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."
But a homeschool curriculum is simply a "plan of activities" that you use in your homeschool. It need not be an expensive curriculum, nor does it need to incorporate textbooks or workbooks.
Your children will learn more readily and more fully when you and they homeschool in a manner that best complements their unique learning styles.
Observe your child's preferred style of learning -- such as hands-on learning through touch (tactile), or through moving and doing (kinesthetic), or seeing/visualizing (visual), or hearing/verbal (auditory), or a combination of these.
For help determining your child's learning style, check out some of these books:
* 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers, by Tina Hollenbeck
* Discover Your Child’s Learning Style, by Mariaemma Willis
* How Children Learn, by John Holt
* Learning All the Time, by John Holt
* The Way They Learn, by Cynthia Tobias
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 children, not force instruction upon them. Your role is to help them learn how to learn and to encourage them to seek answers to questions, find materials and information that will help them learn, explore the things that interest them, and allow them the freedom to learn in the style that works best for them.
This, then, will become the curriculum -- the "plan of activities" -- that best suits your children and your family!
For more help creating your own homeschool curriculum, using homeschooling or unschooling activities, or hundreds of educational ideas for weekly homeschool lessons, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
For a pastel painting demo, see "Summer Fields" at MistyGlowStudio.com or on my YouTube channel here: Misty Glow Studio.
Happy homeschooling!
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2025
Monday, September 30, 2024
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!
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!
Monday, October 9, 2023
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!
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!
Monday, September 25, 2023
5 Secrets for a Fun, Educational Homeschool Week
Here's 5 Secrets a Homeschool Family shared with us:
5 Subjects – 5 Days. Or one subject per day.
This homeschool family shared "5 Secrets" about their interesting homeschool schedule. A typical homeschool day for them revolves around one subject per day (or five subjects per week).
And best of all, their schedule is flexible, depending on how they’re feeling each week.
Here’s an example from one of their recent weeks:
1. Monday - Language Arts / Literature: Selecting favorite books to read and using them to recognize nouns, verbs, and all parts of speech. Then creating and writing sentences, paragraphs, and their own stories, while focusing on using descriptive parts of speech, new vocabulary words, and proper spelling.
2. Tuesday – Science / Experiments: Using the Scientific Method to test ideas or hypotheses when contemplating a variety of experiments. The experiments they choose can last the entire day, from morning till night, and Mom said Science Day is their favorite day of the week. The kids eagerly record their ideas, experiments, predictions, test methods, and results in their Science Journals at the end of Science Day, too.
3. Wednesday – Social Studies / History: Currently they’re reading the “Who Was?” series of historical biographies, which include over 200 books, such as Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?, Who Was Sacagawea?, Who Was Albert Einstein?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, Martin Luther King, Maria Tallchief, John Kennedy, Louis Armstrong, The Beatles, etc. The kids are enjoying the format, and the topics cross over into Literature, Science, the Arts, as well as providing social issues to discuss and their impact on today’s culture.
4. Thursday – Math / Technology: Since Math Day lasts all day, they sometimes start with reviewing math facts, such as using Multiplication and Division Flash Cards and timing the kids on how quickly they can get the answers. Then they move on to Math Games, such as Swat, Splat, or Math Bingo. They might also use manipulatives or toys such as Math Fidget Toys, Tubo toy, or Montessori-type math items to practice Math skills. Soon they’re creating with Marble Run sets, Mazes, Lego blocks, Construction sets, Bridge-Building kits, etc. These use mathematical planning, reasoning skills, logic, creative thinking, and critical thinking skills. At some point during the day, they’ll do some math worksheets, which usually focus on solving word problems.
5. Friday – Cultural Arts / Music: This is another favorite day for the kids, according to Mom. The kids get to choose the types of art, craft, and music activities they want to do on Fridays. Mom also said she found it interesting that if the kids read a historical biography such as Who Were the Beatles?, they were interested in playing Beatles music that week. Or if they read Who Was Pablo Picasso?, the kids were engrossed in creating their own versions of Picasso art.
Although each of the days above has a designated subject, this family finds that topics and subject areas often overlap.
So even if Monday is Literature Day, they could find themselves thinking about Math if they’re reading The Phantom Tollbooth, or Science and Time Travel if reading A Wrinkle in Time.
Or if Wednesday is History Day, they could be covering Geography or Science or Math or Art or Music, depending on the type of Historical Biographies they’re reading.
Also, there’s flexibility in this family’s schedule. If they don’t “feel like” Social Studies on Wednesday or Math on Thursday, they’ll switch things up.
Or if Mom realizes the kids are getting overwhelmed by too much Math one day, they’ll switch to doing something else, even if it’s unrelated to Math.
Maybe they’ll take a field trip to a local museum or library, or go on a picnic and a nature hike, or bake or cook favorite recipes, or bring out tubs of craft items and create something off the top of their heads. They often find that Math works its way into whatever they’re doing, anyway.
Overall, they’ve found this homeschool schedule fun, interesting, educational, flexible, and a great way to provide a well-rounded pool of knowledge and learning activities. It’s something your family might enjoy experimenting with, too.
Click any of the Labels below for more ideas for all subjects areas.
Happy homeschooling!
5 Subjects – 5 Days. Or one subject per day.
This homeschool family shared "5 Secrets" about their interesting homeschool schedule. A typical homeschool day for them revolves around one subject per day (or five subjects per week).
And best of all, their schedule is flexible, depending on how they’re feeling each week.
Here’s an example from one of their recent weeks:
1. Monday - Language Arts / Literature: Selecting favorite books to read and using them to recognize nouns, verbs, and all parts of speech. Then creating and writing sentences, paragraphs, and their own stories, while focusing on using descriptive parts of speech, new vocabulary words, and proper spelling.
2. Tuesday – Science / Experiments: Using the Scientific Method to test ideas or hypotheses when contemplating a variety of experiments. The experiments they choose can last the entire day, from morning till night, and Mom said Science Day is their favorite day of the week. The kids eagerly record their ideas, experiments, predictions, test methods, and results in their Science Journals at the end of Science Day, too.
3. Wednesday – Social Studies / History: Currently they’re reading the “Who Was?” series of historical biographies, which include over 200 books, such as Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?, Who Was Sacagawea?, Who Was Albert Einstein?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, Martin Luther King, Maria Tallchief, John Kennedy, Louis Armstrong, The Beatles, etc. The kids are enjoying the format, and the topics cross over into Literature, Science, the Arts, as well as providing social issues to discuss and their impact on today’s culture.
4. Thursday – Math / Technology: Since Math Day lasts all day, they sometimes start with reviewing math facts, such as using Multiplication and Division Flash Cards and timing the kids on how quickly they can get the answers. Then they move on to Math Games, such as Swat, Splat, or Math Bingo. They might also use manipulatives or toys such as Math Fidget Toys, Tubo toy, or Montessori-type math items to practice Math skills. Soon they’re creating with Marble Run sets, Mazes, Lego blocks, Construction sets, Bridge-Building kits, etc. These use mathematical planning, reasoning skills, logic, creative thinking, and critical thinking skills. At some point during the day, they’ll do some math worksheets, which usually focus on solving word problems.
5. Friday – Cultural Arts / Music: This is another favorite day for the kids, according to Mom. The kids get to choose the types of art, craft, and music activities they want to do on Fridays. Mom also said she found it interesting that if the kids read a historical biography such as Who Were the Beatles?, they were interested in playing Beatles music that week. Or if they read Who Was Pablo Picasso?, the kids were engrossed in creating their own versions of Picasso art.
Although each of the days above has a designated subject, this family finds that topics and subject areas often overlap.
So even if Monday is Literature Day, they could find themselves thinking about Math if they’re reading The Phantom Tollbooth, or Science and Time Travel if reading A Wrinkle in Time.
Or if Wednesday is History Day, they could be covering Geography or Science or Math or Art or Music, depending on the type of Historical Biographies they’re reading.
Also, there’s flexibility in this family’s schedule. If they don’t “feel like” Social Studies on Wednesday or Math on Thursday, they’ll switch things up.
Or if Mom realizes the kids are getting overwhelmed by too much Math one day, they’ll switch to doing something else, even if it’s unrelated to Math.
Maybe they’ll take a field trip to a local museum or library, or go on a picnic and a nature hike, or bake or cook favorite recipes, or bring out tubs of craft items and create something off the top of their heads. They often find that Math works its way into whatever they’re doing, anyway.
Overall, they’ve found this homeschool schedule fun, interesting, educational, flexible, and a great way to provide a well-rounded pool of knowledge and learning activities. It’s something your family might enjoy experimenting with, too.
Click any of the Labels below for more ideas for all subjects areas.
Happy homeschooling!
Friday, February 3, 2023
Fun February Learning Ideas
February is short, but mighty! It’s known for Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Heart Health Awareness, Black History Month, and much more.
Here's dozens of learning ideas, including Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more!
See the Following Ideas or the February National Day Calendar here: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february. Then click on any day of the month for fun learning ideas, or browse the following examples.
Some great examples:
February 4 is National Play Outside Day. Play your favorite games together outdoors, or see more great outdoor games here: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/outdoor/great-outdoor-games. It’s also National Homemade Soup Day, so after a fun day playing outside, make a big pot of homemade soup together!
February 7 is National Periodic Table Day. Research the history of the periodic table and the purpose of the table: https://mocomi.com/periodic-table. Then spend an afternoon doing fun science experiments together.
February 9 is National Pizza Day. Make homemade pizza AND make homemade fractions! Use paper plates, poster board, cardboard, or construction paper to make different types of “pizza” and “toppings.” Then cut the “pizzas” in half, quarters, thirds, sixths, etc., and practice fraction math while enjoying a real, home-cooked pizza.
February 11 is National Inventor’s Day. What new things can your kids invent on this day or this month? Read Inventors Who Changed the World, or Accidental Inventions That Changed Our World, or Amazing Inventions That Changed the World, or many other similar books available at your library.
February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Research the history of Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine. Then have fun seeing who can make the most unusual valentine, the prettiest one, the tiniest one, the most colorful one, the most intricate one! And write poems to go along with the homemade valentines!
February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Discuss what this means, then brainstorm ways of performing acts of kindness for each other, for other family members, friends, acquaintances, and people you meet. How can this change the way you feel? And how might this affect people if you performed acts of kindness every day?
February 20 is Presidents Day. How many presidents have we had? Who was the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth presidents? Who is the current president? See if you can memorize them all! Were any of the presidents from your state?
February 21 is Mardi Gras, which is French for Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. Research the origins of this day and how people choose to celebrate it. Have fun making Mardi Gras crafts! See ideas here: https://funfamilycrafts.com/category/seasonal-holiday/holidays/mardi-gras.
February 26 is Tell a Fairy Tale Day. Read some popular fairy tales here: https://www.storyberries.com/category/fairy-tales/famous-fairy-tales. Then have kids write or tell fairy tales, using their own imagination.
Black History Month Activities. Try these Black History Month crafts https://www.creativechild.com/articles/view/29-days-of-crafts-for-black-history-month, or view many others online. For Black History books, see https://www.weareteachers.com/black-history-books-for-kids.
Love Your Heart. Brisk walking is one of the best activities to keep your heart strong. Count your daily steps to see if you're getting a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. Together, walk around the block, along park trails, jog or dance through your house, and tally up your steps. Make a chart to track who is getting the most steps daily.
These are just a few fun ideas from the month of February. These cover topics such as Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more! See the National Day Calendar for more ideas this month: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february!
Happy homeschooling!
Here's dozens of learning ideas, including Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more!
See the Following Ideas or the February National Day Calendar here: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february. Then click on any day of the month for fun learning ideas, or browse the following examples.
Some great examples:
February 4 is National Play Outside Day. Play your favorite games together outdoors, or see more great outdoor games here: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/outdoor/great-outdoor-games. It’s also National Homemade Soup Day, so after a fun day playing outside, make a big pot of homemade soup together!
February 7 is National Periodic Table Day. Research the history of the periodic table and the purpose of the table: https://mocomi.com/periodic-table. Then spend an afternoon doing fun science experiments together.
February 9 is National Pizza Day. Make homemade pizza AND make homemade fractions! Use paper plates, poster board, cardboard, or construction paper to make different types of “pizza” and “toppings.” Then cut the “pizzas” in half, quarters, thirds, sixths, etc., and practice fraction math while enjoying a real, home-cooked pizza.
February 11 is National Inventor’s Day. What new things can your kids invent on this day or this month? Read Inventors Who Changed the World, or Accidental Inventions That Changed Our World, or Amazing Inventions That Changed the World, or many other similar books available at your library.
February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Research the history of Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine. Then have fun seeing who can make the most unusual valentine, the prettiest one, the tiniest one, the most colorful one, the most intricate one! And write poems to go along with the homemade valentines!
February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Discuss what this means, then brainstorm ways of performing acts of kindness for each other, for other family members, friends, acquaintances, and people you meet. How can this change the way you feel? And how might this affect people if you performed acts of kindness every day?
February 20 is Presidents Day. How many presidents have we had? Who was the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth presidents? Who is the current president? See if you can memorize them all! Were any of the presidents from your state?
February 21 is Mardi Gras, which is French for Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. Research the origins of this day and how people choose to celebrate it. Have fun making Mardi Gras crafts! See ideas here: https://funfamilycrafts.com/category/seasonal-holiday/holidays/mardi-gras.
February 26 is Tell a Fairy Tale Day. Read some popular fairy tales here: https://www.storyberries.com/category/fairy-tales/famous-fairy-tales. Then have kids write or tell fairy tales, using their own imagination.
Black History Month Activities. Try these Black History Month crafts https://www.creativechild.com/articles/view/29-days-of-crafts-for-black-history-month, or view many others online. For Black History books, see https://www.weareteachers.com/black-history-books-for-kids.
Love Your Heart. Brisk walking is one of the best activities to keep your heart strong. Count your daily steps to see if you're getting a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. Together, walk around the block, along park trails, jog or dance through your house, and tally up your steps. Make a chart to track who is getting the most steps daily.
These are just a few fun ideas from the month of February. These cover topics such as Science, Math, History, Reading, Creative Writing, Language Arts, Life Skills, Social Skills, Arts and Crafts, Physical Activities, Nutrition, and more! See the National Day Calendar for more ideas this month: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/february!
Happy homeschooling!
Friday, November 4, 2022
Fun Language Arts Activities
When learning is fun, children will naturally learn more. But
even better, they will remember and retain more of what
they learn. Here you’ll see how to thread fun through Language Arts. More subjects, topics, and activities will be added in the next few days.
Language Arts Activities
Language arts encompasses English, reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, composition, literature, drama, and poetry, listening and speaking, and related written or oral activities. Ideas and activities follow.
Reading Activities:
Reading need not be dull! Famous or popular movies are made from books and stories! If your children are not especially interested in reading, try reading movie scripts together, such as Disney movie scripts or family movie scripts featured on www.SimplyScripts.com. Use the scripts to act out the movie, and compare scripts to the book version of the story. Try writing your own scripts, too!
Turn your library visits into story scavenger hunts! Have children find books that will take them to another land, another planet, or an imaginary world. See if they can locate books by particular authors or stories that focus on a particular time period.
Make it fun! If your children are having no luck finding such books, see if you can help. Pull out a few selections from the shelves and point out the colorful pictures or delightful illustrations. Then wonder aloud what might be occurring in the story. Begin reading a few of the pages aloud, and soon their interest will be piqued.
Book suggestions and Reading Lists are available at www.KidsReadingCircle.com and https://www.rd.com/list/the-best-childrens-books-ever-written. The RD (Reader’s Digest) site lists “100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.”
Breathe life into the stories you read together. In addition to discussing the characters and events in the stories, create your own plays or dramatic performances based upon the stories. Or simply take turns reading the lines of the different characters in the voices that seem to reflect their personalities. This often results in fits of giggles and reading fun!
Read to them, share written stories with them, read newspapers aloud, and read information aloud, even if it’s the cereal boxes at breakfast or a sign in the dentist’s waiting room. The key to encouraging children to read is to read, read, read!
Parts of Speech:
Use illustrated books or even comic books to help children become more familiar with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. After reading the stories, pick out the different parts of speech together. When done on a regular basis with stories children enjoy, you’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll learn the different parts of speech and how long they’ll retain this knowledge.
Here’s a fun activity many children enjoy. They can assign colors to the different parts of speech. Then, with colored construction paper at their fingertips, they can jot down the nouns they find in a story on red construction paper, for instance. They cut up those nouns on red paper and drop them into a jar or box. Then they jot down the verbs from the story on blue construction paper, cut up the verbs, and drop them into the jar or box. They can continue with yellow adjectives, green adverbs, etc., cutting up the words and dropping them into the container.
Later, they can shake up the container and select a red noun, blue verb, yellow adjective, green adverb, and create their own fun or silly sentences. Over time, as they continue to add colorful words to the container, they’ll have quite a collection of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, all color coded and clicking in their mind. And they’ll become much better at spotting the different parts of speech in sentences as they read.
Writing Activities:
Brainstorm new story prompts or creative writing ideas together each day. For instance: What if time ran backward? What if you could read everyone else’s thoughts? What if you had webbed feet and a beak? Describe what your day would be like, or write a story based on your "What if" ideas. Keep a daily writing journal full of your creative thoughts and stories.
As a family, think about a story you’d like to write. Decide on the characters, setting, plot, and storyline. Then have each family member write his or her own version of the story. Read your stories aloud and see how similar or different the stories are.
In today’s digital world of texting, instant messaging, and e-mail, letter- writing is still an important skill. Children can hone those skills by writing letters on a regular basis to friends and families. Remind them to write thank-you notes for gifts or favors, as well. They can also write letters and thank-you notes to famous folks. What might they write to Dr. Seuss? What would they thank him for? What would they write to Pocahontas, or to Lewis and Clark, or to Mark Twain? They can write letters to other favorite authors, actors or actresses, or local heroes.
Spelling and Vocabulary Fun:
Use Scrabble game tiles, magnetic letters, or other types of letter tiles for spelling practice. See who can spell the words the quickest. See who can create the silliest word. Spell out words on each other’s backs with your fingers, and see who is the most ticklish as kids practice their spelling skills!
Spelling lists are available for Kindergarten through Grade 9 at www.HomeSpellingWords.com. For online spelling and vocabulary, browse spelling and word games at www.FunBrain.com/Games/Spellaroo.
More subject areas, topics, and activities are coming in the next few days, so check back soon!
Remember to sign up for our Weekly Newsletter in the Subscribe box on the right!
Happy homeschooling!
Language Arts Activities
Language arts encompasses English, reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, composition, literature, drama, and poetry, listening and speaking, and related written or oral activities. Ideas and activities follow.
Reading Activities:
Reading need not be dull! Famous or popular movies are made from books and stories! If your children are not especially interested in reading, try reading movie scripts together, such as Disney movie scripts or family movie scripts featured on www.SimplyScripts.com. Use the scripts to act out the movie, and compare scripts to the book version of the story. Try writing your own scripts, too!
Turn your library visits into story scavenger hunts! Have children find books that will take them to another land, another planet, or an imaginary world. See if they can locate books by particular authors or stories that focus on a particular time period.
Make it fun! If your children are having no luck finding such books, see if you can help. Pull out a few selections from the shelves and point out the colorful pictures or delightful illustrations. Then wonder aloud what might be occurring in the story. Begin reading a few of the pages aloud, and soon their interest will be piqued.
Book suggestions and Reading Lists are available at www.KidsReadingCircle.com and https://www.rd.com/list/the-best-childrens-books-ever-written. The RD (Reader’s Digest) site lists “100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.”
Breathe life into the stories you read together. In addition to discussing the characters and events in the stories, create your own plays or dramatic performances based upon the stories. Or simply take turns reading the lines of the different characters in the voices that seem to reflect their personalities. This often results in fits of giggles and reading fun!
Read to them, share written stories with them, read newspapers aloud, and read information aloud, even if it’s the cereal boxes at breakfast or a sign in the dentist’s waiting room. The key to encouraging children to read is to read, read, read!
Parts of Speech:
Use illustrated books or even comic books to help children become more familiar with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. After reading the stories, pick out the different parts of speech together. When done on a regular basis with stories children enjoy, you’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll learn the different parts of speech and how long they’ll retain this knowledge.
Here’s a fun activity many children enjoy. They can assign colors to the different parts of speech. Then, with colored construction paper at their fingertips, they can jot down the nouns they find in a story on red construction paper, for instance. They cut up those nouns on red paper and drop them into a jar or box. Then they jot down the verbs from the story on blue construction paper, cut up the verbs, and drop them into the jar or box. They can continue with yellow adjectives, green adverbs, etc., cutting up the words and dropping them into the container.
Later, they can shake up the container and select a red noun, blue verb, yellow adjective, green adverb, and create their own fun or silly sentences. Over time, as they continue to add colorful words to the container, they’ll have quite a collection of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, all color coded and clicking in their mind. And they’ll become much better at spotting the different parts of speech in sentences as they read.
Writing Activities:
Brainstorm new story prompts or creative writing ideas together each day. For instance: What if time ran backward? What if you could read everyone else’s thoughts? What if you had webbed feet and a beak? Describe what your day would be like, or write a story based on your "What if" ideas. Keep a daily writing journal full of your creative thoughts and stories.
As a family, think about a story you’d like to write. Decide on the characters, setting, plot, and storyline. Then have each family member write his or her own version of the story. Read your stories aloud and see how similar or different the stories are.
In today’s digital world of texting, instant messaging, and e-mail, letter- writing is still an important skill. Children can hone those skills by writing letters on a regular basis to friends and families. Remind them to write thank-you notes for gifts or favors, as well. They can also write letters and thank-you notes to famous folks. What might they write to Dr. Seuss? What would they thank him for? What would they write to Pocahontas, or to Lewis and Clark, or to Mark Twain? They can write letters to other favorite authors, actors or actresses, or local heroes.
Spelling and Vocabulary Fun:
Use Scrabble game tiles, magnetic letters, or other types of letter tiles for spelling practice. See who can spell the words the quickest. See who can create the silliest word. Spell out words on each other’s backs with your fingers, and see who is the most ticklish as kids practice their spelling skills!
Spelling lists are available for Kindergarten through Grade 9 at www.HomeSpellingWords.com. For online spelling and vocabulary, browse spelling and word games at www.FunBrain.com/Games/Spellaroo.
More subject areas, topics, and activities are coming in the next few days, so check back soon!
Remember to sign up for our Weekly Newsletter in the Subscribe box on the right!
Happy homeschooling!
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Learn Something New Every Day!
Learn something new – every day - with a book!
Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida hard at the end of September. For the first 2 weeks of October, thousands of families were without electricity, drinkable water, and many without a roof over their heads. Several schools were damaged, as well, and school was postponed for two or more weeks.
In addition to all the worries parents experienced during and after the hurricane, many also worried about their children falling behind.
Without power in their homes, they had no Internet access, and children couldn’t even connect virtually to schools, courses, or teachers.
Without water in their homes, kitchen science or hands-on experiments weren’t easily doable, nor were many crafts kids might normally do.
Simply surviving each day, and performing basic everyday tasks – without water or electricity – understandably consumed much of the family’s time, energy, and emotional and mental capacity. Caring for families, pets, neighbors, and devastated communities, without basic amenities we are all accustomed to, has been a daily challenge for them.
Several families turned to libraries and books as a way to keep their children learning during that time. For a while, libraries were closed, roads were closed, and gasoline was in short supply, so even trips to the library weren’t always a possibility.
That’s when many families gave their “home libraries” a closer look, finding books they had forgotten about or revisiting favorite books from an “educational perspective.”
Imagine what could be learned from reading and discussing the morals or lessons conveyed in books such as the following.
Then, going further and encouraging children to draw or color favorite scenes from the books, to write or deliver short book reports, and to create or compose their own stories, perhaps imagined or inspired from reading favorite books such as these:
* The Little Engine That Could
* The Ugly Duckling
* The Runaway Bunny
* Velveteen Rabbit
* Where the Wild Things Are
* The Giving Tree
* Town Mouse and Country Mouse
* Grimm’s Fairy Tales
* Aesop’s Fables
* Magic Treehouse
* The Incredible Journey
* Black Beauty
* Sounder
* Little House in the Big Woods
* Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
* Treasure Island
* Hatchet
* My Side of the Mountain
* Robinson Crusoe
* Swiss Family Robinson
* Wrinkle in Time
* Phantom Tollbooth
* Diary of Anne Frank
* To Kill a Mockingbird
These are just a few of the books that might be on the shelves of your home library. And they are full of wisdom, insight, and learning for any age.
Books can provide not only an escape from daily challenges during a hurricane - or any other time - but also offer reading enjoyment as they provide glimpses into another time or place.
Books such as these can touch on historic events, social events, survival strategies, and ways that children and families can overcome challenging circumstances or worries, no matter how big or small.
When you might grow concerned that your children are “falling behind” or “not learning enough,” just reach for a book. Something new is learned every time a book is opened!
Happy homeschooling!
Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida hard at the end of September. For the first 2 weeks of October, thousands of families were without electricity, drinkable water, and many without a roof over their heads. Several schools were damaged, as well, and school was postponed for two or more weeks.
In addition to all the worries parents experienced during and after the hurricane, many also worried about their children falling behind.
Without power in their homes, they had no Internet access, and children couldn’t even connect virtually to schools, courses, or teachers.
Without water in their homes, kitchen science or hands-on experiments weren’t easily doable, nor were many crafts kids might normally do.
Simply surviving each day, and performing basic everyday tasks – without water or electricity – understandably consumed much of the family’s time, energy, and emotional and mental capacity. Caring for families, pets, neighbors, and devastated communities, without basic amenities we are all accustomed to, has been a daily challenge for them.
Several families turned to libraries and books as a way to keep their children learning during that time. For a while, libraries were closed, roads were closed, and gasoline was in short supply, so even trips to the library weren’t always a possibility.
That’s when many families gave their “home libraries” a closer look, finding books they had forgotten about or revisiting favorite books from an “educational perspective.”
Imagine what could be learned from reading and discussing the morals or lessons conveyed in books such as the following.
Then, going further and encouraging children to draw or color favorite scenes from the books, to write or deliver short book reports, and to create or compose their own stories, perhaps imagined or inspired from reading favorite books such as these:
* The Little Engine That Could
* The Ugly Duckling
* The Runaway Bunny
* Velveteen Rabbit
* Where the Wild Things Are
* The Giving Tree
* Town Mouse and Country Mouse
* Grimm’s Fairy Tales
* Aesop’s Fables
* Magic Treehouse
* The Incredible Journey
* Black Beauty
* Sounder
* Little House in the Big Woods
* Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
* Treasure Island
* Hatchet
* My Side of the Mountain
* Robinson Crusoe
* Swiss Family Robinson
* Wrinkle in Time
* Phantom Tollbooth
* Diary of Anne Frank
* To Kill a Mockingbird
These are just a few of the books that might be on the shelves of your home library. And they are full of wisdom, insight, and learning for any age.
Books can provide not only an escape from daily challenges during a hurricane - or any other time - but also offer reading enjoyment as they provide glimpses into another time or place.
Books such as these can touch on historic events, social events, survival strategies, and ways that children and families can overcome challenging circumstances or worries, no matter how big or small.
When you might grow concerned that your children are “falling behind” or “not learning enough,” just reach for a book. Something new is learned every time a book is opened!
Happy homeschooling!
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
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!
Thursday, September 8, 2022
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!
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!
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