Homeschooling

Springtime in Small-Town Ontario

April 12, 2021 By Annette1 2 Comments

The crew has a challenge for us this week. What are our Spring Routines? Well… honestly I don’t know. We work in the garden, go for long walks, enjoy the spring flowers… you know… springtime in small-town Ontario. Nothing too fancy for us here. As I sit here though I have to remember that not everyone lives in small-town Ontario. 🙂 So let’s talk a bit about my neck of the woods and what’s normal for us in the spring.

You’ll find the odd affiliate link in this post. Costs you nothing, helps to support this blog.

Teens Build!

I have a teen boy in the house. Every year around this time he gets antsy to build and create. He once again wants to build an air-propelled weapon. Last year he modified his old marshmallow gun to create a weapon that could propel an arrow more than 100 feet. He accidentally broke a piece on it so it no longer works ergo… the need to build a new one! He’s on the hunt to find the parts. It was rather quite impressive how far it would shoot.

Springtime in Small-Town Ontario

Going for walks in the spring… soaking in the warmth of the sun, enjoying the light after a winter of dark. I have to tell you, it’s one of my favourite things. It’s wonderful to see the geese back in the park, to see the beauty of our local dam and waterways, and even to see the white squirrels running about.

Being out in the sun is good for us. Did you know it helps us to regulate our serotonin levels? It’s UV rays help us absorb chemicals and minerals. The Vitamin D we gain from being out in the sun for even 15 minutes helps us to fight autoimmune diseases, and the exercise we get gains us a better night’s sleep. Early morning walks help to shrink fat cells which is rather cool! 🙂 Sunlight helps boost a chemical in your brain called serotonin which keeps us more balanced and happy over the course of a day. Rather good to know the benefits of being outside eh?

Since I have that teen… the spring is a great way to encourage him to get off his duff and out in the nice weather. I have to admit, it’s not a hard sell in the spring. It is probably the easiest time of the year for me to get him out and about. I’ve noticed that the more he is outside the better his eczema is too!

Running errands to the store, getting out with local friends, and just gadding about. It’s GOOD for a teen boy! I love letting him use his muscles helping me in the garden, doing yard work, or even doing spring cleaning.

If you’re looking for gardening or food production resources for your homeschool, you’ll find SchoolhouseTeachers a good place to start.

Getting Out in the Gardens

Springtime is a great way for the enterprising teen in your life to make a few dollars. Last year my son started some crabapple trees, helped me dig up extra gooseberry bush starters, and got some maple trees growing.
This spring he’s working with me to sell them. Half for me, half for him. He thinks it’s a good deal since he struggles yet with marketing. As he helps with clean up he discovers other items we can put up on the marketplace as well, like our excess feedbags from the rabbits, flower pots we’re not using this year, and more. It’s good to see him thinking about possibilities.

If you are looking to encourage the entrepreneurial skills of your teens, these books (affiliate link) might help.

Going Down the Rabbit Hole! (How to Create a Unit Study for your Homeschool)

November 12, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

Welcome with me Yvie to my blog today! She’ll be talking about How to create a unit study for your homeschool.

Unit studies provide an in-depth (and often hands-on) approach to learning about any topic your students are interested in, providing individualized instruction and instilling a love of learning!

It may seem overwhelming at first, but creating a unit study is easier than you think! There are just five simple steps to creating a unit study…

What Will You Study?

What is your child interested in? Unit studies are an excellent schooling method for child-led families! To begin, choose one of your child’s interests (e.g., dinosaurs, princesses, Minecraft) and create studies around it. These might include science, history, geography, math, writing, literature, or life skills…anything relating to the topic!

If you want to do regular unit studies, keep a running list of ideas to pull from, and try to plan a couple of weeks in advance. This will give you time to gather the needed materials. Elementary and middle schoolers are going to have more leeway with unit studies, while high schoolers will need more stringent activities to keep up with graduation requirements.

How Much Time Will You Devote To This Unit?

A unit study planner is a must! This one covers a full year, with room for five in-depth units, one per season plus two in the summer. This is a good pace for unit studies if you are using them to complement the regular curriculum. If your entire curriculum is unit studies, you’re going to want to do a couple each month.

Deciding which route to take depends on your schooling style. If you prefer a regular curriculum, but want to incorporate Fun Fridays, you’ll want the relaxed pace. If you prefer a child-led, or interested-based, school, then the more aggressive approach to unit studies will be a better fit.

Either way, the Unit Study Planner is a good place to get organized with the first few units you cobble together. It includes pages for monthly, weekly, and daily unit study plans – this way you can choose the schedule which works best for you! Once you’ve got a few units under your belt, you’ll discover which groove works best for your family!

What Activities Do You Want To Do?

Are you a bookish family? Do you tend toward the outdoors? Prefer to learn through video? Choose something that is the base for your unit….your ‘spine,’ if you will. If you’re a travelling family, you might have location or event-based studies, such as the Boston Tea Party, NASA Space Center, or the Gettysburg Address.

No matter what you choose, you’ll want to include a few basic components:

Books – Visit the library and find a selection of fiction and non-fiction books related to the topic. Bonus points for learning to use the card catalog!
Videos – There’s nothing like visual representation of more difficult concepts, so scout DVDs and YouTube for related videos.
Field Trips – A day trip to the zoo or science museum, or even a longer overnight trip to a big attraction…all of these fit the bill.
Hands-on Activities – No one likes sitting at a desk all day, so get up and make something! This might include STEM kits, cooking projects, or art projects.

Schedule or Fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants?

For my personality, there’s no question here…being Type A, I’m always going to answer ‘schedule.’ But maybe you prefer to wing it. That’s ok…that’s the beauty of homeschooling! You get to tailor things to your family.

Whatever your method, you’re going to need to plan at least a little bit…if for no other reason than to have the necessary items to complete your unit. You’ll need to know what ingredients / materials are needed for hands-on projects, and also what resources (books, dvds, etc) are needed for the research and informational portion of the unit study.

You’ll probably want to know ahead of time where the museum is and when it’s open…though you might just get in the car and decide to impulsively visit. It happens. Choose which method works best for you, and your family, and roll with it.

Are You Keeping Track?

Record-keeping doesn’t have to be difficult, especially with elementary and middle school students. The creation of a lapbook or notebook adequately shows what they have learned. With upper grades students, a portfolio that includes books read, photographs of hands-on activities, and research projects will document the unit.

Need Some Help Getting Started?

Homeschool On the Range has several pre-made unit study bundles in their Cottage Shoppe! These are literature-based units that cover vocabulary, critical thinking, history, geography, and learning through hands-on activities. Use coupon code NOVELSTUDY50 to snag your bundle at 50% off through March 31^st, 2021!

Yvie is a veteran homeschooling mom and the high school counselor for The Homeschool House, a non-profit organization. She helps to create unit studies and enjoys helping other families on their homeschool journey. When not teaching or counseling, she enjoys reading, spending time in her garden, and traveling the country with her boys. You can find her at Homeschool On the Range, on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Choosing Where To Work

October 26, 2020 By Annette1 6 Comments

The challenge from the crew this week is furniture favourites. I thought about going through the house and doing things like showing our dining room table, the bathroom (cause you gotta love the bathroom for it’s sheer usefulness), or my bedroom. It would have fit the challenge perfectly. I got to thinking though, what makes those pieces favourites? And do we really have favourites in our household? Where do we spend the most time, particularly when we are busy? Our love of some furniture has us choosing where to work.

My Son’s Choice

He actually has three favourite pieces of furniture. My comfy chair inherited from my mom. That boy and his cat spend ALOT of time in that chair. He also loves the office chair in front of my hubby’s computer. This is where my lad spend countless hours playing games, either by himself or with his friends. It’s come in handy this summer with Covid shutting everything down.

But his favourite place with a homeschool connection? His bed.

He sits on his bed, pillow cushioning his back, laptop in front, one cat at his side, the other at his feet. There he studies. Being as he’s now 15 he’s not keen on pictures being taken, but I do have his bed. 🙂

It’s good to let our kids choose where to do their schooling don’t you think? Accepting their choices about where to learn is a bridge to increased independence, rather helpful that.

Hubby’s current place

You know how sometimes you get a piece of furniture and you wonder what took you so long to get it? That’s my hubby’s thoughts considering his newest possession… A hammock! He’s sleeping better and he tends to wake up less sore. Building him an underlay remains a work in progress.

My Favourite Piece

My comfy red chair. This is where I doze off to sleep at night waiting for hubby to come home. It’s where I work on my blog and my rabbitry website. I read my review books often while sitting here. I grade papers, write posts, block out my days, and track credits.

And it’s where I have most of my conversations with my hubby. Sometimes via verbal communication, and often times just texting back and forth as we watch TV. I had another red chair before this one, and probably will again after this one wears out. 🙂

It’s not the only red comfy chair we have, my hubby has one as well. He sits across from me every night after work catching me up on the day’s events while he has supper. Then I trundle off to bed, and he enjoys a comfy sit.

Sometimes my favourite piece of furniture isn’t technically furniture. And admittedly, it’s not always a favourite piece! 🙂 BUT!!!! It is a needful piece for seeing results towards a long-term goal. And that makes a favourite piece of furniture/equipment.

So what about you?

Do you and/or your family have pieces that you gravitate toward? A comfy chair, a favourite reading or working spot? What is your choosing where to work spot?

Fall Sports

September 21, 2020 By Annette1 4 Comments

It is that time of year for pumpkin spice, chili’s and stews. Long sweaters and jeans and shuffling through the leaves. Children running around engaged in their fall sports.

Yes! It is Fall again!

Fall is can be an interesting time of year, even for those who are mourning over the ending of summer!

Recently, I met up with a couple of friends who had their little ones with them. They were your typical excited little ones, so I engaged them in some fun activities.

We went along the local trail and saw amazing things like baby snakes and leaves with different patterns – we looked at these through my pocket microscope. We had a chance to watch various animals getting ready for winter. Looking at different mosses that grow on trees under a mini microscope was very fascinating for the children, as well as for me.

Is it just about fall sports?

Typically, when we think of fall sports, we may think of the baseball season coming to an end and get geared up for hockey and other indoor sports. But hiking a trail and seeing what creation has to offer is a fall sporting activity that we don’t think about. Gardening is another.

Sitting here typing this I am looking out my window into my gardens. There is a plethora of plants in my garden that I love to look at. Particularly the diversity of it. There are vegetables, flowers, herbs, and even a bit of bunny greens for my bunny! Fall is a time of harvest and harvesting the veggies is quite the sport at times! Adie form that though, there is a feeling of accomplishment. I believe every sport should have that feeling. Whether you win or lose, there is a sense of accomplishment.

I feel that’s what fall does for me. Gives me a sense of accomplishment for the year, even though we still have a few months left in the year. This year has been strife with all sorts of things starting with COVID-19, and lockdown, social distancing and all that has been involved in that. But there is still a sense of accomplishment in my spirit because I have had some of these small things in my life. I think of the newness of life that spring makes me feel, and how I’ve seen that grown during the summer. Now, I see the fruits of my dreams from spring, just before nature takes a nap from growing things.

If anything, fall sports can teach me one thing, out of many; how wonderful it is to let things go. As the sporting season changes and morphs for the winter, so does nature. Both letting go of the old, to take a rest, and prepare for a new season.

How About You?

The social media challenge for this week was fall sports? What does that bring to mind for you? Does it bring out the athletic side of you or the more let’s get out and enjoy the weather with friends and family? I’d be curious to know. 🙂 Join the linky or share in the comments won’t you?

Are they really needed? Pens & pencils in your homeschool

August 31, 2020 By Annette1 11 Comments

Pens and pencils, I don’t know about you but I use one everyday. I thought about sharing my favourite pens and pencils but realized that really, I don’t have any. I will happily use whatever I have on hand. It got me thinking, are they really needed? Pens and pencils in your homeschool. Can you get away without using them?

Are they really needed? Pens and pencils in your homeschool

There are two sides to every question aren’t there? With the plethora of on-line resources, and laptops one could argue they aren’t needed. BUT then there’s art and science and…. where it’s hard to argue against the need. So let’s discuss it shall we?

No, you can’t

You can’t run a homeschool without using a pen and a pencil. They are as necessary to life as bread and butter.

Art (drawing, 3-d, illustrating, etc), science notations, something to fiddle with, note-taking and imprints. Add in emergency drum practice, crafts, filling in worksheets, figuring out math problems, and much more. You might be surprised by 100 uses for a bic pen!

My son loves Ticonderoga pencils. Some new pencils were a birthday request, and he SO much enjoys them! 🙂 I have to admit, my teenager is a bit more particular about his writing implements than I am. 🙂

Yes, you can

Take a moment if you will to imagine a world without needing pen and pencil. A world filled with narration, physical activity, spelling bees, hands-on activities, on-line forms, simply telling what you know, computer games for math, language arts and more. The other day I ran into on-line chem labs! You can even find complete curricula on-line, it’s amazing how learning can happen with video, editable PDF’s, and other projects. One could say we’re reaching for a world without primitive technology. 🙂

Do you really need pencils and pens for your homeschool adventures? Can you imagine your homeschool moving into such a world?

Goals for the New School Year

August 24, 2020 By Annette1 7 Comments

The other day I reached a bit more than halfway to a goal. I was BEYOND thrilled. Even though my progress is erratic, over time it remains consistent. I am looking forward to getting into a consistent routine with cooler weather again.

But today I was plunging a sink in the basement I realized something. Since Jim has started this job where he works evenings and he’s tired ALL THE TIME I’ve needed to learn new skills (like plunging a sink).

That got me thinking again about how, what your perspective is, changes what your attitude is. I could resent that my hubby is tired all the time and how I can’t depend on him to do all the stuff he used to do. OR and this is the perspective/attitude adjustment part… I could rejoice that he has a sorta decently paying job AND that I can learn new skills. Including the skills of being persistent in the face of unexpected challenges.

So when this challenge popped up of goals for the new school year I got to thinking… what other goals might I have?

Support the lad’s education

I have to admit, I’m not exactly sure how to go about doing this, but I very much what to help my lad continue to develop his discernment skills. Learning how to tell non-truth from truth, to be able to discern hidden agendas, will help him when he faces challenges from the world.

Future schooling will bring challenges, as does the ready access to knowledge which doesn’t always speak truth into the lives of people reading/viewing it. How to help him navigate that using good solid judgement is a minefield that I’m not sure how to navigate well. But try we surely shall. 🙂

To learn how to plan out his learning agenda. I’m teaching him to take the number of lessons and divide that by the weeks to completion. Give him a better idea this year on how to stay on track.

He’s already figured out that doing 2 then a different 2 per semester, like the local high school is doing makes more sense to him.

Produce Something

A year or two ago I had this goal of producing a book of poetry. I think this year it is doable. Just pull up posts from my blog, and write some new stuff and mix it all together. Should be fun yes? I’ll need to sort out just how to do that using Amazon…but it should be doable I think. 🙂

I also want to put together an ebook for middle-to-high school on dealing with “errors in scripture” and how to help students figure out truth from error. Give students more than one perspective from which to learn startling details so they can discern better the steadfastness of God.

I have other ideas in my brain, but right now those two are the biggest.

Continue the other goal

Expect reaching the goal that I alluded to in my initial paragraph will take a good year yet most likely. Never-the-less I will continue on my journey. Persistence is a good thing you know? But strict adherence to a regime will probably never happen! But long-term goals are good things to have!

Other goals for the new school year

I’m in the process of painting all my rabbitry trays, and I think I want to paint some of my rabbit cages as well. Slow down the rust damage. Reduce the number of trays/cages I have to buy next year! (at least that’s the plan).

I want to replace the sides on the storage part of my rabbitry. This will give me a bit more space I think, and reduce damage possible by various varmints that wander through.

Hubby is going to build an enclosed room in the basement, so want to be able to help him, possibly learn some new skills. Might not work though as hubby works best without anyone helping him. 🙂

Find a part-time job I think. Just two days a week if I can.

Figure out the whole…. doing a newsletter thing for my blog. I am hoping to increase my affiliate sales this year, you know… actually MAKE some money at this blogging thing. Apparently having an active newsletter helps tons with this.

How about you?

Having goals for the new school year gives me items to aim for. Not just for me, but also to support my family. A huge joy it is to do such. What sort of goals do you have for the coming year?

Guest Post: 4 Important Tips for Choosing the Perfect Homeschool Curriculum

August 18, 2020 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

I would like to welcome Amanda to the blog today. She offered to share a post with you my lovely readers on 4 Important Tips for Choosing the Perfect Homeschool Curriculum. Doesn’t that sound interesting? Don’t you just want to dive in and learn more?

4 Important Tips for Choosing the Perfect Homeschool Curriculum

You’ve decided to homeschool!

Congrats! This is such an exciting and scary time for you I’m sure.

Once a parent decides to homeschool their first thought is to find a curriculum. But it shouldn’t be.

When you decide to start homeschooling, there is a lot of thought that needs to go into your homeschool before you even begin thinking about which homeschool curriculum you will use.

Today I’m going to share 4 important tips that you need to consider before you even begin looking for the perfect homeschool curriculum.

After you go through these, you may even begin to wonder if a curriculum is really necessary or how to even use a curriculum in the right way.

No worries! These 4 tips will help you get a better understanding of what your homeschool day will look like and what you will want to teach.

girls on desk looking at notebook — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s Not All About the Curriculum

choice in curriculumFirst, let’s talk about what a curriculum is and how it can best serve you on your homeschooling journey.

A curriculum is essentially a roadmap with an end destination that will most likely have a million and one pit stops along the way.

Learning is not linear. If it was, we wouldn’t have a choice in curriculum because they would all be the same.

Every child will have different interests and be ready to learn different skills at different times. We each have our own unique learning timeline.

The experiences we have and the environment we grow up in is what shapes that unique learning timeline. This is why every curriculum is different.

marketing school business idea — Photo by Gerd Altmann on Pexels.com

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Curriculum

Instead of looking at arbitrary assessment markers, like standards and grade levels, we’re going to deep dive into your child and your goals. Follow the 4 tips below and you’ll walk away with a better understanding of your child and how you want your homeschool journey to go.

Tip #1: Define Your Goals

The very first thing you want to think about are the goals you want for your children. I recommend setting only 3-4 goals per year. To do this, you’ll first start by thinking about where your child is in each important skill (math, reading, and writing). Then set specific goals that will help them move forward in that skill.

Do not…

I cannot emphasize this enough…

Do not go look at school standards or grade level requirements. They are not developmentally appropriate, nor do they take into consideration your child’s unique learning timeline.

The only way to enhance your child’s skill is to move forward one small step at a time.

With the homeschool parents that I work with, I suggest setting one goal for math, one for writing, and one for reading. Each one of those goals should move them forward and enhance their skill in some way.

Now that you know your goals for your child, you can begin looking for a curriculum that will help you meet those goals.

abstract blackboard bulb chalk — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Tip #2: Figure Out Your Educational Philosophy

We are not going to identify with one particular method of homeschooling here.

I want you to take a few minutes to reflect on your past educational experiences. What was school or education like for you?

Then spend time reflecting on what you want education to mean to your child.

Take your answers to create your own educational philosophy. This will take bits and pieces of different educational methods. Once you have your educational philosophy, you will have a better understanding of what type (or method) of homeschool curriculum you can focus on.

Do you see how using these tips are already eliminating so many choices in homeschool curriculum? And we’re not even done yet!

woman in beige coat standing near white wooden book shelf — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Tip #3: Understand Your Child’s Learning Style

I see many homeschool parents get confused about their child’s learning style. They tend to look for a curriculum that’s very heavy in learning with their preferred learning style.

But here’s the thing…

Every child learns best through hands-on experiences, especially in the early elementary ages. It doesn’t matter what their learning style may be.

But it is important to know your child’s learning style and combine it with hands-on experiences.

I recommend finding a curriculum that uses your child’s preferred learning style as the main method for learning then follows that with hands-on experiences to help make that new knowledge concrete.

But here’s the catch…

A curriculum should not focus on just one learning style. A good curriculum will incorporate multiple learning styles. Just because your child may have a preferred learning style, doesn’t mean they can’t learn with another learning style. It would get boring if every lesson was taught in the same way.

Teaching in multiple learning styles also gives your child a chance to look at topics/skills from a different viewpoint.

So I may have confused you there…

The bottom line is to find a curriculum where the main way of learning follows your child’s preferred learning style, but also incorporates hands-on activities and other methods of learning.

gray double bell clock — Photo by Moose Photos on Pexels.com

Tip #4 Discover Your Ideal Homeschool Day

This one is similar to figuring out your educational philosophy, but it takes into account the fact that you’re home.

Spend some time reflecting on what your ideal homeschool day would look like. It’s important to know what this is.

Obviously, having a perfect homeschool day isn’t going to happen often. Kids are kids!

But if your curriculum doesn’t allow for you to even attempt your ideal homeschool day, then you’ll never get that dream come true. This one is all about having the possibility to experience your ideal homeschool day.

Make sure your curriculum will allow for that possibility.

By going through and reflecting all these 4 tips before looking at a homeschool curriculum, you should be able to eliminate a lot of choices.

What about you?

Did you enjoy Amanda’s post on 4 Important Tips for Choosing the Perfect Homeschool Curriculum? Are there any tips you think she missed? How do you go about choosing curriculum?

Amanda helps homeschoolers raise self-motivated learners by bringing the adventure of learning right into your living room. She’s the creator of The Captivated Learner and The Learning Lifestyle. Amanda is a single, entrepreneur, homeschooling mama of two kiddos. You can follow her on Facebook.

Homeschooling

Springtime in Small-Town Ontario

Teens Build!

Springtime in Small-Town Ontario

Getting Out in the Gardens