Library Week Ideas for Creating, Making, Building, Inventing

For National Library Week, April 10 to 16 (or any week!), print this list and take to your local library.

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!

Adages and Sayings for Bits of Wisdom

Draw "Story Pictures" and learn about wise sayings and adages, such as "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb" or "Little strokes fell great oaks" or "As you sow, so shall you reap."

We have a list of over 50 adages that help children learn about messages, morals, or ideas conveyed through sayings. These are often heard throughout life or referenced in literature, publications, and media.

Discuss these 50+ adages with your children and see if they have others they'd like to add to the list. Or maybe they'd like to invent their own adages or sayings.

Encourage your children to select their favorite sayings and draw "story pictures" depicting their favorites. Allow them to be as imaginative and creative as they'd like with this activity.

As your children draw, remind them of this saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words!"

Happy homeschooling from EverythingHomeschooling.com.

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!

Mid-Year Homeschool or Second Semester Homeschooling

Second Semester Homeschool or Mid-Year Homeschooling

You can begin homeschooling your children at any time of the year. Many families prefer to make the transition during the semester break.

Here are some helpful ideas to make the transition go smoothly:

• Check state laws by contacting your state's homeschool association or the homeschool division of your state's department of education.

• Allow plenty of time for your children to decompress, to reconnect with the normal rhythms of family life, and to "find themselves" again.

• Don't stress over what "to teach" or be intimidated by Common Core Standards. The Standards only pertain to public schools. Your homeschool need not be governed by Common Core Standards. If you want to follow the Standards for English and Math, you may read them on the CoreStandards.org website. (Note: State standards have been around since the beginning of public schools and continually evolve or are changed.)

• Discuss your children's interests, then take a field trip to your local library. Check out armloads of books, DVDs, and educational games that relate to your child's current interests.

• Observe your child's best learning style, i.e., visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic learning styles. Incorporate specific activities that best support or supplement your child's unique ways of garnering, processing, and absorbing information.

• Start a scrapbook at the beginning of your homeschool and allow children to be as creative with it as they want to be. Encourage them to add to the scrapbook regularly. This will become a type of "portfolio" or "record" of your child's daily or weekly homeschool experiences.

• For daily and weekly homeschooling, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

Homeschool Graduation and Homeschool Diploma

Congratulations! Your homeschooled child is ready to graduate!

It's the time of year to think about the homeschool diploma and homeschool graduation. And, yes, you can hand your child his or her diploma from your family's established homeschool.

Your children can also wear caps and gowns, have honors and medals bestowed upon them, and have lots of fun with graduation and end-of-year celebrations. You can host your own celebratory party, or join together with other homeschool families to celebrate your children's accomplishments.

Sincere congratulations and best wishes to your graduating child from all of us at EverythingHomeschooling.com!

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!