Homeschooling Helper - Curriculum Tips & Ideas

An Arts Infused Curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 00:27:00 +0000

Our home school was all about art. It didn't matter what the subject was. The children constantly ready to learn because they knew that, whatever they were doing to learn about, it would include ART! And what child doesn't enjoy art?

How can you include art in your lesson planning? It’s not hard, and you'll be surprised at how much more excited your children will be about learning. Here are some examples:

History: Create the journal (including sketches) of a historical figure as he or she navigated through life, or that of a fictitious character during a certain historical period. Remember John Dunbar's journal in Dances with Wolves?

Geography: using colored pencil, create a topographical map of a known or an "unknown (hidden?)" island: add names to the features of the map.

English/Literature/Writing: create a story of about the people (or other creatures) who explored or live(d) there and what happened (illustrated, of course). Create a bound and illustrated book complete with your map and story.

Science: create an illustrated field guide of the wildflowers in your area and label with using scientific and common names. The same could be done for birds. insects, trees, or mammals in your area. Or create a dinosaur or prehistoric animal field guide. (Boys love this one!)

Math: Somehow, people often think math and art don't mix, but the opposite is true! Some art is all about math! Younger children can create and play games that involve math skills or make even their own flash cards. Kids can make art objects such as pop art cubes and symmetry reflections. Try googling "art projects that involve math" for tons of ideas!

In fact, using the Internet, you can find ways to include art every day and in almost every subject!

My children have long since grown up, so I now work with home schoolers here at the Blackfoot Art Center. Our home school art club (HSAC) meets weekly for two hours. I always have an art project or lesson prepared; however the kids can work on individual art projects in our kids' open studio area, or they work on unfinished projects from previous weeks or other art classes they may be taking at the art center.

This week we created "candy art." This was a great skill-building lesson in enlarging and freehand drawing using perspective. The candy "subjects" we used were quite tiny and had to be enlarged to fill up the square watercolor paper (or crescent board) support. Then, media decisions had to be made: acrylic, tempera, watercolor, or colored pencil? Above all, this was an exercise in graphic arts: as though creating a candy ad. (It also could be used as a lesson about pop art - Andy Warhol style.) After the art was finished, the candy was EATEN!

The Game of Opposites

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:59:00 +0000

We always want to help children improve and increase their vocabularies. Here is another fun word game that will help familiarize your children with antonyms.

To play the game, you will say a word, and they have to think of another word that is very different from the given word, or the opposite of the word. Start by using the word in a sentence, such as “Don’t turn the water on, turn it _____.” “If you jump up, you’ll fall ______.” Continue using sentences to add fun and interest to the game. For added interest, let the children act out the opposites where possible (happy-sad, etc). Once the kids catch on, they may want to dispense with the sentences - just say the word so they can supply the opposite.

Eventually you will want to make the game more challenging, so add some antonym relationships that are more subtle, such as cool-warm, or tiny-huge. Try some of these after the children have mastered the more common or obvious opposites. Here are some common (and then some trickier) antonyms:

long-short rough-smooth same-different clean-dirty

big-little wet-dry boy-girl full-empty

hot-cold wide-narrow up-down hard-soft

happy-sad sick-well good-bad open-close

fast-slow on-off old-new young-old

day-night over-under dark-light fat-thin

mom-dad ugly-pretty awake-asleep left-right

cool-warm loud-quiet huge-tiny clean-dirty

play-work baby-adult forget-remember black-white

city-country laugh-cry run-walk sharp-dull

burning-freezing nice-mean top-bottom whisper-shout

You will find right away that the children will have lots of other word solutions for this game. Many will be synonyms of some of the words on the list. For example, skinny for thin, or grown-up for adult. Or how about gigantic or humongous for huge? This can be a great lead-in to more vocabulary games, such as (you guessed it) a synonym game! I have one for you - next post.

Let 'Em Paint!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:05:00 +0000

As a college art major and a mother of five home-schooled children, I know that children of all ages love to paint! However, I also recognize that painting can be messy and time-consuming and probably not on most moms' top ten list of favorite activities to do with their children.

My purpose for this post is to say, "Let the children paint!"

There are a lot of art projects we can do with our children, but take my word for it - painting is the probably the most rewarding. It is well worth the time, the effort, and the clean-up to get your kids painting. Consider a child attempting a pencil, marker, or crayon drawing of a tiger, for example. A complex subject, to be sure, but a popular one with children. Now, consider the added excitement and possibilities of painting the tiger using tempera or poster paints!

The beautiful tiger above, by Kalvin, age 10, was painted using only the three primaries (red, yellow, and blue), which he mixed to get just the right colors. You can see two more examples of painted tigers on the Blackfoot Art Center weblog.

Here are some tips for providing successful painting experiences at your house:

1) Use tempera paints or poster paints, which are brighter, thicker, and much easier to mix and manipulate than water colors. I suggest using only the primary colors - red, yellow, and blue - plus white and black. Then, it is up to the children to mix the secondary (orange, green, purple) and tertiary colors (yellow red, maroon, turquoise, etc), as well as shades and tints (pink, sky blue, etc.). What a great, hands-on way to learn color theory! Your child will love the beautiful variations of green, for example, that can be created for outdoor scenes by mixing blue and yellow, compared to the bottled kelly green, which is not found in nature at all! Use old tin pie pans for paint palettes; you may need more than one for a painting project.

Hint: Teach your child that when mixing colors, always add dark colors to light colors. A light color added to a dark color is quickly absorbed so that in order to get the desired color, a lot of paint may be wasted. To create a shade, add just a drop of black to the color; for a tint, add a brushful of the color to white.

Another hint: Encourage your child to use opposite colors on the color wheel to create grey instead of using black and white. Use two opposites that are prevalent in the painting for a much more interesting grey, such as blue mixed with orange, yellow mixed with purple, or green mixed with red.

2) Use heavy paper, such as sketching, drawing, or watercolor paper to paint on. Size should be at least 10 X 13 inches, masking taped around all sides to a smooth masonite or drawing board.

3) Cover the work space with newspapers. Use large water containers (empty margerine or cottage cheese tubs work very well) and a variety of brush types and sizes, including large soft brushes for filling in larger areas with color, and medium to small brushes for more detail. Use large button-up shirts for paint smocks to protect clothing, or purchased paint smocks.

4) When planning a painting, use these tips:

- Encourage the child to focus on a specific subject. In other words, instead of painting a forest scene, focus on something in the forest such as a bear with her cub(s) or a campfire scene with a forest backdrop.
- Use plenty of resource materials for topic ideas. We use magazines, old calendar photos, and art books to find great subject ideas.
- Fill in all of the paper with paint, even "white" areas should be painted, using a very light tint (such as a bluish white to represent clouds). Remember that the sky touches the horizon. There is no empty white space between the sky and the ground (a common misconception for young children).

6) Once the work is completely dry, carefully remove the masking tape and cut a mat from poster board or matboard. Insert and proudly display your child's artwork.

Sponsor a Child

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 05:37:00 +0000

Have you ever considered sponsoring a child? We decided to become child sponsors when our first two children were quite young - before we began homeschooling. We didn't just dive into it; for us it took a lot of thought - just as though we were adopting or fostering a child. We researched several child sponsorship organizations with the following questions:

How much would it cost, and could we afford it over the long term? We recognized that this would be a long term commitment to a child and family who would depend upon us.

What percentage of our payments would go directly to the child/family?

What kinds of things would the money be used to pay for? Would these things make a real difference in the child's life?

How long has the organization been in the business of sponsoring children? What was its track record? Could it be trusted?

In which countries did this organization work, and how long had it operated there?

How much personal, direct communication would we be able to have with our sponsored child? What kinds of personal exchanges could take place? How much would we be able to learn about our sponsored child and his or her family, church, and school?

After exploring several different child sponsorship programs, we finally decided upon Compassion. We liked everything we learned about this organizaton, but I'll be honest with you. When we received our snapshot of Rita (photo above), we just fell in love with her. Rita was an beautiful little eight-year-old girl living with her family in Indonesia.

How could we say no?

During our sponsorship of Rita, our children wrote letters to her and also sent cards, photos, and bookmarks - anything flat that could be mailed in an envelope. For her birthday and Christmas we were permitted to sent a little extra money, with which she bought new shoes and a school uniform. (She was so excited about her uniform, the first day she wore it she danced in front of her classmates.) She draw pictures and wrote letters to us that were translated into English by her teacher, Harry. We also received some of her actual completed school work and interesting information about Indonesia. Our experience was so positive that we decided to also sponsor an African child, Nanduga Mary, again through Compassion. We received yearly photographs of our Ugandan child as well as many group photos taken at her school. We exchanged one-to-one letters, cards, and artwork, and we received copies of her progress reports and several family situation updates.

As a homeschooling family, child sponsorship was extremely rewarding. Through letter writing, photo exchanges, personal financial contributions (even pennies), and prayers, our children learned that they CAN make a difference in the world by helping a needy child in very personal and tangible ways.

We have since lost track of Rita, who would now be 31 years of age, one year older than my oldest child; and Nanduga Mary, of the same age. However, we still have both girls' letters and photos and think of them often; and we continue to pray for their health and well-being.

Poinsettias Were Once "Weeds?"

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 07:22:00 +0000

I just read an interesting article about the poinsettia; the not-so-traditional Christmas plant. Did you know that until 1828, this plant was a flowering roadside weed growing in Mexico? In 1928, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, brough the plant to the United States; and the following year, "poinsettias" were exhibited at a flower show. It wasn't until a century later, however, that the flower was cultivated and marketed as a Christmas flower, by a California man named Paul Ecke. Since the plants bloom naturally at Christmastime, he sold the flowers at a roadside stand on Sunset Boulevard. Now, the Paul Ecke Ranch produces 50 percent of the world's poinsettias, and three quarters of the nation's supply. Amazingly, all of these plants are no longer grown in fields, but are all cultivated in huge green houses!

To order your own Ecke poinsettias or to learn more about the Eck family ranch, visit the Ecke family ranch website.

An Indoor Snow Storm!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:05:00 +0000

We have had just a small amount of snow this year, and now it's gone, so the children in my art classes decided to make it snow indoors! We made large and small snowflakes that are much more beautiful and elegant than the regular flat kind, and actually are quite easy to make. Instead of repeating the instructions here, I decided its easier to send you to the Blackfoot Art Center weblog to learn how to create them, step-by-step. The children love hanging them from the ceiling above their beds. (If you live in a warmer climate, they'll like this all the more!)

For even more fun, make garlands to hang as well. You'll need a roll of adding machine paper and scissors. Simply cut a piece of paper about 18 inches long and fold in half, then in half again, and again, and again until you have a small piece of folded paper, maybe an inch or and inch and a half across. Now cut out your design, making sure to leave folds on both sides somewhere in your design so that you don't end up with lots of little pieces of paper instead of one long one. (If you do, just try again.) Now unfold and hang your garlands from the ceiling amidst the falling snowflakes.

Beautiful!

Life Happens...

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:55:00 +0000

I have been away for so long and I apologize. Other than my October post with the cute little horse painting (Kelly, it's lovely!), the last time I posted was in - gulp - July!

Well, life happens.

I have had so much going on with my art classes (and my personal life), coupled with a complete computer crash-and-burn, that it's been impossible to keep up with everything. My website has suffered as has the Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter. In fact, I believe I may have lost nearly half of my subscriber's information on my old harddrive. I am still trying to recover and get the newsletter back on track, so please bear with me!

I hope you had a wonderful summer, and a nice transition into the autumn months. For many I know that meant homeschooling lessons once again, and for others no real change at all. Whatever your style of homeschooling, I hope this weblog, as well as the Blackfoot Art Center weblog are helpful to you in some way.

Art and Craft Workshops and Online Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 23:01:00 +0000

Are you a homeschooling parent living in Southeastern Idaho? If you are, you'll want to check the Blackfoot Art Center schedule of classes and workshops often. The art center has ongoing homeschooler's art classes as well as exciting Saturday and Monday craft workshops that your children will not want to miss. If you have an interested H.S. group, e-mail the art center about setting up a weekly day and time for art classes of your own.

Currently, Saturday craft workshops are fall-themed. Scheduled - A "Spooky Halloween Craft" day (rescheduled for Monday, October 23); "Fun Autumn Leaf Projects," Saturday, Ocober 28; and "Handmade Greeting Cards," Saturday, November 4. All supplies and materials are provided, and a snack break is included. Please browse the Blackfoot Art Center blog for more information about children's art workshops and homeschool art classes. We also share past art projects and how to do them at home!

Don't live near Blackfoot (or anywhere near the Gem State, Idaho)? All is not lost! Visit the art center weblog every so often and you'll find step-by-step instructions for lots of terrific art and craft projects that your homeschoolers can do at home. These are not silly, cookie-cutter activities. They are designed to encourage independent thinking, develop problem-solving skills, and promote creativity through fun, open-ended art exploration.

Above - "Horse Eating Grass," by homeschooler Kelly Layton (7). This painting was created after learning about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors - all colors were mixed from the primaries - red, yellow, and blue.

Never Too Early for Money Management Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 17:31:00 +0000

How many adults do you know who lack money management skills? Credit card debt is at an all-time high in the US, as well as the number of foreclosures and other money-related woes. The fact is that many people are unable to balance a checkbook or understand a credit card statement (not to mention a ten-page mobile phone bill), so how can they be expected to adequately manage their personal finances?

The time to start teaching money management skills is now, regardless of how old your children are. This does not mean punching out paper "money" from the back of an arithmetic workbook, and pretending to spend it (although this might be fun for the very young if you set up a "store" for them to run and "shop" in). Real money management lessons come from real-life situations. This means children must have access to ample money-earning opportunities as soon as they understand that money has value. Working to earn money is a great way to instill that money has value, and because of the work invested, children want to handle their more money carefully than when it is simply given to them. This is not to say an allowance is bad. We always gave our children allowances, but they were small in comparison to those of their peers, who, by the way, spent their allowances as quickly as they received them.

Here are some great ways to teach your children money management skills:

1. Don't buy your kids whatever they want to avoid an insatiable desire for every great new thing that comes along.

2. Provide money-earning opportunities around the house so that kids can earn the things they want on their own. (Often, once they've earned the money, they'll change their minds about the purchase on their own.)

3. Give them short-term, relatively easy job opportunities for quick cash, such as sweeping out the garage, as well as more time-consuming, difficult jobs that are worth more when completed, such as washing all of the windows, inside and out.

4. Encourage them to be creative and find ways to earn money on their own, both at home and around the neighborhood.

5. Open a savings account and encourage them to save a portion of all of their earnings. Most children enjoy knowing they have a bank account and will want deposit even more than you might expect.

6. Teach them to give 10 % in tithes and offerings to your church, or donate 10% to a worthy cause. Hopefully this will become a lifelong habit.

7. Talk about money matters whenever possible. Explain how credit cards work, and why one must be very careful when using credit. Explain the difference between a debit and a credit card. Older children need to understand interest and how it affects credit card payments and balances as well as how it earns money on savings and other kinds of bank accounts. These conversations can take place at any time during the natural flow of daily life as your children observe your financial dealings. Encourage them to ask questions, and help them to set up a budget.

8. Teach your teens about checking accounts and how to write a check and manage a checkbook. Let them open a checking account as soon as you think they are ready. Most banks will open a "student checking account" for kids at age 16.

9. Don't be afraid to include your children in money related conversations. Money problems affect the whole family, and children should have the opportunity to help out in some way to lighten the burden and to actively learn better money mangement skills at the same time.

10. Teach them to be good consumers. Involve them in comparison shopping whenever possible, whether on the Internet, in catalogs, newspaper ads, or at the mall. If you clip and use coupons, teach them to do the same. Encourage your children to spend money carefully, and to do without if an item is priced too high for their budget.

Teaching money management skills is just as vital as teaching reading and writing skills, so please, do not neglect it!

Teach With Flowers!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 07:50:00 +0000

I have been teaching art classes for the last couple of months through the Blackfoot Art Center, and I have found that spring and summer flowers are perfect subjects for so many art projects! Whether drawing, painting, assembling, or taking photographs, there are innumerable ways to incorporate flowers and floral subjects. Here are some examples:

Drawing:
Students who are learning or practicing pure- or modified-contour drawing can greatly benefit from drawing a variety of complex flowers. Excellent subjects are irises, carnations, geraniums, and chrysanthemums. Then, as students begin to hone their volume drawing skills, roses exhibit overlapping patterns of light within their petals, lending themselves to great shading variations. Flowers energize and add interest to still life arrangments, too.

Painting:
Beginning and master painters alike are often attracted to floral subjects. Flowers contribute interesting shapes, textures, and color, whether painted as part of an arrangement in a vase, or plein-aire, directly in the garden. Even the youngest child enjoys painting colorful flowers. Whether using watercolors, poster paints, oils, temperas, or acrylics, flowers can be rendered in a striking and unique way.

Assemblages and Collage:
Floral subjects can be created from colorful magazine cuttings, construction paper, or tissue paper. Add dimension by cutting 1 to 1 1/2 inch circles of colored tissue paper, and placing the eraser end of a pencil in the center of each tissue circle. Twist the tissue edges up around the pencil. Using a glue stick, smudge some glue onto the collage, then press the tissue into the glue with the pencil before removing it. Glue several of these tissue "flowers" in clusters atop thin strips of green construction paper, maybe sprouting from a vase made from shapes randomly torn from magazine photos. A five-year-old can create these beautiful, 3-D tissue collage flowers!

Photography:
Flowers make irresistable photo subjects. The closer you can get, the better. My new digital camera has a macro mode, so I was able to get out and take some terrific floral photos (see the snapdragon, above). You may see colors and botanical structures in your resulting photos that you might not have noticed before. Photos can then be enlarged and framed, or used as resource material for drawings and paintings, student-produced field guides, creative writing, or botanical drawings for science projects.

While observing and enjoying the flowers of spring and summer, learn all you can about them. Did you know that calle lilies are not really flowers at all? These elegant funnel shapes are actually extensions of the stem, called the spathe. Did you know that delicate, six-petaled dendrobium orchids are actually exotic tropical flowers, or that the simple daisy is a popular wedding flower that represents hope, purity, and innocence? At DotFlowers.com, you can find out more about the lost language and meanings of flowers.

You can also find out more about plants and flowers at DotFlowers.com's Botanical Database. Flowers are listed alphabetically and also by the state in which they grow:

If you would like some great ideas for projects that use flowers (even faded ones - don't throw them away!) see DotFlowers.com's article archives, including Fun Floral Craft Ideas, Practical Uses for Flowers, and Flower Pressing Techniques.

I hope you'll use flowers throughout your curriculum while they are available.

Make Crazy Tops and Learn About Color

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Mon, 22 May 2006 02:26:00 +0000

The Blackfoot Art Center has just published its Summer 2006 Class Schedule (PDF). If you live in the Blackfoot area you might want to have a look. If not, you can follow along with many of our exciting art activities by bookmarking the Art Center weblog and checking in every so often. I will be posting complete lesson plans including supply lists, instructions, and sample projects.

However, just this once I decided to post our most recent homeschoolers' Art Adventures class activity right here. This was really more of a science/art project anyway; and it was a lot of fun!

Before beginning this project, make a few Crazy Tops like the ones below and have the children predict how the tops will appear when they are spun. I guarantee that when you spin each top,
the sound you hear from your children will be "Whooooaa!" and that's because they won't believe their eyes! For example, who would predit that when you spin the primary colors (I also included green on mine) you will see WHITE? Well, of course you will. Have the children think about what colors they see in a dark room (maybe grey and black - the absence of color). So, the more light the more color. All colors = white! I know, I was amazed too.

After trying these out, let the kids go to town making their own Crazy Tops. Encourage them to use symetrical or circular designs, but if they don't, it's okay! Which colors seem to recede? Which stand out? What new designs do you see that aren't actually drawn on the top? Amazing! This "art experiment" is great fun.

Crazy Tops
Materials needed:

Color markers (broad tipped)
Cardboard tracing patterns (4-inch round) with small center hole (make in advance)
Stiff white and dark (or black) paper
Scissors
Dowel cut to 3-inch lengths
Hand-held pencil sharpener
Fine sandpaper
White and colored paper dots (from hole puncher)
Glue sticks
White glue
Sharp point to punch center holes; small Philips screw driver to enlarge it

Samples of crazy tops – (1) divided equally into four quadrants: red, blue, yellow, green (2) star design on outer and inner edge (any color) (3) black or very dark ground with a few series of white, yellow, and red dots near edge, near center, and in middle ground between each.

What to do:

1) Talk about color, why we see it, and how light affects it. What is white? (all colors combined) What is black? (absence of color)

2) Show the children the Crazy Top with all of the primary colors (plus green). What will they see when we spin it? (No one will likely guess white) Spin the top.

3) Show them the other samples, what will they see? Nearly any design will be a surprise. Why do we see white and red circles when we spin the black top? (the colors reflect the light, black does not)

4) On stiff paper, have each child trace two circles using one of the patterns. Make sure they mark the center dot.

5) Instruct them to design their own crazy tops, filling in with color. Encourage them to use repeating designs around the circumference of the disk. For the black or dark tops, stick on a few white or colored paper punch dots.

6) Have children sand both ends of a stick and sharpen one end to a dull point.

7) Punch center hole in disk, enlarge, then push stick half-way through the hole, point down.

8) What do they expect to see when they spin the top? Now SPIN it!!! "Whooooaaa!"

Note: After a few spins, it will be necessary to add a dab of white glue to the underside of the disk and smear it around the point where it meets the stick. This is because the hole stretches out and the disk becomes slightly loose; and then the top won't spin! Let the glue dry while the children make MORE Crazy Tops!

Fine Arts Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 04:33:00 +0000

First, let me apologize for my tardiness with this post. I have been super-busy this past couple of weeks, and will be until the end of the month. Why? I am opening an art center! My small community is in need of a little culture (those are not my words, but those of my neighbors and friends) and I am in need of, well... self-employment. So this should work out very well for everyone.

I have a very empty finished basement with three small "classrooms" (easy-to-clean linoleum floors instead of carpeting was the clencher). With plenty of storage room, running water for cleanup, and wallspace for artwork and projected images, I knew on the outset that this was a feasible idea. But what about furniture... you know, tables and chairs? I went to the school district and guess what? They gave me (GAVE me) three large work tables and many, many sturdy chairs. I have little chairs for little people, chairs for adults, and even a few chairs sizes in between. I'm working on getting it all together by May 1. (Oh my, did you know it snowed here all day today? So much for mowing the lawn! What happened to spring?)

If you live in the Blackfoot Idaho area and are interested in art classes (for ages 4 and up), please visit my new Blackfoot Art Center weblog to learn more about what we'll be doing. There you can download flyers, class schedules for our first (and future) sessions, and registration forms. Feel free to copy and distribute to your group!

Meanwhile, check in to the Art Center weblog often for fine arts lesson ideas and student work that I'll be showcasing each week. I'll post some more homeschool ideas here just as soon as I'm able, I promise!

Have You Discovered Sudoku?

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 17:46:00 +0000

"The latest craze since the Rubic's Cube!" That's what they call Sudoku. Although they involve numbers, Sudoku puzzles require no math; they are actually logic puzzles. Vhildren as young as 7 or 8 can enjoy solving simple Sudoku puzzles, and will want more challenging puzzles in no time. In fact, Sudoku has become a challenging, fun, and even addicting adult pasttime.

To learn about what Sudoku is and how to solve Sudoku puzzles step-by-step, click here. (This is a downloadable pdf, so you need Adobe Reader to view it.) Basically, the idea is to complete each quadrant or section of the puzzle using each number once while ensuring that each row and column has no duplicate numbers. Try this one:

Don't just guess... use logic to fill it in. You can see, for example, that the second column has a 4 and a 2, so it needs a 1 and a 3. The 3 cannot go in the first row because there is already a 3 in that row, so it must go in the 3rd row (next to the 1). From there, you can finish that column, then the third column, then the first and fourth column (solution below). There are many Soduko puzzle sites on the Internet, two of which are Activity Village (pdf printable puzzles) and Junior Sudoku (interactive online puzzles).
Warning! Sudoku can be addictive!

Here is the solution to the puzzle above:

More Physics for Little Scientists

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:48:00 +0000

Back in January I posted a physics experiment and promised to post more of these in the future (A Cool Science Experiment!). It's March now, and well into the future (oops!) so today I'm going to post more hands-on science for you to do with your children.

Although air is all around us, most of us never think about air pressure or air as having weight. As demonstrated in the first experiment (link above), air very definately has weight, so much so that it can hold an object down tightly. Now, try this next experiment, which I loved as a child - it was like magic!

Did you know air can hold something UP (even something heavy)?

Fill up a glass with water (to the brim). Place a piece of cardboard or tagboard on top of the glass. Hold the cardboard in place while turning the glass upside down over a sink or basin. Now, take your hand away from the cardboard. What happens? What did you think would happen?

Amazing! The water stays in the glass because the air pressure against the cardboard is greater than the weight of the water against the cardboard. The water will remain in the glass until the cardboard soaks through and collapses, allowing air to slip into the glass and the water to be released.
More surprises about air pressure

Place two books four or five inches apart on a table. Place a piece of paper on top of the books, covering the space between them. Blow through the space under the paper. What happens? What did you expect to happen?

Instead of the paper blowing up or off of the books, the paper sinks between the books! Why? To find out, try this:

Tie two balloons to strings and hang them a few inches apart. Now, blow between them. What happens? What did you expect to happen?

Instead of moving apart, the balloons move together! Both of these experiments demonstrate that moving air causes lower air pressure. The faster the air moves, the lower the air pressure drops. In fact, that's what allows airplanes to fly! The shape of an airplane's wing causes the air pressure above it to lessen as the airplane moves forward, allowing the plane to rise upward.

Pencil and Paper Word Games

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 06:13:00 +0000

I like words. I like to play with words. Our favorite family games revolve around words and wordplay; Boggle, Password, Scrabble, and Take Two. (See "Better Than Scrabble?" in the Archives to learn how to play Take Two.)

Here are two word games that require no more than a pencil and paper:

COULD BE

Object: To create a list of words around two given letters within a two-minute time limit.

How to Play: Players draw four dashes on their paper. One player chooses two letters to use, and the other chooses two positions. For example, the first player chooses E and R and the second player chooses positions 2 and 4: __ E __ R.

The players now write as many words as possible within two minutes that fit this pattern. What words COULD BE formed within this pattern?

The player with the most legitimate words after a series of COULD BE games is the winner. Here is a list of sample words from the above pattern:

1. deer 2. bear 3. fear 4. tear 5. leer 6. gear 7. rear 8. pear 9. wear 10.near 11.year

Be sure to check spellings and compare one another's lists. Use word lists as resources to write short verses and poems.

This game helps players to improve spelling skills, increase vocabulary, and recognize phonics and rhyming patterns.

ACROSS WORD

Object: To make a list of words that fit within AND that start with or include a letter of the letters in a given topic. Okay, okay, it's not so complicated at all - read on!

How to Play:
1) Together the players (2 to 4) decide upon a topic such as presidents, insects, automobiles, animals, flowers, etc.
2) Each player writes the word vertically on their paper.
3) Within a two-minute time limit, each player writes the names of words that fit within the given topic. The words must start with or include one letter of the topic word. No word may be listed more than once. Players try to score as many points as possible using the scoring system below.
4) Scoring: 2 points for each word that begins from a letter in the topic word, and 1 point for each word that contains a letter in the topic word. Here is an example, using the topic word SPORTS:

2 SOFTBALL
2 PINGPONG
1 FOOTBALL
2 RUGBY
2 TENNIS
2 SOCCER

This player's score is 11 points. Very good! Remember, sometimes a player will not be able to think of a word for every topic letter. Just score zero for those letters. Also, categories can be comprised of two or more words, such as FURRY ANIMALS or GIRLS' NAMES, and time limits can be increased to 3 or 4 minutes.

This game helps build classification and vocabulary skills and improve spelling skills, and it's fun!

Too Many Childhood Favorites!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 19:21:00 +0000

As a kid, I had so many favorite books it's hard to pin down my FAVORITE favorites. I read all of the Happy Hollisters mysteries. These are no longer in print, unfortunately, but can be found online or occasionally in thrift shops. In the humor category, I loved Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. My Auntie Mona read these books to my sisters and me. I read them to my children. Hilarious and highly entertaining.

I read Henry Huggins and all of Beverly Cleary's books. Loved 'em all. I read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and The Prince and the Pauper. Again, humorous and wonderful, all. Mark Twain was America's great humourist.

Of course, I learned about life right along with Anne of Green Gables and Heidi and Ellen Tibbits and Laura Ingalls Wilder and all of the other storybook girls as we grew up together.

My favorite genre, I suppose, was animal stories. Whenever I was sick (which was quite frequently), my mother would get me a stack of books at the library to while away the hours I spent in bed. She would pretty much wipe out the dog stories section, then the horse stories, then, well, deer? I loved The Yearling. I read The Black Stallion series (Walter Farley) and of course, Lassie Come Home, Big Red, Tawney, and every other great story of man's best friend.

In high school I dabbled in science fiction and was soon mesmerized. I can't remember any of the titles I read now, but later on I read and loved Meredith Ann Pierce's DarkAngel trilogy. Excellent! I then read The Woman Who Loved Reindeer, also by Pierce, also wonderful. She has written a couple of other titles since way back then, so I hope to find them soon. Oh, Phillip Pullman's trilogy beginning with The Golden Compass is a good fantasy too. I loved the idea of daemons. (You'll have to read it to find out more.)

The point of all this is that books can be an integral part of one's life, especially when reading for sheer pleasure begins early. I can't guarantee that every child can be convinced to be the reader I was (and am). In fact not all of my chidren are avid readers (although believe me, I tried!!!), but oh what a life is the reading life. What would I do without books?

Nature Study: In Your Own Backyard

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 23:29:00 +0000

Here are more of our nature study experiences. These took place at and around our home and in our own backyard:

When we lived in the foothills above the Monterey Bay, we discovered that many critters lived all around us, including raccoons, oppossums, snakes, woodpeckers, scrub jays, squirrels, and a deer family. One day we found a wayward mole on the asphalt driveway, frantically searching for a soft spot to tunnel itself into. We filled our empty aquarium with dirt, and scooped the creature into it. We learned very quickly that this insectivore had a voracious appetite that we could not possibly keep up with, so after a day of observation, we released it on the hillside.

A garter snake once found its way into the house and slithered halfway up the carpeted stairway. We scrubbed out our aquarium and quickly assembled soil, plants, rocks, and debris in it. The snake resided in it for a time, then after observing and eventually releasing it, we continued to keep the aquarium ready for newcomers. We later kept a gopher snake in it, but learned that it would not eat white (feeder) mice, probably because of the unfamiliar color. We also found a few king snake skins, but never saw a live king snake. By the way, did you know that king snakes eat rattlesnakes?

We discovered that a preying mantis is a fascinating insect that can be kept as a pet in a creature keeper. Our mantis would turn its head to look at the children and follow their movements as they approached. Then it would carefully stalk its prey (usually flies) that they dropped into its little habitat.

My boys had butterfly nets to capture a variety of butterfly and moth specimens. I built a rather impressive butterfly collection as a child, but my children were not interested in killing and mounting them. After examining and identifying their specimens, they let them go.

Living on the California coast, we visited a few fish markets, and once we found a sort of "raw seafood mixture" of tiny octopus, shellfish, and other varieties of sea animals (I can't even remember what!). "People eat this?" and "Gross!" were their comments, but they begged to take a few of each home to examine, identify, and dissect. They spent the entire afternoon happily examining these creatures, inside and out. (Gross!)

We lived with poison oak all around us, and we learned that some people are very allergic to it, some become allergic after 5 or 15 or 30 contacts with it, and some people never have a reaction to poison oak. We also learned that you never burn poison oak, because the smoke can be very toxic to some people.

There was a dry pond bed at the bottom of our hill. All at once, after it had rained for several days, we heard deafening sounds coming from what was now a small lake. Frogs that had buried themselves under what had become the dry caked bed had been awakened by the rain and made their way to the surface. They were singing, chirruping, and croaking to announce their re-birth!

Deer love apples. Never harvest your apples and leave them in piles around your yard, unless you intend to provide deer treats.

If you have any interesting nature-study experiences you would like to share, please add your comments to this blog.

Nature Study: In the Field

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 23:38:00 +0000

Did you get a peek at our sample child-created field guides? I discussed these in my last post (February 3) about nature study.

Nature study was a essential part of our homeschooling experience. Maybe some of our field experiences will provide you with some of your own nature study ideas:

We signed up for a community Lyceum class in the spring of one year, and went on a magnificent wildflower hike. The California poppies, Johnny jump-ups, and lupines were spectacular! We took photos and we drew and labeled various specimens in our sketchbooks. This wonderful daylong experience prompted my daughter to create her own wildflower field guide project.

We went camping in the Santa Cruz mountains, taking along several portable "creature keepers," just in case. My sons found and trapped a few Western fence lizards and an alligator lizard in a rocky area. We took three of these home for him to raise and observe while working on his Reptiles Boy Scout merit badge. He did so successfully, while finding it very difficult to keep his charges supplied with enough insect food. After several months he released them to a similar habitat.

During the same camping trip, my boys explored a pond and trapped an aquatic garter snake. We took it home and they outfitted our aquarium with water, flat rocks, and vegetation. It was fascinating to watch the snake weaving around in the water as it hunted, captured, and swallowed its prey: feeder goldfish from the neighborhood pet store. The kids also collected the snake's discarded skins, and built it a "den" for winter hibernation. One year later when we again went camping, we returned the snake (albeit a bit fatter) to the same pond from which it came.

While camping one summer, my children came across a Western rattle snake, coiled up and resting under a tree. It was amazing how difficult it was to spot it; the snake's dark mottled markings made it almost invisible in the shady grass. After nearly stepping on it, they ran back to camp for a camera, and went back to take several pictures of it - from a distance.

There were a number of white-tailed deer, with tiny fawns, in the same area. We took photos, but even better, we found some excellent deer tracks in the hardened mud. My son had brought along some plaster of Paris and cardboard strips. He was able to make several plaster casts of these animal tracks while working on his Mammals merit badge.

In these pictures, Elliott is mixing the plaster of Paris and creating casts of the deer tracks.

While living on the California Central Coast, we visited Point Lobos State Reserve, which is often referred to as the "crown jewel" of the State Park System. There are a number of habitats all in this one amazing place. We explored forestland, grasslands, a rocky coastline, tidepools, and sandy beaches. There are rare plant communities and over 250 animal and bird species. The children participated in outdoor classrooms and guided tours, observed sea otters, sea lions, and migrating whales, and set up easles to draw and paint the landscape.

Other natural reserves we explored were the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Elkhorne Slough Wetlands Sanctuary, Jacks Peak, the Marina Dunes Preserve, the Monarch Butterfly Habitat, and Pinnacles National Monument. Wherever you live, there are interesting places to go to explore nature!

We visited a spectacular Monarch butterfly preserve in Pacific Grove. This is a place where these beautiful butterflies rest along their migration routes from Canada to Mexico. During just a few weeks of the year, these butterflies visit the Central California coast; with thousands resting in the trees at one time. We took pictures and created a photo essay about the migration of the Monarch butterfly. Amazing!

Nature Study

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 21:07:00 +0000

In our most recent Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter , I discussed the value of encouraging children to explore the natural world, and how to get them started. Every child can become a young naturalist, no matter where they live or how far they are able to take their explorations. A wonderful book that should be on every homeschool bookshelf is A Practical Guide For The Amateur Naturalist, by Gerald Durrell. His fascination with nature began at the age of two as he observed two shiny slugs on a rainy day. As a child he collected insect specimens that he carried around in matchboxes in his pockets. He later built extensive collections of critters until his bedroom became more of a nature library and a “cross between a museum and a mini-zoo.”

Most children are fascinated with wildlife and the natural world. The adults in their lives can help children to become exposed to and acquainted with a variety of natural habitats through observation and exploration, helping them to develop a deep respect for other living things as well as an awareness of conservation and related environmental issues.

Durrell’s lavishly illustrated Amateur Naturalist instructs the young naturalist, step-by-step, how to study the world around him. In my article, “Your Young Naturalist,” I provided a summary of suggestions based on Durrell’s book and my own children’s experiences as we explored our world together. The next issue of the Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter will continue this discussion with ideas and activities for children to do with their notes, drawings, and specimens once they arrive home from their nature hikes and explorations.

One nature study curriculum idea that worked very well for us is a child-created field guide. Choose a subject - wildflowers, insects, garden flowers, tree leaves, local birds, whatever. Illustrate as many as possible, one per page, in color, and label each specimen (which might involve a little research - maybe include the scientific name as well). Then bind the pages into a special book, make a cover, and wa-la! A field guide to be proud of and use.

Homeschoolers Cook!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 21:15:00 +0000

Kids love to eat. For this reason, it's a piece of cake (so to speak) to get them cooking. My children enjoyed baking and cooking and following recipes and making up recipes of their own. At age eleven, my oldest daughter Alicia created this recipe, which was first one published in the Recipe Corner of their homeschooling newsletter, Time for Kids. Don't worry, we've tried it many times. Very yummy!

Spanish Mexican Cheesy Summer Garden Vegetable Omelet
(If you can say it you can make it)

1 small summer squash (yellow crookneck)
1 small zuchinni
1 small tomato
1 Tbsp chopped onion
2 Tbsp butter or margerine
1 tsp Ortega canned chopped green chiles (optional)
1 Tbsp salsa
3 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper
1 half cup grated cheddar cheese

Slice or chop up squashes. Chop up tomato. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in fry pan or omelet pan. Add squash, tomatoes, and onion. Stir frequently, saute until tender. Remove from pan.
Melt remaining butter in pan. Pour in eggs. Cook slowly unil almost set. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on half of the cheese, the squash mixture, then chiles over one half of the egg mixture. Spoon on salsa, add the rest of the cheese. Carefully fold over omelet, allow to set, and aftyer cheese has melted, place on place. Makes one very large omelet that serves one, two, or three.

I'll include more kid-created recipe from time to time. Get your own kids into the kitchen, and let them cook. Very soon they will want to create their own dishes and write their own recipes to share with others. Meanwhile, let them try out this recipe. One of your children may want to prepare it for the family as a Valentine treat.

A Cool Science Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 07:09:00 +0000

In my ebook, 101 Hands-On, Tried & True Homeschool Curriculum Ideas You'll Love! I present the most engaging and effective reading, writing, and math learning activities I used during our 15 years of homeschooling. My original intent was to write a book covering all of the core subjects for ages 5 through 12; however, during the writing process, I quickly realized that had more than enough ideas just for these three basic subjects.

So... my next ebook is currently in the works; 101 MORE Hands-On, Tried & True Homeschool Curriculum Ideas You'll Love! This companion ebook will include great learning activities in the areas of social studies (history, current events, geography, social responsibility), science, and fine arts. I expect to complete the book within the next month or two.

I mention this so that a) as a visitor and reader of Homeschooling Helper, you'll know to be on the look out for the companion ebook, and b) because I realize in this weblog I have been lax about presenting learning activities in the areas of social studies, science, and fine arts!

So, today's learning activity is in the field of PHYSICS! You can perform this experiment at home with readily available materials.

Did You Know That Air Can Hold a Stick Down?

Place a yardstick on a table with about one foot extending beyond the edge. Strike down on the free end. What happens? (The other end pops up into the air.)

Now lay just a sheet or two of newspaper over the section of the stick that rests on the table. Smooth down the newspapers carefully by stroking from the center of the paper to the edges.
Now hit the free end again. What happens? (The covered portion will not move up.)

Hit the uncovered free end again, this time with a hammer (not too hard). Now what happens? (It still won't move, unless you hit it too hard; then it will crack or break!)

What just happened? The newspaper created a very large surface for the air above to press down on, and when you smoothed down the newspaper, you pressed all of the air out from under the it. This allowed the weight of the air above to press directly down on the newspaper, the table and the stick in between. Air can be heavy!

Science experiments are perfect "hands-on" learning activities, and children love them. You'll find many more just like this one in my new ebook, and I promise I'll include more here in the future.

Another Great Word Game!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 05:39:00 +0000

Here is a new word game that your child can play alone or with you and any number of players. Word Lines will to help your child to learn new words, improve spelling, and think fast! You'll need paper and pencils for each player.

First, each player should draw a grids of five rows and four columns, making sure each box is large enough to write in a four letter word. Now place the numbers 1 through 4 in the boxes down the first column. Above each of the last four columns, write one letter of a four letter word. If you've chosen "WORD" as your word, your graphs will look like this:

Each player will now fill in as many of his or her squares as possible with four-letter words in the following manner -
In the W-1 square, the player will write in a word beginning with the letter W. In the W-2 square, he will write in a word using W as the second letter, and so forth down the column. Players will do likewise for the letters O, R, and D. Players may use a word only once.
A completed grid using "WORD" as above might look like this:

Winner is the first person to complete his or her grid OR the player with the most boxes filled in after a certain length of time (usually three minutes). Remember, all words must be spelled correctly, and all words must comply with the rules. In the grid above, one word cannot be counted. Which word is it? Can you think of a replacement word?
You can vary the game by:
> Using a 5 X 5 grid and a five letter word, for a harder game.
> Not restricting the length of the point words, for an easier game. So, in our example above, in the R-3 square a player could write "purple," because it contains "R" as the third letter.
> For a quicker game, have players call out the words as they think of them. Everyone writes in the word, with the caller capturing the word. The winner is the one who captures the most words after all squares have been filled in.
If your children enjoy playing this game, you may want to create a sheet of three or four grids on your computer or with a ruler and black ink, then make copies as needed.
If you decide to play this game with your homeschoolers, please post a comment and tell us about it. Did your kids enjoy it, and what are their ages? Do you recommend it for others?

Dress Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 03:37:00 +0000

This year was to be a lean one as far a Christmas gift giving. My daughter and hubby just bought a house, and we've struggled a bit this year as well. So, we put our heads together and formulated a plan. More than anything in the world, her two little girls love to play dress-up. We decided that a dress-up "kit" would be just the ticket. And cheap, too.

Years ago I had purchased silky white fabric and lace for flower girls' dresses. Then, the wedding plans changed, and the little flower girls grew up (teens now). The dresses were never made, and about $50 worth of fabric, lace, and accompanying patterns lay in the bottom of my sewing project box.

Bingo! My daughter became a sewing fool! She made two little wedding dresses (one with a full veil.) Then she also made a dark green velvetine Renaissance style gown, and two cheerleader outfits (with pom-poms from the Dollar Store). An uncle just so happened to give them each a puffy princess dress, complete with tiaras and "glass" slippers. My job was to create a treasure chest or bin of some type to keep all of the accessories in, and to find as many accessories as possible. The lovely dresses and costumes would be hung from closet pole, adjusted for them to easily reach.

I visited two thrift shops. I found: a pair of long white gloves (perfect!), a pair of children's tap dancing shoes, ballet slippers, two ladies' purses (one pink, one baby-blue), a straw hat with a floral band, a parasol (okay, umbrella!), and, well, you get the picture. And I paid no more than $1.00 for any one item. The children were thrilled! The hardest part is usually getting them out of costumes and into pajamas for bed at night, but this year they even got "princess" gown pajamas, so life is just good!

When my little ones were growing up, sewing costumes for them was an ongoing process. Whether it was for Halloween, a part in a play, a cape for one of the boys, or just for fun, costumes were a part of life. By the way, boys are costume freaks. Don't think this is just a "girl" thing. We had so many super hero costumes and animal costumes, a neighbor once suggested we rent them out.

My daughter, who (fortunately) learned how to sew in our homeschool, is now following suit. Before the dresses, she made a mermaid costume and a spider costume for the girls last year (we made both of these patterns up). I know we have pictures somewhere, so when I find them I'll post a few. Meanwhile, I'm posting photos of my middle son Elliott, who was a real dresser-upper. Dress-up was just a natural part of his day. (He is now 22 and attending art school in Portland. We should have known!)

Encourage dress-up! It's such a wonderful way to promote imaginary play and creative growth. I always considered dress-up play an integral part of our homeschool.

Give the Gift of Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 02:15:00 +0000

While homeschooling, I devoted a lot of time to creative writing and other types of writing activities. This is because it is vital for children to be encouraged to write whenever possible so that they learn to communicate effectively, and thus develop an essential, lifelong skill.

One area of writing that is often overlooked (or avoided intentionally) is poetry. Parents (even those who write) may feel ill-prepared to teach poetry writing, and children often have preconceived ideas about poetry: rhyming is too hard, poetry is silly, I don't like to read poetry, etc. It's time to rethink poetry, and begin to use poetry writing as a regular part of your writing program! Why? Here are just a few good reasons:

1) Poetry can be written about anything at all.
2) Poetry is short (compared to other types of creative writing, anyway), and therefore can take less time to write and to read.
3) Poetry doesn't have to rhyme, and often doesn't!
4) Writing poetry is fun!

The best way for children to learn to appreciate poetry is to read it to them! Start young with simple Mother Goose rhymes, which all children love. As a child, my favorite poem, read at bedtime of course, was Winken, Blinken, and Nod. Your children will also love Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends," and "A Light in the Attic," and "The Giving Tree." Jack Prelutsky's "Something Big Has Been Here," and "The New Kid On the Block" will have them giggling and learning their favorite silly poems by heart.

Once your children have become familiar with poetry, they will likely have selected their favorites and, with a little encouragement, be willing to try writing similar pieces of their own.

To get started with poetry in your homeschool, find several great online teaching activities, strategies, lesson plans, and tools from poets like Jack Prelutsky and Jean Marzollo at Scholastic.com's Writing with Writers.

There are many different styles of poetry, inluding ballads, Haiku, limericks, sonnets, shape poetry, tongue twisters, and free verse. For some children, it's fun to select a few of these and try their hand at them, such as Haiku, odes, and especially limericks! In our case, we embarked upon a two-family book project:

We wrote and illustrated an entire book of silly limericks, which we called "Where the Sidewalk Begins" and dedicated to Shel Silverstein. After typing up all of our limericks and illustrating in black ink, we made enough copies of all pages (back and front) to make 20 or so books. Then we bound them in hard covers, onto which we had glued a crazy-fabric design, and we gave away the finished books (and sold a few).

Here is the dedicatory poem at the start of the book:

Shel

There once was a poet named Shel

Who had funny stories to tell

Of toothaches and sidewalks,

And battles and yippiyucks,

Which suited the children quite well.

Most of our limerick's subjects were family members and the special characteristics that made them stand out:

The Slop

There once was a boy named Nate

Who spilled every time that he ate.

At his home in the town

Paper towels abound

And his mother blots slop until late!

This was a wonderful project in so many ways! In all, our book contained 19 limericks. It was collaborative, so everyone of all ages from both families contributed writing and/or artwork. We learned book layout so that backs and fronts of pages would match up (tricky!). After copying all of the pages, we learned how to create a hard-cover bookbinding that wouldn't fall apart, found just the right fabric design to glue to the outside cover, and then we constructed the books, assembly-line style. The children were excited about "publishing" their own book, and had fun giving them away as gifts.

This brings me to the subject of Gift-Writing. In our last issue of the Hands-On Homeschooling Newsletter, I discussed the idea of presenting writing to others as a gift and several fun ways to do it. One year, my eleven-year-old, anti-poetry son finally relented and agreed to try his hand at poetry-writing. He decided from the beginning that all poetry must rhyme, so free verse was out of the question. I thought he was just making the project more difficult on himself, until, after a lot of hard work, writing and rewriting, and reassurance ("does this sound okay?"), he produced a wonderful poem called The First Christmas. It had to be shared! We typed it up and printed several copies on special Christmas stationary. Then he rolled them up (like a scroll), tied each with a red ribbon, and gave them away as gifts. His poem was even published in a local newspaper!

The best book I have ever found for kids learning to write poetry is Gonna Bake Me a Rainbow Poem: A Student Guide to Writing Poetry, by Peter Sears. It is a step-by-step guide to poetry writing that includes only poems written by students.

I hope this article has inspired you to include poetry-writing in your homeschool curriculum. My sponsors have helped to make this weblog possible:

Wonderful e-Books!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Weston) — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 21:18:00 +0000

I am convinced that e-books are ideal resources for homeschooling families. Here's why:

Instant download delivery - no waiting and no shipping or handling costs.
E-Books can be stored digitally, and printed out one page or chapter at a time.
Most are PDF files with 8.5 X 11 inch pages: perfect for children's consumables (puzzles and activity pages). Print out the same consumable pages over and over again.
Print out entire e-books and bind as you wish: in a three-ring binder, spiral bound, comb, or coil binding, all of which will lay flat. (Look office supply outlets such as Kinko's for options.)
E-Books provide useful, original content that can be changed and/or updated easily.
E-Books are written by experts in their fields and can be ordered from and delivered directly to the reader (instantly) anywhere on earth.
Most e-Books come with free bonus materials (e-books, reports, videos, etc.) making digital products a super value!

Have I convinced you? Go ahead, take a look! From how to teach your baby and siblings sign language, to fun piano lessons, to printable brain e-games, you're sure to find something you can really use. You'll even find plans for building a terrific play activity / train table, essential for homeschoolers (well, it was for mine)!