I’m currently reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. If you’re a homeschool mom and are interested in participating in an online book club discussion of this epistolary novel set in post-WWII England, join me in the Book Nook at The Homeschool Lounge! (If you aren’t yet a member of THL, you’ll need to join the site to participate in the book club discussion.)
I often see newbies on homeschooling forums stressing over what curriculum to use for their preschoolers. My advice is usually that good children’s books and the world around you are the only curriculum you need for that age group, though certainly there are many other resources available. My philosophy is that children naturally love to learn and can easily learn letters and letter sounds, numbers, colors, shapes, and other basic skills if parents are willing to engage them and spend time with them. There are exceptions, but for the most part if you read to preschoolers, encourage them to explore and ask questions, and provide them with a variety of opportunities to learn and grow—they will.
I enjoyed this article from BestHomeschooling.org by Lillian Jones, who shares a similar philosophy:
If you’ve been raising a child up to the age of “pre-school” or “kindergarten,” you’ve already begun homeschooling. In those early years, the most appropriate homeschooling activities are things that gently introduce a child into the wonders of his immediate world and the imagination. As Einstein said,
Imagination is more important than knowledge– and those early years are the perfect time to provide an atmosphere where the child can freely dream and play and explore and grow in both body and imagination.[There] are lots of things a parent can do to help a child develop a love of learning and searching – things that will carry through as a foundation for a life of joyful and successful learning. Most of these are things a parent does at one time or other anyway. A bonus is that your child will be getting a good foundation for later studies, even picking up some elements of reading, writing, and math!
Jones gives numerous practical suggestions for how to do this, many of which I’ve done with my daughters. You may also be interested in reading my post Home Preschooling: Getting Started.
Heart of the Matter Online, a great online magazine for homeschoolers, is now offering a free e-book called Our Summer Fun Book 2009. To get your copy of this 47-page e-book that’s “jam packed with ideas to keep you and those kiddos busy for the duration of the summer months,” just subscribe to the Heart of the Matter’s email newsletter here (the form is in the top right corner of the page under the heading NEWSLETTER & UPDATES). If you’re already a subscriber, you should have received an email with a link to the download.
I looked through it this afternoon and am impressed by the number and variety of activities included. It’s a good resource to have on hand for those “Mom, I’m bored!” moments during the summer.
The Heart of the Matter will also be holding an online conference in August. For more details, click the graphic below.
If you’re attending the Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC) Christian Family Conference this week, you may notice that Sonlight—an award-winning, Christian homeschooling curriculum company—is missing from the vendor hall. You can still visit Sonlight’s user-friendly web site to request a free catalog, watch videos about their literature-based curriculum and other products, read articles about the company, and even chat with a Sonlight Curriculum Advisor. Click the graphic below to learn more about this Colorado-based company.
- Scribbit shares a fun matching activity that relies on smell instead of sight.
- Chasing Cheerios shows how to make personalized color blocks and follows them up with visual stimulation blocks.
- Steve Lambert of Five in a Row has a new blog, How to Amuse Them Today, which he describes as “a source for daily inspiration—a quiet spot on the world wide web where you can come for a moment of solitude and an idea that just might spark an unforgettable learning opportunity today.”
This week’s Carnival of Homeschooling is a Field Guide to Homeschoolers, hosted by Dana at Principled Discovery.
- Barb of Harmony Fine Arts is offering her Summer 2009 Art and Music Appreciation Plans free of charge. Be sure and check out her wonderful Handbook of Nature Study blog as well.
- Take a Cloud Walk “teaches you how to identify the clouds in the sky, take field notes, and write a journal.” You can download it free here.
- If you’re looking for good summer reads for yourself, visit my other blog for a chance to win two book giveaways!
- See my Go Outside and Play! post for more freebies.
My kids love playing outside and do so frequently, but I don’t always take the time to get out and explore nature with them. Earlier this week, we decided to go on a tadpole hunt, as we’ve had a lot of rain recently. We found some only a few feet away from the parking lot at a local nature park. In a flooded area there were dozens of tadpoles as well as oodles of mosquito larvae. We filled up a couple of large mason jars with the water, and my daughter spent quite a while fishing tadpoles out of the water into her jar. Unfortunately for me, there was no way to avoid getting some of the mosquito nasties as well, but the girls thought they were fascinating to watch. We transferred them to a different container at home and will observe them as they grow (provided that we have better luck trying to raise tadpoles than I did when I was a kid!).
June is Great Outdoors Month, so if you don’t already get outside regularly with your family, it’s a great time to start! Here are some links and resources that you might find helpful.
- 10 Ways to Get Your Kid to Play Outside: This article has some fun suggestions for getting kids away from the TV, video games, and other electronic gadgets so they can enjoy the outdoors.
- National Get Outdoors Day (June 12): Many organizations will be hosting outdoor activities for families as part of this event; click the link to find events in your area.
- Fee-Free Weekend at National Parks (June 20-21): The National Park Service has announced three weekends this summer. You and your family can visit any of the more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees for free! Other dates are July 18-19 and August 15-16.
- The Great American Backyard Campout (June 27): Take the kids to the backyard or a local campground for a campout, and make some memories.
- REI has a Passport to Adventure program for kids. After downloading an Adventure Journal, participants keep track of hikes, bike rides, and other outdoor activities and complete guided journal pages about what they did. The Adventure Journal includes games, puzzles, and other related activities. After kids complete one outdoor adventure, parents can request a certificate of completion and a free pair of binoculars with a compass, signal mirror, and magnifying glass.
More ideas can be found at the National Wildlife Federation’s wonderful nature study site Green Hour. Just click the image below.
Related Posts:
I laughed several times while reading a ridiculous rant against homeschooling because I can’t possibly take the author’s ill-informed, bigoted arguments seriously. But one phrase reminded me of the cheesy but addictive album cover meme that was popular on Facebook a few months ago, as it seems like a good name for an album title.
If you’re going to choose home education, you need to have a thick skin and a sense of humor. For real!
Tis the season for garage sales, which can be an excellent source for finding inexpensive homeschooling resources and learning materials. On a few occasions, I’ve even found yard sales hosted by teachers who are selling classroom materials they no longer need. I found a complete collection of Bob Books at one such sale for only $4! My kids’ favorite finds are generally books and games, like this never-opened My First Uno card deck that my 3-year-old discovered. Here are more ideas for items to keep an eye out for while you’re browsing through yard sales this summer.
- office supplies: pens, pencils, scissors, rulers, staplers, paper punches, file folders, and desk organizers
- math manipulatives: beads, buttons, blocks, and rods
- children’s books: yard sale book prices can’t be beat, even at used bookstores!
- backpacks
- games, cards, and puzzles (if they’re missing pieces, you might be able to repurpose them and create your own games)
- pattern blocks and tangrams
- craft supplies
- flower pots and gardening tools
- children’s magazines
- sports equipment
- bins, boxes, crates, and other organizational items
- dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference books
- videos, music, and CD-ROMs
- binoculars, field guides, camping gear, and other nature study helps
- globes, atlases, and maps
- pots and pans: muffin tins are great for sorting games with preschoolers
- toys: I’m usually not impressed by most of the toys offered at yard sales, but I’ve occasionally found Legos, building blocks, and items for workboxes and keeping preschoolers busy
- dress-up clothes and other real items for imaginative play (large button-up shirts also make good art smocks)
What are some of your favorite yard sale finds?
