To begin my hands-on American History class at my homeschool co-op, I decided to introduce the world explorers by playing our Guess Who?-inspired game: Guess the World Explorer! Not all of the kids knew details about the various world explorers, so we revisited the information cards to learn as we played.
October is approaching, and that means it’s nearly time for LDS General Conference!
In anticipation of this bi-annual gathering of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’ve been pondering how to best prepare my two young children. At age 6-almost-7 and 2, Raisin and Strawberry are still rather young to be fully attentive to the 8 hours of discourse and song. But there are ways to learn the message and appreciate it, and I’m grateful for The Friend magazine for providing our starting point for General Conference gospel learning! Continue reading
It’s so easy to say but it is true: anything can become a learning game. When I opened a box to find a dozen air bubble mailers, my daughter oooh’d and aaaah’d over the them. So I grabbed the sharpie and complied with her curiosity. “Letter POP” is the impromptu game that resulted. Continue reading
This past Sunday was Grandparents Day, and although I did not have a chance to post about it then, I have been thinking for some time about how much I learn from my children’s grandparents. Grandparents teach me how to be a better parent. It is so important to let my kids get to know them, and I’m grateful for their love and examples. Here are three of the best things I learn from my parents and in laws that I’m grateful for.
Patience. It is true that it may be easier to be patient when you know that the frustrating child will return home at the end of the day. But still, when a child is taking forever to do something, it is hard to keep patient. My parents and in-laws do it. And my children and I love them for it!
Priorities. My children’s grandparents remind me that the silly spills, messes, and chaos of childhood will not last. Their kind words to my children help them understand unconditional love they have for them. It helps to see those priorities
Example. My children’s grandparents give time in religious service. My parents are serving in Nicaragua for an extended length of time. My in-laws lead, visit others, and care for those who need. What a great example they are to my parents of unselfish Christ-like service! I am so grateful that their example shines brightly for my kids to see.
As the saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.” I am grateful for the actions of our grandparents to help me keep parenting in perspective!
On September 11, 2001, I got up early because that was the only time my apartment of six was quiet. I read the entire New York Times and headed up to my early Economics class. When I got there, I learned of the attacks in New York.
How do I teach of this historic happening without causing my children undue fear? I am not sure yet. My son is only 6, and we talk about it a little more each year. This year, I’m focusing on what it means to be an American.
We’re going to study the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem today in honor of Patriot’s Day. What better way to learn about being an American than by declaring “I pledge allegiance” to this country! Continue reading
We’ve been learning about ducks, thanks to Strawberry’s interest. After reading dozens of books and playing with duckies in the tub, Strawberry still wants more! To play up the duck theme yet farther, Strawberry, Raisin, and I conducted experiments with sinking and floating. Continue reading
We found some rubber duckys at the Dollar Store the other day. My daughter was very excited to play with them! We had to stock up on a lot of them.
Of course, rubber ducks are a fun friend for the bathtub. But we decided to make a game so we could play and count with duckies anytime. Here are some ducky counting mats for rubber ducky fun outside of the bath!
Continue reading
When I was a kid, I hated to stay home from school because I was sick. Honestly, even if I were sick, I wanted to be at school. I loved it so much!
But, it’s never a good idea to get the whole class sick, so I’d stay home with my mom. I would rest in bed all day, reading books. I have fond memories of my mom reading books to me when I did not feel well.
Being a homeschooled student, my son will have different experiences. Yesterday was his first “sick day” of the school year, since a bug has been visiting our family this weekend: it was finally his turn!
There are a number of benefits to a homeschool sick day. Here are some of them. Continue reading
Since my daughter likes ducks so much, I decided to do some mini-units on ducks. One thing I decided to do was prepare a small craft and writing (“craftivity”) for us to enjoy! Continue reading
I think one of the greatest educational benefits of homeschooling is the chance to learn and study family and home economics. Homeschool home ec class is the most natural of our daily learning. Continue reading