Indie Education

What's Goin' On

2011-10-01T15:44:00.000-04:00

We know that summer is over when we watch the South Vienna Corn Festival parade go by our house. The handsome man carrying the American flag is indeed my husband in his US Air Force Honor Guard uniform.

Which brings us month into the school year. Alanna and Neal have both declared their independence from scheduling by asking to do their school on their own, mostly. Alanna, in particular, has an ulterior motive: she wants a hamster. To get permission, she has to do her lessons regularly and without fail.

So far, she's adapting well. She often will do the whole week's health reading in one day, then math on another day, etc., but that seems to work well. She finished her history book entirely in a few long sittings. She does do Spanish every day, though, since it's important for achieving any real fluency.

Every week I leave messages for the kids on what needs to be accomplished. Every day we meet for a while to talk, look over assignments, talk some more, check Neal's Khan Academy math progress, talk a while, play a game, etc. This seems to work well.

So school right now has a structured period of 'checking in', an obvious set of expectations, and a fair amount of freedom.

Very Nice Infographic!

2011-08-12T11:16:00.002-04:00

Via: Online College Source

Working on Next Year..Logically!

2011-07-05T12:44:00.000-04:00

I'm hard at work devising our plans for the next year of school. Neal is pretty much a junior, though he needs a math credit. Alanna is beginning her freshman year.

Last year, we studied The Art of Argument by Aaron Larsen and Joelle Hodge.

Those of you who know our family are now asking yourselves, "They really need to teach their kids to argue? I thought that the kids do a fine job already!" But no, this is basic logic and beginning debate. Various informal fallacies are introduced, with creative illustrations and faux ads to bring it all alive. We had a some interesting discussions last year, mostly centered around the use of fallacies in politics, media and religion.

This year, we will move on to the second book, The Discovery of Deduction, which introduces more formal logic. In it, we'll discover Socratic dialogue, reducing arguments to symbols and much more.

We don't usually spend a long time at it. The books seem to be so effective that Allie and Neal remember without having to drag it out and reteach repeatedly. It's a nice way to begin a school day. Logic gets their brains in gear and prepares them for the joys of math!

A Visit to COSI...and a strange thing...

2011-06-23T21:05:00.000-04:00

We made one of our frequent trips to COSI - the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus - and had a wonderful time. Prices have gone up and discounts have gone down, but we bought a yearlong membership, which cost a little more than our single visit would have cost.

We were a bit surprised, though, to find this in the Science Store:

I like a good foot massage as well as the next girl, but it won't cure cancer or asthma or much of anything, as has been proven by numerous studies done by actual scientists. So why is it in a science museum? I asked the people at the checkout, who said that "some people" believe that there "might " be evidence for FR as an actual medical treatment of value. "We like to keep an open mind."

Ever heard of the Placebo Effect?

Ending This School Year...

2011-06-11T13:52:00.000-04:00

The snow and ice finally turned to rain,drenched us for two solid months, then settled in to a more usual pattern of extreme heat, dotted with heavy storms and frequent tornado warnings. Our weather alert radio has certainly been busy these past few weeks!

Neal and Alanna once again opted for Standardized Tests rather than building portfolios for the year-end evaluation required by the State of Ohio. They were both in the top one percent, which Severus Snape would call "acceptable."

This past year was quite interesting. A few high points:

Alanna continued her reading and writing gains. She has finished three books, but she says that they are not worthy of publishing.

Neal continues to scarf down and absorb facts as quickly as he does food, which is saying something. He's also quite adept as Tech Support.

Thanks go out to CK12.org and KhanAcademy.org for brilliant resources! It's wonderful to have someone actually explain algebra in a video or on an e-book so cogently.

Neal started a novel, which began brilliantly but soon fizzed out. I'm still wondering how the story would have gone!

We charted Neal and Alanna's progress in high school subjects. Neal is through nearly two years, and Alanna has about 1/2 a year of credits.

**************************************************

The return of Deathly Heat must mean that school is over, more or less for this academic year - except for the frequent educational excursions and activities that we do in the summer as a matter of course. Since we've discovered the Blue Star Museum program, which allows military families free admission to hundreds of museums across the US this summer, we've been salivating over the lists. COSI, Westcott House, Boonschoft Museum, Columbus Museum of Art...they're all on there, and they only cost the (substantial) amount of gas money that it takes to drive there. If gas was cheaper, we'd be on the road weekly, hitting nearby states, but that's a fantasy for the future. Right now we'll just stay close to home, except when we visit Renee or Claire.

I'll be back soon with news of Next Year's Plans. Until then, please enjoy this shot of a Very Educated Baby:

Now guess which baby that is!

Library Search Results Gone Wrong

2011-06-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

Interesting suggestion, yes? I was looking for this book...

And got this one...

Amazing new parenting help!

2011-01-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

Be sure to read the reviews on this...they will astonish you! Tjis kit will change your life! Cheap, too!

Amazon.com: Parent Child Testing Product, 5 Pack: Toys & Games

School Report, Winter 2011

2011-01-17T13:02:00.000-05:00

Snow. Lots of snow. Weeks and weeks of snow, on the ground since sometime in the beginning of December.

We've been sledding several times since mid-December, usually with Elizabeth and once with Ken. Or rather, they've been sledding. Going down the hill on a sled makes me nauseated, which is really, really wimpy, I know. So I sit in the van at the bottom of the hill and read books on the Kobo reader that Evan gave me for Christmas. Can't get bored with 150+ books along!

Any suggestions for books to download?

As for our school report...

Ken as started studying Geographic Information Systems online with Columbus State. Basically, he'll be making sense of all the magnificent information that is available from satellites, Google, surveys, etc. He's been into geography since he was able to think about the world. I think that it started with this book:

We recently got one for Brenna and Noah. Now they can plan their trips around the world, and start their own imaginary travel agency!

Neal and Alanna are studying Twentieth Century History together. We're using a wide variety of books, and a set of videos:

They're nice for giving an overview of time periods, and they help make mental pictures that stay in the mind. They're a bit graphic, though. I skipped through the parts about amputation in the Civil War. It was more than we needed to see!

I also looked up a list of interesting people, places and events that the kids should know, put them on slips of paper, and let them draw three or four a day. They look them up online and report back to us on what they've found. We discuss not only the subject matter at hand, but also the methods of research used and the reliability of various sources.

In the end, it's most important that they know how to learn and how to find out. Knowledge will grow, and many 'facts' they learn today will be disproved tomorrow, but the thrill of the chase of knowledge will still be there.

Neal is taking a break from Algebra to do some Geometry, as is Alanna.

I'm reviewing a Chemistry book from CK-12 that is online, excellent and entirely free! Open Source texts are awesome! I've also found a Conceptual Physics text that is also OS.

2010-09-27T14:27:00.001-04:00

Click here to enlarge

Thanks to Homeschool Math Blog for this great link!

Pictures!

2010-09-26T15:26:00.000-04:00

Brenna turns three! Is that a castle or the Alamo? In any case, Neal will be on hand to help eat it...

Noah is unimpressed...

Oh noes! A Fairy Princess is on the loose! Hide your wishes!

Homeschooling Chemistry - Online Reosurces

2010-09-22T13:33:00.000-04:00

Chem 4 Kids
An excellent site with a complete chem course for seven- to twelve- year olds. Very nicely done!

All Info About Chemistry
News, experiments, clip art, science fair projects...a lot of info here!

About.com Chemistry for Kids
Experiments, evaluations of chemistry sets, and good explanations.

MathMol Hypertext
Links chemistry and math with excellent graphics.

Chymist
Experiments and explanations...really useful!!

Periodic Table Worksheets
here at AIA

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Experiments and Helps

Chemistry Comes Alive!
Several really fascinating experiments that you can watch...and probably not try at home!! Nice explosions!

Delights of Chemistry
Photos and video of over 100 experiments from the University of Leeds.

United Nuclear
Many fun experiments, with supplies sold onsite. Our favorite is "Water starts a Fire." Be aware, though, that this doesn't start a small flame: it starts a whooshing bright green blaze that destroyed the foil we started it on....

The pH Factor
A fun site for 8 to 12 year olds.

How to Color Fire
One of our family favorites! Try this at your next bonfire, and you can call it school!!

Burning Money
What you often feel like you're doing anyway...so why not do it literally?

Common Chemicals Around Your Home
Need something for an experiment, but afraid that ordering it will put you on a list at Homeland Security? Check other sources.

Fun With Alkali Metals!
A video of something that you probably don't want to try at home!

Curiosities
A list of things that keep science interesting.

Elements and Periodic Tables

WebElements Periodic Table
An excellent interactive table for teens. Has videos and information about each element.

Printable Periodic Table with Common Uses
A nice poster for kids. Features pictures of common things made with each element.

A Few Other Possible Periodic Tables
A new way of looking at things. Have your teen design her own!

Fun

Chemistry comics

The TWINKIES Project
Fun with bored college students. What happens to a twinkie when you....?

The Google Periodic Table
The top Google picture for each element.

Tom Lehrer
An animated song of the elements...

The Periodic Table of Comic Books
Calcium in Wonder Woman, Tungsten in Metal Men...

Homeschooling Biology - Online Resources

2010-09-22T12:40:00.001-04:00

General Biology Websites

Biology 4 Kids
Excellent sequential lessons about cells, plants, animals, body systems and more. Great for kids ages 8 to 13, for teens' review, or for adult reference.

Treehouses on the Tree of Life
Make your own webpages about various animals, plants, or other organisms as part of this ever-growing project. Hosted bt The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Ask A Biologist
Experiments, articles, links....very useful, especially if you have a question that your books don't answer.

Biology in Action
More video, fascinating!

Biology in Motion
Flash animations of biological processes: digestion, glandular activity, cell division, etc. Helps cement ideas in the memory. Ages 12 and up.

National Geographic Kids
Excellent site, with photos, videos, games, puzzles, news, and many things to keep a kid busy and learning. Great for times when school isn't going to happen....

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Microbial Life, Cells Websites

Microbe World
Stunning site! Videos, photos, news and information about life in the world of the very small. Great for teens, and curious younger ones. Check this out for yourself, also!

Cells Alive!
Another well-done, very visual site, with lots of information games, puzzles, etc. Older kids and teens.

The Virtual Cell
Great for visualizing cell structure. Has a virtual textbook, worksheets, etc.

Heredity

I Can Do That!
For younger kids, ages 5 to 10...very nice explanations of cells, DNA, RNA and cloning. Teacher/parent pages also.

DNA From the Beginning
A really well-done interactive Flash animation site which teaches genetics in a fascinating way. Highly recommended for older kids and teens, and you!

Animal Life

Animal Diversity Web
A teen-level University of Michigan site about taxonomy and the lives and structure of animals. Look up any animal that exists, and several that don't anymore....

Electronic Naturalist
Learning about the world around us...includes 'identify this', ask-a-naturalist, and many fun things to learn.

What's That Bug?
Insects galore! All ages.

All About Birds
From Cornell, a multimedia site that will be a great help to bird watchers and those who have a report to do.... teens and up, unless your younger one LOVES birds...

Human Biology

Human Anatomy Online
Study the systems of the body with pictures and lessons.

What Color Eyes Would Your Children Have?
Basic genetics for older kids and teens...interesting approach! Compare their results with your actual kids!!

Evolution

Becoming Human
Very interactive site about how man evolved. Ages 12 and up.

PBS Evolution Lessons
Student lessons, teacher pages, activities, and videos. 12 and up.

Explorations Through Time
The history of life on earth presented in interactive modules for various age groups. Reading needed, but concepts are well-presented.

Evolving Planet: Tour Through Time
The Field Museum's illustrated timeline about the history of the earth. Older kids and teens.

Mathematics Resources on the 'Net

2010-09-22T12:36:00.000-04:00

Younger Kids' Math Pages

Aunty Math
Every week, new story problems are posted, with options for easier or harder ones. They're generally made for ages 5 to 11, and good explanations are given the next week.

Word Problems for Kids
Hundreds of fun mindbenders to try, with answers and explanations given

Play Kids Games
Several fun games for ages 5 to 10. Great for reinforcing basic skills. Better than flashcards!

Create a Graph
Make graphs with this fun online program!

Figure This!
Math challenges for families!

Math Timeline
Scroll along the timeline and click on the Mathematician's icon...a fun way to learn a bit about the history of mathematics.

Numbernut
Flash tutorials that start with digits and head on through computation.

Timez Attack
A free, really well-done video game that teaches times tables with the aura of a typical adventure computer game!My son did actually plead to play it! The full version costs money, but it's worth it!!

BBC Schools Ages 4 to 11
Games and activities to reinforce learning.

Older Kids' Math Pages (Pre-Algebra and beyond)

Homemade Algebra Tiles
A way to reinforce Algebra lessons for your kinesthetic learner. With explanations of how to use them.

Algebasics
A flash program that teaches algebra interactively, with audio and animations.

Coolmath
A graphically illustrated site with a monster mind reader, fractal generator, crop circle geometry, and algebra animations!

BBC Schools Secondary Math
The Beeb helps the older ones study...

Numb3rs
This mathematically-based show has a website which provides activities to go along with the shows...Bill Nye has even guested on it, so how far off can they be? Actually, the Head of the Mathematics Dept. at Caltech handles their math for them...

Simpsons Math
Yes, the TV show. Al Jean, Executive Producer and head writer, has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University, and many of the shows have a mathematical theme...

World Geography Online

2010-09-22T12:34:00.001-04:00

The World Factbook
Basic maps, geographical information, political information, and much more...from the Central Intelligence Agency. One of the best resources, and more interesting than can be described!

About Geography
Statistics, trivia, quizzes and lots more.

National Geographic,
National Geographic Little Kids Ages 3 to 6
National Geographic Kids Ages 6 to 14
Geobee
National Geographic Education
Some of the best, most visually stimulating sites out there. These sites are perfect not just for study or research, but for turning a kid loose on when you aren't having a traditional school day. Simply wonderful! The educator's site has outline maps, geography bowl questions, family activities, etc. Geobee is a daily quiz site. Train the next homeschooled National Geography Bowl winner!

Pitara Geography
Compare your country with another...how much area? How many TV sets? Main languages?

Earth Cam for Kids
Check out animals, streets, parks, zoos, space...all live and direct.

Lonely Planet WorldGuide
Plan your next vacation - real or imaginary.

Rader's Geography for Kids
More in-depth physical geography. Covers Earth's structure, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere (for a start). Easy to follow, child-friendly and very informative.

Geography IQ
An online world atlas packed with geographic, economic, political, historical and cultural information, as well as currency converters, climate information, and more.

Where is THAT?
An online interactive game with several levels.

Geoglobe
A Thinkquest interactive series of games. Fun, challenging, and useful.

Where does the time go?

2010-09-22T11:21:00.003-04:00

This last week was constantly busy, but it's hard to see what was done.

We've nearly finished the BBC Life series, which was wonderful. Both kids are in Rec Dept. Soccer, so it seems that someone is playing or practicing every night. They've also finished Standard Deviants American Government DVD, which is a great intro to what can be a dry subject.

Allie has read some in Exploring the Way Life Works, and done some work with her cell biology CD-ROM.

She's done several Grammar worksheets, and a few chapters in Calvert Math 6 Practice Exercises and Challenge Math .

She also has more than 200 pages written of her latest novel. She won't let me see it, though!

Neal wanted to blow things up again, or at least set them on fire, but I was a spoilsport and made him do experiments from The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments. Some fun I am!

He's read more chapters in Culture and Values.

Neal is working on Real World Algebra and reviewing with Spectrum Math 8.

He's also doing his best to avoid any kind of writing, except maybe texting!

This Week in Semi-unschooling...

2010-09-13T12:26:00.003-04:00

This past week was a busy one, though not in the usual way. My husband was off work, and that led to atypical activities alongside the Usual Suspects.

Soccer practices and games seemed to dominate the week, whether those of Neal and Allie, Evan, Ken, or all of the above along with eight or nine other people who showed up in our backyard late at night. There were, of course, televised games also.

On the "bookwork" side of things, we watched part of the BBC Life series and more of the Standard Deviants American Government DVD. Allie and Neal both spent time writing and reading. Neal has been listening to Harry Potter books at bedtime also.

Neal and Allie have developed a fascination with the pasta maker. I've come down in the morning several times now and found boxes of fresh homemade pasta in the fridge.

The Local Village Festival was this past weekend, and the kids learned that it wasn't wise to eat a mound of fair food before one intends to go on rides. Messes up one's plans a bit!

Neal and I attended the Ohio Linux Fest in Columbus. We attended five workshops on Ubuntu, video editing, writing in Python, etc. We also got bags full of cool stuff. We had to miss the parade on Saturday, but it was well worth it!

Ken passed his DSST exam, Introduction to Computers. Shocking, no?

First Report

2010-09-02T11:09:00.003-04:00

Nearly two weeks of school done!

We've burned various chemicals to see their colors, looked at onion cells, began our study of the Constitution, watched part of the BBC Life series (the one with David Attenborough), learned a bit about grammar and math, gone to the library in Columbus, played soccer, walked the Darn and Clark Lake, cuddled the kitties, read about a few composers....

We're fairly up-to-date with our folders of work, except maybe on the math. Today should be Math Day, to get us on track.

We've decided that we want to get a Red Panda. Or several.

Abounding English Lessons

2010-08-22T13:08:00.000-04:00

Or, do'nt let you're apostrophe's stray....

(apostrophe's stray what, exactly?)

http://snarkygrammarguide.blogspot.com/

We've decided to use this site as a fascinating add-on for Grammar and writing lessons. It's somehow more memorable to see bad punctuation on a tombstone as an example than to see the usual "Susie met Joey" type sentences.

New Year's Celebration

2010-08-19T13:39:00.002-04:00

School starts in our area next Monday, which means that our house will have a few less young people hanging around the house, so we will start also.

We're considering taking one week off a month, and then having the whole month of July or August off. That would work well with our usual learning patterns, and would mean less review time in the Fall. Same number of days and hours, though.

We filed our paperwork with the county school board on Monday and got our exemption papers on Wednesday. Guess it would be a bit silly to pester families filing for their 23rd exemption!

Here are our intended curricula. Alanna is 10, Neal is 13.

INTENDED CURRICULUM FOR ALANNA 2010-2011

Math

Calvert 6

Life of Fred Fractions

Math Doesn't Suck

Key to Geometry

Challenge Math

Sixth/Seventh Grade math.

Science

Exploring the Way Life Works: The Science of Biology

Biology: Concepts and Connections

Digital Frog and Cell Structures and Functions CD-ROMs

Life BBC DVDs

Biology Coloring Book

Middle school to introductory high school biology, including lab work.

History, American/ World

The Story of US 1776- present

Yo, Millard Fillmore

The World of Abraham Lincoln

Ohio: Our StateOhio: Our State

Springfield and Clark County

The History of the Kellys

McCafferty History Collection

US history from 1800 to the present.

Government

The Words We Live By

Standard Deviants US Government DVD

Introduction to the Constitution and basic structure of the government, local, state and national.

English/ Literature

Writing

Reading : Adventures in American Literature

Grammar : Writers Inc

Major American Poets

Alanna will continue work on her novels and read voraciously for a few hours a day.

Philosophy

Sophie's World

Basic introduction to philosophy for young people.

Spanish

BBC Online Spanish Lessons

Soccer

Bicycling

Walking

Wii Fit

Art

Pottery Class, Springfield Museum of Art

Drawing Class

INTENDED CURRICULUM FOR NEAL , 2010 - 2011

Math

Real World Algebra

Life of Fred Algebra

Spectrum Math 8

Continue basic Algebra, review arithmetic.

Science

Earth Science - The Teaching Company DVDs

Chemistry - The Teaching Company DVDs

Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments Thomson

The Extraordinary Chemistry of Ordinary Things Snyder

The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry Gonick and Criddle

Finish Earth Science, begin basic high school chemistry with lab.

Health

You: The Owner's Manual Roizen and Oz

Intro to teen health.

History, Geography

World Geography Today Holt
Economics Williams

Introduction to college geography and economics.

English

Painless Grammar

Shakespeare for Dummies

Hamlet - Stewart and Tennant

Romeo + Juliet - DiCaprio and Danes

Macbeth - Sexton

Frequent writing and reading, Shakespeare.

Computer

Assorted Linux Distributions: Ubuntu, Fedora, PCOS, Linux Mint, etc.

Building another computer

COMP TIAA A+ Certification studies on ProProf.com

DANTES Introduction to Computing

More exploration of technology.

Soccer

Bicycling

Swimming

Art and Music

Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities Cunningham and Reich

CLEP Tests...

2010-07-26T09:50:00.002-04:00

For a fun summer project, Neal, Ken and I will be taking the Information Systems and Computer Applications CLEP exam next month or so. The tests are free for my husband and I, and cost about $100 each for the boys. That's pretty cheap for three to six college credits, not to mention the savings in gas, time, etc.

We got a CD-ROM with an information outline and practice tests. I looked over the outline for a few minutes and then tried the exam. Eighty-one out of 100. Not bad, especially considering that sixty is passing!

CLEP / AP Courseware - Information Systems & Computer Applications

So now I'm going to offer the boys a prize if they can beat my score on the actual test. And maybe they can do dishes for a week if I win!

Summer Break...Sort Of....

2010-06-28T12:59:00.003-04:00

We finished our exams. I've sorted the books and stored the best for Brenna and Noah. A few that need to be finished or reviewed are on the desk waiting. I've even chosen the basic outlines for the Fall's Learning Season.

But learning continues here between the Asiatic Lilies and the enormous tomato plants. Alanna and Elizabeth have their own garden behind the Gray Building (my husband's great-grandfather's former blacksmith shop that's next to our house.) Their broccoli is gorgeous, and their pumpkin plant is threatening to engulf the entire back of the building! The girls also have a pottery class starting tomorrow.

Neal has plans involving soccer, computers and science experiments, but he's a bit vague. Thirteen is a vague year.

We do have a bit of math to review this summer, and a bit of a history book to finish ( A History of USBook 3 on the American Revolution.) We'll squeeze that in between painting the front porch and redoing the living room floor. Our current family debate is about whether to paint the porch white with green accents, like the rest of the house, or Black and Gold to honor the Columbus Crew Football (soccer to you, probably!) team...

School Report!

2010-04-13T15:08:00.001-04:00

We've wandered aimfully (Is that a word? My spellcheck says no, but it certainly seems like it should be!) through this school year, dodging heavy snows, rearranging the house and welcoming Renee and Brad's new baby son. Our academic year is fairly well over. We've nearly finished our CAT tests (from Seton Homeschool) to satisfy the demands of the Almighty State.

Here are our current school activities:

Alanna, age 10:

Fractions workbook
Key to Geometry
Calvert Math Workbook

A History of US
George Washington's World

Real Science for Kids Chemistry

Rummy Roots (Latin and Greek root words game)

Writing her constant novels

Reading a few hours a night

Soccer

Logic problems

Girl Scouts

Drawing

Computer

Cooking, etc.

Neal, age 13:

The Teaching Company's High School Chemistry
Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments

The Teaching Company's Early Middle Ages

Real World Algebra
Key to Algebra

Soccer

Computer - Linux admin

Writing

Reading - just got the new John Green book!

Making videos

Should keep us busy for a while. I'm thinking about continuing school off and on through the summer, but the best-laid plans of mice and men and homeschoolers....

A Blast from the Past...

2010-04-09T19:35:00.001-04:00

It's confession time.

I've already confessed to allowing my children to be woefully ignorant of spelling tests, and to not gluing their behinds to their chairs while they fill in the Thousand Multiplication Problems of Doom. I've admitted to letting them build Lego castles when they 'should' be staring balefully at my face while I drone on endlessly (I'm good at that!) I also freely own up to the fact that I have no respect for 'grade levels' of any books, including textbooks....and educational "experts of the month" don't rate much better.

Time for more admissions of guilt:

We've had lessons in bathroom cleaning....with certificates given to the graduates.
I let my thirteen-year-old sleep in until ten (or later!) so that I can have some uninterrupted time teaching the two younger ones. Granted, we don't get up until 8:30, and our lessons don't start until 10 or so, but maybe that's a different confession.
We do Chemistry experiments that involve flame and small explosions. This is not approved by the Great Nannies that be.
We don't issue grades. Who would we being comparing the kids to, and why?
When someone runs into something they can't quite understand, we don't drone on and on, call for experts or medication, or label the kid a failure. We put it away for a few weeks or months, then go back. Usually the difficulty will have resolved itself in the child's brain on its own.
I have let my thirteen-year-old out of 'schoolwork' so that he can fix the computer.
We've played games all day and called it school
We've cooked all day and called it school.

Vacations are counted as school...it's living geography, right? And the kids do a lot of reading and puzzles.
We use Dell puzzle books for math sometimes.
We've had school while one child was dressed as Laura Ingalls, one was a princess, and one was a policeman. And it was nowhere near Halloween.
I firmly believe that reading Scientific American or Seed or Ranger Rick magazine is as good or better than reading a science textbook.
When they were in that stage, I've let a child do fifteen or twenty mazes or eight or ten crosswords at a time. (I also let a little one eat pickle after pickle- along with her usual food- for a few days...until she gave it up on her own. She was fine, but she smelled like garlic for a week!)
Reading class is often done in bed.

But my biggest confession is that I don't really teach high-school-aged kids much at all. I enable them to teach themselves.

Actually, this transfer of educational power begins when the little one can read. Reading is the ultimate power-grab: it introduces the child to a whole world of knowledge that Mommy and Daddy don't mediate. Of course we help our children choose books, but in the end, the book has power in a child's mind that we can't entirely foresee.

I also keep lessons short and to the point during the preteen years. This gives the children time to develop their own interests and talents, which, in our family, has meant that every one of them who has reached age ten or twelve has several things he or she can do better than my husband or I.

By the time they're in their early teens, the transition to self-education is well along. I give them ideas and make occasional assignments. We discuss their choices of subjects to explore, and I help them keep it all balanced. As they head on to the middle teens, we discuss what they'll need for whatever college or career plans they have and try to match the course of study with their choices, keeping in mind that they need to be educated people first, good ACT testers somewhere down the line.

This has (so far) produced three teens who made the transition to college easily, since they were used to studying and finding information on their own. They also have had the motivation needed to keep gong even when it got tough. The lack of reliance on traditional texts and parroting techniques has also made them less likely to simply accept what they're taught because they've seen how differently two sources can portray the same 'facts', and more likely to question their teachers. The two who are now adults are motivated people who keep expanding their educational horizons because they enjoy it.

Ultimately, that is our greatest educational goal: to teach people how to teach themselves.

That, and teaching them to clean bathrooms!

Moments From Our House...

2010-04-09T18:26:00.001-04:00

The first is really to our house...

Brenna, age two, really, really wants to see her uncles, Evan, Ken and Neal. She knows just how to entice them to make the three-hour drive to her house, too.

Brenna says that she is going to buy a soccer ball for $200 and 'message' her uncles to play soccer.

It might be a bit difficult, since a quick scan of the Eurosport catalog reveals no $200 soccer balls. Shoes (aka 'boots') for a lot more than that, but no balls. They probably do exist, but we just won't tell Brenna that.

Second is Neal and the Standardized Test.

The State of Ohio. in it's Grandiose Wisdom, requires yearly evaluation of homeschooled children. This can be in the form of the evaluation of a portfolio of the student's work by a certified teacher or a nationally-normed exam.

Yes, I know that we're not even locally normal, let alone nationally so, but last year we decided to try the California Achievement Test. (Yes, it's abnormal for Ohio, but the State accepts it. And at least it's not as grueling as the Ohio Achievement Test, which spreads terror into the heart of Ohio students every April, after months of being drilled in the teeny-tiny necessary skills and harangued into anxiety over Loss of Money for the School, which would Obviously Be The Children's Fault, of course.)

So Alanna got down to business and finished her test in sections over three days. No nonsense, no fooling around, she's done.

Neal has been busy, but he's done part of his also. But he spends longer after the test commenting on the low level of thought required by the test.

"Can you read?" is one question, but "Can you actually think about what you read?" is another. They barely ask the first question, and never ask the second, which is what puzzles Neal.

The math on the eighth grade exam is only slightly different from the math on Allie's Fourth Grade exam. Shouldn't the extra four years mean advancement?

Meditations on a Football Pitch

2010-04-02T16:09:00.004-04:00

(Notice that I didn't say “soccer field.” My kids would berate me soundly if I did!)

It's that time of year again, when kids head to the pitch and start kicking a blac-and-white (or pink-and-white) ball around and yelling “Goal!!” a lot. Our yard regularly fills with teenagers who bounce balls on their heads and try to kick them through the goals that Ken made out of PVC pipe last year. Practice fills the evenings, and dinner is once again served in shifts.

Meanwhile, Mom waits in the van, writing and having a few minutes of uninterrupted reading time. Sometimes I get out of the van and walk for a bit of exercise and fresh spring air, if it happens to be a reasonable day.

Long ago, it seems, I made the pilgrimages to the pitches or playground fields with a baby, a toddler, and the child or children in their cleats and shin guards, water bottles clutched or forgotten on the kitchen counter. Then, practices and games were times to amuse little siblings while waiting for Older Sibling, or to drop of Child Number One before scurrying to the field in the small town nearby to drop off Child Number Two. This was even more fun on Game Days, when the dropoffs could need to be made at roughly the same time, in locations that were separated by twenty miles or so.

Now, even with two kids playing, things are less chaotic. No babies to ready, no small ones to amuse, just two players who know the drill and entertain themselves and me with interesting conversation and take charge of the music in the van.

The music has changed, too. It used to be nursery rhymes and sing-alongs. Now it's Indie music that someone has found on MySpace or Youtube. The songs aren't about how to tie one's shoes, but about Harry Potter and Doctor Who, about mythology and pain, about life as it is, or could be. I let my kids put songs on my MP3 player sometimes, just so I can hear something new and find out what the kids are feeling.

Alanna comes in, having walked home from her practice with her friend Elizabeth, who may as well live at our house. The girls look strong and healthy and beautiful. Neal complains about playing keeper too much, his tall, lanky body leaning against the counter as I watch him grow before my eyes. (How long will those new cleats fit?)

The days of toting diaper bags and baggies full of graham crackers are gone, but I'm really comfortable with the relative calm that has replaced them. Sitting in a quiet van, writing about what's really important is where I'm meant to be now.

Our Space Mission

2010-03-29T13:15:00.003-04:00

Back in February, while my husband was basking in the semi-warm sun in Del Rio, Texas and we were dodging record snowstorms here in Ohio, Neal, Allie and I checked Google Maps and ventured out to the Challenger Center in downtown Dayton.

The Challenger Center is one of 50 learning centers in over 30 states and a few foreign countries. Homeschool groups, Scout troops, school classes, and such can make reservations to take part in a simulated space mission. Allie and Neal's mission involved studying a comet, but other ones include visits to Mars and the Moon.

Kids are given various jobs on their chosen mission, and guided in performing them. Allie was in medical, and Neal was in communications. They had a really good time, and enjoyed working with the other homeschooled kids. The adults who led the program were very enthusiastic and communicated well with the kids.

We'll be looking forward to visiting the Final Frontier again soon!

My Mad, Mad Love for The Teaching Company

2010-02-11T11:26:00.002-05:00

When kids make the transition into True Teenhood, it can be hard to satisfy their innate curiosity without boring them to tears : that is, the format in which they learn may bore them excruciatingly.

For instance, while Neal may love to read, he finds that most textbooks are mentally anesthetic. They give stock answers to unenticingly-asked questions, then proceed to make it sound as if all the answers have been found. This make subjects like science, which are intrinsically fascinating, into Butt-blasting Boredom with a capital 'B' or two.

Happily, Neal has taken quite well to dvds and such from The Teaching Company (no $$ or free products have exchanged hands here, : we have really, honestly used and enjoyed them after paying with our own hard-earned monies.) We've used ones on Algebra, history (we're currently using The Early Middle Ages set), World History (the ones for High school are great fun and very memorable) and science (cosmology and more.) Neal gets college-level teaching that respects his curiosity and caters a bit to his need for a bit of entertainment and variety. It works well all around.

The DVDs are pricey, but watch the site for sales. All of the sets go on sale quite regularly at amazing discounts. Occasionally, used ones are available on Amazon or Ebay. They have a great resale value also!

Alanna the Practical

2009-12-09T22:24:00.002-05:00

For a small treat today, I gave Allie a puzzle sheet that asked her to fill in the missing letters of some common Christmas-themed words. She found them to be very easy, and her perception of the season became apparent when she came upon the word

b _ lls

Allie put in an 'i'.

Jingles bills to you, too!

Advent Calendars!

2009-11-27T19:21:00.002-05:00

Activity Village has an assortment of coloring pages, printable and online Advent calendars, activities, and much more for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Shidonni, Winter, etc. They're meant for kids from about two to ten or twelve.

It's free!

This site is very useful! (And no, I'm not getting paid to say this!)

Meteorology

2009-11-21T20:33:00.001-05:00

Neal has decided to study weather, probably because he so coveted a weather kit that we saw at the gift shop of the Boonshoft Museum in Dayton. Maybe someone else could use my list of links! These are reviewed as they might apply to a bright 13yo.

We start with Wikipedia because it links so nicely to authoritative sources. (No, it's not a good primary source, but it's a superlative starting point!)

JetStream is a program put together by NOAA. It's designed to teach people about how the weather works. Looks promising.... a god basic resource.

Ooooo....free instruction, online quizzes and more at COMET. These are designed for adults, but they could prove useful. It's also much more fun to take a test online and have them record the score than for mom to do it.

Bad Meteorology - a site after my own heart! Raindrops aren't teardrop-shaped, clouds don't form because cool air holds less water....misconceptions skewered

here!

The Globe Program links weather watchers from all over the world. If Neal gets really excited about it, this could be an outlet for his enthusiasm.

That should get us started!

Early Learning Online

2009-11-19T10:01:00.005-05:00

At our house, the younger kids have been able to get online since they were three. (They had way more outside time and reading-with-mom time than computer time though!) I tried to make sure that their computer time was well spent. Here are a few great educational sites to add a bit of fun and learning.

Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Games Online

Starfall
This fun and free site will help you teach your child to read! It starts with an introduction to the alphabet and basic phonics, followed by beginning phonetic stories. then vocabulary building and more reading for experience. The site is colorful and has cheery graphics, without being too overdone. It is a very useful addition to any reading program. If you're not sure how to teach your little one to read, use this site as a guide! It is also free, though they do offer various helps for sale.

Science With Me
A colorful, engaging site that uses fun animated characters to teach science to preschool-to-ten-year-olds. Fun games, worksheets, coloring sheets, experiments, and more. Requires registration, but it is free!

Building Blocks
Matching, a recording studio, discerning feelings...some very nice games!

Poisson Rouge
An adorable site with several learning games.

Sesame Street
Easy, fun learning games...even if your kids don't watch the show!

Build a Neighborhood
...with Mr. Rogers. A sweet game that teaches about the communities we live in.

Nick Jr.
A bit commercial, but there are so many resources here that it's hard to leave off. Games, coloring pages, activities, crafts...and a great search feature that lets you find things by age , subject, etc.

Alphabet Bears
Learn alphabetizing with this fun flash game.

Learn the months
...with this cute song. You'll be singing it in the car for months!

Boowa & Kwala
Cute and fun educational games

Gamequarium Jr
A Portal to many online games for small ones. The links are in the pull-down menu at the top of the page....

Funschool Preschool
An assortment of games and fun for little ones. Some ads.

Homeschool Preschool and Kindergarten Websites for Parents

Preschool Express
A monthly activity calendar, recipes, activities, art projects.....very useful!

Preschool Printables
Need a coloring sheet for W? A finger puppet pattern? Kindergarten writing paper? Find it here

Stormie's Preschool Curriculum
A month-by-month preschool/kindergarten idea list. Many activities are clever, creative, and actually educational. A great place to look for new ideas

A to Z Kids Stuff Preschool and Kindergarten
A compendium of ideas for units on everything from bugs to rainbows to scissors....

Internet 4 Classrooms Kindergarten
A huge list of games, help sites, idea sites, etc.

Handwriting On the Web

2009-11-15T21:19:00.002-05:00

Handwriting is a subject that tends to bring out strong opinions...either good handwriting is the hallmark of an organized mind, or it is becoming obsolete and is no longer important.

My kids opt for the latter view.

They still do a bit of handwriting practice here and there, though, or their scribbles become illegible rather quickly. I do try to keep it connected with their studies and interests, though, so that making letters is not the only thing that they learn. That's where these worksheet makers come in handy. Why write disconnected sentences and random words when you can do handwriting and learn to spell 'diplodocus' or the name of your best friend's horse at the same time? Younger children especially seem to enjoy tracing sentences about themselves and their family, and it is an excellent way to practice spelling without doing spelling lessons.

Some of the sites also have premade pages, for those days when your imagination, or your desire to type out the names of prokaryotic organisms, is flagging. HER has especially nice ones.

ESL Writing Wizard

This wonderful site lets you choose your style (Zane-Bloser or D'nealian, print or cursive), size, page layout, line setup...and then write your own text! There are many premade ones available, and you can save your own, and make them public if you wish.

TampaReads.com

Basic print, D'Nealian print and cursive are available.

FirstSchool.ws

Basic printing, and really nice sheets with days of the week, months, etc. Also some mazes, which are excellent pre-writing and warm-up activities. Blank handwriting paper also!

H.E.R. printables

Very nice premade sheets with basic printing and cursive. The sheets have coloring pictures, illustrations, and more. These are very beautifully done!!

Glen Helen

2009-11-09T19:27:00.003-05:00

Today it was 68 degrees, and that called for a celebration...a trip to Glen Helen, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The spring that my kids are playing in is the Yellow Spring. All photos taken by Charlie, my delicious husband...

Homeschooling Language Arts on the Web

2009-11-07T11:45:00.003-05:00

Homeschool Reading and Book Sites

Starfall
A very well-designed, colorful interactive children's reading course online...all free! Great for 4- to 7- year olds!

Scholastic Kids
Games, downloads, and activities for children's literature.

All Info About Reading Education
Lesson plans, activities, worksheets, and other helps for teaching young and beginning adult readers.

Book Adventure
A free site that gives children points and prizes for answering questions about the books they've read! They can earn enough points to get a subscription to Highlights for Children magazine, books, candy, temporary tattoos...Parental permission required, but the site is quite legitimate!

Book Hive
A searchable list of kid's books, with games, coloring pages, quizzes, You can search by subject, genre, reading level, etc. Each book is reviewed , and you may add your own review, Some have advisory notes for parents. A really fine resource!!

All Info About Teen Reading
Features reviews of good books, parent helps, worksheets, and much more!

Homeschool Writing Sites

Free Worksheets
Printable story starters.

Alphadictionary
A site for kids ages 7 to 13. If your child signs up (with parental permission, they will e-mail her a vocabulary-building kids word-of-the day, called the Goodword Junior, five days a week along with tips and tricks to help her remember correct spelling and pronunciation. There are also games, puzzles, and other fun things to do here. A really great site!!

Family Education Printables
A wide assortment of pages with topics ranging from puzzles about classic kids' books to parts of speech to paragraph writing. This can be very valuable for that end-of-the-year portfolio, and the kids may really like some of the puzzles!

MLA Style Guide
Practice writing college-level reports.

Homeschool Grammar, Spelling and Other Sites

Learning Page
Free membership, and many free printables, including alphabet and handwriting pages in several styles, story ideas, etc.

Kids Page Archive
Many worksheets for kids ages 5 to 12. Vocabulary, rhyming, spelling, grammar, stories, etc.

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves
The punctuation game...

Proofread!!!
An article about editing...with a great photo!

Mad Libs on the Web
By far the easiest and most fun way to learn the parts of speech!! Add words to stories...and read the silly results!!

Fun Brain
Online games to improve vocabulary, spelling, plurals, and other writing skills.

I Know That!
More online games, like Punctuation Paintball and Scrambled Stories.

Anagram Server
Play with your words!!

Don't Buy It!
A site about media propaganda and wise consumerism for teens. Eye-catching and fun!

Free Science Lessons-Physics

2009-11-04T10:33:00.002-05:00

How Stuff Works

All ages. How do computers work? How do malaria drugs work? What if I tried to drive my car underwater? A great site for the bored kid...and a great resource for the Eternal Questioner.

Fizzics Fizzle

All ages. A Thinkquest site which gives a very good introduction to physics. There are games and animations that reinforce the information presented. A great reference, introduction or refresher.

Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab

7 and up. A fun site with many experiments and good explanations of the results. Also has games and puzzles!

MadSci Network

For all ages. Another great site for the bored child. "represents a collective cranium of scientists providing answers to your questions. For good measure we provide a variety of oddities as well." Really fun, and has an 'Ask a Scientist' program!

NASA Beginner Guide to Rockets

Ages 11 and up. Look at various types of rockets - from bottle and stomp rockets to full-scale boosters. Find out how the work.

Life, the Universe, and the Electron

For teens. An exhibit about atomic structure.

Teach Engineering

Lessons all ages.

Glencoe Physical Science

Has quizzes and web resources for ninth-grade textbook in physical science. Can be useful.

Optics For Kids

Ages 10 and up. Learn about light, lenses, and lasers.

The Atoms Family

11 and up. Basic physics in a fun and memorable way!

Physics Life

11 and up. A look at the physics pf things in our everyday world. Nice interactivity.

Antimatter: Mirror of the Universe

8 and up. A look at the CERN particle accelerator and the quest for antimatter. Good for the teen who likes mysterious subjects. There is a kids' section!

Science Hobbyist

8 and up. Fun and useful articles and experiments. Includes the famous resource, Is Your Child's Science Textbook Wrong?

The Particle Adventure

8 and up. Activity sheets, graphics, animations..all explaining the subatomic world.

PHet Simulations

All kinds of Java physics demonstrations! Colorful and insightful!

EdHeads Simple Machines

Ages 6 to 12. Activities, animations, etc. all explaining how simple machines work.

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

For Fun!

Physics Behind Four Amazing Demonstrations

10 and up. I can walk on burning coals...can you? Here's how we all can...

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

All ages...but watch out!! What would happen to this if I put it in the microwave??

Physics of Superheroes

All ages. A Youtube lecture on the way things DON"T work in the world of comic book heroes! Really funny, and informative. Good for adult as well as kid enthusiasts, and for anyone who's ever watched a cartoon and marveled at how they are a bit different from real life!

Amusement Park Physics

7 and up. Design your own roller coaster, and see how gravity and friction affect your choices.

Skateboard Science

7 and up. Your future Tony Hawk will enjoy knowing how the tricks are done, and how to improve his or her own skating.

A Beautiful Day At Battelle Darby Creek Park

2009-10-31T12:17:00.002-04:00

Pictures by Charlie....

Make your own Christmas Unit Study

2009-10-31T12:08:00.002-04:00

Christmas Around the World Unit Study

...an easy and fun homeschool unit study for a very busy season!

This study is fast and easy to put together, and it is a fun break between the holidays. The kids will learn without knowing it!

Gather your basic supplies.
Look through your books at home, check the library, or check on Amazon or your favorite stores for Christmas in other countries.
Gather books about Christmas crafts for kids.
Find and bookmark websites that look promising. A few ideas:

* About.com has a nice selection of activities and printables
* Online Advent Calendar made by Junior High School students
* A nice summary of customs in several countries
* Another good summary, with different pages for each country. Has links to songs and recipes.
* Yahoo! Christmas around the world, a treasure trove of sites for various countries
* Links to lessons and sites for teachers

Begin linking the ideas.

Pick out which countries you wish to study
Look through your country books and check for any craft or recipe ideas
Pick out sites that correlate to each country you choose to study. You may choose one a day, or one every few days, or one a week, or go wild and have a 'Christmas in ____ ' holiday!

Make a general plan for each country, possibly something like this:

Introduce the country of the day or week. Show where it is on an map or globe, and read a bit about it on the 'net or in one of your books.
Do a chosen craft or two.
Read a bit more, and ask someone to find the country on the map.
Color a picture or do a puzzle about the country or about Christmas in general. Dover Books makes some very cute 'Stained glass' coloring books that are excellent!
Make something to eat for each...or make a whole meal!
Read a bit more.
Check out a website about the celebration.
Finish the book.

On Christmas Eve, be sure to follow Santa's trip with the NORAD Santa Tracker. They present geography facts in their periodic updates on Santa's whereabouts in several languages!

The Elephant in the Playroom

2009-10-29T09:28:00.001-04:00

When my oldest son Evan was about three, he was zipping around the nursery at a fair pace when an older woman said, "Is he hyperactive?" I didn't think about it much at the time: I just said, "No, he just takes a few minutes to settle down, then he's fine." Evan would cruise a new place for a while, then settle down and (usually) pay attention.

All three of my sons were like that: they seemed to need a bit to survey their surroundings, and they also needed a warning before changes ensued, be they moving to a new room or leaving for an outing.

A friend had a child who was like my boys, only more extreme. He reacted to nearly any change with tantrums. He had a hard time handling social situations. Sometimes it seemed that he wanted nothing more to be left to himself in a corner.

He and his family were nearly chased from the homeschooling group by other parents who had decided that the boy's parents were 'too easy on him', and that he would corrupt their own, more perfect children.

My friend's child was belatedly diagnosed with mild autism. All the difficult behaviors that his mom had been blamed for were due to neurological problems that she and her husband had no real control over.

I was reminded of all this by a book that came my way recently, The Elephant in the Playroom, by Denise Brody. This book deals with the joys and trials of bringing up 'special needs' kids from personal experience. It is full of stories and anecdotes written by parents of kids who are not 'neurotypical'. It's not about finding the right doctor, choosing the best curriculum or making sure of the diagnosis: it's about realizing that we're all in this together, even those of us whose kids don't have any of the challenges in the book.

The Elephant in the Playroom will give moral support to parents who are neck-deep in trials, but it will also explain the difficulties of these trials to people who only see a bit from the outside. The stories explain the frustration, the sleeplessness, the chaos, the anger, while reveling in the love, care, and joy. It might even give parents of 'normal' kids a few clues to their behavior, as it did when I saw shades of my own boys in some of the children with mildly Asperger's/sensory integration disorder. Neurological makeup is, after all, a continuum.

Maybe, just maybe, reading this book will help parents not judge each other (or themselves) so harshly, since we may not know exactly what the other person is dealing with.

The Elephant in the Playroom

Denise Brody

* Hardcover: 256 pages
* Publisher: Hudson Street Press (April 19, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1594630356
* ISBN-13: 978-1594630354

Author Appearances and Reading Enthusiasm

2009-10-26T10:28:00.006-04:00

Last Tuesday, I took Neal to the Columbus Public Library to see and meet John Green,the award-winning YA author who also does a great Happy Dance. I wish that I'd have had the time to really thank him for writing intelligent fiction for teens and others who love good writing. He obviously does not Forget to Be Awesome.

This was the second time that we'd been to see John. The first was hosted by the good folks at Cover to Cover Books in Columbus. Neal put on his UniYeti T shirt and we drove the 45 minutes and had a marvelous time. It also had a major impact on how Neal saw himself. Before the event, he had no interest in writing whatsoever. Getting a sentence out of him was exhausting, despite the fact that he has inherited his Dad's gift of conversation. After seeing that John Green is, in fact, a real, human person, Neal felt that perhaps he should give writing a try. He wrote several partial and finished short stories in the next few months. He now has a few blogs, and even a Twitter account for our kitten. His writing is getting almost as creative as his speech.

A similar thing happened when I took Neal to see Jeff Smith, graphic novelist extraordinare and creator of the Bone series. Neal's drawing experiments took over the dining room for a while. As an added bonus, Alanna was able to meet Margaret Peterson Haddix, which sparked her interest in reading books beyond the beginning chapter book series that she was a bit stuck on.

So watch your local bookstores and libraries for author appearances. They can be very valuable by providing a link between your child, the reader and the authors of the books she devours.

Also check out the online communities that some of the authors have going. Most have websites, and some innovators like the aforementioned John Green have major communities.

Side note to those who think that Neal is a bit young for Mr. Green's books: if a kid wants to read something that may be above his or her maturity level, I'd vote to let said kid go ahead, as long as it's not pornographic or super-violent. In my experience as a kid reader who read psychology texts and grown-up novels at rather young ages, and as a parent raising voracious readers, if it's really out of their range, they won't read far because it won't make sense and will be boring. If it is in their range, then it will make an excellent vehicle for discussion. It's nice to discuss important things like sexual values and ethics BEFORE the hormone rages have quite kicked in, and books are a good way to get the discussions going.

Besides, then I can rationalize extra reading time by saying that I have to read it in order to keep up with Neal!!

A Few Favorite Online Resources for Lesson Planning and Worksheets

2009-10-17T10:19:00.001-04:00

JASON Science

- Weather, ecology and energy are presented to kids from about 10 to 15 in really cool multimedia units. (Bright, interested younger kids might enjoy these also.) There are videos, activities and printables all available for free. It's easy to teach, or your self-starter can do it on her own. Not enough for a year of science, but certainly good for some variety. Has my kids' Great rating.

Curriki

- As a confirmed Linux user (can't wait for Ubuntu Karmic Koala!!!), I've been hunting Open Source educational materials as well. Curriki is the home of thousands of such projects - some ongoing, some finished. There's even a homeschool section. This is the home of the software developed for the One Laptop per Child initiative, which means that much of the curriculum is web-based rather than text-based. It covers from toddlerhood to college. Submissions are welcome also. Every time I go there, I'm amazed!

Teachers Pay Teachers

Teachers (including homeschool types) put their best lessons, power point presentations, worksheets etc online, and other teachers (again including us radicals) throw them a few bucks to get the resources. Again, it's little ones on up, and there are quite a few few freebies. The previews are good, also. It's possible to make a bit of money on this site. The indexing is a bit clunky, though.

If you don't have Power Point and would like to use the ones offered on any of the sites above, try Open Office, a free, open souce program by Sun Microsystems that is much better than MS Office and includes quite a bit that MS doesn't. And it's awesome.

There are quite a few more to add to this list...but this should offer a nice beginning!

Sickness Schedule

2009-09-30T11:43:00.002-04:00

Allie had pneumonia last week. She's fine now, but the danged bacteria surely slowed our school progress! We did do some history and science, since she could relax and listen, but she didn't seem to be able to concentrate, so lessons were short and simple. At least we did accomplish something!

Allie was at the doctors getting meds on Monday, and playing soccer madly by Friday. Makes me glad for modern medicine, since her form of pneumonia could easily have been fatal or seriously debilitating a hundred years or so ago.

Wondering how we're doing with the enormous materials list for our units? Needless to say, they've been greatly simplified in real life. We've just finished Genevieve Foster's William Penn, which was a treat. It's wonderful to see how the lives of those people fit together. Wm. Penn actually met Peter the Great?

I did object to Oliver Cromwell being portrayed as a decent ruler, though. He was fine, I guess, if you like theocracy, loss of freedom, and genocide. It was only a one-line mention, so I'll forgive. She did show how ridiculous the Sun King became. That made me think of the Allan Sherman line, "What else can you expect from a king in silk stockings and pink satin pants?" ("You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louis")

First Day, First Week

2009-09-03T18:08:00.004-04:00

Monday was our first day of "official" school. So far it's all gone quite smoothly and happily, so here's a few things I've learned about my Students:

1) Allie tends to go to bed right after her story time (which is Book 3 of the Belgariad right now), so she has no formal bedtime, but she gets in at about the same time each night. Neal, on the other hand, has no bedtime but he does have an arising time. As long as he can get up when he's supposed to and be relatively cheerful about it, I won't impose bedtime.

2) It's very nice to have Allie up for an hour or so before Neal gets up. That allows us to get through most of her academics without competition or interruption.

3) Neal believes that he is unschooling. While I'm sure that his definition wouldn't gel with some purists, he did pick out his subjects and books, and he studies mostly on his own, with a bit of encouragement. Sounds pretty close to unschooling to me.

4) I send emails to the kids most mornings with computer-based activities listed for the day. It may be a website to check out, or a workpage for their writing club, the The LOLcats and Phun Gnomes Society (Club Oath: We will not kick gnomes, and we will respect LOLcats. Excellent free lesson plans for a writing club)

5) Writing is much more fun on a laptop, even if it's Dad's. Having fun writing is more important than perfecting handwriting.
6) Subjects that have Girl Scout badges to go along with them are great!

Our First Week...

2009-08-29T11:27:00.004-04:00

This week was travelling school. Charlie (Dad) was off, so we made several short trips, many of which were educational ;-)
Sunday was niece Angie's baby shower, which was very enjoyable, followed by dinner at Charlie's parents. Monday was local business and soccer practice. Tuesday was a home day, Wednesday was a trip to Ceasar Creek Fossil Beds. We came home laden with bags of fossils, most of which were shells and corals.
Thursday was soccer practice.
Friday started out with a stop at Batelle Darby Creek Park, which was lovely, especially when we were heading down to the river when it began to rain very heavily. We made it to the van without being struck by lightning but with totally soaked clothing. The heater and fan on the van were put to good use on our way to the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus. There we learned about Egyptology, archaeology, physics, chemistry, oceanography, and basketball-playing rats! (Between the homeschool discount and the military discount, we pais $12.50 for 5 people!)This was followed by dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse and way too much food! I'm not sure that I'll have the Pasta Alfredo again, but the chocolate cake was deleriously wonderful!

Prep

2009-08-17T16:08:00.004-04:00

School starts very soon...
at least for the kids around here. We start a week after they do. Until then, we're edu-vacationing. We spent yesterday at the Columbus museum of Art, and at a strangely declining Hispanic Flea Market.

Ken is working on his CompTIA Certification, and we have plans for our first few months of lessons for Allie and Neal.

We MUST conquer math!

To start, here's a monetary challenge that might actually give you real $$$$...Sylvan's Algebra Challenge. It even has parent's (read: easy!) problems!

Alanna's weather unit

2009-08-06T14:29:00.002-04:00

Alanna's weather unit

Girl Scout activities:

Cloud chart - 3
Weather instrument - 4
Weather Smarts - 5
pick 3 more

Web:
http://www.edheads.org/activities/weather/
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/
http://www.wxdude.com/basics.html
http://www.wxdude.com/proverb.html
http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/
http://www.sercc.com/education
http://www.wildwildweather.com/
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/home.rxml
http://www.funbrain.com/weather/index.html

Holt - unit 1
101 - ch 1

101 - chs 2-5

Holt - ch 2
101 - rest of book
Holt ch 3

Experiments:
Holt p 3 empty ball, blow up
p 26 barometer can, balloon

Where Am I?

2009-08-01T19:36:00.003-04:00

...or where have I been? Why hasn't this site been updated in a while?

I've been refinishing five huge pieces of furniture to the point of pain, diving kids to events and classes and the library, doing laundry and dishes, and trying to get read for school...

It ahs been pretty exciting, though. Renee and Brad are expecting again, with the little one due in March. Brenna has become very possessive of her mommy. She knows that something is going on, but how much is not easy to tell.

Now that things are settling down (except for my desire to redo the dining room table), maybe I will blog more. I'll fill y'all in on the latest about our Girl Scout Troop (if it happens - I don't have any clue what's going on with leadership.) You'll get all the down-and-dirty on our school year. And more updates on furniture!

Once again....

2009-07-20T18:52:00.002-04:00

...we're going to be Grandparents! Renee and Brad are expecting in late March.

1700s Unit Study Books Used - order

2009-07-07T11:34:00.003-04:00

This is a guide to our upcoming 1700s unit for Neal and Allie this fall...and no, I don't feel obligated to do everything! Most of it was made from books that we already have or that are available from the library. Wish us luck!

1700s Unit Study

Intro- review
Ohio 12-30 Geology 48-65 Indians
The Witch of Blackbird Pond , From Colonies to Const. Lesson 10
http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/
The CARTOON HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD
to page 241
Native American Tragedy worksheets
Review Timeline
Africa http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h28af3.html
History Quiz
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Events_prior_to_1800
http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era6.htm OVERALL
http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era6.htm units (downloaded)
http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/Equiano.html slavery

General Worksheets
History Report doc

Literature
Robinson Crusoe
Wordsworth
Coleridge "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
Rip Van Winkle
Ben Franklin
Christina Rosetti
Alice in Wonderland
Pride and Prejudice
Tennyson
Dickens
Caddie Woodlawn
The Sign of the Beaver
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Wm Blake
Thomas Gray
Robert Burns
Phillis Wheatley
http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/india/ramprasad India
http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/buddhist/ryokan Japan
http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/india/kamalakanta India

Art
Great American Artists John Singleton Copley p 14
Discovering Great Artists Linnaeus, Gainsborough, Blake, Constable, Hokusia, Audobon,
Story of Painting
A Story of Music Bach to Schubert
Story of Music
http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/composers_timeline.asp
Philosophy for Kids 27, 48, 51, 53, 89,
Home Crafts
inventions

Frame
George Washington's World
Making Thirteen Colonies
From Colonies to Country
Places in Time
The Cartoon History of the United States to 116
Timeline

http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html

Great Awakening

Research
Speeches p 237
Write a stirring sermon about an idea
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/timeline/1700.htm

World
Can't You make the Behave, King George
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/monarchy/hanovarians.html
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/526565/Crime-and-Punishment-of-1700-1800
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107521.html (France)
Flame colored taffeta Sutcliffe Scotland Bonnie Prince Charlie
http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/upsidedown/timeline/html-frameset.html Australia
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/09/sfc/ht09sfc.htm
http://www.danbyrnes.com.au/lostworlds/timeline/lwstory6.htm
http://www.bized.co.uk/dataserv/chron/events.htm
http://www.jewishhistory.org.il/history.php?startyear=1700&endyear=1799
http://www.diversiton.com/religion/main/islam/timeline.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Chinese_history
http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=131/ Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_America
Anson's Way Ireland
Quest for a Kelpie Scotland
Twilight Child Finland
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/18century/welcome.htm England
http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/89662.html Cricket literature
Robert Burns Scotland
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/robroy/ Scotland
http://web.archive.org/web/20020214030439/http://www.tartans.com/articles/famscots/robroy.html
http://www.nls.uk/broadsides/index.html

American Revolution

Story of Mankind 51
From Colonies to Const. Unit 3 Causes, Stamp Act, Who fired first,Effects
Speeches 229-235
Book of Games and Puzzles
Watchwords of Liberty
A Book about Ben Franklin A
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington A
Shh! We're writing the Con.

Will you sign here

Where was Pat

Decl of Ind.
Eyewitness America N
The Way of Democracy A
THE PRINTER'S APPRENTICE
CHARLOTTE
FINISHING BECCA
Patrick Henry
Thomas Jefferson

Government
From Colonies to Const. Unit 4 evaluate, shays, arguments,foreign views
Speeches 236 245
The Words We Live By
We The Kids
Govt worksheet folder
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/tocs/toc.html Constitution

US after Revolution
Ohio 68-86 land ownership
History of Clark County doc
Geography early states
Presidents (incl articles of fed)
Courage of Sarah Noble http://www.homeschoolshare.com/courage_of_sarah_noble.php
DANGER ALONG THE OHIO
The Second Bend in the River
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/icuhtml/fawhome.html Ohio
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/PENN/pnhome.html Wm Penn

French Revolution

A Little History 34, 35
Story of Mankind 52, 53
Les Miserables
A Tale of Two Cities
Voltaire

School Plans for 2009-2010

2009-07-01T21:35:00.004-04:00

Singapore Math 3a, 3b (fast review mode) 4a, 4b

Writing - continuing her novellas and blogs and such, doing simple reports. Work on punctuation and continue spelling.

Reading every day

Science - not sure yet

History - 1700s and beyond, world and US. Government. Geography of where we study.
Based on George Washington's World, our Timeline books, and a lot more add-ons.

Soccer, basketball, dance, acting, sign language, Girl Scouts, art projects (Discovering Great Artists), etc.

Neal

Head First Algebra, Life of Fred Algebra, Basic Math review

History - 1700s and beyond, world and US. Government. Geography of where we study.
Based on George Washington's World, our Timeline books, and a lot more add-ons.

Science - Conceptual Physics, Cartoon Guide to Chemistry

Writing - continuing her novellas and blogs and such, doing simple reports. Work on punctuation and continue spelling.

Reading every day.

Soccer, tennis, acting, art, music, etc.

Ken

Study for A+ exam, CLEP English, Canadian Studies?, Intro to College @ CS

Back...

2009-06-15T14:38:00.002-04:00

We've just returned from a very busy time. Charlie and I traveled to Erie, PA to go sailing on the Brig Niagara, which was very, very interesting and fun...quite and adventure! A bit different for us! Then we went to Niagara Falls. It was our first trip alone in a few years, in celebration of our twenty-fifth anniversary.

In case you are wondering, Ken went to Myrtle Beach with the Eresmans, while Neal and Allie stayed with Renee, Brad and Brenna (or should I say, Garion and Eowyn, who permit their humans to live in their house?)

Writing time!

2009-03-31T11:39:00.004-04:00

Alanna has blossoned into a writer! She's in the middle of a story about detectives (of course), and she's currently on page four and counting.

Neal has so many story ideas that he's having to summarize them on Google Documents and leave them for when he has time to write them.

So today I was getting books out for school, but we put them aside to work on our latest 'word babies.' Much better than assigning writing workbook pages!!

School Report....

2009-03-22T15:49:00.007-04:00

Allie and Neal:

The Renaissance Unit is going well. The kids have a timeline book, with cardstock pages that are labelled with the centuries or smaller units of time as needed. We decorate the pages with pictures that we download from the Interwebbies and glue on the pages. Dover books makes small books that have stickers of the works of great artists, which brighten things up a bit.

We listen to music from the time period, do art projects and read biographies of interesting people. The notebooks include worksheets, reports and other papers that pertain to the time.

Bedtime story right now is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At least until Allie starts having problems getting to sleep...

Allie: Math is multiplication, geometry and fractions.
She also has a book that uses fairy tales as story starters. Her ad for Rapunzel's shampoo was fun!
Science is what she decides to read or discover, which varies a lot.

Neal: Math is Beginning Algebra. Writing is blogging, writing stories and creating cartoons. He has also tried just about every type of Linux on his Eee. He's building a computer from stuff around the house.

Ken and Neal are watching a video series from The Teaching Company on Earth Science. It's college level, and they seem pretty happy with it.
Ken is studying Algebra, writing, studying guitar, and doing his usual computer stuff.

Flu Season is Over....

2009-03-14T19:37:00.004-04:00

...at least, I hope so. It dragged on and on and on, and now we're all recovering.

Ken and Evan are currently in Canada at a music festival with Caleb. They left on Friday, armed with birth certificates and a notarized parental permission form, which they didn't need.

For some reason (massive coughing? 102 degree fevers?) we haven't done much school for the past few weeks. I want to get back to it on Monday. Here is a list of our present projects:

Renaissance unit studies: Our World History videos, lots of books, art projects, etc.

Math is The Life of Fred. Excellent fun!

Science : Ken and Neal are watching a college-level video series from The Teaching Company on Earth Science. It's detailed and interesting. Allie and I are reading several books.

Writing for the history notebook and for fun.

Maybe, if the weather is as promised, we'll go to the Columbus Zoo this week. This being Ohio in march, though, it's a bit unlikely.

Which One?

2009-02-13T12:03:00.006-05:00

I think Neal is trying out his eleventh version of Linux on his Eee PC right now. He's tried two versions of Ubuntu (or is that 3?), Puppy Linux, Mint, and several whose names escape me because I wasn't able to catalogue them fast enough. He even found a version on a Japanese site taht he was able to download and change to English...

He said that he's being like Evan...

I wonder how common Linux obsessions are among 12 yo boys?

A Very Favorite Resource

2009-02-10T16:18:00.004-05:00

Click Schooling is a free email list that I've been getting for more than two years now, and it's one that I always read. Every day, Diane Flynn Keith pints homeschooling parents to the best of learning on the web. The recommendations even come with age levels and highlights of the sites. Each day has its own emphasis:

* Monday = Math
* Tuesday = Science
* Wednesday = Language Arts
* Thursday = Social Sciences
* Friday = Virtual Field Trip
* Saturday = Electives: Music, Art, & Languages

It's really enriched our schooltime, and it's FREE! It would be useful for any parent, teacher, or childcare worker who is looking for activities, worksheets or online fun.

Halloo, hooray!!

2009-02-10T16:00:00.003-05:00

Calloo, callay!

Allie is actually asking to do math! She's even been heard lecturing Neal on the joys of math. Amazing!

Must be the entertaining combo of Life of Fred: Fractions and Math Doesn't Suck...

Neal is doing fine with Life of Fred: Beginning Algebra, but he's obligated to complain because his little sister isn't.

Sickness in the Middle Ages

2009-02-03T16:41:00.004-05:00

Neal, Allie and I have been studying the Middle Ages, which is hard to do when they are using tissues faster than a crossbowman can reload. They've been laying on the couch watching history videos from The Teaching Company, which feature a high school teacher who dresses up for the time period and does various accents. He's quite witty and entertaining, and he gets the points across very well. The kids enjoy it.

We are also starting Medieval Lives, which is a dvd series by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame. In it, he demolishes much of what you think of when the Middle Ages pop into your mind, which probably isn't often.

We have plans for projects, like adding to our timeline books, painting with egg paints like Giotto, making foil pictures, listening to Medieval music, reading Chaucer, etc., but that will have to wait until Kleenex usage has declined.

Ken asked what he needed to do to graduate, probably with inspiration from his lovely friend Ashlynn, who's homeschooled and graduating in a few months. I told him that he needed a bit more math and some type of committment to learning to make a living: i.e., taking his A+ Computer Tech exam, and/or starting college. He rather liked this idea. He says that he's ready to take the exam now, but I encouraged him to study up, since the exam costs over $200.
More info as it becomes available....

History Notebooks....

2009-01-25T09:22:00.005-05:00

When drawing up plans for this year, I was going to try using history notebooks to keep track of what we'd done. For some reason, I didn't follow through, which is something I regret a bit.

So here I am, on a trek through the Dark Ages, making a history notebook for Neal and Allie.

I took a few old notebooks and put blank cardstock pages (bought on clearance at Kroger for really cheap!) with the years being studied on each page. The pages start with the 1400s, and have a century per double page until the 1800's, when it goes to a double page per 50 years. The 1900s change to a double page per decade. I used a page from Homeschool Launch for the title page (The BOOK OF CENTURIES.)

I'm in the process of using Timeline Index to make a page for each section that has important people and events from each era , along with a representative picture. After learning about an artist, writer, statesman, etc, the kids can cut the picture out and glue it to their page.

Neal dislikes the endless study of this war, followed by that war, and this other war that was happening concurrently. It's really discouraging to him, I think. So, while we won't totally disregard the conflicts, we'll focus more on arts, science, culture, and how people lived.

Neal saw a 36 part, 50 minutes-an-episode series in the Teaching Company catalog about European History in the 1800s, which he asked for. Somehow, I don't think he'd finish it, so I said that if he still coveted it after we'd studied that time period, we'd think about it. We did order a set of videos about the middle ages done by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame. We'll try to pull in more videos and such for later lessons, too. With Neal's video memory, he should learn a lot. Allie is happy about this, too, and Ken says that it might be good to check out some Medieval history....

Arthur - King of the Britons!

2009-01-07T20:57:00.005-05:00

We're on a bit of a break now, having left aside our study of world history and inserted a shot bit on the legends of King Arthur. It's turning out well, I think. Tomorrow we should begin to design shields.

Neal is getting more comfortable with his Algebra, thank Fred!

Allie just started her first Fred book on Fractions, which she seems to be quite happy with. We're going to throw in the "Winnie book", as TJ called it (aka Math Doesn't Suck).

Ken is pretty happy reading The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness History and Sophie's World, which is a history of philosophy. He's also spending a lot of time on guitar and (surprise!) computer. We're getting a new math book soon also.

Wishlist for Santa

2008-12-17T17:49:00.004-05:00

We've been having fun with a very silly writing assignment.

I found a stocking outline on Google Images, and copied it for my kids (and one for me!). Then I assigned them to write a Christmas Wishlist for someone else. It could be a friend, or a character in literature or popular culture.

We've done this a few times now, and so far we've had lists from Molly Weasley (who wanted a Gilderoy Lockhart charms bracelet and a weekly visit from a house elf), Drew Carey (who wanted to know whose line it really was, anyway) and both our cats.

Using Cats to Teach Algebra

2008-12-17T17:28:00.005-05:00

We'd tried scales, number rods and a few other gadgets, but Neal just wasn't quite catching on to the mysteries of algebraic equations. It all looked like a jumble of numbers and signs that weren't particularly connected or sensible. I was beginning to wonder whether I'd have to put the The Life of Fred: Algebra away and go back to arithmetic for a while.

Then our big tabby walked, or shall I say, sauntered, across the room. Brain flash! We'd use Tom Sawyer and Zahra to get the concept across.

We'd been over and over about the fact that doing the same thing to both sides of the equation leaves it equal. That's one of the basic rules that we use to find the weight of our kitties as well.

To find the cats' weights, we weighed Neal first, then weighed the chosen kitty. We drew a diagram showing the weight of Neal and the kitty on one side (in this case, 115 lbs) and the weight of Neal and the kitty as Neal + x (with x as the cat's weight) on the other side. To find the weight of the cat, we subtracted Neal's weight (100 lbs) from both side, leaving only the weight of the cat on either side: X = 15. Thus we proved that Tom weighed 15 lbs. (Zahra prefers not to have her weight disclosed.)

Neal went back to his equations and solved them easily.

Some kids really need to understand why before they can proceed with a new task. They can't follow a list of rules without knowing the reason behind them. This is actually a very good thing, though it isn't provided for very well in modern education. Kids who learn this way can often go much deeper into a subject than someone who would rather skim the surface.

New Years Celebrations Around the World Homeschool Unit Study

2008-12-07T11:16:00.003-05:00

The presents are all unwrapped, the candies are eaten, the toys are all played with...what to do now?

Try looking up a few different ways of celebrating New Years! These sites and other resources could be used to send a bored someone on a websearch to come up with trivia questions to ask at lunch, or maybe something fun to look at when a little one snuggles on your lap while you're surfing the 'net. Keep the globe handy!

It could also be used as a full-blown study when you restart whatever type of school you do...

New Years Celebrations Around the World Homeschool Unit Study Websites

Topics Mag

Where do they eat twelve grapes at midnight? Eat black-eyed peas? Cut paper? Fun tidbits!

Father Times .net

A long list of countries represented here, with how to say 'Happy New Year!' in each one!

Nova Reinna

Another country list, with a few surprises!

New Years Celebrations Around the World Homeschool Unit Study Lessons and Worksheets

eduplace

Ten questions about celebrations around the world. Good for after dinner trivia.

Webquest

Links to helpful websites, with questions to answer and projects to do. A bit like an internet scavenger hunt! For younger kids, with help.

Other New Years Celebrations Around the World Home School Unit Study Resources

And, for fun, some alcohol-free drink recipes for everyone!

For more resources, check out the New Years Unit Study Books page!

IMs for Learning

2008-11-09T11:14:00.004-05:00

Allie is a reluctant writer - or at least she used to be.

Until she discovered the joy of instant messaging.

When she is on the computer in the schoolroom, and I am on my laptop in the dining room, the messages fly.

-What are we having for dinner?

-I don't know. Any ideas?

-How about noodles? Or maybe-

Allie pauses to call to me through the open door,"Mom, how do you spell 'crepes?'"

Her spelling and written grammar have improved immensely in a very short time. Spelling now has a use - communicating with someone else.

I try not to be too much of a 'Grammar Nazi' at this point. I simply type back the correct form of her misspelled word in a question, like we tend to do with mispronunciations.

Physics Fun

2008-10-06T16:10:00.002-04:00

Free Science Lessons - Physics

2008-10-06T16:08:00.001-04:00

Free Science Lessons-Physics

How Stuff Works

All ages. How do computers work? How do malaria drugs work? What if I tried to drive my car underwater? A great site for the bored kid...and a great resource for the Eternal Questioner.

Fizzics Fizzle

All ages. A Thinkquest site which gives a very good introduction to physics. There are games and animations that reinforce the information presented. A great reference, introduction or refresher.

Reeko's Mad Scientist LabThe Life of Fred: Algebra

7 and up. A fun site with many experiments and good explanations of the results. Also has games and puzzles!

MadSci Network

For all ages. Another great site for the bored child. "represents a collective cranium of scientists providing answers to your questions. For good measure we provide a variety of oddities as well." Really fun, and has an 'Ask a Scientist' program!

NASA Beginner Guide to Rockets

Ages 11 and up. Look at various types of rockets - from bottle and stomp rockets to full-scale boosters. Find out how the work.

Life, the Universe, and the Electron

For teens. An exhibit about atomic structure.

Teach Engineering

Lessons all ages.

Glencoe Physical Science

Has quizzes and web resources for ninth-grade textbook in physical science. Can be useful.

Optics For Kids

Ages 10 and up. Learn about light, lenses, and lasers.

The Atoms Family

11 and up. Basic physics in a fun and memorable way!

Physics Life

11 and up. A look at the physics pf things in our everyday world. Nice interactivity.

Antimatter: Mirror of the Universe

8 and up. A look at the CERN particle accelerator and the quest for antimatter. Good for the teen who likes mysterious subjects. There is a kids' section!

Science Hobbyist

8 and up. Fun and useful articles and experiments. Includes the famous resource, Is Your Child's Science Textbook Wrong?

The Particle Adventure

8 and up. Activity sheets, graphics, animations..all explaining the subatomic world.

PHet Simulations

All kinds of Java physics demonstrations! Colorful and insightful!

EdHeads Simple Machines

Ages 6 to 12. Activities, animations, etc. all explaining how simple machines work.

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Free Science Lessons-Space Science

2008-09-16T08:53:00.001-04:00

NASA

The best of the best!!! News, free lessons, photos, wallpaper, games...it's all here! You could spend a few years' lessons on this site alone!!

Planetary Photojournal

All ages.Beautiful!!

Solar System Exploration

Children's page

Space Kids

Starchild

Children from about 5 to 13

Imagine the Universe

Teens

Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards

Teens and Adults

Space Place

Ask an Astronomer

Many questions are answered in their index, but you can send one in, and a real astronomer will email you!!

Neave Planetarium

Take a trip through space on your own planetarium! Set your latitude and longitude, and then use your mouse to see what constellations are in the sky right now!

Mars News

Keep up with one of the most fascinating branches of exploration right now.

Amazing Space : Tonight's Sky

A stargazing guide.

Astrophysics Science Project

Lesson plans and activities, with great movies!

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Free Science Lessons-Earth Science

2008-09-16T08:52:00.002-04:00

Google Earth

All ages. A program that allows you to see all over the world...by satellite! Amazing!! Take a tour of the Grand Canyon, visit Mount Saint Helens, see Victoria Falls...and find your house!!

NASA all ages

Wonderful Resources for teaching, including lesson plans, printable worksheets, and games...all free!!

Also check out their kids' page. It has introductions to air, water and land, along with games and puzzles.

Exploratorium

Older children and teens. An online exhibit about Earthquakes, including activities.

NOAA Jetstream

Older children and teens. A school for weather, from the US National Weather Service. Includes review questions.

NOAA Ocean Explorer

Older children and teens. News, photos, video, curriculum about the ocean worldwide. Truly fascinating!

How Volcanoes Work

Older children and teens. A site with good explanations, photos and charts, to make a very good

Volcano World

All ages. Great Photos and news about volcanic activity the world over! Be sure to check out the 'Kids Door' section for activities for the younger ones. Kids can even submit their Volcanic Art!!!

Extreme Science

Does you child love world records, extreme sports, believe-it-or-not type information? They will love this site..and you will to! It's full of pictures and media of the extremes of the world. A good way to get a child out of the doldrums, or feed their need for interesting facts. Also a good site to suggest when they're bored....

Science with me

A cheery, colorful website with games, animations, worksheets and coloring pages for preschool to about age 10. Subscription required, but it's free!

Early Learning Online

2008-08-28T19:14:00.003-04:00

Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Games Online

Building Blocks
Matching, a recording studio, discerning feelings...some very nice games!

Poisson Rouge
An adorable site with several learning games.

Sesame Street
Easy, fun learning games...even if your kids don't watch the show!

Build a Neighborhood
...with Mr. Rogers. A sweet game that teaches about the communities we live in.

Alphabet Bears
Learn alphabetizing with this fun flash game.

Learn the months
...with this cute song. You'll be singing it in the car for months!

Boowa & Kwala
Cute and fun educational games

Gamequarium Jr
A Portal to many online games for small ones. The links are ain the pull-down menu at the top of the page....

Funschool Preschool
An assortment of games and fun for little ones. Some ads.

Homeschool Preschool and Kindergarten Websites for Parents

Preschool Express
A monthly activity calendar, recipes, activities, art projects.....very useful!

Preschool Printables
Need a coloring sheet for W? A finger puppet pattern? Kindergarten writing paper? Find it here!

Preschool Resources
A list of online activities from About.com Homeschooling. Really useful and creative.

Stormie's Preschool Curriculum
A month-by-month preschool/kindergarten idea list. Many activities are clever, creative, and actually educational. A great place to look for new ideas!

A to Z Kids Stuff Preschool and Kindergarten
A compendium of ideas for units on everything from bugs to rainbows to scissors....

Internet 4 Classrooms Kindergarten
A huge list of games, help sites, idea sites, etc.

Free Handwriting Worksheets!

Handwriting is a subject that tends to bring out strong opinions...either good handwriting is the hallmark of an organized mind, or it is becoming obsolete and is no longer important.

My kids opt for the latter view.

Some of the sites also have premade pages, for those days when your imagination, or your desire to type out the names of prokaryotic organisms, is flagging. HER has especially nice ones.

ESL Writing Wizard

TampaReads.com

Basic print, D'Nealian print and cursive are available.

FirstSchool.ws

Basic printing, and really nice sheets with days of the week, months, etc. Also some mazes, which are excellent pre-writing and warm-up activities. Blank handwriting paper also!

H.E.R. printables

Very nice premade sheets with basic printing and cursive. The sheets have coloring pictures, illustrations, and more. These are very beautifully done!!

Online Planetary Science Worksheet

2008-08-28T19:10:00.002-04:00

Clip this worksheet and email it to your child, or copy and paste to your word processor program, tweak a bit, and print.

Exploring the Planets

Go to NASA. Check out the moon chart.

Counting both the named and provisionally named moons, how many do we know of that orbit Jupiter? _____ Saturn? ______

Why do you think that huge planets get more moons than small ones like Earth? ______________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________

Right click on Compare Mercury to other planets/moons. Look near the bottom of the page and find the New Planets/Moons to Compare. Try out comparisons between several different space objects with Mercury. List a few fun facts that you've found.

Go back to the Mercury page. Click on Read More About Mercury. Do you think that places on Mercury ever have temperatures that are right for humans? ____________

Could someone live in perpetual twilight on Mercury and be relatively okay? __________________________

What could be dangerous about trying to observe Mercury? ___________________________________________________________________________________

Would you expect to find pieces of meteorites on the surface of Mercury? ____________________________________________ ______

What are scarps? How were they formed on Mercury? ____________________________________________________________________________________

Does Mercury have active volcanoes? __________________________________________

Water? ______________________________

A magnetic field? _______________________________

Who discovered Mercury?

_____________________________________________________________

Be sure to check out the Gallery, located on a tab at the top of the page.

Homeschooled Children are More Socially Adept

2008-08-19T14:47:00.002-04:00

Homeschooled Children are More Socially Adept

By Charlotte Colautti, Guest Writer

"Many people assume that traditional schooling offers an essential socialization experience that home schooling cannot" (1) yet there is strong evidence to show that parents are increasingly pulling their children out of school to home teach them. According to Bauman (2) from the United States Census Bureau, as many as 2 million children are home schooled with the number growing annually. "Public opinion polls show that confidence in the education system is at a thirty year low. tangible proof of thos is the growing number of children, withdrawn by their parents, from government schools." (3) Mary Kay Clark discusses the negative socail reasons why parents choose to teach their children at home, including"verbal and physical abuse from classmates, children practicing witchcraft, a boy who was nearly hanged, teen-aged pregnancies, and peer pressure to use drugs and live immoral lives. The stories are endless," she said. (4) "Home schooling, initially off the radar screen, has become a completely mainstream alternative to institutional schooling. Socialization outcomes for the average home schooled child are superior to those experienced by the average public school student." (3)

Some critics have challenged home schooling parents, saying that their children are isolated from the world and lack social skills. On the contrary, there is compelling and mounting evidence which proves that home schooled students are more socially adept than public students. There are three principal arguments explored to support this thesis. Students taught at home are very involved in extra-curricular activities and community outreach. Home schooled children are more able to interact with people of all ages and with diverse backgrounds. The third consideration deals with the importance of self-esteem and how that affects social competence.

Are home schooled students isolated or do they participate in extra-curricular activities? Basham (3) cites reports showing that ninety percent of home schooled students participate in two or more activities outside the home on a weekly basis, and in fact, the average home schooled student is involved in 5.2 social activities outside the home. Medlin (5) found that children are taking part in the activities of their community on a daily basis. Jane Boswell's (6)experience with home schooled families revealed that children taught at home regularly participated in community outreach and volunteer work. Home schooled associations play a vital role in providing social opportunities for students and families to interact with each other on a personal basis or during field trips and study groups. (3)

In Home Schooling: The Right Choice, (7) Klicka states "home schoolers overcome the potential for "isolation" in youth groups, community activities, arts, sports, music, academic contests, and regular field trips" (7). In fact, one researcher, Dr. Kathie Carwile said, "the investigator was not prepared for the level of commitment exhibited by the parents in getting their child to various activities. It appeared that these students are involved in more social activities, whether by design or being with the parent in various situations, than the average school-aged child." (cited in 7)

A mentor for home teaching parents offers suggestions for community outreach, including visits with young children or elderly in day cares, helping with mentally challenged persons, or reading to the blind. "Socialization does not need to be in the institution called school." (4) She explains why parents should monitor social events. "When parents take children to clubs, sports activities, ballet or drama, etc., they should keep a watchful eye for lack of discipline, cursing, drinking, drugs, aggressiveness, and so on. This is parent-controlled social activity, protecting the child from (potentially) dangerous situations."

Medlin in the Peabody Journal of Education, (5) shows strong proof that home schooled students are very much involved in social activities outside the family. He states, "home schooled children are taking part in the daily routines of their communities. They are certainly not isolated. Home schooled parents can take much of the credit for this. With their child's long-term social development in mind, they actively encourage their children to take advantage of social activities outside the family."

In Dancing with Monica: personal perceptions of a home-school mom, Michelle Sheean shows us a personal look at her home schooling experience with her daughter, which began when Monica was in grade five. She realized her introverted daughter's need to be socialized, and she needed to find the balance between too little and too much social life. Monica studied art and learned Suzuki violin. She also learned how to mountain climb. A home school support group provided them with opportunities to participate in various activities and field trips. Like Monica's experience, frequent and varied social outings appear to be very typical of home schooled children.

The second consideration to explore is the home schooled child's ability to interact with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds and characteristics. Medlin (5) states that home schooled students are definitely not isolated and, in fact, feel close to a wide variety of people. In his book, Home Schooling: The Right Choice, Christopher Klicka concludes that home schooled children relate regularly with adults, siblings, and friends of various ages and participate in activities such as music and sports with peer groups. Medlin (5) wanted to measure the diversity of contacts that home schooled children had. He found that home schooled children associated, on a regular basis, with men, women and children outside their own family. The results indicated that they visited with people from socio-economic, religious or ethnic backgrounds which differed from their own.

Sheean (8) discusses her daughter's relationship with people from all age groups and from various backgrounds. A mother with a two-year-old child taught Monica art. She also learned spinning and knitting so that she could make wool-angora socks for her grandparents. Monica visited with Benedictine monks, learned Celtic music and yoga, studied Spanish and had close friends that were Mormon, Navaho, Catholic and Protestant. Sheean clearly shows the diversity of relationships that are common to home educated students compared with children taught for long hours in a classroom with peers.

Gatto (9) makes a strong commentary on children in the traditional classroom and their lack of varied social experience. He states that "it is absurd and anti-life to be compelled to sit in confinement with people exactly the same age and social class. This effectively cuts children off from the immense diversity of life and the synergy of variety."

The third aspect of socialization to consider is comparing the self-confidence of home schooled and public schooled students. In his report, Home Schooling From the Extreme to the Mainstream, (3) research by Dr. Raymond Moore showed that "home schooled students have a significantly higher self-esteem than those in public schools." In another study Moore found that home schooled children are happier, better adjusted, more thoughtful, competent, and sociable children.

Negative social interactions affect self-esteem. Klicka (7) says, " the greatest benefit from home schooling is that the child can be protected from the negative socialization of the public schools associated with peer pressure such as rebellious attitudes, immaturity, drugs and violent behavior. Gatto (9) gives us a candid look into the public school system : "The children I teach are indifferent to the adult world and have almost no curiosity...They are often cruel to each other, lack compassion, laugh at weakness, and have contempt for weakness, and have contempt for people who need help." " Public school children had significantly more problem behaviors than did the home schooled children." (3) Everett Reimer (10) believed that children who never went to school probably suffer the least psychologically and that " Schools pervade the lives and personalities of their students in powerful and insidious ways, and have become the dominant institution in the lives of modern men and women in their formative years."

Dr. Larry Shyers observed one- hundred and forty children, seventy form home schooled families and seventy form public schooled families. He used a checklist of nearly one hundred problem behaviors such as cries, isolates him/herself, shyness, argues, showing off, brags, etc. The negative behavior was monitored and noted. The results were significant. The score for contemptible behavior in children attending traditional school was eight times higher that the negative behavior found in the home schooled group. Her described the public schooled student as "aggressive, loud and competitive." (as cited in 5) In contrast, the pupils taught at home acted in a friendly, positive manner. Dr. Brian Ray reviewed the results of four other studies and found "the data from their research suggests that home schoolers are not emotionally maladjusted." (as cited in 7)
Harris (1) offers and interesting discussion in which she states that parents do not have an important influence on their child's personality. She considers the socialization of peers to be foremost in their development. This could very well be true of children taught in traditional schools, but Shyers (as cited in 7) has a different viewpoint concerning the impact of parents in their children's lives. He found that home schooled children have fewer behavioral problems because they tend to imitate their parents rather than their peers. "The result seems to be that a child's social development depends more on adult contact and less on contact with other children as was previously thought."

There have been numerous tests taken to chart the level of self-esteem in school children. After comparing 30 families from each type of school, with children ranging in age from seven to fourteen years, Stough (as cited in 11) found that "those schooled at home gained the necessary knowledge, and attitude needed to function in society...and that there may be sufficient evidence to indicate that home schooled children have a higher self-concept than conventionally schooled children." "Using one of the best validated self-concept scales available, Taylor's random sampling of 45,000 home schooled children found that one-half scored at or above the 91st percentile...which was ...47% higher than average conventional schooled children. Since self-concept is considered to be a basic dynamic of positive sociability, this answers the often heard skepticism suggesting that home schoolers are inferior in socialization." (also cited in 11)

Family dynamics is a key factor in influencing a child's self-esteem. Home schooled children "learn and grow in a nurturing environment of secure family relationships where they develop a confidence and resiliency that helps them to succeed as adults. Because they are not peer grouped in school, home schooled children learn to get along with a variety
of people, making them socially mature and able to adjust to new and challenging situations." (as cited in 5)

Researchers investigating the subject of socialization of home schooled students provide striking evidence that they are at least comparable, and most likely much more socially competent than traditional schooled children who sit for hours in a classroom of peers. The reasons for their social competence are multi-faceted, but have been narrowed to three key points in this paper. Extra-curricular activities are varied and frequent. Children taught at home interact on a daily basis with people of all ages, ranging from babies to elderly with a focus on community outreach. The third point centers on on the child's self-esteem which, for classroom-taught students can vary depending on the stigma attached to the child from his/her peer group. Home educated students are tutored individually or in small groups with siblings o friends, by parents who care deeply for them. They want their children to have a more diverse and fulfilling social life than the public school system has to offer.

(1) Judith Rich Harris, Where is the Child's Environment? Psychological Review 102
(2) Kurt L. Bauman, article: U. S. Census Bureau
(3) Patrick Basham, article: Cato Institute
(4) Mary Kay Clark, Catholic Home Schooling: A Handbook for Parents
(5) Richard G. Medlin, Home Schooling and the Question of Socialization, Peabody Journal of Education
(6) Jane Boswell, article: Homeschooling - A Social Experiment?
(7) Chris Klicka, Home Schooling: The Right Choice
(8) Michelle Sheean, Dancing with Monica: personal perceptions of a home-school mom
(9) John Taylor Gatto, A Different Kind of Teacher: Solving the Crisis of American Schooling
(10) Everett Reimer, School Is Dead
(11) Nola Kortner Aiex, article at ERIC

Short Story Character Sketch

2008-08-13T20:34:00.001-04:00

Character Sketch
Describe your hero, villain, or sidekick!

Name

Birthdate

Home

Parents, Siblings

Hobbies

Likes

Dislikes

Favorite foods

Least favorite foods

Strengths

Weaknesses

Odd quirks

Pets

Favorite games

Favorite books

Favorite music

Favorite school subject

What makes him really MAD

What she does when she gets MAD

What makes her very happy

What she does when she's happy

What makes him sad

What she does when she's sad

Favorite kind of clothes

Hair

Eyes

Unusual physical traits

Homeschooling on Difficult Days

2008-08-09T20:53:00.001-04:00

Home Schooling on Difficult Days

On some days, organized school is just not going to happen. The baby is sick, there are two doctor visits scheduled, you're in the middle of getting ready to move,...the list is endless. Somehow, there isn't time to organize lessons or plan bookwork while dealing with the crisis at hand

Right now, we're dealing with such a crisis. My mother had a minor heart attack (on the treadmill during a stress test, which is much better than having it at her house in the middle of nowhere!) and, after spending the better part of two days there, I'm making daily trips to the hospital to check on her and cheer her up. Between the long trips and the normal functions of the household, we get school in however possible.

I've learned not to think of them as lost school days, but instead to think of them as opportunities for my children to learn on their own. Some kids are perfectly capable of handling their own education, while others need a little help.

For those under 12, the simplest way to handle days in which school will not be done in an organized manner:

Yahooligans

This site allows them to search safely for kid-friendly sites about nearly anything they're studying. There are nice summaries of each site, and any child who can read beyond primer level can figure it all out.

Another useful game site is:

Funschool

Educational games for the 3 to 11 set. Need to review multiplication? There are several games available. Spelling? Many levels to choose from. It's a fun site, and it's free! Teach them how to skip the flash ads, though.

For older ones:

Free Learning on the 'Net

Some younger ones can use these pages also.

A few other options:

Let the kids pick a page for each subject out of your worksheet folder

Play educational games : Scrabble, Payday, chess, etc.

Let them play school with old textbooks and workbooks.

Pass out the puzzles and puzzle books. Sudoku and kakuro (cross sums) are excellent for math skills, and crosswords are great for vocabulary and spelling. Logic problems are good brain builders.

Watch science, nature and travel shows and DVDs. Mythbusters, Crocodile Hunter, Nova, the Science Channel....

One of the great things about these experiences with semi-unschooling is that sometimes children find new ideas and interests...

Things will probably go back to normal sometimes...if your family actually has a 'normal'! In reality, much of a child's education can be based on these activities, especially if you throw in a few library trips!!

Fun Book Titles

2008-08-04T20:46:00.001-04:00

FUN BOOK TITLES

Here are a few new books that may never come out on the market...

Try your hand at writing titles for them. Be sure to make the titles

interesting and maybe a bit wacky!

1) a picture book on what causes sniffles

____________________________________________________

2) a dictionary of words to say when you're mad

_____________________________________________________

3) a book for cows about what to do when they are bored

_____________________________________________________

4) a book about llamas living on the Moon

_____________________________________________________

5) a book of photos of mud art

_____________________________________________________

6) a book of names for pet caterpillars

_____________________________________________________

7) a travel guide for butterflies

_____________________________________________________

8) a book of plans for paper airplanes for fairies

_____________________________________________________

Volunteering for Homeschool Families

2008-08-02T14:20:00.002-04:00

Volunteering for Homeschool Families

It's easy to see the benefits of volunteering, but a little harder to find a place for you and your family, especially if you have small ones. Here area few ideas to sort through with your kids!

Volunteering with Little Ones

Keep it short! Very few under fives will have the patience to put pencils in boxes for displaced kids for more than a half hour or so - if that! So plan on a quick activity!

Make and take food to a family who's had a new baby, or an illness or death in the family

Work with a group like Meals on Wheels and deliver food to shut-ins

Deliver flowers and mail to those in nursing homes

Make a game out of helping assemble toiletry kits for victims of disasters, toys for displaced children, etc. Sing, do silly steps around the table...make it fun!

Take a bag with you on walks and pick up trash

Suggestions for Family Volunteer Work

Train for a complete a fundraising walk for your favorite charity DeClutter your house (!) and sell the excess at a garage sale, or on eBay, or give it to a thrift store. (It's one way to motivate your children to get rid of some of their old toys!) Raise a dog for a handicapped person. Look at Leaderdog or Canine Companions for more information Participate in local Park Clean-up Days Plant a tree, or make your backyard more friendly to wildlife Help out at a food bank, or grow extra garden produce and give it to a food bank or homeless shelter

Volunteer Work for Older Children and Teens

Volunteer at the library: reshelve books, pull out reserves, lead a story time, help with book sales

Help out at an animal shelter Tutor children at a homeless shelter or drop-in center Write letters to support people whose rights are being denied. Try Amnesty International for Kids

USA

VolunteerMatch Second Harvest American Red Cross

Around the World:

Volunteering England Do-it UK Volunteer Canada Go Volunteer Canada Australian Volunteer Search Go Volunteer Australia Idealist.org Worldwide

Things I learned while pulling up carpet...

2008-07-29T19:01:00.005-04:00

Today I spent about seven hours taking up the carpet in the dining room. Seven hours? It was supposed to take about three. Am I that slow? No.....it's a big room, and there were a few hangups.

But I did learn a bit.

1) Think about the future. The first carpet installer who laid it down many, many years ago didn't. Either that or he heard the term 'tack strip' and decided that it should be changed to 'nail forest. That's right. What should have been easily pulled up by loosening a few tacks turned into an ecstatic, blissful experience that included breaking up the wooden strips and prying up nails. One minute spent pulling up a three-foot strip turned into ten minutes of jerking, prying and yanking.

2) Do the whole job. My husband's ancestors had a major dislike of painting or staining the center of the room.

3) Replace what you destroy. When I finished prying, pulling and dragging, I wanted to damp mop with Murphy's Oil Soap. My husband had broken my mop while cleaning something outside (!) and failed to get another one. I had to settle for vacuuming and feeling part of the debris hit my legs as I did.

4) Don't do major projects with a busy houseful. My two youngest were at daycamp, and the only one at home slept all day. It would have taken three times longer if I'd had to stop regularly and referee squabbles or make lunch.

But it's done now...and it's not beautiful. It's lived in . Historic. Part of family history. If only we knew the story of those 2 inch holes in the middle of the room.

Writing Ideas

2008-07-28T09:41:00.002-04:00

Writing Ideas

Some kids take to writing like a cow takes to clover, but many are a bit (or very, very!) reluctant. On these pages I've included many, many writing ideas for kids of all levels. I've not given them age ratings, since some teens still have a bit of trouble expressing themselves or would like an occasional easy, fun assignment from the Beginner section, while you may have a nine-year-old who is writing the next best-seller.

Mix up the length and complexity of the assignments, but try to get them to write at least a bit every day. If they have something that they wish to compose, by all means, let them, and save the ideas for later. But if they have no particular idea of what to write about, these lists could come in handy.

Try writing with your kids, and then sharing ideas and stories. Or, get a writing group together, either at a physical location or online.

Have a spelling dictionary and a thesaurus nearby. For younger children, a picture dictionary can be a great story starter. Use your child's mistakes as teaching moments. Help her edit her work and rewrite her favorite pieces, but allow her the joy of focusing on her imaginative outpourings most of the time.

One possible way to use these lists: print out the ones that you wish to use. Cut papers into strips, fold and put into a jar. Have the kids pull out their day's writing assignment. It' is a bit like a present...at least at first!!

Writing Ideas for Beginners

List five things that really scare you.

Try your hand at a a few similes. Similes are comparisons that usually use 'like' or 'as', such as "She was as nervous as a mouse cornered by a tabby cat."

He was as sleepy as a _________________
She was as bored as a _________________
It was as noisy as a ___________________
My dog was as excited as a _____________
The cat purred like a ___________________
The fire blazed like a ___________________
The elephant loomed over me like a ____________

Now try metaphors. Metaphors are comparisons like similes, but they don't use 'like' or 'as'. For example, "Life is just a bowl of fruit cocktail' or 'Overripe bananas are fruity slugs.'

The bowl of soup that landed in my lap was ________________________
My cat's eyes are______________________________
A hot day is ______________________________
Thunder is _________________________________

Collect lists of words that you like, either as individuals or as a family. Try lists of words like :

words about colors
strange words
words that are spelled oddly
words that remind you of someone
words that sound cranky or happy
words that cheer you up
words that make you want to cry

Make acrostics, poems that have each line beginning with a letter of a name or other word, like this one for Neal :

Never idle
Everywhere at once
Always cheerful
Losing teeth

Make up sentences that would make everyone stop and listen to you.

Why is there a big hole in the windshield?
Is that bison supposed to be in the living room?
Can I give the mountain lion in the backyard a bowl of milk?

Pick a color and think of all the things it makes you think of. Write some of these into a short poem. It doesn't have to rhyme, but read it out loud to see if it might sound better if you change things around.

Finish these phrases:

Don't you just hate
Don't you just love
Don't you wish
Don't you want

Describe something - a watermelon, a cow, an old slipper - but don't say what it is. Give it to someone else and see if they can figure it out!

Listen to an instrumental song. Write what you think is going on or what it makes you think of.

Write a list of things not to say to someone who's having a bad day.

Pretend that you work at a newspaper. Write a headline about a party for giants...or a cow riot...or a car that came alive...or an ant that does fractions....

Writing Ideas for Middle Writers

Pretend that you work at an animal rescue center. Tell about an exciting day.

Write about a time that the lights went out. It can be a real event, or a pretend one.

You won!! Tell what you won, and the results of you good (or bad) fortune!

Pick a wise saying that you like. Write a fable to show what the saying means and what happens when you follow or don't follow it.

Write exaggerated sentences. For example : " I was so hungry after getting lost in the woods that I ate the forest!" or " His teeth are so shiny that the astronauts can see them from the space station at night." Try these for starters:

That joke is so old that_________
My dog is so fat that ___________
His house is so huge that __________
I thought I was a fast runner until I saw her __________
My friend's rat is meaner than ____________________

Describe a thunderstorm. Write about how the air feels, what the thunder reminds you of, how your cat cowers under the bed...

Take a beginning reader and rewrite it with more exciting sentences. For instance, 'The Cat in the Hat' could become 'The Siamese in the Baseball Cap', and the story could go from there.

Ask an older friend or relative about the scariest or most embarrassing or happiest day of their life. Write this out as a short story, and keep for your family history.

Write a poem that has every line beginning with 'I dreamed...'

Write directions for how to paint a cat...or catch a lost hamster...or fly like a bee...or dance with a penguin....

Write a letter to yourself in the future.

Write a list of things that you will be sure to do or not do when (and if) you are a parent.

Invite someone to a historic event, or a time machine trip, or a monster makeover...

Make a list of ten words that describe an experience, like going on a roller coaster or mowing the lawn, Now write a paragraph about the same experience without using any of those words!!

Make a brochure for a camp for monkeys, or a tree-climbing expedition, or a cow-tipping party.

Start a family story. Write six sentences, then stop and pass the story to someone else to continue. Be sure to leave off at an interesting place!

Make a wanted poster for a cookie thief or a runaway gerbil or an angry hornet.

Writing Ideas for Accomplished Authors

Imagine riding on a bus with a really strange person. Maybe they are constantly singing oldies loudly, or talking to an imaginary ferret, or talking to dead historical persons on his cell phone.

You (or your character) have just entered the most disgusting diner on the face of the Earth. Describe the disastrous mess, the dirty, disgusting dinginess...

Remember games of 'Telephone', where people pass around a phrase by whispering in one another's ears, and the final result usually has little resemblance to the original phrase? Write a story about the extreme things that can happen when people gossip.

Rewrite a fairy tale, but set it in your family or homeschool group.

English novelist E. M. Forester stressed the need to make your characters 'round', that is, to make them so real by telling about them in great detail that they seem to walk out of the pages. Try writing a detailed sketch of someone you know, using enough detail to make someone else who also knows them able to tell who it is without being told.

Monty Python once had a skit about Olympics for unusual people doing strange things. There was a competition for being first to be eaten by a crocodile, hurdles for people who think that they are chickens, etc. Try your hand at making your own Olympic Events for the Odd.

Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling has stacks of notebooks with background information about her characters, much of which have never made it into books. Develop a few characters yourself, even if you as of yet have no story. Include the person's (or talking animal's) age, physical description, talents, fears, birthday, favorite and least favorite things, favorite books, games, sports, ways to spend the day, friends, family, etc.

Fantasy authors David and Leigh Eddings started their Belgariad series by sketching a map of the continents of an imaginary land, and developed the stories from there. Draw your own land, complete with names of cities and geographical features. Then try writing a story sketch that could take place there.

We've all heard of the story that resolves itself by having the whole thing be a dream....what would happen, though , if you woke up tomorrow and found that your life now is really a dream? What kind of world do you really live in? Who are you, really?

Write about a time when nothing, and I do mean nothing, went right. Set it at a wedding, a trip to the zoo, a moon base, a cow pasture...

Imagine what could happen to you or one of your characters if they took up the wrong job. What if your little sister became a drummer in a rock band, or a college professor became a worm farmer, or a great explorer went to work at McDonalds.

What is your view on luck? Do you think that it is the main factor in most people's lives, or are work and thought more important? Write a short story illustrating the opposite of your view.

Find a book of baby names. Pick one that intrigues you and write a bit about the type of person who might have that name. What might happen if a person has a name that really doesn't suit them?

Compare and Contrast

2008-07-24T10:51:00.002-04:00

Two articles on Home Education

Home schooling gets quite a bit of press. Most of it seems to be of the 'Aren't those oddballs interesting?' variety, but some actually shows thought and research. Some, on the other hand, shows no particular use of intelligence at all, except maybe in spelling and grammar, assuming they didn't write in Word and use the Spell and grammar checks.

Recently, while touring the exotic world of Stumbleupon, I was carried off to the National Education Association's website. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, it is the mouthpiece of the largest and most strident of the teacher's unions in the USA. For some strange reason, they hate homeschooling. Must be something about putting their jobs at risk. In this article, written by school janitor Dave Arnold, teaching children is compared to car and home repair and homeschool parents are derided as "well-meaning amateurs."

Being an amateur would be a disadvantage if there was real evidence that 'certified' teachers actually gave children better educations than parents do. Obviously, according to results of standardized tests, this is not so. The author also troubled himself to go to exactly ONE homeschool website, and proceeded to rip a few quotes right out of their contexts and into La-la land...

“It’s not as difficult as it looks.”

"Wannabees" like homeschooling parents have no idea...and apparently aren't capable of learning as they go along. This is silly. Teacher's training is supposed to make sure that the teacher can communicate their subject(s) to any child. Parents only have to learn about how their own children learn. Considering that a local teacher in my district recently recommended that 22 of the 24 kids in her class of second graders be put into special education because of their 'learning difficulties (how about the teacher's 'teaching difficulties??), I'm not sure if the lessons always stick.

“What about socialization? Forget about it!”

The site recommends that parents be careful of their children's contacts, but does recommend neighborhood kids, church groups, and other outside activities. This apparently wasn't noticed by our fine author, who decided that they meant that children should be locked in a closet. Seems he needs a lesson in actually reading the whole paragraph.

In contrast, check out this recent article by former school board member Julia Steiny, as published in the Providence (R.I.) Journal.

While Ms. Steiny says that she doesn't think that homeschooling is the best option for some families, she does see the value of it for those who dedicate themselves to it. She says that, Many home-schoolers have compelling reasons for getting their kids off the educational grid, " citing violence, incompetent teachers, lack of response by the schools, etc. She blames the last at least partly on the lack of competition for the privilege of educating the children. Since public schools may be the only game in town, at least the only one that doesn't cost large sums of money while we also pay more to the government, they have no reason to be responsive or to individualize. One thing she isn't familiar with, though, is the idea is that many parents aren't necessarily homeschooling because the local schools are bad...they mainly want to have more time and more input with their children.

She also derides the passivity of children in "traditional, factory-model schools", and says that we should "stop organizing schooling of all kinds for the benefit of the ' grownups." Meanwhile, Mr Arnold seems to personify that 'adults first" attitude that some educators and administrators have.

Julia Steiny gets it. In contrast to the unresearched ramblings of Dave Arnold, Ms. Steiny has actually done her homework, so to speak, and considered the issue from more than a knee-jerk perspective.

The End of Homeschooling

2008-07-24T10:49:00.002-04:00

Our youngest child, Alanna, will turn seven soon. Nothing too remarkable about that: it's a pretty normal thing for those between six and eight. What's remarkable, at least in our family, is that Allie doesn't have a little brother or sister to follow her around, as her five older siblings did. She's the caboose baby, a little more cuddled and petted-and teased- than the others.

Alanna is growing up. She can read, and though she really is still best with the mid-level readers, she insists on easy chapter books because she doesn't want to read 'baby books.' Her math is nearly as good as her ten-year-old brother's and she tries to emulate his immersion in science. She admires Helen Keller and Mae Jemison, and she designs very detailed house plans. She's already discussing her college plans, because her oldest brother Evan is in college, and her older sister Claire is going back for nursing school. She wants to be an architect or a scientist. She's really thrilled with her Brownie troop, and she loves homeschool gym day at the Y.

She's growing up and blooming into her own world. And that's as it should be.

Sometimes, thinking about that makes me sad. At other times, I thrill with the possibilities. After all, I have actual free time now, often several minutes in succession. This should, most likely, increase with the years. What will I do with it?

I could think about finding uses for the leftovers of my kids' crafts and crazes, collected over years and years. It might take a while to think up good ends for:

my daughters' fingerknitted coils - all 827 yards of them.
1386 mostly-blurry photos of our cats
14 stuffed boxes of cartoons, house plans, finger paintings, old math papers, coffee-filter butterflies and smudged copies of textbook pages.
our collection of hamster toys
the attic shelves of lint sculptures, play-dough creations, and broken trophies

Then I could branch out to passing along homemaking tips for very busy people. Gems like:

Clean your kitchen floor easily by 'allowing' a child to pour a few glasses of water on it. Turn a blind eye while they slide around, spin on their stomachs, etc. When the fun is over - or the first child cries - announce that they 'got away with it this time', and assign them the job of mopping up the water. They had fun, you have a (relatively) clean floor!
Really chic houses are decorated not with expensive paintings or time-consuming murals, but with overstuffed bookshelves, lego sculpture, petri dishes full of micro-organisms, and educational posters. A world-map or periodic table shower curtain is a plus.
Small animals of various types are great additions to any room, especially rodents, reptiles, and the occasional insect.

Somehow, I don't think House Beautiful would be impressed.

Of course, I could look for a real job (as opposed to my current unreal one?) Here are a few appropriate jobs for a long-time homeschooling mom:

Office manager. If I can keep six kids of six different ages, birthdays,school levels, sizes, etc., somewhat organized, then that must count for something!
Computer technician. Not only have I been installing components and tracking bugs since a 1200 modem was considered fast, but I can even tell you how to get jelly out of keyboards, and what happens when a handful of oatmeal gets in your CD-ROM drawer.
Educational adviser. I've been doing it a while, have advised many families, and I have ideas that are a bit...different from those of the educational establishment. My ideas about children's educational autonomy (unschooling rewritten) would shake things up - if they listened.

So, the opportunities for life after large-scale homeschooling are many, but I'm glad they're a ways away. It will all pass too soon, even though it sometimes seems like it's taking half of forever. Right now I'm happy to explain long division (yet again), read about the Battle of Hastings, find the lost hamster, play 'geography bowl' on the shower curtain, and fit in all the kisses that Alanna will give.

Happy Birthday, Allie!

About the Dewey Decimal System

2008-07-20T09:13:00.001-04:00

The Dewey Decimal Classification system was created by Melvil Dewey, the librarian who founded the American Library Association. He first published his idea in an anonymous pamphlet back in 1876. He designed the system to lead one from the divine (philosophy and religion) through various human endeavors. It is a bit biased about some things (note that Christianity gets 90% of the religion listing, which is a bit like giving the US 75% of geography), and so is discouraged in some areas. Still, about 95% of school and public libraries in the US, as well as 135,000 libraries worldwide in 135 countries, use DDC. The majority of university and specialized libraries do not, however.

Another interesting thing to know is that fiction is part of the DDC. However, most libraries have such a large fiction collection that they choose to have it separately by author, rather than having a huge area of fiction in the middle.

The Online Computer Library Center of Dublin Ohio actually owns the patent on the DDC. It is regularly revised and updated to accommodate new subjects (for instance, the growth of computer science and the internet). If you look at a detailed chart of the classifications, you'll find that there are numbers that are not used yet to allow for expansion. It is currently undergoing its 15th revision.

One important thing to remember is that there are other classification systems in use. The United States Library of Congress uses a different system, and the Universal Decimal Classification , which is widely viewed as more complex but offering better, simpler classifications.

I have provided no answer sheet because the answers are pretty self-explanatory, and because there can often be more than one possible numbers. The best way to do this exercise is to guess at the answer using the list of subject classifications appropriate for your child, then look the subject up on your local library's website. If that service is not provided, then use that of another library, such as that of the New York Public Librar y.

And then, if possible, It's time for a field trip. Give the kids a list of the subjects you'll be studying in the next few weeks, plus any they really want to read about, show them how the local library is set up, and send them on their own Book Safari!

Dewey Decimal System Lesson

000 – Computer science, information, and general works

004-006 Computers
030s Encyclopedias
070s News Media, Journalism

100 – Philosophy and psychology

110s Metaphysics, cosmology, space and time
150s Psychology
160s Logic
170s Ethics
180s, 190s Philosophy

200 – Religion

200s to 280s Christianity
290s Comparative Religion

300 – Social sciences

310s Statistics of nations
320s Politics
330s Economics
340s Law
350 -354 Government
355 - 359 Warfare and Military
360s Social Services
370s Education
380s Commerce and Transportation
390s Folklore

400 – Language

410s Linguistics
420s English
430s Germanic Languages
440s Romance Languages

500 – Science

510s Mathematics
520s Astronomy
530s Physics
540s Chemistry
550s Earth Sciences
560s Paleontology
570s Life Sciences
580s Botany
590s Zoology

600 – Technology

610s Medicine
620s Engineering
630s Agriculture
640s Home and Family
650s Management
660s Chemical Engineering
670s - 680s Manufacturing
690s Building

700 – Arts and Recreation

710s Civic and Landscape Arts
720s Architecture
730s Sculpture
740s - 750s - 760s Drawing, Painting and Graphic Arts
770s Photography
780s Music
790s Performing Arts, Games

800 – Literature

810s American Literature
820s English Literature
830s German Literature
840s Romance - Language Literature
850s Italian Literature
860s Spanish and Portuguese Literature
870s Latin Literature
880s Greek Literature
890s Literature of Other Lands

900 – History and geography

910s Geography and Travel
929 Genealogy, names, insignias
930s History of the Ancient World
940s General History of Europe
950s General History of Asia
960s General History of Africa
970s General History of North America
980s General History of South America
990s General History of the rest of the World
999 Extraterrestrial Worlds

Dewey Decimal System Worksheet

Fill in the call numbers where you would probably find these subjects.
In some cases, there could be more than one possibility.

What to make for dinner

Where to go on vacation

Computer has blue screen of death

Washing machine is spraying water all over the room

Life on other planets

Favorite foods of cows

Whether praying mantises really eat their mates

Arthritis in children

Why pigs can't fly

How to get rid of fleas

Who plays Harry Potter in the movies?

Is there a folk song about fish?

Why do stars explode?

What happens when you mix these chemicals?

Can you start a fire with water? (yes!)

I need a Portuguese Love poem.

What style of house do I live in?

What do I do with a misbehaving child?

Is that against the law?

Did dinosaurs eat palm tress?

Why are we here?

Which fork do I use?

Our bulldog eats our shoes.

Who was King of England in 1776?

My photos of tree slugs are uninspiring.

Dewey Decimal System for Younger Children

000 Generalities

Here we find books about computers, encyclopedias, almanacs, and books about books and
libraries.

100 Philosophy & psychology

Studies of how the mind works, how we should live, and how we should think.

200 Religion

Books about ways that people believe.

300 Social sciences

Books about how people live together in communities. Includes laws, how money works, and
how people live.

400 Language

Where languages came from, how English is properly spoken, and how to speak other languages.

500 Natural sciences & mathematics

Books about math, stars and planets, animals, dinosaurs, and more!

600 Technology (Applied sciences)

Books on subjects from medicine to cooking to making things in factories...

700 The arts

From architecture to painting to photography and games.

800 Literature & rhetoric

Fiction around the world.

900 Geography & history

Countries around the world

Dewey Decimal system for Younger Children Worksheet

Write the call number of the Dewey Decimal System you would probably find the

subject under.

Cats

The History of Africa

Stars

Painting

Cameras

Spanish

Silly Laws

Computers

Math

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Feelings

Library books

Movies

How to play hopscotch

Illnesses

The Elephant in the Playroom

2008-07-04T20:04:00.002-04:00

All three of my sons were like that: they seemed to need a bit to survey their surroundings, and they also needed a warning before changes ensued, be they moving to a new room or leaving for an outing.

A friend had a child who was like my boys, only more extreme. He reacted to nearly any change with tantrums. He had a hard time handling social situations. Sometimes it seemed that he wanted nothing more to be left to himself in a corner.

He and his family were nearly chased from the homeschooling group by other parents who had decided that the boy's parents were 'too easy on him', and that he would corrupt their own, more perfect children.

My friend's child was belatedly diagnosed with mild autism. All the difficult behaviors that his mom had been blamed for were due to neurological problems that she and her husband had no real control over.

I was reminded of all this by a book that came my way recently, The Elephant in the Playroom, by Denise Brody. This book deals with the joys and trials of bringing up 'special needs' kids from personal experience. It is full of stories and anecdotes written by parents of kids who are not 'neurotypical'. It's not about finding the right doctor, choosing the best curriculum or making sure of the diagnosis: it's about realizing that we're all in this together, even those of us whose kids don't have any of the challenges in the book.

The Elephant in the Playroom will give moral support to parents who are neck-deep in trials, but it will also explain the difficulties of these trials to people who only see a bit from the outside. The stories explain the frustration, the sleeplessness, the chaos, the anger, while reveling in the love, care, and joy. It might even give parents of 'normal' kids a few clues to their behavior, as it did when I saw shades of my own boys in some of the children with mildly Asperger's/sensory integration disorder. Neurological makeup is, after all, a continuum.

Maybe, just maybe, reading this book will help parents not judge each other (or themselves) so harshly, since we may not know exactly what the other person is dealing with.

The Elephant in the Playroom

Denise Brody

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Hudson Street Press (April 19, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594630356
ISBN-13: 978-1594630354

To Sleep, Perchance to Grow

2008-07-02T10:55:00.002-04:00

Starting at about age 11, a child's internal clock gets a bit screwed up, to put it mildly. Most children go from being the family's early risers to needing a marching band through their bedrooms to get them out of bed.

This isn't (just) stubbornness : this is biology.

Most parents and doctors used to think that the later bedtimes and comfortable waking times were determined mainly by social factors, instead of biological ones, but recent research has led to the possibility that the trend towards night-owlishness and late rising is a result of changes in the young person's circadian clock. Indeed, teens tend to fall asleep later, need more sleep than when they were children, and it can be said that they have truly reached maturity when they stop sleeping in every chance they get. This seems to be related to the fact that the brain's circadian clock, which is mostly controlled by melatonin, switches time zones and keeps the child feeling awake until later in the evening...and sleepy later in the morning.

This isn't surprising when we consider the things going on in the young person's body. During the teen years, the brain overproduces gray matter, the thinking, sensory-processing part of the brain. The extra neurons are trimmed off as needed. Thus the brain is essentially rewired during the teens. The body, besides growing out of clothes every three weeks, is having a constantly changing hormone cocktail to deal with. And, because puberty is happening earlier and earlier, this is all happening to less and less mature people.

The kids need all the help they can get.

How this plays out in our home schools varies as much as the families themselves. In our family, I've tried to use our middle son's tendencies towards sleep deprivation experiments for our benefit. Ken goes to bed late on school days, and he gets up later than anyone else. This gives me time to spend with his two younger siblings, which means that the younger two get more attention, and Ken gets his own special time also, though he has some science activities with his younger brother. It's not standard, but it works, and Ken is less of a zombie.