Homeschool Hacks

Links to love today

Make your own biodegradeable starter pots for indoor and outdoor plants.

Here is a video I wanted to share also-

For younger kids: don't stress!!!

by Brea

Ok, so y'all know I'm a Charlotte Mason fan. Teach your children through books, books, and more books. And then read them a book or two. And when you're done, why not find a new great book? (Am I getting a tad repetitive here? Sorry.)

Homeschooling can be expensive!! And there's so many options! I've got a little tip for you, something I've heard from almost every mom of older children I know, and something I'm seeing from my own experience. If you do nothing but character training and reading out loud to your kids before they're six or seven, you'll have given them a vast head start over their peers. Seriously. Your kids can pick up 'the essentials' like reading and writing when they're a little older, and they will be just fine for it! A close friend of mine has a daughter I'm crazy about. 'A' is 14, and she and I love to talk books. She's borrowed some favs from me, and we're not talking teen lit here. Big, heavy, wonderful books. She's an amazing reader, devouring almost anything she can get her hands on. Want to know a secret? She didn't learn to read until after she turned nine. A's mom realized something: if she pushed her daughter to read before she was ready, she could possibly end up making her daughter hate reading. So she waited. She did other things with her. And now A is one of the most well-read 14-year-olds I know.

Let your kids learn from life. Don't start formal school with them until they're in the first grade, and even then, keep it light! There are so many ways your kids can learn from everyday things that happen around them. My oldest, Sam, is almost 6. He's starting to learn about money. Every Friday, we head down to our local Farmers' Market. (Sam's mom over here has a big ole' crush on homegrown veggies and grass-fed beef. Mmmm ...) In the last few months, Sam has become my 'money man.' For the most part, he and his sister Evie (4) pick out the veggies we'll be buying for the week. Sam knows that we start each Friday off with $20 or $25. They're each allowed to buy a treat, which costs a dollar. All prices at the market are rounded the the nearest quarter, and Sam is the one who carries the money and pays for everything. (I use ones and fives, to make it easier on him.) So if we get down to the last $5, and each of them still want to buy a treat, that's $3 left. Evie wants to buy spinach, while Sam wants broccoli. But a bag of spinach is $2.50, and four heads of broccoli cost $3.00. Hmm, dilemma! I let the two of them figure out what to do. Sam won out with the broccoli last time, because he logically pointed out to his sister that our spinach at home is getting big enough to eat, so we didn't need to buy any.

Wait, what just happened here? Let me go into this. Sam is learning math skills. Sam and Evie are learning how to interact with other grown-ups in a real-world setting (and people say homeschoolers aren't socialized!!), and they're learning where our food comes from. They're both learning logic and problem-solving skills (broccoli or spinach? It's a tough life, I tell ya!), and they're learning financial responsibility. All that from a 10 minute visit to the market. Oh, and remember the part about growing spinach at home? We have several gardens. There's my nature, science, and ecology classes for the next several years.

Do you have cheerios at home? What about skittles, raisins, or chocolate chips? A few years ago, I bought a bag of 15-bean soup. It's just a bunch of dried beans. There's our math class. We can learn grouping, patterns, addition, subtraction, and later multiplication and division. And it cost me a whopping $.79. Do your youngsters cook with you? My kids are learning fraction without even knowing it, because I can't ever find my measuring cups, so we have to measure out 1 1/2 cups of flour with the 1/2 cup scoop. Evie can tell you that there's three teaspoons in a tablespoon, and Sam knows that you can't leave sugar when it's cooking or 'it turns stinky and yucky.' (We make lots of candy around Christmas time!)

We've been reading The Chronicles of Narnia, and my kids just eat it up. They know the difference between a broadsword and a rapier, and why a ship would have sails and oars. And battle strategy. And the difference between port and starboard.

I'm not writing this to brag on my children, although I'm certainly not above that. :) I'm writing this as an encouragement. It can be really overwhelming when you start looking at curriculum, and what to buy, and when to start, and  what homeschooling method to follow. And then we start looking at the world, and what and when public schools do things. Remember that each child is different, and that's a great thing about homeschooling!! It's much easier for kids to catch up on something they're a little behind on, as opposed to trying to get them to like something that's been forced on them too early. God gave your children to you, not to me, or your mother, or your neighbor, or your friends at church. You. You are better qualified to teach them, for that reason alone, than any other person in the world.

So if you're a little stressed right now, take a deep breath. Now one more. And one more. Get up and go on a walk with your young'ens. Talk about some flowers. Look at the clouds. Why did God make bees? What do they do? Why do round things roll better than things with flat sides? Read this post and the wonderful comments, then take a trip to the library and find Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and some of the other great books. Spend 15 minutes reading, then snuggle for 10 minutes and talk about what you just read. Congratulations, you just did school for the day!! You really can do this!

Moms with older kids, what did y'all do when yours were little? Can you offer any advice?

Daily Links You Will Love

Hopeful Spirit is hosting a wonderful Carnival of Family Life.

A wonderful article from the Washington Post last week is here!

Principled Discovery has the best graphic in this one.

If you have any great articles you would like highlighted please email me- homeschoolhacks@gmail.com

Have a wonderful Monday!

Blessings, Alli

Teaching Earth Day

Earth Day is coming up on April 22. Now is a great time to start talking about the environment and sharing activities with your kids. Here are some links that you can use for information to share with your kids.

• Earth Day Education - This page has news, a curriculum, and a virtual tour that you can use
• Environmental QuickSourse - Choose from Our Beautiful Earth, Playing My Part, or Recycling for a list of great activities that you can do.
• Earth Day theme unit from Ed Helper - A great collection of various ideas, activities, and more that you can use.
• Earth Day from family Education - A list of activities that you can get the whole family involved in.

These are just some of the great  places online that  you can draw ideas from.  Don't forget to check your local  libraries  also to see what resources they might have.

Homeschooler Discounts

by Brea

It helps to know the best places to buy resources, and it really helps to know where you can save some money. Homeschooling doesn't have to cost a fortune (more on that coming later in the week), so here's a great link at Homeschooling on Shoestring that lists a bunch of discounts. Some of the places listed are local to Michigan, but most are nation-wide.

Home Educator Discount List

And remember, it doesn't hurt to ask any place you shop if they give discounts for homeschoolers ... provided, of course, that you're purchasing school materials. :) What's the worst that can happen? You pay the same price you'd pay even if you didn't ask? That's what I thought ...

And do you already have a particular curriculum you'd like to use? Think used books. They might not be quite as pretty, but there are terrific savings to be had if you're willing to do a little looking. Amazon.com is always a great place to check (I often get books for under $.25 before shipping), and there's also Homeschool Classifieds and Second Harvest Curriculum. So check out some of these links, and save those pennies where you can!

Beautiful 360 degree panoramic views that bring the world to you!

I found a wonderful website with amazing 360 degree panoramic views from all over the world. You must go check it out. Check these out-

Great Wall of China

The Colosseum

The Apollo Missions

Mt. St. Helens

Seven Wonders of the World

Arounder -index of panoramas

Enjoy!

For younger kids: Reading!

by Brea

Hi everyone! I'm new here, so I wanted to quickly introduce myself. I'm Brea (pronounced Brie, like the cheese), and I'm 25. I've got three kids: Sam is 5, Evie is 4, and David is 18 months old. We live almost in the country, and have chickens and grow lots of our own food. And, obviously, we homeschool!! I'm here to give some hacks for younger kids. Honestly, I'm completely flying by the seat of my pants with this whole homeschool thing, so I'll just be here to give some tips for what's worked for us so far. I also have a board of advisers, also known as the women from my church, who give me the best advice and ideas I could ever ask for. Most everyone in our church homeschools, and has older children, so they really help me with the stuff they've already been through. I've lived in Texas my whole life, and say things like "fixin' to" and "the Walmart" and think anyone who lived anywhere else is a little crazy. (But I'm very polite in my Southern ways,so I would never actually say that ... would I?) Click on my name above to check out the everyday craziness of our life through my blog.

Ok, so that's me. And here's my hack for you moms just starting out, and kind of wondering where to start: read to your kids!! I know, I know. We've all heard it said over and over. But it's true. I'm a huge fan of Charlotte Mason, and if you haven't read The Charlotte Mason Companion, I highly recommend it. It's great! Miss Mason believed that your kids, especially up to about fourth grade, can learn everything they need to from 'living books;' books written by an author who loved the subject, books that aren't dry and boring and just a textbook. There are so many out there. Become friends with your local librarian- they are filled with knowledge, and love to help people when asked.

And don't be afraid to read a little above your children's level. I'm not saying to go out and buy Tolstoy just yet, but kids just soak up knowledge! We're in the middle of the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia, and my kids just beg me to read more everyday. Your kids will learn new vocabulary, their grammar will improve, and their attention span will develop beyond The Cat and The Hat (not knocking Dr Seuss, whom I utterly love!). And let me elaborate a little on the attention span theory. When we read, my kids can't do anything else. No jumping around, no coloring, no talking, no nose-picking, no singing. Even David, at 18 months, has to sit calmly on my lap and listen. It takes a while to work up to this, but it really does pay off in the long run.

If you're new to chapter books with your younger kids, there are some wonderful ones out there! (And I'm hoping people will chime in with more suggestions in the comments.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is great, with great morals. The chapters are really short, and this has been our new bedtime book, so it's not uncommon for us to read 3 or 4 chapters in one sitting. Actually, Roald Dahl has many wonderful books. EB White's books are fantastic, too, like Charlotte's Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, and Stuart Little. I remember loving Mrs Piggle-Wiggle when I was younger, and I'm sure your kids will, too.

Ask your kids to narrate back what you've just read to them, and you're helping them to develop critical thinking skills. Also, it's really funny sometimes. And they'll pick up more than you'd expect, and retain little pieces of the story that will surprise you!

So go out there! Ask your kids what they're interested in. Make friends with your librarian. Don't be afraid to read just because you think you're not a strong reader; this is a fairly common fear. Start slowly. Trust me, your kids won't remember if you stuttered over a word or two, but they will remember spending time with you, and the wonderful adventures you take them on through great books, and you'll be giving the wonderful gift of loving books!!

Readers, any other read aloud suggestions? What's worked for you?

 

Baking With Sunshine

This is a fun outdoor idea that kids of any age can make and enjoy. For a few other tasty ideas check out my post Science Is Sweet.

Want to teach the kids have to bake their own treats, without burning down the house? Here’s a great one for a sunny day. You’ll need:

• black construction paper
• aluminum foil
• plastic wrap
• cardboard
• an apple
• glue, scissors, tape, toothpicks, and a paper cup

Cover the cardboard smoothly in the foil and glue it down. Once the glue has dried cut out a large circle of about 5-6″ diameter. Now cut a smaller circle of the black construction paper, about 2-3″ diameter. Glue this circle in the center of the foil circle. Once the glue is dry cut a straight line from the outside of this circle to the center then fold it into a cone shape, use the tape to hold it. Push a tooth pick into the center of the cone and stick an apple slice on the toothpick. Cover the top with the plastic wrap and place the entire thing inside a paper cup. Now just set it outside in the sunshine and wait for it to cook.

The foil reflects the sun’s rays onto the black paper which heats up, the plastic wrap then traps the heat inside. And the poor apple is cooked.