Twizzlers Geometry

 We’ve been doing loads of science experiments with candy.  I’m trying to find ways to use all of my Twizzlers.  Lines and Angles uses Twizzlers and Skittles.  Perfect!  I still have loads of jelly beans, too, from Jelly Bean Dichotomous Keys.  Here are multiplication and division activities with Twizzlers and Skittles.  The author is promoting her TPT store.  Make your own arrays—possibly with Skittles or jelly beans.

Create a Digital Portfolio

I’m creating a slideshow to submit to Paul’s online school for quarterly grades.   I’ve been taking photos, videos, and scans to enter into Slides.  I’m in the habit of documenting work and recording grades into Google Classroom.  The slideshow is another step to make things easier for the advisor at the online school to evaluate Paul’s work.  I had the idea to make short videos of Paul playing guitar, shooting baskets, and demonstrating the exercise station in the basement.  Going forward, I plan to enter work samples in slideshow whenever I post a grade to Classroom.  Next quarter, most of the work submitting grades and work samples will be done.

Candy Math Lesson

 I’m an advocate for science and math.  Paul, ten, campaigns for more science and math with candy.  Here is a math lesson, Twizzlers Linear Regression.  We did the lesson with the graphing calculator.  Below is a video explaining how to graph a linear regression in the TI 83–which operates similarly to the TI 84.  The kids eat and measure Twizzlers, then record and graph the data.  This is fun!

Want another great lesson? Clean!

 Our oven is a mess!  I’m reluctant to use the self-clean setting.  The repairman said it could strain or destroy sensitive electronics.  I don’t want to asphyxiate our little household with commercial oven cleaners.  There are many DIY mixtures.   This blogger tested eight recipes for oven cleaners.  What a great home-school lesson!  Let your kids research and test different cleaning recipes.  I have a brass tray and want to test these DIY ideas.  What about DIY laundry detergents?  Stain removers? Let your child take the lead, do some research, and conduct the experiments.  Let her create a folder on Google Drive to save the most promising recipes.  Would she like to create a book of recipes with her own notes and photos to make Christmas presents?  Let her compare prices to upload and creat a book.  It’s another way to add a bit of tech and experimentation to your home-school routine.

Want a great lesson? Bake!

Do you want a great home-school lesson?  Bake bread.  Try  this No Knead recipe.  We baked a boule on a pizza stone and rolls in a cast iron skillet.  Compare this recipe by kneading the dough.  Bake similarly sized loaves on different surfaces: aluminum pan, baking stone, and cast iron skillet.  Unleash your creative child.  She’ll be reading and testing recipes for hours.

Do you work on every subject every day?

 Do you work on every subject everyday?  It depends.  Our little household is working to complete quarter exams.  This week the bulk of our energy has gone into studying and testing.  Usually, we make the Core Four, Math, History, Science, and English a priority.  We make adjustments.  If Paul is writing a book report, we do Vocabulary, and ease off Grammar that day.  If we are doing a science lab in the afternoon, we do one page in the Science workbook.  

I home-school a teen, too.  She does much better with blocks of subjects on different days.  Together we save blocks of time for editing papers.  We meet by Zoom frequently, sometimes daily to assess progress.  We make adjustments all the time.  

Young kids thrive in structure.  Assign a bit of work in every subject every day.  As the kids mature, try to balance the work.  If we have a heavy load of tests, we assign reading in the textbooks, rather than loads of written work.  If a science model takes an hour, I divide the Grammar into smaller chunks.  How does your child thrive?  Go ahead and make adjustments.

Great Courses

 Good Will has several listings for The Great Courses.  These DVD sets can be a tremendous supplement o your home-school program.  Your teen can try a language or a course, such as photography, to see if she likes it.  Don’t forget to check the shipping before you bid on any Good Will listing.  The listings are,from Good Will stores across the U.S.  Some stores gross up shipping or attach large handling fees.  Take a look?