Games are wonderful additions to any homeschool. In fact, we typically play at least one game a day - sometimes even gameschooling for an entire day! Not only do games bring joy and lightheartedness to the school day, they can help teach new concepts and practice old ones. One of the most important reasons I include games in our homeschool frequently is because they are amazing for building logic and critical thinking skills! This post includes affiliate links. If you've read any of my blog posts about brain training, you'll know that I place a lot of value on building logical thinking skills in kids. Luckily, games are one of the best ways to do that - and they don't even ... Read More
Hands-On Candy Math and Science Lessons Make Learning Fun
Rather than eat all that candy sitting around the house after trick-or-treating (or another holiday), why not put it to good use? These fun candy math and science lesson ideas will keep your kids busy, happy, and learning! What will we do with all this candy? Honestly, most of the candy that comes in this house after trick-or-treating eventually gets pitched or given away. There's only so much I can allow my kids to eat before the mom guilt kicks in. However, during the few days we still have loads and loads of candy, we always have fun with living math and science lessons! Candy Math and Science Candy graphing is for all ages! Concrete graphs are graphs ... 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
Living Math: Using Attribute Blocks
(This post contains affiliate links and links to my products.) What are attribute blocks? Attribute blocks are a set of unique and versatile manipulatives (hands-on objects) used for teaching math, science, logic and critical thinking skills. The set includes 60 pieces: five shapes: circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, hexagons three colors: red, yellow, blue two sizes: small and large two thicknesses: thin and thick While many manipulatives can be handmade or cut from paper, attribute blocks are best when purchased because a key factor in their use relies on the varying thickness of the pieces. You'll see why in just a moment. Attribute blocks can help in teaching ... 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
The King’s Chessboard: The Power of Doubling
Target Age Range: 4th-8th Skills Covered: reading, addition/multiplication, calculator skills, problem solving, charting data (This post contains affiliate links and links to my business website, Shining Dawn Books.) The King's Chessboard by David Birch is a fantastic book - both for math and character training. In it, the king foolishly agrees to doubling a gift of rice everyday for the number of days on a chessboard. Because he doesn't know about the power of doubling, he loses A LOT of rice. Reading the book is a great way to start off a lesson on the power of doubling. After reading, ask your child, "What if I offer to pay you 2¢/day for doing the dishes every night for 20 ... 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
Co-op Logic and Critical Thinking Class
At co-op this year, I have the privilege of teaching two logic and critical thinking classes - one for high school and one for middle school. We're having a great time together! I promised a little look inside that class, so here goes. This post contains affiliate links. The Main Content I'm doing similar things for both classes - expecting more depth, harder activities, a little homework and a few tests for the high school class. We're: completing logic matrix puzzles, learning about logical fallacies, playing critical thinking games, and solving mysteries. This stuff is for Christians? Both classes began with a Biblical understanding about why it's so important ... Read More