If you have a cooperative extension service in your community, you've hit the homeschooling jackpot. What's a cooperative extension service? It's a cooperation between communities and universities that provides training and services to the community on the topics of agriculture, horticulture, homemaking skills, and homesteading skills. 4-H is the most well-known program that cooperative extension services provide for children. Beginning in 4th grade, the 4-H program offers an incredible array of opportunities in agriculture, healthy living, science, handicrafts, life skills, sportsmanship, service, civic engagement, and leadership. A Homeschool 4-H Club Historically, where we ... Read More
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In our home, summer break has always been an opportunity for more reading rather than less. With the obligations of regular school lessons on hold for awhile, we often get lost in a stack of picture books or chapter after chapter from a current read-aloud (or two.) I don't necessarily plan for learning during all this extra reading time, but living books tend to have a way of making one impression or another that's long lasting. I recently took part in a challenge with some friends on Instagram to choose five of my very favorite sneaky summer learning books for five different subjects. Because I know how much we all love booklists, I've gathered those 25 suggestions into this post for ... Read More
Do you take a long summer break from homeschooling? If so, you NEED the I'M BORED Activity List! Because we live on a farm that requires a lot of attention in the summer, it's always been necessary to take a "traditional" long break from school. Even though we stay busy with farm, mowing, and gardening tasks, there is still plenty of time for children younger than 13 to say, "I'm bored!" While I certainly appreciate reading good books aloud on the porch swing and playing board games under a shade tree, I don't have time to be the constant director of activity or playmate for bored children. Many years ago, I started creating a yearly list of 100 activities that my children could ... Read More
I love using living books in our homeschool. If you've been around here any time at all, you know that living literature is a key tool I use across all ages and all subjects. Using literature to teach high school history works especially well. There are so many nuances of an event or era that can be understood through books. Living books also have a unique way of drawing students in and placing them smack-dab in the middle of a time period to meet important people, experience meaningful events, and feel real emotions. Just talking about all the benefits of literature makes me want to go grab some historical fiction right now! I received Modern U.S. and World History for free ... Read More
My 6th grader just finished a mini French and Indian War unit study that was a great pit stop in our regular history studies. I just love the slow and steady pace we're taking to go through the Story of the World curriculum this time around. I used to follow pretty strict 4-year cycles in history, but with this 3rd child of mine, I'm confident that moving at a slower pace and savoring certain events is as good a way to learn as any. As we read through the Story of the World and something strikes our fancy, we take some time to dig deeper. Sometimes through extra reading or a documentary. Other times through mini unit studies. The mini unit studies give Eli a chance to practice ... Read More
There is not one teaching resource I treasure more than picture books. The good ones have such a masterful knack for laying out factual information in the midst of wonderful storylines. The illustrations, of course, help our children put pictures to names and places and ideas. When my children were younger, one of the best things I did was use picture books for nature study. There are so many wonderful picture books that can inspire a deep interest or understanding of nature! Sometimes, we would pack along a picture book and a blanket and actually read as part of the nature walk. This mid-walk reading might have the purpose of a cozy rest time or a specially planned inspiration to ... Read More
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