Reading Is Brain Food!

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!

Curriculum Guidelines + Weekly Learning Ideas

If you’re not quite ready for the new homeschool year or you’re needing some guidance, this “Free Curriculum Guideline” by Worldbook can provide ideas for the coming weeks and months.

Subjects Areas, Topics, and Sub-Topics are all outlined in an easy-to-view format for each grade level from Kindergarten through Elementary, Middle School, and High School.

For weekly lessons based on the subjects and topics outlined there, you and your children can select books from your local public library. The more interesting the books are to your children, the better they’ll learn!

We also have hundreds of activities listed here on our blog for weekly learning. Just click the categories shown in "Labels" below our blog posts, such as Free Homeschool Lessons, Hands-on Activities, Learning Activities, Language Arts, Math Activities, Reading, Science Activities, Social Studies, STEM, Unschooling, etc.

We’ll continue to provide learning ideas and educational activities weekly and monthly, throughout the coming year.

Subscribe to our E-letter, in the box on the right, to receive weekly and monthly updates!

Be sure to check back often for new ideas!

Happy Homeschooling!

31 Learning Ideas + Art Fun

Inktober art fun -- and learning fun -- is here! If you’re not familiar with Inktober, it’s a challenge to improve one’s drawing skills. As the name implies, it’s drawing with ink each day in October, following 31 specific Inktober prompts. (You can quickly find the prompts by entering "Inktober 2024" online.)

You can also create your own Inktober prompts, and find loads of learning ideas through them, too.

If drawing with ink is too messy or intimidating, use whatever medium works for each of your children, be it crayon, pencil, marker, watercolor paint, etc.

Sketching each day is a great way to create a daily art habit that results in fun, joy, and a sense of accomplishment for everyone.

Plus, many educational ideas can be gleaned from the daily drawing prompts, as well.

For instance, Inktober prompts for October 2024 include topics such as Backpack, Discover, Hike, Horizon, Journal, Rhinoceros, Expedition, Scarecrow, Violin, Landmark.

As children sketch these topics, think of the educational ideas that can grow from them!

Here are a several learning ideas:

Using the “Backpack” drawing prompt, what “educational materials” might be inside the Backpack your children sketch? A Math Book? Draw a Math Book along with the Backpack. Then, from this idea, have fun with Math -- such as Online Math Games, or play Math Board Games, or engage in Mental Math Challenges with each other. What other learning ideas might be inside that Backpack?

With the “Discover” Inktober prompt, your children might draw a picture of something new they Discovered recently, thereby sketching and capturing that new knowledge on paper. Or maybe they’d want to draw an illustration of a Discovery made by explorers or inventors. This could lead to a world of learning and perhaps even encourage them to try their own inventions.

The “Hike” drawing prompt could take children anywhere in the world. This could involve educational subjects such as Geography and Social Studies (hiking to different areas, learning about mountains and forests or different cultures). Plus Math and Science skills could be practiced, by using logic to map out the time required for making the Hike, along with math calculations for determining the distance covered in the Hike.

With the “Expedition” prompt, research “Famous Expeditions” or “Historic Expeditions” (see Historical Expeditions). These are full of learning ideas for Social Studies, Geography, History, Science, Math, and more. Or plan the logistics of your own Expedition as field trips or day trips in your area. Then sketch your local Expeditions and discuss how much you learn through these trips.

For drawing prompts like “Rhinoceros” see photos of Rhinos online, read any of the many books about Rhinos, and learn about why some species are endangered. Go on an Expedition or field trip to your local zoo to see the rhinoceros and learn about their habitat, savannas, and grasslands. Make sketches of their environment, too, or sketches of any other animals or areas in the zoo.

Whether using the specific Inktober prompts – or using 31 or more of your own family’s ideas – imagine the numeours ways you can expand learning opportunities, simply based upon the fun, engaging activity of drawing, sketching, and creating!

It’s a form of daily learning that your children will enjoy and always remember! And imagine how much fun and learning your children would have if you created prompts like this for each day of every month!

It’s so enjoyable that I've set up my own Art Studio (see Misty Glow Studio) for embracing art inspiration and experimenting with creativity. Perhaps your children can, too!

If interested in seeing my Nature-Inspired Paintings, please visit:

My Website: MistyGlowStudio.com

My Etsy shop: Etsy.com/Shop/MistyGlowStudio

My YouTube channel: YouTube.com/MistyGlowStudio

Happy homeschooling!

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!

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!

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!

Your Child's Best Learning Style

Observe and Highlight Your Child’s Learning Style -- Plus Enter to Win a Book on Learning Styles

As you prepare for your homeschool year, remember to observe your child’s best learning style. The style that works for one child won’t necessarily work for another. When children process information in the way that works best for them, they’ll soar! And your homeschool adventures will be more successful and more enjoyable! For 9 months of Weekly Lessons for Grades K-12 in all subject areas, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Three Common Learning Styles

1. Visual learners. These children prefer to spend time poring over pictures and graphics, and respond to bright colors and visual stimulation. They tend to learn best through visual presentations.

2. Auditory learners. These children enjoy listening to music, CDs, or audio tapes, and to people reading aloud or talking. They can learn best through discussions and verbal information.

3. Tactile-kinesthetic learners. These children like to move around, touch things, and talk, plus they have a difficult time sitting still. They learn best through an active, hands-on approach.

Although a child may appear to be a visual learner or kinesthetic learner, it doesn’t exclude him from trying other learning styles, too, or a combination of styles. The important part is to help your child learn in the way that makes the most sense to him, while still providing a well-balanced learning environment.

* * *

Activities for Different Learning Styles

Visual learners need to see visual images, in order to fully absorb information. When thinking and processing information, they often see pictures in their minds.

Visual tips for visual learning environments:

• Create posters, artwork, or colorful pictorials to accompany lessons.
• Hang educational charts, displays, illustrations, maps, and mobiles.
• Make flow charts, pie charts, and diagrams to illustrate math and science concepts.
• Design colorful flashcards for spelling, vocabulary, English, and math skills.
• Use computer applications, software, or games for learning topics.
• Watch educational videos or DVDs.
• Read illustrated reference books or picture books.

* * *

Auditory learners learn through hearing. They grasp information better by listening to someone reading aloud or to CDs or audio books, hearing descriptions or experiences, or by participating in discussions.

Auditory tips for auditory learning environments:

• Read material aloud to auditory learners.
• Use rhythm and voice inflection when reading and talking.
• Present material in an interesting storytelling format.
• Create musical or dramatic presentations of topics studied.
• Record lessons for children to play and replay.
• Engage in lively discussions and debates on various subjects.
• Use CDs, audiotapes, or recorded books relating to topics studied.

* * *

Tactile and kinesthetic learners absorb information through touching and moving. This learning group is sometimes broken into two separate categories: tactile and tactile-kinesthetic. Both groups are similar, with the tactile-kinesthetics enjoying hands-on experiences as well as lots of movement in their learning styles.

Tactile-kinesthetic tips for tactile-kinesthetic learning environments:

• Understand that movement and touch is imperative for learning.
• Provide a variety of manipulatives for hands-on learning.
• Incorporate games, construction sets, Geoboards, and Cuisenaire rods into lessons.
• Use lab equipment for experimenting with science and math concepts.
• Perform dramatic plays that bring social studies and literature to life.
• Read or study while swaying to music or tapping feet.
• Create lessons choreographed to dance music.
• Take frequent field trips related to topics studied.

* * *

Most children will benefit from a combination of these activities. And children who lean toward a specific style will benefit greatly when more focus is placed upon their particular learning style.

*** Material above is an excerpt from my book, The Everything Guide to Homeschooling, Copyright © 2015, available through our website at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Have a Happy Homeschool Year!