I know! You don't want to rely entirely on textbooks! My advice is to create a core curriculum as a safety net. If your child is working for two hours each day on the four core subjects, he is likely to get a solid foundation. Now, let's talk about projects. Begin with projects you can do at home. Why not print and post a backyard bird checklist. The kids will want to make birdfeeders to attract more birds to your yard. (We made super simple birdfeeders by coating squares of cardboard with Crisco and rolling them in bird seed to hang from branches.) Audubon has more advice about bird feeders. My suggestion? Make it an experiment. Test cardboard birdfeeders with peanut butter versus Crisco. Does one type attract more birds or different kinds of birds? Does the height the feeder is hung matter? What about the dimensions of the square? (This approach is called inquiry-based science.)
What else can you do to make your backyard bird friendly? Once your child gets started along this path, he may want to learn how to diversify the habitat in the back yard. She is going to have all manner of questions. What is a native plant or an alien plant? Projects should be fun!
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