What do children that are homeschooled, children in public schools, and children in private schools all have in common?  They all look forward to summer vacation.  Don’t let those days turn into the dull days of summer spent in front of a television.  Here are some ideas to gear up and get out to have fun.

Stock Up on Craft Supplies

Summertime is the perfect time to release your child’s inner artist (and yours too).  Purchasing a handful of supplies can ensure that when the creativity flows you and your child will be ready.  Here are some inexpensive craft supplies that are nice to have on hand:

• Paint
• Glue
• Markers
• Chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
• Tape
• Scissors

Re-Purpose Household Items

Collecting a few items that you would normally discard is a good idea, too.  Just clean them out, set aside, and you would be surprised the things that can be created from them.  Your child can let their imagination run wild with project ideas.  Birdhouses, jewelry boxes, etc.  The possibilities are endless.  Neat items to keep out of your trash are:

• Toilet paper/paper towel rolls
• Chip canisters
• Shoe boxes
• Egg cartons
• Meat trays

Take Learning Outside

Grab some sidewalk chalk and have fun with the kids.  They will never even know they are learning and reinforcing things they learned this past school year.  Hopscotch is a great way to reinforce counting and number recognition.  Write out a sentence taking turns with each person writing a word.  The sentence may be hilarious or just gibberish, but working together as a family and building language skills will be fun.

Make the Every Day Adventurous

Just hanging out in the yard or at the same old playground?  Why not turn it into a safari adventure?  Have your children be on the prowl for interesting insects and unique flowers.  You can hypothesize about why they look like they do and how that benefits them.

Scavenger hunts are a great way to make running errands fun.  Instruct your children to be on the lookout for a specific letter or word.  It is a great way to practice sight words and letter recognition.  Who knew going to the bank and the post office could be so much fun?

Here is a fun way to teach poetry to your child.  By doing this craft together you will engage their enthusiasm for poetry while stimulating them with a visual.  Oh, and it is super cute!

SUPPLIES:

• Cardstock paper (you could use construction paper, but your flower will be kind of floppy)
• Glue or glue stick
• Pencil (we also used a marker, so it would show up better for the photos)
• Brads or paper fasteners
• Scissors
• Strong tape

PREPARING YOUR CRAFT:

It is always a good idea to have everything ready for your craft before you gather your children together.

Draw two circles onto your paper.  I traced a small bowl.  For each flower you make, you will need two circles.  Don’t cut these out.  Let your child do that, but do trim the area around to make the paper easier for them to maneuver.

Draw petals onto paper, too.  I drew one petal, cut it out, and used it to trace more petals.  Unless your children are older or very focused, I would suggest cutting out the petals yourself.
(See how to make your poem on the next page.)

Easter crafts that your children can make CAN become an actual decoration in your house, not just a keepsake.  Using an old gift bag and tissue paper, we created two really cute wall hangings.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• Gift bag (old or new)
• Tissue paper (old or new – it is going to get crumpled)
• Glue
• Construction paper
• Old cardboard or foam board
• Tape
• Scissors

PREPARING YOUR CRAFT SUPPLIES:

The crucial key to a successful craft with your children is to have the supplies all ready.  Your children will lose interest quickly if they have to sit still and watch Mommy do a bunch of gathering and sorting.

Trace a circle from a plate for the chick decoration. I suggest using yellow paper to keep the chick all one color.

Draw a decorated egg on construction paper.  We used the same color paper as we wanted the tissue decoration to be.  This makes it easy to color match for the children, plus it keeps white paper coming through in between the pieces of tissue paper.

Cut the colors of tissue paper in square-ish shapes.  It doesn’t have to be exact because the kids are going to be crumpling them up.  I went ahead and did half of the crumpling ahead of time.  I knew my young children would lose interest after a bit.  This way they got to finish up for me.

Go ahead and cut your cardboard pieces or foamboard now, too.  It is too hard for children to do this step and you don’t want them getting hurt. Doing this step ahead of time stops the argument of who is going to cut before it even starts.

PUTTING YOUR DECORATIONS TOGETHER:

Have your children cut out the circle and the egg from the paper.  Be sure to have them cut the egg in its sections, too.

Take the egg sections you want in a different color and trace them onto that color paper.  My kids used a pencil, but pencil doesn’t show well in photos.  I do not recommend using a marker for tracing unless your children are older.

Now your children can cut the colored egg sections.  It doesn’t have to be exact.  These pieces are going to get covered by tissue paper.  If your children are too small to cut,you can have this step done already or you can trace with them and then cut the pieces yourself while they are squishing up the tissue paper into wads.

Take your gift bag and let your kids cut it in half vertically.  You want to keep the large side faces intact.

Now just wrap the gift bag pieces around one side of the cardboard.  We had an empty box lying around that I cut up.  I wrapped, but the kids taped for me.

Now have your children glue the tissue paper balls to the coordinating pieces of colored paper.  The easiest way is to just spread a thin layer of glue over the paper and let your children push the tissue pieces on.

Now glue the tissue covered pieces onto the boards.

While the children are gluing the tissue pieces on, you can draw some eyes for the chick and a beak.  The kids will probably want to cut these out themselves, too.  So if you kids are not doing the cutting I would have this done ahead of time.

We thought the chick needed something so we grabbed one chenille stem and made some legs for the chick.

I cut two pieces about 2.5 inches long for the legs.  I them cut two more pieces about 2 inches long.  I wrapped the 2 inch pieces around the legs and angled them to look like little feet.

Now you have some seriously cute decorations that came from one fun craft.  Oh, and good luck getting your child to hand it over so you can display it.  She was definitely very proud of her creation.

Leprechaun traps are fun for all ages.  This craft will add a cute twist to the traditional Leprechaun trap.  Children of all ages can help create this fun St. Patrick’s Day craft.

Supplies to Make Leprechaun Trap

• Oatmeal container
• Craft foam or construction paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Straws
• Marker or pencil
• Leprechaun bait

Making Leprechaun Hat Trap

Remove the lid from your oatmeal container and cut the bottom open.  You want to make sure to leave a section attached to create a flap.

**Adults will need to do this step for smaller children**

Glue a piece of green foam or construction paper to the container.  You can always opt to paint this part, but be prepared to wait for the paint to dry before proceeding.  Don’t forget to cover your top flap, too.

Take a black strip of foam (or construction paper) and glue the strip around the base of your cylinder.

Mistake 1: Not making it livable.  When we first started homeschooling, I decided to use the small home office in our house as a school room.  It was an 8×10′ room off a hallway, and it turned out to be a bad idea.  The room was much too small to fit several desks, and we felt cramped and closed in.  The only window faced southwest, and I live in the deep south. We sweated our way through every afternoon.  Eventually, I moved our workspace out into the open family room and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Fix it: Make your space functional and comfortable.  Make sure there’s space to walk between the desks, and that the room doesn’t get too hot or too cold.  Basements and garages can be great learning spaces- if they’re insulated correctly.  No one is going to learn anything if their teeth are chattering!  Try to choose an area with wall space, so you can hang posters or the children’s projects.  Creating a comfortable, livable homeschooling space might mean using the family room, or giving up the formal dining room.  While it’s nice to be able to pack it all away or close a door on “school”, if you live in a small space you may have to embrace your homeschooling lifestyle, and learn to live with maps and timelines as living room decor.

Mistake 2: Making do with old furniture, instead of making desks a priority.  When we began homeschooling, I thought I’d simply use the kitchen table.  However, as homeschoolers we were eating three meals a day at home- on the kitchen table.  It quickly became an annoying burden to pack up our lessons every time we got hungry.  My kindergartner also couldn’t work comfortably at the big table, and I would often find him standing on his chair in order to reach his paper or desperately trying to reach supplies in the middle of the table from his booster chair.  No wonder he struggled with learning to form his letters!

Fix it: Your students will need a flat surface and a chair, preferably one that fits them comfortably so their feet rest on the floor.  Invest in desks, tables, or build in the workspace they’ll need from the beginning.  Don’t forget to include adequate lighting and make sure the desk is large enough to hold an open textbook or binder and a notebook.  Adjustable chairs, such as office chairs, are a good pick because they’ll grow with your child.  Small children may need child sized tables and chairs, or even a coffee table will suffice.

Store bought gummie candy full of preservatives are not really my ideal snack.  Now you can make your own homemade gummies with the kids and turn it into a fun craft activity with a delicious treat at the end.

Ingredients for Homemade Gummies

• 3 oz package of flavored gelatin
• 2 small packets of unflavored gelatin
• 1/3 cup of water
• Silicone ice cube trays or plastic candy molds

These heart shape silicone ice cube trays were purchased at Target and at IKEA.  There were a dollar each.

Mixing Homemade Gummies

Have your child pour 1/3 cup water into a saucepan.  No need to heat it, just plain cold water will be fine.  Then have them add the two packets of unflavored gelatin.

Have your child carefully pour the flavored gelatin into the saucepan next.  Stir slightly and let the mixture set for 10 minutes.

After your mixture has set it will look similar to the above picture.  It will be very grainy and crystal-like.  This is how it is supposed to look.

Books About Snowflakes

Kenneth Libbrecht has numerous books about snowflakes and their beauty.  I highly recommend The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes  and Ken Libbrecht’s Field Guide to Snowflakes.

These books easily explain the formation of ice crystals into snowflakes, not to mention they are full of beautiful images.  The books will even help you learn which type of snowflake to expect in different weather conditions (and tell you why).

How to Make a Crystal Snowflake

So how about making a snowflake with your children as you learn about them?  Paper snowflakes are not going to cut it for this.  If you are reading about the ice crystals forming, then you need to form some crystals!

Supplies

• wide mouth jar
• pipe cleaners/chenille stems
• small piece of yarn
• pencil
• Borax

Make a Snowflake with Pipe Cleaners

Cut your pipe cleaners and have your children twist them to form a general shape of a snowflake.  The older the child, the more intricate the design can be.

You will need to keep in mind that the snowflake will need to fit inside the mouth of the jar, so trim if necessary.  Be sure to keep one branch long.  This will be the branch used to hang the snowflake.

Preparing the Snowflake and Jar

Tie the yarn piece into a loop.  Bend the long branch around the bottom of the loop and then twist the remaining onto itself.

Thread your pencil through the yarn loop.  Then let the snowflake hang in the jar while the pencil rests on top.  I recommend using a marker to make a line where you would need to fill the jar to ensure the entire snowflake will be submerged.

Making your Snowflake Solution

You will need to boil water to use in your mixture.  For the 24 oz pickle jar pictured we used 3 cups of already boiling water (so allow for evaporation).  To save time, have your water boiling as you make your snowflakes.

I poured 3 cups of boiling water in a large measuring cup.  Grown ups will need to do this step.  I used a measuring cup with a thick handle so my daughter could help with the actual mixing.

Add 3 tablespoons of Borax for each cup of water.  Add the tablespoons one at a time.  Stir in between each tablespoon until the Borax is dissolved.  I closely supervised my daughter while she added the Borax and stirred.

***Remember only you know what your child is ready to do.  These steps should be closely monitored for any aged child since there is boiling water involved.  If there is any doubt your child may harm themselves, then do this part yourself and have them watch from a safe distance***

Making the Crystal Snowflake

Remove your pipe cleaner snowflake from the jar.  Pour your solution into your jar  to the fill line (adult should do this step).  You will probably have left over solution.  The solution will be a little foggy.  Hang your snowflake in the jar as before, but now it will be in the solution.

Let the jar sit undisturbed for about 5 hours or overnight.  This is how ours looked after 5 hours.

After removing the snowflake from the solution I let it dry on a folded paper towel.  The kids loved touching it and feeling the crystals.

Just look at it.  It is cool!  We examined ours with a magnifying glass closely.

Possible Substitutions

Since Borax can be a dangerous substance to ingest, you can use alternatives to form the crystals.  Salt or sugar will work just as well.  One thing you do need to know is that a salt or sugar solution (prepared at the same ratio) will take MUCH longer.  So if you try these versions be patient and prepared for up to a week to grow the crystals.

Educational activities are such a hit with children when they are fun and simple.  It also makes it much easier on us moms, too.  Here is how to make a versatile math activity for all skill levels.

Supplies

• Green construction paper
• Clear ConTact Paper
• Lids (this is where a Diet Coke obsession comes in handy)
• Dry erase markers
• Self adhesive circle labels (shown above are Avery 525 All-Purpose Labels)
• Scissors
• Pen or pencil

Easy way to Draw a Christmas Tree

The easiest way to draw a symmetrical Christmas tree is to draw only one side of the tree.  Cut the excess off of that side only, be sure to cut it in one large piece.  Use that cutting as a stencil for the other side.  Poof – easy peasy symmetrical tree.  Perfect the not artistic, “Type A” kind. *wink-wink*

Making the Ornaments

You can easily color your ornament directly on the tree, but you will still need to make the lids a corresponding color.  Use marker to color the labels.  Be sure to do double the amount.  You will want one for the tree and one for the lid.

Trace the lids on a piece of clear ConTact Paper.  When cutting the circles out, it is easiest to cut smaller than the circle you traced.

Place the colored labels on the lids.  Now cover the lid with the circle of ConTact Paper.

Decorating the Tree

Use your colored labels as ornaments for your math tree.  You can add additional flare to your tree here, too.  Carefully roll the clear ConTact Paper over the front and back of the tree.  Press down firmly over the entire tree and edges to ensure a good seal.  Trim the excess laminate from around the tree.

Versatile Math Activities

Using your dry erase marker, you can now customize your math tree to the skill level of your child.  Above is a number recognition tree.  The tree has dots on each ornament.  The lids have the corresponding number to the dots.

For children more advanced in mathematics you can  use the tree ornaments as equations while the lid ornaments can be the answers.

We are not about to leave out the littlest of the bunch.  Leave the ornaments plain for a simple color matching activity.

With the use of ConTact Paper as lamination and dry erase markers, you can customize this activity to suit your needs the best.  This is a great way to include Christmas into your curriculum and make math fun.  Using their motor skills will help keep your child engaged as the soak in the knowledge.  With this easily adaptable activity how can you go wrong?

Do you have a Mission Statement?
A mission statement for your school is an important tool to help focus your year and your overall approach to your child’s education.  If you don’t have one, take a few minutes to write a homeschool mission statement.  You’ll be glad you did.

Why is this so important?  Your mission statement is the heart of your homeschool, put into words.  It’s a guiding light and a reminder of why you’ve chosen this path for your children, and what exactly you want their education to become.

What has been learned?
Are you on track to finish all of the courses on time?  If not, can you easily catch up or do you need a course correction? Don’t be afraid to change your timeline or your method if it’s not working for you.  If you’ve only finished 1/4 of the book, you can either double up on lessons, or make it a two-year course and take twice as long, for example.

Are you satisfied with your child’s progress in his subjects?  This can be a difficult question to answer and it’s easy to fall into a comparison trap with other homeschool families.  Refer back to your goals for your family, and honestly decide if your child is learning enough.

Is your curriculum working?
Think about how your children respond to your chosen curriculum, and if it’s still a good fit to help you achieve your homeschool goals.  Need help figuring it out?  Read up on how to evaluate your curriculum.

Are your children being challenged enough?  If not, consider adding new courses or supplemental material.  If the core curriculum seems too challengi,ng, regroup and try adding in some fun remedial activities or build more time into your second semester goals.

Are you looking beyond the books?
Children are whole people, and the goals for their education should reflect that.  Don’t forget to evaluate other important areas, such as service, life skills, or outside classes, and don’t be afraid to include non-academic activities into your homeschool plan.  It’s just as important for a child to know how to clean up after himself or help cook a basic meal as it is for him to know the details of Battle of Gettysburg.  If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed with your duties as mom, teacher, and homemaker, adding Home-Ec competency to your goals will help.

Does your child help out or volunteer, with the heart of a servant?  Does she get along well with others, learning to navigate friendships?  Is he getting better at basketball practice, or moving up in his martial arts class?  If not, think about who you would like your child to become and set goals accordingly.  If you would like your child to learn to serve others, set a goal to visit nursing homes twice in the next semester, or volunteer for a certain amount of hours per month.

Do you need to reset?
If you find yourself hopelessly behind, or have jumped months ahead of your goals, you might need to set some new ones.  Write out your mission statement, if needed, and then write a new plan of action.  Put your goals somewhere you’ll see them frequently- in your planning notebook, on your fridge, or even as text on your desktop wallpaper.

If your goals seem overwhelming, break them down into smaller chunks with deadlines for smaller, more focused mini-goals.  Want to memorize all of the states and capitals?  Instead of handing your child a list two pages long, try concentrating on memorizing the New England states the first week, add the Southern states the second week, then move beyond the Mississippi River.   Bite sized goals are easier to manage and bring a satisfying sense of accomplishment when met.

Congratulations! You’ve done the tough job of honestly evaluating your homeschool, and you’re ready to start the new semester.   Whether you are plan to continue on the same path or have entirely new goals, now you can relax and enjoy the journey of learning with your kids.

Housecleaning service
$15 -30 per hour.

An informal poll among the homeschool mothers showed a remarkably constant wish: someone else to clean up the mess.  Remember, moms and the children are at home, all day long.  They’re not just at home, but they are pulling out books, conducting science experiments, cooking meals and snacks, and living hard in their homes.  Show Mom you love her by paying someone else to clean the toilets. Maybe she’ll finally have time to read a book for herself!

Nook Simple Touch eReader
$99

This device is amazingly useful.  It fits in a purse, can be read in bright sunlight, and will run for two months off a single battery charge.  The e-ink of black and white readers is easy on the eyes and reads just like a book, without the eyestrain and fatigue associated with long hours at the laptop or a tablet.  There are thousands of free books available for download, and they tend to be the classics and literary selections that are useful in the classroom.  Even better, students can’t claim they lost their book when it’s reading time.  It’s right there in the reader!

Encouragement
$10 and up

Homeschooling is often a thankless job, and a little reminder that her sacrifice is not in vain can lift her spirit on tough days.  A lovely necklace engraved with encouraging words- such as “Honor her for all her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the gate” ($10, Etsy) or “Her children will arise and call her blessed ($30, Etsy)- will help keep those sentiments close to her heart.

Gift cards
$10-$50

Let’s face it, most homeschooling families are by their nature one-income families.  A gift card for a treat or needed supplies is most welcome!  Homeschool mom favorites include The Container Store (to help corral all that school stuff), Amazon (books! And everything else!), or Starbucks for a needed pick-me-up.

Copco Sierra Tumbler
$6

A perfect stocking stuffer, the cup is made of sturdy plastic and the straw features a special design at the end to keep drinks and smoothies perfectly mixed.  Teaching moms talk a lot and it’s always nice to have a drink nearby.  The lid and straw help prevent the floaties that are almost inevitable when drinking with a small child in your lap, and the tumbler can go in the dishwasher.

Time
$ free

Homeschooling mothers always have the kids with them during the day.  Give her the gift of time to herself, and offer to take the kids for an afternoon- or even better, make it a standing date once a month.  Give Mom a chance to go to the dentist, get a haircut, or window shop all by herself.­­

Something completely ­personal to her
$ varies

Show the homeschool mom in your life that she is appreciated by choosing a gift that is uniquely h­­­er.  Has she always admired Matryoshka dolls?  Do vintage aprons make her swoon?   Has she always wanted to learn how to decorate cakes, but never gets around to signing up for a class?  You can’t go wrong if you keep her specific interests in mind, and nothing makes a woman feel more cherished than knowing someone took time to notice her likes and dislikes.

Above all, remember a kind word is always appreciated at any time of the year, and it doesn’t cost a dime.  Have fun surprising your homeschool mom!

Balance is the key to combining work-from-home and homeschooling.   The advantages of both provide a wealth of opportunities for parent and child.  Working together to bring in extra income while providing homeschooling services to your child can work effectively when a plan is in place.

Time Organization

Time organization must be a priority for the working and homeschooling Mom.  Start with a 30min break down of your day.  Organize your child’s schedule under a few different categories:  assignments that can be done independently, assignments that can be done on computer, and assignments that require teacher support. Work that can be done independently should be organized around work from home duties such as: conference calls, social media communication, and meetings with co-workers or clients.

If your child is in high school, consider an internship or part-time job in the afternoon a few days a week.  During this time you can work from home making calls or other activities that require your undivided attention.

Remember to develop a plan or a set time of day that you will interact with your child for face-to-face instruction. Communicate this to your child, particularly if he or she is young.  Having a set time for interaction will help your child anticipate and hold questions when you are involved in a work at home activity.

Devoted Space

Devoted space is critical to balancing work-from-home and homeschooling.  Work space for the office should have a phone, computer or laptop, and other office materials such as paper, pens and pencils handy.  Set up a similar desk area for homeschool perhaps at a table were parent and child can sit together for learning.  To increase engagement let your child choose colorful pencils, favorite pens and other materials that will motivate them to work quietly while you are working from home.  Ensure that both your professional space and your student’s learning space are filled with light and good air circulation.  Classical music can add a touch of calm to the study environment aiding concentration.

Setting standards for a learning/work environment that is productive for both student and parent can be done in the home.

Halloween Theme Activities for Reading

There are many great literature items for Halloween that children and young adults will find inspiring reading and fun during the month of October.  Both classic and modern reading material are available for young adults. Some classic reads that expose children to new vocabulary and complex text are Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Halloween is a great time for beginning readers to enjoy simple text and festive pictures while enhancing their reading ability in fun and creative ways. Some titles are: Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman, Bugs That Go Bump in the Night by David Carter, and Dragon’s Halloween by Dav Pilkey.

Halloween Theme Activities for Math

Capitalize on the fun of Halloween with number and counting games that showcase seasonal fun while reinforcing skills that improve mathematical ability.  Halloween games such as candy corn, scary shapes,  are creative fun for young children in October.

Here are some links the Halloween Math Games:

Halloween Math Activities for Sixth Grade

http://www.ehow.com/list_6384772_halloween-math-activities-sixth-grade.html

Spooky Halloween Math Games

http://karenplumley.suite101.com/spooky-halloween-math-games-a69150

Halloween Math Drills

http://www.math-drills.com/halloween.shtml

Halloween Theme Activities for Writing

Halloween is a great time to use Halloween story starters to encourage writing. For young children use funny and colorful story starters to which they can also add  illustrations.  Older students can use poetry as story starters adding endings or giving background information about the poems setting, characters, or key events.

Here are some great websites to access writing themes for children:

Halloween Themes

http://www.shaktiweb.com/postcards/poems.html

http://www.bry-backmanor.org/holidayfun/weenpoem2.html

Students of all ages will enjoy learning activities centered around Halloween that focus on reading, math, and writing during the month of October.  Adding holiday themes improves motivation and encourages engagement.

So how can a homeschool family manage the huge amount of paperwork? Here are a few tips for organizing.

File Don’t Pile

This is my biggest problem too so if I stick to this principle it eliminates more clutter in my home than any other single effort. Instead stacking papers, I put them into manilla folders, label the folders and put them in a file. Not only is the paperwork then contained better, but it’s easier to find when I actually need something!

Label folders according to:

• School subject
• Child’s name
• Unit study or lesson
• Grade level
• Curriculum manufacturer
• Graded
• Completed To Be Graded
• Work in Progress

Include a folder for those delicious and tempting homeschool catalogs. You’ll be able to find them in a snap, without the educational delights taking over your dining table or nightstand.

Daily Checklist:

1. __ Tidy the school area.
2. __ Each Child can file their work-in-progress projects in “current” folders
3. __ Have children place finished items in a “to grade” folder that lives near your desk or work area.

Weekly Checklist:

1. __ File last week’s papers in the graded folders
2. __ Prep this week’s lesson plans and papers and place in the current folder
3. __ Shelve any books not currently being used
4. __ Place books to go back to the library near the front door
5. __ Select the best worksheet or project paper for each child to place in a year-at-a-glance portfolio

I find that my daily checklist takes only 2-10 minutes per day and my weekly checklist takes another 10-15 minutes each week (I usually do it on Friday or Saturday) and ultimately saves me hours over the course of the month if I neglect these simple tasks.

Here are three creative positive ways to use Grandparents as teachers in your homeschool process:

History

When your children learn history, what better way then through the eyes and ears of those who lived it?  Have your students use a cell phone or small recorder to ask questions from Grandparents about life 50 years ago.

Have the children ask questions about phones, computers, houses, the area where they live, politics and what people were famous in Hollywood and movies at the time. Based on the answers to these questions have the children research pictures that illustrate what the parents told them to create a collage.   Have the child write a few sentences to describe the meaning of their living history collage.

Field Trips

Grandparents are great field trip escorts for your child to take to museums, parks, and community recreation areas. Students will enjoy seeing the local world while building relationships these wise people in their lives.  Grandparents provide a enriching experience when the travel locally with your children and will enjoy helping your child create photo and written journals about the trip.  The unique, patient insight of Grandparents to your homeschooler’s written work will help to create lifelong learning and memories.

Performing Arts

Grandparents can really help when student want to put on plays or short theatrical works to illustrate literature that they are studying or boost their creative expression.  Grandparents can help with costuming, make-up, painting and building scenery.  Helping your child rehearse the play and attending home performance with family members will bond the learning time that your child and their Grandparents spend on learning.

Keeping Grandparents focal and central in your homeschool setting benefits your children and also helps unite the family structure around the fun of learning.

1. My mom began homeschooling around the same time you did, in the late 80′s, and I remember is was very unusual at that time. With the steady increase in number of homeschooling family’s over the past two-three decades, how have you noticed the perception of homeschoolers changing?

Homeschooling has become a mainstream option rather than something that only a few on the fringe were doing. Now, practically everyone knows someone who is homeschooling. Generally, people seem to have a good impression of homeschoolers since children educated at home often tend to be more polite, interactive, and responsible than their peers attending traditional schools. Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part, home educated children are a great “advertisement” for homeschooling.

Academic excellence has also earned home education respect and admiration in some quarters and a grudging acceptance in others. Whatever the case, because homeschoolers overall score well above average on standardized tests, this makes a very positive impression while also providing the homeschool community with a convincing argument against more government control or oversight.

2. Do you see this as a positive thing or are there concerns associated with the rise in homeschoolers?

The one area that I think will become an increasing source of contention will be religious instruction. Militant atheism is on the rise, and some atheists view religious instruction of children as harmful, even abusive. These people will continue to push for more controls over homeschooling and especially to bring home educated children and their parents under some sort of government oversight. Government-funded home education programs such as virtual schools are one tool for accomplishing this. We can see how these schools lure families to enroll with free curriculum then gradually increase the restrictions and controls.

I live in California where they have just passed a law mandating that children be taught about the positive historical influences and contributions of homosexuals in history. This will apply to all schools that receive government funding which includes government-funded homeschool programs and even some private schools that accept funding for special programs. Although California seems to be worse than other states right now, this is the direction things seem to be heading across the country.

So while we homeschoolers are generally perceived very positively, those threatened by the values being taught to homeschoolers are likely to become more aggressive in efforts to restrict and control us.

3. You had a background as a curriculum developer and have used that to become well-known as a reviewer of homeschool curriculum. How much do we, as homeschooling mothers, bring to our children’s education, and how can we maximize that?

I actually had a limited background in curriculum. I had created and run the Sunday school program for our new church after a number of years of teaching Sunday school classes in a few churches. I had become interested in curriculum and studied how children learn in relation to that. When we began homeschooling, there was so little curriculum available that I started creating my own and researching to find good resources. So it was really a learn-as-you-go process. Some of the best homeschooling resources have grown from families doing the exact same thing!

I think one of the biggest concerns for beginners is that they think they don’t know enough or have enough experience. Yet, the reality is that you grow and learn right along with your children. I think the most important thing a homeschooling mom brings to the process is enthusiasm for learning and a willingness to seek out the right resources that will work with her children. Connecting with other homeschooling parents is critical since we learn from each other what works and what doesn’t, what might be interesting to try, great ideas for field trips or supplemental resources, and so much more.

4. You were instrumental in the late 90′s in founding a private scholarship fund for low-income families in Los Angeles so they could send their children to quality private schools or homeschool. Are you still involved in assisting families with educational options today?

I am on the board of an organization, Network for Educational Opportunity (www.networkforeducation.org) whose goal is to encourage and help families choose private or homeschooling rather than government-funded schooling. More of my time and energy has gone into providing curriculum assistance to make it easier for families to home educate.

I speak and write about homeschooling, but I put more work into two free websites. My own site at www.CathyDuffyReviews.com has at least 1000 reviews that will help readers determine before buying whether or not a resource is likely to work for them. The second site, www.HomeEdExpert.com, is an online curriculum selection tool for PreK-12 that, in effect, provides free curriculum counseling and resource recommendations.

I devised questions (similar to those in my book 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum) that help parents identify their goals, preferences, teaching style, and children’s learning styles. That information is combined with specific education targets for the year such as teaching U.S. History or third grade math. The system then comes up with recommendations of resources likely to work best. Recommendations are drawn from thousands of items! The system includes a fabulous shopping tool (also available at www.HomeEdShopper.com) that does comparison shopping from at least eight sources, showing you where you can buy a resource new or used and even in Kindle or other formats. All these web resources are available at no cost to users. (They are funded by affiliate commissions from curriculum sellers.)

5. I am a second generation homeschooler – do any of your children homeschool their kids as well?

I am the proud grandmother of three. Our eldest grandchild will soon be four and the other two are not yet a year old. Still both sets of parents already plan to home educate their children. Our four-year old granddaughter is already well on her way through informal learning. I am fortunate to have them living close enough that I can be involved in the process with them.

Homeschoolers are already providing a customized education for their children, and including your kid’s preferences can make your job easier in the home classroom, too.  Let your child’s voice be heard, and you might even be less likely to hear “I hate this book!” from your kids as they realize they were the ones who picked it out.

Letting Them Choose
How involved should children be? The answer to that question depends on what type of homeschooler you are. There are many homeschooling methods, from a very formal virtual school-at-home to unschooling, and each method and each teacher is open to a different level of student suggestion.

Before getting the kids to cooperate with you in choosing classes and books, ask yourself how much control you’re willing to give up. Older children should have a greater say in the direction their education is taking, while younger children might not be ready to make good choices about which subjects to study and which to leave out.

Trust yourself and your instincts.  You’ll know when to say “Enough!” and insist that math class has to include more than playing with counting bears.  Don’t feel guilty if you say no to curriculum that is too expensive, too complicated, or too hard to fit into your family life.

Three common types of curriculum planning have different challenges and varying levels of child participation.  Do you identify with one of these types of homeschool planner?

Intuitive Planner
Intuitive planners rely on their instincts to choose texts, courses, and activities that they think their child will love.  Children of intuitive planners have a passive say in the homeschool curriculum.  Their interests and preferences are taken into account by their parents, who then make their decision based on family values, budget, teacher style, and student needs.

Tip: Carefully consider your child’s learning style and not just his or her likes and interests when choosing a program.  If your child is a hands-on learner, for example, you’ll need more than just a science text book for your lesson plans.

Diplomatic Planner
Diplomatic planners ask for input and carefully weight their child’s opinions.  Parents and children might browse homeschooling catalogues together, and discuss which courses to buy.  Diplomatic planners often let their child have choices within limits; for example, letting their children choose between medieval studies or Ancient Rome but not allowing  history lessons to be skipped altogether.

Tip: Don’t buy everything your child wants, and carefully decide if a curriculum choice is a passing interest or something that will capture their attention for the whole year.  Set your educational goals and fit your child’s choices into that framework.

Child-Led Planner
The child-led planner lets the student sit in the driver’s seat, and carefully but unobtrusively steers the child’s choices to create a well-rounded educational plan.  With the child’s interests firmly stated, the teacher-parent seeks out extensive resources to complete the lessons.

Tip: Excellent record keeping is a must.  Write careful notes of books, activities, and lessons learned.  Keep an eye on standards and guidelines to make sure important skills aren’t missed.

How much say do your children have in curriculum choices?

Summer is in full swing and the kids are getting restless.  You want to enrich their education and expand their horizons this season, so you’ve asked other homeschoolers what their kids are up to this summer.  Then you find out your children aren’t interested in any of those activities.  Where can you find educational programs when school’s out for everyone else?

You don’t have to throw in the towel and let your kids play video games all day.  There are plenty of educational activities available all summer long. You just need to know where to look.

Schools Many elementary and middle schools send flyers home with students with community offerings of summer events and extracurricular activities.  While many of these are aimed at parents who need childcare during the school off hours, there are plenty of bona fide educational opportunities presented as well.  Although a homeschooled child won’t see these papers, the school newsletters are usually available on the school’s website.  While you’re searching, check out any private or parochial schools nearby to see if they have any events for the summer.

Tip: Have your kids ask around the neighborhood to see what the other kids are up to this summer.  Sign your child up with a friend if they are nervous about new experiences, and as a bonus you might be able to share carpool duty with a nearby mom.

Local Colleges Older homeschooled students might want to check out the local colleges.  Community colleges have long worked with high schools- and home schools- to offer advanced courses to interested students.  As a bonus, your child can earn college credit towards a future degree.

Tip: Contact the registrar’s office and ask which classes are open to high school students, and make sure the credits are transferrable.

City Programs You might be surprised at what’s going on in the city during the summer.  Zoos and museums swing into action, offering special sessions, lectures, and events, often just for the price of admission.  Check the websites of nearby cultural attractions and see what they’re teaching this summer.

Tip: If you have a membership, you might qualify for special sessions.  Make sure you are on the mailing list or have signed up for any email newsletters so you’ll know what’s being offered.

Camps Summer camp isn’t just roasting marshmallows and making macaroni picture frames any more.  There are plenty of educational opportunities available as camps.  There’s a camp for almost any interest: movie making, robotics, engineering, survival and wilderness, historical reenactments, painting, sculpture, dance, and more.  Camps are a great way to allow your child to study a subject intensely for a short time.  The YMCA or your local recreation center are a good place to start a search for a specialty camp.

Tip: Camps fill up quickly and can be costly, so start researching early in the year.  That way you’ll be first in line with your application and you’ll have time to put away a little extra money every month so you don’t decimate your monthly budget on activity costs.

Child-led Interests Still can’t find something suitable for your child?  Why not create an internship and let your child learn through real life experience?    If your daughter loves animals and wants to be a vet, call around to vet offices and animal shelters and see if they could use a volunteer.  If he loves to cook, see if meals on wheels, the church soup kitchen, or food bank could use any extra hands.

Tip: You’ll probably have more luck with local small businesses where you can talk to the owner directly.

photo credit

Science activities are an easy way to incorporate learning fun in your summer vacation plans. The pool, hotel, and car are summer vacation settings that are “place perfect” for science learning fun.

Incorporate one or two of the science centered activities listed below into your next summer trip!

Hotel Themed Science Fun for Kids

Getting your child ready for their first summer vacation nights in a hotel can take place with a science theme.  Try this great activity to stimulate their interest in science and prepare them for a summer hotel stay.

Roly Poly Hotel

Cute roly poly bugs are a insect favorite among the preschool set.  Use this activity to showcase their learning potential.

Materials

• Dirt
• Moist dead leaves
• Small plastic container
• Medium-flat rock
• Sticks and twigs

1)   Create a habitat using the natural items (dirt, leaves, rock, and twigs).  Have your child look at pictures from the internet or observe the natural habitat of the roly poly in their yard to create the “hotel”.

2)   After the habitat is complete have your child collect a few roly polies and place them in their hotel habitat.

3)   Help your child create a sign with a name on it for their roly poly hotel.

4)   Make a daily observation chart for the 3 or 5 day “hotel stay”.  Help your child observe the color, size, shape and behavior of their roly poly guest.

5)   At the end of the “hotel stay” have your child return their roly poly guest to their natural habitat.

Pool Themed Science Fun for Kids

Summer Pool Time Fun

A small plastic pool and a “secret” bubble solution that creates air bubbles that can bounce will create hours of at home outdoor bubble play for your child.

Bubble Bouncing: A Pool Full of Fun

Materials:

• 1 plastic baby wading pool
• 1 cup of distilled water
• 2 tablespoon of Dawn dish soap
• 1 pair of inexpensive gloves
• Small bubble wand or pipette

1)   Make a small batch of the bouncing bubble solution using the ingredients listed here. Water is very key use water that is free from excessive chemicals and minerals. Use bottled water when in doubt.

2)   Pour this solution into your small kiddie pool and using the small bubble wand or pipette create bubbles that bounce.  Have fun.

Car Themed Science Fun for Kids

A science themed way to amuse kids in the car is to have them play a bingo game that teaches them about states of matter.

A “Matter” of BINGO

Materials:

• A blank bingo board
• A colored highlighter for each child

1)   Write the words liquid, gas, and solid in alternating squares of the bingo board.

2)   Give each child a highlighter to use on the car trip to play the game.

3)   As you drive have your child identify items in the various states of matter.  Have them call off the state of matter that they see and color in a square on their bingo board.

4)   Winner is the 1^st person to get BINGO on their board by identifying all forms of matter in the row.

Summertime travel can be science centered with these creative ideas.  Helping your child master science in fun creative manners will wet their thirst for science experiments during the school year.

Settle on a pattern of learning and relaxation during the summer that works for your individual family group. Considering both sides ensures the best approach to summer learning for every member of your family.

Pros

1)   Homeschooling during the summer reduces academic skill lost that can occur in children who spend long stretches of time not engaged in academics.

2)   Homeschooling during the summer provides the opportunity for a shortened day of learning year around. This can work well for children involved in sports, media, or mentorship programs during the later part of a day.

3)   Homeschooling during the summer provides the opportunity for both parents to be actively involved in providing learning opportunities for their children.  Dads can use traditional summer vacation time to take over the central role of teacher, providing a male role model in this key learning role.

Cons

1)   It can be tough to motivate students who are homeschooled when friends who attend school are out for the summer months.

2)   Middle and high school students can lose the opportunity to work or intern for the summer if they continue daily homeschooling during the summer.

3)   Many students need the summer to engage in sports, art, or music interest that keep them well rounded in their areas of interest.

Consider carefully the pros and cons of homeschooling during the summer and make the choice that works best for your family’s style and structure.

Here are three great tips to keep your summer months focused on learning whether you choose to continue or discontinue homeschooling for the summer.

Focus on Learning Games and Free Choice Academics

Set up mini learning stations of games, activity books, and play kits that focus on reinforcing academic skills in fun creative ways.  Set up a small science focused table in the living room, a mini reading station in the den, and a mini garden in the kitchen.  Create these stations with age appropriate activities. During the summer months encourage your child to spend 10 to 15 minutes a day at any of the home learning stations.

Throughout the summer add new games and play activities to keep the fun alive.  A bingo game of time, books about each state, and giant prewritten math facts in the driveway to solve in chalk are great ways to keep learning focused and fun for summer without the demands of formal homeschooling.

Let Your Community Provide the Instruction

During the summer there are several free or low cost activities for children offered by your local library, community services center, and local child centered 4-H or church related clubs.  Choosing these activities provides your child a chance to socialize and learn with children who normally attend school.  Choose your community activities based on the skills you want your child to focus on.

Keep Your Eyes Open for Learning On the Road

Car games are a creative and painless way to keep learning focused during the summer. Organize your week with an academic car game for each day of travel.  Devote Monday to math car games, Tuesday to reading car games, Wednesday to spelling car games, Thursday to identification car games, and Friday to free choice car games.

Letting a child choose the game for the day is another way to engage your child’s participation.  For fun and creative car game ideas, try the following book by Robyn Spinzman, Kids on Board.  This great resource for painless academic learning in the car is available at amazon.com.

Learning is season less.  Take advantage of creative opportunities in every form during the summer months. Enjoy this special season of learning and fun with your child.

It’s time to evaluate your curriculum.  This step goes much further than evaluating the year as a whole.  This is where you drill down to find out why you had a great or a mediocre year, and determine what you do next year.  Here are some questions to help you size up your curricula.

• Did the curriculum fit your kids’ learning style? If your child is active and learns best by doing, a history text full of dry facts and tiny print is not going to interest him or help him retain facts.  If your child is a ravenous reader, you may consider changing from a workbook to a literature based approach for grammar.  The fabulous thing about homeschooling is that the curriculum world is your oyster.  Personalize it so it’s perfect for your own child.

• Did it fit your teaching style? If you just had a baby, this may not be the year for an intensive, Charlotte Mason style approach to grammar and spelling.  If you hate meeting other people’s deadlines, then your virtual K-12 school curriculum may need changing.  You shouldn’t be miserable teaching.

• Did you look forward to a certain book, or did you dread the day it was scheduled?  Did you find yourself procrastinating certain lessons or subjects?  Every seasoned homeschooler has a book or two that just didn’t work.  Don’t spend another year using subpar lessons. There’s no shame in selling the book you despise and trying something else.

• Can you make minor changes to make the curriculum work better? Is there a way you can make next year even more inspiring?  If you are thinking of jumping ship on a program, consider if there is a way you can make it work for you.  Maybe you just need to add a little extra background by using library books or a little extra practice with some printables.  Maybe the class would be better taught by your spouse, or is a good candidate for independent learning.

• Have you found something else you want to use instead? Don’t fall into the curricula hopping trap.  Just because something is new and different doesn’t mean it’s better; it might just mean that you are bored with the old.  On the other hand, a new text with a fresh view can enliven your lessons.

• Are there any major changes in family life that should be taken into consideration?  If your history program involves lots of input from you, the teacher, and your mother is entering hospice, that’s a good reason to look for different lesson plans.  Is there a big move, family change, or circumstance that will make last year’s gem next year’s albatross?  Consider the future when evaluating the present.

• Check with your spouse or someone who knows you and your child well. Does the curriculum seem successful?  Has your child mastered the next level of mathematics, or does she struggle everyday?  Do your loved ones see that a particular method or book seems to stress you out?  This more objective feedback can help you recognize problems.

A final word of advice: don’t evaluate the curriculum by yourself.  Homeschooling is a journey that student and teacher take together.  Get your child’s input and find out what he loved and hated before throwing anything out or buying the next level in the instruction series.

Image credit: Jean Fitzhugh/Morguefile.com

Disguised in sunshine and peeking through play, backyard-learning activities are a great way to spend the warmer months. Spending time with your kids outdoors allows them the opportunity to embrace the earth around them. Using your backyard to teach, reinforces the joy of learning at home.
The following activities use the great outdoors to reinforce key academic skills.

Learning Objective: Solar Power
Activity: The Power of Sunshine

Supplies:
4 soft leather scraps (cuttings from an old leather purse from a thrift store would work perfectly)
Blocks of wood (these can often be obtained free from Lowes, Home Depot or a lumber yard)
Stapler
Sunscreen (any brand)
Baby oil
Water

1) Staple your leather pieces to the wooden blocks
2) Have your child coat each piece of leather with one of these items: sunscreen, baby oil, or water. Leave the fourth piece of leather natural with nothing on it.
3) Place each piece of leather on wood in the sun for a full day.
4) Bring them inside in the evening and place them outside again every sunny day for at least 3 weeks.
5) Take pictures every week of the leather pieces to record how each piece of leather changes. Discuss and compare how the sun affects each piece differently.

Learning Objective: Observation Skills
Activity: Mico Walk

Supplies:
String
Safe scissors
Short stakes (for gardening or small twigs)
Magnifying glass
Paper and toothpicks (optional)

1) Measure out 20-30 feet of string. Tie each end to a short stake or stick to section off a square of yard.
2) Give each participating child a magnifying glass.
3) Let them slowly crawl in this area exploring inch by inch with the magnifying glass
4) Have the children talk aloud about what they see and record it on a piece of paper

Learning Objective: Rain
Activity: Shelter for a Rainy Day

Supplies:
Cotton balls
Scraps of five different fabrics (request free scraps from your local fabric store)
Stapler
Piece of wood
Staple remover

1) Place each cotton ball on the wood slab
2) Staple one type of fabric sample over each cotton ball to adhere it to the wood. This will keep the wind from blowing your fabric in the rain.
3) Place your wooden slab with the fabric and cotton balls outside in the rain for about 5 minutes
4) Bring the wood and fabric slab back inside
5) Remove the fabric and see which cotton balls stayed dry and which cotton balls are wet
6) Discuss your results. Use the answers to choose which types of clothing items can keep you dry in the rain.

Learning Objective: Motion and Time

Activity: Rock-Roll Rock Experiment

Supplies:

Differently shaped rocks

Hillside or natural slope in the yard (you can build one with a shoe box and book if needed)

Watch with a second hand

Pen and Paper

1)   Have each child pick six rocks of various sizes.  Have some round, oval, or flat. Have the child number each rock
2)   Have each child predict which rock will be fast, slow, not move, ect
3)   Have the child roll each rock and record the time it takes that rock to reach the bottom
4)   Repeat the rock roll with timer for all of the rocks
5)   Compare times to rock shapes by their number to see what shape was fastest, slowest etc.
6)   Discuss any predictions about which rock was fastest or slowest

Learning Objective: Chemical Reactions

Activity: Making Volcanoes

Supplies:
Spoon
Vinegar
Baking Soda

1) Gather a large mound of dirt or sand about 10 inches tall
2) Use a spoon to create a hole in the top
3) Fill the hole with baking soda and then fill with vinegar
4) Discuss what happens next. Have your child draw a picture of what happened
5) Compare observation notes after the whole area has been explored with the magnifying glass.

For More Outdoor Learning Fun Go To:

http://www.familyoutdoorfun.com/

http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/10-teachable-moments-in-your-backyard

http://fun.familyeducation.com/hobbies-and-interests/childrens-science-activities/32820.html

For Books on Educational Activities in Your Backyard Try:

(all book titles available through amazon.com)

Your Backyard (Discovering Nature) by Sally Hewitt

Backyard Magic: Be a Magician! Use Things You Find in Your Own Backyard by Todd Karr

Fun Ideas for Your Backyard by NLC Staff (Kindle Edition)

Engineer. Scientist. Inventor. Teacher. Chef. Nurse. Coach, etc…. = Mom

The more I study about engineers, scientists, and inventors, the more I realize how encompassing the job description is of mom. Few scientists perform as many experiments as moms do with all the cooking and adjusting of recipes because of lacking an ingredient.

And while it may not be a marketable product, I recently saw a lady staple the hem of her dress. Why? Because she had worn shoes with heels to her son’s wedding. She then changed to shoes with a shorter heel making her dress too long. A few staples later, the dress was perfect. When in a bind, mom’s do what has to be done. This mom decided to worry about damaging the dress another day. She was preparing to dance with her son, and she did.

The following story about Marion O’Brien Donovan (1917-1998) should inspire and encourage all moms. Not that we all will have the same results as did Marion, but that we can recognize our own achievements. We may have to reward ourselves – chocolate makes me smile just thinking about it. But alas! Being diabetic, I’ll reward myself with two scoops of sugar free vanilla ice cream instead of just one.

Marion was like any mom with a young baby. It was 1946 and cloth diapers lacked absorption. This too often led to a crying baby during the night because of a soaked diaper, clothing, and bedding. Marion, like most moms, was exhausted. There had to be a better way and Marion found it. She made what became the precursor to disposable diapers.

Did other moms have the same idea? Maybe, but Marion did not leave the idea in her head; she “engineered” a product. She cut up her shower curtain to make what she later called “boaters.”

Why the shower curtain? Because Marion knew that water resistance was one of the physical properties of the curtain material. Yep! Marion was a scientist. Using this material, Marion sewed a diaper cover. Marion invented a reusable diaper cover. She was not only granted more sleep, but she later sold the patent for $1 million. She used the money to finance other invention projects intended to make life more efficient, organized, and convenient.

The history of diapers is an interesting study. Baby bottoms have been covered with fur lined with moss as well as layers of tissue paper. Diapers seem to be an ever-evolving product.

A very big change was the introduction of a super-absorbing chemical in 1984. I must admit that I was not alone in being skeptical about this new diaper. How could it keep babies dryer than a cloth diaper? How could this diaper hold more liquid and actually pull the liquid away from a baby’s skin? For information as well as a fun and easy investigation, see    MEGA-ABSORBING.

For more engineering ideas, see Janice VanCleave’s Engineering for Every Kid.

Top photo by Tasslehoff Burrfoot

Go easy on the decorative frames and dust catching porcelain figurines, and go for clutter free gifts.  Homeschooling moms take care of feeding, clothing, cleaning, and educating their children and the last thing they need is one more thing to take care of.

• Take the kids for a day, giving her time to refresh and rejuvenate, or even just take a nap.
• Pay for a maid to come and do the heavy cleaning, such as scrubbing the shower tiles, cleaning the oven, or making the woodwork shine. Better yet, arrange for the maid to come twice a month for a detailed bathroom cleaning.
• A gift card for a night at the movies watching a chick flick with friends would be most welcome. (Don’t forget a babysitter for the kids.)
• Pay for a consultation with a professional organizer, or give a gift card to Ikea or The Container Store. Homeschoolers can always use more organization.

Many women welcome appliances and electronics as a gift if it’s something she’s had her eye on, despite what you may have heard. Time is at a premium for moms, and anything that makes her life easier or work go more quickly will be greatly appreciated.  If you know your gift recipient well, these time savers will be a big hit.

• A stand mixer is a huge timesaver in the kitchen.  The KitchenAid Artisan mixers come in fun colors and have lots of attachments for making pasta, sausage, or even grinding grain. A Bosch Universal Mixer will save hours of labor if she bakes her own bread.
• A label maker such as the Brother P-Touch is an indispensible organizational tool that will be useful in the schoolroom, the household, and even in the car.
• A Nook, Kindle, or other e-reader will be appreciated by any bibliophile, and will let Mom take a variety of reading anywhere. She can even load books for the kids on it for silent reading- giving her a moment of peace. An added bonus: the kids can’t claim they lost their book.

Help the kid do something special for mom.  Families do appreciate Mom all year long, but children love to celebrate holidays and they are naturally generous when it comes to showering others with gifts.

• Let the kids create a poem or artwork, and have it made into a coffee cup, tote bag, or other household item.
• Help them make a cutting garden of fragrant, pretty flowers in a container or corner of the yard, and teach them to water it. Now Mom can be presented with a greater variety of bouquets instead of the ubiquitous fistful of dandelions. An herb garden (with children as caretakers) would be welcome for any mom who likes to cook.
• Older kids can learn to make a simple meal, giving Mom a break in the kitchen. Even better, teach the kids to cook a few basic meals so they can take over once a week or once a month for a gift that keeps on giving all year long.  Use your own discretion, of course, and children should always be supervised in the kitchen.

Homeschooling moms sacrifice careers, hobbies, and their sleep to educate their children. Make sure you show your appreciation this Mother’s Day!

Photo by cohdra.

Homework and Time Management

For a positive and less stressful school time experience, encourage your child to pay proper attention to homework, to embrace her creativity, and to balance after school work and play.

• Have your child learn proper time management. Begin by decreasing procrastination when it comes to completing homework. When homework is done steadily until it is due, rather than delayed to the last minute, it relieves the pressure from the student. Granted, some students, as they get older, work well under pressure, but delaying homework is a habit to avoid while they are young.
• Set and follow particular routines. Try setting up a daily routine for when your young student does his homework. Whether it be just as school lets out, after supper, or before bed, set a time strictly for homework. Remember to consider extra-curricular activities when creating this routine. A steady routine can help a child learn to concentrate better on school work.
• Avoid distractions when it comes to homework time. Distractions invite procrastination and dampen creativity. Creativity and imagination are important when it comes to schoolwork, especially for subjects involving languages and arts. Distractions, especially television, can not only squelch creativity, but motivation as well. A lack of motivation can cause undue stress on the student.

Tutoring and Extra Schoolwork Help

Often the stress of schoolwork comes from a lack of understanding on the student’s part and a lack of attention on the teacher’s part. Some students need more help and attention from teachers than others. Remember that teachers have many students and are not always able to give as much attention to a particular student as the student needs.

• If your child needs extra help in any particular area and is not getting the help he needs, it can cause more unnecessary stress. It could be simply that the child needs to ask more questions during class. If this is the case, encourage your child to ask more questions. A meeting with the teacher outside of class may benefit a student who simply needs a little extra attention. On the other hand, your child may need more specific attention from a tutor.
• Regardless of the age of the student, a tutor is valuable to a struggling student. A good tutor can help a student not only with understanding the subject in which he or she struggles, but with building the confidence to learn, and the motivation to complete school work. When the student feels confident and motivated, it relieves the stress from the student and the parents.

School need not be stressful, but can be an enjoyable learning experience. Consider these ideas for helping students relieve the stress of school time and homework.

Photo courtesy of nuchylee /FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

photo credit: tanakawho

The importance math drills

Evidence and experience show that drills can be a great way of fixing facts in your memory. Instead of studying for hours or doing hundreds of examples to try to remember the number facts, some fast and frequent drills can help keep those important number facts in your child’s memory.

Let’s drill deeper!

Oral drills are my favorite; firstly they’re quick; I love 1 or 2 minute drills. Not many children can object to focusing on math for a few minutes and each oral drill question can be fired off and answered in seconds. Oral drills can also be easily adapted to make a game. My 4 year old (who hates writing) is quite happy to do some +1 running drills; we race up and down the room and do one question at each time.

Written can be challenging for kids who hate writing so make them short and sweet. It’s still better to keep it to 5 minutes maximum. Unless you’re testing the spelling of mathematical terms it’s best to stick to oral drills.

Drills have maximum benfits when practised often. Daily drills are optimum but even 3 sessions a week of quick review will help your child.

Try these 5 Topics for your next math drills

1. fractions
2. addition facts,
3. multiplication facts
4. square roots
5. spelling of math terms