The Monthly Chat

January, 2009

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Printable bits of wisdom, ideas, and reflections for your friends and
homeschool group, from the members of HomeschoolClassifieds.com
Opinions expressed are those of the individual authors.
©1997-2009 HomeschoolClassifieds.com, Knoxville, TN

Other
Teaching at a Homeschool Co-op

I've had the pleasure, and the blessing, of being able to teach at a homeschool co-op for the past thirteen years. It was easy to teach the younger children, as I thought I didn't have to know a subject inside out and backwards and forwards. Plus, they're pretty forgiving if you don't know the answer to something. Let 'em have some wiggle time and they're good to go!

Guess what? It's not that different at the upper levels either! You don't HAVE to know your subject inside out and backwards and forwards. It helps to have some knowledge of the subject, but I have often billed myself as a facilitator rather than a teacher because I'm sometimes only one step ahead of the students. And older scholars are just as forgiving as their younger counterparts.

I have on occasion deliberately chosen subjects to teach that I have an interest in but not a lot of background to give me an excuse to learn more about it. By giving the students research assignments, they help teach the class and I learn something right alongside them.

SO even if you think you don't have something to offer at a co-op - you probably do. Almost every homeschool co-op teacher I've met would be thrilled to have another parent in the room. You can start by observing classes, listing the things you like to do (or used to, before the children and homeschooling came along!), thinking about subjects you might like to learn more about, watching what your own children like to do (Lego classes are always popular with the kids), and talking with other parents. It may seem overwhelming now, but if you do a little over the coming months, you could have the makings a great class to share with other homeschoolers. And not only will your children call you blessed, other children may as well.

pammylbear

Bible & Spiritual growth
Modesty

Before getting dressed each day, ask ourselves are we dressed to glorify God. Is this something I would want the Lord to see me in?
We must be modest in what we wear, especially us sisters in the Lord. We don't want our brothers to fall because we are dressed in a skimpy outfit that let's Victoria's secret out of the bag.

prv31wife

Science: general
Why Are the Trees Dying?

I’m in the South where our seasons happen a bit later than in other places. We are finally getting beautiful colors on our trees. My six-year-old has been asking me lots of questions about the trees “dying,” so I thought I’d share what I found:

1) Trees know to change colors because there is less sunlight (photoperiodism) since the sun is moving South. (I show this with a globe & flashlight.)
2) Leaves always have those colors under there. The color is simply masked by darker green pigment (chlorophyll).
3) Evergreen trees may shed their older leaves, which often turn bright yellow, but they never drop all their needles at one time, thus staying green all year.
4) Plants “sleep” (go dormant) during the winter so they won’t lose all their water through their leaves and to prevent or minimize damage from cold. The plant cells switch from production of chlorophyll for growth to production of sugars, which act as antifreeze for the tree.
5) The trees are not dying. The leaf buds will ''burst'' again with the increase in daylight in the spring. (We looked at an almanac to compare the amount of sunlight in each of the seasons.)

nohermanv

Bible & Spiritual growth
Spiritual Food for Young Children

I had two problems. We never seemed to have time or energy to do family devotions with children ages 3 months - 7 years and every night the kids always seemed to be complaining of hunger before they went to bed. So in order to remedy this situation we implemented Bedtime snack. After grocery shopping for good snacks like yogurt, fruits, applesauce and cheese and crackers, we started having regular snack time right before bed (about a half an hour). Then after we confirmed that this would be a regular thing (that we would stick with it), we decided to include devotions while the kids were eating. They love it! And now they are disappointed if we ever miss it, including the devotions! We have been doing both for about 5 weeks now and have only missed once or twice. They even want to do it when we are out of town. It's so great because they interact and talk about the stories and we have fun too! And no one is hungry at bedtime, physically or spiritually!

1samuel15.22

Baby & infant
What To Do With Your Toddler(s) When Teaching

Here is what I do with my toddlers during homeschooling time:
1) Assign your older children each a 30-minute time slot during which it is his/her turn to entertain the little ones.
2) Involve your little tots! Try to find something similar to what your older kids are doing for your little ones to do at the same time. When your older children are writing, give your younger ones paper, crayons & an “assignment”. If you’re making a craft or doing art, your toddler can definitely make attempts him/herself. During math time, give your toddler items to count, sort & stack. Geo-boards are also great.
3) You can still teach when you have a toddler on your lap, and s/he’ll be picking up on lots more than you think!
4) Books on tape (I get mine from the library) are great!

Here is an entire website dedicated to giving you more ideas on this topic. They have lots of fun & easy activity ideas:
http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/preschool_activities.htm

9busybees

Homeschool helps
If Ever A Need For Homeschooling...

I live in South Texas, however, my heart and mind are restless. Although I feel that my nomadic ways are inducive to cultural awareness, I am at a loss when it comes to 'roots'. Yes, we have family here and there--mostly in S. Texas, but how does one truly define 'family'? People you live with. People you grew up around. Relatives whom share a common blood type? I believe every person you have a relationship with should be considered family and that based on this premise, we have family all over the USA. That said, what's next? I enjoy moving around and meeting new people but I feel the kids are starting to suffer. They don't have those 'best' friends I remember having when I grew up. Is it just me, or does anyone else's kids have this issue? It's like kids don't trust each other any more. It's a shame. That's why I am glad that I can count each one of my kids' homeschooling peers as part of our family. Homeschooling breaks down so many barriers that public school puts up. Whether it be cultural, economic, or some other factor, the competition for attention ends at home--where our kids always come FIRST.

shandralynnm

Unit studies
try lapbooks

hi there, my children are very much hands on learners and we have tried many many different curriculums well with having dyslexia they just did not work for my children
after 7 years of trial and error we found lapbooks this year and i was AMAZED at the change
we did not have any fights over doing their school work and have even had them BEG me to do it .
it is soo much fun and wow the details that they remember about our studies . even my 4 year old has learned things that i never thought he would that i thought would be way over his head .
you can get free ones from www.homeschoolshare.com or my fave is www.handsofachild.com to purchase them
if you have any questians please feel free to contact me
good luck

myyorkies

Homeschool helps
What a Difference a Unit Study Can Make!

I just startd using unit studies this year. My school hating kids have fallen in love with school. Now they can choose what they want to study, they are suddenly interested. Wow!
And what amazes me most is what they choose to study,
like the Ancient Greeks. I never would of guessed. And I find them less stressful to plan my school day then ever before, I
don't know where they ever got the reputation of lots of prep
work. Check out the Steward Ship Unit Studies by Jennifer Steward www.unitstudies.com Jennifer takes all the guess work out and makes it so much fun.

story

Marriage & parenting
Preparing Youth for Marriage

My child, you should be asleep about who might be your marriage partner, until you are sufficiently mature (ask for my free article ''What does Maturity Look Like?''). Asleep, as was Adam before he met Eve. Certainly, his desire was to have a mate. In those days, he saw no choices. When God awoke him, then he saw. In our day, don't look until God awakes you. Parents can and should help you know when it is time to ''wake up.'' It's when they think you are ready.

When it is time to awake, stay in constant communication with your parents. That way, they are glad to give you their blessing. Seek their blessing, and you begin a life of stability. Seek the Jesus Way.

hoble

Baking & cooking
Eating Better During the Holidays

With all the baking and parties during this time, I inevitably gain lots of weight and my kids eat more sugar in one month than they do during the entire rest of the year. To combat this (somewhat) I’ve started cutting up fresh vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes & celery) every Monday. I store them in baggies in the refrigerator. Each afternoon (or whenever we bake something), I pull out some of the cut vegetables, low-fat ranch dressing, and maybe some apple slices or grapes. I put everything in a muffin tin pan on the table. Since it is sitting out there we are all more inclined to nibble on broccoli as opposed to those freshly baked gingerbread men. We still overindulge in the sweets, but this helps to lessen the blow.

nohermanv

Reference: general
Learning Their Learning Style

I recently ran across the coolest book that has been a huge
help for homeschooling this year. Cathy Duffy's 100 Top picks.
I was a little leery thinking she would just list off her favorite
homeschooling books, but it was not like that at all. She taught you how to find your learning style and then your children's learning style. This year has been an absolute breeze compared to the past years because now I know how they learn best. See if you can check it out at your local library.

story

Baby & infant
Baby TIme

This year during our regular rotation of activities for my kids (ages 3 months-7 years) I added Baby TIme. So as they rotate between play dough, computer, art and reading, Baby Time in included in the rotation. The kids each have to spend time entertaining her through peek-a-boo games, blocks and songs. They have fun bonding with the baby while getting to play a little themselves and the baby gets a whole hour of attention while I get a little housework done.

1samuel15.22

Organization/time management
All Those Toys

If your kids received lots of toys for Christmas (Maybe from Aunts and Uncles, grandparents, etc). Have them go through their good but older toys and donate them to a charity. You can do this right before Christmas next year also to make room for new stuff.
At the very least box up some stuff and put it away so you can take it out in a few months and they will be new and exciting again.

ygalick

Art & music
Nature Journals

As I began my search for journals, while at my local dollar tree store, I came across hardback, cloth covered, blank journals which are perfect for our nature study observations. The size of 5 1/2 x 7 is just right and not to overwhelming for children starting out in nature studies, who may not yet know how or what to put on a piece of paper, much less a larger piece of blank paper. With having to purchase 7 journals, the cost was just right too.

mountainmomma