April Learning Activities

The month of April offers many fun learning topics!

What new things can you learn in April? Learn about 5 new topics and surprise your family and friends with your new-found knowledge!

To help you get started, here are some April events you could learn about:

1. The first ice-cream sundae was made in 1892, and the first iPad in the U.S. was sold in 2010. Have you experienced either of these?
2. Richard Peck was born in 1934. Who was Richard Peck, and what did he write?
3. Explorers reached the North Pole in April. Who are some of those explorers? Where is the North Pole, and how might you travel there?
4. The Civil War ended in 1865. Who surrendered? What is Appomattox, and where is it located?
5. The Civil Rights Act was signed in 1964. What is the Civil Rights Act?
6. Beverly Cleary was born in 1916. Who was Beverly Cleary, and what did she write?
7. The Titanic struck an iceberg and sunk in 1912. What was The Titanic? What is an iceberg, and where might you find more icebergs?
8. Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452. Who was Da Vinci, and what are some of the many things he accomplished?
9. On April 18, 1775, what famous horseman rode from Boston to Lexington? What message did he carry, and why?
10. The Curies made an amazing discovery in 1902. Who were the Curies and what did they discover?
11. Earth Day was established in 1970. What is the purpose of Earth Day? How do you celebrate Earth Day?
12. William Shakespeare was born in 1564. Who was Shakespeare, and what did he write?
13. The Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990. What is its purpose? How might you build a model Hubble Telescope?
14. Charles Francis Richter was born in 1900. What is he known for? Part of his name provides a helpful clue.
15. What is Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day? How might you celebrate the day?
16. April 27 is Tell-a-Story Day. Tell a story to family and friends. Also tell them about the many things you learned this month!

For more learning fun and free learning activities, visit EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy homeschooling!

Learn about Women in History for Women's History Month

March Is Women's History Month -- Create a Collage or Timeline of Famous Women in History!

You can use the lists of Famous Women on our "Free Activities" page to choose from hundreds of Women in History.

Learn about these women, plus the historic events surrounding them.

View Exhibits and Collections of Photos and Documents for Women's History Month.

Print the Activity Pages on Famous Women in History, too.

Take the activities a bit further and branch out into other areas of history and famous events. This extends the learning and allows your children to follow their own interests, as well.

For more Homeschool Activities, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com and have fun learning!

Happy homeschooling!

Children's Learning Styles and Learning Environments

When you understand your child’s learning style, your children will be happier, they will learn more quickly, your job will be easier, and homeschooling will be a joy!

Learning Styles:

Visual learners. Children who prefer to spend time pouring over pictures and graphics, and respond to bright colors and visual stimulation. They tend to learn best through visual presentations.

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

Tactile-Kinesthetic learners. Children who 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.

Some children do best with a combination of these styles. Try these styles, or a combination of them, and observe which best captures your child’s interests and enthusiasm. Interested, enthusiastic learners grasp concepts quicker and retain knowledge longer!

"Active Learning" Benefits:

Swiss educational theorist, Jean Piaget, found that quality learning took place when children were actively involved in their own learning process. Through exploration and discovery, children turned their experiences into learning patterns that provided foundations for further explorations and subsequent learning.

Piaget found that children’s cognitive skills, or the way they process information, were enhanced through physical experiences and perceptions. He believed in active learning environments where children could discover, absorb, and build on new experiences and information.

Learning Environment Ideas:

* Keep hands-on projects and manipulatives within easy reach of children.

* Display educational charts, posters, maps, illustrations, pictorials, and mobiles where children see them frequently.

* Designate an arts and crafts area with paints, clays, markers, arts and crafts supplies.

* Create a musical space for instruments, sound effects, musical equipment, and dancing.

* Design a theatrical area for dramatic plays to bring social studies and literature to life.

* Incorporate games, construction sets, Geo-Boards, and Cuisenaire rods into lessons.

* Use lab or kitchen equipment for experiments and for reinforcing science and math concepts.

* Browse learning center supplies, or photos of learning centers, to gain additional ideas for your own learning environment.

Your children will be thrilled to have fun, learning materials at their fingertips throughout the day, every day!

For more Homeschool Activities, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com and have fun learning!

Happy homeschooling!

Creative Homeschooling

Creativity is an important component of each day.

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

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

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

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

The following ideas encourage creativity in your children:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy homeschooling!

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!

Free Homeschool Activities and Lessons

IT'S OPEN HOUSE WEEK at EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Experience Free Learning Activities this week, such as:

1. Creating and Designing Roller Coasters

2. "I Wonder" Science on Molds, Absorption, and Mixtures

3. Tessellation Art and Math

4. Interactive Explorer Discoveries

5. Measuring the Speed of Light

6. Cooking with Math

7. Science Experiments on Solids and Liquids

8. Geography Games for Learning Fun

9. Exploring Ecosystems, Habitats, and Biomes

10. Creating Superheroes from Historical Figures

11. Diagramming Sentences the Easy Way while Reading a Book a Day

12. Creating Collages, Sculptures, and Fiber Arts with Fun Art Projects

And Much More!

For Free 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!