day. Especially homeschool families!

What is it that sets human beings apart from animals? "Wondering" and "thinking" are a couple of those elements that distinguish humans from animals.

Right there is a Homeschool Lesson, in itself. For your Homeschool Activities today, have children think of how many ways humans and animals differ from each other. Have them look at and compare pictures of both, research and consider instincts of both, wonder and think about the qualities of each species. Then write a descriptive paper on what they learned, along with drawings and illustrations, depicting some of the differences between humans and animals.

Wonder. Think. This is how Homeschool Lessons and Homeschool Activities are created, and enjoyed, and learned from.

Brainstorm with your children on more ideas that THEY would like to learn about. And, for more ideas and encouragement for your homeschool, be sure to visit EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy homeschooling!

Remove Child from School

About six weeks into the school year, I begin getting e-mails from parents who want to remove their child from school.

"My son is having problems in school. Can I take him out?"

"My daughter is being harassed in school. Can I withdraw her from school?"

Yes, and yes. No child HAS to go to a certain school. Every child CAN be educated at home.

So that you'll know your homeschool laws, check with your state's Department of Education. Don't rely upon information from your school or from the local school district. Call your state's Department of Education and request to speak with the Homeschool Department. (Every state Department of Education has a Homeschool Division.)

Armed with the information you receive from them, write a letter to your son's or daughter's school and explain that you are withdrawing them from school. There is no need to explain why, or to get into a lengthy discussion at your child's school, or try to "defend" your decision. At the same time, if you need to submit an "Intent to Homeschool" notice to your school's superintendent, you can do so. (The homeschool information you receive from the Dept. of Ed. will tell you if a Notice needs to be filed or not.)

Caution: If you start feeling overwhelmed by the legalese contained in the packet of homeschool information you receive from the State, don't let it bother you. Call your local homeschool support group, and they will explain what you need to do. It's truly much simpler than it sounds!

Once you have removed your child from the school system, the fun begins! And so does the learning! You'll be amazed at how much enthusiasm your child will begin showing for learning!

But FIRST, he or she will need to "decompress." This is a very important step that falls between the removal of your child from school and the beginning of the homeschool adventure.

Children are "conditioned" to function in a certain manner in school settings. When they are taken out of school, they need time to get used to NOT going to school. They need time to begin viewing their home as a place where their education will continue. They need to get a feel for how their days will play out in their home. They need a couple weeks -- sometimes more -- to get used to their new routine.

Don't worry. Your child won't "fall behind" during this decompression time. Many homeschoolers finish their homeschool year in half the time of a regular school year!

So go ahead, find out your state laws and withdraw your child from school. Then let the fun and learning begin!

If you need help or guidance, just contact us at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!