One of the main goals I set early on in our homeschool was to give my children a love of learning. Creative homeschooling is the mode I’ve used to successfully do that. Don’t think that you can never put your child in front of a textbook or computer screen to homeschool creatively! Instead, think of it as offering your children curriculum and styles to meet their needs. Sometimes that will be a textbook or computer class. Other times, it may be a unit study, living literature, field trips, games, project-based learning, co-op classes, or interest-based studies. These articles show you how. Be inspired!
Lots of people over time have asked where I find ideas for the project choices I give my children. At this point, most of the ideas are dreamed up in my head, but it hasn’t always been that way. Some of the books I use include: Better Than Book Reports is book is full…
Here’s one more really good question that has come in regarding unit studies specifically relating to projects… “In regards to projects and presentations, how do you gently help improve the note taking, thoroughness of information and actual presentations? I know some of this will come with practice, but I’d like to improve on these things…
Jif Peanut Butter Tour Our homeschool group went on a wonderful field trip today to the JIF Peanut Butter Factory in Lexington, KY. It’s a tough tour to book, so we were especially thankful to the entire staff for welcoming us with friendly faces, lots of information and some really cool things to see and…
This past weekend, our family took a Christmas train ride at the Bluegrass Railroad Museum. An old-fashioned steam engine pulled four antique passenger cars for an hour’s drive through the countryside. The cars were decked out with lights and streamers, the conductor punched letters into our tickets Polar Express style, and merry music played in…
I’ve had lots of questions about the projects we complete as part of our homeschool life. I’ve even presented a workshop specifically concerning this topic, as well as including it as a topic in my most popular workshop “Creative Homeschooling”. I’ve been wanting to write a blog post about incorporating projects into your homeschool for…
We won’t be doing a Thanksgiving unit this year, but several books will be in books baskets and book nooks around the house. Here are some of my favorites. Here are a few internet resources that have been useful in the past. Cindy Downes’ Pilgrim Unit The Homeschool Mom’s Links LaCelle Family Unit Study Eclectic…
We had a great time studying United States geography! One of the coolest projects during the study included research, some technology skills, writing and a bit of art. US Geography We took some time to learn about famous national landmarks during the unit. As a final project, I gave the kids a list of several…
Last week before school started, we took a trip to Kentucky Kingdom with the big kids. We could’ve called it an “end of summer” trip, but I prefer to call it a “kick-off the new school year” trip. Why focus on the end of something when a wonderful new beginning is right around the corner?!…
The Mighty Gentle Squaws – that’s what they call themselves. They’ve even composed a camp-style song for their group. These four girls are such good friends and they began a twice yearly tradition last year that is wonderful, not only for them, but for their daddies as well. Once in the fall and once in…
It’s been in the works for about 6 months (and actually still needs a roof), but the big kids officially have a tree house!! It’s very rustic – which I love. The kids are already planning to deck it out in Boxcar Children-style! I’ll post indoor pictures when it’s complete. Have a very blessed Memorial…
Field Day at our co-op is always such a fun day! In their class rotations, the kids go around to seven different activities. Tug-of-war Long Jump Softball Throw 50 Yard Dash Three-legged Race Sack Race Obstacle Course The moms sign up to either work a station or escort classes from station to station. Those who…
This past weekend was time once again for our co-op’s talent expo. It’s such a fun time of sharing talents and competing for ribbons in the areas of art, music, drama, spelling, Bible memorization, cooking, woodworking, science fair and/or sewing. This year’s projects for Caleb included two art projects, a *huge* birdhouse and a derby…