We think the homeschool environment can be a spectacular experience for parent and child alike for quite a few reasons. In addition to the family bonding and unity it can create, you are also given an incredible gift through schooling from home – a unique flexibility to turn your classroom into exactly what you want it to be. Remember that it doesn’t have to be inside! You have the freedom to choose your learning “spot” and to venture out into the world just to see what the day may bring forth as a learning experience.

The spring season is the perfect time to move your classroom out of doors – the simple act of being outside and breathing fresh air, and feeling the breeze on your skin can be invigorating and inspiring for parent and student alike. Taking learning outdoors shouldn’t just be a case of half an hour of story-time in the sunshine. The outdoor classroom is a world full of opportunities for learning, creating and exploring. We’ve taken the opportunity to put together some fabulous spring learning ideas for you!

Outdoor Classroom Ideas

Develop a Learning Garden

Teacher Elmarie Gunther decided to set up an outdoor experience that her children could visit on a regular basis, by incorporating learning experiences from all aspects of both gardening AND business. “We transformed our home corner into a garden centre. Every week we introduced something new and different to the garden centre for the children. We had Christmas trees and measured their heights, we planted beans in preparation for our Jack and the Beanstalk role play, we had a flower shop which involved taking orders, making up bouquets, writing messages for the bouquets, delivering the bouquets to the right person within school at the right time and handling the money.”

Kerry Hutchings of the Nurture Group Teacher and Environmental Education Coordinator at Camps Hill Primary School has found that, “Many children are very natural and engaged horticulturalists if given the opportunity. Engagement is never a problem when the children are learning outside and their sense of ownership in their growing and nurturing activities is really strong. It’s really fun when they are able to grow, harvest and then see their food being served in the school canteen. Once they were fully grown we used our pumpkins to make pumpkin cake and to roast them with potatoes and carrots.”

Create a Sensory Mystery

Have your children record the sounds from several streams, creeks or rivers that you may have access to. Play them back to family members and see if they can guess where you were when you made the recording, and what made the sound. Have your child think of clues ahead of time to help others to guess.

Next, using your nose and a tape measure, determine how far you can move away from a flower or identified scent and still smell its essence. While the smell of trailing arbutus may only be discernible for several feet, spring lilacs can be scented from much farther.

Using a camera with a good close-up lens, take pictures of the same buds on several different trees or bushes every day for a week or two in a row. Arrange the pictures from first to last and note the different rates for leaf out. Which tree or bush leafs out first, last? Make sure to identify them all, and what nuts or berries they may produce for local wildlife.

Investigate Landscapes Through Art

Outdoor art is a great and inspirational venue for creativity and fun. Take a whole box of art supplies – watercolors, sponges, paper, and even easels if you have access to them along on your adventure. If you’re not naturally artistic, there are many online drawing resources to help you prepare ahead of time!

Leaves also make excellent specimens for charcoal or colored pencil rubbings – the texture and outline of the leaf will come right through. You can later identify what trees the leaves belong to by researching online, with a book or manual. Make sure to pay attention to the texture and color of a tree’s bark as well – it helps with identification!

Spend a Day at a Nature Preserve or Conservation Organization

Spring is the time when most conservation groups and wildlife refuges begin a flurry of programs for children. Hop online and look around your area – you will most certainly be surprised at what you find. Spend a day focusing on our entire ecosystem and its local flora and fauna, and investigate our own individual roles in the conservation of precious resources.

Participation in these types of programs not only teaches our children about wildlife and natural resources, it helps to build a sense of pride and community – and a feeling that they CAN make a difference in their own future through their actions now. Showing a child how non-profit organizations come together and form groups through the hard work of volunteers will leave an invaluable and permanent impression – that in order to truly have, you must be willing to give.

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Homeschool parents know that the best lessons happen in the midst of real life experiences. Verbal lessons are sometimes difficult for children to absorb. It’s much more fun to take the teaching outside, both investigating and learning at the same time. Enjoy the spring!

Homeschool Classroom – Take Spring Learning Outdoors!

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” —Alexander Graham Bell

Spring is here! Yet before the urge to put on your swim goggles and head to the beach or off to the mountains on a family retreat strikes too hard, it is best to think ahead a bit toward the upcoming school year. Remember that it will help to reduce any mid to late summer panic attacks as fall approaches, or some critical mistakes in curriculum choices.

So what’s our advice for you? We have a step-by-step guide for “springing” into a successful homeschool year this fall! Get out a pencil and paper, and get off to a great start right now.

Step 1. Review your previous year. What were the highlights and successes? What parts didn’t go over the way you had hoped? Were there any particular issues either you or your child struggled with? Did the curriculum you chose really work for your family, and where could improvements be made in the upcoming year?

Step 2. Identify your homeschooling style. First, think about your child. Is he/she self-motivated or does he/she need extra encouragement? Is he/she a visual learner or more of a hands-on student where lots of demonstrations/labs are necessary? Does he/she learn or study best on the computer? Also think about your own teaching style. Were you comfortable with your knowledge and skills last year, or do you think you could benefit from additional support? All these factors will weigh in to what sort of curriculum you choose for the upcoming year.

Step 3. Determine your homeschool year. Some curriculum come organized for a 40 week schedule. If your homeschooling curriculum doesn’t come with a schedule, it’s best to create one before you embark on your school year. If you follow state guidelines and hold school for 180 days, then you must determine your homeschooling schedule and decide which days will be celebrated as holidays. Be sure to include time in your homeschooling schedule for any final tests and studying for those tests as well.

Step 4. Identify some yearly goals. What do you want your children to learn in the upcoming year? Do you know what courses are required? (This is especially important in the high school years, as you begin to zero in on what’s needed to graduate and apply for college). Remember that not only do you want your children to learn academics, you want them to absorb critical life skills and experience extra-curricular activities as well.

Step 5. How much time and money do you have? If you don’t have the time to do hands on projects, for example, you would want to look closely at any curriculum you are thinking of buying. And although science projects can be a wonderful learning tool, if you don’t have the extra money to buy the materials needed, then your child can’t learn from them! Finances will also dictate your chosen curriculum, and any extras such as books and materials. Start budgeting early so there are less surprises later! And if you plan ahead, there are numerous ways to save money on supplies .

Step 6. Research your state requirements. In some states, you are required to teach a basic homeschool curriculum, which is just about universally accepted as “standard.” It consists of reading, writing, math, English, American history, the history of your state and, possibly, civics or health. In other states, parents are not required to teach this curriculum, but it is suggested. This core material can be amply covered in two to three hours per day. Over and above this, the parent and the student are free to add whatever they wish to their course of study – another wonderful thing about homeschooling!

Step 7. Identify ways to stay active civically. In any town, the feeling of community is often built around its schools, so in some ways, learning in a public school promotes the feeling of citizenship. Some homeschooled children do not encounter the diverse perspectives in a large community group, and so may become at risk for not easily understanding other points of view. Moreover, when homeschooled children do participate in group situations, it is most likely with other homeschooled families who share similar values, background, and social class. Think of ways to volunteer or interact in your community, and establish a sense of belonging and pride in your town and country – and also appreciate its diversity.

Step 8. Narrow your curriculum choices down. Selecting two or three choices now – well ahead of time – will give you the ability to mull the pros and cons of each over the summer period. Discuss options with your child, and get his or her input as well. Don’t forget to take into consideration 1) areas that he/she is very interested in or inspired by, and 2) areas where extra time and effort is needed to bring your child up to speed. Think in terms of developing their natural strengths but also correcting any basic weaknesses that might prove essential in later years.

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So there you have it! Eight easy steps to get you on course for a fabulous summer break followed by a smooth transition into the new school year come fall. And don’t forget, there is always help whenever you need it!

“Spring” into Fall! How to Set Up a Successful Homeschooling Academic Year NOW

The decision for your family to adopt the homeschooled learning environment for your children may have been difficult – or it may have been quite simple. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, more than 2.04 million students were being homeschooled in 2010 – it’s a recognized and valuable educational format that is increasing rapidly with each passing year. And with such increases come a fresh wave of choices in curriculum – which although is both exciting and full of promise, can be a bit confusing and doubt-inducing for parents.

In fact, it can simply be overwhelming for some parents. How in the world can you choose the best home school curriculum for your child when there are so many great materials out there? How can you navigate all the selections and make the most of a limited homeschooling budget? How do you know which type of curriculum will best suit your child’s personality? Homeschooling is all about individuality, options, and tailoring programs to personal needs. So what are your needs?

7 Real-World Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Curriculum

1. Why have you chosen homeschooling?

Sometimes this fact alone will influence the type of curriculum you may be searching for. Perhaps you are looking for a faith-based curriculum that is focused on core values. Some choose homeschooling because of living in a poor demographic area, lack of quality public schools, or a transition to a different culture as a result of relocation. Some families require flexible learning times due to their child’s burgeoning athletic/musical career or hectic travel schedules.

2. What is your own teaching experience?

Some parents have very specific ideas in mind for teaching, and want the freedom to tailor their own program and experiences for their child, having the utmost confidence in their ability. Other parents are a bit hesitant or lack confidence in their natural abilities, and are looking for as much help as possible in structuring a well-rounded curriculum that meet their state’s standards. Be frank about what your own teaching limitations are in order to select the best materials for your curriculum. But also know there is SO MUCH support available for you should you need it in any subject!

3. What motivates your child?

Some children are born with specific talents that are identifiable at an early age – which makes it easy to focus on career goals and structuring a curriculum to further enhance their abilities. (Although sometimes this makes it difficult for them to accept the subjects that are not so pleasing to them, but are necessary for a good foundation nonetheless.) Others need to be stimulated and pushed to find their motivation and meet their educational goals.

4. What are your child’s limitations?

In an ideal world, your child would be brilliant in math, excel in reading, and write beautifully, eager to set out on each task after a full morning of chores and exercise. In reality…. Well, not so much. Nobody is perfect at everything, and that is both o.k. and natural. Identify your child’s weaknesses (and strengths – because you will want to focus on those areas to in order to prepare for a successful career) and list them according to importance. Ask yourself – is this weakness something that MUST be corrected in order to provide a building block for future learning? Learning what to let go, and what to focus on correcting is critical to building a solid curriculum.

5. What is your child’s individual learning style?

The one subject we don’t often study – our own individuality – is one that is truly intrinsic to all other academic subjects! How our brains process information and adapt to new learning situations is definitely worth discovering – and it may take some trial and error before your figure it out. Homeschool curriculums can vary from traditional textbook/lecture styles, to highly interactive hands-on activities, to online social forums with immediate feedback from teachers and other students. That’s the sheer beauty of it. Look into the definition of different learning styles and see if you can identify with one or more that may fit your child.

6. What are your priorities right now?

Know that these priorities will change from semester to semester, or year to year, but think long and hard about your goals TODAY. Of your options to place focus on, what are building blocks that other learning depends on? For example, time limitations may force you to choose between spelling and math for your ten-year-old son, so ask yourself – which skill or subject is needed as a foundation for his other learning? The spelling may be picked up in other little ways, through games, other subjects, reading books, etc., but will he be able to move on to the next topic in math without being proficient at division with remainders?

7. What are your own limitations right now?

Be honest with yourself here. How are your current finances? Are you crunched for time with athletic schedules or outside work with little time for lesson preparation? Don’t ignore these very real and commonplace circumstances just because you’d like to be able to do lots more. You’ll only get frustrated and down on yourself. What could be a limitation for you (for example little time for lesson preparation) could in fact become a great benefit to your child (becoming a proficiently independent learner). The best homeschool curriculum for you right now may not be the one that “looks” phenomenal, yet takes up too much of your time to prepare for adequately. If you go with a curriculum that you are not capable of enacting, you will not be benefitting your child at all.

Choosing a homeschool curriculum that best fits your family’s lifestyle, your child’s educational needs and learning style, and your own limitations as a teacher and parent is often a daunting task. But know that your curriculum can always be changed if it doesn’t go as well as you had originally hoped. And there are plenty of resources out there to help you along the way!

How Do You Build a Homeschool Curriculum That Best Suits Your Child?

The snow is falling outside while the level of excitement inside is rising by the minute. There is curriculum work to be done – there’s no escaping it in the end – but the pull of the white stuff has the kid in all of us chomping at the bit. So what’s the final verdict? School-Marm or Cool-Mom?

Schoolmarm

Ok, forget it, I’m not even writing a single pro for this one –come on, it’s snowing!!! Every single one of us has retained glorious memories (except perhaps for those of us in warmer climes) of snow forts, battles, sledding, wrecking, frigid balls of ice melting down the back of your neck, red noses and ahhh … how splendidly good hot cocoa and snacks taste afterward.

As with traditional schools, time off from snow days will eventually need to be made up – the work doesn’t go anywhere after all. But perhaps after a few hours of hard play time outside, your homeschooler will actually be good and ready to settle down for some reading or other course material. You may be able to sneak a couple quality hours of schoolwork in and still let them romp and play like active, healthy kids should.

In addition, shoveling snow is a great duty to pass on to kids – and they usually don’t even mind that much! It’s a great physical activity and a good solid chore that many age groups can handle; but don’t forget to parole them once the work is done!

Cool Mom (or Dad!)

For those parents (moms and dads alike) who are just as excited as the kids to see the blanket of white outside the doorstep, there are a multitude of activities you can coordinate during your snow day. And who knows … you may even manage to sneak in a little learning as well!

Here are a few awesome snow day activities for you to consider:

1. Animal Sculptures. Have your child pick an animal of choice (for instance, a multi-segmented caterpillar) then help them sculpt it in the snow. You can even use spray bottles of water tinted with food coloring to add splashes of color. Embellish your creation with articles of nature – twigs, pine cones, berries – or even items from the kitchen. Foster their creative side!
2. Hop-Scotch and Tick-Tack-SNOW. Put a wintery spin on some of these traditional games by drawing game boards into the snow. Snowsuits and piles of white stuff will up the difficulty level quite a bit and make for some funny scenarios!
3. Holiday Trees. The natural way! String together garlands of cranberries, popcorn, and cereal on fishing line, and arrange them on various pine trees or bushes in your yard for the birds to partake of in the cold weather. A fun project that benefits nature while festively decorating your yard.
4. Jewel Hunt. Freeze colored water into cubes then hide them outside in the snow. Hold a treasure hunt – with different colors being worth more than others. If you want to get creative, make up some clues for the hunters. And make sure you put tracks everywhere – not just leading to the hidden objects!
5. Snow Ball Toss. A simple game of who can throw the farthest can be made a bit more interesting when physics and creative thinking are applied. What household objects can help you launch a snowball farther than normal and why? For the older kids, let them research online and formulate some interesting plans!
6. Obstacle Course. Simple obstacles can be so much more difficult – and hilarious – in full snow gear while up to your knees in white stuff. Try to focus on the benefits of teamwork and group strategizing if you have more than one child. The ability to formulate team solutions is invaluable!

No matter what your decision is on the schoolwork, I am willing to bet there is fun to be had on a homeschooling snow day. One of the greatest things about homeschooling your children is the freedom it affords you to just take a break when it is needed. This can be when YOU need it, or when the KIDS need it. Just make sure to enjoy and make the most of the experience!

Should You Parole Your Homeschool Students After the Shoveling is Done?

One of the marvelous benefits of homeschooling is that a love for creative learning cannot be dampened by the constraints of a traditional classroom. First, we’ll begin with a very simple equation that won’t leave you stumped: CREATIVITY = FUN. Next, we’ve come up with some fab-u-lous activities for you to experience right from your living room, and they are chock full of A-rated learning potential.

The Super Seven

Start A Blog. The art of blogging isn’t going anywhere soon, and is a great way to teach a teen the advantages to online marketing through social networking. Pick a topic that interests your student and get to work. Make it a goal to stick with it on a monthly basis. Creating your own blog is actually quite easy because there are Web-based toolsets that make the management of your blog incredibly simple – Blogger are just a few of the services available.

Play With Paper Airplanes. Really? Oh yes, and even catch up on some serious physics lessons in the process: Archimedes and Bernoulli’s Principles, and effect of wind resistance on your aero-design. Build several models with different variables, predict outcomes, and have a contest. See if your predictions hit the mark! It’s a wonderful way to spend an hour or two.

Plan a Garage Sale. Hand all the planning, processing, price determination, layout, and marketing/advertising directly to your student. Hold several boardroom negotiations on cost analysis and the percentage distribution of profits among family members. Business Finance 101 with some serious motivation! And you get your closets or attic cleaned out in the process.

Write Poetry With Math. What??? Yes – it can be done! Not only will it enrich your vocabulary, it’s a creatively fun way to write. Oulipo (pronounced oo-lee-po), uses math and patterns in writing. These constraints can create silly, even provocative creative works. Nothing is better than learning with laughter.

Role Play – Historically. Take the game of Who Am I? a bit further with this creatively versatile activity. Have your student select a historical figure of interest to them. Research the time period and significant events, and then put on a show. Dress up to the hilt, speak in-period, and drop small clues all day long – until the parents or siblings “get it.” Don’t make the answer too obvious right off the bat.

Create A Homeschool Yearbook. Think it through carefully, and make it as official as possible. Hit all the major areas that traditional school yearbooks do. With today’s desktop publishing and scrapbooking supplies, you may be able to come up with some very creative stuff. It will become a bit of history and special memories to tuck away forever.

Fake a Job Interview. There is NOTHING that will help interviewing skills for a future job or college admission like practice – and don’t forget to add as much formal pressure as you can on this endeavor! Research typical questions and answers online, prepare vigorously, dress the part, and conduct a formal interview. Don’t forget to throw in some really tough or unexpected questions as well. On the spot thinking is an excellent skill to possess. No giggling allowed!

Opportunity abounds for some fun and creative learning within the homeschool classroom. Add a dose of laughter and you have the recipe for some lifetime character-building memories in the making – all of which will only serve to strengthen family bonds  and prepare students for an experience in the outside world that will be either good OR bad – depending on what THEY choose to make of it.

7 Great Activities For Homeschooled Kids – (Psst … They’re Not Boring At All)

Days Ten to Twelve
We pulled out of our campground early on day ten to head for Yellowstone Park.  In my mind’s eye, we were heading for a large forest with Old Faithful somewhere inside.  Was I wrong!  Not only was Yellowstone enormous, but it had such a variety of terrain that we could have easily spent a full week and left feeling like we had only scratched the surface.  The park touches three states (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) and includes beautiful mountains, a huge lake-Yellowstone (as well as a number of smaller lakes), breathtaking canyons, vast plains, forests, geysers and hot springs.

We spent the first day driving the eastern edge of the park, scoping out what we wanted to do and hiking the many short trails to the touristy sites.  Thus, on day one we stopped to see rushing rapids, sprawling plains where we saw several bison and elk, powerful waterfalls, and mountainous scenic drives.  We hiked through the mud volcano area where we learned that much of Yellowstone is positioned on top of a volcano and the gasses escaping the ground cause the hot churning water and bubbling mud pits.  And we stopped in at the visitor’s center to register for the Junior Ranger program and sign up for what we call “real hiking.”

We started on our “real hikes” the next morning when we joined a park ranger for a 3 hour hike up the Elephant’s Back trail which took us to the top of a ridge that overlooked the park with a panoramic view of Yellowstone Lake, the mountains that border it, the Yellowstone River and Lodge and the forest below us.

Our guide was a forester so we had the opportunity to learn about the many varieties of flora and fauna in the forest as well as the impact of fire on the park.  The girls were fascinated to learn that the park recognizes the value of forest fires and will allow them to burn until or unless they begin to become a threat to people or the infrastructure of the park.  They were equally amazed at the reality of how overcrowding in a forest leads to the survival of some trees while others fall to the ground.  We hiked through a Lodgepole pine forest notorious for overcrowding and saw almost as many trees on the ground as we did standing.  This really helped them to understand the importance of sunlight (which many trees could not gain access to) and the survival of the fittest (as the trees that are stronger outlast the smaller, weaker trees).  We were also introduced to a variety of wild flowers and to some of the history of the park.

Later we headed out on a six-mile hike from Artist’s Point into the backcountry of Yellowstone to Ribbon Lake.  The first mile paralleled the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and was absolutely gorgeous (and scary as we watched our kids get too close to the edge time and time again on the slippery rain soaked muddy trail)!  Once we veered off towards Ribbon Lake we found ourselves on a beautiful trail through dense forest that passed by Lily Pad Lake and continued on to Ribbon Lake.  It was enjoyable to get away from the crowds and out into the quiet of God’s creation.

After returning to our vehicle, we headed further north, stopping to hike Mount Washburn (in the snow as we neared the top) as well as some small scenic trails.  The drive from Mount Washburn to the Northeastern edge of the park wound through the mountains and included gorgeous views and the highlight of the day for the kids-a stop to watch a black bear meandering along a stream snacking as he went.

Just beyond Tower Falls we enjoyed another short trail overlooking the canyon and the river below before turning back to our campground for the night.

On our last day, we headed over to Geyser Basin to see Old Faithful and a number of other geysers.  As these were more touristy areas, we found ourselves a little less enthusiastic but knew we couldn’t leave the park without seeing Old Faithful erupt.  The kids did enjoy the other smaller geysers and did learn a good deal more about what is going on beneath the surface.

Once again (as it has every day of our trip so far) a storm rolled in and we were soon drenched and ready to get on our way.  So we headed out a bit earlier than intended and are now on our way to the Grand Tetons.

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Homeschooling on the Road-Yellowstone National Park

Day Two

Today we discovered that our kids really are quite talented when we visited the Focus on the Family headquarters and Whit’s End.  It was there that they had the opportunity to record their very own episode of Adventures in Odyssey and they were amazing!  In fact, the sound tech commented that they were the best he had heard in a long time because they added their own personality to the script rather than simply reading it.

View from the bridge at Royal Gorge

As you can well imagine, they were ready to apply!

We were also amazed by the beauty of God’s creation at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.  Here, we crossed the highest suspension bridge in the world (1100 feet high) and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the mountains and rock formations surrounding the Arizona river.  We also spent some time trying to figure out whether God created the gorge or whether it was a result of the flood.

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Homeschooling on the Road-Focus on the Family

Forgot to add some of the other lessons we learned while hiking Pike’s Peak.  These were the lessons the kids wanted me to share.

So, what did we learn today (other than some fascinating history about Pike’s Peak)?

I did it!

My eight year old learned that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that when she puts her “I can’t do it” attitude away and puts her mind to it, she can do even those things which seem impossible!

My eleven year old pulled from her science studies this year to remind us that the air at high altitudes is much thinner and contains less oxygen and that it is important to drink a lot of water to combat altitude sickness.

And my 13 year old learned that sometimes we need to listen to the wisdom of the more experienced and put away our stubbornness.  This lesson came from the story of a Texas couple who were hiking up the mountain and refused to board the descending train when the conductor warned them that a storm was coming.  They were found the next morning frozen to death just a short distance from the top.

No math yet, but we have definitely touched on Science, Social Studies and Language Arts!

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Homeschooling on the Road-Pikes Peak