Flat Stanley Fever!

Hello friends! I hope all of you are preparing for a wonderful 4th of July full of fun, fireworks, family. We are thoroughly enjoying our summer here and loving the relaxed schedule: lots of free play, audio books, outdoor adventures, sidewalk chalk masterpieces, digging holes to who-knows-where, filling in holes to who-knows-where when who-knows-who falls into one, card games, art projects, My Little Pony binges... and that's just what I'VE been up to. (HI-YO!)

But now we've hit the halfway point of summer vacation - and as we have neared that milestone I started thinking ahead to the next school year. Our main focus is going to be "United States" - we'll be exploring the history of America, investigating all fifty states, learning about their different characteristics, historical facts, state birds, etc. The kids and I also talked about trying our own Flat Stanley project after participating in a friend's project last spring. But we wanted to see if we could hit as many states as possible: maybe we could find friends in 20 states, or even 30! That seemed like an unlikely goal, but we put out a status on Facebook asking friends if they could help us recruit a list of people from various states to help host our Flat Stanley in their home state, or to let Flat Stanley tag along if they were going to take a trip to a particular state.

Hi! I'm Flat Stanley!

Well friends, let me just tell you right now: DO NOT underestimate the power of social media! It has only been ONE WEEK since we first put out feelers for volunteers, and we already have people committed to the project in FORTY-THREE states. FORTY. THREE. As in seven short of the entire honkin' country. And five countries on four different continents. I'm still in shock. Thrilled and shocked. :)

(Blue indicates states that are spoken for, wahoo!!)

We actually received so many invitations that it quickly became more than one little paper boy could handle. So, he called in reinforcements: his siblings Flat Manly and Flat Sally!

Flat Manly (left) will be handling most of the international travel, and Flat Sally (right) will be traveling with families/individuals who are taking scheduled trips within the U.S. (This way, Flat Stanley won't have to disrupt his visits through the mail with other hosts.)

The kids will keep a journal of all of Team Stanley's adventures, and of all the interesting things we learn about the different states and countries they visit. And we will try to share as much as we can on here so you can join us in the fun!

Now, for a status report on each of the members of Team Stanley: 

Flat Manly is on his way to Brazil with our friends Kane, Lyssa, and Zadok for the rest of the month, just in time for the World Cup!

Flat Sally is preparing to spend next week in Washington State with our friend Kelsey. 

Flat Stanley is on a plane to Jamaica with a new friend Ms. Connie as a mission team member to help teach VBS at an orphanage, paint a church, do some building, and even join the team in some sightseeing. Here he is in his mission team's official shirt:

Please contact me if you'd like to be a part of this project, and follow along here or on Facebook to see where Team Stanley goes next!

Books of the Bible series: their wisdom's verifiable!

**I am finally getting around to publishing this post written back in February - better late than never!**

Where has the time gone?? This school year has been zooming by, and we are learning so much. I wish I had the time/mental energy to blog more about all of the activities/lessons we've learned this year, but don't we all? So I will fight the temptation toward "blog guilt" and just get on with sharing what I have been up to. :)

A particularly favorite activity from this winter has been learning about all of the books of the Bible! When I saw this was coming up in our curriculum, I admit that my first inclination was to think, "Hmm, I don't know if the kids are going to be very excited about this." Wrong! They love it! It's interesting for them to learn what the different books are about, who wrote them, when they were written, what order they come in and why, etc.

Jason (our resident seminary graduate) has been very helpful preparing for these daily mini-lessons. First, he suggested that we divide our visual chart into the 5 primary types of books included in the bible: History, Poetry, Prophets, Jesus, and Church (aka letters to the churches).

It's a great way to break the books up visually into bite-sized chunks, but it is also a great way to introduce the concept of hermeneutics, as we can better understand the Scriptures when we know the type of book it is (for example, one would read/interpret a poetry book differently than one would a book of prophecy or history). Combined with our timeline, it has also helped us see the progression of God's story throughout human history.

The kids have asked some great questions, and it's been a great catalyst to talk about things like how the Israelites came to be (God's promise to Abraham), Israel's history of obedience/disobedience and the consequences of their choices, the prophecies of Jesus' coming hundreds of years before His arrival, and connecting their favorite memory verses to the context of the book it can be found.

We also found a really cute song on YouTube that includes all of the books of the Bible to a melody that is fun (ukulele!) and doesn't make me want to hurt myself after singing it every day for two months. :)



The song also includes simple declarations: "The books of the Bible, time-tested and reliable; their wisdom's verifiable! Scripture has a power that undeniable!"

Yes it is! I've been so surprised to see how this simple daily activity has been such a catalyst for such good conversations and desire to search the Scriptures for answers. Watching the kids (and myself!) come to understand and love God's Word more though this exercise has been wonderful.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

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.

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...

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)

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!

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!)

- 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.

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!