Some days are incredibly hard, but all days are meaningful and part of her story. She is a gift.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Light It Up Blue!
Today is World Autism Awareness Day, just over the 2 year mark of G-bug's diagnosis on the autism spectrum. She has taught us so much about perseverance, patience, joy, selfless love, grace toward others, and creativity through her daily example.
Some days are incredibly hard, but all days are meaningful and part of her story. She is a gift.
Some days are incredibly hard, but all days are meaningful and part of her story. She is a gift.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Number of the Day worksheet: Thanksgiving!
Whew! It's been a busy semester. The school year is going great, and a lot of learning is happening... the kids are learning a lot too. AY! (rim shot)
One of the things our kids look forward to the most is the Number of the Day. For G-Bug especially, there is something very comforting in the routine of beginning most mornings by learning a new number, practicing counting and addition/subtraction with that number, and best of all...
At the beginning of the year, I had numerous resources to draw from for our number of the day activities. Everyone loves learning to count to twenty! Free online worksheets were everywhere - all I needed were a few minutes and a printer. (FYI: One of my favorite resources for worksheets 1-20 was Confessions of a Homeschooler).
Then we hit number 21.
I soon discovered that most worksheets don't tackle writing/counting numbers after 20. I did find these worksheets for numbers 21-30, but other than that I was stuck. And a bit desperate. The NOD worksheet routine is so highly anticipated and helps to set a positive tone to our entire day. And G-Bug is asking for more! What to do?
So, I made the decision to learn to make my own worksheets. A dear friend introduced me to Microsoft Publisher, and a whole new world of possibilities opened up! Number of the Day was saved!
I have recently gotten braver and decided to try to draw my own graphics using a tablet app to avoid any copyright issues. Plus it's just fun to put my one semester as an art major into practice (here's to unwasted college classes!).
Now I'm taking another big leap: I've decided to share these worksheets with all of you, in the hopes that someone else might find them useful.
I am currently working on getting the worksheets for numbers 21-52 uploaded in the next month (or two). In the meantime, here are a couple of Thanksgiving worksheets that you might enjoy (numbers 49 and 20).
One of the things our kids look forward to the most is the Number of the Day. For G-Bug especially, there is something very comforting in the routine of beginning most mornings by learning a new number, practicing counting and addition/subtraction with that number, and best of all...
Number of the Day worksheets!
At the beginning of the year, I had numerous resources to draw from for our number of the day activities. Everyone loves learning to count to twenty! Free online worksheets were everywhere - all I needed were a few minutes and a printer. (FYI: One of my favorite resources for worksheets 1-20 was Confessions of a Homeschooler).
Then we hit number 21.
I soon discovered that most worksheets don't tackle writing/counting numbers after 20. I did find these worksheets for numbers 21-30, but other than that I was stuck. And a bit desperate. The NOD worksheet routine is so highly anticipated and helps to set a positive tone to our entire day. And G-Bug is asking for more! What to do?
So, I made the decision to learn to make my own worksheets. A dear friend introduced me to Microsoft Publisher, and a whole new world of possibilities opened up! Number of the Day was saved!
I have recently gotten braver and decided to try to draw my own graphics using a tablet app to avoid any copyright issues. Plus it's just fun to put my one semester as an art major into practice (here's to unwasted college classes!).
Now I'm taking another big leap: I've decided to share these worksheets with all of you, in the hopes that someone else might find them useful.
I am currently working on getting the worksheets for numbers 21-52 uploaded in the next month (or two). In the meantime, here are a couple of Thanksgiving worksheets that you might enjoy (numbers 49 and 20).
Happy Thanksgiving, and don't forget to count your blessings! AY! (rim shot)
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Pre-K! Hip hip hooray!
A couple of mommas recently asked me if I had any recommendations for pre-K resources. My first thought was, "Oh man! There are so many resources out there! Where to begin?"
One approach to starting preschool at home is simply conducting an online search for topics/themes that your children love. Searching on Pinterest or Google for "farm theme preschool ideas" or "space theme preschool" can provide plenty of ideas, games, crafts, and worksheets that might work well for you.
There are also several helpful sites and blogs that have been recommended to me by other homeschool moms. Here is a short list of free/almost free resources that may help you get started. Many thanks to friends who helped compile this list! (NOTE: Please comment and share any other resources you have found helpful!)
Lessons/Activities/Printables:
Education.com: Free membership offers 10 worksheets a month for toddlers, pre-K, and up
File Folder Fun.com: Free educational games and activities
Kids Learning Center: Tons of free worksheets for pre-K and kindergarten
Letter of the Week: Resources for babies through kindergarten
Motherhood on a Dime: God's Little Explorers Preschool Curriculum ($14): 28 lesson plans with activities/ideas for a 4-day preschool week.
Homeschool Blogs:
1+1+1=1: Materials/ideas for toddler through kindergarten
Confessions of a Homeschooler: Ideas for multiple ages/grades, printables, planners, you name it. This blog is a MUST.
Home Grown Learners: Offers music and art appreciaton materials, free unit study lesson plans, and Lego printables (she is an official Lego Educator blogger, and a member of the Classical Conversations Blogroll).
Preschool Corner: List of homeschool bloggers offering pre-K ideas/printables/curriculum
Favorite Books:
Preschooler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games & Activities To Occupy 3-6 Year Olds
The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder, but really great activities for kids of all abilities to encourage sensory play
Online Games:
ABCYa.com: Online games to practice letters, numbers, shapes, etc.
Starfall.com: Online activities to practice letters, numbers, and phonics. Our kids have been using it since they were 2-3 yrs old and still love it!
Shepperd Software's Kid's Corner. Free online educational games covering topics such as life sciences, language arts, math, and geography. Includes a preschool/kindergarten page.
**UPDATE 10/6/15: Four Maples Academy has added a preschooler this year to our family! I came across a great and inexpensive curriculum/lesson plan that has been just the right balance of structure and play - The Measured Mom's Preschool Journey Curriculum! She also offers a supplementary worksheet packet, which we have also enjoyed. Check it out!
Please comment and share any resources you have found helpful, and have fun learning and exploring with your preschooler!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Guiding Principles for Educating Your Unique Child
Whew, where did the week go? Two therapies in a week makes for little time for anything else, but I have been working on a list of pre-K resources that I hope to have done in the next week (fingers crossed).
But before I do that, I would like to share a few thoughts from well seasoned homeschool veterans that have helped us shape our home education experience - these guidelines have been critical in our selection of homeschool curriculum and how we approach education in our family. I hope these words encourage and inspire you to love and enjoy learning with your child as much as it has encouraged us!
- Teach to the child, not to the curriculum: Your child was made completely unique. Because of that, your child (just as every adult) learns and experiences things in his/her own unique way and in his/her own unique pace. You child might love worksheets and checklists, or might prefer games and manipulatives (things to hold/manipulate for better understanding). Your child might primarily be a visual learner, or an auditory learner, or a kinesthetic (hands on/experiential) learner - and that is a good thing! He/she was created that way for a purpose, and we should work with those given abilities and not against them.
Dr. Kathy Koch, founder of Celebrate Kids, Inc., spoke on this topic at the Midwest Homeschool Convention last year - she identified different giftings as "multiple intelligences." Some of the examples she gives are "word smart," "people smart," "body smart," and "music smart." You can link to her page here.
You might have other considerations to take into account as well. Your child might struggle with a particular type of learning (children who are extraordinarily gifted in one type of learning tend to struggle in other areas). He/she might have learning challenges, developmental delays, or other factors that might impact their ability to learn certain subjects or skills. Feel freedom to adjust your curriculum and your expectations to best fit your child's needs, and not the other way around. In teaching, primarily focus on your child's abilities as you encourage them in areas of difficulty.
- Any part of life can become a learning experience: Broaden your definition of what learning and education can be. The main subjects a child typically learns in the early years are reading, math, writing, and life sciences (the world around us). Why do we learn these skills? We learn them because they are the foundation of all other subjects, but also because they are relevant and necessary in our lives! So why not demonstrate that in the way you go through your day with your children?
For younger children, a trip to the grocery store is full of learning possibilities. Play an ABC game and find items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. See/touch/smell different foods and talk about where they come from. Practice basic math concepts by counting items in your cart or have them find the aisle number you need ("Okay, oatmeal is next on the list! That is in Aisle 7 - who can find Aisle 7 first?"). Do laundry together and let your children sort items by color/texture/size. Plant and care for a garden together and learn how different fruits/vegetables grow. Go for a walk in the park and count how many different birds/animals you see and their features. All of life is an opportunity to learn and engage our children's (and our own) curiosity - and that encourages a love of learning and curiosity that children will take with them long after they have mastered their letters and numbers and have moved on to more advanced subjects. (FYI: This principle applies to older children as well!)
This is actually how we began our tradition of Science Fridays. My kids L-O-V-E science, and the curriculum we had chosen for the year wasn't really meeting their needs or level of interest. So I asked them what they would like to study for science, and they gave me a couple of topics that they were keenly interested in: Ocean life. Space. Bugs. From there, we broke the subjects into 2-3 month unit studies and put together short weekly lessons, mostly drawing from different websites on the internet for related worksheets, activities, and videos (NASA, Discovery network, PBS, and many talented homeschool parents, to name a few). The kids love it, and it gave me a tangible way to encourage and respect their interests and celebrate how God has uniquely made them.
So whatever you do, make it fun, engaging, and relevant to your child's abilities! It will help you sustain and enjoy this labor of love that is homeschooling, and - more importantly - it will encourage your children to embrace their curiosity and to love learning and explore the world around them.
But before I do that, I would like to share a few thoughts from well seasoned homeschool veterans that have helped us shape our home education experience - these guidelines have been critical in our selection of homeschool curriculum and how we approach education in our family. I hope these words encourage and inspire you to love and enjoy learning with your child as much as it has encouraged us!
- Teach to the child, not to the curriculum: Your child was made completely unique. Because of that, your child (just as every adult) learns and experiences things in his/her own unique way and in his/her own unique pace. You child might love worksheets and checklists, or might prefer games and manipulatives (things to hold/manipulate for better understanding). Your child might primarily be a visual learner, or an auditory learner, or a kinesthetic (hands on/experiential) learner - and that is a good thing! He/she was created that way for a purpose, and we should work with those given abilities and not against them.
Dr. Kathy Koch, founder of Celebrate Kids, Inc., spoke on this topic at the Midwest Homeschool Convention last year - she identified different giftings as "multiple intelligences." Some of the examples she gives are "word smart," "people smart," "body smart," and "music smart." You can link to her page here.
You might have other considerations to take into account as well. Your child might struggle with a particular type of learning (children who are extraordinarily gifted in one type of learning tend to struggle in other areas). He/she might have learning challenges, developmental delays, or other factors that might impact their ability to learn certain subjects or skills. Feel freedom to adjust your curriculum and your expectations to best fit your child's needs, and not the other way around. In teaching, primarily focus on your child's abilities as you encourage them in areas of difficulty.
- Any part of life can become a learning experience: Broaden your definition of what learning and education can be. The main subjects a child typically learns in the early years are reading, math, writing, and life sciences (the world around us). Why do we learn these skills? We learn them because they are the foundation of all other subjects, but also because they are relevant and necessary in our lives! So why not demonstrate that in the way you go through your day with your children?
For younger children, a trip to the grocery store is full of learning possibilities. Play an ABC game and find items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. See/touch/smell different foods and talk about where they come from. Practice basic math concepts by counting items in your cart or have them find the aisle number you need ("Okay, oatmeal is next on the list! That is in Aisle 7 - who can find Aisle 7 first?"). Do laundry together and let your children sort items by color/texture/size. Plant and care for a garden together and learn how different fruits/vegetables grow. Go for a walk in the park and count how many different birds/animals you see and their features. All of life is an opportunity to learn and engage our children's (and our own) curiosity - and that encourages a love of learning and curiosity that children will take with them long after they have mastered their letters and numbers and have moved on to more advanced subjects. (FYI: This principle applies to older children as well!)
- When possible, let your child's interests guide your lessons/activities. Does your child love trains? Go to the library to check out books about steam and diesel engines (picture books and research books). Plan a trip to a nearby railway museum. Find a free train themed alphabet worksheet (example: I just searched in Google Images for "alphabet train worksheet preschool" and found this free worksheet - sweet!). Teach them math and counting with train-themed activities (last year, we drew a train track on a piece of paper and used graham crackers to be train cars - we practiced basic addition as we added more cars to our track).
This is actually how we began our tradition of Science Fridays. My kids L-O-V-E science, and the curriculum we had chosen for the year wasn't really meeting their needs or level of interest. So I asked them what they would like to study for science, and they gave me a couple of topics that they were keenly interested in: Ocean life. Space. Bugs. From there, we broke the subjects into 2-3 month unit studies and put together short weekly lessons, mostly drawing from different websites on the internet for related worksheets, activities, and videos (NASA, Discovery network, PBS, and many talented homeschool parents, to name a few). The kids love it, and it gave me a tangible way to encourage and respect their interests and celebrate how God has uniquely made them.
So whatever you do, make it fun, engaging, and relevant to your child's abilities! It will help you sustain and enjoy this labor of love that is homeschooling, and - more importantly - it will encourage your children to embrace their curiosity and to love learning and explore the world around them.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Number of the Day Ideas
As I mentioned in my last blog entry, we have been enjoying a new activity in our math studies: the Number of the Day!
Number of the Day Chart: Using an ice cream cone template to keep track of our progress and practice skip counting once the chart is completed
There are several suggested activities in our curriculum, including:
- Finding ___ of something in the house (for at least first 10 numbers)
- Measuring a line ___ inches long
- Practicing simple word problems using the number of the day (ex. If I baked seven cookies and gave three to Miss Anita next door, how many would I have left?").
We have also incorporated a few more ideas:
- Number of the Day exercises on wiggly days (ex. "Do 9 toe touches! Let's do 9 bunny hops!")
- A math game for practicing addition combinations: put ___ marshmallows (nuts, raisins, cheerios, whatever) in a plastic sandwich bag with a line drawn down the center of the bag. Have the child group all of the marshmallows on one side of the bag, then move them one by one to the other side of the line, writing down the numbers of marshmallows on either side (ex. 6 marshmallows = 3+3, 4+2, 5+1). (Source: Heart of Dakota)
- Build a house with ___ of each kind of block (ex. 4 windows, 4 flat blocks, 4 triangles, etc)
- Draw a hopscotch grid with ___ of squares to jump on (I am imagining an epic hopscotch competition on Day 100!). You could practice skip counting by 2s, only jumping on the even numbers
- Go outside and look for ___ insects/rocks/flowers/fall leaves/acorns/etc. You can even make it into a word problem: "We have found 4 red leaves and 3 yellow leaves. How many is that? How many more do we need to find?"
Happy counting!
Number of the Day: Dozen Day!
We are finishing up our third week of school and we are really enjoying the format this year. We made the decision to switch to My Father's World for first grade, and have been very happy with how fun and flexible it is, as well as how it suits our family's needs/preferences.
One of the new activities included this year is the Number of the Day. Throughout the year, we will be working our way up to counting to 100 (as well as practicing skip counting by 2, 5, and 10). This is a great way to introduce and practice addition and subtraction, as well as number writing and recognition.
Today was Dozen Day - hooray! We read a couple of stories with a dozen theme: A Dozen Dogs by Harriet Ziefert and Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans. I also created a fun donut themed worksheet to practice addition (feel free to download it for your own use - just click the worksheet graphic below):
Then the kids and I took a surprise trip to Krispy Kreme to celebrate. The lady who worked there was very kind as the kids practiced their donut addition and filled the box with the right number of sugary goodness.
We were sure to practice "subtraction" as well.
One of the new activities included this year is the Number of the Day. Throughout the year, we will be working our way up to counting to 100 (as well as practicing skip counting by 2, 5, and 10). This is a great way to introduce and practice addition and subtraction, as well as number writing and recognition.
Today was Dozen Day - hooray! We read a couple of stories with a dozen theme: A Dozen Dogs by Harriet Ziefert and Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans. I also created a fun donut themed worksheet to practice addition (feel free to download it for your own use - just click the worksheet graphic below):
Then the kids and I took a surprise trip to Krispy Kreme to celebrate. The lady who worked there was very kind as the kids practiced their donut addition and filled the box with the right number of sugary goodness.
We were sure to practice "subtraction" as well.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Fruit of the Spirit bible study & activities
Wait. What did I agree to do? I didn't even know where to start.
When it comes to teaching, I am so thankful for the wisdom and experience of other parents who are gifted in creating lessons accessible to kids, and I'm also thankful for the internet so they can share their ideas with the rest of us who need help. There are so many great ideas out there!
If you are interested in going through a fun 9 lesson study of the fruit of the Spirit, here are some materials/ideas you might find helpful:
Fruit of the Spirit bible study for Grades 1-3 - good study resource to pull from with Scriptures, discussion questions, and activities (written by a Southern Baptist children's minister and associate pastor). Be sure to study these fruits for yourself and adjust the lessons to your own teaching style and your children's needs/level of understanding our preschooler is even following along.
Fruit of the Spirit workbook - prints out to form a workbook for the entire study (works best with 2-sided printing, but can also just print 1-sided), includes a separate printout of the memory verse Galatians 5:22-23 for kids to decorate and hang up to help them practice their verses
Fruit of the Spirit song - includes lyrics, movements, and a link to a YouTube video to hear the song
Fruit of the Spirit Bingo Game - great for reading/memorization practice; let kids take turns being the caller
Fruit of the Spirit Bean Bag Game - gross motor planning, reading practice, upper body strength development
I have been pretty amazed at how the kids have enjoyed this study - it has brought about many questions and opportunities to talk about the Gospel and how it's God's Spirit that produces these fruits in us, not our own ability to be "good." It has also been a great way to approach some specific challenges our kids have had recently. For example, our almost 4-yr old Truth has a tendency toward gloominess: one thing will go wrong and he pulls out the metaphorical umbrella and rain clouds and a pouty lip. During our lesson on Joy, we talked about Philippians 4:4, and that Paul was in prison and still encouraging the church in Philippi to rejoice always! Truth was pretty surprised by that and was really thinking about it afterward - he even drew about it in his workbook).
Picture of Paul in jail (right)
I hope this study is as "fruitful" for you as is has been for us! Please comment and let me know if this is helpful and if you have any other great ideas to teach the fruit of the Spirit to your children.
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