Homeschool Activities

Stuck at Home? Need to Teach Your Kids? Try these ideas.

~ shelli ~ 2 Comments

It seems imminent that there will be more school closings, and people will be working remotely as the coronavirus continues to spread around the U.S. I hope that it won’t be too bad. I hope that no one else will die. But we have to do everything we can do to slow it down so that our health care services can work to meet the demand.

My son’s regional and state piano auditions have already been postponed, which is unfortunate after all the hard work he’s put into this, but we’re also grateful for the precaution. I won’t be surprised if our other activities are cancelled. Other than this, my husband works from home, and we homeschool our children. I’m the homeschool facilitator. We are in a good position. Other than needing to go to the store, we are equipped to stay home for a long time, if we have to.

But I know plenty of people who are not used to staying home so much, and for some, it will cause a tremendous amount of stress. Not everyone can afford to stock up on food and other supplies. Some people cannot afford to miss work, or they have long-term projects in jeopardy. I wish I could do more to help alleviate these problems, but I’m not in a position to do that. However, I can offer some ideas on what to do when you are stuck at home that might keep you from going stir crazy, especially if you have kids.

First of all, I’m not sure that it’s a good idea to expect kids and families to work at this time. Some people could be quite anxious right now, and they aren’t going to focus very well. However, some people may welcome the extra time to work. People need to figure out the best way of handling their individual situation. If you have kids, it may be a good time to simply spend quality time together doing fun things, and this may lower your stress levels as well. Surely there been times when you wished you had more time to spend with your family? And many activities are educational anyway.

If you think you’re going to have a problem getting your kids to cooperate, my advice is to make everything a family activity. Maybe it won’t work for every kid, but when you are doing things together (vs. telling your kid to go do something), it can be much easier to get kids to cooperate.

Also, try taking turns picking the activity with your kid. You could do things in 30 minute increments. Maybe your kid will pick a video game. Then you can pick that homework lesson they need to do. Or read a book together. Or bake cookies. And then play a video game again. Making it all fun is key.

Here are a few activities you might want to look into as well:

With Young Kids (or any age, really)

You don’t need any special supplies, if you have a good imagination, and staying at home and letting kids do their own thing for a while is very good for their brain development. You will also have more time to bond with your child, which is always a good thing. To pass the hours:

Storytelling. You may think you’re a terrible storyteller and could never do this, but you will be surprised, if you just try. Have your child pick a character and then follow this formula, which is from Tell Me a Story by Chase Collins:

  • There was a likeable hero
  • who had reason to set out on a journey
  • when a threat occurred
  • from which there was a hero-inspired way out
  • which resulted in a safe return and a happy ending.

If you get stuck, ask for your children’s help. Maybe your children will even come up with a story of their own! You will be fostering their imaginations, and helping them with language arts skills.

Get Crafty. Recycle cereal boxes to make things. With some scissors, glue and tape, you can make almost anything with cereal boxes. If you have some markers or paint on hand, you can decorate them too. Click here for some ideas from my son’s projects. 

Storytelling and Puppet Shows. Combine the cereal box crafts and storytelling by making puppets and putting on puppet shows of your favorite stories. Click here for my post about that.

With Older Kids (or any age, really)

Nature Studies. No matter where you live, there is nature happening outside your windows. Have you tried to identify what you see? Here are some sites that will help you with identification:

All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Plant Identification Links by BudBurst
Insect Identification (for North America)

Books. If you don’t have a big home library or don’t want to go to the library right now, there are a lot free resources on web that will give you plenty of reading material. No matter how old your kids are, they might enjoy a family read aloud.

Project Gutenberg: Free eBooks : You will find the world’s great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired.
Open Library: Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
The Literature Network: over 3500 full books and over 4400 short stories and poems by over 260 authors (Although this free site has a bunch of ads, you can use your reader view to have a more pleasant reading experience.)

Documentaries. We’ve been watching documentaries or other educational shows with our kids everyday at lunchtime since they were born (literally). We usually watch 30-45 minutes at a time and continue it the next day. I know documentaries aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but you may be surprised at what kids will get into, if all the family joins in. I have a kept a list of most of the programs we’ve watched in a Pinterest board, but you can find documentaries easily by searching on Netflix, Amazon Prime or any other streaming service.

Other Random Ideas for Anybody

Someone beat me to it, but I’m glad because you can read this article by Travel and Leisure to get links to 12 Museums From Around the World That You Can Visit Virtually.

Also, here are a few topics I’ve written about…

Start a Sketchbook Habit.
Board Games.
Yard Projects that the whole family can help with.
Digital Games — I have no problem with these as long as kids don’t use them all day long.

Resources for School Subjects

For little kids learning to read, there’s Starfall.com. My boys loved that.

Of course, there’s Khan Academy, which has many subjects. We use it for math. But we also love Mathantics.com.

For history, I made a post with several resources that would be good for older kids. But Ducksters.com is fun for the younger crowd, and it has much more than history too. You can find science and geography there too.

My son also uses some free science textbooks at CK12.org, and that site offers resources for all subjects as well.

My kids are musicians, and we love classical music (all kinds of music, really), so I must mention that YouTube.com is a great place to experience all kinds of classical music. For world class music, check out the videos from the Curtis Institute of Music.

If I can think of anything else, I’ll be sure to add it here, so check back later. Feel free to leave any ideas and resources in the comments section too!

Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones. I wish you all good health.

Find me elsewhere

~ shelli ~ Leave a comment

I have written two installments in a new series on the home / school / life magazine. This series, At Home with the Editors, is a look into Amy’s and my homeschool. Though we feel strongly that every family has to figure out what works best for them, we also thought it might be a good idea to let our readers know how we do it too.

So, check out Shelli’s Homeschool for a snapshot of how I educate my boys and all the curriculum resources we have used thus far, and then read Shelli’s Project-Based Homeschool for a good summary of how project-based homeschooling has worked in our home and the valuable lessons I have learned from it so far. To read all the posts in this series (because Amy is writing some pretty helpful stuff too), click here.

Art Fridays: Homeschool Art Lessons

~ shelli ~ 13 Comments

I was pleasantly surprised that they got into my lesson about still life.

If I had more time, I would write a post after each art session, but instead I’m trying to catch up this homeschool year on my blog. (This is why I’ve been posting more lately, or actually, why I scheduled a bunch of posts over a few days in early February. Those will eventually run out. As you can see, I blog in spurts. Or between magazine issues. 🙂 )

So here’s a little assemblage of various “art days” that usually take place on Fridays, though art is not restricted to that day. The boys do a lot of art projects on their own, but Fridays are the days when I initiate something, and sometimes I try to teach them a new technique and tell them about an artist who used that technique. I am neither an artist, nor do I know a lot about art, so I have used a few resources to help me out. My favorite go-to resource for this has been Amy Hood’s Art Together e-zine.

Some Fridays when I’m not (ahem) prepared, I say things like “My only requirement of you today is to draw a picture in your sketchbook.” (This usually results in more than one piece of artwork.) Or one morning, I woke up early and had already started to paint some of the nature collection that my son had left on the table the day before. When my boys saw me doing that, they immediately wanted to join me. (I didn’t know that this is called a “provocation” until I read Amy Hood’s recent art column in home / school / life.)

Sometimes I try to teach the boys a new technique, and they are not interested in doing the project, such as when I showed them Joseph Cornell’s art boxes (via Art Together). Usually they want to do something else like paint or draw. This is fine. Unlike math and reading, I don’t require them to do the art lessons because I think art should be fun and voluntary. When they see me produce the art, they are still learning about that technique, and they learn a new possibility.

Looking back over these art sessions, I’m reminded that there was a time when I felt like our homeschool was desperately missing out on art. Because of that, I was intentional about starting “Art Fridays.” I’m so pleased with how this has turned out, and I think my boys have benefitted from it greatly. Of course, there are other things I feel like we are missing out on, such as Spanish lessons or belonging to a big homeschool group, but alas, one thing at a time. As many homeschool moms have told me, you can’t do everything, and you shouldn’t worry about doing everything, and someday you may look back and realize you did more than enough.

Click on an image to enlarge and read the caption. Also, a big thanks to Mo Akwati for his tutorial on how to draw a moth, which my dissatisfaction of my own drawing inspired him to do.

Printmaking Lesson inspired by Amy Hood’s Art Together e-zine. We read about Hokusai and Japanese printmaking too.
8yo’s whale stamp is so cool.
Stamps and feathers by 5yo.
Feathers made a cool effect.
8yo’s first attempt with Speedy Carve Block and Lino Cutters that I bought at hobby store.
More printmaking by 5yo and me.
My watercolor attempts. I used a black Sharpie for outline. **My dissatisfaction with this inspired Mo Awkati to do a tutorial on his website for me. Please see blog post for more information.
At his request, I drew this feather, and he painted it.
Painting nature objects — what a great morning.
8yo’s completed starfish.
Another go at printmaking. 8yo’s swordfish.
The completed swordfish by 8yo.
One morning I had to go to an appointment with 5yo, and I left 8yo instructions to draw in his sketchbook. He enjoyed that requirement.
8yo hasn’t been as interested in drawing as 5yo. But he found a “How to Draw Castles, Dragon and Knights” book I had left on the shelf, and he drew several pictures using it. He also drew several dinosaurs from a “How to draw Dinosaurs” book that I had bought for 5yo.
One Friday morning was just a free-for-all, and 5yo decided to draw feathers. He was frustrated with his drawings until I showed him he could trace a real feather. (He collects feathers too!)
So excited about his feather drawings!
Very serious work.
Friday Art Day is an open and free art exploration day in our house.
When I asked for one drawing in his sketchbook, 8yo decided to try out our new watercolor paints.
He drew and painted a Luna Moth
Completed Luna Moth. (He has an interest in moths. It’s fun to see it come up now and again.)
Some of my own work. Tried to draw and paint 8yo’s deer skull.
Leaves are my favorites.
I was pleased with this one.
Our last art lesson was about Joseph Cornell’s boxes which I learned about in Art Together. I was the only one who made a box. I used my own photographs, some twigs and painted leaves. 5yo painted the green ones for me. (8yo keeps saying he’s going to make a box. We shall see.)

 

Project-based Homeschooling: Pottery Class Update

~ shelli ~ 2 Comments

I’ve written extensively about my eight-year-old’s interest in working with clay and his pottery classes. I thought I would update you with some of his latest work from his pottery class this past fall. It was an eight-week class that was extended for an additional three weeks. He had a different instructor this time, which I think was a positive experience because he learned new and different techniques. He learned hand-building and wheel techniques.

I don’t have photographs of everything he made. Here are just a few items, including my favorite sculpture: his two-headed chameleon. What impressed me about this work is that he didn’t copy what the teacher was making — he came up with his own idea. (He told me he changed his mind a few times before he settled on a chameleon.) And then he sculpted it from memory! At home he will usually look up a photo of an animal to draw or sculpt, but in the class, he didn’t have access to the Internet, so he did this from his own knowledge of what chameleons look like. I am not sure I could have done that!

He told me that he sculpted one head, but then at the last minute, he thought, “Maybe I’ll do two heads.” Okay, then! What an imagination! I think it turned out fantastic.

By the way, these photographs were taken with my phone. In my next post, I’ll tell you what my five-year-old and I did while the eight-year-old was in class. 🙂

 

I love the final product.

Here you can see a few pieces that were made on a potter’s wheel. The tall one on the left was made by a method of stacking more than one pot thrown on the wheel. He also learned about raku firing, which is a Japanese way of firing pottery.  I learned that raku firing does not make a pot safe to eat out of! The two-headed chameleon and the small bowl in the back right of this photo were raku fired. The raku firing can give a pot a metallic look, which can be beautiful.

I especially like that they make him clean up!

He opted to take a break from pottery this spring, but he says he wants to take a summer camp at the pottery studio. Since this is his project and interest, we’ll support whatever he wants to do (as long as we can afford it). I hope he sticks to it, but only the future will tell!

Thanksgiving Wreath

~ shelli ~ 2 Comments

This is a Thanksgiving wreath that my son made last year…. 

We’re having a cozy Thanksgiving at home this year, and the only true activity we are doing besides cooking, eating, and reading our Thanksgiving books is make this autumn wreath out of cotton, natural items from our yard and natural items that my son’s cousin sent him last year from his yard in Colorado (a very cool X-mas present)! My son arranged these on some cardboard I cut in shape of a wreath and glued them down himself with a hot glue gun. 

For more autumn and Thanksgiving activities to do with young children, you can read the post I wrote two years ago: November & Thanksgiving Activities With Small Children.  If you have any activities you want to share, feel free to post a link in the comments section.

Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I want you to know how thankful I am that you have taken the time to read my blog. I hope you are warm, safe, loved and happy.

Summer Scavenger Hunts

~ shelli ~ Leave a comment

Note: This column was published in the Barrow Journal on Wednesday, August 7, 2013.

If you need some more activities to do with your children on these long summer days, try a scavenger hunt. Earlier this summer I made one up for my six- and three-year-old, and they had a blast. Kids love to have a mission.

I gave my six-year-old a list of ten items, and little did he know that I hoped he’d put some effort into reading the list. I was right – the game motivated him to read, and the three-year-old was in charge of carrying the bag, which he was proud to do.

My list included things they would have to search for inside and outside the house. I tried to think of fun things that my son likes too: A little seed, flower from the woods, pinecone, big seed, red crayon, string, little ball, something purple, something blue, and a bug.

I was worried that they would find everything in ten minutes, but my list was just the right size – it gave me about 45 minutes to sit on the porch and read! They were very proud of themselves when they reported back to me with all the loot.

Another variation of this game is great for preschoolers learning their numbers. When the six-year-old was four, I used to write the numbers 1-10 in chalk on the sidewalk. Then I would put dots under the numbers, which represented the amount. One dot under the number one, two dots under the number two, and so forth.

Then we would find things around the yard to put on top of the dots: one toy car, two flowers, three leaves, four twigs, five acorns, and so on…  He always had fun doing that.

Last year my sister-in-law sent the boys a Venn diagram with lots of fun trinkets for Valentine’s Day, and my boys loved it. We sorted those trinkets a half a dozen times. The other day I thought I would put a summer twist on it.

A Venn diagram is a visual way of sorting and comparing a group of things. Draw two or more circles and overlap them. Each circle will be labeled with one characteristic. If an object has that characteristic, it will go into one circle. If it has two characteristics, it will go in the area where the circles overlap.  If it doesn’t have any of the characteristics, it will go outside the circles. Is that clear as mud?

Let me explain.  I drew three big, overlapping circles with chalk on the pavement, and I labeled one “brown,” one “hard,” and one “curved.” Then the boys and I looked around the yard for what we could find with those characteristics. The first thing the boys picked up was a twig. It was brown, hard and curved, so it went in the middle of the diagram where all the circles overlapped.

A rock wasn’t brown, but it was hard and curved, so it went in the space where the circles “hard” and “curved” overlapped. We decided that a flower and a green leaf were only “curved”, so they went in that circle.

My son thought we should add a circle labeled “green,” so we tried that. After awhile, it was hard to find different kinds of objects outside, so I think this activity might have been more fun using toys or a variety of indoor and outdoor objects. It kept my sons busy for a few minutes, but the best part is that it got them outside, and as they searched the yard, other things caught their attention. Before I knew it, they were off exploring and playing on their own.

Do you love scavenger hunts? What versions do you play?

How to Make a Terrarium

~ shelli ~ Leave a comment

Note: This column was published in the Barrow Journal on March 27, 2013.

If you’re eager to plant some greenery, but you’re still waiting for the threat of frost to pass, you might enjoy making a terrarium for inside the house. My plant-loving six-year-old found instructions in First Nature Activity Book by DK Publishing, and he asked if we could make one. I didn’t see why not.

Luckily for me, it’s fairly simple to make.  Here’s what you need: a clear container with a wide neck and an air-tight cover, small pebbles, charcoal, peat-based potting soil, small ferns, different types of moss, lichen-covered twigs or bark.

We had the charcoal, and we had plenty of moss, lichen and small ferns growing in shady spots in our yard, but we didn’t have the other ingredients. At the garden store, I bought a bag of pebbles and the peat-based potting soil. At the pet store, I found a medium-sized Kritter Keeper, and I lined the top with cellophane to make it airtight. A decorative glass container would be prettier but more expensive, or you could easily use an old aquarium.

When you let the kids do the work, they have fun cleaning up after themselves. (Sometimes.)

First, line the bottom of the container with enough pebbles to cover it evenly.  The pebbles are there for drainage. Next, add a layer of charcoal. We put in a fairly thin layer, but we covered the pebbles completely and evenly.

This is not the way I recommend you put in the charcoal. By pouring it in, it covered the walls with black soot and we had to clean them. Just be more careful.

My six-year-old had fun when I put some pieces of charcoal in a baggie and let him pound them on the sidewalk with a hammer to break them into tiny pieces.  The charcoal is supposed to act as a filter, keeping the terrarium smelling good. I have read different opinions online about whether it’s needed or not, but for a closed terrarium, it’s probably a good idea.

Next, add a thick layer of the peat-based potting soil, but leave plenty of space for the plants. Now the terrarium is ready for the plants.

We had to do some trimming.

We found all our plants in our yard. There was a small, pretty wild plant growing next to our house under the monkey grass, and I never had the heart to pull it out. I thought we’d give it a chance in the terrarium even though I have no idea what it is.

I also found an offshoot of some Japanese painted fern, which I had planted years ago near our front porch.  My six-year-old and three-year-old had a great time going around the yard collecting moss – much more than we needed.  We also found a small piece of bark with lichen growing on it.

As we arranged the plants inside the terrarium, I decided my son needed a lesson in garden design so that he wouldn’t crowd everything together. Later, I also read that we shouldn’t put too much moss into the terrarium so that the moss doesn’t overpower the small plants.

Once the terrarium is finished, you need to water it well, but after that, you only need to use a spray bottle once in a while to mist the plants and soil. Keep the lid open until the sides of the container have no more water droplets on them, and then shut it tight.

The terrarium needs to sit in a well-lit area, but no direct sunlight should fall on it.  Remember, these are shade plants.  Fertilizer isn’t needed either.  You don’t want the plants to grow too big, and when they start to get too big or the leaves touch the sides of the container, you’ll need to trim them.

After a few days, I noticed our plants looked a little brown and yellow, so I snipped off those leaves and hoped for the best.  Now, it’s looking good, and I’ve noticed some new growth on the wild, unidentified plant and the moss!

This was a fun, easy project, and it’s a perfect for children who enjoy planting or who are learning about plants.

Have you ever made a terrarium? 

The Junior Ranger Program

~ shelli ~ 5 Comments

Note: This column was printed in the Barrow Journal on Wednesday, November 21, 2012. 

Ever since I learned about the Junior Ranger Program, I’ve been looking forward to when my son could participate.  Any child age 6-12 can participate, and it’s a great way to get outdoors, explore nature and learn about Georgia’s history.  It’s also a good way to teach about setting goals and working toward something.

In order to participate, all you have to do is pick up a copy of the Junior Ranger Activity Book at any Georgia State Park or Historic Site office.  You can also download the book online in pdf format at http://www.gastateparks.org/JuniorRanger. 

The book has a series of activities for children to complete, and a checklist for an adult to initial when they complete each activity.  Adults can help children with the activities.  There are three levels, and upon completion of each level, children will receive a junior ranger badge to display proudly wherever they want.

Level 1 is recommended for ages 6-7, and they must complete seven of the activities.  Level 2 is for ages 8-10 and requires 10 activities to be completed. Level 3 is for ages 11-12, and they must complete 14 of the activities.  Children may use the same booklet for each level, and the activities they did for their first level can count towards the next, if they want them to.

There’s information in the booklet for parents to read to the children so that they’ll become aware of things to stay away from when they hit the trails, such as poison ivy and venomous snakes. It tells you how to prepare and be safe while exploring the wilderness.  After this, there are several pages of activities for the children to complete.  Each page gives separate instructions for each level of participation.  My son is working on his first badge, Level 1, so the activities are fairly easy.

Some of the activities my son has done so far are identifying Georgia pine trees, taking a guided walking tour, observing wildlife, and visiting a historical site.  He only needs to complete three more activities to obtain his badge.

There are plenty to choose from.  He might identify plant and animal life in a body of water, or go fishing, go on a plant scavenger hunt, visit one more historical site, observe the night sky, or identify at least two nocturnal animals.  If my son isn’t into any of that, there are some other choices too.

With 63 sites statewide and a site 50 miles of every Georgia resident, it should not be hard for any child to participate in this program, especially since participants can take as long as they need to complete the activities.  You don’t have to do the activities in a state park either, although some of the activities such as visiting a historical site might require that.

When completed, all they need to do is present their checklist at any Georgia State Park or Historic Site office, or there’s an address in the booklet to mail the page to.  Participants who mail their page in will receive their badge in 2-4 weeks.

Occasionally there are Junior Ranger day camps or workshops that participants can attend.  These usually happen in the summer, and will be listed on the Georgia State Park and Historical Sites calendar of events: http://www.gastateparks.org/events.

Recently they have also started a Get Outdoors Georgia Gopher Badge too.  This is for kids 7-14 years old, and there’s a separate list of fun requirements for this badge too.  You can download the requirements for this badge here: http://www.getoutdoorsgeorgia.org/downloads/JrRangerGopherBadge.pdf.

If you are interested in this program, you’ll also want to subscribe to the Junior Ranger E-newsletter.  My son receives it at his own e-mail address, and he has fun reading about wildlife, viewing photos and doing some of the suggested activities.

For families able to travel, there’s also a Junior Ranger Program for the National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.cfm.  I don’t know when we’ll get a chance to visit a national park, but my son has had fun using their on-line Junior Ranger program.  Children can play more than 50 games and learn about our national parks, monuments and historic sites. The website also tracks the children’s progress.

Whether you have some Junior Rangers in your house or not, I hope you get a chance to get outside and experience the healing qualities of nature this holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving

~ shelli ~ 2 Comments

{Thanksgiving Wreath}

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!  

We’re having a cozy Thanksgiving at home this year, and the only true activity we did besides cooking, eating, and reading our Thanksgiving books was make this autumn wreath out of cotton, natural items from our yard and natural items that my son’s cousin sent him last year from his yard in Colorado (a very cool X-mas present)! My son arranged these on some cardboard I cut in shape of a wreath and glued them down himself with a hot glue gun. (This idea and the cotton was courtesy of Dotty at the William Harris Homestead – thanks, Dotty!)

For more autumn and Thanksgiving activities to do with young children, you can read the post I wrote last year: November & Thanksgiving Activities With Small Children.  If you have any activities you want to share, feel free to post a link in the comments section.

Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I want you to know how thankful I am that you have taken the time to read my blog. I hope you are warm, safe, loved and happy.

 

Native American Day

~ shelli ~ 4 Comments

Yesterday was Native American Day, and since my son has shown interest in learning about Native Americans in the past, I thought he would enjoy commemorating the day.  These are just a few easy things I was able to do without much planning.

(We have checked out library books on Native Americans in the past, so I didn’t feel the need to do it again. If you are interested, however, there’s a wonderful series that starts each title with “If you lived with…”  They are for older children, but my six-year-old enjoyed listening to me read parts of those books.)

  • We read a book from our own library, The Very First Americans.  We’ve read it several times, and it’s a great starter book for understanding who the Native Americans are.
  • I had my son watch this very short video on National Geographic.
  • We did this totem pole craft that you can see in the photo.  My son loved it, and he’s very proud of his creation!  You can get the easy instructions and template here.

This is my son’s story he made up for his totem pole: The eagle at the top is protecting a lake from the two monsters (just below him).  The two faces on the bottom help the eagle protect the lake and keep the monsters from stealing all the water from the animals!  Well, he told it much better, but you get the drift!

There were also some cool events happening at some Georgia State Parks today, but we’ve been so busy, I needed a day at home!  I also think it’ll be easier to attend things like that when my three-year-old gets a little older.

What are your plans this weekend?