I wanted to share this short movie I created to teach Ethan about musical instruments and the orchestra. Hope you and your little ones enjoy it!
Here are some more great links on Music Ed.: http://youtu.be/RxFNHeXKmrY http://youtu.be/7OjqeyOvC1c http://youtu.be/2EvgkO_bwQA http://youtu.be/nrmCbsM6eyk
My son enjoys reading I Spy, Star Wars, Art, Marvel Heroes books. All of the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science books are awesome. He is very attached to Bible stories and enjoys listening to music.
1. Land Of Big Dreamers “Voices of Courage in America” by Neil Waldman
2. On the Seashore (Picture Books) by Anna Milbourne
3. On the Moon (First Reading Level 1) by Anna Milbourne
4. Dinosaur (Picture Books) by Rosie Dickins
5. Under the Sea (Picture Storybooks) by Anna Milbourne
6. In the Pond (Picture Books) by Anna Milbourne
7. Wild About Books (Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Awards)) by Judy Sierra
8. ZooZical by Judy Sierra
9. Born to Read by Judy Sierra
10. My Daddy Is a Pretzel: Yoga for Parents and Kids by Baron Baptiste
11. What Is Science? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
12. Ready Set Grow!: Quick and Easy Gardening Projects by DK Publishing
13. How People Learned to Fly (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Fran Hodgkins
14. The Kids’ Yoga Book of Feelings by Mary Humphrey
15. Kingfisher Knowledge: Wonders of the World by Philip Steele
16. Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy
17. My Light by Molly Bang
18. So You Want to Be an Explorer? by Judith St. George
19. What’s So Bad About Gasoline?: Fossil Fuels and What They Do (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Anne Rockwell
20. Take Your Hat Off When the Flag Goes
This information which I never heard of before was posted by Sonya on the Brillkids forum and wanted to save the instructions in my Writing Blog Category to reference it later on. Are you familiar with the Progymnasmata? It is a series of graded exercises that teach writing based on imitation of the best works available. One can use a curriculum but I don’t think it is necessary. You focus on one or two exercises each year of study. Your child would start out with Fables. You’d study a fable and then the child will rewrite it in his own words. We’ve done some basic exercises with these: 1. Cut the story down to 50 words. 2.Cut the story down to 25 words. 3.Retell in your own words. 4.Use the same plot but pick different characters. 5.Expand the story and give more detail. 6. Change point of view. Sometimes we’ll do all of these, sometimes one or two. The best writing is illustrated and placed into a binder. Here is the wikepedia intro on the progym:
We have used the progym for 6 years. I used curriculum at first but it’s not necessary. A little internet research will let you know all you need to know, at least for the first few years. Just pick the very best. I found the book – The Writers Workshop – a helpful book of exercises that uses the same practice of imitation. It was written for college students, but it’s an easy read and very basic.
The point of the Progym is that children really don’t have an idea of what to write yet, so you give them the model of the very best. As they accumulate a storehouse of words, sentences, and stories they will become original writers. The best writers read a lot. The progym is not enough by itself to create a good writer, but combined with a lot of reading (which you already do) it will give a framework to write his own material as he’s broken down and looked at the mechanics of really good stories and really good sentences.
Today we tackled Sushi for lunch which Ethan insisted we bought. Although he hardly finished two rolls of Berry Sushi, atleast he was brave enough to try it and acquired an introductory taste to it.
For dinner we made something quite simple, tasted delicious and which took a total of 10 minutes to prepare!
We bought:
- Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers in Basil Vegetable Medley (cauliflower, carrpts, sugar snap peas & basil butter sauce)
- Buitoni Spinach Cheese Tortellini
- Buitoni Pesto w/ Basil & Xtra Virgin Olive oil
That’s all we used to make our vegetarian friendly dinner for three. Everyone enjoyed this simple, fast, yummy dinner picked by our 3 year old son Ethan!
I read this blog posted by Lisa Nielsen and had to save this post as a reference.
1. Learning is customized not standardized
• In school learning is standardized to what someone else says is best.
• At home learning is customized to what the child and parent feel is best.
2. Associate with those you enjoy rather than those who share your birth year
• In school students are grouped by date of manufacture.
• At home children can choose to be with those whose company they enjoy.
3. Freedom to learn with their tools
• In school students are often banned from using they tools they love to learn with — such as a cell phone.
• At home children can learn with the tools they choose. For many children technology open doors that schools slam shut.
4. Socialize with those who share your passions not just your zip code
• In school students have little opportunity to socialize and even when they do it is generally confined to those with whom they’ve been grouped with by year and geography.
• At home children have the opportunity to socialize and make global connections with others of any age who share their talents, passions, and interests.
5. Real life measures are better than bubble tests
• In school we measure students success with bubble tests and response to prompts.
• At home we measure success by what children accomplish that matters to them. Some teens like Leah Miller have developed their own personal success plan (see hers here). She sets her goals and then assesses her success in meeting them.
6. Don’t just read about doing stuff. Do stuff!
• In school students are forced to sit at desks all day reading and answering questions about stuff other people do.
• At home children don’t need to spend their time reading and writing about what other people do. They can go do stuff.
7. Travel when you want
• In school they tell you when to go on vacation and families hop off to crowded destinations together.
• At home families can decide when travelling works best for them and also get better rates.
8. You are more than a number
• In school the only things students have to show for their work are numbers and graphs known as report cards, transcripts, or data reports.
• At home children often put together meaningful portfolios that can be reflected upon and powerfully capture and celebrate learning. This can be done at school, but it rarely happens as little time is left for assessment and reflection after testing and test prep.
9. Do work you value
• In school students do work someone else wants for someone else’s purpose.
• At home children can engage in meaningful work for reasons they determine are important.
10. Independence is valued over dependence
• In school students are dependent on others to tell them what to do and when. They spend their time as compliant workers and are discouraged from questioning authority.
• At home children are encouraged to explore, discover, and develop their own passions and talents and given the freedom to work deeply in these areas. They know how to learn independently because they are interested, not because they are told to do something.
11. You don’t have to waste learning time with standardized tests
• In school students and their teachers are spending a large percentage of their time preparing for tests and testing even though test have little to no role in real life. My last test was more than a decade ago. How about you?
• At home children have the freedom to enjoy learning without the burden or stress of testing. Although many children and parents have been trained to believe testing is a necessary evil in school kids who have the freedom to learn without testing are doing just fine and exploring their passions as grown unschooler Kate Fridkis explains in her article that reveals how we can learn successfully without testing.
12. No more meaningless worksheets and reports
• In school students often complain they are forced to do meaningless worksheets and reports that have no real purpose or audience. In fact these worksheets and reports often actually suck the joy out of learning. Think about it. When was the last time you read a great book and thought, “Wow! I want to write a report or fill in a worksheet.”
• At home children can do work that matters and has meaning. If they read a book they love they can hop online and discuss it with other people who’ve read it or publish a review for Amazon. If they want to learn something they have an unfiltered world of resources (inaccessible in many schools) at their fingertips to do so.
Parents of Generation Z have woken up and realized that the industrial model school’s of today are preparing their children for a world that no longer exists. They know that those who receive outdated, classroom-based instruction will end up with the rest of the young people Occupying Wall Street and beyond.
However, there is another option! Home educating families are onto something. The children of these families will grow up as adults who know how to take ownership of their learning and their lives. They will be empowered with the ability to attain satisfaction and success in life and career.
