This Date- Ideas for Celebration

Calendars are a great way to get ideas of how to celebrate the little things with your children or kids in your classroom,  but when your free calendar only lists the major holidays, or when you forget to look up the info on the internet, a book can be a great place to look for ideas for ways to bring a little fun into what could be a boring school day. In walks the great book "On This Date: A Day-by-Day Listing of Holidays, Birthday and Historic Events, and Special Days, Weeks and Months".

If a website with the info is more your thing, consider visiting http://www.brownielocks.com/month2.html for a list of many of the major holidays for the 2013 year.

Supplemental American History Curriculum with WalllBuilders

photo from nixxphotography

Do you love history? I certainly do, in fact, I majored in history in college, mostly because I loved reading about it, and also writing those papers.  One of the main reasons I chose to change my major was based upon a presentation I heard by David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to informing and educating people about America's Christian heritage. In addition the content that Barton presented, I was impressed with his conversational tone and how he peppered the material with vital information about the Christian perspective and history.

Recently I found out that WallBuilders also has curriculum for kids called “Drive Thru History America” which includes 9 DVD video lessons, a teacher guide, student textbook  and worksheets (answer keys included), along with activities and assignments. Although the video lesson are only 10 minutes each, I’m sure the curriculum would make a great supplement or addition to an existing history curriculum, or a great way to help kindle a students interest in American history.

Explore the WallBuilders website for a list of helpful links on topic such as environmental issues and historical documents, as well as books and resources that you can purchase to learn more about the rich, Christian heritage of our nation.

Websites to Help with Math

Does your child struggle with math concepts? Does your child need help understanding something? Are you intimidated with math, or just want another way to help your tech-savvy child learn?  Check out THIS ARTICLE with a list (and description) of some of the coolest and educational math sites out there on the web.

Of course while writing this article I couldn't help but bring in one of the FUN (okay, and corny) PBS shows from when I was a kid- that's right "Square One".  Check out the video above for the song about tessellations which help kids understand what a tessellation is and isn't.

How Choosy Christians Choose Curriculum

Photo from: Surachai

More than just a catchy title to this blog posting, choosing a curriculum for your school (or homeschool) is an important deal.


What should Christians look for in a curriculum?


What should Christians stay clear from?


Check out THIS ARTICLE complete with some videos snippets of David Barton on the foundation of US Education.

Homeschooling Bible Materials

photo from: graur razvan ionut

Having kids in a (free) public school expensive enough, but when you make the choice to homeschool your children the expenses of school materials can pile up quickly.

Check out THIS ARTICLE for a list of websites that offer a variety of FREE Christiasn materials (think printables, coloring pages an audio stores) to help defer the costs.

Not a parent of homeschooling children, don't worry. A lot of these materials can be used in the traditional classroom or as activities in church or Sunday School as well.

Map Skills & Our Trip to the Zoo

Few things are as fun as a family trip to the zoo. Although just observing the animals, and telling your child where they are from might educational enough, take the time to incorporate basic life skills with your children by handing them a map of the zoo.

Map skills may be seen as passé, what with GPS devices in cars and on cell phones; but basic map skills-knowing which way is north or south, and learning how to recognize landmarks- will help children throughout their entire life.

Take, for example, a recent trip my family of took to the Atlanta Zoo. My children were very excited to see the panda bears, (see the Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam here ) thanks in part to an episode of “Curious George”, that they wanted to see the pandas straight away.  The problem was that the pandas were nowhere near the entrance. Sure, we could have asked one of the friendly staffers how to find the pandas, but it was just as simple — and fun — to read the map and find our way around the zoo.

Try teaching your children about reading maps with these simple steps in mind:

Step 1- Teach your children how to hold the map correctly.

Although maps are traditionally held with North being held upwards, maps of locations such as zoos should be held with the way you are traveling pointed upwards. Introduce directional terms to your children such as “north, south, east, west” and “right and left” or “before and after.”

Step 2- Recognize important symbols.

Some common locations such as bathrooms, first aid stations and eating areas are fairly universal symbols and frequently pictured in blue and white. Teach your children about other symbols on maps, such as trails or roads, grassy areas, and bodies of water such as streams of pools.  Make sure to point out safe places to meet up if you were to become separated. 

Step 3- Find your location on a map.

Teach children to look for landmarks that will help them determine where they are. It’s simple to find where you are when you start using the map at the beginning of your zoo trip, just look for the place labeled “entrance.” But if you find a map half way, or decided to start using it later you’ll need to be able to identify landmarks to know where you are. Show your children how can find your location by noting that you are to the “right of the zebras and left of the lions” or just “south of the kangaroo exhibit.”

Step 4-Don’t forget to have fun!

Although larger city maps may have a legend or scale to show you how far distances are, zoo maps aren’t always drawn to scale. Have children estimate how many penguin waddles or kangaroo hops it will take to reach the next exhibit. And of course, let your children waddle, hop, and skip to their heart’s content.

On our outing to the zoo each of my three children asked to hold their own map, and (like the avid explorers that they are) they held on to the maps dutifully on the entire trip. Throughout the day I heard them telling me and each other things such as “gorillas are just ahead” or to “look to the left and you’ll see the tortoise.”

Yes, the zoo may be fun in and of itself, but teaching my children an important life skill is just as exciting to me.

We Found a Robin's Nest!

A few days ago noticed that a bird had been squawking by our front porch lately, but didn't really think anything of it until I saw the bird quickly fly from the bush but then stayed close by and watch me.

It was then that I noticed the bright blue robin's eggs!  What IS is about robins? Is it their bright red chest or their tiny, bright blue eggs that attract us so much? The kids are SOOOO excited about newborn chicks that have hatched! "They're so adorable!" they my kids all said. (Honestly, I was surprised the windows didn't crack from the high-pitched voices they were using!) They've all taken to calling momma bird "Mrs. Robin" too, which I think is hilarious. I'm not exactly when the chicks hatched, but they're at least 3 days old now, and are still little grey fluff balls.

Observing the mother bird, and the baby chicks is providing a great science activity for the kids. I'm even considering buying THESE cute note-cards to commemorate the event with the kids. Check out the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife for interesting facts on the beautiful birds.

Learning Beginning Algebra

Depending upon your age and grasp of mathematics, you might not be ready for algebra until you're in high school. (Take me for example, I freakishly passed the entrance exam for algebra while in the 6th grade, and was terrorized with confusing math homework for weeks in the 7th grade until I was taken back a knotch.) Don't worry, by 9th grade algebra was easier for me to grasp. Just keep in mind that everyone is at their own pace with some things, so don't worry if your child or student doesn't understand Algebra initially. 

If you need some extra help learning (or teaching) algebra, check out the tips in THIS article that break the concepts down. Sometimes practice, practice, practice is what helps the best,

Interesting Article I Read.... "Blogging To Teach Writing"

I read an interesting article in Homeschool Enrichment Magazine the Nov/Dec 2010 edition titled "Blogging to Teach Writing" by Gail Heaton, which discussed the infamous assignment of handing students a blank piece of paper and having them write what they "Did for the Summer" in 500 words. Why not consider letting your student begin a blog?

Your child's blog could be a journal of sorts, a way to get out his feelings- or it could be dedicated to a specific topic or theme. If sports interest your child, let him write about his favorite hero or team and give commentary on the game. If animals interest your child, let her record her observations of a bird feeder or a trip to the zoo.

Of course there are security issues to consider. Will the blog be public or private? Will you allow photos of your children and their friends on the blog? Will you allow commentary from other people?  All these things will depend upon the age of your child, and their development.

At-Home Science Activities

Chemistry projects don't need to be relegated to the classroom- you can be a scientist at home too!

Follow THIS link for an eHow article on chemistry activities such as making invisible ink, comparing acids and bases, and how yeast grows.

Rock Candy Activities

Rock candy is fun to create, but let's face it- it's even BETTER to eat! This article explains the science behind rock candy and teaches you how to create your own candy, perfect for a homeschool activity, class project, or just something for fun.  If you'd rather leave the science up to someone else, you can purchase actual rock candy HERE  HERE or HERE Or even purchase the kits HERE.

Homeschooling Benefits

The decision to homeschool should not be taken lightly. While homeschooling may not be appropriate for each family or family situation, there are significant benefits to homeschooling your child.

A Beka Books is one of the largest publishers of homeschooling materials. They develop and print materials for preschoolers through high school. A Beka Book has both traditional parent-directed homeschool materials, as well as video-correspondence available, and now streaming online homeschool formats. For information on A Beka Book contact them a 1-877- A BEKA BOOK

Follow THIS LINK to an eHow.com article with information on the benefits of homeschooling: