Are you and your kids tired of the same old writing drills?

Do your homeschool bookshelves house more than three types of writing curriculum?

Writing, even if you feel you are quite good at it yourself, can be one of those subjects you find hard to teach in your homeschool.

Why?

Because, we tend to automatically recall and implement techniques from when we were in school.

Think back to all the creative writing assignments, ugh!

I enjoyed using my imagination, but often felt too much pressure when it came time to writing it all down.  Now that I have matured, I recognize that I didn’t dislike writing; I just felt stifled.  Stifled by correct grammar, spelling, and use of literary concepts that felt cold and mechanical.

All the excitement and fun of my story was held hostage to criteria and outlines; and that dreaded red pen.

Yes, we need to learn the mechanics of writing, but I also believe we need to enjoy the process.  Writing is something we all use every single day and it shouldn’t be something we dread doing.

So, how can we make some of those writing curricula work for us?

How can we make writing more exciting for our kids?

We need to get creative and not be weighed down by the curriculum.  We need to explore and read great literature to them.

Consider addressing writing lessons in a personal, fun and/or real way.  Find a way to have your child connect to what they want to write.

Make it Fun!

Any chance I get, I use books and novels to drive home my point about certain literary devices. No pens, no paper; just me, my kids and books!

As and example, the other day we were discussing how we need to think of our readers.  How can we engage them and make them want to read what we write?  How do we hook them?

Instead of pulling out our curriculum, which does discuss and teach this through examples and practice, I decided to change things up. I zipped around our house and pulled a book off every shelf, and added the library books we just brought home.

I read the opening paragraph or two from every book.  We discussed it, I encouraged them to share with me what they really thought, in their own words! They need to know they can express their opinion, so I asked them questions like:

• What do you know so far?
• Does it capture you?
• Can you guess what the book will be about?
• Do you want to read more?
• What intrigues you, what do you want answered?
• Did it take you to another place?
• Could you understand the vocabulary?
  
• How long do you think it will take before you are captivated enough to keep reading?
• Do you like it?
• Did your imagination kick in?
• Which of your senses were engaged?
• etc.

(In case you are wondering, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White won by a landslide!)

Make It Personal!

What stories and books really connect with your kids?  It can be a new novel or something you’ve read before and want to re-visit.  As you read use sticky tabs to mark passages of text to discuss or dissect later.  Ask lots of questions and get a discussion going.

• What do you think about this character?
• Who do you think the hero of the story is?
• Would you have done the same thing?
• Is this person being a good friend?
• Do you see yourself in any of these characters?
• How would you have handled this situation?
• When is it right to … or is it wrong?
  
• Can you picture yourself in this setting?
• What do you think they feel right now?
• Can you think of a situation in real life that could relate?
• Imagine if the author didn’t use these exciting descriptive sentences, would you still like the book?

Make it Real!

Use real writing examples from novels they love and passages that take your breath away or send you off to some far off land.  Talk about why it captures your child’s imagination the way it does.  Use it as copywork and take the time to point out some literary devices the author is using; or highlight the different clauses within that particular paragraph.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all had a copywork journal full of  passages from great novels or poems? Not a novel or poem that I love or you love, but one your child loves and identifies with!

This could be a great keepsake as well; all the while teaching them something about good writing practice. By the time they graduate they could have a little portfolio of the novels they read and loved over the years; with passages that meant something to them at that time in their life.

By diving deeper into the novels we read together, it provides us with an opportunity to learn much more about ourselves.  It also helps us to understand what good writing is and what it can become for us. It helps us to discover our writing voices.

Take the opportunity to have fun with words, explore and stretch your imagination!  Help your kids fall in love with writing not because it is part of a curriculum, but because beyond it being an essential skill, it is a beautiful way to communicate. 

Don’t be afraid to use a curriculum, but do be wary of becoming a slave to your writing curriculum.

Take a detour, step outside the box from time to time; push the curriculum aside, and just fall in love with great writers!

If you want more ideas on how to have discussions or ways to engage your learners with process questions check out “How I Teach Critical Thinking in Our Homeschool”

Want to know what great books we have been Reading? Here is some of our Reading List.

This post is part of a “How to Teach Without a Curriculum”  link up at iHomeschool Network

Click on the picture below to find other “How to Teach Without a Curriculum” posts:

The post Supporting Young Writers in Your Homeschool With Great Literature appeared first on Home School Innovation.

This year we are officially homeschooling high school!

As we venture into this new chapter, we require curriculum which will both engage our children as well as helping them succeed in earning credits towards their high school diploma.

Where we live there is a Social Studies requirement for the high school diploma, which covers both History and Geography.

My research for a great Geography curriculum has lead me to Bright Ideas Press and North Star Geography written by Tyler Hogan.

North Star Geography covers:

Geography Skills (maps, navigation, etc.)

Physical Geography (lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, atomosphere, etc.)

Human Geography (social structure, heritage, culture, interacting with environment, etc.)

 It is written from a Christian perspective and counts towards high school credits!

What Helped Me Decide to Use North Star Geography?

• Watching this Bright Ideas Press Hangout called All About Atlases for Homeschool  helped me to get to know more about Bright Ideas Press president and North Star Geography author Tyler Hogan.  It is evident that Tyler really loves Geography and Atlases!
• On the Bright Ideas Press website under the Geography tab, you will find North Star Geography. They have sample lessons available to download.  I took advantage of that and had my junior high and high school kids work through that sample lesson with me. We also watched the intro video where Tyler explains about North Star Geography.  While you are there be sure to check out other materials to accompany your geography curriculum like the North Star Geography Audiobook!
• The icing on the cake was this fun video called “Got Geography”.  Yes, we all should learn geography!

The Day North Star Geography Arrived

My first impression was how beautiful the book is! Yes, it is a text book, but it really is a beautiful, well laid out book.  It is obvious this curriculum was written by someone who truly loves and appreciates the importance of learning geography.

I promptly made a cup of tea, called my kids and we began reading! As I read I became excited because not only did I realize I made the right choice for our high school years, I am also excited to teach it! Although I have always loved maps, I didn’t particularly think I liked geography.

I was wrong.

After reading through and planning out our year with North Star Geography I realized I do, in fact, enjoy geography. As a homeschooling parent you look back at your own school experiences and my experience learning geography left a dry, apathetic taste in my mouth. 

Now, I am motivated to have fun bringing geography alive for my kids!  Only one lesson in and they have already realized how easily geography crosses into other subject areas; and they enjoy the atlas building exercises too!

North Star Geography is a win for us and for our high school goals!

The post Homeschool Geography Curriculum for Your High School Needs appeared first on Home School Innovation.

In doing so, I thought I would take the time to share with all of you the Top Ten of Home School Innovation for 2014.

Here are your favourite HSI Posts from 2014:

1. Tips For Homeschooling the Early Years …You Can Do It!
2. How To Rise Above the Negative
3. 8 Homeschooling Methods
4. Homeschooling Middle School and High School
5. How I Teach Critical Thinking in Our Homeschool
6. Spelling Help – Think Outside the Box and Have Fun!
7. Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again!
8. Choosing Homeschool Curriculum
9. Recovering From Homeschool Burnout
10. Traditional Homeschooling v.s. Blended

I wish you all the best in your 2015 Homeschooling Adventures

and

Thank you for being a part of HSI!

This post is part of a “My Top Ten Most Popular Posts from 20014”  link up at iHomeschool Network

Click on the picture below for more “Top Ten” posts from other iHomeschool Network Bloggers:

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Once you jump into this homeschooling pool you soon realize there is an even larger pool of amazing curriculum you can choose from!

This post isn’t about planning out curriculum day by day, but focuses on the first stages of planning and choosing your curriculum.

I usually start my curriculum search on-line. 

Window shopping on-line is a great starting point to your search without adding the clutter of magazines to your desk or counter tops.

While you are on-line, look up some homeschool bloggers who share the resources they are using or have tried.
This is a great way to find homeschool curriculum companies too as they often work closely with homeschool bloggers.  With the help help of bloggers, curriculum publishers can promote their products as well as educate us on how to effectively use their curriculum.

Need to know where to start to find amazing homeschool bloggers?

Check out iHomeschool Network, they have a team of wonderful homeschool moms who often do reviews and share how they use their curriculum.  As well, you will find many of them offer free or low cost printables which may be all you need for certain subjects.

Once you short list a few curriculum companies, publishers, or educational toy suppliers, you can then seek them out and ask for their catalogues.  Most curriculum publishers also offer sample lessons or assessments which is a great way to see if it is a fit for your child.

If you need to know where or how to request homeschool catalogues, check out this post by Jimmie Lanley  Where to Request Homeshool Catalogue. 

As much as I do search on-line, I love catalouges!

By the time I am done looking through my catalogues, they have sticky tabs everywhere, are highlighted, dog eared, and pen marked.

When I am in planning mode, my catalogues, sticky notes, pen and notepad go everywhere with me!

Get Your Hands On the Books and Materials

Homeschool Conventions are great for us to learn, expand our thoughts, to get encouragement, and also to meet up with friends; but they also have the Vendor Hall!

The first time I stepped across the hallway from the conference rooms to the vendor hall and walked through the doors I was overcome with excitement!

 I love books and games, not to mention all the music, art and science stuff!  I thought to myself — YES! This will be great!

I started out with a spring in my step eager to buy everything in one stop, however, I did become a bit overwhelmed.

Before I let that overwhelming feeling take too strong a hold of me, I zipped outside for a coffee break and began to focus on what our essentials were.

What curriculum did I need and what could I manage without. (Read: Choosing Homeschool Curriculum for more tips)

Yes, the vendor hall is great, you can get your essential supplies and books done in one fell swoop!

Another benefit of the vendor hall at a homeschool convention is you can hold the curriculum in your hands, and take some time to really look at it!

If you are debating between two Math programs or History for instance, the vendor hall is a great place to be.

You have the opportunity to speak with the publishers or representatives and you can look through their program.

Don’t forget other parents who use the curriculum are also there making their purchases.  Don’t be shy, ask if they have a minute to share why they like Math “XYZ”, ask how they use it in their home.

Often other Moms and Dads are willing to take a few moments to help out another homeschooler; after all, we have all been the ones standing there with 2 hands holding 2 different books wondering which one to go with.

Even after 8 1/2 years, I have times where I need to compare and contrast in order to figure out what will work best.  In fact, as I write this I am taking a break from looking through some different Science curriculum I borrowed from a friend and comparing it to what we are currently using.

Whether you are a new homeschooling parent or one who has been at it for a while, no matter what method you follow, we all have to plan our homeschool curriculum and books every year for each of our children.

We all have this in common.

What is your favourite way to plan and organize your homeschool curriculum?

The post Planning Your Homeschool Curriculum – The First Steps appeared first on Home School Innovation.

Questions about curriculum are some of the most common, perhaps even running neck-and-neck with the ‘socialization’ question.

A vast array of amazing curriculum  exists to support you in this journey, no matter what method(s) you use or special needs you may need to address.

We have options!

In fact, it can sometimes feel like there are too many choices and you can feel overwhelmed.

 (Remember the first homeschool convention you went to and the vendor hall? There is a lot!)

You don’t have to feel paralyzed when it comes to sorting through and choosing your curriculum.

Take Action

• Grab your pencil and notepad – Make a Pro/Con list
• Ask for sample lessons
• Ask fellow homeschool families what they use

Once you discover some of what is available to you and you start to browse and research, it can help if you keep these things in mind.

 Be Mindful of:

• Who is it for
• What is their learning style
• Will the curriculum support their learning style
• Will it span the ages of your children, or do you care if it does
• Will it help you achieve your end goal for your child(ren)
• Can you photocopy pages for use within your own family (check with publisher) “Homeschoolers Honor Copyright” (from iHomeschool Network)
• How will it fit into your schedule
• Can you easily adapt lessons for more than one child
• Is it available as a download
• Will it support your method of homeschooling  “8 Homeschooling Methods“
• Will this help fuel the love of learning within your children
• Do you even need a curriculum to educate your child that particular subject

Truth is, as homeschool parents we can have many different levels of feeling overwhelmed when it comes to choosing curriculum for our children.

We can feel both blessed and cursed by the sea of books available to choose from.  One of the most common questions I hear about curriculum is:

“What if it doesn’t work, what if I buy it and never really use it?”

And you know what?  We have all been there, and done that!

From those who unschool to those who follow a more aligned path (meaning very much like the curriculum of local schools) we have all bought something we thought would be great, which turned out to sit on the shelf.

We have all held onto those resources and tried it with all our children, some of us get to finally use it and some of us end up writing it off completely.

As much as we plan we also have to be ready for the detours and sideroads.  

A purchased curriculum which turns out not to be exactly what you needed doesn’t always have to be tossed aside.  Instead you can adapt the lessons or at minimum use them as a guide to help plan a study.  You can then head out to the library for books,  find some hands on activities, or search for some YouTube videos to support what you are teaching.  

Remember:

• Break down your subjects and your goals for each child within that subject
• Get to know your child’s strengths and weaknesses
• Foster a love of learning
• Support your child’s curiosity, creativity and intelligence
• Have fun and be flexible – Seriously, this is your Home, not a stuffy classroom!

Homeschooling is not a contest, it is not a race and there are no “curriculum police“.

You are blessed with the freedom to choose, adapt and change if necessary.

 For a peek into what we have been reading or using check out my  Reading List page; Resources page; and my STEM Resources page.

 Ok, your turn…

Share 1 tip about choosing curriculum to help encourage and support your fellow homeschooler!

The post Choosing Homeschool Curriculum appeared first on Home School Innovation.

Ever feel like you have just got this homeschooling thing on a roll and then all of a sudden it is time to change things up again?

You have finally found your rhythm and groove with your toddlers, 1st grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade, and 8th grade kiddos; then spring comes, homeschool conferences start up and you realize something.  

It suddenly hits you that you are a mom/dad to kids who will be entering the Middle School and/or High School years!

Whoa! How did that happen?  

You also find all your friends and family are throwing a whole new set of questions at you.

Questions like:  “How will you homeschool high school…especially Math and Science”?

My basic answer:  One lesson at a time!

How do any of us teach anything?

We do our homework and then we make a plan.

Yes, high school can be more complex, but we live in a time where we have more information at our finger tips than ever before!

We are able to be in the comfort of our own homes and use the internet to research v.s. the going to the library and looking books up in the old card catalogue system. (Remember that?)

As well, we are able to make some amazing connections with others via social media and on-line community forums.

Curriculum companies know this too!

I often see them offering webinars, on-line co-op classes as well as keeping in touch with and encouraging homeschoolers via social media channels like Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. 

We don’t need to be the experts to teach a subject, we just need to know how to find the experts. 

My Plan

• Lay the foundation to help my kids become independent learners
• Research different curriculum along side of my children; find something we both feel confident in
• Look for on-line classes, co-ops, webinars, and possibly tutors to fill any gaps and to assist us
• Be involved with other homeschoolers, both in real life and on-line
• Form study groups
• Explore the multitude of free on-line academies like Khan Academy, Coursera, Google Science Fair, Discovery Education, etc.
• Always be willing to ask for help
• Take the time to recall why you started homeschooling in the first place (See my reasons: 23 Reasons Why We Homeschool)
• Be brave enough to continue the journey

We are very lucky to have friends who are engineers – mechanical – civil and aeronautical, some who are lab technicians, medical doctors/nurses; as well as highly trained, talented and successful musicians, artists, writers and dancers.

Everyone has someone in their life who can be a helpful resource when exploring new subjects and projects.

Reach out to them and add a dose of some real life, hands on learning to your day!

As for being brave enough?  Sometimes we can let fear sneak in when we are faced with the next new step.  

Rather than letting that happen to you, stop and take a look at where you have been, then look at where you can go!

Where can your homeschool story end up?

Picture it, write it down then go back and start to make your plan for the highschool years.

I bet you will find the next few chapters really aren’t that scary at all; in fact, I bet they will be full of excitement!

My plan is far from complete, it is just a start.

What are some of your ideas and goals as you plan to take on the high school years?

The post Homeschooling Middle School and High School appeared first on Home School Innovation.

This is a short post as a reminder to you that…..You Can Do It!

I both hear and see many comments from new home school moms about what curriculum to use for the early grades, meaning Kindergarten to let’s say grade 2.  These are good and fair questions, after all this is new territory for you and there are mountains of different curricula to choose from.  There are also many free printable worksheets out there to assist you.

But know that PLAY is the most important aspect of early learning, not curriculum, not parent/teacher structured play, but good old fashioned whimsical play time!  Be creative, dream, explore, have fun and don’t forget to add some songs and movement into your day.

Don’t get me wrong, you can find some great curriculum out there to support what you would like to achieve with your kids; just don’t let the search for it, or the use of it burden you, weigh you down, or stop you from starting!

If you haven’t found the perfect curriculum to suit your needs, relax and  just start!  I know many families who confidently and successfully take on the early years themselves, using various resources and who are not tied to any 1 particular curriculum.

If you feel more comfortable using a curriculum, take your time and find something that will truly enhance and encourage your child’s early learning through play and their natural curiosity.  

In the mean time, play with letters, numbers, sing songs, colour pictures, read books and just talk with your kids!  They are inspiring little people with amazing curiosity, tap into that and you will facilitate some amazing learning opportunities.

Most of all remember to have fun together, like I said before…..You Can Do It!

Dream : Explore : Create : Play : Learn

The post Tips for Homeschooling the Early Years…You Can Do It! appeared first on Home School Innovation.