Posted by Cindy on May 31, 2007
Whether it’s a unit, a special holiday, someone’s birthday or just something you want to do to peak your children’s interest in a certain subject, think about creating a special place of learning in your home to create a buzz of inquisitiveness in your children. We call them learning centers, but you call them whatever you like.
Insects Anyone?
In this learning center I’ve placed some bumblebee fabric (that I already had) on a little table in our hallway. I’ve included a bowl of plastic bugs, some insect books (nonfiction and fiction), a bug box with built in magnifier, sketchbooks and colored pencils, insect life cycle cards (handmade from internet photocopies), bug stickers and some fun reproducibles I found on the internet.
Since we’re not really “schooling” right now, I’m using this table as more of an exploration center for the time being. I’ll probably change a few of the current items out in a couple of days.Maybe adding the Cootie game, some play dough for bug sculpting, some insect coloring/labeling sheets and a self-explanatory experiment.
In two days’ time, my children have LOVED this display and have soaked up every book and goody I’ve put out. I’m off to plan more displays………..
Posted by Cindy on May 29, 2007
If you’re anything like me, art tends to take somewhat of a back seat to other subjects during the school year. So, I’ve decided to make an art center that will stay around all summer long!
I plan to fill it with all sorts of goodies, but only a few at a time. I’ll change out the supplies every week or two to keep the center fresh and exciting. I’ll also check out a couple of books on a new artist every couple of weeks to put in the center, too.
The center is in my kitchen (where we spend a lot of time!), with an old sheet underneath. There’s plenty of wall space for the artists to display their work, too!
Here’s what the first week’s table looks like - a Picasso book, colorful clay, tie-dye kit, oil pastels and plenty of paper. I picked really colorful supplies because Picasso used lots of bright color in his art.
I don’t know what other artists I’ll spotlight, but here’s a list of supplies I have on hand to use throughout the summer: watercolors, acrylic paints, sponges, food coloring, paint pens, marbling kit, markers, crayons, colored pencils, toothbrushes, pastels, charcoal, face paints, craft scissors, foam shapes, foam sheets, glitter glues, fabric, scrapbook paper, construction paper, pipe cleaners, wood shapes, wood scraps, beads, yarn, brayers, colored sand, sequins, feathers, old cards, old magazines, sculpey clay, glitter, goodly eyes, pom poms, stickers, tissue paper, ribbon, styrofoam…….
Remember to keep an eye out for some of these things at yard sales and Goodwill! I stock up on many things in July at the Back-to-School sales. I also use a lot of recyclables.
Whether young or old, I think all ages can benefit from an art center. Even if you school year ’round, you could easily incorporate this sort of center into your regular schedule. Personally, a summer’s worth of art in my kitchen will be enough! Until next summer, that is.
Related Tags: homeschool, summer, art, crafts, artists
Posted by Cindy on May 25, 2007
You’re sitting around the dining room table some Sunday afternoon 20 or 30 years from now with your children and grandchildren.What will your children want to talk about?
I hope my children have rich stories full of wonderful memories to talk about!I hope there will be many bright and beautiful moments that stand out in their minds that they want to share with their children.Moments that they want to recreate with their children!
I won’t mind talking about the daily grind of chores and school work. I won’t mind talking about the rotten days when we all grumped around.I won’t mind talking about anything really.I’ll just be all smiles that my children and grandchildren are at my table!But I sure will be happy when the conversation turns consistently to the things that I purposely set out to do when they were children that I wanted them to remember when they grew up.
Things like a trip to the museum, a tea party, jumping on the trampoline together, mom acting like a crazy woman when they made a homerun, weekly picnics at the park during the summer, water balloon fights, snuggling on the couch with good books, making special meals together, pillow and blanket forts, hikes to the creek………………
Everything so simple, yet so important.
I hope your table will be filled with special memories!
Posted by Cindy on May 11, 2007
Do your children ever feel like their school work is pointless?
Show pride in your children’s work by displaying it. Make them feel like their work is worth every bit of the effort they put into it. We want them to feel a sense of pride about what they do, right? We want them to take the time to do their best work, right? My children used to actually say, “What does it matter, nobody but you sees it?”
So I started making a bigger deal of some of their work. When a piece sticks out to me as being extra well-done, or I know they’ve put a ton of effort into something, I’ll put it up in our “gallery”. It’s just a space we have in a stairwell that I reserve for their things only. I change it out frequently and make a big deal of it when company happens to pass by.
Here’s a fairly recent picture of our gallery.
Another thing I started doing was making notebooks and lapbooks more beautiful. In other words, we have a lovely place to store the work, making it seem more special to them. I’m also going to suggest that our co-op have some sort of “Bring Your Best Work” showcase next year. And ask our local library to allow our group to display projects for a week or two. Both of these should give the kids a extra boost of “somebody cares”.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bribe my children into doing their work well. Nor am I trying to make them feel that they have to have kuddos for everything they do. I’m just trying to make sure that their work is applauded once in awhile. I believe their efforts deserve that. I hope you find exciting ways to encourage your children! I’d love to hear your ideas!!
Related Tags: school work, homeschooling, encouragement
Posted by Cindy on May 7, 2007
On a recent blog, I posted some of the things I do to keep my kids busy and learning during our summer break. One of the things was creating a 100 Things To Do If Bored List. I just recently came up with this summer’s list and thought it might be useful as a Tip Of The Day. Feel free to copy it and change it to suit your family! (It may be a little more or less than 100. I stopped counting in the 80′s.)
100 Things To Do If I’m Bored
read
ride a bike
take a nature walk
do an experiment
play an instrument
draw
play a board game
clean your room
wash windows
do a craft
play a card game
organize a book shelf
make a recipe
do a devotional
call a friend
write a letter
play dress up
do a puzzle
make a mask
listen to music
weed the flowers
water the flowers
make up a story
act out a story
make up asong
listen to a book on tape
exercise
bird watch
do leaf rubbings
graph the number of bugs you see in an hour
collect seeds
actually play with your toys
do origami
create a Bible lesson to teach to a younger child
play a computer game
organize the refrigerator
read a magazine
dig in the garden
look up a word you don’t know in the dictionary and try to use it throughout the day
collect rocks
paint rocks
write a Christmas wish list
make bubbles
jump rope
play in water
mop a bathroom
organize a drawer in your room
paint a picture
dance
watch the clouds go by
pray
make a prayer journal
teach your dogs a trick
experiment with new hairstyles
make some beaded jewelry
sew
knit
crochet
take a treat to a neighbor
wash the car
build something from wood scraps
plant seeds
practice a play to put on for your parents
skip
do jumping jacks
wash dishes
play hide and go seek
build with legos
play cowboys and indians
pull out your spy journals
sort shells
play with pattern blocks
set up a picture studio
make play dough
make a healthy snack
plan a party
write a grocery list for Mom
memorize a poem and tell it to someone
play school
design an outfit
set up a store for your family to shop
help an elderly neighbor with a job around their house
make an instrument
take a nap
take a long bubble bath
vacuum the van
make clay boats to sail
make your own 100 things to do list
do a crossword puzzle
write and illustrate a story
study an artist and try one of his or her pieces
make silly faces in the mirror
swing
jump on the trampoline
make puppets
organize pictures
go through toys and choose some to give away
go through clothes and bag up the ones that are too small
make cards for you family or friends
try a new recipe
write down some of your hopes and dreams
Related Tags: bored, lists, summer, children
