Natural Nature Learning

by Deborah Taylor-Hough -

Our family hasn’t been blessed with acres of property off in the country for our children to frolic to their hearts content. But a small city lot and many local parks have offered us tremendous opportunities for outdoor learning activities.

PARKS

To make up for the lack of open natural space in our neighborhood, we go to various local parks at least two to three times per week. We don’t go to the parks for the play equipment but for the exposure to a more natural setting. We are about half-an-hour driving time from Puget Sound so we often frequent parks with direct beach access.

200+ Summertime Boredom Busters for Kids

by Deborah Taylor-Hough -

Since we try not to use the phrase “I’m bored!” in our home, I usually don’t hear my kids complaining about being bored during those long days at home during the summer months.But I have to admit that we’re still an incredibly normal family. Even without the “b-word” in their vocabulary, there are still those times when my three children just seem to be at a total loss for something constructive to do.

Taking Your Homeschool Outside

by Geoffrey Moore -

Like anything else in your life, your homeschool can be in a rut. You wake up every morning, crack the same books and do the same lesson plans. After a few months of this, both you and your kids are yawning and dreading sledging through the drudgery.

The good news is that you have the power to change this! You don’t have to do school-at-home. Do you have an outdoor fire pit or other fun area you can gather? Put down the plan book and break away from the textbook rut.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Bard?

by Debi Taylor-Hough -

A number of years ago (I think it was more than ten), we added Shakespeare to our family’s educational activities for the first time. My daughter loved our field trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, and I don’t think I ever would have thought of introducing my children to The Bard at such a young age if it weren’t for the inspiration of Charlotte Mason, a British educator from the late 1800′s.

First, we read through Charles and Mary Lamb’s story version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the book Tales from Shakespeare just to enjoy the plot and make sure we understood the basic story line before attempting to wade through the Elizabethan English of the play itself.

Homeschool Planning – Don’t Wait Until August to Begin !

by Angie McFarren -

Who wants to think about school during the summer? The most common answer is no one. Homeschooling families are no different from their counterparts. After all, the whole point of a summer break is fun and relaxation.

Before we get into the purpose of this article, let us review this past school year. Did you feel overwhelmed and frustrated

Learning Impulse Control

by Pam Golden

Imagine you’re a typical four-year old. Someone puts a fluffy white marshmallow down in front of you and says, “I have to run some errands. If you can wait a few minutes until I get back, you can have two marshmallows as a special treat. If you can’t wait, you can only have one, but you can have it right now,” and then leaves. What would you do?

Dr. Walter Mischel at Stanford University tried this with a group of preschoolers. Many of the kids gobbled up the marshmallow almost before the researcher disappeared through the door.

Nature Study for City Dwellers

by Catherine Levison -

Even in the city, children should get their knowledge of nature first hand and get into the habit of being in touch with nature.  Here are some simple nature and science ideas for city (and rural) families to share together:

1) Press and mount flowers on cardboard. Write the names of the flowers, and where and when you found them. I recently saw a photo-album used to store pressed flowers. Having a field guide to identify flowers and flowering trees is very helpful.