If you have children who love making crafts, take a look at Simple Saturdays. This site was created by children’s book author Debbie Gonzales. She offers a new craft, science experiment, math game, or magic trick for children every weekend.

The way it’s set up is so simple and easy to use. On Fridays, check in for the “prep” post. You’ll find out what the weekend’s craft is going to be, and the supplies you’ll need to gather together in order to make it. Then, go back to the site on Saturday for complete instructions. Debbie will take you step by step through the craft, providing photos of each step along the way.

If the Saturday falls close to a holiday, she’ll post a corresponding craft such as Chocolate Roses for Valentine’s Day, a Pot-O-Gold Treasure Hunt for St. Patrick’s Day, and the Easter Lily Necklace for Easter. Or, on a quiet weekend, you might find toilet paper roll kazoos or homemade play dough. Science experiments include easy projects such as The Liquid Sandwich and Ocean in a Bottle, ones any budding young scientist would enjoy. You can also make your own Mankala game or bathtub soap crayons. As you look through the pages, you’ll find even more to do.

This is an enjoyable site for kids (and parents) of all ages. So if you’re searching for a craft to supplement a lesson, a fun activity to add to the school day, or just something to do together on a lazy Saturday, check out these Simple Saturday ideas. Look through the pages with your child, and chances are, you’ll find some you both want to try. Then gather the supplies, read the directions, and get started. You might even find yourself trying a Simple Saturday idea every day!

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Picture by San Jose Library

Simple Saturdays on Facebook

Homeschooling Reading Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

March 21 is often regarded as the official first day of spring, but around our house, we’ve had spring fever for quite some time. The days are finally warm, and it’s almost time to pull out the summer clothes. It’s also a great time to read stories about spring. Here are a few you might want to check out from your local library:

It’s Spring by Linda Glaser is one of a four-part series of books about the seasons. In this book, a young boy observes the signs of spring, including spotting songbirds and watching sunsets after dinner. At the end of the book, you’ll find a list of springtime activities you can do with your children.

Hurray for Spring by Patricia Hubbell also follows the springtime adventures of a young boy, including swinging, playing in puddles, and observing the smallest creatures such as worms and ants.

Splish Splash Spring by Jan Carr is another picture book featuring things to discover in the spring, as it describes the children’s activities after a rainstorm.

Spring Things by Bob Raczka also describes springtime fun. Spring ends in “ing,” and so do all the things that happen in the spring, such as “melting” and “buzzing.” This book doesn’t have a lot of text, but it does have a lot of verbs — a good supplement to that grammar lesson!

How Robin Saved Spring by Debbie Ouellet is a fictional book about spring that those still experiencing winter might enjoy. In this folktale, Lady Winter wants the world to stay covered in ice and snow, keeping Sister Spring asleep forever. It’s up to the animals to figure out a way to wake her.

If you’re experiencing sunny, warm days where you live, be sure to take advantage of the good weather. Grab a book, find a shady tree outside, and enjoy an afternoon of reading with your child!

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Photo by Vimages

Homeschooling Reading Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

About this time of year, many homeschoolers are beginning to plan for summer studies or the next school year. Our co-op is already beginning to form the 2010-2011 class schedules based on student interest and teacher availability. As you decide the subjects you want your children to study, you might consider sharing your own skills with others – and allowing them to share with you.

If you have a skill, a hobby, an interest, or a subject you enjoy, you can teach other children along with your own. You don’t even need to be in a co-op to get started. You can offer the class to your homeschooling friends — it can be a casual class, meeting in your living room or at a park, or a more formal class, meeting in a library or community building. You might charge a small fee for your time, or you could barter for other classes or services.

Need some ideas? Here are some topics to get you started:

• Foreign languages – Are you fluent in a foreign language? These are a must for college-bound high school students
• Sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Physics: These lab sciences can be harder to fit in the family’s schedule when there are lots of little ones around.
• Math — Teaching upper level math classes can be difficult, so if you’re good in math, you would be able to fill this need.
• P.E. — Are you athletic? You can organize exercise activities and team sports.
• Literature — Do you love to read? Do you appreciate good literature? Form a group to read and discuss the books you choose.
• Chorus – Are you a good singer? Consider directing a children’s choir.
• Personal Finance – If you manage money well, you could teach this topic to teens.
• Art – Do you draw or paint? Do you like to do crafts? You could start an art class working with your favorite medium.
• Photography – Are you an amateur photographer? A professional one? Share your enthusiasm with students as they learn the basics of taking a good picture.
• Scrapbooking/Stamping – If your creativity flows in this area, show the students how to preserve memories by creating their own personal scrapbook.
• Home Economics/Cooking – Does your family rave about your cooking? Consider starting a class for budding chefs and teach about kitchen safety, nutrition, and preparing meals.

The list of possibilities could go on and on…just take what you know, and share it!

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Photo by Khaleeka

Homeschooling Reading Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

This past week, my oldest daughter had the opportunity to go traveling with relatives. As we were sorting through her clothes, I thought of how quickly the trip had come up and how easy it was for her to join in. Our flexible schedule provided enough time to get her packed and send her on the trip.

While we were preparing things to take along, I had her pack a few workbooks, reading books, and flashcards. “You’ll need to do some schoolwork while you’re gone,” I said. In my haste, I had forgotten what a hands-on learning experience a trip can be.

The plans involved traveling by car from South Carolina to Wisconsin — a 14-hour drive. During that time, my daughter kept track of the states they drove through, as well as the states represented on the license plates of the cars they passed. From the road she saw deer grazing in a field, a huge mansion, and a windmill. They stopped for breaks in cities she’s never been in before.

She spent the week in Madison, Wisconsin, visiting the capitol daily and listening in on classes in American government and the legislative process. She now understands just how a bill becomes a law, and how important it is to vote for good leaders for our nation.

She spent free time ice skating and sledding and walking through waist-deep snow — something we don’t ever see at home. On the way back, they plan to visit Chicago and the Sears Tower, as well as other sites if they have time. And she’s writing all about her adventures in a small notebook she took along.

Did my daughter need those workbooks? I’m sure she didn’t. She has learned so much this week by simply experiencing it — lessons I know she won’t soon forget.

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Photo by Cimexus

Homeschooling Reading and Math Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

If you have a youngster who loves spending time with you in the kitchen, or if you have an older child who is beginning to focus on cooking skills, the website Kids-Cooking-Activities.com is one you’ll want to visit.

This cooking site is full of information to help you involve your children in meal planning and preparation. On the homepage, you’ll find a list of reasons why you should cook with your kids, including strengthening the bonds among family members, boosting your children’s self esteem, contributing to the family, and working together as a team, as well as lessons in science, math, language arts, and creativity. An added bonus is that children are more likely to eat what they make themselves, so if you have finicky eaters, having them help out with the meals may give them the boost they need to try new things.

At Kids Cooking Activities, you’ll find easy meal ideas for children, as well as recipes from around the world. There are links for themed suppers, cooking parties, and craft recipes. Both children and adults can enter the monthly recipe contest.

And there is even more here for teachers — whether you are teaching in the classroom or at home. If you have a younger child, the “Cook and Books” button sends you to a page linking cooking activities with favorite picture books. Another page presents science experiments you can do with food, while the “Food Facts” page provides basic nutrition information on various types of foods. And if you want to add a cooking class to your home curriculum or start one with your 4-H club, this site offers lesson plans for children from preschool age all the way through age 18.

Cooking is a valuable life skill for both girls and boys, and with this site, you’ll have access to many resources to help get them started.

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Homeschooling Reading and Math Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

With the Olympics now in full swing, learning opportunities abound. There are so many possible lesson ideas and unit studies that correlate with the events in Vancouver, from sports lessons to writing to history and geography.

If you’re looking to incorporate the games into your schooling, here are some ideas to help get you started:

• Host your own Olympics. You don’t have to do the same sports you see on television. Try games like tug-of-war, relay races, and obstacle courses. You might even have a bubble gum blowing contest. Create medals using colored cardstock and ribbons, and award them as prizes for first, second, and third place.
• Investigate the history of the Olympics. Where were the first Olympics held? What were they like, and how are they similar or different from the Olympic games today?
• Create a lapbook or unit study about the host country, Canada.
• During the awards ceremony, the national anthem of the gold medal winner’s country is played. Write down the names of the anthems you hear, and find out the words to the songs. Do the songs have something in common?
• Choose a country represented in the Olympic games, and study that country. Begin with the country’s participation in the games: find out how many athletes are competing and the events they are competing in. Then find out about their homeland and what the people, government, and culture is like.
• Imagine you are an Olympic athlete, and you’ve just won (or lost) your event. Write a journal or diary entry describing what happened and how you feel.
• Watch an event on television all the way through to the medal ceremony. Write a newspaper article and report on the activities.
• Create your own Olympic vocabulary list. Find out what sports are included in the winter Olympics and describe each sport. Sports to include are: downhill skiing, cross country skiing, Super G, slalom, biathlon, freestyle aerials, freestyle moguls, nordic combined, snowboarding, ski jumping, luge, bobsleigh, skeleton, curling, ice dancing, figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, and short track.
• Choose your favorite sport of the winter Olympics. Find out what type of training an athlete needs to make it to the Olympic Games.

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Photo from adrian8_8

Homeschooling Reading and Math Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

The other day, as we were moving books around from one room to the other, we came upon a couple of boxes of yearbooks — some mine, some my husband’s — from college, high school, middle school, even elementary school!  My children had a fun time looking through them, finding our old photos and looking at others who were in the same class.

Fortunately, we’ve been able to participate in a homeschool yearbook for the past five years. A group of homeschooling moms put it together each year; one of the moms is a photographer and takes all the photos; another mom collects the pre-orders; several moms lay out the pictures, and as many as will raise advertising revenue from local businesses to help off-set the cost.

After my children finished with my old yearbooks, they began thumbing through their own. Besides the class photos, their books also include a lot of extra pictures that parents send in featuring field trips, clubs, vacations, holidays, special family times, and more. I usually send in some extra photos every year, so they had fun searching for themselves in those pages as well.

If your local homeschooling community doesn’t have a yearbook yet, perhaps you can help start one. While the first one our family was part of was laid out by hand, the books can now be done digitally on the computer. Below are a few companies that feature do-it-yourself yearbooks:

Homeschool-Yearbooks.com – Started by a homeschooling father, this company offers four easy plans for creating your yearbook, either in color or black and white.

Memorybook.com – The Memory Book Company publishes yearbooks for homeschools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, summer camps, and military units.

Blurb.com – With this print-on-demand company, you can create all kinds of photo memory books, including yearbooks

Jostens.com – Often recognized as a company that sells class rings, Jostens also sells yearbooks that you can put together online.

For those involved in its creation, a yearbook is certainly a lot of work. But it’s a project that not only chronicles the school years, but also the memories made along the way.

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Photo from Homeschool-Yearbooks.com

Homeschooling Reading and Math Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

If you are looking for information on the Internet regarding homeschooling, A to Z Home’s Cool Homeschool website is the place to start. This community site offers help for home educators of students from preschool through high school with articles, lesson ideas, books, materials, and curriculum, as well as links to many other online homeschooling resources.

New to homeschooling? You’ll find articles about what homeschooling entails, why you might choose to homeschool, and how to get started. There’s also information about planning, record-keeping, and getting Dad involved. If you’re bringing your child home to educate him after he’s been in a traditional school, you’ll find articles to help you with that transition as well.

But that’s not all. A to Z Home’s Cool also provides information about teaching methods and philosophies, homeschooling gifted children or children with special needs, and preparing for graduation and beyond. You’ll also find curriculum reviews and suggestions. The best part is, if the article is not on the site itself, A to Z provides you with a link to another site containing that article. Not only are you looking at the resources available on this site, you’re also plugged in to resources from all over the Internet.

Another interesting feature of this site is its community focus, as it works to connect homeschooling parents with other homeschoolers. With the blogging tool, you can join in by reading the blogs of other homeschooling families on the site, or you can start your own. You’ll also find forums and a chat room in which you can discuss particular topics with other homeschoolers from around the world.

This website is a resource filled with resources — there’s so much there, it would take hours to look through it all. It’s a good place to start when you have questions or concerns, or if you just need some fresh ideas.

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Homeschooling Reading and Math Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

My family is ready for spring. This winter has been a very cold and wet one in our part of the country, with quite a few “wintery mixes” coming through — not nice, soft, fluffy snow you can play in, but combinations of rain and sleet and ice. The temperatures have been too cold to enjoy playing outside — we’re on the lookout for warmer weather.

What’s a homeschooler to do when the weather is keeping you indoors all day? If your children are growing restless, here are a few ideas that might help:

1. Plan an indoor picnic.  Help your children find easy recipes for dishes they can make, or have them put together some things using just what you have. Provide them with plastic knives to cut up bananas or cheese; bake some cookies or other treat. Spread out a tablecloth in your living room, and enjoy!

2. Make something out of playdough. Get out cookie cutters, plastic utensils, and other kitchen gadgets, and see what your children can come up with. They can even create characters and take turns using them in a story.

4.  Act out a fairy tale, or create a play of your own. If you have a video camera, record the play and have everyone watch it together when it’s finished. Older students enjoy being the videographer.

5. Read a book together. Find some cozy blankets, get some hot cocoa, and snuggle up with a good book.

6. Create your own comic strip. On a sheet of plain white paper, draw several horizontal and vertical lines on the paper to form squares. Have your children fill in the squares with the adventures of their own cartoon characters.

7. Use dry beans and noodles to create an original mosaic. Glue the objects on a piece of cardstock or poster board. Use white glue to create interesting designs.

8. Make a collage of “favorite things.” Provide your students with old magazines and scissors, and have them cut out pictures of the things they like the best. Show them different ways they can arrange them on the paper, including overlapping some of the photos. Glue the pictures using a glue stick.

9. Make plans for spring! Decide the activities your family will be doing this spring. Will you be planting a garden? Taking a trip? Working on projects around the house? Write down your goals and what you all need to do to reach them.

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Photo from Indy Kethdy

Homeschooling Reading Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids

Last fall, I received an email from our local homeschooling email loop about the Loud family, a family of six people that sold everything they had and purchased an RV. They went from living in a 3500-square foot home to a 300-square foot living space and began traveling the country with their three dogs and a hamster. Because they move from place to place, their children can’t attend a traditional school; instead, they “roadschool” — homeschooling as they go.

Roadschooling is a homeschooling alternative in which the family travels together to visit the sites they study and experience everything first-hand. While parents must register their children as homeschoolers with their “home” state, the family is free to go from place to place, utilizing the resources available in each state. Lessons, then, are designed with the environment in mind.

FamiliesOnTheRoad.com is one website that features roadschooling families. For those interested in a life on the road, this site is a good place to start. Here you’ll find articles about the logistics of roadschooling: how to obtain books, how to receive mail and use the Internet, how to travel in an RV with children and babies, how teens find jobs when on the road, how to maintain old and new friendships, and much more. You can also find pages featuring families that are currently on the road. A forum is available to help you connect with others who are traveling.

I can’t imagine that we would ever sell everything to travel full time; our home has a lot of family history. We are settled into the community and my husband into his work. But who knows? Roadschooling seems like the adventure of a lifetime — one that you can share with all of your children, no matter what age they are!

Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell

Homeschooling Reading Curriculum by SmartTutor.com

Story Time – Stories for Kids