Search Results for: homeschooling activity ideas science 3

Ideas for Keeping Homeschooling Fun: Following your child’s passion

Don’t think that because you are homeschooling your kids that they won’t still groan and moan when it is time to get down to serious work. It is pretty easy to get off track and behind in homeschooling when kids are resistant to anything that resembles real work. You can however keep them focused on school work if they have activities they are passionate about to give them something to look forward to. If this sounds like a bribe, it is because it is. Children will gladly do the activities they are less crazy about if it will be followed … Continue reading →

2006 in Review: Homeschooling Blog at a Glance

As a new homeschooling blogger at Families.com, I wanted to know everything that has been discussed to date. In response to my own curiosity, and in an effort to make perusing our articles easier for you, our readers, I have compiled all of the blogs for the year 2006. Deciding to Homeschool Why homeschool Am I qualified for this? Reasons that Homeschooling Works! My Most Important Advice for Homeschoolers. The Cost of Homeschooling Instead of standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids? Disclaimer: I am hardly an expert in education. Did You Know? ‘Empirical … Continue reading →

The Homeschoolers’ Advent Calendar: Christmas Science

Those who know my family well, know us as “the science people”. When we worked at a private school, we ran the science fairs. In fact, it was a science fair for homeschoolers that got us started in running a home schooling support group. My husband especially, is known for his fine command of explaining physics to preschoolers. So if you knew us well, you would not be shocked that we actually have Christmas themed science. I hope you enjoy these links, tidbits, questions and ideas about science and Christmas. NORAD tracks Santa Clause You undoubtedly have heard that Norad … Continue reading →

10 Reasons I’m Thankful I’m Homeschooling

I know (or at least I hope) you’re not doing any home schooling today. Today is a day to be thankful for what we have and to enjoy those we love. But just in case you find your way to the computer after all the dishes are done, here are my top ten reasons that I’m thankful to be home schooling: #1. I enjoy my kids. I like being around them–even 24/7. I think they are fun and we do fun things together but truth be told the real reason I like being around them is that they offer a … Continue reading →

What Your First Grader Should Know: Science

The most important thing to teach in early science is observation. Teaching your kids to observe, and make notes of what they see is as important as getting the concepts. They can draw pictures of what they see, make notes or even take along a camera to take pictures and scrap book their observations. Encourage, as much as possible, your child to describe details in what they see. Animals My kids are simply fascinated with the Sea World website. Check out the Shamu cam, print coloring pages and look at activities. Or why not play some animal games on the … Continue reading →

Homeschooling for Free

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Buying curriculum can take a big bite out of your budget, especially if you’re homeschooling more than one child. But here is a list of free or nearly free items that you can use to supplement your curriculum: The Homeschool Mom has created a variety of free planning pages. There are several variations including lesson planning pages, an unschooling planning page, and even weekly menu planning pages! Word2Word offers free foreign language courses in a variety of foreign languages. You can learn just about any language you could possible think of! The National Anti-Vivisection Society loans out replicas of animals … Continue reading →

Why Learn Outside?

In my other life, I’m an outdoor educator at a local nature center. This summer, I’m inviting you on a journey into my world – the world of science and nature education. From activity ideas to crafts to books and curriculum, we’ll explore ideas that will inspire you to engage in real life, hands-on science education outdoors. But before we start, let’s take a look at the reasons why children should learn outside. Nature provides challenges that are different than the challenges children will encounter in other contexts. In a playground, children certainly encounter physical challenges. However, these challenges are … Continue reading →

The Mailbox

Have you ever visited The Mailbox? If you haven’t, may I suggest that you head on over there? The Mailbox isn’t just a website, although it certainly is that, full of fun craft ideas for teachers and homeschool parents. But at this site, you can register for their free e-newsletter, and when you get a free account, you can download grade-specific information and save it in online files for future reference. It’s really an amazing resource. But that’s still just part of it … This site sells some amazing school books. I was first introduced to the site as I … Continue reading →

P is for Pumpkin

October is pumpkin season! Take advantage of this wonderful time of year to engage your child in learning and the world around him. Pumpkins seem to have a charm and appeal that makes kids delight over going to the pumpkin patch. If you don’t believe me try asking your children if they would like to go to the beet farm or squash patch instead. So head on out to the pumpkin patch for some fun and learning with your kids. A pumpkin patch makes an excellent field trip. Both kids and adults can enjoy cider, hayrides, and pumpkin picking. During … Continue reading →

Notebooking

Notebooking is a great activity for children from grades K-12. Notebooking is essentially a collection of written and visual work throughout the course of a semester or school year. When you notebook you are recording your educational experience and not simply a collection of worksheets, tests and notes. Your student can get as creative as he wants or simple if he prefers. Unlike lapbooking, this method can span throughout a year and can be personalized with narrations, essays, student taken or drawn pictures and journal entries. Lapbooking is a visual representation of a subject or unit study while Notebooking is … Continue reading →