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:

We are living in a time where STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education is gaining in popularity.

Many exciting and innovative career choices will centre around STEM subject areas which, as homeschoolers, we have an opportunity to provide our children with in a more real life way.

I am excited to share a new user friendly CAD (Computer Aided Design) program that we can teach our kids!

Effective How To STEM Projects

Learn Onshape is a company dedicated to teaching online 3D design projects to anyone interested with a special interest in also helping families and kids learn this real life program application!

It is one thing to learn STEM projects, but as homeschoolers we understand the amazing and magical growth which can happen when we teach from real life experiences; and Learn Onshape knows this too!

Learn Onshape has released the first in many videos on “How to Set Up Your Free Onshape Account” which you will need in order to learn and complete the exciting project he has lined up for us very soon!

Or download this Getting Started pdf to help you set up your Free Onshape Account.

To stay informed of all the inspiring content Learn Onshape will be offering, you will definitely want to sign up for their newsletter!

Pop over and do that now:  https://www.LearnOnshape.com/Sign-Up

Here’s a sneak peak of the first project!

What kind of 3D designs do your kids want to build?

The sacrifices of men and women who have served our country in time of war, conflict and peace should never be forgotten or taken for granted.  Those who have served our nation, both in the past and present, deserve to be honoured for their dedication and allegiance to our country and our welfare as a nation .  It is our duty to not only take time to pay our respects, but to teach our youth about the history of our nation and our military.

Taking part in Remembrance Day services, in one way or another, has been something I have done my entire life and it is something my children participate in as well.  When they were quite young, we wore our poppies, made crafts, observed the 2 minutes of silence every November 11th and we shared simple stories to help them understand, on their level, what this day was all about.  As they grew and could grasp more, we did more. We now share stories of our family and friends who have fought in wars and who have taken part in peace keeping missions.

Most recently my boys took an online course about WWII which covered the strategies and politics of the war as it unfolded. They came away from that course with a deeper appreciation of those who stood up for our country and fought to preserve our freedoms.

By taking opportunities to be involved in Remembrance Day ceremonies, history courses, family discussions and online activities, I am proud to say my children have a deep respect and appreciation for our veterans.

Here are some resources I have found to help you learn more about Remembrance Day…

Remembrance Day Resources

Links and Resources:

Education/Lesson Plans/Support Materials:

• Veterans Affairs –

  • Remembrance Day (main page)

  • List of Events – grouped according to Province

  •  Veterans’ Week Learning Resources

  • Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae – includes his poem “In Flanders Fields”

• The Royal Canadian Legion

  • Youth Contests – Plan ahead and research your local deadlines for entry

• Canadian War Museum

• Donna Ward from Northwoods Press – Remembrance Day Resources/Links

  • WWII Secret Agents in France – Remembrance Day Lesson 1:1

• Activity Village 

• CBC News – Canada – Type “Remembrance Day” into search box for articles and look for a link to a Live Stream on November 11th to watch the ceremonies.

Arts and Crafts:

• Painted Coffee Filter Poppy Craft for Remembrance Day from Happy Hooligans

• Colouring Pages and other resources from Activity Village

• Poppy Crafts from Hodge Podge Craft

• Worksheets, Colouring Pages and Crafts  from DLTK Kids

Books and References:

• A Poppy Is to Remember

• In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae

• Remembering John McCrae: Soldier – Doctor – Poet

• Canada’s Wars: An Illustrated History

• The World Wars

• Animals at War

• The Second World War (high school level reading)

On social media, you can look up #RememberThem to find more links or to express your gratitude to our Veterans.

~Lest We Forget~

Each and every member of our family has their own value they add.  We all have special talents which can enhance our family relationships.

Add Value to Your Homeschool

Have an evening or a rainy afternoon meeting with your kids to brainstorm and help one another recognize their own special gifts and talents?

I’m sure your family has someone who:

• Can make you laugh

• Enjoys a good and lively discussion

• Is a caregiver

• Can organize

• Bakes or cooks

• Is musical

• Enjoys organizing

• Loves to read to other

• etc.

The list can go on, but you get the idea.  Sharing your unique talents and gifts within the family will strengthen everyone and also help you recognize how you can help others outside of your family unit.

As homeschool parents, husband and wife can also take time to brainstorm how to add more value to the homeschool day.

How can we enhance the education of our children?

Add more value to your homeschool by:

• Adding in more of the Arts – Music and Art

• More fieldtrips

• Co-op classes

• Online classes

• Park days and play days with other homeschool families

• Finding ways to help break down learning barriers

• Having a flex day

• etc.

Some ways we have added extra value to our homeschool and our curriculum can be found in these HSI posts:

Spelling Help

Home Schoolers Journey…Am I Doing Enough?

Homeschool Business Letter Project

10 Homeschooling “Mistakes” You Need to Quit

Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again!

This vocation of home educating our children is important, but never forget to enjoy the process, and more importantly…enjoy one another!

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.

Planning Your Homeschool

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?

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.

Homeschool Curriculum

 (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

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.

Tip for Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

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 holidays are fast approaching and with it comes excitement and anticipation.  No matter what faith or beliefs you hold close to your heart each of us have a few times a year where we are preparing for some type of holiday.

We celebrate Christmas, and I still get excited much like I did when I was a child.  Perhaps on some level even more.  As a Mom, there is something magical about handing down family traditions as well as creating our own.

Holidays and Homeschooling

Why Bother With Tradition?

Following tradition is nothing new.

We have been following tradition since the beginning of time; mankind and our beliefs are deeply rooted in tradition.  Stories handed down from one generation to the next, everything from our beliefs to family recipes. 

Having and following tradition speaks to our hearts, connects us to our rich history and builds up our relationship with one another.

There is nothing like sharing good food and great stories to bring a family closer.

Preparing for Holidays

I am a list maker!

Put a pencil in my hand, pass me a pad of paper and I can write “To Do Lists” like nobody’s business; everything from shopping to baking.

As handy as lists are, they will only be as good as the effort you put into them.  After I complete each list I make a note of my “most essentials” I require in order to pull off my bigger plans.

If I head out to do my grocery shopping without taking the time consult with my baking list, then chances are my trip to the grocery store will not be successful. I am bound to forget a crucial ingredient. (Yes, it is often the eggs, butter or milk.)

Prioritizing the essentials of our day and our holiday season is what helps me stay on track and not stress about little things like perfectly baked gingerbread cookies. 

We all have our favourite traditions, so taking the time to prepare and pinpoint your most treasured traditions will help you in the larger scheme of your holiday.

Homeschooling and Holidays

We are very lucky to enjoy the flexibility of homeschooling as we prepare for our family celebrations.

People will often ask me how many days  we take off and if we follow along with the schools in town?

My Answer is that we vary our off time from year to year.

Depending what method of homeschooling you follow, what your family traditions are, and the needs of your family will depend on how many days you take off.  Many homeschoolers I know take a year round approach to their studies which allow them to plan some more time off around special holidays.

Adjusting our Homeschool Schedule

December 1st is usually the start of us adjusting how we go about our homeschool studies.

We start changing up our routine and schedule to include extra crafts, more music, trips to donate items to the less fortunate, baking, reading Christmas themed stories and even Math by the fireplace.

Other things we take time to do include helping neighbours shovel snow, building snow forts and inviting other kids on the street to jump in to help out, as well as decorating our home.

The best part about all of this is we are teaching our kids things which cannot be found in textbooks.

We are carrying on and building upon our family traditions as well as celebrating our family, friends and neighbours – we are making connections!

These are skills and knowledge you cannot find in a curriculum, but will surely last them a lifetime!

Something For Everyone

This year I have also found some great studies to add to our adjusted homeschool routine for the holidays!

We love the Nutcracker and Christmas Carols!  Mary, from Homegrown Learners and SQUILT: Music Appreciation, has a wonderful Nutcracker Unit Study as well as Squilt Christmas Carols  for your music enthusiasts!

Christmas Carols – Music Study

What a great way to enjoy some of our Christmas favourites and learn at the same time!

I am also excited to share that Tricia, from Southern Hodgepodge, now has “A Simple Start in Christmas Chalk Pastels” available.  I share more information about these Chalk Pastel tutorials in “Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again!”.  Now we can continue on with learning more chalk pastel techniques while making some great Christmas art to hang! (Click on the book to see more details!)

 “Truth in the Tinsel”.  (Link listed below) is an e-book is full of crafts to celebrate the Christmas season; we also cannot wait to get started with this book!  In fact, I have planned ahead and have already purchased all my necessary supplies, my kids are so excited knowing they get to do a craft Everyday leading up to Christmas! I wrote more about it here: “Truth in the Tinsel and Homeschooling”

TRUTH in the TINSEL

Easy Printable Ornaments!

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Need more ideas on how to Homeschool and prepare for the holidays?  I was a panelist on this iHomeschool Hangout, along with other homeschooling moms who shared some great holiday preparation tips!

Critical Thinking in Our Homeschool

Critical Thinking is an essential part of learning.  In order for us to be resilient and successful in life we need to be able to gather facts, process through them, know if we require any more information or help, and then make a decision to move forward.

Learning how to “Think it Through” helps us in all areas of life:

• Academics

• Relationships

• Business

Not to mention all the other little bits of life which happen in between the above three areas.  It is because of this I try my best to implement as much Critical Learning into our day as possible.  Although you do want to be careful not to overdo it, sometimes it is worth disguising it into the natural rhythm of your day v.s. always trying to make  a point of  “thinking it through” with your children.

This is a big topic, so I am going to give you a basic peek into what critical thinking is as well as how go about teaching it everyday in our home.

Critical Thinking…What is It?

Critical thinking is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, partially true, or false. Critical Thinking is a process that leads to skills that can be learned, mastered and used. Critical Thinking is a tool by which one can come about reasoned conclusions based on a reasoned process. This process incorporates passion and creativity, but guides it with discipline, practicality and common sense. It can be traced in the West to ancient Greece with its Socratic method and in the East to ancient India with the Buddhist kalama sutta and abhidharma literature. Critical thinking is an important component of education, politics, business, and science.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking

When we learn critical thinking, we are learning to think about things more skillfully as well as always reaching for a higher quality of thought.  Once we develop our own questions to dig deeper into a subject we can then develop and support our own conclusions.

How I Teach Critical Thinking

I ask my kids lots of questions, good process questions; some of these are in very obvious ways and sometimes it is as natural as a basic conversation.

If you are new to this concept of teaching/parenting you will have to make a conscious effort to implement some of these process questions.  After a while you will find it will start to flow as a natural teaching method.

What are Process Questions?

Process questions are questions you can ask which will:

• Focus Attention

• Force Comparison

• Seek Clarification

• Invite Further Inquiry

• Seek Reason or Explanation

Now that you see what process questions are think of the academic subjects we learn/teach.

1.  All subjects and conversations we have require us to also know how to give focused attention.

2. What subjects do you think require us to compare data? How can we then clarify that data?

3. Can you dig deeper into said data and come up with some more questions about it?

4. Now that you have dug deeper and thought about more questions and answers, what conclusion have you come to?

Breaking Critical Thinking Down in our Homeschool

You can use critical thinking in every subject area, here are some examples of questions I ask my kids while teaching certain subjects.

Math:

• Do you notice a pattern here? (Focus)

• When have you used addition other than in your Math book? (Further Inquiry and Real Life application)

• Tell me how you did that? (Seek Reason/Explanation)

Spelling:

• What other words do you know which have a “tion” ending (Further Inquiry)

• What does that ‘e’ do at the end of the word? (Seek Clarification)

• Do you notice there are letters you cannot hear when you say this word? (Focus)

Science:

• How can we find out the mass? (Further Inquiry)

• How is _____different/same as _______ (Comparison)

• What is your evidence? (Seek Reason/Explanation)

Reading Comprehension/Family Read-a-Louds

• Look at this picture, what do you think the story is about? (Focus)

• What do you think “Johnny” will do to help his friend? (Further Inquiry)

• Why do you think that? (Seek Reason/Explanation)

As you can see with some of the process questions I ask, you really can include elements of critical thinking in all that you do, don’t forget to incorporate it into your Art and Music study as well.  In fact, we often ask these types of questions in the conversations we are having with each other and don’t always recognize it as a lesson in critical thinking.

What Else Can You Use?

Every once in a while the kids and I pull out these “Mind Benders” books from Critical Thinking Co.

We get out some scrap paper, pencil and eraser and get started on solving some of these mind benders.  They can be lots of fun, but also gives us as parents a chance to guide our children through a problem.

How to Teach Mind Benders:

1. Use process questions

2. Give your child time to think, don’t rush

3. Have them support their train of thought

4. Mistakes happen, ask more questions to get back on track

5. Have fun

Like anything new, the first time you try something it isn’t always going to work or go according to plan.  Give yourself and your children time to adapt to critical thinking exercises.

End on the Positive

I also like to end anything we tackle on a positive note.  Whenever you hit a wall, do not let yourselves stop there.  Turn it around and go over 1 item you know your child will be confident in.  If it is Math, go back and do an exercise they will get correct, let them execute that, end on the positive and then close the book.  You now know where your child will need further instruction  the next day, but both you and the child end at a spot of success!

I am always reading and learning about ways to develop good thinking skills, so this post is just and example of  How I Teach Critical Thinking based on the information I have learned so far in my journey.  We have had some great conversations and I always look forward to listening to my kids point of view on a subject.

So go ahead and start to ask more questions!

After all, when we ask someone a question it shows we have faith in them and that we respect them enough to listen!

This post is part of a “How I Teach”  link up at iHomeschool Network

Click on the picture below to find other “How I Teach” posts:

“How I Teach” – a link up with iHomeschoolNetwork.com

Homeschooling Art with Chalk Pastels

Ok, I’ll fess up here and say Art has never been my strong suit.

Sure, we do crafts from time to time, I get books from the library filled with famous artists’ paintings for us to look at, or use some “how to” books where I try my best to help my kids grasp the techniques laid out before them; often leaving us all a tad frustrated.

Feeling frustrated and discouraged can make it easier for us to push Art aside.

Until Now!

I took the plunge and tried “A Seasonal Start in Fall Chalk Pastels – Art for All Ages” from Tricia Hodges and Lucia Hames (Nana) at Southern Hodgepodge  (in exchange for my honest review).

What made me decide to jump in and try it?

This demo on YouTube where they use chalk pastels to draw an apple in 1 minute (or less)!

I realized one thing…

I Can Do This! 

I Can Teach My Kids Real Art Techniques!

After watching this demonstration I literally went out the very next day to purchase our own set of chalk pastels and paper!

Chalk Pastels

The first thing my kids wanted me to do (knowing how Art challenged I am) is to take the 1 minute apple challenge!

Guess what?

I did it, score 1 for Mom!

That was all they needed to dig into these tutorials and give it a shot!

Acorn

Creating Art with Chalk Pastels

“A Seasonal Start in Fall Chalk Pastels – Art for All Ages” is:

• Well laid out

• Includes tips to preserve your masterpiece

• Includes ideas for easy clean-up

• Glossary of terms

• Make sense

• Fun to do

Filling the Art Gap

After a week of not being completely prepared to start our Homeschool year, this has propelled us into our fall term with fresh enthusiasm! 

• My kids are excited to do Art again

• They have a new found confidence in their abilities

• They are going beyond the tutorials and creating on their own

• They are smiling as they work!

And Best of all I heard…

“Hey Mom! Look what I can do!”

Use chalk pastels to create real art. It is a forgiving medium which allows you to soften lines and experiment easily with blending colours.

No matter how old you are, whether you homeschool or not, these Chalk Pastel e-book tutorials are worth it!

Or Grab this bundle to save money!

 Hint:  The answer does not include pulling out your hair or giving a lecture.

Many of us parents face this teeter-totter emotion from our children throughout the year.

Let’s face it, we ourselves have subjects we love to dive in and share with our children, and those we try to defer to the other parent.

While we can’t force our child to sit and apply themselves to a subject they may loathe; we can help lift them up out of the doom and gloom so they may see the dreaded subject in a different light.

Homeschooling the Least Favourite Subjects

Tips to Help your Child Learn a Subject They Don’t Like

•  Take a deep breath and step back from the situation a little.  Don’t let a battle start.

• Have one on one time where you can chat with your child to help them figure out why they might be avoiding math (for instance).

• Be willing to adapt.  Adapt the curriculum you are using, or in the case where you don’t use curriculum, perhaps be willing to get some samples and give them a try.

• Be willing to be creative.  How can you approach that subject from a different view-point? Baking for fractions, figuring out your car’s mileage for division, talk about gear ratios in your truck for ratios, etc.  Find something they enjoy and go about the subject from that angle.

• Get laughing.  Why not get a little creative and silly? Shake out those nerves

• Get your other kids busy – something they can collaborate on or be independent with and then find a spot where you and your other child can work on their least favourite subject.

• Reach out to other home school parents and ask what works for them, get some fresh ideas.

• Get downright real.  Sometimes when kids see how their Dad or Aunt use Math  everyday in their careers is enough to inspire them to try a little harder. 

• Be willing to be available.  Sometimes they just need Mom or Dad to sit beside them.

• Always,  Always,  Always end on a positive note!  If you push further into a lesson and you feel like you are heading into that all familiar tailspin; then it is time to go back and let your child execute a question where they will get the right answer.  Finish it there for the day and make note of where it started to fall apart.

As parents we are often part detective as we try to figure out our kids and the curriculum we may use or choose not to use.

So, although I did provide you with the above tips, know that these are things we do in our house which have worked for me.  They are not absolutes, take what you can and adapt my tips to help you conquer your  home school day.

One thing I do know for sure is  none of my kids are the same and the above tips come from a few years of me taking it one day at a time.  Each of my kids have their own learning styles unique to themselves and no matter how much they love a subject area, or not, they all have times where they just need me to be there for them.

Want more?  

Head over to watch my short  HSI Coffee Break  Video- Homeschooling Your Child’s Least Favourite Subject 

What tip is your favourite?