Teaching with TLC

Homeschool Lesson Plans for First and Second Grade

2016-06-08T19:37:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wanted to take a glimpse inside someone else's homeschool journey? You may have no idea where to start, you may need some new ideas because what you had planned to do just wasn't working for you or your child, or you may want to compare notes because you feel like you are not doing enough or perhaps doing too much.

I'd like to invite you to view my homeschool plans for first and second grade.

The reason I have combined these grades is my younger children are only 13 months apart so I homeschool them together. I also grouped two of my older children together while homeschooling since they are only a year and a half apart. This saves me lots of teaching time (and sanity).

For the early grades, I individually teach phonics, reading, and math unless it is a concept they both are developmentally ready to learn. All the rest of the subjects I teach together.

Since I group grades together, I pay little attention to "grade levels" on curriculum, which were originally created by publishing companies to make more money.

When I sit down to plan my school year, I focus the majority of my teaching time on the basics and use an organic approach to learning.

Homeschooling provides freedom. Don't become a slave to it and let it cause you stress.

I allow plenty of gaps for those teachable moments and for breaks when my children or I may need them. I also make changes during the year if needed. No big deal. It's just a plan.

Recognize that God's plans may be very different than your plan.

Your plan may look perfect on paper, but remind yourself often that His plan is always the best. Know it is okay if only some of your goals were reached. There still has not been a year that every single item on my original plan was completed when I taught in a classroom and while homeschooling so no worries. That's real life.

We take advantage of our time while traveling.

My kids watch a lot of the programs mentioned below in our car while we are driving places. This saves more teaching time at home, and my kids really enjoy viewing them. A quiet van full of children learning equals a happy homeschool mom.

I rarely use tests or grades.

I can easily assess my children's progress while reading with them, observing how they are working, and checking their assignments. Therefore, I do not purchase tests or teacher's editions for first and second grade.

I no longer teach handwriting separately once my children can write the letters correctly.

They will be practicing their letter formation in their writing assignments.

You do not need to spend a lot of money on curriculum.

Most of the curriculum below can be found at the library. I do not recommend purchasing a lot of books and DVDs unless you have multiple children and know it will be worth the investment.

READING

A Beka First Grade Readers

I have used the A Beka readers with all five of my kids, so I really got my money's worth. You can also grab these used at a local curriculum fair, ebay, or from a private school that is purchasing new books for the upcoming year. Phonics lessons are included in these readers. After using "newer reading methods" when I taught reading in first and second grade in the classroom, I really prefer using a traditional approach like A Beka's, which helps to lay a strong foundation in reading.

TIP: Even if your child learns to read very fast like one of my sons did, do not jump ahead and skip phonics. The lack of a strong understanding of phonics can show up years down the road. I've seen many parents have to go back to the beginning and teach phonics in the upper elementary grades because of this mistake. Take your time and teach the important building blocks of reading to prevent the tower of reading from tumbling down later.

Barron’s Get Ready-Get Set-Read Books

I like reviewing the word families and sight words that are listed on the back pages of these Barron's books. Many parents also like using Bob Books. I prefer the Barron's series because the words are not so random but are centered more on word families. Both of these series are available at most libraries.

Here are some additional book series that my kids enjoy, which were at the library.

My Daughter- Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, Biscuit

My Son- Henry and Mudge, Biscuit, Dear Dragon

I made reading charts and they receive a sticker when they complete a book. I reward them with something special when their chart is full. They love reading these books and will read several in a day.

When they are ready for reading independent chapter books, they begin reading these series- Imagination Station and Magic Treehouse

I use several different reading methods to help get them started, such as flip-flop reading. These methods are explained in How to Teach Your Child. I use Book Adventure to access comprehension.

I like using reading apps, such as this one from This Reading Mama.

I love using hands-on reading activities and games for practicing sight words and phonics, such as these from Sight Words. My kids' current favorite is Book Land. It's so cute, colorful and FUN!

If a child needs additional practice with phonics, I use A Beka's Handbook for Reading for a more systematic approach.

I also use Explode the Code with my children who need extra practice with phonics.

It's a traditional approach, but again, traditional works exceedingly well for long-term retention. I only use Books 1, 2, and 3. Taping a $10.00 bill to the back of the book motivates them to work quickly through the book without me ever reminding them to practice their phonics. Score!

SPELLING

Read this post to see how I teach spelling.

Here are over 100 spelling activities that my kids love.

WRITING

Draw Write Now

I like that my kids are learning to write complete sentences with capital letters and correct punctuation with this series. In addition, they are learning science and social studies facts. As they learn to write four sentences on a topic, it sets the perfect stage for transitioning to writing paragraphs. I still have all the books that my kids made. They take such pride in their illustrations.

TIP: You do not need to complete them all. Only pick and choose which topics your children are interested in. My family used three of these.

I like using this paper for beginning writers for these books. Take a close look. Children are reminded to start at the sky and stop at the grass. Too cute!

I use this paper for regular writing assignments that do not require an illustration.

The Journal Jar is always a big hit, especially during breaks and the summer.

This photograph and activity is shared with permission from Organized Christmas.

My children thoroughly enjoy making their own books with Bare Books.

Here are over 100 ways to make writing fun during the elementary years.

My goals at this age are to write a complete sentence with a capital letter and correct punctuation at the end of the sentence. I will also introduce additional punctuation and capitalization rules. My second-grader will begin to write three to five sentences on one topic and form a basic paragraph. These goals can be met using the methods above.

MATH

A Beka First Grade

I tear out (gasp...) only the pages that I want my children to complete from this workbook. As a curriculum specialist, I love the repetition in this math curriculum. When I taught in the classroom, I saw too many children learn a concept in first and second grade and then forget it a few weeks or months later. A Beka helps ensure that my children have a very solid foundation in the basic math skills. On the other hand, I feel this workbook is too repetitive for the average child. Some children will need to work slowly through most of the pages and some can skip a few pages after the concept has been mastered. Let your child be your guide.

I incorporate manipulatives in our math lessons every day as mentioned in How to Teach Your Child. Here is an example with using cuisenaire rods. But you can get creative and make up your own manipulatives like I did with jelly beans and conversation hearts.

I use this workbook for first and second grade. We take our time working through it. When my children have completed it (usually during the middle of second grade), I will transition to Teaching Textbooks Grade 3. Since A Beka's first grade workbook is advanced, this transition is pretty seamless.

Teaching Textbooks Grade 3

This is when I begin to catch my breath a little in teaching math as Teaching Textbooks is very independent. I am only there for assistance. Woo hoo! I use Teaching Textbooks all the way through high school. It is an investment up front but I get to use it with all of my children. You can also grab these used at a local curriculum fair or on ebay.

BIBLE

Community Bible Study

Check and see if there is a CBS near you and make it a top priority to attend. I cannot rave enough about this phenomenal program. Not only do the moms get a Bible study with other women, the homeschool classes are amazing. My children have grown so much spiritually from this program. There is a very small fee for the entire year and the homeschool classes usually fill up fast, so be sure to register several months ahead. The homeschool families at the CBS I attend meet once a month afterwards for lunch at a park or another location.

Nest Family & Friends Animated Classics

Friends and Heroes

Both of these video series are available at many libraries.

SCIENCE

Wild Kratts

My son is crazy over this series and is now an animal expert! He is even having a Wild Kratts birthday party this summer.

Magic Schoolbus

Sid the Science Kid

Steve Spangler Science Experiments

Sick Science

Spangler Science

I have a family friend who does hands-on experiments with my kids during the summer. I also purchase several experiment kits from the FPEA homeschool convention, as well as from Amazon, to use during the school year. My kids like receiving them as birthday gifts and for rewards. Here are some good starter experiment kits for little ones.

Unit studies- We complete a lot of hands-on science lessons that tie into our unit studies. For example, we will be learning about the human body this school year, and Play and Find Out About the Human Body is my favorite resource for body experiments for this age.

HISTORY

Liberty Kids DVDs

My little ones also watch Drive Thru History with my older boys.

GEOGRAPHY

Puzzle maps like this one

We use our Leap Frog Explorer interactive globe all the time.

Stack the States app

Geography from A to Z

UNIT STUDIES

During unit studies, we read books and complete activities that relate to the topic we are learning about. You can see how I teach unit studies in several of my posts on this site. We also do a lot of fun holiday learning activities as well. Here is a physical science unit study and a spontaneous unit study on chocolate we did a few years ago. The idea is to center your lessons around a topic that excites your children about learning. Here is a list of the unit studies that I have planned for this upcoming school year. Some additional topics will be planned around certain vacations and homeschool field trips.

September- November

Human Body

January

Florida History

February- March

Plants

April

Environmental Studies

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Community Bible Study Homeschool Classes

Funtastic Fridays Homeschool Co-op Classes

Field Trips with Homeschool Group

SAINTS PE

Son- Soccer, Football, Basketball

Daughter- Cheerleading, Gymnastics

What does this look like in our everyday life that is passing by at the speed of light?

I prefer to keep the daily schedule as simple as possible. This way I don't feel overwhelmed homeschooling four children. For my close friends who know I am an OCD planner, my daily schedule may actually surprise them. I don't keep daily lesson plans like I did for my first 10 years of homeschooling. (Thank you Homelife Academy for not requiring me to complete them!) Instead, I have a small list taped on the inside of my kitchen cabinet to help me keep focused throughout the day.

Individually Teach

Phonics, Reading, Math

Together

Pledge, calendar

Bible, prayers

Unit Study

Spelling

Writing

Fun Activity

I always end with a fun activity- a learning game, art project, kid's recipe, etc. This approach keeps my kids excited about school the next day. The only downside is when they still want to "play" school on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

While my kids are at SAINTS PE, I use that as my planning time. I gather all the books and materials that I will need for the upcoming school week and place them in a basket organized by days of the week. This way all I have to do each morning is grab my coffee and the items that I need to get started. Easy peasy!

Many more teaching tips are listed in How to Teach Your Child, as well as several time-saving tips can be found in Simplify Your Homeschool Day.

And that's it folks. No fluff, no overwhelming plans to implement, and no expensive curriculum to purchase. I hope this post encourages you in your homeschool journey.

Many blessings,

What is Organic Homeschooling?

2015-05-16T13:50:00.003-04:00

Throughout my 23 years in education, I have found myself using most teaching styles. During different seasons, I have used traditional, classical, unit studies, Montessori, and unschooling approaches. I saw the strengths of each method and wanted to incorporate them all. I was elated when the new buzzword “eclectic” became popular about a decade ago because I felt like there was finally a word to describe how I taught.

But as time went on, I discovered a better word to describe my family’s homeschool- ORGANIC. The term “organic” seems to be a common word nowadays. It can be used to describe types of food, businesses, churches, and even more.

When I think of the word “organic,” I think of natural, wholesome, and fundamental. That's exactly what I want my children’s education to be like.

Learning becomes a natural process.

I no longer feel pressure from what others are doing. I remind myself that my children are created uniquely by the Lord and He has a specific plan for each of them.

Frustration is rarely present when things don’t go as I plan. I realized that most of my frustration in homeschooling was when things were not going my way. It was simply a control issue. I wanted my lesson plans and goals to be met on my timetable. I didn't welcome life's interruptions as possible lessons but viewed them as hindrances to my original plans. When I learned to lay aside my plans for His plans, homeschooling became a joy and not a burden.

I stopped pushing my children to finish the curriculum. When I find myself rushing to “finish the book,” I am missing the beauty of homeschooling. Our homeschool days should be about teaching the child, not the curriculum. Read more HERE.

A wholesome learning environment is created.

I strive to provide the best nutrients in our soil to produce the sweetest fruit. One way I do this is by using teaching materials that are rooted in God’s word.

I use unit studies that incorporate most subjects, instead of teaching individual subjects separately. This approach is teaching learning as a whole, which leads to better retention and is less time-consuming for the student and teacher.

Build upon the foundation with the fundamentals of a solid education.

I choose to focus the majority of my teaching time on the Bible and building upon that foundation with the core subjects- reading, writing, and math. Read more HERE.

I avoid using "preservatives and extra additives" by eliminating busywork. To be honest, homeschooling four children makes my teaching time valuable. I cut right to the chase and avoid any "fluff" in the books or curriculum I use. Three hours of solid teaching time with active learning is much more important to me than a full day of teaching with little real learning.

If I had to sum up organic homeschooling in one word, it would be FREEDOM.

Freedom to learn at our own pace. Freedom to choose what curriculum to use and which paths to take. Freedom to appreciate the simplicity of teaching and how less is really more. Freedom to teach real lessons for the real world. Freedom to have fun while learning. Freedom to encourage creativity and out-of-the-box ideas. Freedom to explore our own interests and try something new. Freedom from comparing myself to others. Freedom from guilt because I may feel like I am not doing enough. Freedom to step off the highway of learning to take the more scenic route along a dirt road. Freedom to slow down and enjoy every minute God has entrusted me to educate my children. Freedom to love learning.

As a home educator, it is not my responsibility to teach my children everything. It is my responsibility to create life-long learners by providing the best teaching tools while cultivating a passion for learning. That is why teaching organically best describes my family's homeschool approach.
Wishing you much joy in your homeschooling journey,

UPDATE:

I recently listened to an excellent recording from the FPEA convention- 10 Benefits to Teaching With a Natural Approach. It was everything I believe learning and teaching should encompass. If I sat down with a homeschool mom, this is exactly the same advice I would give her. Bravo Geography Matters. You really hit it out of the park with this presentation!

Spring Trash Candy- An extra sweet and salty treat!

2015-03-24T22:58:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of spring and my kids wanted to make a spring treat. We LOVE the Classic White Trash Candy that I shared with you seven years ago, so we decided to add our own spin to it to make it more spring-like. My kids came up with this recipe- Spring Trash Candy.

We used pastel-colored M&Ms, pastel-colored spring sprinkles, and substituted the corn chex cereal with Fruit Loops, which makes the classic sweet and salty candy treat EXTRA sweet.

Spring Trash Candy

1 c. pastel colored M&Ms

1 1/2 c. Fruit Loops cereal

2 c. pretzel sticks

1 c. cocktail peanuts

1 oz. pastel-colored/spring sprinkles

14 oz. vanilla almond bark

Mix the first five ingredients together in a large bowl. Melt the vanilla almond bark in the microwave, and pour it over the mixed ingredients. Mix well without breaking the cereal and pretzels and spread it thin on wax paper. Let it cool off and harden then break into chunks and place in cute containers. This makes great Easter gifts for teachers, neighbors, family, and friends.

Enjoy this super simple but highly addicting treat,

Click here for the Classic White Trash Candy Recipe.

FUN Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

2015-03-14T12:09:00.000-04:00

For over twenty years, the leprechaun would visit my classroom and then my home when I began to homeschool. My kids have made countless traps all in hopes to catch the leprechaun's pot of gold. They haven't caught him yet, but they don't seem to mind too much since he always leaves them a special treat behind, such as one of these. If you need a laugh, you have to read my post- A Funny and VERY TRUE St. Patrick's Day Story I promise you this is for real- I could not make this stuff up folks!

Silly McGilly actually visits your house on St. Patrick's Day (or even a few days before) and he loves to play tricks on little ones, such as: hiding toys, turning things upside down, changing toilet water green, and leaving cabinet doors open (oh wait, that's my 20 year-old son!)

I plan to sit Silly McGilly by our window and then my younger kids can write letters to him and keep a scrapbook of the funny tricks he plays on them.

On March 17th, we like to begin our morning with reading the classic Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham. Afterwards, we eat green eggs and ham. ☺

My favorite art project that my little ones have completed is the torn paper art project. It's also great for fine motor skills. CLICK HERE for the directions.

My three and four-year-olds are going to be using bingo markers to have some fun with these activities. CLICK HERE to print off some copies for your wee little ones to enjoy.

My former students and my own children have enjoyed graphing Lucky Charms for as long as I can remember. This is a classic activity every year. Tip: Before you open the box, ask your child which type he/she thinks will be the most popular type of marshmallow. This is a terrific way to practice making predictions, as well as practicing graphing skills. CLICK HERE to print off a copy.

For a fun science activity, we like to do a Color Changing Milk Experiment. CLICK HERE for instructions. Tip: It does not work with the foam dishwashing soap.

For writing, I like to use these creative writing prompts.

HERE are tons of free St. Patrick's Day printables, such as: games, mazes, handwriting, practicing math skills, art ideas and much more!

My kids will not let me forget to make this crockpot potato soup recipe, which has become a family tradition. CLICK HERE for the recipe.

Here is a video of my kids and I making the potato soup and Shamrock Shakes (also called Yoda Soda or Lucky Lime).

For a fun dessert, we make rainbow cookies. CLICK HERE to see how we do this.

photo from LiveJournal

Even though I like doing fun activities for this holiday, I read The Story of St. Patrick to my older children. With all the not-so-family-friendly ways that people in the U.S. celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I want my kids to understand why the holiday originated and how amazing this heroic person really was.

Did you know that Saint Patrick was known for his intense prayer life and that he used the three leaf-clover to explain the Trinity to others? We use this visual and sometimes even make our own trinity shamrocks. CLICK HERE to print off a copy.

My sweet blogging friend, Shannon, has found lots of online learning activities for St. Patrick's Day.

She linked them all to one easy-to-use website. So cool!

I'd like to leave you with this Irish blessing. ♥

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Wishing you a happy St. Patrick's Day!

For more St. Patrick's Day activities, click HERE and then SCROLL DOWN to see all the posts.

FUN Learning Activities with Chocolate

2015-02-12T14:17:00.002-05:00

In preparation for Valentine's Day, my kids are diving into chocolate lessons head first with their mouths wide open. There's something magical when you mix food with learning, and chocolate seems to be one of the best teaching tools I've used!

No worries if Valentine's Day has already passed when you find this post. Chocolate can been incorporated into many other lessons, such as when learning about rain forests or to celebrate Chocolate Week in March. Yes, there is such a week! My family occasionally declares a Chocolate Day to spice things up when our lessons (or myself) may need a little pep in my step.

I was so into the chocolate unit study this week that I was sporting my Teacher Powered by Chocolate T-shirt this week!

So how do we incorporate chocolate into our lessons?
When my kids are little, we use chocolate syrup to fingerpaint letters, shapes, numbers, and spelling words. Just squirt same chocolate syrup on fingerpaint paper and let your kids play.
This photo and fingerpainting with chocolate post is a blast from the past (perhaps 7 years old).

For a variation, squirt some chocolate syrup into a small baggie, seal it tight, and let your kids write with their fingers on the side of the baggie for a sensory activity.
For some writing activities with chocolate, we wrote a Five Senses Poem on chocolate using this lesson plan. What a great writing activity that was!
My blogging friend, Jennifer, has a cute sensory poem template to use with the above poetry lesson for young children.

Source: rowdyinfirstgrade

A few years ago, my boys memorized by favorite poem about chocolate- My Mother's Chocolate Valentine by Jack Prelutsky. HERE is the poem and the video.
We wrote step-by-step directions on how to make hot chocolate and then made it exactly according to their instructions. (You'd be surprised how kids can miss out on important steps.)

Source: Teachers Notebook

This teacher had her student create this chocolate acrostic poem. I was impressed by her creativity and descriptive wording to describe chocolate.

Source: www.brighthubeducation.com

We read books about Milton Hershey. Milton Hershey: More than Chocolate (Heroes of History)

Who was Milton Hershey?

Hershey's site offers lots of free lesson plans and activities.

We used Hershey bars and kisses for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions. We picked these books up from our local library. Trust me, your kids will not forget these math lessons!

Hershey's Fractions Book

Hershey's Multiplication Book

Hershey's Addition Book

Hershey's Subtraction Book

My little ones LOVE using M &M's for math manipulatives as well as graphing. I had to purchase this book (even though it is at my local library) because my kids want to read it at least once a month. I don't blame them a bit- it is pure fun! The M&M's Counting Book

More M&M's Math

Here is an M&M graphing printable that I like to use.

Source: MPM school supplies

Who doesn't like chocolate chips cookies? Reading The Doorbell Rang is a wonderful way to demonstrate division to young children. You can make some homemade chocolate chip cookies to use with this lesson.

You can also use Cookie Crisp cereal for math manipulatives for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Some chocolate-filled fiction books are:
Chocolate Fever (A classic that I absolutely enjoy reading aloud to my kids.)

The Chocolate Touch (I haven't read this book yet but it is on my list.)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Kids are mesmerized by this read-aloud. My former students were begging for more. That is why Roald Dahl is known as the world's number one storyteller.)

My husband prefers watching the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as it was his favorite movie growing up (but I still prefer the book).

Roald Dahl's Site has tons of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory lesson plans and quizzes.

We read about the history of chocolate in Smart about Chocolate- A Sweet History

The Story of Chocolate

We watched some videos about the story of chocolate and how it is made.

This is the best chocolate unit study I have used and it is FREE. You have to print off a copy for yourself. So much good stuff!

Teaching Ideas offers several fantastic chocolate activities.

My favorite activity from Teaching Tips was their chocolate fact cards.

My little ones played chocolate games on the computer, which had them matching shapes. It was also great practice for them using the mouse on the computer.

Make Your Own Chocolate Kit I have not tried out this kit but have read such great reviews about it on homeschool blogs that I have it on my Amazon wish list for a future gift for my kids. (Yes, I am one of "those moms" who likes to give educational gifts. Shhh! My kids don't seem to mind a bit.)

We ended our chocolate study with some science by watching liquids turn to solids within seconds right before our eyes by making chocolate covered strawberries as well as homemade magic shell poured on ice cream. If you haven't tried this easy magic shell recipe, you have to make it. I even bottled it up in mason jars one year for Christmas gifts because it was so delicious!

In the past, we have visited local candy shops that demonstrate how to make fudge. The kids really like those field trips.

Then on Valentine's Day we received a very sweet treat from Grandma in the mail- her homemade fudge (which is seriously the best fudge EVER). Thanks Grandma!

UPDATE: After attending the FPEA Homeschool Convention this year, we stopped by Chocolate Kingdom for an interactive tour that demonstrates how the cocoa bean becomes a chocolate bar.

It includes the history of chocolate, hands-on activities, and even making your own chocolate bar. This tour was one of the best educational tours I've ever been on! It completely surpassed my expectations. My children were very attentive and soaking up all the facts like sponges. How could they not be with tasting different samples and playing trivia games along the way? You have to stop by Chocolate Kingdom the next time you are in the Orlando area.

Lessons with chocolate ensure sweet learning success- from geography to history to science to math to writing to spelling to reading. Unit studies can involve every subject area and the entire family, including myself! (Someone has to taste test the chocolate to make sure it is safe to eat, right?)

Have FUN making sweet memories with your kids,
To read more of my posts on FUN Valentine's Day activities, click on the image below and keep scrolling down.
For more ways to incorporate food into math lessons, click here.

Homeschool Quotes to Encourage You

2015-01-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

FUN + Learning = The Best Educational Experience

It's not my credentials that qualify me to teach my child. It's my God who made me qualified when I became a mom.

I homeschool my children not to prepare them for tests but to prepare them for life.

When I think of the word "organic," I think of natural, wholesome, and fundamental.

That's exactly what I want my children's education to be like.

Teach the child, not just the curriculum.

Life's most important lessons are not found in the lesson plans.

If I had to sum up homeschooling in one word, it would be freedom.

Homeschooling is not head-to-head, it's heart-to-heart.

I'm not saying homeschooling will be easy. I am saying it will be worth it.

Adding FUN to learning creates the best educational experience possible.

It isn't my teaching credentials that qualify me to teach my child. It is my God who qualifies me.

Dear Homeschool Mom, You've got this! God called you to it, and He will see you through it. Inhale Grace. Exhale Doubt.

Homeschooling allows you the freedom to step off the highway of learning and take a more scenic route along a dirt road.

The primary focus of homeschooling should be on cultivating hearts for the Lord.

Organic education is natural, wholesome, and fundamental.

Teach the child, not just the curriculum.

There is freedom in homeschooling.

The times I am most frustrated in homeschooling is when I become focused more on my plans than His plans. I must spend more time daily looking up for his divine direction than I do looking down at my lesson plans.

Goodbye worry, fear, doubt, and guilt. Hello grace.

Use this measurement tool to calculate your mom age by using mommy years.

Christ is the core of my child's curriculum.

Make Learning Magical

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."
A great reminder when planning out the school year.

Follow Tamara's board Homeschool Quotes and Encouragement on Pinterest.

FUN Ways to Teach American History

2015-01-08T20:00:00.002-05:00

This school year my kids have been diving into American history and loving it! I enjoy learning alongside of my middle school boys in this subject area since there is so many fascinating things in history to discover. This famous quote by Theodore Roosevelt sums up how I feel about why history is so incredibly important to learn.

History was my least favorite subject when I was growing up. I did not like it one bit. Most of my teachers strictly used a textbook and did not add any excitement to this subject whatsoever. Even though I aced the tests, I graduated college with little "real" knowledge of history and certainly no passion for this subject area until....

I became a fourth grade teacher. I deviated from just using a textbook as much as my public school would allow me to. We watched superb history videos, acted out scenes from history, created art projects that tied into themes we were learning about, cooked recipes that were used during that time, and incorporated writing lessons to make history exciting to learn about. When I began homeschooling, I learned about more phenomenal resources and creative ways to teach history. Now my family and I LOVE learning about history.
Before we begin studying history in depth: My children first learn about geography. HERE are plenty of fun ways to teach geography to your child. I feel this subject area needs to be taught first, so kids can relate to where the events in history are taking place.

Teaching Tip: Here is an excellent visual that a college professor shared with me 24 years ago. (Typing that sentence just made me feel old.) Imagine a file folder cabinet that is filled with multiple files on different topics. That is your brain filled with many topics. The information in your brain's files is your "schema" or background knowledge about a topic. Everyone’s schema for a topic is different, depending on your individual experiences on what you have learned about a topic.

Our job as parents and educators is to first create a file folder. (Introduce a topic.) Next, we begin to fill that file folder. (Teach about the topic.) That file folder will be closed and reopened to fill over and over. (We can teach, move on, and revisit that topic again in the future.)
This is how learning becomes mastered. When our children are little, we introduce them to many topics and then continue to reteach those topics more in depth as they grow. We can also interweave these topics into their daily lives to make them more meaningful and concrete.
I like to reference the file cabinet example particularly for teaching history since so much of understanding history is based on the knowledge of events that happened beforehand. It is also a great reminder that children will not grasp everything on history the first time or two that it is taught, but their history file folder will still continue to be filled each time you reopen it. In fact, I am still filling my history file and hope to keep doing so all of my life!
Budget Tips: Many of the resources listed below can be found in your local library. You can also watch several of the episodes on television. In the past, I have split larger purchases with other homeschool families and we have shared them.
And now onto the list of AWESOME resources that make learning history FUN!

I love using DVDs and television programs to teach history. Just think of how kids can easily recite lines and describe scenes in detail from everyday programs they watch on TV. Why not use that form of media to teach history? Not only will kids have fun watching the programs, they will also be learning a whole lot.

Liberty Kids

This television series is a perfect way to introduce young children to history. My middle schoolers still like watching these shows with their younger siblings. The character voices are provided by award-winning film legends, such as: Walter Croncrite, Annette Bening, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Ben Stiller and Liam Neeson. I purchased the entire series for $5.00 (and with free shipping) on Amazon!!! And that is not a typo- 866 minutes worth for five bucks! Now my family watches them in our van while traveling. Loving it!

Drive Thru History is my all-time favorite history curriculum for homeschooling. So much history is packed into these episodes that can be watched again and again. They are incredibly entertaining with lots of action and even humor sprinkled throughout. This video series is definitely my kids' top pick!

Drive Thru History: American History Series

Dave Stotts, the driver and host of the show, explores the rich history of America in a fast and fun style all of his own.

Discovering America's Founders

Discover how faith and commitment to God and our country contributed to the founding of our nation.

Foundations of Character This curriculum shares how the Founding Fathers' beliefs guided their actions.

America: The Story of US This series includes 720 minutes of how America was made. Outstanding cinematography by the History Channel- talk about making history come to life before your eyes!

Inspiring Heroes by Nest Family

I really like how this series shows a Biblical side that many other video series will leave out. We watch these together as a family.

The American Heritage Collection

Discover the fascinating truth of America's past by exploring the Bible's influence on American culture from government to education. Become an eyewitness to the nation's Christian heritage with an exclusive tour of the U.S. capitol, and enjoy the rich history of faith in the founding era.

TIPS: There are many other excellent programs on PBS and The History Channel. Check your TV guide. Also, several of the programs listed above have study guides included on the DVDs or on their websites. Make sure to check those out, too.

There are countless picture and chapter books that I use with my children. For the sake of not having a blog post that would continue infinitely, I listed my favorite series and a few of my top picks.

Who Was and Who Is Series These easy-to-read chapter books provide quick glimpses into important Americans' lives. Kids enjoy the funny illustrations and the interesting facts.

History of US by Joy Hakim

This highly-acclaimed book series has even spun off into several television programs.

You Choose: History Series These books remind me of the choose-your-own-adventure books that were popular when I was a child. The reader is actually submerged into the setting. Kids love these and so do I!

Dear America and My Name is America Series

This series is comprised of historical fiction books written in the form of a diary of a young girl's life or a young boy's life during an important event or time period in American history. (The book pictured on top is one of my favorite read-alouds. Talk about being suspenseful and making the readers feel like they are actually on the Oregon Trail!)

Getting to Know the US Presidents Series These books are a quick read and provide an overview of each president's life. Great for short introductions to each president.

Don't Know Much About the Presidents

This book has FUN written all over it (and inside of it!) It is filled with trivia and silly facts about our presidents that kids simply find fascinating.

The Bulletproof George Washington

A great read for older children. Colonial George Washington's perilous experiences in the French and Indian War are chronicled in this riveting account of God's providence and protection. There is something intriguing when learning about miracles, which also leads me to the next book.

Miracles in American History

Discover desperate circumstances in America's past and how men and women rose up with faith and courage and how situations miraculously turned around. I used this book as a read-aloud with my older children.

Exploring the Constitution

This book takes the reader on a detailed exposition through the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. My homeschool group used this book as a study guide as they dove into learning together about our nation's founding documents. The older students really enjoyed this study group.

Our Constitution Rocks

I recently purchased this book at a homeschool convention and I can't wait to start using it! It is written by a teenager who breaks up the constitution and explains it on a level that middle school to high school students will be able to understand it. It is written for a new generation and is a great reminder of what it is to have a voice and live free.

Kids Discover Magazines

I have used these magazines for 15 years as supplements to units. They are filled with outstanding photography and facts. Kids also like the magazine feel of them, which provides a nice change to a standard book. I pick and choose the topics my kids are interested in or currently studying.

Everything You Need to Know About American History This is my go-to for any history events that I need a refresher on. I also use certain sections for quick read-alouds and as a springboard for writing assignments.

Presidents Learning Placemat

This is the reference tool my children refer to often while learning the order of the presidents. {Visit this post for more FUN ways to learn about presidents.}

Wee Sing America

What an excellent collection of patriotic songs! I even have it downloaded on my phone to play when my little ones are coloring.

Big Book of History

How can you unfold FUN? Every child should have a timeline while learning history and why not give them one like no other- a 15 foot fold-out timeline! I saw this at a homeschool convention and knew right away that I had to purchase it. This is a unique tool to engage your child in an adventurous trip through time - from the first day of creation to present day.

Feel free to share your favorite American history resources in the comments below.

Enjoy making American history FUN!

Making Poetry FUN

2014-12-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Poetry can be so much FUN! My kids and I enjoy reading poetry, and we recently dove into a poetry unit, which included learning more about figurative language and various types of poems. Many picture books use lots of poetry so most children are already familiar with the basic couplets and quatrains and the simple AABB or ABAB patterns. I wanted to further stretch my children's knowledge of poetry and show them different styles of poetry, so I first brought out my favorite poetry books by Shel Silverstein from when I was a child. What a wonderful blast from the past!

I also enjoyed using poetry books by Jack Prelutsky when I taught elementary school.

Here are a couple of my favorite poetry collections. The Big Book of Poetry is a good assortment of all styles and For Laughing Out Loud is just plain FUNNY!

I couldn't forget the classic poems, such as Mother Goose.

My kids and I took turns reading the books mentioned above, but it is refreshing to hear a different voice reading poems. Poetry Speaks to Children is one of the highest rated poetry books on CD that kids really enjoy. The best part is most of the poems in this book are read aloud by the original poets. Listening to Robert Frost read Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening was very surreal.

After reading lots of poetry books, I had my sons choose two of their favorites to memorize and then recite them in front of our family. I did this as a child and still remember the poem I recited in fourth grade. "Spaghetti, spaghetti, all over the place. Up to my elbows, up to my face......." Good times! Anyone else remember memorizing poems? To get their creative juices flowing, we began with making shape poems. Kids can spend days just creating different free verse poems or simple couplets using this site.

Here is one of Colton's poems.

I read aloud Words, Wit, and Wonder to my kids to help learn the fundamental tools of writing poems. It is written on a simplistic level that children can really understand.

Next, we reviewed figurative language so my boys can relate to why the poets use it in their writing. I HIGHLY recommend purchasing Poetry: A Step By Step guide to Writing Great Poems for the mid-upper elementary grades. I adapted it for my sixth and seventh graders and it was simply awesome!!!

My kids had matched the words and phrases to the correct type of figurative language. This was a terrific review activity to our study of figurative language last school year.

Now it was time to use our knowledge of poetry and begin writing poems. I reminded my boys that they are creating their own books that they can keep forever- something they will share with their younger siblings for years and even with their own children when they are older. Using this approach completely changes their perception towards their assignments, and they try to do their very best. They are not just completing assignments, they are creating masterpieces that will be treasured by others for many years.

Here are some examples of their poems.

Enjoy having FUN with poetry!

Grab some FREE Ebooks for yourself, friends, and family!

2014-12-11T18:06:00.000-05:00

Hurry and grab some Ebooks for yourself and also gift them to friends and family without leaving your home and no money out of your pocket- Christmas shopping really can't get any better than this!

My blogging friend Shannon Long from Technology Rocks shared this post on how you can give an Ebook when it's on sale or free to anyone with an email account? Yes, I am for real!

{And you don't have to own a Kindle- you can download Kindle books to iPhones, Androids, iPads, Macs and Pc's!}

But it even gets better folks...

Amazon will let you select when the Ebook will be gifted, which means you can purchase books on sale or that have gone FREE now and then give them for Christmas! Is that not totally cool?

So to celebrate the holidays, I am offering 3 FREE homeschool Ebooks valued at $27.85!

Grace for the Homeschool Mom

How to Teach Your Child: Simple Tools for Homeschool Moms

Simplify Your Homeschool Day: Shorten Your Day, Sweeten YourTime

You can grab them for yourself or gift them to friends and family. This deal will only be effective from Dec 12- 16 so quickly make your list and check it twice and knock out some Christmas shopping while treating yourself, too.

This deal has expired but you can receive a 30% discount when you purchase all three books! Use this code TS6CZUBJ and begin shopping HERE.

Make sure to follow Shannon's simple instructions on how to gift a book, so they will not even know that you got them for free- WOW!

Enjoy!

Using Strengths to Guide Your Teaching

2014-12-10T20:33:00.002-05:00

I heard an encouraging story today while attending Community Bible Study. It reminds me of how parents naturally want their children to excel in every area of academics and extra-curricular activities, but the reality is- God made each child differently for His purpose. He never intended for our children to excel in everything.

A Duck, Rabbit, Squirrel and an Eagle

from Charles Swindoll's "Insight For Living"

"Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school.

They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent at swimming; in fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying, and was very poor at running. Since he was slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his web feet to be badly worn, so that he was only average in swimming. But average was quite acceptable so nobody worried about that--except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He developed "charlie horses" from overexertion, and so only got a C in climbing and a D in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing, he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his way to get there.

A duck is a duck--and only a duck. It is built to swim, not to run or fly and certainly not to climb. A squirrel is a squirrel--and only that. To move it out of its forte, climbing, and then expect it to swim or fly will drive a squirrel nuts. (insert giggle from me) Eagles are beautiful creatures in the air but not in a foot race. The rabbit will win every time unless, of course, the eagle gets hungry.

What is true of creatures in the forest is true of Christians in the family; both the family of believers and the family under your roof. God has not made us all the same. He never intended to. It was He who planned and designed the differences, unique capabilities, and variations.

If God made you a duck--you're a duck, friend. Swim like mad, but don't get bent out of shape because you wobble when you run or flap instead of fly. Furthermore, if you're an eagle, stop expecting squirrels to soar, or rabbits to build the same kind of nests you do."

What is the message of the story?

Relax. Cultivate your children's capabilities. Maximize their strengths. Do not handicap their unique skills by spending too much time on making them average in everything. Help them create their own style, and appreciate your children for who God created them to be. Now back to the story-

"Rabbits don't fly. Eagles don't swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don't have feathers. Stop comparing. There's plenty of room in the forest."

Have FUN Creating Holiday Traditions

2014-11-16T21:22:00.001-05:00

As you can see on my blog, I absolutely love celebrating holidays. I look forward to using these special times of the year as springboards for teaching since it makes learning so much FUN. I also like continuing our family traditions that can be traced back for generations.

I've never given much thought to the origins of most holiday traditions or symbols in

America

. I've heard the debates on why or why not families should participate in certain celebrations, and I try to be considerate of everyone's views.

Kirk Cameron is on a mission to reveal the truth about the holidays. He feels too many have been deceived for far too long. Watch this excellent interview.

Last night, my husband and I went to see "Saving Christmas," and I learned a lot about Christmas traditions. I hope many people will be able to experience freedom after viewing the movie.

Recently, I have been taking a Community Bible Study class. We've been digging deep into the Word and learning about 1 Corinthians. It reminds me a lot of the message of "Saving Christmas." Read what Paul says about being released from false teachings.

1 Corinthians 8:4-8 (NIV)- So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

The meat was given as a sacrifice to the false gods and later sold in the marketplace. Paul recognized that he could eat the meat without sinning, even though others felt like it was tainted. Paul knew his one and only God created the meat and he was not bound by the Pagan laws because he did not believe in them.

This study reaffirmed that I am free from the Pagan laws since I do not believe in them. It makes me sad that so many Christians feel like they are in bondage to certain false customs and traditions. More and more Christians are even going "dark" during certain times of the year and refusing to have no part in a holiday.

I choose to live each day in freedom for I know that only God created every single day of the year and I will give only Him the glory.

Psalm 118:24-"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

God wants us to be joyful and not hide from others. How can we be the light to the world if we are disassociating ourselves and going "dark?"

My study Bible states to be respectful of others and do not cause them to stumble, but we do not have to be bound by fear of offending rigid or legalistic Christians. I have learned that we are only slaves to Him (not to false Gods or the beliefs of others) and we can live freely to enjoy each and every day of the year.

1 Peter 2:15-16-"For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves."

Here are some of the reasons I've heard from fellow parents on why they did not celebrate certain holiday traditions.

I refuse to teach my child about fantasies.

The fact is children love fantasy. Look on a young child's bookshelf and you will find almost all fiction books with most falling into the fantasy genre. Children make-up imaginary scenes throughout the day. My daughter is constantly dressing up as a Disney princess or playing mom with her baby dolls. My youngest son enjoys acting like a superhero and pretends to fight the bad guys. Two of my other sons build imaginary cities with their Legos and on Minecraft. It's part of how a child's brain is wired. Eventually children will outgrow this, but until then, my family will enjoy sharing imaginative stories and having visits from a leprechaun, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa.

I think most people would be surprised to learn how special days of the year that seem fictional can be traced back to real stories. From St. Patrick to St. Valentine, there were people who did great things for God's kingdom, including St. Nicholas. By the way, Santa was one tough dude! Not only was he a generous man who shared gifts with others, He was a defender of the faith. At the Council of Nicea, Saint Nicholas fought the heretic Arius who was spreading lies that Jesus was not in fact the son of God, but a mere man. Saint Nicholas’ actions produced the Nicene Creed – a statement of faith and belief in Jesus Christ in the Christian church.

I enjoy using Holiday Heroes to link the holidays to Biblical lessons.

In addition, I read these Christmas books and Easter books to my children every year as a tradition to connect the symbolism of the holidays. We also make crafts and enjoy treats to go along with each theme.

I like how Christianity Today states:

God made our imaginations and hardwired us to connect deeply with stories. Jesus himself appealed to people's imagination by telling parables—stories that communicated profound truths. Even if stories are fairy tales, and therefore not empirically true, they still communicate truth. Smart parents will use the Santa story to teach their children to be giving rather than demanding and to experience generosity and grace.

My children may resent me when they learn the truth.

It's ultimately a parent's decision on which traditions they would like to do with their family and exactly how they would like to implement them. They are free to decide to participate in the Elf on the Shelf craze, hang stockings for Santa to fill, or leave carrots for the reindeer. Parents can choose to be completely honest up front or work behind-the-scenes, but no matter what, it is all done in fun and out of love.

I've never worried about my children no longer trusting me when they learn the truth about who the tooth fairy really is. My oldest son was not upset with me when I broke the news to him but actually laughed. In fact, he became the tooth fairy a few times for his younger brothers.

When I was a child, my parents never had the talk with me about how they were working behind-the-scenes during Christmas. I was left to figure it all out on my own. Did I resent them and later need counseling to sort through my emotions? No. I thought it was super sweet how they spent so much time and effort in creating magical memories for their children. In fact, if I called my father right now and asked him if Santa is for real, he would still answer, "Of course he is."

My parents continue to have family traditions by hiding Easter eggs in their yard every year for the grandkids and even for the adults. Yes, all my siblings and our spouses (ages 30's-40's) run around his backyard to collect the eggs that are above eye-level (our kids get the ones that are lower). The adults are VERY competitive. Heels come off and women are dashing through the grass barefooted in sundresses. It is hysterical! Did I mention that my Dad puts money in the plastic eggs? It is quite a sight to see but certainly one of our favorite family Easter traditions.

Our homeschool group's Easter party at our church.

The Easter Bunny (aka my husband) making a visit to our Sunday school party.
By the way, my boys had no idea it was their Dad ☺

Do I care that Easter eggs are thought to be Pagan symbols? Not a bit. I focus on who created the eggs in the first place, not Pagans, but God. I choose to relate the eggs to wonderful memories of my family coloring eggs and going on hunts together. To my family, the eggs symbolize Christ breaking free from the tomb just as a chick breaks free from an egg. I also use eggs as teaching tools during Easter, such as using the Resurrection Eggs to retell the Easter story and plastic eggs for learning activities.

Most Kindergarten teachers have a leprechaun visit their classrooms while the children are not in the room. Children go all out in creating elaborate traps to catch the leprechaun and his pot of gold. The leprechaun will play some tricks on them and then he leaves them a treat, such as a cookie or cupcake. I never had students return years later to my classroom upset to learn that the leprechaun was not real, but they would comment on how fun it was and how they missed it.

On a side note, I believe God loves these silly traditions and also has a huge sense of humor. There is no other way to explain this true story that happened to my oldest son and I on St. Patrick's Day.

The Great Halloween Debate

This debate is very common in the Christian community. I've heard both sides and never felt convicted to stop participating. My family even volunteered in our church's fall festival that was held on Halloween. I have a hard time accepting that my daughter dressed up as Cinderella or my son as a Ninja Turtle is worshiping false Gods. Just like Paul, I do not believe in false Gods, so therefore, I am not bound by those laws, customs, or dates.

Now to make things more interesting with the Great Halloween Debate, what if it really did not begin with Pagans? Read this article to learn how Halloween might actually be traced back to the days of Noah.

Answers in Genesis also references Psalm 24:1 in the article to emphasize everything belongs to the Lord. Therefore, there is no reason to let Satan have Halloween. It was not his day in the first place!

This year my family went to Disney's Not-So-Spooky Halloween Party and we thoroughly enjoyed it. No guilt. Just pure family fun with lots of yummy candy.

I think Kirk Cameron would smile at my family creating our own traditions since he recently said Christians should be throwing the biggest Halloween party on the block.

Reinvent new meanings for old symbols and traditions.

Christians should be cautious about condemning practices as Pagan just because of their probable origins. Many American traditions and symbols that most Christians participate in and use have Pagan beginnings. They just don't realize it.

Funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, and wedding rings have Pagan roots.

We still read our Bibles and pray on Thursday, which was originally a day dedicated to Thor (Thor's day). Other days of the week fall into this category, too.

The fish (Ichthys) people have on their bumpers of their cars has Pagan origins.

It seems that most popular symbols and traditions used in America for the holidays could be traced back to the Pagans. Evergreen Christmas trees, the giving of gifts, holly, stockings, yule logs, and mistletoe were all elements adopted from the ancient Pagan traditions. The Easter bunny, hunting eggs, coloring eggs, and even the word "Easter" is from Pagan roots. The act of dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins, and going trick-or-treating is considered to be Pagan. Even Thanksgiving Day is debated to begin as Pagan before it was celebrated in America. The cornucopia and foods we typically eat on Thanksgiving, including turkey, were supposedly used in Pagan feasts.

Do you see how you could go on and on? It is exhausting. The bottom line is legalism robs your joy and is never-ending. The more you hide and choose not to create your own traditions out of fear of offending others and God, the less you can celebrate His blessings and be a blessing to others.

Here is my favorite quote from the movie "Saving Christmas."

"We need to make traditions of our own. We need to infuse old symbols with new meaning. We need to arrange our lives and our homes so that every single thing points to Jesus." ~Kirk Cameron

The Believer’s Freedom

By His grace, we have been brought from the darkness and into the light. We are free in Christ. HERE are some wonderful verses that demonstrate your freedom, which you can use to make wise choices on how to celebrate your faith and create family traditions. Let's go back to the example of meat Paul used in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10:25-26- Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

1 Corinthians 10:29-30- For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

I encourage you to stop listening to others' opinions about their personal convictions and pray to the one and only God and seek His wisdom.

Have fun creating holiday traditions with your loved ones,

Making Art History FUN

2014-07-13T19:38:00.001-04:00

Every summer I like to spend one morning a week focused on art history. During the school year, we tend to be on a tight schedule, but the summer allows us to be more laid back and truly enjoy every minute of bringing art history to life.
If you have read my previous posts on art, you already know that my kids go crazy over art projects, so we do those continuously throughout the school year. But this post is on teaching art history, so this is how we do just that. :)
Beginning in second grade, we complete one module/workbook of the Beginning Drawing with Thomas Kinkade curriculum each summer. My children, including my little ones, enjoy watching the late Thomas Kinkade teach art concepts on the DVD and then they practice creating artwork in their workbooks using the concepts they learned about. Previous summers we've had an "Art Club" meet in our house with our close friends. We complete our art lesson together, eat lunch, and then jump into the pool and swim. My kids get very excited for art club!
TIP: If you only get one module from this set, it has to be Unit 4 which focuses mainly on Art History. I think it does an outstanding job of teaching on an elementary level.

Now that my middle boys are graduated from the elementary grades, I drill my boys weekly on the names of several famous paintings and their creators using Usborne's Famous paintings cards. We focus on six paintings every week and by the end of summer, they will have mastered them all. We plan to have a contest between my two boys to see who knows them the fastest, and yes, there will be a prize! Breaking up learning into small bits and then playing a game with what they have learned are two tricks to make learning fun.

We are also reading Usborne's Book of Famous Paintings this summer. We take our time with just a small section each week. I don't want my kids to feel like they are doing schoolwork over the summer, but they love it when I read to them so that is simply what I do.

When my children are in 8th grade, we begin God and the History of Art, which is an extensive art history curriculum. We continue to work on sections of that curriculum every summer throughout high school, and they earn an art history credit for high school. It is a terrific program, and I enjoy working alongside of them and learning, too.

Enjoy making art history FUN!

FUN Ways to Teach Prepositions

2014-05-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

During the elementary years, I teach my kids a few parts of speech each school year and then we take time practicing what we've learned in our writing assignments. My kids are currently learning about prepositions, and of course, I am looking for ways to make it fun.☺

We read Under, Over, by the Clover: What Is a Preposition? by Brian Cleary

and Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse: Adventures in Prepositions by Rick Walton.

We watched Schoolhouse Rock's Busy Prepositions.
I LOVE these classic songs.
I printed off this sheet of prepositions to use as a guide for a couple of weeks. I kept it in their school folders and we reviewed it every day. It is 70 of the most used prepositions.

Tip: One thing I have learned about teaching prepositions is that memorizing lists of them does not really help in the long run. When my oldest son was in the fourth grade, he memorized at least one hundred prepositions. We spent a lot of time working on this. However, he could not recall that list a few years later. (One benefit to homeschooling, I get to see what really lasts long-term.) So this time around with my other four children, I am focusing more on being able to identify them and using them to make their writing more descriptive. I will save the rote memorization exercises for other lessons, such as learning the presidents in order and the state capitals.
We discussed a simple trick- many (but not all) prepositions describe positions, such as "anywhere a mouse can go." HERE is a super simple way to illustrate that point.

This activity was the perfect springboard to lead into a descriptive writing lesson. I had my boys write a paragraph about an animal using 15 prepositions.
If you have very young children, you can begin to introduce prepositions through this basic activity that teaches the prepositions of place.

I printed off a few FREE worksheets from education.com to review prepositions.
Last, we visited this site, which has several preposition lessons kids can complete on-line.

My favorite lesson was Identify Prepositions. I thought it was also great typing practice.

My boys' top pick was the game Pirate Octopus on a Hunt

Enjoy making learning prepositions FUN,

FUN activities with plastic Easter eggs and jelly beans

2014-04-16T22:21:00.002-04:00

Easter time provides several opportunities for hands-on learning activities. This week on FOX 4's Mom Squad, I share plenty of ways to use plastic Easter eggs and jelly beans to make learning FUN!

Watch the full segment to learn how to use these materials for reviewing these skills: colors

alphabet

opposites

patterns

numbers

estimation

graphing

probability

statistics

spelling words

solving math problems
measurement

CLICK HERE for a detailed post on jelly bean learning activities.

CLICK HERE for more ideas on how to teach statistics using Easter eggs and jelly beans.
Here are the links to the printables featured on the program:
Jelly Bean Patterns Probability Statistics (practice finding the mean, median, mode and range) Graphing Jelly Beans (AWESOME Jelly Bean Unit)

Happy Easter to you and your family, For more FUN Easter activities, click HERE

20 FUN Easter Activities for Kids

2014-03-28T16:01:00.001-04:00

Easter is almost here so let's celebrate this special holiday with FUN activities that your kids are sure to love. Click on each link below to learn more about these activities that my family has enjoyed. They include: arts and crafts, yummy recipes, free printables, learning games, great books, and more.
Easter Silhouette Art (These are breathtaking.)
Easter Cross Art Project (These look like stained glass.) The Jelly Bean Prayer (and a special one for teachers)
Create marbled eggs with shaving cream (My kids' favorite art project)
Use Easter eggs to teach statistics
Jelly Bean Bark Wonderful Easter books for children Easter egg ideas GALORE (a great collection)
Unique Cross Crafts
Jelly Bean Board game (What an innovative way to teach and review the Easter story!)
Make Resurrection Cookies
Create your own Easter BINGO cards to print.
Use Resurrection Eggs to teach the Easter story. (You can even make your own.)
Make adorable Easter treats.
Use jelly beans for learning activities. (I LOVE using these activities with my kids.)

Use Easter Mad Libs to review the parts of speech.

Make an Easter dirt dessert. (Add some Peeps and jelly beans.)

Tons of free Easter printables (I like to make packets for my kids the week before Easter with mazes, wordsearches, fun worksheets to practice skills, coloring sheets, games, etc. This provides a break from our regular school day but they are still learning- disguising learning at its best!)

source

Make Resurrection Rolls with your kids. (These taste really good and are fun to make, too!)
Happy Easter!

Spring Inspired Snacks for Kids

2014-03-19T15:34:00.000-04:00

Hello spring! Our family has been waiting for you to arrive. We are ready to jump in our pool and hit the nearby beaches.

This week my boys, Colton and Coen, shared some springtime snack ideas for kids on FOX 4's Mom Squad. The first treat they shared was this Classic Dirt Cake Recipe that makes kids grin from ear to ear.

Watch the segment Spring Inspired Snacks to learn how to make dirt cake that kids (and adults) go crazy over. It is always a hit no matter where we bring it!

For the entire recipe, click HERE.

We also shared a cute craft idea that you can use to add some SPRING BLING to your child's everyday snacks.

On Spring Inspired Snacks, my kids demonstrate how to decorate a clothespin with markers, paint, or glitter and then hot glue googly eyes and pipe cleaners for the antennae. Next, fill a snack baggie with your favorite snack, such as: goldfish, trail mix, cereal, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, or carrots. Pinch the baggie in half and clip it with a clothespin. So simple and cute!

Kids will love opening up the fridge or their lunchboxes and grabbing one of these adorable butterfly snacks.

Enjoy these springtime snacks!

You may also like my post- The cutest spring & Easter treats Click HERE for more FUN recipes for your family and scroll down.

Click HERE for more Mom Squad segments and scroll down.

FUN Ways to Improve Fine Motor Skills

2014-02-19T16:55:00.005-05:00

See you later boring penmanship worksheets! Practicing handwriting skills can be a blast with these FUN and creative methods I recently shared on Fox 4's Mom Squad.

Watch the segment FUN Ways to Improve Handwriting to learn unique ways to improve fine motor skills that will have your kids begging for more "handwriting" activities. (Shhhh! Don't let them know these activities will strengthen their hand muscles and help their penmanship. Just let them be kids and have some fun.)

Did you catch the last tip at the end?

That is always my favorite one to share since parents rarely associate Playdough with handwriting. CLICK HERE for the recipes I discussed, and you have to print these cute (and free) Playdough Mats.

For more handwriting tips, check out my posts:
Cursive Handwriting- Should we still teach it?
Handwriting Practice Tips
Lauri Products are perfect for fine motor skills (I still use these puzzles with my little ones. The puzzles are over 15 years old, yet they are so durable and still look brand new.)
Sweet Success! (Trust me, your kids will LOVE this activity!)
I have many more handwriting tips in my best-selling book How to Teach Your Child

Enjoy these tips!

Click HERE for more Mom Squad segments and scroll down.

Goodbye Clutter- Hello Organization

2014-01-18T19:46:00.002-05:00

Moms are always looking for ways to make their lives a little easier in their everyday routine. Who really wants to spend more time doing laundry than you have to? Or sorting through your junk mail- that's just plain boring. It's time to throw out the clutter of the old year and embrace organization in the new year.
On Fox 4's Mom Squad I shared some ways to get organized for the new year so you can have some extra time to spend with your family (or even to just take a mom break and rest).

Watch the segment How to Get Organized to learn how to:

Keep everyone in your family up-to-date on upcoming events, lessons, classes, practices, vacations, etc. by using a family calendar;
Eliminate junk mail in just a few minutes with this really cool app;
Save tons of time meal-planning by consolidating your favorite recipes into one collection; and
Gain over two hours of extra time each month by using only two laundry baskets.

Extra Tip: One thing I did not have time to mention in the segment is how the page protectors used in the recipe collection are perfect for keeping your recipes clean. My kids spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking alongside of me, and the recipe pages get a lot of ingredients splattered onto them. All you have to do is wipe off the page protector when you are finished cooking and your recipe will stay as good as new.
HERE are more ways to get organized.

If you are looking for more ways to make your homeschool day easier, check out my best-selling book Simplify Your Homeschool Day.

Enjoy these tips!
Click HERE for more Mom Squad segments and scroll down.

FUN Ways to Teach Geography

2013-11-16T16:26:00.002-05:00

My older children are diving into US geography this school year before we transition to American history. They have been having a BLAST learning geography with a hands-on approach. The word FUN does not adequately describe their enthusiasm for this subject area, and I have been pleasantly been surprised about their desire to continue learning long after our daily school time has ended. This is the best place for any mom/teacher to be in teaching- I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
If you have followed my blog for awhile, you already know that I am not a textbook teacher. I used that approach when I was a teacher in a classroom, and I taught geography with a textbook during my first year of homeschooling, but soon the textbook made its way into my trash can. The homeschool textbook was boring with a capital B. My son was not interested in the subject area at all, so I learned creative ways to spice it up over the past 15 years and I haven't used a geography textbook since.
I know I may be breaking the blogging rules with this mega-long post but I am just too excited to share with you all these ideas now rather than break them into a series and drag it out so let's get started.

First, we learned some basic world geography before we began learning about the United States. I believe it is important for children to know where others countries are located in comparison to the US.

Our Leap Frog Explorer interactive globe gets used a lot. My parents bought it as a Christmas gift for my oldest son over 15 years ago, and it is still an invaluable tool that we use frequently in our homeschool lessons. It states interesting facts and plays music from individual countries. I also use it when we are learning about locations in our history and literature studies. My kids will sit for fifteen minutes at a time learning about world geography without any prompting from me. Gotta love it!

We reviewed this lesson on how maps are distorted. I like how that lesson teaches the "why part" of map distortion so kids really get it.

I purchased some placemats like this one for a couple of dollars. I prefer using placemats over standard maps because they last for years without getting wrinkled or torn.

You can also use a dry-erase marker on them to circle and draw lines to bring attention to certain areas.

Call me old-fashioned but I still like to use puzzles for teaching. Children have no idea they are learning and memorizing locations when you use puzzles for geography. My sister, Haleigh, gave this puzzle to my son for a birthday present, and it is a gift that has been used a whole lot.

My kids also like to build floor puzzles, such as this one.

My kids are literally hooked on the 10 Days Geography Games that my great friend, Robin, introduced me to. They beg to play the games at night and on the weekends. Some days the game will be our entire geography lesson. You should see their faces light up when I announce it.

We also play Around the World, which is a game using trivia about countries around the world. It is a bit more challenging, but boy, did we all learn a lot. We play this game as a family and create two teams. That really helps keep the competitive spirit going, and they get so involved in playing the game that they don't realize how many facts they are learning. This is disguising learning at its best!

We learned geography terms by reading this colorful and informative book Geography from A to Z.

We memorized the continents and oceans. We also reviewed map terminology; such as: prime meridian, equator, hemispheres, latitude, longitude, and so on. My kids play this game to practice locating coordinates. Who wouldn't like to pretend they are searching for a treasure?

A few years ago, my kids learned about the different countries by using A Trip Around the World and Another Trip Around the World. I highly recommend these resources! They teach about world geography using fascinating facts, creative art projects, songs, yummy recipes, and more.

If you'd like your child to be able to really relate to how it is to live in other countries, you have to get Children Just Like Me. It is one of my faves! I read it aloud to my kids and discuss the challenges the children in the book have to go through in their countries. This book helps children learn to appreciate how blessed they really are.

I recently purchased Passport to the World at a homeschool expo, and I am excited to read it with my kids.

This book is unique because it's written with a Christian perspective and loaded with Scripture. It also has a passport that comes with the book and children can place stickers on it as they travel the world. Pretty cool!

Passport to the World inspired an idea I had for my homeschool group. My group usually has a geography fair each school year. We also have a Christmas celebration on a different date. This year we will be combining the two events and will be having a "Christmas Around the World" party. I cannot wait! Each child will study a country, including how that country celebrates Christmas. Next, the child will make a presentation board and include any artifacts and art projects from that country. Here is one part the kids will LOVE- they will be making food to share from their particular country.

The children will take turns traveling the globe with their "passports." As they visit each country, they will grab a sample of the food, learn about the country, and get their passports stamped. My kids can't wait to get started learning about their countries. (They just chose them last week.) I will post some photos of the event in December.
Update: The kids LOVED the Christmas Around the World Party. They learned so much about other countries. The parents even learned a whole lot about how other countries influence how we celebrate Christmas here in the US.

HERE is a site to help you get started learning about how other countries celebrate Christmas. HERE are some wonderful printables, including passports for the kids. This is a fantastic way to integrate geography lessons in December.

Tighten your seat belts folks because I am about to take you through a very hands-on approach to teaching the states- here we go!!!
We began our studies with a state quarter map that I almost forgot about until my kids reminded me about it. My oldest son collected quarters from each state as they were released several years ago. He's now twenty years old, and he still holds onto this map as a prized possession. It took him years to fill it, and he'd get elated when he found a state quarter that he had been patiently waiting to add to his map. I thought my other two boys would be okay with skipping this activity but Oh No! They made it perfectly clear to me this month that they want their own state quarter map, and they even added it to their Christmas wish list. When my kids ask for an educational gift over a toy, you can bet that this homeschool momma will be getting them it for Christmas.

For learning geography in a fun and creative way, you have to play The License Plate Game.

Check out this post to learn how to play. It's a whole lot of fun! This game is a cross between a scavenger hunt and a geography game. This year, my boys set a family record. They found all the states in one week (besides Alaska and Hawaii). I was very impressed!

Music makes learning stick so my kids learned the lyrics to the classic Fifty Nifty United States song. This song has been taught in schools for decades, and parents love to use it at home as well. I like using it with children of all ages because it teaches them how to correctly pronounce the states they are learning about.
If you think your child is too young to start learning the names of the states, think again. Check out this video of my sweet friend Annie's little girls singing it. Her youngest daughter was only three! It's just precious.
Of course, we busted out the Ten Days in the USA game since my kids are hooked on it, and they have played it over and over again. Not for a school lesson but for fun. I love it when they are learning just for fun. It makes my role as a teacher so much easier.

Another game we like to play is Snapshots Across America. It is similar to Ten Days in the USA and children take a fantasy vacation throughout the states.

I haven't played the game Mad Dash but I know it is very popular in the homeschool community.

Time for Learning States is a book that I randomly picked up while shopping around at the Cracker Barrel general store- my all-time favorite place to eat. :) What a wonderful book! It's so interactive and has all these really cool push/pull parts. It is not your average book by any means and certainly makes learning about states a whole lot of fun.

After my kids learn details about the states, I have them do a report on their home state. I prefer using My State History Funbooks.

These books use more of a lapbook approach with cutting and pasting, so kids really get involved in creating their books filled with state facts.

We learn about places by taking field trips. My family loves traveling and making learning come to life. Here is a recent field trip with our homeschool friends to Tampa, FL to learn about Florida history and visit a science museum. It was so educational and fun!

After learning about our state's history, I have my kids choose any state they would like to learn more about. They research that state and write a report on it. Next, my kids make a travel brochure for the state and they make an oral, persuasive presentation on why our family should visit it. Who knows? If they get lucky, we may plan a future family vacation there.

HERE are some travel brochure examples that children made.

Photo Credit

Alright, let's start using our children's learning language- technology. My friend, Shannon over at Technology Rocks, compiled two collections of sites HERE and HERE that have her teacher seal of approval to use for teaching geography. My kid's favorite site from this awesome collection is Ameriquake. My boys try to beat each other's times so that makes it a very competitive game. One of my sons can even beat my time!

I was thrilled that the Stack the States app was finally available for my Android, as it was released for iPads and iPhones way before. I kept hearing parents and teachers raving over it and wanted it so badly for my own kids. In fact, it has been voted the best app for kids and won the best iPad app EVER award! If you purchase just one geography app for your phone or tablet, this has to be it! My kids are addicted to the game and ask to play all the time FOR FUN! What could be better than having your two sons flipping a coin to see who can use Mom's phone to learn about geography?

My favorite geography find for this school year is Eat Your Way Through the States. My son found this cookbook at a homeschool convention and since my boys love cooking, I thought we'd give it a try. Boy, I have been impressed but the quality of recipes! Not only are they easy enough for children to make, they are delicious. (Tip: We decided to use state stickers on a chart to keep track of every state we have traveled through as we eat our way through the states.)

My kids are cooking dinner every night, as well as making a dessert, that is from a particular certain state. They are LOVING it and so am I- very little cooking for me. I couldn't be happier! Last night, we ate a dinner from Alabama with catfish, black beans southern style, and peanut butter pie for dessert that was to die for!
Since my kids now have a solid foundation of the location of the states and some factual knowledge about each one, it's time for us to take our learning to the next level. This week we will be learning the abbreviations for each state through this dynamite FREE resource. Click HERE to read all about it. There is also a link to a site that children can practice the abbreviations. I will be reviewing those postal abbreviations myself since I occasionally forget some of them when I am mailing letters.

The next step will be to teach my kids the capital of each state. I use some FREE worksheets from education.com to teach those.

In addition, we play the on-line game Where is the Mysterious Mr. N?

. Where is the Mysterious Mr. N? is also terrific for older children learning about locations of famous places, such as cities, national monuments, and parks.
Yay! You made it to the end of this l-o-n-g post.☺ I hope you gained a few new ideas on how to make geography FUN for your kids.

The Mom Squad addresses the common question- How do you do it all?

2013-11-06T15:00:00.001-05:00

"How do you do it all?"
I get asked this question at least once a week, along with the comment, "I don't know how you do it."
Every mom is busy, whether you have one child or more than one. You just learn how to manage your time differently as your family grows. This week I had the pleasure to be on FOX's Mom Squad panel with some A.MA.ZING mothers. The host of the program, Carley Wegner, has been feeling a bit overwhelmed with her new baby on his way while already having a one year old so she called in the Mom Squad to help ease her worries.

I've had two children in 13 months and another two within 18 months apart, so I could completely relate to her anxieties. The other moms on the show have twins and gave some excellent advice. All of us have four or five children, two of us work part-time, and we all homeschool, so the question "How do you do it?" is quite common for us. My only wish was that this segment was longer. I am always up for learning new tricks and tips, and there was much wisdom to be shared. Five minutes went by way too fast, but FOX wants to here from YOU for future segments. If you have any mom questions that you'd like answered, email them to Melissa- feedback@fox4morningblend.com
For those of you who think that I have my life altogether, I definitely do not. Every season brings new challenges. For example, since I had my fifth child, I am notoriously 5-10 minutes late everywhere no matter how hard I try to be on time. I would like to say that I am "fashionably" late, but that isn't the truth either. Running in a mad dash in a parking lot (all holding hands of course) to make it somewhere 5 minutes late (instead of 6 minutes cause that makes a big difference) while one child is missing shoes and my hair is going in every direction. Yep, that is my family.
This video accurately represents my family. I have watched it several times and laugh hysterically each time because it is SO TRUE!

I address several more of my shortcomings and how I deal with them in Grace for the Homeschool Mom. Here is an excerpt from my book:

My laundry is piled up. There are some nights we eat cereal or grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. I am years behind in scrap-booking. I wish I had more time to exercise than I do. And I always feel like I could be doing more than I am. But I remind myself that scripture says, “In all you do, do it unto the Lord.” Never does it say to do it all.

The Truth: Doing it all is a misconception the enemy wants mothers to believe. Learn how to fully embrace the beauty of each season of your life. It is a gift from God.

God’s Word: Colossians 3:23-24-“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Take a deep breath busy mom. You are doing a great job!

FUN Math Art Ideas

2013-10-28T23:14:00.001-04:00

I love incorporating art into subject areas whenever I get a chance. Last October, my kids really enjoyed making spider webs with number spirals for Halloween.

Since my boys have been learning a lot about geometry this school year, I didn't let the opportunity pass us by without adding a few FUN, geometry, art projects. My boys were thrilled!
We began with the classic symmetry art project, and my boys totally blew me away with their attention to detail! I had them cut out a photo from a magazine and then cut it in half. They glued half of the photo on a sheet of paper and drew the rest. I had to remind them to create a mirror image so it is symmetrical (like a butterfly) since kids naturally want to finish the picture. Can you tell both were created by boys- Legos and guns? Boys will be boys. I'm sure my girl would have chosen a flower or a cute animal. ☺

Next, we learned all about tessellations, which are repeating patterns of polygons that cover a plane with no gaps or overlaps. Click HERE for a mini-lesson on tessellations to learn how to create a tessellation. It can be a bit tricky for some kids to grasp the concept, but what an excellent critical thinking skills activity this is!

Since this was their first time working with tessellations, we kept it very basic.

In the future, I'd like to challenge my boys to create more detailed designs. Check out this fantastic slide show of children's tessellations created by a middle school teacher. Very impressive!

Below are two really cool sites that you can create your own tessellation designs on the computer.

Click HERE.

My little ones joined in on the fun and made designs with their pattern blocks. I cherish these times that we are all learning together, just on different levels.

We went on to create these BEAUTIFUL circle paintings. These colors were so vibrant and popped with the black circles. My favorite art project this school year for sure! Kudos to my friend Annie at the Moffatt Girls for sharing it on her blog. Click HERE to learn the step-by-step directions.

I like this geometry art project because it looks like an optical illusion. Using a ruler, I have my kids draw lines from left to right the same distance apart and then make straight or wavy lines going up and down. Next, they alternate two colors on every section going from side to side. (Markers look the best.)

The next art project I have planned is this incredible project from my friend, Jen at Runde's Room. Check it out! Isn't it absolutely amazing? Click HERE to learn how to create it.

by Jen at Runde's Room

Enjoy making geometry fun!

New designs in the Homeschool T-shirt Shop!

2013-10-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

We have been busy adding new designs to the Homeschool T-shirt Shop!

I can't wait to wait to wear this shirt while trick-or-treating with my kids. Spreadshirt designed it for homeschool moms and I LOVE IT!

Leslie from KindergartenWorks created more cute designs, including some with subway art, such as this one.

Leslie also has an entire shop dedicated to school teacher shirts that completely rocks- Teacher T-shirts. If you teach in a classroom, you have to check it out.

Enjoy shopping!

Homeschool Welcome Basket

2013-10-25T18:57:00.002-04:00

Are you brand new to homeschooling or know someone who is? Here's a little something that can brighten a homeschool mom's day and even year!

This homeschool welcome basket idea includes: creative and effective teaching tips, innovative ways to simplify and shorten the homeschool day, and lots of God's amazing grace to experience peace and freedom while homeschooling.
When you purchase all three books, you are eligible for a 30% discount! Use this code TS6CZUBJ and begin shopping HERE.
When you receive your books, arrange them in a cute basket (basket not included) and add some extra little goodies. Motrin, a Bible, coffee, duct tape (just kidding)..... Do you have any other ideas of things to add to the basket?
What a great gift idea for a family member or friend!
Enjoy,

Transform Your Child's Writing Using Dictation Software

2013-10-20T20:39:00.001-04:00

I had the privilege of presenting a writing workshop last week to my local homeschool group and I loved every minute of it! I prepared for months for this workshop by gathering lots of samples of writing projects, such as this one, that I have completed with my kids as I wanted it to be a hands-on workshop unlike any other they had ever attended before.
For food, we ate hamburgers while learning how to write a paragraph like in this post, we talked about using lots of details in writing while eating ice cream sundaes, and we learned how to write persuasive essays while eating OREOS. (The OREO method mentioned in 101 Ways to Make Writing FUN completely rocks!)
When I was preparing for this workshop and researching the latest trends and innovations in teaching writing, I discovered something fascinating! Educators are using dictation devices in helping children with the writing process. I decided to give it a whirl and test drive these teaching tools.
First, I installed the Spell Checker Pro App and Evernote App on my Android phone. My middle child, Coen, is one of those kids that asks me every five minutes how to spell a word. He will completely stop writing and wait for me. I often walk into the room and catch him staring into space. He will say he was waiting on me to spell a word for him. Sounding the word out and using a spelling dictionary worked well for my other boys but did not with this little fellow. He wants to get the word spelled right the first time, taking no chances, even if it means adding on an extra hour to completing a writing assignment.
I told Coen to say a word into my phone if he gets stuck on spelling, and my phone would spell it correctly for him. He was hooked! But this is what changed his writing FOR.E.VER- he began to say entire sentences aloud that were the answers to his Bible study he was working on. The sentences would appear on my phone, and he would copy the sentences into his workbook. I witnessed the birth of a love of writing that I knew had been stuck inside for far too many years.
He was writing many sentences. He was writing long sentences with lots of details. He was learning correct spelling and capitalization rules. He was writing independently. HE COULDN'T STOP WRITING!
I've taught for over two decades and never once saw a child excel forward in writing in just a matter of minutes like this. He was finally free from writing and stopping and writing and stopping, and most of all, free from depending on someone else. His confidence in writing took off like a rocket!
Watching my son's writing bloom instantly captivated my attention. I began to further investigate writing dictation. Several years ago, I learned that many best-selling authors are using dictation software to write their books. Have you ever wondered how they can write so many books per year? It is not by sitting at a computer but usually through dictating. Not too long ago, authors would using a recording device to get their thoughts or stories out and then send the recordings to a typist who would then send the typed copy to an editor. The author would work closely with the editor. Next, the book formatter would step in and produce a finished manuscript. With the new dictation software, authors can bypass the typists now.
For years, I had envisioned authors slaving away at their computers until I had learned of this not-so-talked-about reality. The fact that most authors dictate their books really shouldn't have surprised me much since dictation has taken place for centuries, which originally began as secretaries or transcribers. For example, Winston Churchill was notoriously known for dictating his speeches and writing to his secretary. It only makes sense that writers use the available technology today to assist them in writing. Months ago, I made a comment to my husband after my last book, Grace for the Homeschool Mom, was released that I would never sit in front of a computer typing a book again. Between the backaches and headaches, I was going to begin using technology to assist me in the future.
Next, I began to research which dictation software would be the best fit for my family. My mother-in-law, who works in the medical field, was quick to refer Dragon to me. She told me most doctors no longer use medical transcriptionists ever since the dictation software improved. Now doctors and lawyers record their notes using this software. I had no idea!
I later learned college students are using the software on their phones to record lectures, which simultaneously types up all their notes. All the students have to do is go back and edit the notes and then delete the parts they do not wish to save for the future. Say what? No more note-taking in school? I am in complete technology culture shock!
Next, I watched this video. After viewing the video, I decided it was time to dig deeper and attend a webinar. As I watched the presentation, along with representatives from several school districts, the benefits were astounding. The presenter explained why so many people used dictation devices for note-taking. The average person can speak 120 wpm but only type 40 wpm. Basically, you speak 3 times faster than you type. Therefore, dictation software enables you to have better notes, without ever worrying about keeping up with the professor or that you missed writing something important down. It also helps you get your thoughts down on paper much faster than typing them.

The presenter stated the act of speaking is a far more natural and efficient way of generating words than moving your fingers on a keyboard. I agree since I would consistently see the delay in typing and losing the thought in my former students and with my own children.

The presenter of the webinar also taught how dictation software jumpstarts the writing process by:

Increasing writing flow by helping to alleviate writer's block (a blank page creates pressure);
Resulting in more language production (longer and more detailed essays);
Assisting in the pre-writing phase by writing more freely without worries of mechanics and spelling errors;
Helping teach correct spelling and capitalization;
Improving sentence structure with a playback feature, which helps writers recognize sufficient verb usage and sentence structure;
Better leveraging their oral language skills by enhancing their writing fluency; and
Taking better notes since while note-taking, only 5-10% of words said are written.

The most jaw-dropping part of the webinar was when they showed a writing sample of a child who had a severe learning disability and had struggled for years with writing.

His parents and teacher began to cry when the child used the software for the first time. He was now free to express himself. I can only imagine how happy and relieved that child felt, and I wonder how many other children can benefit from this type of teaching tool as well.

My first concern about using this software were the SAT/ACT tests. But after pondering on that for a few minutes, I knew that students get many chances to practice written timed tests while taking SAT/ACT prep classes in high school. I was no longer concerned about writing essays by hand in high school and college since most assignments are now typed and stored on a thumb drive or emailed to the teacher. Boy, how times have changed.In addition, I knew a lot of editing skills would still be used since the technology is not foolproof. Students will still need to proof their sentences and edit their work just like they do with typing other assignments.

My good friend, Nancy, was just as curious as I was on this dictation quest, and she decided to post the topic in the Institute for Excellence in Writing IEW Forum to see what other parents and educators had to say. Their feedback was overwhelmingly positive. My favorite comment was from a home educator-

How many people do you know with carpal tunnel syndrome? I think we are going to realize that a lifetime of typing isn't such a good idea and switching to dictation is a better option. I am deciding to help my daughter to go that way too. No worries for me about being "too early" or "messing up her ability to type." Last year I was a little worried, but after seeing how fast technology is changing, I worry no more.

Great point! I had not even thought of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is rapidly rising due to the increased amount of time we spend typing.

After reading through the comments, Nancy and I concluded that our children will be expected to do the same amount of work as other students who are using technology. The reality is people will also be expected in the workforce to do more in a less amount of time. Dictation devices will definitely give our children an edge. Why spend 2 hours on an assignment when their peers are spending 30 min?

How much will I use dictation software with my children and at what age will I introduce the more intensive software? I haven't made those decisions yet, but I do know I will be integrating dictation into our writing assignments in the future. The results are too powerful for me to ignore. (By the way, this is not a sponsored review.)

For the PC- Dragon Naturally Speaking

For the MAC- Dragon Dictate

Enjoy helping your writer blossom,

Brain Breaks that Kids Love

2013-09-25T16:33:00.002-04:00

Research shows that most of the brain is activated during physical activity. Did you know that your child's ability to focus decreases after sitting for ten minutes? By providing "brain breaks," your child will be able to complete his schoolwork and homework faster. On Fox 4's Mom Squad I shared some ways to give your child short breaks that increase concentration.

Watch the segment Brain Breaks to learn how to:

Use jumping jacks to help release extra energy in a positive way;

Clap, snap, and bounce a ball while reviewing facts;

Rock or ride while reading;
Stand while completing work; and

Take mini-breaks to get recharged.

Enjoy these tips!
Click HERE for more Mom Squad segments (or you can click HERE and keep scrolling down.)