Many families tell us that they would love to homeschool their children. But they work full-time jobs and assume it’s impossible. Fear not! You can homeschool your children, even when working full time. I’ll explain how.
Homeschooling is easier for remote workers or work-from-home parents. But if you work away from the home, it can seem more challenging. However, “Weekend Homeschool” and/or “Evening Homeschool” is the answer.
Average daily “time requirements” for “teaching” your child range from 1 hour per day (younger children) to 3 or 4 hours per day (older children or teens). Yet, the older your children are, the more capable they are of directing their own learning, with guidance and input from parents. So it’s not necessary to sit with older kids for 3 or 4 solid hours each day – unless you want to, of course.
One of the simplest ways to homeschool, when working full time, is to discuss lessons or activities with your children in the mornings or evenings. Include an easy-to-follow guideline of what your children are to focus on that day. They can refer to the guideline throughout the day.
On weekends, you can become involved in more hands-on learning activities, science experiments, family field trips, and reviewing any lessons that were challenging or needing extra attention. Allow plenty of freedom and flexibility for engaging in the lessons, topics, and activities during the week.
Other options include the possibility of working 1 or 2 days at home and doing more homeschool projects on those days. Or perhaps you can take your child to work with you a couple days a week. Or have your child’s caretaker oversee the homeschool lessons during the week, then make the most of fun learning activities on weekends.
Always discuss the learning activities or lessons at the end of each day. One of the best times for this is during your evening meal or as you take walks together at the end of the day. Discuss the favorite parts of the day’s activities and what your children learned that day. Ask them what they might have had difficulties with. And ask them what they’d like to learn about tomorrow.
Jot down the activities and lessons in your logbook or on our log sheets (download here: Weekly Planner Log link.)
To start homeschooling this week, take a field trip to your library. Let your children pick out any books that interest them. They’ll be transported to new worlds and learn something new from each book.
Here’s recent books that parents and kids have found interesting and educational:
Younger kids:
1. Backyard Build by Jonathan Litton
2. Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda
3. Copycat by Christy Hale
4. Emile and the Field by Kevin Young
5. Frances in the Country by Liz Garton Scanlon
Older kids:
1. Artificial Intelligence by Dinah Williams
2. Northwind by Gary Paulsen
3. Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga
4. Unstoppable Us by Yuval Noah Harari
5. Wisdom of Trees by Lita Judge
To start homeschooling today, see our previous blog posts, such as:
* Hands-On Math Activities blog post
* 500+ Science Activities post
* Social Studies, History, and Geography
* Weekly Homeschool Activities posts
* Click the Labels, below, or the Labels on previous posts.
Visit us weekly for new learning activities and ideas!
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Happy Homeschooling!
Showing posts with label library activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label library activities. Show all posts
Sunday, July 30, 2023
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Library Week Ideas for Creating, Making, Building, Inventing
Use these book ideas for building, creating, making, and inventing. Try some of these and have a blast!
1. Make rockets! Check out Make Rockets: Down-to-Earth Rocket Science by Mike Westerfield.
2. Make toys! Check out Make Fun: Create Your Own Toys, Games, and Amusements by Bob Knetzger.
3. Make robots! Check out Making Simple Robots: Exploring Cutting-Edge Robotics with Everyday Stuff by Kathy Ceceri.
4. Make machinery! Check out Make Paper Inventions: Machines that Move, Drawings that Light Up, and Wearables and Structures You Can Cut, Fold, and Roll by Kathy Ceceri.
5. Make inventions! Check out Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation by AnnMarie Thomas.
6. Make fun projects! Check out The Invent to Learn Guide to Fun by Josh Barker.
7. Make awesome projects! Check out Sylvia’s Super-Awesome Project Book by Sylvia Todd.
8. Make books! Check out Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist & Turn by Gwen Diehn.
9. Make animated cartoons! Check out Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair.
10. Make movies! Check out How to Make a Movie in 10 Easy Lessons by Robert Blofield.
11. Make video games! Check out Video Game Programming for Kids by Jonathan S. Harbour.
12. Make manga characters! Check out Mastering Manga by Mark Crilley.
13. Make nature scrapbooks! Check out The Nature Explorer’s Scrapbook by Caz Buckingham and Andrea Pinnington.
14. Make crocheted items! Check out Learn to Crochet by Alison McNikol.
15. Make watercolor paintings! Check out Watercolour for the Absolute Beginner by Matthew Palmer.
16. Make LEGO architecture! Check out The LEGO Architect by Tom Alphin.
17. Make a new room! Check out DIY Bedroom Decor: 50 Awesome Ideas for Your Room by Tana Smith.
18. Make science experiments! Check out Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments by Mike Adamick.
19. Make meals! Check out Kid Chef: The Foodie Kids Cookbook by Melina Hammer.
20. Make money! Check out How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000 by James McKenna.
Note: When looking for these books at your library, be sure to peruse other nearby books, too. You never know what wonderful gems you’ll discover in your library during National Library Week or any week of the year!
For Weekly Homeschool Lessons and daily learning fun, contact us at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
Happy Homeschooling!
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