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
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
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
Living Math: The Ultimate Resource
You have heard me talk about living math over and over. I thought it was high time to organize all my living math resources for you in one convenient "table of contents" of sorts. Start Here If you're new to the concept of living math or need some help refining your definition/vision, this post should be your first stop. What is living math? Go Here Next If you're ready to add living math to your homeschooling plans, Loving Living Math will give you all the how-to you information you need. Parents, it doesn't matter how old your student is, anytime is a good time to add living math! Enjoy These Posts Peruse my living math category of posts. In other words, you'll ... 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
Bean Classification
(This post contains affiliate links.) Bean Classification Remember the candy classification post from a couple months ago? My logic classes at co-op did a similar activity with 15-bean soup mix. Talking About Taxonomy Before jumping into the bean classification activity, we talked about plant and animal classification. I showed them a pictorial example of how animals are classified and then further classified until each animal is eventually in it's own category. The Activity Each student was given a small pile of beans - approximately 50-60 beans with at least one of every variety in the pile. (I allowed my middle school group to work in teams of two or three students.) I ... Read More
These 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 that you create with objects. ... 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