WabbstersBooks

Reading Aloud

2009-08-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have always read books out loud to our children. It helped them learn how the story was supposed to sound and gave us great together time.
Our favorite boys books have been The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald, Eragon triligy by Christopher Paolini(who was also homeschooled), and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson which has wonderful info about the Appalachian trail in the United States.
For the girls we also read The Great Brain series, Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery, Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
We read several by Ralph Moody like Little Britches, Bible Stories and books by James Ralph Johnson who just happens to be my grandfather and the kids great grandfather. He wrote wonderful books about animals like Utah Lion and The Last Passenger.
The Bronze Bow and the Witch of BlackBird Pond both by Elizabeth George Speare were great reading.
My 6th grade teacher read The Bears of Blue River by Charles Major to us during school so this was a book I also read to the kids and was able to enjoy it all over again.
Reading together I think helped our kids to have a great love of reading. I also enjoyed it since most of these were favorites from my childhood.

Scheduling for Homeschooling

2009-08-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have tried several methods of scheduling. Some scheduling depends on the curriculum and the ages of your children. First we used a printed schedule where one page was one school week of five days. All subjects were written in by me for each day. Each child has their own book. As items were finished they were highlighted. When all items for the day were finished a sticker was added which was a reward for the child but made it easy for me to see what was done and what needed to be finished over the weekend.

Next we used file folders. Each subject was listed at the top of the folder. Math was written five times with the days of the week written above to know which day work was to be done.Dates were written down the side to include the week. Each lesson number was written in the space where subject and date intersect.Example at the top would be Monday math, Tuesday math, etc, Monday American History, Tuesday American History etc. Down the side would be written Aug. 14-18, Aug 21-25 etc. As each subject was completed it would be highlighted. This worked well but the whole year had to be planned in advance. One folder would be used for each semester and report card and worksheets could be kept inside the folder.

Next we used three ring binders with divders. A different subject was put on each divider. Each child could write their own assignment this way. Some subjects were scheduled by the day and we would draw columns so the year would fit. Math was scheduled this way. Other subjects like history were written by the week like August 14-18 chapter 1 including questions etc.

This year and several years in the past we have used the following method. At the top of the sheet is written name of the child and the week like August 14-18. Along the top where it is not highlighted in the picture is written the subjects. Along the side is the days of the week. Where it is highlighted are the lessons. As the lessons are finished they are highlighted. When the whole week is done a sticker is put on it. We like this method since there is more room and it can be written out by the week. Each child has there own book which also makes it easier for them to get ahead if lessons are written out by the month.

Grammar for homeschooling

2009-08-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

We have used many different grammar programs.
We have used Wisdom Words which is part of the Weaver Curriculum. We liked it since it included all grades from k to 6th grade. Each lesson is easy to do and learn. After that we used Highway to English Grammar also part of the Weaver Curriculum for high school. Lots of diagramming. Each workbook is purchased separately.
Several years we used Winston Grammar. This was a good program since the worksheets are reproducible which saves money. This course is diagramming sentences and labeling nouns, pronouns, direct objects etc. It was okay but after several weeks of repetition the kids did not look forward to it.
Last year we used The Novel Way through the Konos program. We really liked it because it covered grammar, spelling , composition and publishing. The kids each have a work book which has exercises so that they learn to write their own novel during the school year.
This year we are using Write Your Roots also through the Konos Curriculum. During the year the children write a book of family stories, and learn and practice all writing skills. This course is a one year course for grades 5-12. The Novel Way was a lot of fun so we are looking forward to doing this one. We thought the book of family stories would make great presents for Christmas 2010. We only have two children left at home so we will combine both of their books to make one longer book which will have 12 stories by each child for a total of 24.

Prize Box for Homeschooling

2009-08-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

A prize box is a box of prizes used as an incentive to do all work and do it well. It can be a cardboard box festively decorated and put in a prominent place in your school room as a reminder.
In the early 90's when we first started homeschooling we used the cereal prizes for our prize box. We were going to do the same thing now but realized the prizes aren't very good any more. At that time the kids fought over the cereal prize so it had to be earned out of the prize box.
Prizes were earned by finishing a book, memorizing times tables, doing chores, keeping room clean for a week, or finishing a reader.
Later we had a point system where things like coming to school dressed and ready for a new day, room cleaned up, hair combed, on time for school, brush teeth, bed on time etc. were worth one point each per day. Chores also had a certain amount of points depended on whether they were daily or weekly chores. School subjects were worth one point a day for each class. Special points were awarded for finishing a book, memorizing times tables etc.
We had big prizes and little prizes depending on how many points were earned.
This year we will have items like a bag of beads, candy bar, box of crayons, paints, small cross stitch project, brush, mirror etc. for small prizes.
For large prizes we will have a bag of jerky, a tool, a new book, crossword puzzles, puzzle, stay up late on weekend or any other items on sale or of interest to the child.
We learned early on that no one was allowed to look in the box unless they were retrieving a prize and they only had 3 minutes to pick their prize.
This worked well since if I was at a clearance sale and added stuff to the box the kids wouldn't know until they had earned the prize and were allowed to look. They loved it.

KONOS Curriculum

2009-07-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

In 1991 during our first year of homeschooling our main curriculum was Volume 1 of KONOS. KONOS is a character based curriculum.
We learned just about everything about birds which included identifying feathers, beaks, feet, eyes, migration and kinds of birds. We made bird feeders and bird books.
During our Attentiveness unit we learned about Ears, Sound and Music. This included Helen Keller, ultrasonics, Alexander Graham Bell, echos, deafness, orchestra, instruments of the symphony, reed and brass instruments, famous violinists and more. We labeled parts of pianos and violins.
Other topics included eyes and seeing, and other senses.
During our mountain men unit we learned about the Lousiana Purchase, tracks, beaver, Daniel Boone, 49ers, California etc. We made "possibles" bags for a project.
While we were studying North American Indians we made Indian necklaces, cardboard shields and made maps of all tribes, their homes and how they lived. We learned about woodland, southeast, plains, southwest, Plateau basin, California, Pacific northwest and sub artic Indians and what made each tribe unique.
We really enjoyed this curriculum since you have a list of items to do which you can pick from. If you are not interested in a unit just go to another. The volumes include weekly lesson plans. Each volume is recommended for 2 years of study. They cover from kindergarten to 8th grade. Bible, science, social studies, arts, music, literature, health and safety are covered in each volume.
A good library is a must. We lived in a small town with a small library. In 1992 we used the Weaver curriculum since we didn't need the library as much for that curriculum.
We have volume 1 and 2 of KONOS and we still use them at times.
One of our next articles will be on the Weaver Curriculum which we do have for sale on our store at www.wabbstersbooks.com. It is an excellent curriculum, however our children are older now and learning thru other programs.

Homeschool Supplies

2009-07-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

The first couple years we home schooled we took advantage of August going-back-to-school sales at retail stores. When you can buy 24 crayons for 39 cents, paper for 4/$1, paperclips, rubber bands etc also on sale you save a lot of money. We would buy a years worth of supplies.
A years worth of supplies per child is one box of colored pencils, 2 boxes of 24 crayons, 1 ruler, 1 scissors, 1 pkg. pens, 1 pkg. pencils, 1 box markers, 1 small pencil sharpener 5-10 70 page notebooks, 2 pkg. notebook paper. For young children 2 pkg. of pencils and no pens.
Each child had their own scissors, crayons, pencils, pens, ruler, markers, small pencil sharpener all put into their own school box which they decorate on the first day of school. The kids always looked forward to the first day since they enjoyed receiving all the new school items. They are responsible for taking care of their items. Each item is labeled. When something is not put away we know who the culprit is.
Some children keep very good care of their things while others don't. When one of the children loses an item they have to earn another which teaches them to take care of their things.
Usually in January when school starts after Christmas break we add more pencils, paper and pens.
We have an electric pencil sharpener, stapler, hole puncher, paper clips, rubber bands etc. which stays in a drawer for everyone to use. In another drawer extra notebooks and paper are kept.
We put crayons, pens, pencils, markers etc. which have been used a lot in cleaned out plastic peanut butter containers for summertime or for other use.
This works well for us.

Homeschool State Books

2009-07-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

One of my grown daughters favorite activities when she was being homeschooled was making state books.
Every few years or so we would study all the states. One year they had to draw and color the state and include all the main rivers, mountain ranges, national parks and cities.
On the next sheet of paper they drew, colored, and wrote about the state bird, tree, flower etc. They would also make a list of the capital, state song and any other information they might want to include.
They also had to research the state to find out why someone would want to visit that state and what they would see if they visited. Such as historical monuments, national parks, worlds biggest ball of twine etc. This would include the geography of the state as well.
We spent a half a week on each state and would spend a whole week on those that we really wanted to know more about.
We put all the states in a notebook which they now have to treasure.

Activities at your Fingertips

2009-07-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

Years ago, due to lack of space we could not save all of our magazines. Our favorite ideas and activities were torn out of the magazines and placed in sheet protectors and placed in a three ring binder. Sheet protectors come in a a variety of see thru pastel colors so they can be organized by projects such as outdoors, indoors, holidays, or different seasons etc. The sheet protectors are washable and very durable. When you need an idea the activites are at your fingertips.
We saved so many ideas we now have notebooks for different catergories. Holidays, homeschool projects, arts, recipes and gardening. It is nice to have good ideas in one place in binders that even small children can look through.

Homeschool Letters

2009-07-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

I have been going though our homeschooling papers from the 90's when our daughters were 9, 11, and 13. One of the neat ideas we used was a notebook which we wrote letters to each other in. On the first page I wrote them a letter similar to this one:

Dear (daughter), date
A least once a week you can write a letter to me and I will write you back.
You can write about what you do or do not like about school, what you would like to do, how you feel or what you would like to do on a holiday. You may write about anything you want.
When you have a letter for me to read put it on the blue box by the library books.
I will write you back, answer your letter, tell you how I feel or just write about something I like or dislike.
write back soon, love mom

It was amazing to see how their writing and spelling improved. They also had good ideas and if they had a problem they had a way to write me with out everyone knowing about it. In some of the letters they wanted to trade chores, had field trip ideas and just wanted to know that I was paying attention. These books are now like a diary or journal.

My daughter Annabelle wants to do this during the coming school year.

http://www.wabbstersbooks.blogspot.com/

Homeschool Using American Girl Products

2009-07-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

One year over a decade ago, we used American Girl products as part of our curriculum. Our girls were about 7, 9, 11 at that time. The birthdays were in April, July and November. Each girl received a doll for her birthday. We did each doll separately so we could all learn about that time period. We would read The American Girl book, do the craft and art projects, cooking, and we would sew some of the clothes(I did most of this but they were able to do simple things). We had Kirsten, Molly and Addy. When we finished with the dolls we had, we continued through the rest of the series including Samantha, Felicity and some of the others so we could continue learning about the different time periods. I think the girls really enjoyed the lessons since everything was so interactive.
This worked well because I had three girls who were all interested in dolls, books and the crafts.
Annabelle is the last girl at home and even though she is eleven she is more interested in stuffed animals so this would not suit her.

Homeschool Field Trips on a Budget

2009-07-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Most of our field trips were free.

We had field trips to the post office, grocery store, police station, airports etc.

Sometimes we would go on a walk and identify birds, plants, bugs etc.

Going to the park and having lunch and reading a book under a tree is another great idea. A park with ducks is fun, especially if you can feed them.

A wetlands or national park is great way to spend the day or camp overnight.

In the spring a trip to a nursery is very educational. Usually they have plants at all stages of growth.

Zoos, Aviaries and planetariums sometimes have a small fee but are worth it.

Manufacturing plants are great learning experiences. Do you live by plants that make cheese, chocolate, shoes, soda etc.?

A pet store can be a good experience if you call ahead to let them know you're having a field trip and request a knowledgeable associate who may have a wealth of information.

Anyone in your neighborhood with a special hobby. Llamas, dairy farms, ostriches, a weaver, a seamstress, mechanic, author, singer, train collector, truck driver, etc. A person with a hobby is more likely to be enthusiastic about it and may give your kids new ideas to explore.

When you really look around you will soon have so many ideas you won't know how to fit them all into your busy schedule.

When you decide where you want to go its a good idea to call ahead and make arrangements. Most businesses and hobbyists are more than glad to help.

Homeschool Yearbooks

2009-07-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

For the first couple of years we homeschooled we kept written records and that was about it. I read in a magazine about making a yearbook each year. We can look back now and we have yearbooks for each year with pictures of the different things we did. We have pictures of them doing schoolwork, how they looked on the first and last days of school, special projects, field trips, activites, Valentines parties, crocheting or shop projects, gardening projects from start to finish, fair entries with pictures of items entered and ribbons won etc. Its wonderful to look back and see all things we did together. Now that part of my children are grown it would be a neat idea to put them in a digital format so they could all have a copy. We always kept written records but the yearbooks were something special.
With only two children at home this year we are going a step further and making homeschool scrapbooks and have the kids put them together for an art project.

Homeschooling with the Weaver Curriculum

2009-07-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Weaver Curriculum is a core curriculum which contains Bible, Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, Health, Safety, Field Trips, Vocabulary, Art and Memory Verse. Each volume is a full years curriculum for 7 grade levels which are k-6. A supplement can be bought with each volume for grades 7-12. It is reusable, so every couple years the volume can be repeated. Each volume covers a different part of the bible and is based on that area.
This curriculum worked well for us since it covers a wide range of subjects and grades. We have 7 children and learning the same topic at the same time was very helpful and saved time. Being Bible based was also a plus.
Day by Day is a separate volume which helps you know what to teach, when to teach it and what you need to teach it so you can have all supplies ready. Creative writing and page numbers for Wisdom Words is also included.
Wisdom Words is a separate volume. It is a grammar and composition program for grades k-6. Highway to English Grammar is a supplement for the older grades.

We did a chapter on Kings and Queens and for part of the lesson the kids all dressed up in different costumes and put makeup on etc. We took pictures and treasure them now. When we did lessons we could gear them to the age of the child. A three year old would draw a picture whereas a 12 year old would write a 2 page report. Both could choose the king or queen they wanted to study.
When we did our cities chapter we made maps, learned about geographic features and street signs to name a few activities.
For Family History we made timelines, memory books, history of family, family events etc.

Each chapter has many ideas to use including movies to watch, things to make, language arts, bible lessons, science etc.

These are some of the things we did which stand out in my mine. There are so many subjects covered it would be hard to write about all of them.

We have volumes 1-5 for sale on our store along with Wisdom Words, several supplements and Genesis. http://www.wabbstersbooks.com/ To buy a new copy from Alpha Omega publications please go to http://www.aophomeschooling.com

Homeschooling-Science in Summer

2009-07-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

During the summer we do a lot of hands on Science activities. Baby chicks, baby goats and other baby animals make wonderful projects.Gardening projects- even container gardening makes a wonderful project especially when the vegetables get ripe and you get to eat them. Which of course leads to a cooking project. Last summer we were able to get fruit from an orchard next door to us and do a canning project. There were some complaints. During the winter we opened the different jars which we called "summer in a jar" and the kids loved it. Now we hear "how much are we canning this year." Its great the kids know where their food comes from.Taking walks and identifying plants, animals, rocks, insects, birds etc.makes a great field trip and the kids enjoy doing something different and spending time together. We make a nature book and draw what we have seen with date, place etc. The kids love it. I also have a nature notebook as an example.Camping out in the backyard and identifying constellations, big and little dippers, the north star and the moon is also very exciting for kids. Of course we are very lucky here and the mountains are only a couple of miles away and there are fewer lights and you have more visibility of the sky.During the hot times of summer is a good time for other activites such as teaching crocheting, knitting or even shop which you might not have time for during the school year.