The Magic of Checklists: Homeschool Made Easy
If I can turn it into a checklist I will. Have you ever written down something (or several things) you have already accomplished in the day just so you can have the joy of checking them off and seeing your progress? That’s me! And if that’s you AND you homeschool your children, keep reading…
How to Prep Math with Confidence - So it’s REALLY open and go
Learn how I prepare and organize the Math with Confidence curriculum for my homeschool room. Using a 3-ring binder and a photo storage box, I gather almost everything I will need for the math curriculum before we even start the year so that it is TRULY Open and Go!
Tips for Teaching All About Reading
After using All About Reading (AAR) for several years, I have picked up a few tips that I hope might help someone else just starting out….Check the front of each workbook…Prep the student workbook…Make the fluency review fun…
How to Set Up All About Reading So You Can Use It Again
How I set it up to REUSE all the materials with each kid…I pre-assemble the activities in a large 3-ring binder before we ever start the next level - The student book that comes with each level has lots of hands-on manipulative games to reinforce the concepts being taught throughout the book. I hate collecting and assembling lesson pieces on a daily (or even weekly) basis. I would much rather have a huge “project” where I gather everything for the whole year at once, spend several hours, and get it all done. Then when we are in the middle of a busy homeschool day, I can just grab it and start teaching.
All About Reading Curriculum Review
All About Reading, the brain-child of Marie Rippel came about as she struggled to help her dyslexic son learn to read. Hers is a phonics-centered (Orton-Gillingham based) curriculum for early elementary students. All About Reading (AAR) includes four levels as well as a Pre-Reading curriculum. At the time of this writing, I am part-way through level three with my oldest and feel like I can finally say IT WORKS with some authority. Check out the All About Learning Press website here.
How to Start Homeschooling
Help! I'm overwhelmed. Where do I start? How to Start Homeschooling. Check your legal requirements - then double-check. Subjects - list out the main subjects that you must teach. Think through additional subjects that you need or want to teach. Next, do you know what style of homeschooling appeals to you? Curriculum...start looking at curriculum reviews. Browse curriculum retailer websites. Be aware of some different approaches to curriculum you can take - boxed/ready-to-go, from-scratch lessons, pick and choose. Also, talk to other parents. Here are additional resources.
Coloring Through the School Day: Educational Coloring Books
Looking for some fun science activities for you kids? Or a way to make history come alive? Want to add some “active learning” into your educational day? Coloring books might be just the thing!! I have discovered some amazing coloring books that could stand alone as a unit study (or whole curriculum - depending on your goals). Check out the educational coloring books below.
Why I Chose a “Dyslexic Curriculum” for my Non-Dyslexic Child
As Denise Eide says in her book “Logic of English” – why do we save the best and deepest phonics training for the kids who are already fallen behind? We put the reading specialists as the last resort for kids who can’t read…why not train the majority of teachers in a rigorous phonics education so that they – the ground work force – can teach the kids from the get go?