Board Games

Okay.  It’s an open secret many home school families complete all of the school work in five or six hours each day.  What do you do when you finish?  Normally, home schoolers are active in church activities, Scouts, sports, Lego Club,Youth group, Choir, Music lessons, Co-op, and field trips.  Instead of hours on TikTok or YouTube, invest in board games.  Why?  They involve thinking.  Even Yahtzee is a good practice game for addition and statistics.  (Yes, we calculated the odds for several scenarios.). Yes, we play all types of games.  Right now, we are heavily invested in Kings Dominos.  Paul, 10, likes No Stress Chess.  Teach your kids card games, like Exploding Kittens or Uno.  Your time will be well spent.

How do you set a schedule?

There are many Mays to set up a successful schedule of work.  How old is your child?  Young children usually need to do a little of every subject every day.  Some tweens and teens need the same schedule—a little of everything each day.  How much is a little?  It varies: one math lesson, one lab or problem set,  one-two pages in a workbook or vocabulary workshop, one exercise in grammar and composition, one page of handwriting, etc.  Do a bit of each subject daily with the goal of completing everything in 30 weeks.  

Tweens and teens may prefer more of batch work.  Set weekly, monthly, semester, and year-long goals.  Teens often thrive with a little autonomy.  Set a yearly goal to complete all subject by May 30th.  Divide each course in half for semester goals.  Now, divide these courses into mid-terms.  Now you have a pacing guide.  Teens should spend 30 hours on their subjects.  If they have six subjects teens should spend five hours each week on each subject.  Work with your child.  Which tasks require more time?  Writing an essay?  Math?  Reading the chapter?  Reading the literature?  Would your teen like to work through all of the exercises in the vocabulary workshop or writing book?  If your teen gets behind schedule, add more hours.  Assign reading Sunday afternoon or evening.  Your job is to get your teen to start making decisions about the studies, the schedule, and the goals.

Bingo!

If your household has several children, use Bingo! to teach.  Here is my science blog post.  Bingo lends itself to review and reinforcement.  If you have children who are not strong readers, look for Bingo boards with pictures.  Here is a good example of educational bingo, a Bill of Rights bingo board.  This type of bingo is DIY.  Kids cut out and paste unique boards.  Remind your kids to place the words in different order on their boards—or everyone will yell bingo at the same time.  Here is math bingo.  Lastly, here is a vocabulary DIY bingo board for any text or book.

Graphing Calculators for Algebra 2

Update:  Here is my blog post with a bit more on graphing calculators.

I am a big advocate for tech, especially graphing calculators for Math.  I’m helping my husband, Rob, develop an Algebra 2 class for our Co-op.  I know how to teach; Rob understands Math.  He is using Glencoe Algebra 2, the 2005 edition.  Why?  Math does not change much; the 2005 edition is cheap used. Happily, this  Algebra 2 edition has graphing exercises for TI 83/84.  Guess what?  Good Will online has used TI 83 calculators.  My target price is around $15 for a TI 83 calculator.  I try to pay $35-40 for a TI 84 calculator.  Why should you learn how to graph with a graphing calculator?  You may need to use one in college.  Many public and private schools use graphing calculators in class.  I introduce graphing in Chemistry, Physics, and Statistics for that reason.  Kids should be exposed in high school.  The textbook has instructions.  Here are additional instructions.  Feeling adventurous?  TI 83/84 Plus has more exercises.  Be sure the book has the CD.  Use the TI Graphlink to download the apps from the CD directly to the calculator.  Instructions are in the graphing book.  You can do this!

Where do you school?

Our little household holds Co-op math and science classes in our basement.  But, I have taught Co-op at our church and at the local library.  If you are teaching at home, where do you school?  It depends.  If we are doing a messy lab, we use the science section in the basement.  Lacie, a teen, likes to bunker in the basement to study and focus on her lessons.  Paul, 10 needs supervision.  The lesson determines the location.  Most of the written work take place in our breakfast area.  Coding and typing are on a laptop in the dining room/library.  Science is usually performed in the kitchen.  I recommend you teach in a centrally located area, such as a kitchen table.  Stay close to answer questions and check work.  Below are pix of our home-school areas-essentially the entire house.

Kings Dominion Fun at Home

Our little household has season’s passes to Kings Dominion.  Did you know Kings Dominion has free activities?  They do.  Look at the STEM.

Pursue Your True Education

I have helped a number of home-school families.  One trap new families fall into is to try and replicate the public school curriculum.  Once a family brought a stack of books from the local public school.  This is predicated on the idea that the public school curriculum is good.  Committees create state standards.  Look at this example.  Kids study China, Greece, and Mali.  Really?  Instead concentrate on the core four: Math, Science, English, and History.  Yes, include time-lines, book reports, research projects, and map studies.  Make the core four your daily priority.  Invest four hours a day—everyday.  Read thirty minutes a day.  This is your safety net.  Now pursue your real education.  One young friend was passionate about animals.  She shadowed a local vet several times a week.  Another family helped design and build a shed for their family.  Many families invest hours and hours in music, gymnastics, and dance, both lessons and practice.  Another family friend’s boys shadow Daddy at his construction company.  What is your passion?  Cover your bases with the core four and then pursue your real education, your passion. 

Field Archeology Kit

My friend, Louise, has a category called, Things You Never Knew You Needed.  I think Woodland Indians Field Archeology Kit fits into this category.  I love Good Will online.  There are always interesting educational listings.  The Archeology Kit is a class set.  Both the price and shipping are fair, especially for  a set of artifacts.  Take a look?

How to Schedule

There are loads of lessons, daily schedules, and guides to help you develop detailed schedules.  Do you need them?  One way to schedule is to start with the number of lessons or chapters are in the textbook you use.  Saxon usually has 120 lessons.  Let’s plan on 30 weeks of instruction, beginning after Labor Day and ending at the end of May.  Why 30 weeks?  Plan to miss school over the holidays, for illness, for family conflicts, etc.    Thirty five day weeks are 150 days.  Aim for a lesson each day and a test each week.  

How many chapters are in the history book?  If there are 15 chapters and you teach 150 days, plan on completing one chapter every ten days, test included.  I try to complete a chapter each week.  Some material just takes longer.  You have built in extra time.    

Do the same thing for the science and reading book.  Look to see how many chapters are in the book.  Divide 150 days by the number of chapters.  150 days divided by 19 chapters is 7.89 days.  Try to complete each chapter in seven or eight days.  

Are you worried about finishing?  Start school in August.  What happens if you do not finish the book?  Work over the summer.  Plan to work five hours each day, five days each week, for 150 days.  Don’t over think scheduling.

High School Math Textbooks

Many home-school families use Saxon Math.  One advantage is the number of used materials available.  Our little household ran into a road block with Saxon Algebra.  We are using Glencoe Algebra instead.  When you buy older math books, get a copy of both the student and teacher edition.  I look for older editions, say 2003 or 2005.  Glencoe is widely used across the U.S. They are much cheaper and more available.  Math doesn’t change that much.  The wrap-around teacher edition has answers, tips, and pacing guides.  You’ll see New York, California, Indiana, and Florida editions.  Usually, this means the publisher has added the state standards for Algebra.  The textbook should be about the same.  Many of the Resource Masters for the textbooks are online.  Why?  Some schools are still using older math editions.  Want more good news?  These resource masters have answer keys and tests.  You’re welcome.

Panic! My school is online this Fall! How do I home-school?

Is this the first time you seriously have considered home-school for your kids?  You aren’t alone.  Panic!  Our local public school is focusing on Math and Language Arts for elementary students.  Parents are considering all options.  First, focus on core classes: English, Math, Science, and History.  Begin with three hours of class from 9-noon.  Add a half hour of reading and a weekly book report.  Look for a curriculum.  Start with Cathy Duffy.  Many families use Apologia science textbooks.  Use Donna Young to set up a schedule.  Many families use Saxon Math with a Schedule.  We use Catholic Textbook Project for History with the teachers’ manuals.  BJU Heritage Studies are widely used by Protestant families.  Both programs offer student workbooks and teacher’s manuals. 

 English is a little more work.  We use Sadlier Workshop for vocabulary.  (The colors and levels can be confusing.  Red is Grade 1.  Purple is Grade 2.  Green is Grade 3.  Orange is Grade 4.  Blue is Grade 5.  Grades A-G coincide with Grades 6-12.). Our vocabulary schedule is one page a day.  Buy both the student and teacher editions to obtain all of the answers if your own vocabulary is not robust.  Memoria Press has composition courses, such as the  fourth grade Fable set.  We use Zane-Bloser for Handwriting. We did use Easy Grammar before I switched to Warriner’s Grammar and Composition.  (First course is about seventh grade level, second course eighth grade, and third course ninety grade.) Our schedule is one exercise a day.  Read the classics.  We use older anthology series for Reading, such as Houghlin Mifflin Reading Grade 4 or these, or this.  The practice books can be hard to locate depending on the grade.  Additionally, the teacher’s manuals are even harder to find.  

We use Exploring Creation sets.  The notebooking journal has a daily schedule and answer key for the vocabulary crosswords.  I bought the textbook used and paid full price for a new notebooking journal.  We are working through the Zoology, Chemistry and Physics, and Astronomy series this summer.  This Fall we will switch to Harcourt Science.

We use workbooks with History, Science, and Reading.  The schedule is easy.  Do a page each day.  When you complete a chapter, take a test, make a spelling list, ask for a summary, complete a time-line, draw a comic page, do a lab.  Start with the basics.  By all means, get started!

Hands-on Projects to Supplement School

Our little household has a core class routine: Math, Science, History, and English.  We set aside time for reading and guitar everyday.  We also have a number of special projects going after class.  Paul, 10, is learning to type with five daily lessons from Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.  Paul programs every afternoon with 7 Billion Humans and Lego Boost.  Do you want your kids to code?  Hour of Code is free. So is MIT Scratch.  We used Code Your Own Games! initially to learn how to navigate Scratch.  Have you considered learning skills in Google Suite?  There are lessons designed to teach how to use Docs, Slideshow, Classroom, etc.  

Do your kids already have enough screen time?  Do some art projects.  We are working on Christmas presents as Art.  Try making gifts with leather, water color cards, draw Star Wars hard boiled eggs, or take photos with interesting filters.  We have a K’nex Roller Coaster project on-going in the basement. We bought used K’nex from Good Will online, where we bought a stack of Thames and Kosmos kits.  There is nothing wrong with puzzles.  Frame a few favorites for Christmas presents.  We do Art because Paul loathes Crafts of any stripe.  Your kids might be more flexible.  One last tip.  My Science blog has Mad Science Camp ideas.  We do labs and activities several times each week. Below are pix from projects.  Take a look.

Set up a Schedule

After selecting a program and ordering textbooks, it’s time to set up a schedule.  Be flexible.  Be consistent and start early!  The first priority is to start classes by 9:00 am.  Morning hours are the most productive time of day.  Right now, we are walking, bike riding, and playing basketball an hour after breakfast because of the heat.  Normally, we work for 9:00 am to 12:30, break for lunch, and spend an hour after lunch biking and walking.  

With the heat, we return around 10:00 am and read for 30 minutes to recover from the heat outside.  We break at 12:30 and resume studies after lunch.  During the summer, classes are about 3 1/2 hours each day.  We maintain a schedule after formal studies conclude, too.  After lunch, we usually have a science lab or project.  Each day, Paul, 10, has 30 minutes of guitar, 10 minutes of typing, and thirty minutes programming.  We try to add 20 minutes of art, too.  Paul is making Christmas projects, largely photos and custom art.  This schedule allows plenty of time to play board games, shoot nerf guns in the basement, or text his uncle, Fr. Josh.  

It is going to be a shock stetting a schedule.  Start now!  Begin with class from 9-noon.  Add a reading block after lunch or extended recess.  Plan a few hands-on projects for the afternoon.  I’ll post a few ideas for projects in the next post.  Don’t wait.  Get your household back on track with a schedule.

Read the classics!

Did you know many private schools assign summer reading? (Here is an example.). I don’t want to knock summer library programs.  Many kids enjoy the challenges and earning prizes.  Instead, I propose reading a list of classics.    Paul, just 10, has read Hatchet, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Great Brain Series.  Here, here, and here are lists with classics.  Do a search of free Kindle classics: Tom Sawyer, The Jungle Book, Treasure Island, Little Women, The Secret Garden, Little House Series, The Box-Car Children, Robin Hood, Five Little Peppers, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan.  The list goes on!  Start by reading The Great Brain series.  They are hard to put down!  Read one of your childhood favorites together, such as A Little Princess.  Many of these are available digitally from your library.  Get going!

How to study!

I did not learn how to study until college.  My kids learned in elementary school.  We are teaching Paul how to study.  The means vary with each subject.  Right now, Paul is memorizing 50 elements from the Periodic Table.  How?  First he wrote ten elements several times and I quizzed him.  We add five more elements each day.  If he misses any, we pause and learn those before continuing.  In History, Paul uses Sea to Shining Sea.  He reads the textbook and works through the study guide.  At the end of the chapter, he answers the review questions, and quizzes.  Then he prepares a study guide: key persons, important events, discoveries, etc, using the textbook, workbook, and quizzes.  Then we test.  Our goal is to develop study skills.  Writing out material helps make connections.  It’s a process.

Wait! Which books are,good? Why can’t I find one Reading book? How do I teach grammar?

One solution to home-schooling is to enroll in an accredited online program, such as Kolbe.  What if your budget is tight?  Jobs are uncertain.  One parent may be furloughed.  I can understand why you want to try to go it alone.  In elementary school, stick with the basics: Math, English, History, and Science.  You can always add subjects. I am going to recommend textbooks that are widely used.  Why?  There are many used copies available, making them cheaper.   Let’s start with Math.  Saxon Math is the gold standard.  You need both the textbook and solution manual.   Get the same edition.  The math content has NOT changed significantly.  Buy the cheapest set you can find. 

 The best elementary science science series I have used is the Young Explorers Exploring Creation.  Try to buy the textbook and journal.  You may want to buy a lot of textbooks to save if you have two or three elementary aged children.  The notebooking journals have a syllabus, vocabulary crosswords, and review questions.  They are nice to use—but pricy.  

In History, I use textbooks from the Catholic Textbook Project.  Even used copies are expensive and difficult to find.  However, Bob Jones Heritage Studies are fine and widely available used.  You will need the textbook, teacher’s manual, and student workbook for either series.  

I find English to be challenging.  I want literature, grammar, vocabulary, and composition—not a piecemeal set of exercises.  I like a basal reader.  I finally decided to use Houghton Mifflin Anthology Reading books and practice books from 2004.  Here and here are examples.  Supplement with Classics and have your child write book reports.  We use Zane-Bloser handwriting, Sadlier Workshop, and Easy Grammar—with lessons on how to diagram sentences.  

You may want to add Geography, Latin, Art , and Music.  Fine.  Be sure you have the core.  How do you teach it?  Do a page or story each day until you finish.  Planning sorted.