Join a Co-op!

 Do you have a Co-op locally?  They vary widely.  Some groups just to field trips together.  Others are dedicated to science labs.  Parents might band together, meet in a church’s religious ed classrooms, and offer a variety of classes for kiddos K-8.  Families pay for insurance or rent the space.  Moms usually do the instruction according to their background or interests.  Our Co-op offers classes to the Middle School and High School students.  Classes vary.  This fall we’re offering Young Explorers Chemistry and Physics and Apologetics to the Middle School.  The high school classes include British Literature, Chemistry, and Personal Finance.  (Brit Lit meets Wednesdays.)  Our Co-op determines classes based on student need.  The greatest need is in math and science; however, we’ve offered composition and literature classes regularly, based on need.

Why should you join a Co-op?  Moms can answer your questions, especially about their experiences with different programs.  You’ll be amazed at the variety of curricula families use.  Some enroll in online schools and others don’t.  Your family will form friendships.  Most of all, Co-op can keep you accountable.  Seeing a family with eleven children manage to arrive at Co-op on time is pretty motivating. (This family’s children finish all of their work on time, too!  Moreover, when they need help, mom packs lunches and drops them off.  Rob and I support them however we can.  The children elevate any class we teach.) Trust me, you’ll up your game when you see the quality of work other families produce. (Alternatively, you might join another, less demanding  Co-op.  I’ve been told I require a lot of work.)  

If you are going it alone, consider a Co-op—even just for field trips or visits to the playground.  Yes, families with Littles meet to play and chat.  You need encouragement.  You need resources.  You need support!  Join a Co-op!

Here’s a little heresy.

 I don’t mean theological heresy—but, educational heresy.  I mainly teach science classes to Co-op.  However, I don’t mind teaching literature or composition classes, too. For the past three years, the Composition and Lit classes have had teens with learning differences.  Here’s the heresy; we read abridged books.  I even assigned four abridged books as summer reading: Frankenstein, Romeo and Juliet, A Tale of Two Cities, and Pride and Prejudice. I use Longman simplified books and Illustrated Classics books.

I let one student with dyslexia use Grammarly to write papers. She had so much trouble spelling, Grammarly was a life saver.  Fine.  Usually, my students use Google Docs and we edit.  If a kiddo struggles with reading and writing, he or she watches the movie before reading the book to get the gist of the plot.  One of my favorite assignments is to compare a book and the film.  Does the Lion King capture Hamlet?  Does West Side Story retell Romeo and Juliet?  A few years ago, I had two young women in Brit Lit.  Anna’s favorite novel was Pride and Prejudice.  Angel couldn’t stomach the novel; she read the version with zombies.  (We all agreed that the film version with zombies didn’t resemble Pride and Prejudice at all.). 

BTW I love classics.  I do enjoy teaching a traditional, literature curriculum.  But, sometimes the teens have learning differences.  I want them exposed to literature, too, as part of their overall education.  Sometimes, the slang in Huckleberry Finn or Old English in Shakespeare deters kiddos from reading classics.  I don’t hesitate to pull out an abridged copy of the novel.  

Museum in a Box or Traveling Trunks

Does your museum have trunks or boxes your Co-op could borrow?   Look at the assortment available at the Las Vegas Museum.  Look for Traveling Trunks, too, such as these Revolutionary War or Civil War trunks.  Look at all of the histiry trunks at Prince William Historic Preservation or Gettysburg.  Be sure to look at the Gettysburg Curriculum Guide, too.  You can use the image and worksheet independently from the trunk.  For example, download Lincoln at Gettysburg along with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address to use with the worksheet—another instant lesson!  See if your local museum has the trunk or museum in a box program.  You can pack in a ton of history in a few lessons.

Here is an overview to create your own museum in a box diorama—a mini museum.  Look at this article for ideas.  Mini Museums has templates.  How about a Mini Art Museum?  Your family is going to have so much fun!

NASA’s Museum in a Box

 NASA’s Museum in a Box lessons are for educators.  They combine activities and history.  Look at First Flyers.  The lesson begins with a list of materials for the Museum Box.  There is a bit of history and a series of activities—all related to flight.  Part of the lesson is scripted.  There is vocabulary, a series of images and templates, essentially an instant unit study.  Remember these lessons are from NASA and largely relate to aeronautics.  As instant lessons go these are fantastic!

Instant Unit Study!

 How do you create an instant unit study?  Start with a theme.  Pick up a pile of books at the library.  Do a huge number of related activities.  Plan a culminating project.  Document the process.  I like unit studies the whole family can do. The theme is Construction.  Why?  Your four-year old already has a complete collection of trucks.  The concrete blocks can serve a presents.  The topic is cement.  The youngest kiddo has his cement mixer truck ready.

 Here are 20 children’s books about construction.

IWhat about older kiddos?  One construction topic is cement.  Read The Case of the Flaking Floor, which is about cement.  Here, here, and here are fact sheets about cement.  

Are there activities? Try Flour Concrete and Composites (newspaper and ice).  NASA has this unit, Museum in a Box: Composites.  The pix and information is excellent.  But it’s based on a kit with carbon fibers, Nitinol, and density cubes.  Here are simple instructions for Nitinol or memory wire.  

Take pix!  What is your final project? Make Concrete Blocks or Engineered Concrete.  Make Stepping Stones as presents.  Think Engineering has Handcraft Cement Shape. Summarize your findings: slide deck, video, lapbook, or list.  Look at you creating your own unit study!

Egypt Camp

 In another life, my friend, Carla, the school’s librarian hosted a summer, Egypt Camp.  I had a young friend who couldn’t afford the camp.  I assisted and my young friend came free.  We did so many fun things all week! 

Start with a stack of books.  Many of the activities we did are included here; the activities are orange mummification, and learning about hieroglyphics.  We made paper plate Egyptian collars, copied hieroglyphics, created Jewelry, made and played Senet, and created canopic jars.  We even built sugar cube pyramids.  Here are more Craft ideas.  

Let’s organize a few resources.  This teacher’s guide has some history, social strata, day in the life, diet, etc. The guide has excellent images and can answer most questions which arise.  How can you organize the material into lessons?  

1.  Where is Egypt?  Locate Egypt in the globe.  Make a salt dough map.  

2.  Show kiddos this slide deck, which has a good introduction to Ancient Egypt.

3.  Use the National Geographic Egypt Collection (or any book about Egypt) to help shape your lessons.  Read a book.  Try an activity.  Read about the pyramids and build one with sugar cubes.  Read about Cleopatra and make jewelry.  The book on mummies pairs well with canopic jars and orange mummies.  

4.  Keep asking questions!  What do the hieroglyphics mean?  Learn about the Rosetta Stone and practice hieroglyphics.  What did children wear?  Make costumes and collars.  What did they eat?  Try this ancient recipe.  Make and play Senet.

5.  You may want to add more history and geography.  Here is Ancient Egypt Lapbook with more ideas.  Connect the project to the Bible.  Try more recipes. Learn about King Tut.  Watch the Prince of Egypt.  Keep reading fiction and nonfiction books about ancient Egyptians.  It’s your camp.  Have a blast!

Start with a Book!

 Are you familiar with Start with a Book?  The idea is to combine fiction and nonfiction books with lessons—something you probably do already.  The site has loads and loads of activity kits.  I love to add a book to any outreach program.  For example, I have an activity kit for this Handwashing Lesson.  Include Germs Make Me Sick.  Be sure to explain to Littles that the germs are fake so no one cries.  Ask me how I know.  One tip if you use Glo Germ lotion and the hand-washing lesson, check the nail beds; kiddos never wash their nail beds well.  What books can you combine with lessons?  I mean, you can do so much history with American Girl Doll books.  You might want to browse the library stacks for lesson inspirations.  Have a blast!