Family Projects

 Our little household does many science projects.  What type of projects does your family enjoy?  A friend’s family devised a timeline of music which spanned the perimeter of their home classroom.  Have you considered Teaching about Famous Artists?  (Here is a book!). Several home-school families raise chickens as a project: exotic breeds, organic practices, or as part of 4H projects.  Dick Blick has Fiber Art Project Ideas.  What about learning how to knit?  Make your first family project Team Scarves.  Brainstorm ideas as a family: gardens, sheds, woodworking, leather crafts, 4H, Scouts, even an  Etsy Business.  Here is how I brainstorm.  Ask your family, “If money were no object, what would you like to do?”  Now, when the kids answer, “Go to Disney World!,” ask them how to pay for the trip.  I had a young friend who built and sold Adirondack chairs.  He was ten!  What projects could your family do?

Word of the Day

 Our little household uses Vocabulary Workshop.  These booklets are packed with vocabulary enrichment. Additionally, novels and textbooks bolster vocabulary.  You can also use Word of the Day.  I taught at two private schools which used WODs from the elementary grades.  Another good source of WODs is Script’s Spelling Bee’s Words of Champions.  BTW many home-schoolers compete nationally.  Want to include a bit more rigor?  Take a word, spell it, use it in a sentence, and specify synonyms.  Do one a day.  Learn a word’s etymology, such as cardiovascular, using an etymology dictionary.  See why we also learn Latin?

Teach your child how to learn!

I teach a teen and a ten year old.  My goal is for them to learn how to teach themselves.  The teen sets her goals based on a curriculum.  With a year under her belt, she is evaluating assignments, estimating time to finish, and allotting time each day to achieve her,goals.

How do we get there?  With younger kids, start with a schedule.  Get the child in the habit of taking out materials and working on the next assignment.  Here’s an example.  Paul, ten, is memorizing about 50 elements on the Periodic Table.  This week, he is learning 1-36.  He writes out the names and studies.  We have a system.  I add a few more elements each week.  Paul studies the Table in the book, closes it, and takes out the blank copy for the test.  

Each day, sit down and give your kids the list of tasks for the day.  Start with the hardest or least liked subject.  We have materials in bins to make it easier to pull out materials.  If you assign one page or short assignment for each book, your child should be able to move from task to task independently.  Try it!  Below is a photo of our bin system.  I bought felt bins from Five Below.

Set up your space!

 One important task is to set up your school space!  Below is a tour of the basement classroom.  I teach Co-op science classes in addition to other home-school classes.  But look below.  Basics include a white board, table and chairs, caddies for supplies (calculators, pens, rulers, and markers), shelves, bins, and  a copier.  Practical supplies include a clock, trash can, extra tables, and book cases for all of the textbooks and binders.  Since I teach science, there are loads of supplies.  I mark boxes in large letters.  Stock up on paper, sharpies, etc.  Your needs will differ.  I have taught science a long time and have acquired tons of supplies.  But, I think you will get a few ideas.

Math Manipulatives

 Good Will online has a new listing for Math Modeling Sets—basically math manipulatives.  These are usually expensive.  Take a look!

Where can I find affordable educational materials?

Math U See manipulative sets are available from Good Will online.  (Be sure to check retail prices WITH SHIPPING COST before you bid.). Good Will has LEGO Educational kits, Snap Circuits, Rosetta Stone Language Programs, Reading sets, and general supplies.  I have bought microscopes, graphing calculators, computers, and iPods, too.  Any electronic is a riskier bid.  Microscopes are risky bids.  Instead I have switched to digital microscopes with laptops.  The microscope interfaces with the laptop’s camera.  Kids focus the slide with the digital microscope, snap a screen shot, and sketch the microscope slide.  

Before you bid, compare prices on eBay and Amazon—both new and used.  I have used Good Will successfully for five years.  The few times I have had a problem, such as an overhead projector arrive smashed, Good Will resolved things quickly.  Take a look!

Set a timer!

Does your child balk over assignments?  Set a timer.  Kids usually like the idea there is a finite period of time for any project, assignment, or activity.  We use timers all the time.  During the summer, we designated three hours for the core four: Math, Science, History, and English.  We might stretch the time to 3 1/2 hours.  What about the rest of the day?  It’s all timed.  It’s been so hot, we do a 45 minute walk/bike ride after breakfast.  When we return, we are all sapped from the heat.  Then it’s 15 minutes to read, get a drink, and recover.  Now the three hour, core four countdown begins.  After lunch and School, it’s time for a project: K’nex roller coaster, a science lab, photography, or art.  Labs or K’nex take about 45 minutes.  Paul, ten, loathes any craft.  He will do some art.  Art usually is about 20 minutes.  Everyday, Paul and my husband do 30 minutes of guitar, sometimes lessons, sometimes,practice.  Paul’s daddy wants him to learn how to program and type.  Paul also does ten minutes of Mavis Beacon teaches typing and 20 minutes of programming games, such as 7 Billion or MIT Scratch.  He does 15 or 20 minutes of programming the Lego Boost guitar.  Google Home Mini gets a workout everyday.  There is still plenty of time to text Uncle, play Yahtzee or Chess, and read.  Yes, there is plenty of negotiation over the amount of time to set for every activity.