Homeschool Review

Murderous Maths

2011-10-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Too many of us believe that math must be taught with lecture, followed by worksheets, wrapped up with tests. Only after showing proficiency in a particular area may a student proceed to the next step.

Boring!

Where are the colorful characters that developed math as we know it? Where are the problems that stumped humankind for generations, until some creative soul said, "Aha!" Where are the explanations of the purposes and applications of all this math? Nowhere in a traditional textbook, that's for sure.

Supplementing mathematics with books about math (as opposed to "math books") can bring a traditionally dry subject to life. Why math isn't taught like this in schools, I have no idea. But you're homeschooling, aren't you?

A wonderful addition to any home library is the Murderous Maths series written by Kjartan Poskitt and published by the same folks who gave us Horrible Histories, Horrible Science, and Horribly Famous series.
With intriguing names like Numbers, the Key to the Universe, Mean and Vulgar Bits, and Do You Feel Lucky?, students will hardly realize that these are math books. Text is combined with cartoons, illustrations, humorous asides, and knowing nods to the reader, all with the attitude that this is stuff your teacher doesn't want you to know and maybe doesn't even know himself.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking, "My child has barely memorized the multiplication tables, so how can she understand more complex math?" These books introduce new ideas in a fun and engaging manner. While a reader may not be able to solve a page of calculus after reading these books, she will have been exposed to more advanced formulas and equations, read about shortcuts and tricks, and generally found math entertaining.

On a personal note, my eldest son has just about read the ink off all the Murderous Maths books he has. Many's the night he's come bounding down the stairs to share some new insight he's gained from the books. Enthusiasm for mathematics is worth every penny.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Giving Kids Money-Smarts

2011-09-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

How do we teach our kids to handle their money, when so many of us are struggling ourselves? Many homeschool families like to take on this challenge as part of their learning lifestyle. After all, you're never too old to learn how to save, invest, and spend wisely!

Recently, the San Jose Mercury News ran an article entitled, "Websites teach kids how to manage their money." The article included a list of websites aimed at kids, teens, and families for learning about and discussing finances. Here are some of my favorites from that list.

The Mint: This website has tabs for kids, teens, parents, and teachers. From savings and investing to decoding paychecks and tracking spending, The Mint covers many of the areas other websites, and certainly traditional financial education, neglect.

Kidnexions: This commercial site does sell books and software, but it also offers many free financial videos. Your kids (and you) can learn about the Rule of 72 (not even all bankers know this!), how compound interest works, and how to set financial goals.

U.S. Mint Kids: Is your child fascinated with all things "money"? The U.S. Mint's site for kids is filled with games, cartoons, and information about how money is designed and created. Learn about what the Mint does, how to collect coins, even facts about the U.S. Presidents and branches of government.

If your child is also in Cub Scouts, these websites can help with the Collecting, Mathematics, and Video Games belt loops and pins.

A strong financial education is one of the best gifts you can give to your child and yourself. Learn how your money works and how to make it work for you.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

"7 Secrets to Finding the Best Homeschool Curriculum" Review

2011-08-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

New homeschoolers are often overwhelmed by the extensive choice of curricula available through catalogs, the Internet, conference exhibits, and other vendors. The beautifully boxed books, gorgeous games, and intriguing DVDs and CDs tempt families into spending loads of money on systems that don't fit their children's learning styles or interests, placing stress on budgets and the homeschool experience.

In comes Carletta Sanders to the rescue! Her free yes, free ebook, 7Secrets to Finding the Best Homeschool Curriculm guides readers throught the process of choosing a curriculum.

Sanders begins by helping families focus on their homeschool goals and budgets. Next, she discusses learning styles, an often overlooked element of learning in traditional school situations, but very easily addressed in a homeschool environment.

After determining goals, budget, and style, Sanders introduces eight homeschooling methods, including the well-known styles of Charlotte Mason, classical, Montessori, and unit studies, as well as literature-based, online, relaxed, and unschooling. Besides the usual discussion of each style's strengths and appeal, Sanders takes the extra steps of stating what types of families and students dislike particular styles or might struggle with them. These helpful additions allow families to better identify not just what sounds exciting to them, but what might actually work for them an important distinction. (Note: Unschooling, by definition, does not have any formal curriculum. Sanders instead gives a basic definition of unschooling, followed by ways to approach it, even in states and jurisdictions which require written study plans.) At the end of each section, Sanders includes links to additional information and interviews with people expert in the various methods of learning.

Interestingly, Sanders chooses to put eclectic homeschooling in a separate chapter, instead of with the other styles. Families who consider themselves eclectic homeschoolers do consider it a style; however, it has no formal curriculum, so Sanders divides eclectic homeschooling into basic areas of study. Through a series of questions, she guides families to discovering which curriculum or approach would work best for that particular subject.

Sanders leaves her discussions of preschool, kindergarten, high school, special education, and gifted education to the appendix, also with additional links to extended interviews with experts in those areas.

7 Secrets to Finding the Best Homeschool Curriculum provides an excellent starting point for new homeschoolers, and perhaps homeschoolers looking to experiment with new approaches.

For more homeschooling information and ideas, check out Sanders' website, Successful Homeschooling.

"Visual-Spatial Learners" Review

2011-08-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

As any parent of multiple children can tell you, each one is very different from the others. What works with one child is doomed to fail with the others.

This is certainly true when it comes to helping our children learn. That fine system you put in place for your first child will collapse in heaps when the second child comes along.

Figuring out your child's learning style can give you insight into ways to better reach them and open up the world to their inquisitive minds.

Typically, schools are designed with the auditory-sequential learner (ASL) in mind. This child thinks in words, learns well from instructors, is a step-by-step learner, and so on. They tend to fit very well into the classroom system.

Then there are the other students, the visual-spatial learners (VSLs). These children think in pictures, develop their own methods of problem-solving, are whole-part learners (understand the big picture, before they grasp the parts that make it), and so on.

If you are an ASL, or your other children are ASLs, and you are now faced with a VSL, figuring out how to best present new material and learning opportunities can be frustrating. What worked before, simply does not work now.

This is where Visual-Spatial Learners: Differentation strategies for creating a successful classroom, by Alexandra Shires Golon, can help.

Don't let the title throw you. Although Golon definitely directs her advice to classroom teachers, most of what she suggests can readily be put into action in the homeschool environment.

Golon starts by relating an activity she gives to teachers. She has them draw a 2"wide x 1/2" tall rectangle, a space similar to the signature line on a check. Then she asks them to place their pen in their non-dominant hand and sign their name within that box. She inevitably hears groans and moans from the teachers about the awkwardness and difficulty of the task. She then tells them that this is what it feels like for a "right-hemispheric, visual-spatial student sitting in a left-hemispheric, wor-dominated classroom."

Readers of Visual-Spatial Learners can either read the book cover to cover or jump to the specific chapter(s) which interest them. (How's that for ASL versus VSL accessibility?)

Golon addresses the basics of elementary education: reading, writing, spelling, note-taking, mathematics, and organizational skills. Timed tests, written agreements, and creating a visual-spatial classroom may not apply to homeschoolers, but the basic skills are universal. Quite frankly, having taught in a classroom environment, I find many of her suggestions overwhelming wih 30-35 kids in mind (I have all this required stuff to do, and now you want me to do more?); but, as a homeschooling mom, I find her suggestions really simple to incorporate in our learning.

For example, VSLs often have lousy writing. But when writing is presented to them as art, such as with calligraphy, their handwriting skills improve immensely, as does their ability to and joy in communicating through the written word.

When it comes to math facts, all sorts of tricks come into play. Golon presents hand games, lattice multiplication, drawing assignments, and more, to help VSLs create mental pictures of mathematical information.

Perhaps her most powerful message is that, just as children learn differently, the way they present that knowledge should be different. Not all children want to write down what they're learned. Some may better demonstrate mastery through building a diorama or designing a poster or putting on a play. We, as homeschooling parents, are in an excellent position to gauge learning through unorthodox methods.

Visual-Spatial Learners will give homeschooling parents a deeper insight into their VSL children, as well as tools to create and support learning opportunities to fit their children's needs. VSL children will develop confidence in their ability to learn, explore, and understand their world in their creative, big-picture, enthusiastic way.

Fundamentals of Homeschooling: Notes on Successful Family Living

2011-07-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, a book resonates with what I believe from page one, making me wish that I had been able to write the book myself. On the first page of Ann Lahrson-Fisher's Fundamentals of Homeschooling she says, “Homeschooling success builds on this simple foundation: living a satisfying learning lifestyle.” Those five words—living a satisfying learning lifestyle—summed up my deepest hopes and dreams for how my children would grow up, even before we started homeschooling.

The book is divided into six parts (Play, Conversations, Togetherness, Growing Up, The Big Picture, and Subjects), each beginning with a “Keynote” describing some big ideas about that concept and followed by several easy to read chapters about some specific topics within that concept. Each chapter can be read in isolation, so a tour of the table of contents can take you to your current hot-button topics. However, I feel the book is best read one part at a time, because of the way the author links the topics together.

In Part One: Play, the author gives an overview of the value of play and then goes on to describe a number of ways that we can manipulate our home environment to encourage play that supports a learning lifestyle. There are several lists of toys, games, and learning materials, and a whole chapter is devoted to modifying games to meet the needs of different ages and temperaments.

Part Two describes how “family chitchat” can become a vehicle for learning. Some
examples may seem familiar or simply intuitive, others are fresh and new. Several
chapters are devoted to both language arts and math. The last chapter of the section talks about how conversation can be used for everything from teaching self control to learning how to handle mistakes.

These first one hundred and thirty pages make this book worthwhile for even the family whose children are attending public school, because they describe a set of skills and opportunities that all families can take advantage of. Because of this, I've given this book as a gift even to friends who aren't homeschooling.

Beginning with Part Three, Togetherness, the book discusses many issues specific to
homeschoolers. Chapters describe everything from homeschooling styles to yearly planning to handling criticism to homeschooling with a baby on your lap.

Part Four is about the end of the homeschooling journey, as children grow up and become adults. It gives many suggestions about how homeschooling families might approach this rite of passage into adulthood.

Part Five explores some tools that homeschoolers use to enhance learning such as field trips, learning clubs, and apprenticeships.

Part Six includes a chapter for each of nine subject areas, with some big ideas about homeschooling each, followed by a list of selected resources for that subject area.

Although each idea in Fundamentals of Homeschooling may be explored more deeply in
other books, Lahrson-Fisher neatly sums up the most important points about each in an easy to digest text that reads like a letter from a good friend. I've found comfort in this book more than once because I always come away with the feeling that “I can do this.” I appreciate her emphasis on the family and learning to live comfortably together as we take the learning journey.

New Blog: Watch Out for Gifted People

2011-07-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've started a new blog.

When I began Homeschool Review, I envisioned it as a resource for ideas, support, and reviews for the homeschooling community. While I knew personal stuff would slip in, I didn't want it overtaking the blog's raison d'etre.

So, I woke up this morning, way too early after way too late a night, and thought, "Hey! I'll start another blog!" Insanity, perhaps. But what else am I going to do to with all my free time. I do have free time, right?

Anyway, my new blog is called Watch Out for Gifted People. It's a more personal look at what it means to be "gifted." The stories may be inspiring, funny, touching, or downright depressing, but they'll always be true.

I hope you take a moment to check out my latest endeavor. Because being gifted isn't always a gift.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Homeschool Buyers Co-op

2011-07-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

It may be the middle of summer, but many homeschoolers are beginning to plan their curricula for the upcoming school year.

Seemingly endless choices parade before their eyes, as catalogs arrive in mailboxes, companies exhibit at conferences, and other homeschoolers post rave reviews of products they've used. Once a parent sorts through all this and decides what to use, sticker-shock hits. Who knew homeschooling could be so expensive?

In comes the Homeschool Buyers Co-op to the rescue! Using the purchasing power of over 67,000 homeschooling families, the Homeschool Buyers Co-op offers steeply discounted materials and courses.

Joining the Co-op is free and easy. Just register on their site. You can then peruse the many categories and products they currently have on offer. You will also start receiving a periodic e-newsletter announcing current and upcoming deals, as well as free curriculum discoveries by Diane Flynn Keith.

Once you find a product you want to purchase, you'll notice that it has price points, depending on how many people order. The more people who order, the greater the discount: sometimes up to 90 percent! You decide which price you're willing to pay. Once the number of buyers reaches that level, that price goes into effect. If more buyers step up, pushing the price even lower, you get the lower price.

The Homeschooler Buyers Co-op charges a small processing fee on each order (a few dollars), which does not reduce the value of the service in any way.

In addition to pooling together the buying power of homeschoolers, the Homeschool Buyers Co-op offers free homeschool ID cards, SmartPoints for purchases made, free curricula, and other money-saving ideas.

You can learn more about the Homeschool Buyers Co-op at http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool-curriculum/, on Facebook, and on YouTube.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Organize Your Homeschool with Collaborize Classroom

2011-07-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Looking for a new way to organize your homeschool? Perhaps you're running a co-op class or two, and want to engage your students between meetings? Maybe you want to encourage your student to explore new ideas and information, but meet with resistance when doing so one-on-one?

Collaborize Classroom, a free online learning platform from Democrasoft, might just be the tool you need to make your homeschooling experience more enjoyable and successful.

Designed for traditional classrooms, Collaborize Classroom easily lends itself to the homeschool environment. Whether you want to posit questions for your student to write about or you want to involve many students in discussions, voting, or collaboration, you can do it all with Collaborize Classroom.

Collaborize Classroom also will send you a weekly update on the progress of your students. You can see what they're working on, what they've missed, and adjust your homeschool plan accordingly.

Another good use of Collaborize Classroom is sharing information. For example, as homeschoolers, we come across endless recommendations for websites, books, and games to enhance our students' learning experiences. Instead of telling your student about them or emailing them, start a "discussion" about them. Your student can check out the resource, write about it, vote on favorites, and better take control of his or her own education.

If you're running a co-op class, especially one with an academic bent, Collaborize Classroom is ideal for keeping students immersed in the learning process between meetings. They can work together on projects, share infomation, ask questions, follow up on ideas presented in the class, and more, all in a private and safe environment.

Click here to more about Collaborize Classroom. You can also learn more on Facebook and Twitter. You can sign up for your free account (which Collaborize Classroom promises will always remain free) here.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Survey of Identified Gifted and 2e Children

2011-07-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

Has your child been identified as gifted or twice exceptional? Researchers at Columbia University's Paul F. Lazarsfeld Center for the Social Sciences are studying how children who are unique in some way are identified and developed. They are currently collecting stories from parents with children who have been identified as gifted, children who have unique artistic, scientific, or physical abilities, children on the autism spectrum, and children who have been identified as having attention disorders.

While all children are unique, the goal of their study is to identify how children with unique developmental abilities or trajectories develop over early childhood. Parents have different experiences and observations of their child's development and they have different personal resources with which they access services or programs. Parents also differ in the type and extent of their support networks and social relations. And finally, parents make different decisions when finding the right academic, extra-curricular, or other placements for their children. Now is your chance to tell your stories. Survey responses will help the researchers understand the experiences of unique children as well as their development over time.

They are collecting stories of parents of unique children through an online, semi-structured survey: http://uniquechildstudy.org. The more families who participate, the better the researchers' understanding of the gifted and 2e community will be. Let your voice be heard!

For more information, please contact the researchers at the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Center for the Social Sciences via e-mail at uniquechildstudy@columbia.edu or by telephone at 212-854-3440. You can also find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unique-Child-Study/171533039569039.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Song School Latin

2011-07-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

This summer, our family has been getting a gentle exposure to Latin using Song School Latin, offered by Classical Academic Press. The program consists of a workbook, CD, and optional teacher's edition. There are also several additional resources available for free online.

Song School Latin approaches Latin in the way of many other children's language curriculums, by starting with simple words and phrases to talk about ourselves, name items in our world, and say various polite phrases. Although Latin isn't used as a spoken language today, this method means we have lots of words to practice in our daily lives.

Each lesson of words is introduced by a song that mixes the Latin and English words so that the meaning of the former can be implied by the latter. The songs are memorable and have especially helped my musical daughter in remembering the vocabulary. A "Chapter Lesson" gives a short bit of information on Latin grammar or points out a Latin phrase still used today. "Grow Your English" points out English words that have Latin derivatives. "Practice Your Latin" is a collection of activities where you write, circle, draw, or match Latin and/or English words. Every fourth chapter is a review.

Online you will find additional audio files, coloring pages, and a flashcard game for each chapter's vocabulary. The Teacher's Edition contains the answers (not needed as the exercises are simple) and an additional practice page for each chapter.

The book is recommended for grades K-3. I am using the program with my 8 and 10 year old so we are taking it four chapters at a time, which gives us about 16 new vocabulary words or phrases a week. Don't expect to learn much grammar from this curriculum, it introduces very little that can be applied outside of the given words. The connections to English words and phrases are great, though, if you want to study Latin as a way of learning English vocabulary. I recommend Song School Latin for young children or if you want a fun introduction to Latin before using a more complex curriculum.

Snails Pace Race

2011-06-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Snail's Pace Race is a lovely first game for any child. Six colorful snails line up at one end of a game board. Players take turns rolling two colored dice. Whatever colors you roll allow the snails of corresponding colors to move forward one space. If both dice show the same color, that snail moves two spaces. The snails race toward the finish line, so you are free to cheer for whichever snail you desire, or change allegiances when your favorite gets behind.

This simple cooperative game teaches the basics of game play (turn taking, dice rolling, and moving one or two spaces at a time) without the stress of winning or losing. My children often wanted to play until all the snails passed the finish line or wanted them to turn around and race back to the start. Appropriate for ages three and up, it is a great introduction to the world of board games.

Learning to Knit

2011-06-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

My daughter, son, and I have really enjoyed the Knitting book by Klutz Press. We were six, eight, and well into adulthood by age when we got it, and all of us found the directions easy to understand and the needles simple to handle. Like all Klutz books, this one comes with everything you need to finish the projects in the book. My two kids quickly decided on their own projects, but the provided ones teach you how to cast on, knit, purl, decrease, make a buttonhole, cast off, and sew your finished project together. As a beginning knitter myself, I found the illustrations to be better than those in my "grown up" book. The descriptions of what to do if you made a mistake were clear and easy to follow.

We were also inspired by the How to Knit book from the Usborne Art Ideas series (now out of print). Like all the books from the series, this one is lushly illustrated. I actually purchased it before the Klutz one, because the projects were so cute. In addition to hats, scarves, and purses, there are little monsters, pillows, and knitted flowers. The projects are a little more advanced, but so inspiring.

I liked it that both books had projects that could be completed in a fairly short time. Both books have some projects that would appeal to boys, but the Klutz book shows girls in virtually all the photos, which is unfortunate.

The Waldorf philosophy suggests that knitting is a necessary skill before learning to write. If nothing else, it trains our fingers to be a bit more coordinated than they were and it allows us to bring something useful and creative into the world. Younger children who aren't coordinated enough to knit with two needles may enjoy learning how to finger knit. Here is one tutorial, and you can find many more including YouTube videos by using your favorite search engine.

Exploratopia

2011-06-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you've ever had a chance to go to the Exploratorium in San Francisco, you know what a magical thing science can be. The Exploratorium's curators, educators, and scientists have created exhibits that draw you in and keep you interested.

The book Exploratopia might be the next best thing to visiting the museum itself. It's my favorite experiment book because the text is interesting, it doesn't talk down to kids, and it's filled with experiments about everyday things kids are fascinated with already-- like the toilet and ants!

The book begins with an explanation of the "Tools for Exploration," a sort of primer for how to think like a scientist. This is not just the scientific method, but also things like "Paying attention to stuff a lot of people ignore." Periodically, these tools are revisited in the experiments.

The rest of the book is divided into three major sections: Exploring Yourself (experiments about your senses and brain), Exploring Interesting Places (experiments you can do from the kitchen, to the backyard, to the amusement park or beach), and Exploring Interesting Stuff (experiments about more conventional topics like light and sound and less conventional ones like music and money).

Each experiment has a section for what you need, what to do, and "What's going on?" with additional sidebars providing related information and exploration ideas. The illustrations are a mixture of photography and colorful drawings.

So if you've ever wondered what would happen if you substituted Vaseline for oil in a spice cake, how sounds echo in your toilet, how to shrink a friend, or what you can find with a magnet at the beach, this is the book for you! It would make an excellent gift for a curious child and a great "spine" for a homeschooling family looking for science curriculum. Although many of the experiments could be completed by a younger child, it's best suited for independent readers ages eight and up.

Crayon Physics

2011-06-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

Our guest blogger today is my eldest son. He originally wrote this review for the California HomeSchooler, the member-magazine of the HomeSchool Association of California.

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Crayon Physics is a game where you have to draw a line with your pointer, which looks like a crayon on the screen, to get a ball to a star. Sometimes you draw a line or an odd shape, like a polygon, or a circle.

When you get to higher levels, you get rockets. If they get hit on top, they take off. If they stay in one place too long, they blow up.

Crayon Physics starts off easy. It takes a certain amount of stars to get to a new level.

Everything is made of crayon drawings.

I like it because every time your ball falls away, you get it back. Sometimes they give you hints what to do.

I think other kids would like this.

Crayon Physics Deluxe from Petri Purho on Vimeo.

(Note: Crayon Physics was the Independent Games Festival Grand Prize winner in 2008.)

Article posted by Sarah J. Wilson

MAKE magazine

2011-06-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

When you pick up an issues of MAKE magazine, you never quite know what you will find. Unlike many do it yourself (DIY) magazines that focus on crafts or home repairs, MAKE seems to go out of its way to pack an eclectic mix if projects in each quarterly issue. For instance, one issue has everything from making a robot, to a mini fume extractor, to a simple child's memory game made from only paper, to plywood furniture.

And that's just a sample of the dozen or so projects in a 175 page issue. There are also many inspirational articles highlighting artists, machinists, programmers, and scientists who are all making interesting things. Each issue has a theme, but there are many projects outside the theme as well as regular columns. One of my favorite regular columns is called "Make Money" for which the tag line is "Sometimes it costs more to buy it than to make it from the money itself."

The magazine is best suited for teen to adult readers, however, we've completed several projects with our much younger children. Our daughter made her own lip balm, my son worked with his dad to make a vibro-bot, and both kids made a homemade cotton candy machine. Many projects require some experience with the tools and processes involved, others are suitable for beginning makers.

If you visit the website, be sure to stop by the Maker SHED for dream collection of books and kits for makers of all ages.

Cosmeo

2011-06-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Billed as "Discovery Channel's Online Homework Help Service", Cosmeo is a collection of videos, still pictures, web links, "Brain Games," and tutorials for kindergarten through high school. This is a subscription site that costs around $10/month and we've found it to be very worthwhile.

At your fingertips are literally thousands of videos and clips from Discovery and their parent company, United Streaming, searchable by entering a keyword or two or by following a cascading menu by subject area. We've found the videos most useful for science and social studies topics. Before visiting the King Tut exhibit a few years ago, for instance, we watched several videos about Egypt. When we were all down with the flu last year, we watched videos about germs. My son takes his newest Ranger Rick magazine to the computer each month and looks up the animals he's interested in. He also looks at still photos and articles about the animals.

We've also had a lot of fun with the Brain Games section. This large collection of Flash based games has taught us about the human body, chemistry, and most recently beginning programming skills.

Although you can find videos on YouTube and there are many free games out there, it's nice to have a child friendly collection of resources at our fingertips. The account includes one parent login and four student logins, which can be shared with family and friends.

You Must Be Homeschooled If . . .

2011-06-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

My fellow blogger, Heddi Craft, shared this humorous list, which she found on a homeschool e-list. A quick Google search led to several instances and versions of this list, but not the original posting. So, if you are the original poster, and can provide proof, I will be happy to give you appropriate credit.

In the meantime, enjoy!

You Must Be Homeschooled If . . .
1. Someone asks what grade you're in and you're not sure.

2. You sometimes go to school in your pajamas.

3. You sleep till 9:00 am on school days, but get up early on Sundays.

4. Your favorite author is Jane Austen or Robert Louis Stevenson.

5. Your birthday is an official school holiday.

6. You don't get to stay home from school when you're sick.

7. Your favorite activity is reading.

8. You know what a unit study is.

9. You have attempted to teach yourself physics.

10. You know the scientific names of dinosaurs from A to Z.

11. Watching a movie means you'll have to write a report comparing the film to the book.

12. You dress up as historical or literary characters for Halloween.

13. You exchange e-mail Valentines with your homeschool pen pals.

14. You can get science credit for going to the dentist or doctor.

15. You go to the park for P.E.

16. You check out at least ten books every time you visit the library.

17. You get books and science kits for your birthday.

18. Your board games all have names like "Bookworm," "Scrabble," S'math," "Game of Knowledge," and "Name the State."

19. Your home library is arranged in Dewey Decimal order.

20. Your favorite place to study is outside, under a tree.

21. You memorize math formulas and Latin root words for fun.

22. You never get nervous on the first day of school.

23. The only bully you ever run into is your big brother.

24. You are unaware of the current fads, fashions, and slang terms.

25. You have no idea what rock bands are currently popular.

26. You don't have to worry about forgetting your lunch or your schoolbooks.

27. You don't have to remember a locker combination, just your computer password.

28. There are only nine students in your class, but all of them are your brothers and sisters.

29. Your school bus is a nine-passenger van.

30. You can get extra credit for cleaning your room.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Learning to Ride a Bike

2011-06-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

We've now taken three kids successfully through the process of learning to ride a bike with no training wheels. The first two kids got the traditional treatment-- tricycle, to bicycle with training wheels, to raising or removing the training wheels, to lots of running along beside the wobbly rider.

But our most successful story is our third child, who went from a balance bike to a bike that never had training wheels. Balance bikes look a lot like a regular bike with the pedals conspicuously missing. The child sits on the seat and walks or pushes against the ground with his or her feet. The seat is adjusted low enough that they can have their feet flat on the ground at rest. Most kids seem to start our sort of walking and gliding and then one day realize that they can lift their feet and glide for long distances. Meanwhile, they are learning the art of balancing on two wheels.

When our youngest got to the point that she was always gliding, we introduced a small regular bike. At first she used it like the balance bike but with some practice and coaching, she started getting her feet on the pedals. We still had to help her start the first few days but we never had to run beside her, and she soon learned how to push off and get her feet on the pedals alone. She was so proud! She's also had to relearn how to stop, and still often put her feet down rather than using her pedals as brakes. We had a confidently biking three year old, the youngest any of our kids learned.

The bikes are $90 or so new, but can be found used for a better price on Craigslist. Some families remove the pedals from a regular bike and this can work, but the balance bikes are designed especially for pushing with a low frame. They seem to be the most painless way of learning to ride a bike and based on our experience, I'd never recommend training wheels again.

Planning Your Meals for the Month

2011-06-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

I hate lunch. I find nothing redeeming in the meal. I am rarely hungry for it. I tire of endless sandwiches, soups, leftovers, and the like. It is yet another meal to prepare and clean-up. And it gets the least positive feedback.

So, it should come as no surprise that I would find myself moving between the open pantry and fridge for longer than it took to consume the actual meal, trying to figure out just what to serve to my hungry family. (Why are they hungry? We just had breakfast. I know; I was there!)

It finally dawned on me that if I actually planned lunches, then I would not waste time everyday pondering my empty shelves. I could also better plan my grocery shopping. An added bonus: I could point to the menu when my boys wanted to know what was for lunch. If they balked at what was listed, it would somehow become the menu’s fault, not mine.

So, being the over-achiever that I am, I set out to organize a monthly menu. I quickly found it made the entire feeding process easier. I wasted far less food, our grocery bill was lower, and I hardly spent anytime staring at kitchen appliances seeking guidance.

The steps are actually quite simple. The hardest part is facing the empty calendar at the beginning of each month. But, with a little practice, even those blank spaces can be a source of inspiration.

Create your menu calendar
On an 8-1/2 x 11” piece of blank white paper, mark out eight columns and 16 rows. Leave room at the top for your title (i.e. “Monthly Meal Menu” or “What We’re Eating This Month”), and at the bottom for three or four “snack ideas” lines. Label the columns: “Meal,” “Monday,” “Tuesday,” and so on. Label the rows: “Breakfast,” “Lunch,” “Dinner,” five times.

Next, have the menu laminated. Use heat lamination, not cold lamination, as the Vis-à-Vis markers do not write well on the cold lamination.

Fill in your menu
Using your Vis-à-Vis markers, start with the meal you find the easiest to plan. For me, that would be breakfast. We have oatmeal on Mondays and Fridays, breakfast biscuits on Tuesdays, cereal on Wednesdays and Sundays, Cream of Wheat or eggs and toast on Thursdays, and pancakes or French toast or hoe cakes on Saturdays. Since it is the same every week, I quickly fill up a third of my menu. It looks better already!

Next, start filling in the remaining spaces. Do not be afraid to repeat a meal once or twice a month. Choose one day to have the same meal each week. We have Pasta Mondays. When our Cub Scout meeting fell on the same day as our Park Day, those days became Crock Pot Wednesdays. Pull out cookbooks, look through the food section of your weekly newspaper, ask friends for suggestions, and add one or two new meals a month to test on your family. You might find a new favorite!

Snack ideas
I added a few lines at the bottom of my menu with snack ideas for the boys. I tired of hearing, “What’s there for snack?” especially when perfectly good food was sitting on the shelves waiting to be nibbled. Our snack ideas include bananas, apples, bread, yogurt, raisins, cereal, leftovers, hard-boiled eggs, carrots, and so on. Being able to point to a menu, rather than sounding like a broken record, makes life much more pleasant.

Get family involved
Do not plan alone! Sit with your family and solicit suggestions. Perhaps a favorite meal or two can make it on the menu. Maybe your children would like to prepare a meal for the family. Make everyone a part of the process. Everyone shares the food, so everyone should share in the planning.

Post the menu
Place the menu where you and your family can readily see it. Ours is stuck on our refrigerator with magnets. Perhaps you have a message board in the kitchen. Or, you could stick it inside a cupboard door. Wherever it will be seen and used, that is where you should place it.

Taking the time upfront to organize a monthly menu allows you to purchase more items in bulk (which reduces per-item cost), plan quick or time-intensive meals according to your schedule (quick pasta meal on busy days, ”roast and three veg” on a leisurely Sunday), and reduce waste (you know what to buy and when).

We have taken the opportunity to add more vegetarian meals to our rotation. Vegetarian meals often require more prep-work that meat meals (lots of chopping verses throwing a slab of meat on the broiler and some vegetables to steam). Because the only food I have available is meant for a specific meal, I do not waste time figuring out what to do: I just get on with it.

A monthly menu lends itself well to the homeschooling lifestyle. It incorporates planning, budgeting, reading, culinary skills, and family discussion. Give it a whirl, and see how much you gain from so simple an activity.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson. Originally published in California HomeSchooler.

Teaching Pet Safety

2011-06-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

When introducing a new dog or cat to the family, parents usually lay down a few rules, such as who is responsible for feeding and cleaning up after the animal, and whether or not the animal is allowed on the furniture. Beyond that, problems are handled as they arise, which can lead to negative interactions between children and pets. All too often, these issues can result in the child fearing the animal, the animal being given away, or even the animal being put down, none of which are desirable.

If you are thinking of owning a dog or cat, or simply want to teach your children how to best interact with them, check out Dr. Amanda Chin’s workbook, Pets' Playground: Playing Safe in a Dog-And-Cat World.

Loaded with information on the history, behavior, and care of dogs and cats, Pets' Playground provides a wonderful, fact-filled way for families to learn together. The text is around a third-grade level, but it is ideal for reading together. The pages are filled with photographs and illustrations. Matching games, mazes, drawing activities, and fill-in-the-blanks are scattered throughout the workbook. Additionally, more advanced words are used, but they are quickly defined in a matter-of-fact manner, and a comprehensive glossary can be found at the back.

Dr. Chin strives to give useful information without creating fear. For example, instead of simply saying, “Don’t approach strange dogs,” she demonstrates through illustrations and explanations pets’ body language, how to approach animals, and what to avoid doing to them. Dr. Chin discusses how to make a home pet-safe, what pets should and should not eat, and what to expect at vet visit.

On a personal note, we used this book with our two sons. Our eldest has a strong fear of dogs, which we have slowly worked to mitigate. This book was a part of that process, filling his mind with facts and numbers, which made dogs seem less intimidating to him. Our youngest son has no fear of animals, and therefore was a little too enthusiastic with his displays of affection toward our cats. We used this book to show him how cats like to play and how to read their signals better. Our eldest still is wary around new dogs, but warms up to ones he sees repeatedly. Our youngest is much better about petting the cats (“Head to tail, Mom. Head to tail.”)

For more information on this book and other pet issues, visit Dr. Chin’s website at www.kidsandpetsafety.com.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Lots of Blocks

2011-06-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

There are a few toys that I think every family should own. One is a good set of natural colored hardwood building block in a standard size like the ones made by GuideCraft or Melissa and Doug. The more you can afford, the better. Look for a set with proportional dimensions (for instance, the thickness of the blocks is half the width of the square).

Our family started out with a set of painted softwood blocks. The problem with them was twofold: first, they didn’t stack or balance well, and second, the colors meant anything you built had a patchwork look to it.

In contrast, we have built towers of hardwood blocks taller than an adult. Of course, when they fall, they leave little dings in the floor and occasionally painfully hit a toe or finger. Unpainted blocks are also versatile. They can make a building, a maze, a chair, a statue, a tree. An individual block can be a book, a car, a baseball bat, a phone, a carrot. You add the color in your head.

I love this picture of my son’s building, because it tells so much about things that he could do. To build the ramp, he had to do some thinking about stacking each pile one taller than the last. He had to notice that the ramp blocks have a “right” and “wrong” if you want to make a smooth incline. He had to figure out how to make the bridge built up to the right height to connect to the ramp. You can see he has some sense of symmetry– the blocks coming out from under the bridge both have one long block and four triangles. But mostly I can see that he created something of his own that he was proud of.

We keep our set in the living room and have watched them be used by the toddlers through the grandparents. Unit blocks are a must-have for the hands on learning household.

Although I love unit blocks, there is another block set that I think children who love to build should have-- a good set of plank style blocks. Sold under the name Kapla and the more affordable Citiblocs, these one by five by 3/8 inch blocks stack and balance amazingly well.

We first discovered them at an exhibit at a children's museum where they had literally thousands of blocks to build with. We brought home our own set and found that kids and adults both were drawn to them. We've made many insanely tall structures and adults in particular seem to like to make strangely balanced shapes that seem to defy gravity. They've also been used by the younger set to make roads and fences during creative play. This simple, adaptable toy is one that is worth having in your home. Buy as many blocks as you can afford for more building options.

Win a Copy of "Zenschooling"!

2011-06-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in reading Zenschooling, by Tammy Takahashi, but haven't picked up a copy yet? Now's your chance to win a copy at Hunt Press' blog.

Just click through and scroll down to the announcement. Make sure to leave a comment on the blog or send one by email to info@huntpress.com by June 7th! That's when Hunt Press is picking one lucky person to receive a free copy.

Good luck!

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Turning "Waste" into Learning

2011-06-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Bay Area, you should know about RAFT. RAFT stands for Resource Area for Teaching. It's a pretty wonderful concept. Industries all over the Bay Area donate their manufacturing and office "waste" to RAFT and RAFT sorts it, thinks of great things to do with it, and offers it back to teachers (including homeschoolers) for a very low price.

Things I have found on my visits to RAFT: Klutz books with dinged edges or dried up glue for $4/each, reams of 11 by 18 paper for $5, RAFT assembled science kits with great directions for $2-6, zippers for 10 cents each (we used these to make number lines!), textbooks and chapter books for 50 cents, headphones by the bagful for $5, yarn for 50 cents a skein, sturdy tape dispensers for $1, huge sheets of tagboard for 10 cents, bags of odd shaped fabric scraps or cardboard pieces for $3, and lots more! I've gone out of RAFT with a shopping cart loaded to the top for less than $50.

They also have a green room with lots of die cuts, a large laminator, etc. for free or at cost use.

It is a membership based ($50/yr), and children under the age of 12 aren't allowed on the floor. I usually go with another mom and there's a grassy area outside with a picnic table that we take turns watching the kids at while the other mom shops inside. Usually only one of us has a membership and we divide our stuff off the ticket later (they are also nice about giving us a subtotal part way through).

Even if you don't go, check out their activity sheets which offer lots of great ideas for using "throwaway" materials to teach tons of topics in all subject areas.

If you are thinking of starting a co-op or looking for inexpensive resources for homeschooling, look into RAFT! I would suggest calling ahead and asking what kind of documentation they want you to bring to show that you are a homeschooler (they are a non-profit and have to document that all their members are teachers at public or private schools). They have asked for different things on different years so find out their current policy for homeschoolers before you go.

For the Love of Boxes

2011-06-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

When you are a kid, sometimes the best things from the store are not the toys, but the boxes they come in. Every parent has a story of the birthday when the birthday child was more interested in the box and wrapping paper than the toys within. We've taken this to the logical conclusion with our second and third children: we went to the appliance store and hauled away a big washing machine box and gave it as a first or second birthday present!

We cut doors and windows into the box before gifting it. We usually mix cut out holes of various shapes and heights with one or two doors or windows that are "hinged". (Hint: for a better hinge, cut through the first outer layer of cardboard to create a crease where the door or window is to open.) We've learned it's a good idea to cut a little rectangle of cardboard out of the edge of the door so there's a place to stick your fingers in to open and close it, otherwise you get the occasional pinched finger!

These boxes get written on, pushed over, sat on and otherwise loved and abused until it's finally time to put it in the recycling. For inspiration, look for the book Christina Katerina and the Box, (now out of print) as a guide for how your box may transform over time.

Homeschooling Gift Idea: Museum Memberships

2011-05-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Homeschoolers love museums.

With classes, hands-on exhibits, and well-informed docents, museums provide interaction with a subject that no book or lecture ever could.

Homeschoolers know this, and take full advantage of their local museums.

Unfortunately, some museums can be pricey, especially when entire families are paying for admission.

So, a perfect gift for the homeschooling family in your life is a museum membership.

But which museum should you choose?

First, ask the parents what the family is studying and where the children's interest lie.

Second, do a quick online search of museums in their area with those interests in mind. You could search "San Francisco museums" or "Houston children's museums" or "Charleston science museums," for example.

Next, look at your museum-of-choice's membership offerings. Some offer gift memberships. Some include guest passes with the family memberships (so you can join in the homeschooling museum experience). Others even offer reciprocal entry at a discount or for free to other museums in the area, the state, or even the nation.

To make the gift more special for the family to open, purchase a book or game related to the museum and pop the membership information in with it. For instance, a book about Monet would go well with an art museum membership, while a game of Senet would work with an Egyptian museum membership.

Finally, get ready for heartfelt thanks for your thoughtful and useful gift!

Article by Sarah J. Wilson