At the IAHE Conference (Indiana Association of Home Educators), I taught four workshops. While they were all well-attended and well-received, one of the sessions sparked an emotional reaction like none other. My brain training session was the last on my schedule and one of the last of the weekend. I fully expected a low turnout and glazed-over eyes from those few. To my shock, the room was packed to the brim with eager participants. Some of them, I later found out, almost desperate for information to help their struggling students. Because of the immense response I had to the topic of brain training at IAHE (and elsewhere), I'm going to write a BRIEF summary of that workshop and ... Read More
Rosy Cheeked and Resourceful: Charlotte Mason Outdoor Play
Many mommas come upon the Charlotte Mason method at a pivotal time in their children's growing-up - the time when "school" begins. "We'll need textbooks. Maybe little chairs and desks." They start to feel pulled in different directions trying to teach all the different subjects, while school and life quickly feel fragmented. It isn't long before the balancing act begins, that for the most part has been culture created. But, what culture? And just what is being created? In the quest to answer that question, light bulbs begin going off and parents oftentimes find themselves resisting "school" for something better. This post contains affiliate links. Making a list and checking it ... Read More
15 of the Best Independent Brain Training Games for Kids
I've gathered a list of the best independent brain training games for kids to help you incorporate more brain building goodness into your homeschool. If you're new to the discussion, take a look at my original brain training post where you can identify cognitive skills and learn more about getting an online assessment for your children. These brain training games are great because they cover so many angles of brain training - attention, memory, processing, comprehension and logical thinking. All of these aspects help mold thinking processes and provide them with the tools they need to think for themselves in a way that will resolve obstacles they encounter. Another benefit of these ... Read More
Brain Training Activities for Auditory Attention
Does your child seem to have, um, selective hearing? You tell him (or her) to do this or that and you're very lucky if one little smidgen of it gets done? Yeah, that can be infuriating to a momma. Ask me how I know. It turns out that there can be an honest-to-goodness reason and maybe, just maybe, he really isn't ignoring you. Auditory attention and auditory processing are important cognitive skills that may need a little work. Luckily, there are loads and loads of quick and fun brain training activities that can boost your child's ability to listen, remember, and act if necessary. What are auditory attention and auditory processing? I'll remind you quickly about one of ... Read More
Brain Training Activities for Visual Attention and Visual Processing
Brain training activities are good for everyone because they build neuron connections. Who couldn't use a few extra neuron connections, right? I've gone into some depth about the what, why and how of brain training before, so I'll spare you the details about all the cognitive skills brain training improves and how it helps ALL learners. Today we're going to focus on two cognitive skills: ATTENTION and PROCESSING. Actually, we're going to focus on one subset of each: VISUAL ATTENTION and VISUAL PROCESSING This post contains affiliate links. What are visual attention and visual processing? The word attention refers to the ability to stay focused on a particular thing. You ... Read More
Brain Training with Dyslexia Games
You know how near and dear brain training is to my heart, right? It's been such a game-changer in our homeschool that I take it very seriously. We do some sort of brain training every. single. school. day. One day might find us playing a quick card game to building working memory. Another day might find us narrating a fable to expand comprehension. You might find us working on matrix puzzles the next day to increase logical thinking. I have a huge arsenal of brain training activities! I plan to share lots more about this topic in the near future, so keep reading. Today I'd like to share with you a new-to-me resource for brain training...Dyslexia Games. I received sets B and C from ... Read More
100 Educational Games for Homeschooling
During my workshops about creative homeschooling and living math, I often talk about incorporating games into the school schedule. If your family has an established game night, you probably already know how educational many board and card games really are. Math, language, history, science, logic and so much more can be practiced without your kiddos ever catching on that real learning is taking place! Games for Homeschooling We take games seriously in our homeschool and use them at least a few times a week! To get fidgety minds focused, we might play a brain training game like Blink. To review US geography, we might play 10 Days in the USA. Or, to quiz recollection of animal groups, we ... Read More
Out of this World Homeschool Logic
You've read A LOT about homeschool logic and critical thinking here on Our Journey Westward. Are you tired of the topic? Good! I'm not tired of writing about it either. It's been such a fun and important addition to our homeschool! When I come across new (to me) resources that are really good, I try to take some time to share them with you. Partly because finding logic resources isn't as easy as finding "more typical" homeschooling curriculum, and partly because not all logic activities are worth the money. I've found a new homeschool logic series that I love! This post contains affiliate links. Logic that is out of this world by Bonnie Risby In many instances, the materials ... Read More
My Favorite Logic Resources
Is it really important to add logic studies in your homeschool from PK-High School? Yes! Our children need to know how to think. With the ability to think, almost any topic at any time can be learned and/or thought about critically. Christian children who will go out into this devil-trodden world absolutely MUST be able to think critically. Their very {eternal} life depends on it. This post contains affiliate links. Read my entire disclosure here. Formal vs. Informal Logic Most people would argue that a child's mind isn't ready for "formal logic" until at least middle school, and I agree. That doesn't mean you can't teach any logic. Introducing what I call "informal logic" ... Read More
Bead Classification
Target Age Range: PK-2 Skills Covered: sorting, classification, attributes Classification is both a math and science skill. The ability to classify objects also develops organizational skills which are helpful for writing and general "life" organization. This activity is super simple to pull together. Simply gather a variety of beads (or buttons, cereal, rocks, beans...) in a baggie. For my kindergartener, I wouldn't add more than 50 objects to the bag. Supply your child with small containers in which to sort the objects. You will likely need to help him understand how to define attributes in order to begin sorting. For example, in the top right photo: I said, "Eli, ... Read More