Viking's at Co-Op

 Last Thursday, was the first day our local Co-Op, started back. My kids were so very excited. My youngest was ready to start his Kindergarten Co-Op! Kindergarten is such a Fun time. Most children are at the age, are so eager to learn, mine included.



On their 1st Day, they learned about the Vikings. They learned about the History, they made a sword, shield, and helmet out of cardboard, aluminum foil and a mixing bowl. We also made Viking Bread!

How to make Viking Bread :

4 cups of Flour
 
1 1/2 cups of Buttermilk
 
1tsp of Baking Soda
 
1tsp of salt
 
Mix dry ingredient's first, than add buttermilk slowly stirring. Once mixed, flatten into a round shape ( Like a pizza crust ). cook 375 degrees for 45 mins.


 This Co-Op is Awesome! They really put a lot of effort into making this a Fun & Educational experience for the children. They do so many things, not just History, but Science for Kindergarten too!

Well, A Homeschool Co-Op is a group of parents, who have chosen to homeschool. That get together at a set date and time on a regular basis and in a joint effort provide learning & Social opportunities.








My oldest is also a part of the Co-Op. She is, however, in a different class. This year they are offering Drama. My daughter is so dramatic! Loves to be silly and put on skits. So, she was super happy to hear this. She also is taking part in another class. Over the next few weeks they are learning about Forestry.

Besides Co-Op, our Homeschooling week has gone pretty well. My youngest is doing very well in learning his letter and the letter sounds. My oldest, however, has been having issues with her writing. We have noticed that it has been taking her a very long time to complete her worksheets. After watching her, we have discovered that she was writing some of her letters bottom to top, instead of top to bottom. I am totally surprised how this has gone un-noticed for so long! Thankfully, I have found it and can help re-teach her correctly. So, today we did some handwriting practice. She did very well and I believe that her writing will not only be faster, but look neater as well.

Until Next time...
 

The Moon and the stars...

 This week in our homeschool lessons, we had fun exploring the universe. Science has always been one of my favorite subjects and to me there is nothing more interesting then Space. So, far we have only touched on the Sun, Moon, and Stars, but next week we will be exploring the different planets in our solar system. BTW, did you know that the Sun can reach up to 27 million degrees F (15 million degrees C)? Now that's Hot!


 In other homeschool news, we have discovered that my son is very much a Math visual learner. I bought some of those fake money's. You know, paper bills and plastic coins.
To me, money isn't just about learning the value, it's about learning how to use it, in real life situations. So, I thought why not set up a pretend store and let him shop.

It was actually pretty fun. It reminded me of when I was little and I would play house with my friends. We would set up areas that were stores with pretend food and baby clothes, etc.


Until next time...

Learning isn't just for kids

Recently, we had our year-end Homeschool Evaluations. (In our State, we are required to either have our children tested or have a Teacher provide an evaluation.) Anyways, my kids passed with Flying colors, which is always Awesome! However, even though this always puts a smile on my face and theirs too, the best part of these meetings for me, is the ideas that are given to me to try from the Evaluator.

For example, I have been assigning a lot of Writing assignments to my oldest. Since I have taken an English Comp. class in the past myself at the local College, I was grading her papers as if I was proof reading my own (I of course, gave her age appropriate, writing assignments to complete). The advice she gave me, was to just focus on one area of critique, at a time. Check for spelling only on one paper and maybe punctuation the next. Then later on, I can always take out her older papers and check them for other areas too. This is an idea, I would have never thought to do. I thought if I let anything that was incorrect go, then I would be teaching her the wrong way to write. The way she explained it to me was, that by focusing on one area only, it will be easier for her to focus and learn.

Another suggestion she offered up, was to just be flexible. If she needs to improve on any Subject, then instead of more boring worksheets, allow her to  Play free games online.
This idea was not new to me, as I am always open to learning while having Fun. The next suggestion she gave, however, did surprise me a bit. She advised me, to let her do some lower grade level work (Third grade games, fourth grade games, etc.) as it will give her confidence and reinforce what she has already learned.



 Do you have any homeschooling suggestions? Please feel free to share them!

Until next time...

It's Time for...

It is that time of year again, the time where most Homeschooling family's, once again start their School year. 
For our family, we never really stop. We choose to Homeschool year-round, breaking when we feel is best. Still, when August comes around, we still do many of the things other Homeschool family's do. For example, we stock up on school supplies, buy new clothes, re- evaluate our Curriculum, plan field trips, etc.

This year we have decided to continue to use Time4Learning for our core curriculum. We have been using them for almost 5 years now and we really like it. Since T4L just expanded on their pre-k- 8th Grade program, to included High School Courses, I have a feeling we will be using them for many, many more years to come ;)

 
We have also decided to take advantage of SpellingCity's "Back-to-School" promotion and upgrade our Free account to a Free month of the Premium Version. We already love the free version ~> spelling lists, games, vocabulary test, etc. and I am looking forward to what the premium version will offer.

We also will be finishing up our study on the Presidents, and the History of our Country ( we are now on the Civil War ).










For my youngest, who will be going into the 1st grade soon. We will continue with the flash cards, educational games ( Old Maid "learn your letter card game", word picture puzzles, etc. )

My oldest, will continue work on her reading. She wants to see how many books she can read in one year. So, far this month she is on book number 2!!!  Hard to believe that she was a late reader ;)

We are also going to be part of our local 4-H, and my oldest is going to be taking a Drama Class and both of my kids will be participating in a local Co-op this Fall. I am sure there will be loads of learning opportunity's for them there,  as well as opportunities for making friends.

As with any Homeschool year, I am sure there will be things added, tweaked, etc.

Unit next time...

Happy Homeschooling :)

 

Home Schooling & Public Schooling

When it comes to how your child will be educated, there are pros and cons of homeschooling as well as public schooling. However, depending on the person you ask, the answers they may give could vary.

Many parents want a structured environment for their children. Some parents want to be able to pick and choose what their child will learn.

Socialization is another area that is debatable.There are parents that feel that a public school setting, will provide their child with many opportunity's to create friendships. Where some parents may feel like the potential for bulling, peer pressure and children made to be around the same age group, could negatively impact their child.  These parents may feel that they can provide better, more postive opportunity's through Church, sports, co-ops, etc.




 Public school are often thought to prepare children better academically because of access to Teachers, etc.  However, many homeschooling parents are prepared to seek out private tutoring, co-op classes, friends and family to help in areas that are needed for their chidren.
Another advantage to homeschooling, that many parents feel is a pro, is that it  allows for more one on one attention for their children.








Cost is another bump in the road for many parents. Homeschooling can vary, this will depend on you. Curriculum's range in price and many our very affordable. Some parents have even managed to homeschool for almost nothing.


Supplies like paper, glue, pencils, etc. do not cost anymore either route you go ( I always take advantage of my states Tax free Weekend to get most of what I will need for the years ). Clothing can also cost less if you homeschool. (Again this depends on you.) Since you are at home more, the need for as many outfits for your children maybe less. ( This is true for my own family ) Another reason I have heard many times is that parents want their "Me" time. They enjoy that time they get alone when their child is in school. I have also heard the opposite as well. Many parents choose to homeschool because they do not want to be away from their children.


In the end, the pros and cons of ether choice, depends on the person. What I may think is a pro, some one else may feel is a con, and vise versa.

So, if you are considering if you should Homeschool or not. Don't make a decision because I think its the best route. Do it because you feel Homeschooling has more pros than cons for you and your children!

Until Next Time...

In the Learning Mood?

So, you wake up to another day of Homeschooling and you and/or your kids are not in the learning mood. What to do?









1. Take a Hooky day! Sometimes you just need to have day to recharge your batteries. Relax, go to the park, Beach, or have a play date.

2. Watch Educational TV programs or just go and watch a movie.

3. Let your kids play on the computer. There are tons of educational websites out there.

4. Play games! Scrabble, Monopoly, Uno, Go Fish, ABC games, hangman game, etc.

5. Have a reading day. Either have your kids pick from your personal library, take a trip to the library, or order off of Kindle.


Until Next Time...

Milestones come when it's the "write" time...

 

So, is it living or nonliving? That was the question. When kids are growing up, there is a time where they have yet developed the understanding of what is really alive and what is not.

 I remember once, when my son was younger, him asking me if he could go see SpongeBob's pineapple house. Cute, I know :) Then not too long ago he started asking me whether or not certain things were real or not. I knew at that moment that he had reached another level in how his brain thinks. This opened up a whole new way I could teach him and so many things he could now grasp. This has been one of our most recent learning milestones in our home.


My daughter is the oldest and as I have mentioned before, she loves reading. Which warms my heart because she struggled for so long to learn. Of course now she is at the library weekly, checking out hundred paged books and zipping through them like nothing ;)
So, to keep her in the right direction, she is starting an elementary online writing program! Even though she is such an Amazing reader, her writing could be improved.I am sure I will see her flourish in that area as well, very soon!

Until next Time...