Scroll down for your FREE Science Bundle to learn all about Cells
Years ago, kicked off our “Not Back to School” week with a fun and memorable project: the Jello Cell Activity! My kids are teenagers now, but they still remember how much they enjoyed it.
Cells are the building blocks of life. Every living organism, from plants to animals, is made up of trillions of cells, each containing organelles that perform essential functions, enabling the organism to thrive. With this activity, you and your children can create an edible cell model to explore the structure of cells in a fun, hands-on way! For more creative ideas and to download free first day questionnaires and photo signs, be sure to visit our First Day of School page!
For a wealth of tips, creative activities, and hands-on experiments that bring science to life, explore our Hands-onScience Page. Discover how to make learning science an engaging and enjoyable experience for your children!
Materials Needed*
Small strips of paper
Tape
Toothpicks
Jell-O mix
Water
Glass square container
Pineapple Ring
Maraschino Cherry
Fruit roll-ups
Sugar-coated gummy worms
Smooth gummy worms
Gumdrops
Sixlets
Raisins
Gobstoppers
Sprinkles
*Use any variation of candy to represent if you can’t locate an ingredient. Get creative!
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Enjoy your delicious and educational Jell-O cell model!
Labeling the Organelles
Write the name of each organelle on a small strip of paper.
Tape each strip to a toothpick.
Insert the toothpick into the gelatin next to the corresponding organelle to label the components of your cell model.
Preparing the Jell-O
Make the Jell-O according to package instructions, but use about ¾ of the recommended water.
This ensures your “cytoplasm” will be sturdy enough to hold all of the “organelles” without shifting or sinking to the bottom of the cell.
Creating the Cell Model
Pour the Jell-O into a container (a glass square container works well).
The container will act as the cell wall or membrane.
For a plant cell, you may want to use lime Jell-O.
Setting the Jell-O
Place the Jell-O in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, until it is almost set but not quite.
While waiting, prepare the other supplies.
Cut the nectarine in half, ensuring the pit stays in one half.
Cut the fruit roll-ups into ¼ inch strips.
Adding the Organelles
Nucleus: Slip the pineapple ring with cherry into the center of the Jell-O representing the nucleus
Rough and Smooth ER (endoplasmic reticulum): Place some sugar-coated and smooth gummy worms around one side of the nucleus to represent rough and smooth ER.
Centrosomes: Push a few gumdrops around the nucleus
Lysosomes: Scatter sixlets through the Jell-O for lysosomes.
Mitochondria: Use raisins to represent the mitochondria.
Vacuoles: Use Gobstoppers to symbolize vacuoles.
Ribosomes: Sprinkle the Jell-O with sprinkles to represent ribosomes.
Golgi bodies: Fold your fruit roll-ups into accordions and insert them as Golgi bodies.
Finalizing the Cell Model
Allow the Jell-O to set for about 20 more minutes, or until fully set.
This hands-on project will not only provide a fun and engaging activity in your homeschool, but it also teaches your children to visualize and understand the structure of cells in a creative way.
Years later, when my son was in Homeschool High School Biology, he created a “Cell Cake” without my help. He had a lot of fun with this one too!
Years later, when my son did Homeschool High School Biology, he created a “Cell Cake” without my help. He had a lot of fun with this one too!Learn more about cells >>
Celebrate your first day of homeschooling with excitement and fun, whether you’re schooling year-round or following a traditional schedule. Make this day special and memorable by creating your own unique traditions. How do you celebrate your first day of homeschool? What are some “NOT Back to School” traditions that make this journey extraordinary? And how do you start your first lesson to set the tone for a fantastic year ahead? Join us today as we answer these questions and more, ensuring your homeschooling adventure begins on a high note!
It’s back to homeschool! Whether you like to school year-round, or follow a traditional school schedule, there’s usually a time when you take a significant break and start back with a new curriculum, new supplies, and lay out new goals for your year. Back-to-homeschool is such an exciting time! It’s the perfect time to establish a good routine.
If you’re brand-new to homeschooling, be sure to visit our GETTING STARTED Page to walk you through Step by Step!
It’s a good idea on the first day to let your kids take some time to thumb through their new curricula and resources. Some families may be totally stoked by seeing their new year’s program coming together. But if your kids aren’t thrilled with flipping through their new books, it’s okay! Some kids might find it a little overwhelming to see an entire year of school work and all the books and projects laid out on the table- even all the FUN ones you selected you know they’ll love.
And maybe you have children who have lost their joy for learning? If you have recently withdrawn your child from school, we talked about how essential it is to go through a process of Deschooling. Typically, when people are pulling their kids up from school it’s because they are in an environment that’s not working for them academically or emotionally and going through this step is really going to set your Homeschool up for success so don’t skip it! Deschooling 101 >>
But once you have gone through this, they still might not be completely thrilled about homeschool – hopefully they are! Remember, you’re a homeschooler! You have the power and flexibility to tap into their interests and excite their learning once more! You have the opportunity to create a fun homeschool first day to get the momentum started. Planning Your Homeschool Year >>
How do you celebrate your first day of homeschool? (5:58)
Celebrating your first day of homeschooling can be so much fun. You can set some great traditions and make some really special memories. But before we get into some of those fun traditions, we put together some tips that are going to really help set you up for success:
10 Top Tips for a Great First Day of Homeschool
1. Don’t plan to teach EVERYTHING on the first day
It’s really important to ease back into your school schedule slowly. A lot of seasoned homeschoolers would tell you to start with just a few subjects and slowly add in more later in the week or even over the next few weeks. Relax and enjoy those first few days of school. Your children will have a much better attitude about starting school.
2. Take a picture
Those kiddos in the camera lens are the reason for all of the hard work. They are absolutely worth it. A lot of people like to take it while their child is in their PJs all day long, or on their front porch, or at the donut shop. Taking a picture really drives home how fast they are growing and how fleeting these years really are. Scroll down to get your FREE First Day of School Photo Signs
3. Plan a special breakfast
One of the great perks of homeschooling is that we have more freedom over our day. Take advantage of it by taking the time to go out for breakfast while other kids are waiting for the school bus. Or pick up some donuts and sit on your front porch while you wave at the school bus! You could also cook a special breakfast. Plan whatever feels special for your family – you could put together a waffle bar, have pancakes and sausage, make an omelet bar, or have that special sweet cereal that maybe you usually say no to.
Some people like to create a school year vision board together. If this is something you want to do, have all the supplies on hand and ready like posterboard and stencils or stickers. Together with your kids, you each can reflect on your personal goals for homeschooling. You can talk about what you hope to achieve and write them all down.
Take advantage of your flexible schedule and go on a field trip! Download your Free 100 Field Trip Pack with writing prompts.
Design a schedule for your homeschooling activities together with your kids. Make it visually appealing and display it prominently in your learning space.
A lot of people like to bake cookies or a back to school cake – Home Economics 101! You could also take some of those treats to a nearby fire or police station.
Decorate your classroom together.
We’ve always created a homeschool binder and use dividers between subjects. If this is something you also want to do, you can spend some time having your kids decorate their binder.
You could create a treasure hunt for them to find their curriculum all over the house.
Board games are a great way to start. We always play a boardgame on the first day of school! We have a great List of Educational Games. Your kids may not even know they’re learning! You can even make your own with these FREE Boardgame Templates >>
Go swimming – most pools are still open and with public school back in session, they are all yours!
Meet friends at the park or at a coffee shop to play board games.
Spend the afternoon at the lake. Your kids can break in their new literature book in a hammock.
Encourage journaling or artwork where you can express your thoughts and feelings about your first day. This can serve as a keepsake to look back on as you progress through your homeschooling adventure.
Do an activity related to your curriculum. You can get really creative with this! For example, if you’re studying history, you can create a timeline. If you’re learning about simple machines in science, build a Lego car and create a ramp and have a race. You could also do simple experiments. Make slime for chemistry or erupt volcanoes. You can go anywhere with this! More Free Science Ideas with downloadable activities
Outdoor exploration: go on a nature walk to celebrate your first day. Observe and document your findings. For little ones, we have a free nature scavenger hunt you can download.
Finally, if you’re not too exhausted, end your first day of homeschool with a family game night or watch a movie. You could even choose a movie related to a subject you’re learning about.
The fancy journal I put in my son’s Not Back to School Basket last year. He LOVED it!
The possibilities are endless!
And don’t stop the homeschool fun after your special celebration! Make fun a priority as you create a relaxed learning environment for your kids to thrive. Learn how to keep learning fun >>
5. Complete First Day of School/All About Me Questions
Kids grow and change impossibly fast. Sometimes it’s hard to see it day to day, so I have my kids complete a First Day interview every year on the first day of homeschool. I save it and we all reflect on the changes of the previous years after they fill it out. They are always so amazed on how much they have changed and grown and quite frankly, I am too! I just wrote a blog post called The Bittersweet Beauty of Homeschooling: from Little Feet to Flying Wings. One night last week I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep. I bawled my eyes out when I wrote this post reminiscing when my kids were little. Sometimes in all of the chaos and the whirlwind of it all, it can be hard to see just how fast everything is moving. They change so fast, so document it.
6. Don’t forget to plan for lunch
You will be busy all morning with the excitement of the new year, projects, games, and teaching so either plan something quick and easy or cook lunch as part of a homeschool lesson. I usually plan something really simple. Or you could pack a lunch and have a picnic and chat about your first day and what you’re looking forward to this year.
7. Read together
Reading together is one of our favorite homeschool memories. Choose a new read-aloud together and start each morning reading a chapter to get in a groove of a new routine. Maybe set up a new read aloud space or cozy corner in your house, fill a new bookshelf or basket with some special new reads. Get some fluffy blankets, or a bean bag chair, or a new light. Check out the Top 50 Books for New Readers and Favorite Books for Middle Schoolers
8. Get the kids moving
Homeschool does not mean sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day. But it can be a little less active than running around all summer. You can ease that transition by planning something to get the kids moving. Get out in nature and take a hike, do a YouTube yoga routine, turn off the music and have a dance party, go play tennis together, go biking, or roll some exercise dice. Take them to the gym or if they are driving, let them go to the gym by themself.
You may also want to Arrange meet-ups with other homeschooling families or friends who are also starting their homeschooling journey. Share experiences, tips, and celebrate together. This really sets the tone for how social homeschooling will be- this is great for kids new to homeschooling and worried about that aspect.
9.Be Prepared and Routine-Minded
Set up a comfortable and organized learning area or dedicated education space in your home. Decorate it with colorful posters, motivational quotes, and any other items that inspire you. Remember, you’re setting the stage, take time each night before bed or on Sunday night to gather your materials and lay out your week ahead.
You are beginning to set the stage for your entire school year. Consistency is important, but know that things are going to go wrong, so instead of having a very rigid schedule, be more routine-minded. Even if you’re not a brand new homeschooler, this is a new year and you’re still figuring things out so be gentle on yourself and be patient with your children. They are still learning the expectations you have of them so if things aren’t perfect, give them gentle reminders. It’s going to take some time. And chances are if you’re not a brand new homeschooler, the expectations are going to be more than the previous year as they are one year older.
You will be TIRED so make this easy on yourself, prep the instant pot the night before. Or start a tradition by ordering pizza for dinner on the first day of homeschool.
What are some Not Back to School Traditions? (27:19)
Homeschooling provides the opportunity to create unique traditions that celebrate the start of a new academic year. We’ve done so many “not back to school traditions” through the years.
“Not Back to School” party:
One thing we really loved (and still love) is a Not Back to School Party. These are so much fun and so easy to plan. If there isn’t one in your area, throw one together yourself. Organize a picnic in a local park or your backyard with other homeschooling families. It’s a chance to connect, share experiences, and build a sense of community.
Not Back to School Basket:
I always make a “not back to school” gift basket for my kids. I put it out when they are still sleeping so it’s always a surprise when they wake up in the morning to find all the goodies. I put in lots of snacks, science kits, their FREE school IDs (Homeschool Buyers Club), fancy pencils, phone chargers, silly string, or water balloons. They are older now, so sometimes I like to put in Starbucks or Amazon gift cards, a fancy journal, and buy them. They each get their own Nutella jar, and on the Nutella say you can print custom labels for each grade. Download your FREE Nutella School Labels >>
A few of our Not Back to School Baskets over the years:
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New Pajamas:
We always make a big deal about getting new pajamas for homeschool. It started out as a bit of a joke for our couch school, but the grandparents look forward to our silly pajama first day of school photo every year!
Time Capsule:
Some people like to create a Time Capsule where everyone puts in items that represent their current interests, aspirations, and goals. You can bury it or store it away to open at the end of the year or on a future milestone.
Choose a theme that relates to a subject or topic you’ll be studying during the year. Dress up, decorate your learning space accordingly, and engage in activities, games, or experiments centered around that theme.
Homeschool Olympics or field day:
Organize a friendly competition with other homeschool families. You can set up an obstacle course and do all kinds of physical activities, you can do team challenges, or also intellectual games. It’s really a fun way to promote teamwork, sportsmanship, and friendly rivalry.
Curriculum Unboxing:
Treat the beginning of the academic year like an unboxing event. Gather all your learning materials, books, and resources, and unveil them with excitement. It adds an element of anticipation and enthusiasm.
Volunteer or Community Service Day:
Dedicate a day to giving back to the community. Find a local organization or charity where you can volunteer together as a family, contributing your time and efforts for a good cause. A school backpack/supply drive or stuffing event is also a great way for our homeschoolers to see how lucky they are!
Reflection and Goal Setting:
Take time as a family to reflect on the previous school year and set goals for the upcoming one. Talk about everything you achieved, the challenges you faced, and all the aspirations you have about the new year. We talked earlier about creating a vision board. This could be part of that. If you do create one, display it in your homeschool room to remind you of your goals.
Remember, the traditions you establish can be as unique and individual as your homeschooling journey. They should reflect your family’s values, interests, and educational goals. Feel free to adapt and create new traditions that resonate with you and make the start of each homeschool year meaningful and exciting.
How to start your first lesson? (35:12)
Starting your very first homeschool lesson can set the tone for a successful and engaging learning experience.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to begin:
Prepare the learning materials:
Gather all the necessary books, worksheets, or any other resources you’ll need for the lesson. Ensure that you have everything organized and readily accessible. There’s nothing worse than sitting down to do a project and finding out you are one ingredient short!
Set up the learning environment:
Create a comfortable and focused learning space. Remove distractions and provide a clean area for studying. Organize everything so it’s easily accessed and promotes a positive learning atmosphere.
Review the lesson plan:
Take a few minutes to review the lesson plan or outline for the day. Familiarize yourself with the reading and activities you have planned. It helps you answer the very important question- how much longer will this take?
Warm-up activity:
Start the lesson with a warm-up activity that captures their attention. This could be a short discussion, lighting a candle, or morning basket. It could be going over and reviewing what you learned the previous day or the previous school year if this is your very first day. You could also warm up by playing an educational game that’s relevant to the lesson.
When you’re ready to begin, start by introducing the new topic or concept. It would be a good idea to provide an overview of what will be covered and why it is important or interesting. Try to use real-life examples, visual aids, or stories to make the topic relatable and engaging. This is where we pull in things like our timeline for history, or lab journals for science.
Interactive instruction:
Engage your child actively in the learning process. Use a variety of instructional methods, such as discussions, demonstrations, videos, hands-on activities, or interactive online resources. Encourage questions and discussion to foster deeper understanding. I also like to give my kids something to do with their hands while listening to readings- a handicraft basket, quiet toys, coloring, etc.
If you have kids that are old enough to be independent or if you need to have one working on one thing by themselves while you work with another, this is where you can assign exercises, worksheets, or projects and provide guidance and support as needed.
Assess understanding:
Assess your child’s understanding periodically during the lesson. Use informal methods like questioning, discussions, or short quizzes to gauge comprehension. This will help you identify areas that may need further clarification or review.
Wrap up the lesson:
Assign any independent work for the next day or that they need to work on one their own. Or have a discussion about what you’ll be doing the next day or in the future with this lesson.
Remember to be patient, flexible, and support your children as you navigate your lessons or curriculum. If things aren’t working, adapt your teaching style to suit their needs and learning preferences or incorporate other resources to help them understand the concept you’re trying to teach. By starting your first homeschool lesson with enthusiasm, organization, and effective communication, you’re going to establish a positive and productive learning environment for your entire family.
How can you spark a love and curiosity for STEM in your homeschool? What are some of our favorite experiments that keep learning exciting? How do you nurture young minds to become critical thinkers? Join us this week as we dive into these questions and explore even more ways to inspire your homeschool journey!
Spark your children’s curiosity and imagination by creating an environment with hands-on exploration in your homeschool.
The acronym STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We’ve actually been learning all of these subjects since our students were babies so what is so special about STEM? Traditionally, STEM takes the 4 pillars (science, technology, engineering, and math) and combines them into an interdisciplinary approach of curiosity and inquiry and hands-on, problem and project-based learning.
When you begin formal education in your homeschool, you may approach each of these subjects individually-we often did math daily at a certain time, science, a couple days a week, etc. With STEM you have an opportunity to combine these subjects and integrate them in a way that makes these skills more useful in everyday life. This integration of STEM subjects can result in kids that are able to think differently by harnessing a powerful combination of knowledge, critical thinking skills, and drive to improve and excel.
By incorporating STEM into our homeschool, we teach our kids to approach problems using scientific methods and we help them to learn analytical and information gathering skills. These valuable skills can be applied to all kinds of subjects and life situations.
Teach your child to gain an appreciation of the vastness of our solar system and the distances between the planets. We walk you through the entire Celestial Hike HERE
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Earth Science Kit – Over 15 Science Experiments & STEM Activities for Kids, Crystal Growing, Erupting Volcanos, 2 Dig Kits & 10 Genuine Specimens, a Great STEM Science Kit:
STEM is hands-on which makes it interesting and fun and it can inspire students to be more innovative and creative and to want to invent or build things. STEM helps students develop critical thinking skills to solve real world problems, and inspires them to become lifelong learners, which we talk about being our ultimate homeschooling goal here all the time.
Cornstarch Speaker Experiment It’s Alive! This Non-Newtonian Experiment is fun for all ages. Watch how oobleck behaves on top of a speaker. So creepy and fun!
Incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills in your homeschool can also help kids become more competent, innovative, and independent. It also makes them more adaptable to technology as it improves and changes. This is especially vital when it comes to future employment opportunities in a world that is constantly evolving. It also makes them perfectly capable when it’s time to make a repair on a household appliance.
LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 was a favorite with my kids. It really helped them learn how to program and ignited a love for STEM.
It comes with a Smarthub, motors, sensors, software. Everything you need to program the Legos you build!
Between 2017 and 2027, the number of STEM jobs will grow 13 percent, compared to 9 percent for non-STEM jobs.
The average median hourly wage for STEM jobs is $38.85, compared to the median earnings for all other types of jobs in the US, which is $19.30.
Out of 100 STEM occupations, 93% of them had wages above the national average.
Millions of STEM jobs go unfilled due to lack of qualified candidates.
As homeschoolers, we have this unique opportunity where we can choose to focus our energies on building critical thinkers and preparing our kids for amazing opportunities and fulfilling careers down the line, as well as creating creative and innovative global citizens. Our children really are the future.
How do I ignite a love and wonder for STEM in our homeschool? (6:02)
Like with many things homeschool- you don’t have to be an expert in these subjects in order to teach them. I encourage you to learn right alongside your children. It’s important to remember that your kids are watching you all the time. You are modeling behavior for them. Do you show a curiosity to try to find the answer and problem solve? What do you do when you notice something like a door handle in your house loose? Are you proactive and go get a screwdriver and try to figure out what is wrong and fix it? This is the kind of skill that you want your children to possess. Teach them to work through things and work with them Problem-solving. This kind of education goes well beyond a worksheet.
Extreme Geyser Tube – Science Kit for Kids – Mentos & Soda Lab Experiment: You can get a geyser over 20 FEET TALL:
You can find all kinds of opportunities for outsourced classes, science museum workshops, scripted curriculum, extracurricular clubs like scouts, engineering and robotics groups, and other activities. Also, consider other things you are already doing every day that build STEM skills, such as building and creating things with Legos or blocks, utilizing a budget, using iPads/phones/computers and other technology, playing video games and virtual programming, visiting local science museums, fairs, and shows, participating on a robotics team, competing in a Future City competition, etc.
Here some ways to incorporate STEM into your homeschool:
Reading– Read aloud to your children and teach them to appreciate good literature. I know we talk about this in every episode, but this is just too important not to mention. Model a love of learning by reading yourself. We should always be willing to expand our horizons and keep learning- this is a great and important way to be constantly learning and illustrate to your children this importance.
Explore in nature– have a pet or ecosystem- we love things like ant farms, butterfly habitats, reptiles and fish are great ways to learn.
Grow Things– have a garden or small plants, grow insects to feed those reptiles.
Experiment- get a generic experiment book, keep science kit supplies on hand- things like magnifying glasses and guidebooks are handy (we will get into specific experiments a little later in this episode)
Collect things- keep a collection of things that interest you- nature items like rocks, bones, teeth or maybe toys like Legos or Transformers.
Visit Places- explore museums and nature centers (our kids enjoyed homeschool classes at the Heard nature museum) and historical sites. We had our adventure kids club, magic school bus science club and did group trips to places. Do field trips to warehouses, labs, and factories. Learn how things are made (How It’s Made was one of our favorite shows when my kids were little!). Check out 100 Field Trip Ideas
Building, construction, and engineering. Have building toys available for free play- a great set of blocks (we loved Kapla planks), Legos, some tool, magnets, trains are wonderful inspiration. We loved Lego Wedo (combined programming with physics) and also recommend real tools and woodworking or other building methods. When my kids were a little older, they learned to solder, but when they were a little too young for that and after snap circuits, they loved breadboards, which is kind of a step before soldering.
Reference materials and resources– keep a shelf of books that kids can page through or look things up in.
What are our favorite experiments for early elementary age students? (11:10)
Hands-on experiments are one of the greatest ways for kids to learn in a fun and exciting manner. And let’s face it, the best experiments are the ones that are going to be big, loud, and messy! There’s also a lot of great experiments you can do in your kitchen. If you don’t want to destroy your house, you can do this in your driveway or park. Rest assured that if you don’t want to undertake this yourself, there are always cool opportunities out there in your community. Maybe you have a science, friend or you could find a science camp. There’s also a lot of great videos you can find free on YouTube or TikTok. We will link some of our favorites.
We just got out a couple old experiment books that I bought and never used with my older kids that I agonized over having skipped only to find out she’d done most of these through years of elementary science classes at Dr. Reids!
Disassembling toys. We also took apart electronics and more. We picked up old items at garage sales or off the side of the road drain vault, trash, day. It is really a great way to let kids take things apart. We learned so much and we didn’t even have to buy a curriculum!
Dry ice– There are so many things you can do with dry ice and you can often buy this at the grocery store. Of course, you will want to take precautions and wear gloves. You can blow up a balloon, make a bubbly volcano, magically put out a candle, or even set a piece on a metal spoon, and it magically makes a musical instrument. So many more!
Rockets– we were part of Dallas Area Rocket Society for years, even when the kids were very young. But you can build or buy stomp air rockets or build your own kits of rockets with electric motors or chemical launching technology and launch them. Some cities have restrictions on where you can watch these rockets so you may want to check to see if your city has any restrictions. One of our favorite books that is out of PRINT inspired our love for rockets – The Magic Rocket that magically grows and saves a boy’s dog who is abducted by aliens.
Volcanos– we talked about volcano birthday parties. Who doesn’t love simple baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring explosions? We would do this in a cup, but also we had a really cool volcano kit – we even made a papier-mâché volcano once.
Mentos and Diet Coke– this is an oldie but goodie! Definitely do this one outside. We did this in a really cool Geiser tube we picked up for a couple dollars that went SO HIGH!
Coloring changing experiments– skittles and coffee filters, putting celery or carnations in colored water, layering oils and waters with food coloring
Elephant Toothpaste– this is a fun experiment that comes from mixing hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and yeast to get a big reaction
Along with that is actually Dominos or craft stick explosion type things. You can also make an obstacle course or teach your dog to run an agility course.
Cornstarch and water – this is one of my kids favorite things to do- You can also teach them how to thicken gravy while you are at it. non-Newtonian fluids! This was absolutely one of our favorites. I need to post the video of when we took it one step beyond. I went to the thrift store and bought a cheap stereo speaker. I hooked it up to our stereo and put the cornstarch mixture on top of the speaker and turned up the bass. You won’t believe it, but the sonic waves actually picked up the cornstarch and danced. It was incredible. My kids say this is one of their favorite things that we did and Homeschool when they were younger.
Toothpick bridges are a fun physics project to test the strength or various structure. You can also build other structures and test strength of different triangular formations. This is when the kids were a little older, but it was a really cool experiment where they created a cage of toothpicks that surrounded an egg and then they did an egg drop to see if it broke or not. This is more for older students, but it was still a fun project.
Make your own Lava lamp with food coloring, and Alka-Seltzer
Slime was all the rage in my house for many years and my daughter was the fore most expert on what kind of chemicals needed to create different kinds of slimes
How do you create young critical thinkers? (25:19)
First let’s talk a little about logical and critical thinking. Logical thinking and critical thinking are very similar. Logical thinking can be defined as the act of analyzing a situation and then forming a reasonable or sensible solution or conclusion. Critical thinking tends to be a little more subjective. Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate information while also being aware of biases and assumptions. Critical thinkers should be more open-minded, be able to consider different perspectives and point to view. They should be skeptical.
Probably all of us have similar goals in that our children should be able to think and act independently and reasoning skills are a big part of that. We want our kids to make good decisions, pick great friends, do their schoolwork, and make good decisions as a whole. All of these require great logic and critical thinking skills. The more we practice the skills the more they become natural.
Including thinking skills in everyday homeschooling is great to do. These specific tasks can elevate kids from just memorizing or remembering something to working with information by applying, analyzing, and coming up with creative solutions. Some people think that critical thinking skills are only applicable to subjects like science and math, but really these skills are vital for success in all subject areas, and also everyday life as well.
I can’t stress enough how essential it is that children have hands-on opportunities for this to happen. So many times, I’ve had people ask me why my daughter likes to take apart the engine of her car and put it back together or how my 10-year-old 3-D printed a chassis, built and programmed a combat robot to battle with grown men. I can assure you, the idea of creating and building something started when they were toddlers.
Children are going to remember and apply what they learn when their natural curiosity is ignited. I urge you to get up and share these moments and learning opportunities with your children. They are not always convenient. We are often busy with cooking dinner, having a conversation with our partner, or just plain tired. Learning does not stop when we close the schoolbooks. Young elementary age is the perfect time to run with these moments. Kids are not always going to be so forthcoming with their curiosity when they are older so foster it and cherish it because they do grow up and these moments and how you respond to their curious questions will stay with them.
Don’t just tell them to go do a project. Be there with them, hands on working through problems with them. They have to see you in this mindset. And honestly, as a single mom, some of this was financial restriction. For example, when my son was nine years old, he asked for a ramp for his skateboard. I couldn’t afford a ramp at the store. So, I got up, we went into the garage and found some scrap wood and we started to design one together. And it was messy, and we made some mistakes but every time that happened, my son learned how to do it better. When you show an interest in something like this, your children will, too, even at a young age.
Critical thinking encourages students to connect the dots between concepts, solve problems, think creatively, and apply knowledge in new ways.
Brainstorm Brainstorming is a great critical-thinking exercise, especially when paired with visual elements. Get a big board and ask kids to help you make a list or ideas for a topic.
Search out or host some group activities Group projects and discussions are a great way to encourage critical thinking. Cooperative learning not only exposes students to the thought processes of others, but it exposes other viewpoints and expands their thinking and worldview by demonstrating that there may be multiple ways to approach a problem. You can do this through things like book clubs, engineering groups, board game days, video gaming, etc.
Incorporating different points of view Some critical thinking exercises involve exploring a concept from multiple perspectives. This tactic establishes that an idea should be assessed from different points of view before an opinion is formed and it also gives students a chance to share their own viewpoints while acknowledging others.
Ask questions and encourage question asking Asking questions, especially open-ended/non yes no questions, gives kids a chance to learn and apply what they’ve previously learned. It also gives them an opportunity to problem-solve.
Encourage decision-making Allowing your kids to make their own decisions enables students to apply what they’ve learned to different situations, weigh the pros and cons of a variety of solutions, then decide which ideas work best before deciding which way to go with an idea or solution.
Encourage Connecting different ideas Connecting different ideas is key to teaching critical thinking. Asking questions that help children consider different situations and potential solutions can help them apply prior knowledge to new contexts.
Inspire creativity Imagination is key to so much. We should encourage our kids to seek out new ways for them to use information to create new ideas. They can also invent things, do art projects, build, write a story or poem, create a game, etc. there are so many ways to do this.
Hopefully we’ve given you some great tips and ideas to ignite a love and wonder for STEM and spark your children’s curiosity and creativity by creating an environment with hands-on exploration in your homeschool.
This is a fun experiment for all ages. We first did it when my kids were 3 & 6 years old! We love science and STEM activities and this was one of our favorite science experiments. We loved how the cornstarch mixture became a solid and a liquid at the same time. This classic oobleck science experiment is always a hit for kids, and makes the perfect quick science experiment!
What does non-Newtonian mean?
All fluids have a property known as viscosity that describes how the fluid flows – commonly thought of as how thick or thin a fluid is. For instance, honey is much more viscous than water. When a fluid’s viscosity is constant, it is referred to as a Newtonian fluid. Oobleck is an example of a fluid whose viscosity is not constant; it’s viscosity changes depending on the stress or forces applied to it. If you poke it with your finger and apply a large force, it becomes very viscous and stays in place. If you gently pour it, applying little force, it will flow like water. This kind of fluid is called a dilatant material or a shear thickening fluid. It becomes more viscous when agitated or compressed.
Another non-Newtonian liquid is ketchup. Ketchup behaves in the opposite way from Oobleck. You could even call it the “anti-Oobleck.” It becomes less viscous when agitated. Liquids like this are called shear thinning liquids. If you leave a bottle of Ketchup on a shelf, it becomes thicker or more viscous.
You’ll love how much fun it is to do with kids, and kids will love how messy it is. Since the experiment is messy, it’s best to do it outside, or use a drop cloth like we did.
Science is a logical system for exploring our world. Each science experiment should include:
Question: Kids should start every science experiment with a question, even if that question is just “what will happen?”
Experiment: This is where the fun part comes into play. Test the hypothesis to determine if it answers the question fully.
Recording and Analysis: As the test is completed, record what happened. Why did that happen?
Retest: Try different variables and try a new test to see if the original answer is confirmed or disproved. Every variable should be tested more than once.
Cornstarch Experiment Explanation
Cornstarch and water mixed acts both like a solid and a liquid. Cornstarch and water is a suspension mixture with a solid dispersed into a liquid. When you press the mixture quickly, the starch molecules close together.
This causes the water to get trapped between the starch chains and create a semi-rigid structure. When you press slowly, this starch chain “block” doesn’t happen and the mixture flows like a liquid.
Because the viscosity of the mixture changes with force rather than heat, the cornstarch mixture is known as a non-Newtonian fluid. Slime is another fun non-Newtonian fluid. Another favorite!
How to Make Your Non-Newtonian Fluid with Cornstarch
Mix the corn starch and the water together at a ratio of about 10 parts starch to 1 part water.
Start the mixture by adding about ½ of a cup of cornstarch to about 1 cup of water.
Play with the mixture until it reaches the consistency that you want. You’re aiming for a texture that is runny when relaxed, but still firm enough to seize up when they hit the mixture.
Watch Our Video Experiment
What’s Happening
The corn starch mixture (oobleck) will be moved about as the speaker vibrates. Some parts of the speaker will vibrate much less than others (may even be stationary) and the particles which land there will stay there, once they have landed. So you get a build up of particles in the so-called nodes (where there is node displacement) and very few particles in the antinodes because they are constantly being kicked into motion. So, you can see the pattern of the standing waves on the speaker. It’s a bit like the effect on a windy day, when leaves and rubbish find themselves in sheltered spots and are constantly being removed from the middle of the road, where the wind is strongest. A ‘good’ loudspeaker unit should not have resonances and should, ideally, move backwards and forwards like an ideal piston – that’s why they are made with a conical shape which gives them strength even though they are very light.
In addition to being a non-Newtonian fluid, Oobleck can be called a heterogeneous mixture. Usually one of two things happen when you mix a solid and a liquid: the solid either dissolves or it separates from the liquid. You have seen this before. For example, if you mix salt with water the salt disappears—it completely dissolves such that the water and salt can no longer be separated. Such a mixture is called a homogeneous mixture, or solution. In contrast, heterogeneous mixtures are not uniform in composition. If you mix particles larger than 1μm, such as sand with water the sand does not dissolve. After you stop mixing the sand eventually settles to the bottom of the container—it separates from the liquid. A heterogeneous mixture with suspended particles large enough to settle down to the bottom of the container upon standing (usually >1μm) is called a suspension. In the cornstarch-water mixture individual tiny particles of cornstarch are suspended throughout the water. The cornstarch pieces are very tiny, with an average size of 1500 nanometers in diameter. (A nanometer is very small — a human hair is about 100,000 nanometers wide!) In Oobleck, the cornstarch pieces are evenly spread throughout the water. These particles are so small that you cannot see them with the naked eye. Suspensions with dispersed particles smaller than 1μm are called a colloid, which means that the particles are so small that they cannot be separated from the mixture anymore. They won’t settle upon standing and can’t be filtered out. Although a colloid looks like the liquid is all one thing, you can see under a microscope that it is actually a mixture of particles suspended in a liquid.
Having the right particle size is important for making a colloid. If smaller particles are used, they will dissolve in the water and not be visible, even with a microscope. For example, think of how sugar dissolves in water, making a homogenous solution. On the other hand, if larger particles are used, such as grains of sand, they will not dissolve in the water. Instead, they separate from the water, and are so large that they form a heterogeneous mixture of particles that can be seen with the naked eye. Some particles are just the right size to make a colloid with water. Depending on the particle size of the cornstarch you used in your experiment, you either made a colloid or a suspension. You can easily find out by letting your cornstarch-water mixture sit for some time. If the cornstarch separates from the water, the cornstarch particles are large enough to settle down, which means you made a cornstarch-water suspension. If you do not see any separation at all, you have made yourself a colloid!
Looking for fun ways to learn geography in your homeschool? Wondering how to teach your children about different cultures and incorporate global learning into your lessons? Join us as we share our favorite geography resources and dive into creative methods for making geography an exciting and engaging part of your homeschool curriculum. Tune in as we explore these topics and more!
Podcast Episode 029:
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Geography is not a subject to be skipped in your homeschool. It has been my favorite subject to teach and one that has brought so much fun into our home over the years. From mapping and directions, to learning about different cultures and how to be a global citizen, your family is sure to fall in love with geography too.
Geography is a topic many families put off until later but really, it’s a subject that you can introduce pretty early on. Kids as young as kindergarten are able to grasp concepts like directions and maps and are often eager to learn about the continents and other countries. Some people avoid the topic because they think it’s boring. Memorizing things like states, countries, large bodies of water and spitting out facts sounds dull, so instead, reframe it as instilling a natural curiosity about the world and other cultures.
For homeschoolers who may use a history centric curriculum or a trivium approach. which describes the learning stages as children mature (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric), introducing geography early gives a great base at a time when children are naturally inquisitive and are willing and able to absorb tremendous amounts of information. This makes having a general feel for where things are handy as you move into historical timelines and world events.
From a very young age, we always incorporated a timeline in our homeschool which really helped my kids visualize how history connects together. It also helps them identify patterns that have occurred throughout history. Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to memorize historical events when we can see it chronologically, and it makes sense in our minds.
Geography, history, and culture really intertwine because when you learn about historical events, you naturally learn about the locations and the people that reside in those areas.
Universal Yums has been a wonderful addition to our homeschool. My kids have learned so much about different regions and people from all over the world!
What are some fun ways to learn geography? (5:29)
Start with very general mapping skills
The book Me on a Map by Joann Sweeney is also great for this. This playful introduction to maps shows children how easy it is to find where they live and how they fit into the larger world. It starts where they are in their bedroom, in their house, in their neighborhood and then broadens through their community, state, country.
Which direction are we traveling? You can look at a map directory to find a store, or a trail map at your favorite park, or a highway sign that says how many miles to the next city. You can talk about map keys and symbols, physical directions like north, south, east, west. Talk about the sun setting in the west and rising in the east and other landmarks in your area that may indicate direction.
We talk about how cities are often built on a grid and you can teach your kids what streets make up that grid in your area and what direction they travel. Passengers have more time to notice things like this and it helps young drivers, too. We count a lot on GPS for things, but I am still a big fan of an old school street map and atlas books, for finding things.
We just did an awesome field trip episode and have a cool post with 100 field trip ideas. Hop in the car and go on one! One activity that my kids always loved is ‘passenger driver’. Where we spent an afternoon driving and them telling me which direction to go. At every turn, they just tell me. I would’ve never thought of this, it was my kids idea. I guess when you’re trapped in the passenger seat, you have no control, and this gave control to them because I went exactly where they told me. It was always an adventure!
We have a friend that has always put together incredible road trips for her family- her Texas history road trip and Civil Rights road trips were my favorite, but you don’t even have to go far! For long road trips, snacks, audio books or podcasts, and road trip games can be really fun. We loved making elaborate snack trays and a folder of car games like highway bingo, the license plate game, state fact sheets, etc.
Stuff you missed in history class is a favorite podcast for us to listen to on road trips. We once listened to an episode about Native American Mounds and happened to be crossing into Louisiana while listening. We made a quick stop at the welcome center, picked up a brochure, and hit it on the return.
I always loved having a road atlas to track our progress. This one is a lot of fun for kids: Kids Rand McNally
Start or join a Geography club
Geography clubs are one of my favorite things! They are great for teaching kids research skills and how to make geography and cultural connections. They learn physical geography, historical information, cultural facts, and artistic skills. I ran several geography Clubs over the years.
We gathered families together and we would choose a country to study and usually meet two times a month. Each family was responsible for presenting an aspect of that country. Typically, the family hosting would prepare the food, another family would talk about geographic location and topography and typically present a map, another family would discuss the people and culture, and often dressed in traditional attire from that country, another family would prepare a game we played that originated from that country, another family did a presentation on the type of government and political system, and another prepared a craft from that country, and more! Just depended on how many families attended. It was an all-afternoon party!
Games
You know how much we love our board games. One of my all-time favorites is Ticket to Ride- First Journey, US Version, European Version:
Ticket to Ride First Journey Board Game | Strategy Game | Train Adventure Game | Fun Family Game for Kids and Adults | Ages 6+ | 2-4 Players | Average Playtime 15-30 Minutes
Ticket to Ride Board Game | Family Board Game | Board Game for Adults and Family | Train Game | Ages 8+ | For 2 to 5 players | Average Playtime 30-60 minutes
Ticket to Ride Europe Board Game | Family Board Game | Board Game for Adults and Family | Train Game | Ages 8+ | For 2 to 5 players | Average Playtime 30-60 minutes
When my kids were older, they loved the game RISK. What’s not fun about taking over the world in a game of strategic domination? We have a really fancy vintage game. We got it at a garage sale and my kids always thought it was hysterical because it actually had the USSR. Even though the information was not completely accurate, we had so many discussions about it they will never forget.
Risk Game | Family Board Game | Board Game for Adults and Family | Strategy Game | Ages 10+ | For 2 to 5 players
The World Game is also a lot of fun and a good way to teach geography to the entire family. I promise, with this game you are going to learn a lot too!
We read the book 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family’s Journey around the World in one of our homeschool programs. It chronicles a family’s journey on bikes through 28 countries. The book also uses Google Earth as a compliment to the narrative. You can follow along virtually through maps, videos, photos, and text. 360 Degrees Longitude employs Google Earth as a compliment to the narrative. Using your computer you can spin the digital globe to join the adventure cycling through Europe, Africa, and the Andes.
For younger kids, the older show “Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego” still has a ton of appeal and is online to stream or you can also get it from your library – or you can tune into the new version. She’s an international thief whose capers are used to teach children geography via tracking her down as she swipes monuments and sneaks them around the world.
Penpals or Postcrossing
Get a penpal- we often see requests for these online. I also stumbled on this kind of accidental geography project while looking for penpals years ago. It’s a website called postcrossing. Basically, you set up a profile and send postcards to people and others send them back to you. Meanwhile, you can track on a map and learn about the different places your cards have come from.
Geocaching is a type of global treasure hunt. In this real life treasure hunt, people look for hidden treasure or caches. This is fun for all ages and there are all types of caches from micros, to large ammo boxes. Seekers use a GPS (your cell phone) to find the treasures and then log their finds both in the cache or online. The bigger caches may have cool items that you can take or trade. Caches are everywhere. We were really obsessed with this for a while and it took us to some really cool places we would not have found otherwise. I kept a gallon size baggy in my glove box with a pen and little plastic animals which I used for cache trades.
Letterboxing is in the same vein as geocaching– except that rather than GPS, letter boxes are found through elaborate directions and landmarks. Once you find the, they contain a book and a unique stamp, which you put in your book, and you can sign or carry your own stamp to put in theirs.
Orienteering is a kind of sport that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point. It’s typically in a diverse and often unfamiliar terrain and sometimes involves you moving at a certain speed. You’ll have a topographical map with prepared control points. You can find orienteering groups in your city, this is also a common scouting activity. I know friends who do races that involve orienteering as well. There’s a permanent orienteering course at the Bob Woodruff Park in Plano and you may be able to find one in your area.
GPS my City is another thing I talked about in our field trip episode and that we have a blog post coming. It’s an app that you can use to read travel articles and then create walking tours in various cities around the globe. I mainly use this while traveling, but you could also use it in your own town.
How do you teach about different cultures in your homeschool? (20:13)
So we talked about geography club being a great way to introduce different countries and cultures to your students. One of my favorite ways of incorporating cultural studies is through food. Yum. Cooking is not only a great skill to know, it’s a fantastic way to teach about different cuisines. We’ve used a lot of different cookbooks over the years but a couple that I love that have kid friendly, recipes and easy to follow instructions are
International Cooking for Kids: Multicultural Recipes to Make with your Family from Around the World (Cooking with Kids Series)
If you don’t want to do this in your own kitchen and prefer to support local (and often minority owned businesses ), I really recommend trying out visiting different restaurants and cuisines in your area. Often it’s a great way to expand your food palate, try some dishes that may be totally new to you, and learn something about the culture straight from the source. We used to have a Culture Club restaurant group where we met for lunch once every two weeks and tried different foods. We would read up about the country or region beforehand and discuss over lunch. If you have a friend who can guide you in the food of their culture, that’s even better. We have a friend who has graciously done an Asian grocery market tour of her favorite items and always offers to give friends a crash course in Korean BBQ.
Universal Yums
Universal Yums is something we did for over 10 years in our homeschool. If you’ve not heard of it, you’ve got to check it out. Universal Yums is a subscription service that sends you a box of snacks and candies from a different country every month. It was only about $12 a month and they sent us so many snacks that were delicious and unique and often extremely difficult to find in the US.
We’ve learned so much from other countries with Universal Yums!
Each Universal Yums box also came with an interactive guidebook for that country. It described in detail each item and where the food originated. We would read these right before we tried each snack. It was a big event in my house. The booklet also has trivia, games, recipes, culture and more from that country. We would often head to the library and gather books and continue reading. It really was like getting a present every month in the mail.
Model United Nations is an educational simulation in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the UN at a conference the students will work as a representative of a country and they must solve problems with other delegates from around the world. They learn all kinds of skills like research, public speaking, debate, writing, in addition to critical thinking, teamwork and leadership. While it’s typically an extracurricular activity, some schools also offered us a class. My kids have been actively involved in model United Nations groups since they were little. The program that they do is a middle school program but it involves kids as young as 8 to 10 as pages in the program and then high school kids run the program as the secretariat.
There are all kinds of model United Nations programs out there. The YMCA runs a large one and there are high school groups that participate, even college groups participate in model United Nations. It’s really an awesome activity that engages students and allows them to develop a deeper understanding of current world issues, world politics and just the things that can affect different cultures and countries.
Cultural events and Celebrations— We touched on this in our field trip episode, too, but visiting cultural events and celebrations in your area is a great way to learn about others. We love attending events like the Greek Festival, Chinese New Year, and other country specific or cultural celebrations.
And of course, reading! We specifically search for books that contain characters of color as well as main characters that may represent a minority point of view. We look for books that are written by an author of diversity or color from their perspective. Books that feature myths or folktales from other countries are often favorites and can show kids the parallels between these stories and the stories they may have grown up with. You do want to make sure you are choosing quality books and not ones that reinforce negative stereotypes. We want to encourage our kids to be global citizens and celebrate diversity and inclusion.
We are including a couple links to websites with wonderful book lists. Amber O’Neal Johnston’s Heritage Mom site has a fantastic page of recommendations, mostly including African and African American, but also, books about refugees and migrants, etc.
Another list is from Mia WenJen’s site. She is the co-creator of Multicultural Children’s Book Day (January 25th). Her Pragmatic Mom site is amazing.
Kelly Tudor is Lipan Apache and a citizen of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas. She is culturally intact, speaks her language, and is active in the local Native community. She has a blog that reviews curriculum and books from an Indigenous perspective and she’s also a very popular Indigenous instructor on Outschool. We will link to both her classes and her blog.
What are our favorite geography homeschool resources in addition to all the ones we’ve listed so far? (27:08)
Mapping the World with Art by Eileen Henry is almost 3 books in one- the first section is a history text that tells the story of cartography from ancient Mesopotamia up to the discovery of Antarctica, the second section provides step-by-step drawing lessons for each of those history lessons, and in the last section provides extra activities that you can use with your students like worksheets, group games, historical crafts, art projects etc.
Build Your Library is a secular, Charlotte Mason inspired, literature-based curriculum that both of us have used for many years.
BYL is a secular, Charlotte Mason inspired, literature-based curriculum that both of us have used for many years. Level 0 is a gentle tour around the world and introduces kids to seven continents and explores amazing places, people and the animals of these regions. It is appropriate for about 5- to 7-year-olds. Level 7 explores various landscapes, continents, culture, and people with another diverse and exciting book list. The literature in this level takes you to many destinations across all seven continents. This level also teaches about the religions of the world. This suits a middle school age range and is a great program for multi age families. The levels do not include math, so it is flexible and easy to combine different age kids.
Holling Clancy Holling was an author and artist who worked in a taxidermy department of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and spent time working in anthropology. For many years, Holling C. Holling dedicated much of his time and interest to making books for children. Much of the material he used was known to him firsthand, and his wife, Lucille, worked with him on many of the illustrations. He has 4 books that we have used. Disclaimer: they are very old books.
There’s an awesome set of maps from the Beautiful Feet company (not a secular resource, but they are just blank maps) that we bought to go with these. They are on parchment style paper and just gorgeous- we colored them in and hung them in our classroom- they make excellently keepsakes.
From mapping and directions, to learning about different cultures and how to be a global citizen, geography is not a subject to be skipped!
This Week’s Freebie:
Download your FREE Geography Basics Bundle! It introduces a compass rose, cardinal directions, using maps, and identifying your place in the world. It also has grids that encourage your child to map their bedroom and neighborhood.
We talked in a previous episode that teaching your child to read would be the hardest part of homeschooling, but math can sometimes also be a challenge. For many parents, this was a challenging subject for them and it’s easy to be a bit nervous about teaching it, especially upper levels.
The good news is, that like with many homeschooling subjects there are tons of options from video format to scripted programs out there and you do not need to be an expert to teach math to your children. If you find it hard and frustrating to teach math, you’re not alone. Many parents find the very thought of teaching math daunting because nothing ruins your homeschooling day more than fighting about math. The whole day will be miserable if every time you pull out math there is arguing, whining, and crying.
Why does my child have math tears? (4:27)
There are some kids that hate math. So no matter what we share with you here today and all the tips and tricks to help make teaching math easier, some kids are still going to hate math. But hopefully we can help guide you and give you some tips so there are less math tears in your home.
There are different reasons why kids are discouraged by math. Some find it too hard; others find it overwhelming, and still others are so bored by it that they can hardly bring themselves to complete their assignments. I’d also caution you to make sure you aren’t projecting your own feelings about math onto your children.
It’s also important to rule out an actual, real obstacle to math, like a learning disability. We talked about dyscalculia in our learning disabilities episode if you haven’t listened to that we will link it in the show notes. For the most part though, math obstacles are often caused by other issues.
In the middle of a lesson, your child may struggle to make connections between math concepts, or they may forget the procedures needed for a simple calculation. And this leads to a lot of tears for them and in turn, sometimes for you too. No, it’s not just the kids that are crying here! The more frustrating math time is, the less you want to teach it…which causes even more forgetting and tears. It can become a vicious cycle.
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And as hard as it may be for you to teach it, it’s probably even harder for your child trying to get the concepts. When your student is making a recurring mistake, it is an opportunity to pause, and then ask together, “Okay, what parts of this are we not understanding? Is there a way we might approach this differently?” Remember that when things sometimes get too hard, it is ok to walk away and come back to it later. Sometimes that magically leads to understanding. But eventually, we are going to have to get back to the topic at hand.
Mathemagical World – Addition & Subtraction Math Board Game. Includes Two (2) Levels of Difficulty and Speed Ages 5+
Eight (8) Unique Magic Worlds: Desert Island, Dinosaur Island, Pirate Island, Zombie Island, Unicorn Island, Ice Island, Dragon Island, and Ninja Island!
Instead of beating themselves up every time they get something wrong or make a mistake, you want to teach them to see math mistakes as opportunities to evaluate, improve, and learn. This will equip them with a skill that is useful for all of life. Recognizing mistakes is something that is extremely important in math because this is one place where you can’t have a partially incorrect answer. It’s either going to be right or wrong. Sometimes you really need to slow down and look at where mistakes are happening and why.
It’s also important to model working through mistakes. When you do this, you are empowering students to become an advocate for themselves, and this is especially the case as they progress into the upper levels of math where the level can be especially challenging. And honestly, some children really breeze through some of the early math, but they may not really completely understand the concept so then when they get to things like algebra, you really need to have a complete understanding of the concepts because you aren’t going to be able to fake your way through. This is sometimes where real math anxiety hits because it’s finally gotten challenging. It’s so important when teaching the skills that you’re not just teaching memorization, and your child is really understanding the math concept.
Finding ways to model this process of turning math mistakes into opportunities for your child is so important. You spend a lot of time with your child, and they see you day in and day out, and we all make mistakes, and they see that. Use those opportunities to model that what would be otherwise considered a mistake is an important part of the learning process. Children need to know that they are in a safe place to make mistakes. Mistakes are part of the process—a place that actually celebrates those mistakes. Really, they are learning opportunities and with this mindset, your children will see they are learning opportunities.
Fraction War Math Game – Fun way to Learn, Compare and Simplify Fractions. Fast-paced card game that helps players get comfortable with fractions, comparing fractions and converting fractions. Ages 7+
When doing math, you can say things like, “something doesn’t seem right here,” and “oh, I see, I see where we are having trouble.” If your child does not understand something or is having trouble with a new concept, you can help them to see that it’s not a reflection of their intelligence, potential, or skill. Learning to see mistakes as opportunities is a good skill for everyone to have. You can help them understand that the struggle to acquire knowledge is an intrinsic part of the learning process.
Finding the right level of challenge is key to helping kids enjoy math, too. There’s no satisfaction in whizzing through easy busywork problems, but it’s very frustrating to plug away at problems that are too hard. We don’t always stick to the curriculum as scripted. While there is certainly a place for rote fact memorization, it’s also fine to move on from concepts your student has mastered.
Another thing you need to think about is if you are using a program that works for both you and your child? You may want to think about evaluating what you’re using and if it’s a good fit for them. And there are a lot of programs out there. And what works for you might not be working for your child’s learning style.
How do I deal with math anxiety? (12:57)
Math anxiety can be a very normal part of the process. Again, when we talk about modeling behavior for our kids, we do want to make sure we are careful that we are not projecting our math anxieties on them. Watch the things that you may say, I hate math, I’m not good at algebra, I’ve never liked geometry. These statements can have an impact on our kids even though we don’t mean them to.
Some children who have had bad experiences with math can experience math anxiety and even panic when faced with the prospect of making mistakes or revealing they do not yet understand something. It is not uncommon for some kids to have immediate panic when they see drill sheets or workbooks filled with word problems, lengthy tests, etc.
If your child experiences math anxiety, I would encourage parents to consider these possible solutions:
Take extra time to master more difficult concepts and if your kid melts down at the site of a drill sheet, begin with a few problems and work up to more. Also, I would avoid timing drills altogether especially if math is already an issue in your home.
Limit the time you spend on a concept that your student has not yet mastered. For example, the attention span for an 8-year-old when trying to understand something is typically around 10 minutes. A good rule of thumb is to use their age number +2 as a guide to determine what is average for your student’s age. If you want the math session to be longer, you can either switch out to reviewing math the student has already mastered or work with games or activities using known skills. This really helps build confidence. And not just in math – you can use the technique and other subjects. Ask them questions that you know that they already know. Kids love to be a ‘know it all’, so give them a shining moment! Another option might be two short sessions with a two-hour break in between.
When introducing a new concept, coach your student toward a more positive mindset by saying something like, “Okay, this is our first day on this, let’s see if we can catch a piece of it today.” Again, limit time spent per session on the new concept to their age +2.
Collaborate with your child to set the pace for each day. If your math plan for the day involves a worksheet, ask, “How many problems do you think you would be comfortable solving today?” or “Let’s start out with finishing the odd-numbered problems first.” This way, you can evaluate any areas which might need additional assistance. Bring them into this process and help them regain a sense of their own learning.
I would encourage you to give your child permission to skip the questions that they don’t know how to solve. You can then say something like, “Oh good, you skipped that one. We know we don’t know that one.” This gives you an indication of what concepts to spend more time on with them while sparing them the anxiety of being penalized for knowledge that they have not mastered yet.
Looking over the work together helps your child feel ownership of his learning and a greater sense of responsibility. Plus, you show your child that learning from mistakes is part of the learning process.
Consider if the reason you are struggling is because of a missed concept along the way. It’s ok to work backwards to find that. Sometimes the success of later math is completely hinged on something that you learned earlier and that things built on.
Another thing you can do to help reduce stress is to build routine into your day. We talk about this in our schedules, routines, and rhythms episode. This applies to teaching and learning as well as the rest of your daily activities. When children can depend on a schedule and consistent people involved in that schedule, they are more able to settle their minds and take risks in other areas of their lives. Create a routine, inform them about that routine, then review it with some regularity.
It’s extremely important to model a positive attitude towards math. If you don’t like math yourself, I know it can be hard to fake a positive attitude. But we moms set the tone for our homes. When we’re dragging, everyone’s dragging. When we’re energized and positive, the kids are much more likely to be, too. A little bit of positivity. When you pull out, the math books can go a long way.
Also, something that causes a ton of math anxiety in my house can be remedied with just slowing down. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve gotten hung up on a math problem, turned to anger, and then done something really dumb like angrily write a number from the first part of a multi part problem incorrectly, just because we are in a hurry to get it over with. Don’t do that. Slow down.
Bust out the teacher’s guide gathering dust on the shelf. They are a wealth of useful information! Most will help you understand the main objective of the lesson and show you some ways to demonstrate the concept. Some will even provide games and activities to reinforce what your child is learning and add some fun to your math time. Learning concepts with games and making it a fun time rather than drill and kill can completely turn your home around.
We’ve always been big gamers, and have used games in our homeschool from the very beginning. A lot of homeschoolers use the term “gameschooling” when incorporating games into their homeschool. Games are a fantastic way to solidify a concept – especially in math! So we’ve taken all of our favorite games and organized them per concept for you.
Enjoy one of our TOP MATH GAMES when you need to take a break from the worksheets and solidify concepts:
The goal is to lessen stress, embrace mistakes, and provide your anxious student with many small victories. Through these kinds of processes, you and your student will begin to realize how to find learning success with limited anxiety. Not everything about learning will be fun, some things you do have to power through, but knowing how to advocate for their own learning process is a skill that will assist them in becoming lifelong learners and enable them to reach their full individual potential.
This is going to depend on a lot of things. And opinions are going to vary on this topic. Where are you on your homeschool journey? If you are brand new to homeschooling out of a school environment, you may want to consider testing just to get an idea of where your student is and if perhaps there are some learning gaps that you need to work on before advancing. Many homeschool curriculums do have their own placement tests that you can use for this.
Testing in general can be a tricky concept because often, if you aren’t actually teaching to a test, testing isn’t always going to be an accurate representation of what your student actually knows. I, personally, do not recommend taking a test until your child has demonstrated mastery. If they need extra time to achieve mastery, then give them extra time. Another great benefit of homeschooling. You can move at your child’s pace.
Prime Climb– Easy to learn, and endlessly replayable, thanks to dynamic mix of strategy and luck. Learn and master multiplication, division, factorization and prime number concepts. This is a fun and favorite game in our house! 10+
We love a mastery approach. The “wait for mastery” approach to testing teaches them to develop an understanding of what they need to be prepared for on an exam. This sets your child up for success in testing so when they see the word “test” at the top of the page, they feel confident in their ability to tackle it.
When there are errors on the test, try to keep them in the same perspective you would with daily work. When working through mistakes you can ask: Were multiple problems missed that use the same concept? If so, this might be an indication that they need to revisit a concept for some additional practice. Did they rush through it? Were there distractions? It might indicate that they were tired or not feeling well that day, which might have made it hard to focus. By asking these questions and having a conversation about the errors, you can again reinforce that mistakes are an opportunity for growth. Together you’ll learn and make decisions regarding next steps for continued success in both daily work and test prep.
Adsumudi Math Game – The Monstrously Fun, Smart Game for Kids to Practice Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction – Great for Kids Ages 8-12
Celebrate Accomplishments
When your child accomplishes something especially hard, like mastering a new concept, do something fun to celebrate! The more that you and your child embrace the perspective that mistakes are opportunities to grow, the more positive the learning process will become for both of you. I’m confident that your student will grow to feel like math is something they can do, and possibly even enjoy!
How Do You Homeschool a Child with a Learning Difference?
You might be a parent who has considered or chosen to homeschool because your child has a learning difference or requires specific accommodations to support their learning journey. Traditional school systems often struggle to provide a curriculum that effectively meets these unique needs, leaving you to fight for the necessary adjustments. You may have wondered, “Can I homeschool my child?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” With the right resources, strategies, and support, homeschooling can offer a tailored educational experience that nurtures your child’s strengths and addresses their challenges, ensuring they thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. Tune in this week as we discuss these topics and more!
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Learning challenges can make it difficult for children to keep up with peers academically and may lead to frustration and behavioral issues. Children with learning differences often struggle with social interactions and have low self-esteem. It is important for children with learning disabilities to receive appropriate support and in order to succeed academically and emotionally.
Sometimes people may have the idea that kids with learning disabilities are not motivated or intelligent, or it’s the parents’ fault. That is absolutely false. We really need to widen the lens of how we look at these kids. Also, keep in mind that all students are unique and special and every single one has areas of strengths and areas of weaknesses. It’s important to remember that there are functioning, responsible adults everywhere that grew up navigating the system with a learning disability.
What is a learning disability? (5:18)
Learning *disorder* is a diagnostic term. A licensed professional — usually, a psychologist — diagnoses a person with a learning disorder based on a list of symptoms. Learning *disability* is a legal term. A public school identifies a student with a learning disability. People will often use these terms interchangeably, but those are their definitions.
Sometimes we use terms like developmental delay or gaps in knowledge to describe learning disabilities. Learning disabilities are actually a neurological disorder. The most common of course being reading disabilities with dyslexia as the most common. The reality is that 5–10% of students in the US have some sort of learning disability.
There are many ways that professionals will go about diagnosing a learning disability including tests that psychologists do. That may include an aptitude test and an achievement test and often they compare those two. They may run more tests and once they have those results it helps them determine if there is a neurological disorder, a gap in knowledge, or they just need more exposure and more time to catch up. Typically, these sorts of assessments are done around 6 or 7yrs old.
Sometimes there are even children with really high IQs that may be labeled GT, gifted and talented in a school system that may actually have a processing disorder. Knowing that and getting appropriate diagnosis is going to really help make your approach to how you teach them in your homeschool.
Unfortunately, some kids may feel shame because it may take them so much longer than their friends to do something. It makes them feel that there is something wrong with them. It’s important that these children see themselves and also that we see them not from a deficit viewpoint but from an asset viewpoint. So often we label and put people in boxes because it’s easy to identify them like that, but we know that people are multidimensional— every single human being — not just academically, but emotionally but also in their talents.
When you are able to personalize your child’s education in your homeschool, you will be able to break that cycle of failure they may feel. When they can feel small measures of success, you can help them to change their internal dialogue and their mindset about themselves. It will help build their confidence and will help with every aspect of their life. These are often the kids that grow up with the most resilience, persistence, and grit. It’s not just about academic success!
It’s critical that you and your child learn about their diagnosis together. You need to become their advocate, but ultimately, you want them to be their own advocate in life -in the classroom and beyond- so they need to understand how they best learn and process information too.
There is no better ratio for educational success than 1:1. Being able to customize an education to your child’s specific needs is what homeschooling is all about. Positive outcomes begin with having the right blend of teaching style, curriculum, and a keen understanding of how your child/teen learns best.
How do I know if my child has a learning disability? (12:10)
Learning disabilities usually fall within four broad categories:
Spoken language-listening and speaking.
Written language-reading, writing, and spelling.
Arithmetic-calculation and concepts.
Reasoning-organization and integration of ideas and thoughts.
Today we’re going to address 6 common learning disabilities and how you can tailor your homeschool to accommodate your children and their individual needs. Each of these conditions can present with a range of symptoms and can be diagnosed through a combination of medical and educational assessments.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is the number one learning disability that affects people of all ages. It affects a person’s reading and language processing skills. If you are the parent of a child with dyslexia, you have probably searched long and hard for ways to help your child learn. Because children with dyslexia are often highly intelligent, creative, gifted, and productive, you can often capitalize on your student’s strengths to make the most of homeschooling. You have complete control over the materials you teach with and can even choose a targeted homeschool curriculum for dyslexia.
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects a person’s ability to write. It can manifest as difficulty with spelling, poor handwriting, or trouble putting thoughts on paper.
ADHD
Although ADHD is technically not considered a learning disability, research indicates that 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging. ADHD, if not treated, can interfere with a person’s ability to succeed academically and socially, and may lead to challenges in relationships and employment later on.
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a person’s ability to pay attention, control impulsivity, and regulate their level of hyperactivity. It’s the second most common learning disability and can affect people of all ages. I know many people that have struggled all their life and then to be diagnosed as adults.
ADHD makes it difficult to concentrate, which can lead to one child distracting others around them in a classroom setting. Many children with ADHD are disciplined for misbehaving, but they can’t control their actions.
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects math skills. It can make it difficult for a person to understand math concepts, perform arithmetic calculations, and solve math problems.
Lots of people dislike math, but they’re eventually able to understand it with enough practice. Dyscalculia is more severe because it’s diagnosing a learning disability that makes it challenging to understand even the most basic math concepts. Since math builds upon itself, children with dyscalculia can fall behind and struggle to catch up for years.
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is a neurological disorder that affects a person’s ability to plan and coordinate movement. It can affect fine motor skills, such as writing or tying shoelaces, as well as gross motor skills, such as balance and coordination. Dyspraxia can also affect a person’s ability to process information and perform tasks in the correct order. It is often referred to as developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and is thought to be caused by problems with the brain’s ability to process information about movement and coordination.
Although dyspraxia is a condition that affects someone’s motor skills, it still has the potential to hinder specific learning.It mostly interferes with hand-eye coordination skills. Dyspraxia presents itself differently in each affected person, but some symptoms include poor balance and struggling with fine-motor skills.
Auditory and visual processing disorders
Visual Tracking Disorder
There are some families where parents feel it’s necessary to read and write everything because their child has behavioral issues when they try to make them do their own writing for math or reading. Sometimes there is something else going on and can translate as a visual tracking problem that makes reading very difficult for them. At this point, it would be advisable to look into professional help.
Auditory
Although CAPD is not considered a learning disability itself, it can make some aspects of education particularly challenging. Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a condition in which the ears and the brain do not work well together. A child that struggles with central auditory processing disorder is unable to properly process information. Their ears can hear, but the brain does not organize and store the information in a way that lets the child remember it easily.
How do I homeschool a child with a learning disability? (18:37)
We likely see a disproportionate number of students with learning disabilities in homeschooling circles. This is typically because either the school has failed to meet their needs and the parents feel they do better with one-on-one instruction. Or, the diagnosis comes earlier as the parents have noticed something in their day-to-day interactions that may have slipped by in a busy classroom. For whatever the reason, in order to homeschool a child with a learning disability there are some steps you want to take.
Diagnosis of disabilities
If you or someone who knows your child suspects a learning disability, you may want to have a complete evaluation done by a psychologist or specialist to get a clear picture of their strengths and weaknesses. You may also seek testing through an educational diagnostician. These are available through school districts, or an independent evaluator or private provider, or medical institutions like pediatric psychology groups. Check with your state homeschool laws or school district to find out about evaluation services that may be available to you. Sometimes these resources even provide support.
Learn about your child’s diagnosis
You know your child best and no one loves them more or is a bigger cheerleader for them than you can be. You know that they are more than a label and you are the one who can help them reach their full potential. You want to do all you can to learn as much as possible about their diagnosis so that you are able to understand how to support them. You are going to need all the understanding and tricks in your toolbox to aid them and to recognize their different abilities.
Educate yourself on treatment options
Learn about what your options are for treatments. There may be medications, or therapies or other interventions available to aid you in your new journey. Seek advice and information from your student’s diagnosing professional and their pediatrician. Other treatments may be available by working with an integrative physician. There are more and more types of therapies available for various disabilities and special needs: art and music therapy, pet therapy, behavioral and cognitive therapy.
Traditional or standard speech/language, vision, physical, and occupational therapies are common treatments. Unfortunately, nearly all health insurance plans exclude coverage for Educational Evaluations.insurance companies do not cover for testing that is educational in nature. Sometimes it is FSA eligible. So, in some cases testing and therapies may be financially out of reach if you are seeking private care but are free through the public school system. Again, research the resources available to you (some states give homeschoolers with learning disabilities access to special services).
Seek Support
Seek support of all kinds from professional to other families. Finding supportive people or groups is a great way to get personalized answers and practical resources. Many of our friends that have been through this struggle say, over and over again, that other homeschool moms who have been through it were invaluable to them.
For parent support you may want to try groups such as International Dyslexia Association, and Decoding Dyslexia. National charitable organizations such as Scottish Rite, Easter Seals, and The Arc offer resources, support, directories, grants, scholarships, and other helpful tools.
SPED Homeschool is another national nonprofit organization that offers encouragement and an online community to support families impacted by special needs. They have all kinds of resources from teaching tools, planning guides, and empowering media.
International Dyslexia AssociationScotish RiteThe ArcEaster SealsSPED Homeschool
Get real with your child
We mentioned this earlier, but it’s critical that you and your child learn about their diagnosis together. Ultimately, you want them to be their own advocate in life -in the classroom and beyond- so they need to understand how they best learn and process information.
You really want them to understand that they are not defined by a diagnosis. One in five people have a learning disability and there are so many bright and successful people out there who also share the same learning disabilities. Understanding their difficulties and how their disability affects them while also realizing what their strengths are and ultimately learning how to work around or with all of this will help.
There probably is not a greater life skill than self-advocacy. Some other resources like the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity and Understood.org can help you find resources to educate your child and teach them how to advocate for themselves.
Accommodations help students take in information or demonstrate what they know but at their level and at their abilities. Decide what kind of accommodations your child may need and make sure to discuss these with other people who may be in supervisory roles in your child’s life, like outside teachers/tutors or coaches and other instructors. Some common accommodations that may be of use are audiobooks, dictation or oral work in lieu of writing. Other accommodations may be frequent breaks or extra time to do a task. This is something you may want to document in your homeschool records.
Elizabeth Hamblet’ website offers advice and makes presentations based on her professional experiences drawn from her 20+ years as a college -level learning disabilities specialist. Explore her site to learn all about the college disability accommodations system, and how disabilities are handled in the admissions process.
Have confidence and faith in yourself
You are your child’s best teacher, and you are totally able to give them a completely personalized education plan. One of our friends did emphasize that you need to be willing to constantly adapt and change what you are doing.
Some of our friends have been able to teach their dyslexic children to read. Others had to seek outside assistance. One used Scottish Rite and said her student responded very well to the structure of the program. Another friend was able to teach one of her kids with dyslexia to read but not the second. The second child received intensive remediation through a reading specialist, who was trained in research-validated multisensory programs that work when other approaches fail. These programs address underlying weaknesses that make reading, spelling, writing and comprehension difficult.
Read Texas
Instructors are trained in the following programs and instructional approaches:
Seeing Stars® Symbol Imagery for Phonemic Awareness, Sight Words, and Spelling.
Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking®
Talkies®: Visualizing and Verbalizing for Oral Language Comprehension and Expression
Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech
On Cloud Nine® Math Program
Orton Gillingham approaches including Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia
You’re going to find that there is no single best curriculum for your child. I would encourage you to really tune in to their specific strengths and weaknesses, and personal preferences, and customize the best homeschool curriculum options for them. That might mean choosing a blend of homeschool curricula.
Parents should read to their kids, help them sound out words, and guide their reading activity, but they can’t learn for their child. That’s where using a reading program that accommodates their disability can aid independent mastery. Online courses, read-alouds, interactive videos, field trips, box curriculum, physical movement, and manipulatives, group/co-op learning can all provide exciting and engaging ways in which your child will succeed in homeschooling.
Ideally, you will want to choose learning tools that:
Utilizes techniques that best fit their learning style
Self-paced so they can move ahead when they have mastered a concept
Be multisensory and include plenty of visual or audio instruction and support (depending on their needs)
Include instruction in all the rules of reading and strategies both for decoding and spelling new words (especially for dyslexia)
Builds on existing reading, writing and math skills
Encourages kids to become active learners through exploration and discovery
Introduces new learning opportunities in a safe, supportive environment
Balances learning with fun!
A couple recommendations we heard from friends were the program All About Reading. Another one recommended Reading Eggs and Hooked on phonics. While these programs aren’t specifically designed for learning disabilities like dyslexia, they can help.
All About Reading uses the Orton-Gillingham approach. Children with learning differences find it’s a lot easier wy to decipher the code. Learn More>>
Sounds Abound: Listening, Rhyming, and Reading by Hugh Catts Tina Williamson is recommended. This program builds skills students need to become proficient readers with an evidence-based, systematic progression of lessons. The 125 one- and two-page lessons help students connect letters with sounds and improve early reading achievement. The lessons are organized into five skill areas in order of development. Each skill area begins with picture-supported lessons and progresses to listening tasks without pictures. Determine student progress with a pre- and posttest for every unit.
Sound Foundation’s Dancing Bears were easy-to-use books developed to teach reading and spelling to young children and students struggling with literacy. First published in 2001, ‘Dancing Bears’ pioneered synthetic phonics. All the exercises were chosen for their proven success in teaching dyslexic children to read and spell. Our books are designed to empower amateur teachers (AKA parents)
Sound Foundations Dancing Bears
Replacing writing with typing can be a helpful tool. Dyslexie font is a typeface – specially designed for people with dyslexia – which enhances the ease of reading and comprehension. To design the dyslexia-friendly typeface, all typography rules and standards were ignored. Instead, all the challenges of dyslexia are taken as a starting point. There’s an array of products you can add this to- like Microsoft Word, Google Chrome, etc.
Dyslexie Font
Another introduced us to Grammarly, which is a writing support program that
supports streamlined and effective writing. Their suggestions help identify and replace complicated sentences with more efficient ones, refresh repetitive language, and uphold accurate spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Catch typos, missing punctuation, or commonly confused words before they become distracting to your reader.
A couple of our friends also chose to become trained in The Orton-Gillingham Approach to better help their students, which is a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy when reading, writing, and spelling does not come easily to individuals, like those with dyslexia. It is most properly understood and practiced as an approach, not a method, program, or system. In the hands of a well-trained and experienced instructor, it is a powerful tool of exceptional breadth, depth, and flexibility.
Will having a learning disability hold my child back? (32:50)
It doesn’t have to. And remember that as homeschoolers, there is no behind. The biggest benefit of homeschooling is flexibility. Some other advantages of homeschooling your child with a learning disability are:
A quieter learning environment in a familiar setting. This can reduce anxiety and pressure.
Daily Progress In a school environment you may get feedback from teachers at the end of the day or weekly. But as a homeschooler you can track progress daily and see them blossom. And you are also there if the day goes bust.
Set the pace. Spend as much time as you need on concepts or skills that are hard for your child. Move on when you have mastered something.
Choice of curriculum and resources Children have different learning styles and sometimes music or movement are better than sitting still and listening. There are So many different approaches you can use as we discussed in the last section.
Quality social opportunities. You can join local groups that encourage kids to relate to one another on their own terms. You can pick your activities and extra curriculars.
You may have concerns about things like not having as much structure as a school environment.
You may worry about having fewer resources than a school may. You may be worried about having less social interaction and getting burned out. Focus on things you can fix. There are things that you have much more control over, but you still can’t control everything that might go wrong in a homeschool environment. Instead of thinking about the resources that aren’t available to your homeschooled child, think about how you can fill in the gaps and gain valuable skills.
Each public school child eligible for special education has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). As a homeschooling parent, you may not have to have one at home, but it’s a good idea to set goals at the beginning of the year and monitor progress over time. An IEP can also help you communicate with specialists. There are free sources online that can help you generate your own.
A common fear for parents as their child with disabilities grows up is that they will sit at home all day after graduation and do nothing. This is a normal fear but doesn’t have to be reality.
One of our friends is using a vocational rehabilitation service for youth. They updated testing for her adult child and helped prepare for post-secondary education and employment opportunities. Services are eligibility and need based. Some even pay tuition and books at the community college.
Ultimately you know yourself and your child. Your child with disabilities could thrive under your tutelage if you have the patience and courage to lead the way. You know your child best.
Teaching a child to read can be one of the most intimidating aspects of homeschooling, but it’s also one of the most empowering. It might feel like a make-or-break moment with a lot of pressure, but remember that every child learns and develops at their own pace. Just like crawling, walking, and talking, reading skills develop uniquely for each child. Unlike some of those skills, reading often requires guided learning.
In this episode, we’re exploring when your child is ready to read, the best curriculum options, and how to use games to make reading fun and effective. Tune in to gain confidence and practical tips for this rewarding journey!
Reading is necessary for learning and instilling a love of reading at an early age is the key that can unlock the door to lifelong learning. It’s the foundation that helps us learn and make sense of the world around us. Reading builds social and emotional skills and ignites imagination. Reading builds self-confidence, independence, and is a critical foundation for developing logic and problem-solving skills.
Reading Readiness
Is my child ready to read?
One of the biggest factors and obstacles in teaching a child to read is their pre-reading skills and reading readiness. These skills are essential for reading development. Trying to teach a child who has not demonstrated a grasp of these skills and is not ready for the next step can lead to frustration and anxiety for both you and your child. It is also not developmentally appropriate. A child who is ready to start learning to read will be much easier to teach than one who is not, and sometimes it can be difficult to determine readiness.
One of the most important predictors of reading readiness is:
MOTIVATION & INTEREST
Even the best reading program cannot instill an interest in reading. So, what are some of the pre-reading skills that are essential for reading readiness? Many of these skills will naturally and organically develop during the toddler and pre-K years. If you have a preschooler, be sure to check out our Preschool Page with free Routine Charts
Essential Pre-Reading Skills
Rhyming: Rhyming is one of the first indicators of reading readiness because much of phonics instruction involves manipulating language, which is closely related to writing.
Matching/Sorting Items, Colors, and Shapes: Children love to organize and sort things, so it’s great to include these activities in daily life and normal conversations. While there are plenty of toys you can buy for this, you can also use items around your house like kitchen containers, plastic plates, Tupperware with lids, socks, shoes, or even setting the table with colored cups and plates.
Motor Skills: Developing motor skills is crucial. Activities like holding a pencil and drawing large shapes, making letters with a finger in a cake pan filled with rice, using a stick to write in the dirt, or using sidewalk chalk are all beneficial. Creating letter shapes with dough is another fun option. Remember, there are no rules that dictate you must use pencil and paper; these activities still teach the necessary skills.
Book/Print Awareness: Your child should know how to handle a book properly. This means that when offered a book, they can find the cover and hold it right-side-up. They should understand that books are read from left to right and that we turn one page at a time. This knowledge often comes naturally from cuddling up on the couch while you read to them.
Language Skills: Your child should be able to join in conversations and enjoy telling or retelling stories. Making up stories during pretend play or pretending to “read” a favorite book they’ve heard many times are also signs of readiness.
Signs of Reading Readiness
Hearing Parts of Words: Your child can hear parts of words (like syllables) and sounds in words (like /c/ /a/ /t/ in cat). Phonological awareness (such as clapping and counting syllables) and phonemic awareness (like hearing each sound in a word) are essential for when they begin to look at letters and sound out words.
Understanding Text Has Meaning: Your child understands that text has meaning and that the purpose of reading is to gain information. For example, if a child sees his name written out, he understands that name refers to him, not anything else.
Reciting the Alphabet: Whether it’s singing the ABC song or just saying each letter from memory, knowing the alphabet is an important step toward reading readiness.
Identifying Letters: Your child can identify and name some or all uppercase and lowercase letters. This is important because individual letters make up words to be read and written. They don’t need to know all of them but should see the differences.
Letter-Sound Correspondence: Your child can correspond some or all letters to their correct sounds. This skill is necessary for decoding, which is the act of sounding out words.
Echoing Simple Text: Your child can echo a simple text that is read to them, demonstrating an understanding of one-to-one correspondence in reading. This means that each word on a page corresponds to a word that is read.
There is a very broad range of when a child learns to read, and it can be just as normal for a 4-year-old to be ready as it is for a child not to be ready until age 8. There is nothing wrong with listening and watching your child and determining the best pathway to take. All children are different, and this is one of those great homeschooling benefits where you can go at your own pace and tailor this to your child and meet them where they are.
Other Developmental Signs
Social Development: Social development is important for reading because children need to know how to take turns, cooperate, and develop self-control before learning to read. Much of reading instruction involves activities and discussions where these skills are essential.
Emotional Development: Before learning to read, children need to have a good self-concept and an understanding of how they fit into their world.
Physical Development: Children need to have strong bodies that can support sitting, as this is often the preferred position for reading a book. They also need to have the fine motor skills necessary for writing and turning pages.
Cognitive Development: For reading readiness, children need to have the cognitive ability to visually and auditorily discriminate between letter shapes and sounds. Visual discrimination involves recognizing similarities and differences among letters, such as distinguishing between L and T, a and o, or 6 and 9. Auditory discrimination means that a child can hear the difference between sounds like /f/ and /v/, or the ending sounds in words like ‘cap’ and ‘cat’.
What Curriculum Should I Use?
Before we jump into curriculum options, let’s talk about the importance of being read to. As we discussed in another episode, reading to children is the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores. A study from Ohio State University highlights the profound effects of reading on child development, showing that children who are read to in the first five years of life have a 1.4-million-word advantage over children who are not read to at home.
There is no ideal age range for reading aloud to your children, and there is no end range. Many families still enjoy read-aloud time with high schoolers and college students. “The Read-Aloud Handbook” by Jim Trelease discusses the benefits of reading aloud and offers great book suggestions for every age range.
It’s not only about instruction; it is essential that your children learn to ENJOY THE STORY. Reading is challenging, and you don’t want to make it harder for them. Help them understand the reason for reading. Here are seven strategies for getting the most out of your read-alouds. 7 Strategies for getting the most out of your read alouds.
When choosing a curriculum, consider these Six important factors:
1. Understand the reading program parts. It should have at least two parts, but ideally will cover phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. These components work together to create reading abilities.
All About Readingis super easy to use and totally scripted, open-and-go. It uses the Orton-Gillingham instruction approach which not only helps kids with learning differences, but kids without learning differences find it’s a lot easier way to decipher the code.
2. Knowing the names of ALL the letters is not necessary.
3. Teach the sound the consonant represents; begin with the short sound for vowels.
4. Introduce consonants and vowels in a strategic order so a child reads sooner than later. Do not introduce letters in ABC order.
5. Multiple letter sounds should be introduced at one time.
6. Search play vs. structured teaching approach for PreK and Kindergarten levels.
Teach Your Child to read in 100 Easy Lessons is a popular program. Critics say it can be dry or boring. It also has a writing component and if you have a resistant writer, this can be a struggle, but you can skip the writing part, and you can also move on rather than cover it repetitively, if you feel you’ve mastered a concept. It is totally ok to use curriculum as a guide and use the parts that work for you. Don’t be afraid to adjust things like this.
Sometimes a child needs more phonics mastery after a reading program. Here are some to consider:
Leveled readers may also be something kids like to start with and progress through. (I can read series and I can read it series). Your library probably has these books sectioned off in the children’s area and can be fun for kids to pick their own. Graphic novels-there are always internet arguments about whether graphic novels are really “reading.” Of course, they are! Anything that gets your child’s interest and helps them practice their newfound skill has value. Many students have strengthened reading skills with comics like Calvin and Hobbs or the Far Side.
We are both Charlotte Mason style homeschoolers and this philosophy takes issue with what we call “Twaddle.” The idea is that it is easy to find books that appeal to the eyes- lots of pictures, short sentence snippets, lots of action but not a lot of substance. These books are entertaining but offer little substance and don’t require a lot of effort. Often parents think this is what young children need, but the Charlotte Mason approach would say this is not how you strengthen the mind and the imagination. We know kids have great imaginations because we can see it in their play and their drawings, and the stories they tell us. When we give them less of a prefabricated story and idea and picture, they illustrate the rest in their mind. So rather than giving them easy, thoughtless books, challenge them with quality, living books that will make them paint pictures in their own mind and words and strengthen their mind’s eye. We don’t need to spoon feed every scene of a story. Visual overload can squelch imagination rather than strengthen it.
How do you do this without feeling like you are dictating your kids every reading move? Easy- when you go to the library, let them pick the things they want while also picking your own choices. Fill your bookshelves at home with quality books. Mix them all in.
Many find reading really takes off when you find that child’s “currency.” Maybe a popular series that they hear people talk about often, or perhaps they want to teach themselves something. A video game with lots of text may encourage reading- Animal Crossing was a game that encourages young readers if they want to play.
Best games for Learning How to Read
Hands-on, play based learning, especially for young children, is one of the best ways to learn. So incorporating games and play into your reading instruction is going to be very helpful. A really fun reading game is the app and computer game, Teach Your Monster to Read. This is a great option if you are looking for a free web-based reading game for kids.
This program has a bunch of fun reading games and built-in rewards to encourage your child to read and improve reading skills over 3 levels. They have both web browser-based and an app-based options.
Peggy Kaye’s books are great options. They had fun activities like this driveway chalk hopscotch game with letters, for instance. They aren’t necessarily things you would do every day, but fun to break up a program when it gets boring, or if you are struggling and needed to do a walk away. Games for Reading– Playful Ways to help your child read.
Extend your child’s learning and enjoyment of classic stories with Peggy Kaye’s Games with Books, featuring fun, educational games for reading, writing, and math skills.
Sequence Letters is a great board game for teaching both the letters and the sounds they make. It’s a great way to teach early phonics skills in a an interactive way and it’s a good way to include your preschooler in family game nights.
Boggle Jr– We loved this game! Grows with your child by introducing the ABC’s with many different ways to play as they learn
Reading Eggs and Starfall are excellent app programs for teaching children to read. When Starfall first launched, it was a free website designed to create a fun environment for children learning to read. Since then, it has evolved into a comprehensive program offering pre-K, kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade curricula, with both paid and free options. Starfall is packed with great free online games for teaching your child to read. It is web-based and also has an app, making it a great option if you need to use screen time while on the go.
Tall Tails is a game that can boost your child’s literacy skills by encouraging them to build a creative story. This game is perfect for the entire family to play together, each adding the next twist to the tall tale.
Scrabble Junioris letter-matching fun for your little one. It’s a great way for teaching sight words. On a more basic level, you can just hide the tiles around a room and then have kids identify the letter or sounds and make words. You can also do this with Bananagrams.
Karaoke– music is infectious! and children can’t help to watch the words dance by while they sing along.
Reading games are fun and simple to do
These fun hands-on reading games can be incorporated into your homeschool life and the activities you are already doing:
Rhyming Games: Make up jingles with different rhyming words.
Making Silly Rhymes: Change words in rhymes, poems, songs, or short stories and see if your child can find out what you changed. For example, “Happy Birthday to shrews…”
Listening Games: Ask your child to close their eyes and identify various sounds (e.g., crumpling packaging, tapping with drumsticks, footsteps, opening a door, eating something crunchy). You can also create a sequence of sounds and have them remember the order.
Play “I Spy”: List objects you can see that start with certain sounds.
Take Out Sounds in Words: See if your child can identify what is wrong when you alter a word, such as saying, “Can you grab me a ‘flice’ of bread?”
Clap Syllables: Clap out the syllables in names, words, songs, and poems. Music is a wonderful way to engage young students.
Stamp or Dance to Poems and Songs: Encourage your child to stamp their foot or dance to the rhythm of poems and songs.
Alliteration: Make silly sentences with similar sounds about everyday objects, like “Sing a song with the sleepy sister.”
Play Bingo or Memory: Use flashcards showing capital letters, and have your child find the matching lowercase letter or sight word.
Library Story Time: Attend library story time sessions. Librarians can also help you find great books.
Sing the Alphabet Song: Sing the alphabet song while pointing out both capital and lowercase letters.
There are many choices and pathways for teaching your child to read, and it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Take your time, be patient, and be willing to walk away for a little while if things get difficult. It’s crucial not to spend too much time trying to teach something to a preschooler that you could explain in five minutes to a second grader. Sometimes waiting for readiness makes all the difference, and stepping back for a bit can give your child the extra maturity needed to grasp a concept. It may seem counterintuitive, but it really works! Trust the process. You’ve got this!
Do you feel overwhelmed trying to figure out the best way to organize your homeschool day? Not sure whether you need a strict schedule, a simple routine, or just a gentle rhythm to guide you? This week, we’re talking about these questions and more, exploring different ways to plan your days so they flow smoothly and feel right for your family. Whether you’re craving structure or looking for a bit more flexibility, we’ll share ideas and tips to help you find what works best. Tune in and let’s make homeschooling easier and more enjoyable together!
Like many adults, children thrive with a predictable routine, which helps them develop self-discipline. They like to know what happens next. But there’s no two homeschool days will be exactly the same, and your plans may not always go as expected. So, set yourself up for success by choosing the method that works best for you, while staying flexible and open to reevaluating over time. What works in one season of life might not work in another.
What’s the difference between schedules, routines, and rythms? (3:06)
BTDT Homeshool Lesson Planner & Ultimate Organizeris a great tool to keep you organized. Whether you have one child or a bustling household, this planner has everything you need from planning to keeping a budget.
Schedules, for many, implies a rigid system of structured start and end times. When it comes to homeschooling, perhaps this also means adhering to a standard 180 day school year (two 18 week semesters, 36 week school year).
A lot of newer homeschool parents get really ambitious with these, often scheduling out every hour of the day. This can backfire or be hard to stick to.
Routines have less structure to them but give a gentle pattern to your day. Perhaps you start each day with read aloud, then move on to math and other seat work, then work one on one with a younger child while an older one does some independent work, etc. Because a routine does not have the rigidity of a strict, time-based schedule, you do not need to feel the pressure of cramming, say a certain amount of problems into a set math time slot, you have the flexibility of reading aloud extra when you are in a good spot in a book, etc. Learn more about Planning Your Homeschool Year.
Rhythms
Rhythms are even more unstructured and may take into account *all* your daily activities- chores, meal prep, meals, hygiene, rest and bed times. Make a list of everything you do- this is an especially great type of plan to have with babies, toddlers, preschoolers.
How do I organize my day? (5:23)
What is a typical homeschool schedule?
Some states may have an outlined number of hours for daily homeschooling but your typical homeschool day may run for two or three hours. Homeschoolers also may not do 5 days a week- we often did 4 with a co-op or field trip day.
With your attention only directed to your child, you save more time than when attending to 20+ learners. To help you overcome the challenges of your weekly daily schedules, these points could help.
Be flexible
Learning should be fun and you might need to adjust whenever necessary to fit into the day’s need and challenges because each day brings its trouble. Flexibility could include things like changing your starting time, interchanging subjects, delaying some subjects, and so on.
Following hard rock schedules will bring frustration at some point or the other. Instead of wearing yourself out with schedules, be routine mined, and follow routine patterns that can always be adjusted to fit into the current circumstance.
Have every child in mind
When planning your schedules, consider every child in your home, and bring them onboard smoothly and systematically. You may give time to your younger children first, followed by the older ones.
Have allowances
In your weekly homeschool schedule, be flexible and allow time for unforeseen situations.
I learned early on that the more organized and prepared I was, the better our days would flow. If I slept in and tried to wing it, it was always a more stressful day.
If I was running around looking for paper, pencils, or that scrap of paper I jotted down an idea on for science that day, my kids would lose interest or just disappear from the table altogether.
Do yourself a favor and spend some time preparing in the evening before– Spend 10 minutes looking over what you’re doing the next day to gather your materials and make any copies necessary.
I like to also sit down on Sundays and work on my “Blueprint for a Beautiful Week”. I plan out what we are doing for lessons/classes/activities, as well as meal plan and insert our household chores and any big errands we need to squeeze in.
Children respond well to fun and games. Create games out of tasks that seem too boring or unstimulating to them. Also make it a point to include fun activities in their routine e.g. playtime. Get your FREE Boardgame Templates to help teach any concept (reading, math, social studies, and more!)
Make it magical
Simple things like lighting a candle at the beginning of read aloud, or having fancy writing implements can take the drudgery out of the things you need to get done.
We loved these Peggy Kaye books and HIGHLY recommend them! Check them out:
By letting your kids have a say in some things they do or in what order they do them, they will be more cooperative and invested in their learning.
Social Time & Outside Classes/Events
To figure out how your routine will go on inside your home each week, you will need to start with what happens outside your home!
When my kids were younger, we would usually structure our school around social activities happening. If there was a field trip at 10 AM, then we would do a school when we got home. If there’s an afternoon park day, we would be sure to school in the morning.
I’ve always done more outside classes as my kids got older, so a lot of what we did was arranged around those classes. When they were young, we did a park day every Tuesday and Friday morning, hike every Wednesday morning and Board game club every Friday afternoon. Those regular meet ups were not only fun memories for my kids, but they were also for my sanity as well!
Those regular meet ups were not only fun memories for my kids, they were my sanity
Choose the kind of schedule/routine/rhythm that works best for you
Life happens and we are constantly thrown off that schedule.
Don’t try to do every subject every day
Feel free to alternate days or choose an alternative scheduling method. Everything needs to be done regularly— not daily.
You are never going to squeeze 4 hours of schoolwork into a 4 hours. Something is going to happen — the washing machine will flood, the dog runs out the front door or someone decides this is the day for math tears. You will most likely not get it done, and you will end up frustrated. Plan to do 2 hours of school in a 4 hour tmeslot.
Want to be sure something gets done each day? Then add it on to one of the natural breaks of your day. A natural break is a meal (we all eat) or naptime or a nursing session, etc. Use these set times of things you know you will be doing certain things for important parts of your schedule — reading aloud, math, memory work, art. Move right from your natural break into your subject and soon it will become a habit. Check out our Favorite Books for New Readers.
Short Lessons to Help Stay on Task
The idea of short lessons stems from the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Your child can focus and learn more if you keep the lessons short and end them BEFORE he tires, even though he’s spending less time on his schoolwork.
When my kids struggle with math, I just have them do a few problems, and then we pop over to reading a chapter and then back to math. Or for my musician, have him go practice for 15 minutes and then come back.
Schedule the siblings
Ironically, the most important part of your schedule is probably where there is no school at all. When sitting to plan your routine, the infant to preschool set should probably be considered first, as this will help to create a routine that will run smoothly. Some ideas:
What can you do while nursing?
If baby wants to eat every morning at [8:00], then that is a great time to read aloud to the other kids. I kept a book basket next to my nursing spot. Since we know reading aloud is important up until your older children leave the home, gather everyone together and enjoy this time. Little ones can play on the floor and everyone can find something to do with their hands. If you can’t read and nurse at the same time due to a wiggly older baby then pop in an audiobook or allow an older sibling to read. In fact, nursing time is also a great time for mom to be read to, so schedule time for reading aloud for emerging readers during nursing time as well. Get Daily FREE Homeschool Resources INSTANTLY on our Facebook group. These resources are a collection from all over the world and we recently posted a FREE morning basket planner we found online.
You can also make toddler care and entertainment part of the bigger kids’ school time. While you work with one, the other’s required task can be to play with little brother or sister and see to their needs for an allotted amount of time.
Put preschoolers first: Often a little one-on-one attention from mom goes a long way towards the little one going off to play alone happily for a while. Schedule in story time and a fun activity for your twos, threes, and fours before you get started with the bigger kids. Fill their cup! Learn more about Homeschooling Preschool
Utilize the nap time. School does not have to start early in the morning. If you have two or three young kids and one or more of them still take a long afternoon nap, then don’t start school until the little ones go down. School can go from 1-3 and can be done peacefully and with less frustration. Schedule the messiest, hardest, or most mom-consuming subjects for nap time. Even for small children who no longer nap, scheduling a mandatory rest time can be a great way to make your day run smoother and keep everyone happy.
Follow your natural inclinations
If your family does not jump out of bed running in the morning, then resist scheduling an early start to your day. Enjoy the flexibility of homeschooling and work at your times of peak productivity. This also means taking into consideration your children’s natural schedule and the fact that they have variations (which may not match yours!) as well. Got one early riser? Schedule his or her independent work first. Let the others get up right before group time and then do their independent work after.
Do not try to change your life and adapt it around your schedule
That’s a prescription for disaster. First, it’s important to have an understanding of your family’s natural habits. You don’t want to choose a schedule that starts at 7 AM if your kids thrive when they sleep in. Try letting your child do school in the afternoon or evening if he seems to be more alert and functions better. He may be a different student. There is NO law saying school has to start at 8 am! In fact, there’s no law that says it has to be done Monday through Friday.
Make sure to include lots of traditions into your schedule or routine. It gives everyone something to look forward to and makes for happy family memories.
Homeschool days at different places in town for variety
Cardboard boat Regatta
What are some different planning methods?
Workboxes, Block and Loop Scheduling
Workboxing is a cool planning tool that was all the rage when our kids were little. It involved using a set of boxes/folders/shelves that a child would work through every day. Some would include independent work, some might have “work with mom” or “work with sibling” slots. I loved these- I had 10 drawers, 5 were everyday tasks and the other 5, I switched out, but I had a master weekly schedule, so it was super easy to load the boxes up at night. Learn all about Workboxes and download your Free Workbox Labels.
Loop scheduling doesn’t assign a particular subject to a certain day, but you may have a list of work you do during a certain time period, and when it’s time to work, you just move to the next thing on the list. A day off for an emergency car repair does not derail.
Block scheduling is for when you may want to devote more time to a certain subject. So you give it a dedicated time period, like several weeks or a semester- this allows you to stay focused and move through material faster. This is great for elective type classes, but also work with things like science/history. Math and language arts are typically subjects you want to include every day. Block scheduling might look more like a college or high school schedule. Download your Free Block Scheduling Template
