Wants vs Needs

by Nuria Almeida on 01/24/2012

in homeschool,homeschooling,Learning,life skills,Parents

During a social studies study unit, my son and I happened upon the wants vs. needs discussion.

We talked about how needs are those that we cannot live without like food, clothing, shelter and health care.

We then went over how though we enjoy items such as toys, junk food, video games, gadgets and fancy clothes, these things qualify as wants. They are not things that we need for survival; they aren’t necessary.

After some time talking, and my son exclaiming he needs video games, I quickly realized the subject is a little difficult for children to understand.

In order to supplement our discussion with more concrete ideas and a hands-on activity, we went through a magazine, cut out pictures and made a pile of needs and wants.

Then I assigned a made up dollar amount on each item, making sure the total sum came to $150. I announced he had to survive on the $100 monopoly dollars I handed him. I instructed him to pick out which items he would purchase, reminding him what his basic needs were.

It turned out to be a great exercise.  The first time around, he purchased all he wanted. I pointed out he had everything he wanted, but not a place to live or food to eat. He went through the exercise over and over,all the while having fun, each time improving on his choices. By the end, he even began to understand the concept of saving up for things that he wants but can’t afford.

For more ideas on wants vs needs activities, check out PBS Kids My Money section.

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Mistakes in Homeschool

by Nuria Almeida on 01/23/2012

in children,homeschool,homeschooling,Learning,Parents

The full year my son spent in school taught him many unfortunate things. The worst lesson that he learned, in my opinion, is that it’s a bad thing to make a mistake. Think about it.  In school, when a child gets an answer wrong on a test, he is not provided an opportunity to fix his mistake.  When my son’s teacher commented that he did not participate as much as she required, I asked him why.  He replied he didn’t want the other students and the teacher to make fun of him. Who would attempt anything new in such an environment?  Mistakes in school are literally a dead end and they perpetuate a fear of failing which leads to a fear of trying.

Since we have been homeschooling, I have tried to focus on undoing this damage.  Not all homeschoolers practice this- but in our home, mistakes are welcome because they are ultimately very effective learning opportunities.

I believe making mistakes is integral and necessary to the learning process.  As I facilitate my son’s learning endeavors, I remind him often in words and actions that:

-he can show all he’s learned  through his right answers, but he will learn the most through his mistakes -mistakes provide the information that will help him do it right next time -listening and studying are great but that he will learn best by doing -this is a safe learning space

The goal for my child to embrace is to be someone who is willing and able to face  challenges head on and to treat such moments as learning opportunities.

Read this chapter on the subject from Positive Parenting by Jane Nelsen.

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Famous Homeschoolers

by Nuria Almeida on 01/19/2012

in homeschool,homeschooling,Parents

If your family follows sports, you couldn’t help but hear about Tim Tebow.  When my son was telling me all about Tebow’s awesome moves, I piped in a tidbit of information my son didn’t know about his newest sports hero- Tim Tebow is a homeschool graduate.

Of course, my son was impressed. We looked Tebow up in an impromptu research activity and what I came away with was this quote from Tebow’s father, Bob, “You can be well educated in the world’s eyes and still be a sorry person. You can graduate with degrees and have no character. Character defines who you are.”  Our family and a lot of other homeschool families we know share this sentiment.

My son was suddenly very interested to find out what other famous people are homeschool graduates or currently homeschooling. I was very happy to see but not surprised that a lot of famous and rich celebrities choose homeschooling for their kids.  Some favorite famous young homeschoolers are Jaeden and Willow Smith -actors Will and Jada Smith’s children.  those two kids have been homeschooling while following their dreams in the entertainment business, Jaeden in acting and Willow in music. It’s inspiring for a child like my son to see such drive in kids living a homeschooled life.

There are a multitude of others on this list of not just famous, but also exceptional people. There is plenty of inspiration for our homeschooled children and lots of myth dispellers for those who express concern about homeschooled children being limited.

To subscribe to receive a famous homeschool biography a month, visit Famous Homeschoolers, a free service.

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Making Humor Important

by Nuria Almeida on 01/16/2012

in Activities,children,education,homeschool,homeschooling,Learning,life skills,Parents

One thing that has increased since my daughter came into the homeschooling picture is laughter. The other night my son mentioned his stomach muscles hurt and we both realized it was probably from laughing so much. Humor has revolutionized our homeschooling. Our days seem brighter since the little one’s antics have loosened our previously stodgy routine.

Blowing raspberries on his sister’s belly first seems to put my son in a better learning mood. When we laugh together over anything we seem to connect as a family deeper than before.

Ensuring a sense of humor or the ability to recognize when something is funny even when it differs from the norm into our daily activities has helped my son become aware of different perspectives and different ways of thinking. He can capture subtle meanings as I model more sophisticated humor and is maturing into someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously. This in turn raises his self-esteem. I also notice him developing a more spontaneous nature which helps him in turn keep an optimistic attitude.

In society, humor is a useful tool which can help open doors, break tense moments, ensure you are better liked. As I watch my son attempt to develop his own style of humor, I encourage it.

If its made our homeschooling better, it’s probably just the cherry on top. Laughing together will not only provide both my kids with treasured memories, but with a priceless skill as well.

Check out Family Times article ‘Adding Humor (and Fun) to Homeschooling’

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Reading a Thermometer

by Nuria Almeida on 01/10/2012

in Activities,homeschool,homeschooling,Learning,Science

With the crazy weather we have been having, I can be seen checking the outside thermometer fairly often. My son asked me what I was doing the other day and I realized suddenly I had neglected to show him how to read a thermometer. It’s a great lesson that encompasses both math and science.  There is a practical and necessary skill that is learned, such as measuring not just atmospheric temperature but body temperature as well. Learning this unit can lead to many discussions about world wide issues, like global warming, weather phenomenons and the importance of recycling.

We started a unit study on temperature by first learning about how temperature is measured. Then we went over how to identify the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales. We also discussed how to read temperatures on a scale to the nearest 2 degrees. Lastly, made sure to go over identifying hot, warm, cool or cold temperatures by degrees.

Some hands-on activities I made sure to include were:

-reading a thermometer

-comparing different thermometers

-making a thermometer (http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/thermometer.html)

My sons favorite activity was going outside with a real thermometer and taking the temperature in the sun and the  going to a shady spot and taking the temperature there.

Going forward, we will record the temperature each morning. My son will be responsible  for taking the reading and it will give us plenty of opportunity to discuss the scale or any related topics.

Online activities and worksheets are widely available to help reinforce the concepts.

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Clouds – What Can Your Kids Make of Them?

by Nuria Almeida on 01/09/2012

in education,homeschool,homeschooling,Learning,Science

Daydreaming days can be inadvertent learning days. When school friends are off for holidays, my son takes that time off too. Lots of day trips to open spaces ensue and laying on the ground to cloud watch is a favorite past time.

We went over lots of cloud information, like:

- What are clouds?

Clouds are a visible collection of fine water droplets suspended in the atmosphere. Clouds can develop in various altitudes, from just above the ground to several miles above sea level. Clouds are formed through the process of condensation, which occurs when a gas or vapor changes to a liquid.

Some common cloud formation are:

-Stratus Clouds are the grayish clouds that cover the entire sky. They look like fog that has not reached the ground. Sometimes stratus clouds may drizzle.

-Altocumulus Clouds are large, middle level, gray, puffy clouds. If you see these clouds on a warm, humid summer day, it can mean thunderstorms may be on their way.

-Cirrus clouds are high, thin and wispy clouds blown about by strong winds and appear like long streamers. They form at about 20,000 feet from the ground. They are so thin, the sun can be seen through them.  They are usually a sign of pleasant weather.

-Cumulus clouds are low, puffy clouds that look like floating cotton. The base is flat and the top looks like rounded towers. They can develop into a thunderstorm cloud.

For more cloud information, visit Weatherwiz Kids

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Maps of War

by Nuria Almeida on 12/21/2011

in children,History,homeschool,homeschooling,Learning

My younger brother is a Navy officer and my son is always wondering about the time he was deployed to Iraq.  My son is interested in war history in general but this war I have had a hard time explaining, so I researched some tools online.  Enter Maps of War.

The Maps of War site is a collection of eclectic and creative visuals that can increase the viewer’s understanding of war and its related history.  My son was able to “see” the history of the Middle East in a little over a minute!

A collection of flash presentations illustrate geo-political aspects of war and religion. It’s a great supplement to our American History unit study. For example, animations show:

-the spread of world religions over time and over a world map.

-the American death tolls associated with each U.S. conflict

-which President and political party is associated with each war

-the various political entities that have held power and land in the Middle East

The unbiased and factual animations are visually striking and engaging. As a facilitator I found it easy to bring in more context with each map. I also found opportunities to discuss other implications of some of the information we were seeing.  For example, we noted that there have been more casualties in wars under Democratic Presidents.

We have a projector and the animations held up to enlarged presentation.

The animations can be streamed from the site or downloaded.

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Winter Homeschool Activities

by Nuria Almeida on 12/15/2011

in Activities,children,education,Fun,homeschool,Learning,winter

During the cold months, homeschooling can get dreary- not being able to go outside as often can even bring about the blues.  My son starts acting up, going stir crazy.

Here are some fun and time consuming winter homeschool activities for those long days indoor:

-Caroling

Harmonizing to real Christmas carols (one singing the melody and the other the harmony) makes great memories of singing together.

-Gingerbread Houses

Not easy and very messy but so much fun. See great gingerbread house recipes at Babble.

-Large Lego Creations

Chances are you probably have hundreds of Lego pieces at home. If you use them all together, you can make some wonderful Lego models.  For inspiration, check out this Lego examples from artist Hayao Miyazaki.

-Unit Study Play Dates

going stir crazy means my son has a hard time listening and paying attention. That instantly changes when he’s got a friend or two to accompany him.Our homeschool group offers unit study partnerships for those of us who want some company to make time fly.

-Go see a Play!

Look up the schedule of plays from your local Play House- there are usually a lot of great prices for plays that tend to be not well attended.

-Take a tour!

Your local fire department, police station, manufacturing plant, or capital building can be both educational and fun.

-Go to the Movies!

Matinees are a good deal and the theaters are usually empty during the day.

For more winter homeschool activities visit About.

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Religions of the World

by Nuria Almeida on 12/14/2011

in Activities,education,History,homeschool,homeschooling,Learning

Social studies has not been a steady or main focus in our homeschooling. It’s always been pushed to the side in preference of more “fun” subjects like science or reading.

However, my son asked me about world religions the other day. He made a friend whose family is Buddhist, so his interest was piqued.

The main areas of review for this study unit are:

-what is religion?

-what is spirituality?

-what is worship?

-what are the different world religions?

-how does religion impact society?

-how does religion define codes of behavior?

-how is it different for different people and cultures?

-how has religion molded history?

-how is religion celebrated?

-do all religions worship a supreme being?

-do all religions follow a religious text?

-how is religion represented in numbers in the world?

Our discussions were driven by lots of books from the library, some online videos on indigenous traditions of certain geographical areas, a visit to local houses of worship, interviews with three different religious representatives and a drawing and craft project depicting different religious celebrations and traditions.

What I noticed had the most impact on his retaining this new knowledge was the interviews. The passionate way these representatives spoke about their belief made an impact on my son. While we worked on an art piece for this unit, he commented that each of the people we spoke with was certain their religion was the only right way.  I know a study unit is a success if my son is musing about it without prompt.

For lesson plans and information visit Social Studies for Kids.

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Physics Principles For Kids

by Nuria Almeida on 12/08/2011

in Activities,homeschool,Learning,Science

My child is very curious about things, but the minute he sees a textbook, his curiosity instantly ebbs.  Therefore, we learn while being active.

A great place for learning physics principles, such as gravity, friction and centripetal force, but also provides a fun environment is amusement park- or more specifically, a roller coaster.

In a roller coaster, physics principles are taking place right before our eyes. We can explore them through personal experience.

These three physics principles are in action in a roller coaster:

Gravity

Roller coasters are an awesome example of gravity. As the coaster rises higher, its potential energy increases. Simply put, it has farther to fall. When it is released at the top, gravity pulls the coaster car down the track, converting potential energy to kinetic energy, or energy of motion. Gravity applies a constant downward force on the cars.

Friction

Friction is what happens when any two things rub against each other. The main friction in roller coasters is the rolling friction between the wheels and the track. Friction slows down the velocity of the coaster.

Centripetal Force

Centripetal force pulls an object toward the center when it is moving in a circular motion. It is what keeps a person in his seat when going upside down on that roller coaster. It’s the same force that keeps the roller coaster cart from falling down when it is upside down in the highest part of a loop.

For experiments and information on these and other physics principles, visit Science for Kids.

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