youTube Homeschool

Do you struggle to get some subjects in with your kids?  Or our your teaching methods just not meshing with the child's learning styles?  Why not let youTube teach for you?!

Here are some youTube resources that we have been using to enhance our homeschool.  Ha, not just enhance, it's actually doing the teaching for me!!

Handwriting

I found these great lessons to teach cursive writing.  The kids pull out their handwriting pages and practice along with the screen.  It goes slowly so that the children see the motions for forming cursive letters.  It has become a great resource for us, since I always have a baby or toddler in my lap grabbing at the pages, I can let technology teach my kids.

Social Studies

We love to listen to Smart Songs.  They have so much information packed into their songs.  We first began listening to them when we were learning the presidents, but they also have songs about the Great Depression, the continents, the states, money management, government, and more.

CC Resources

CC Happy Mom geography songs.  Here is one below, but I recommend all of her geography songs and motions!

Preposition Songs

Piano

India

Resources for studying India

The Story of Amy Carmichael - book and movie by Christian Heroes Then & Now series.

Seeds

CC Cycle 1 Week 8

Seeds

We have enjoyed these books from the library

These books go nicely with Week 8 Science sentence on seeds.  It also touched on plant and fungi classifications.

Ziggurats

Learning about Ziggurats

• Draw a ziggurat. Use the Draw & Write through History: Vol. 1 as a guide.
• Read excerpts from Story of the World
• Read about the Tower of Babel.
• Relate it to Timeline, History and Geography.
• Work on paragraph from Essentials.

CC & Spelling and Handwriting

Incorporate Classical Conversations into our Spelling and Handwriting

• One goal is to learn to spell all of our prepositions and linking verbs this week.
• Younger children can use these words for handwriting practice and the older children are learning to write cursive, so they will learn to write the prepositions in cursive.
• Copywork for science or history can be used for handwriting or spelling practice as well.  
• I don't use a formal language arts program (aside from Essentials for my oldest).  We instead use whatever we are learning in CC or our Bible verses from AWANA for handwriting, grammar observation and for spelling.  
• For younger children, pick a few key words for them to learn to spell and they can fill in the blanks. 
• Older children can learn to spell every word in the verse or memory work.  

Plant Study

Resources for Plant Study

• Discover & Do Level K, by Sonlight dvd
• Magic School Bus Gets Planted, book and video (on Netflix)
• Apologia: Exploring Creation with Botany

Activities

• Make a nature journal.
• Try some of the experiments that are in the Discover & Do dvd, plant section.  There are some great ideas for teaching about seeds, plant growth, roots, etc.  It is also nice to just watch the video without having to find supplies for all the experiments.
• Get outside for observation.  Look at different types of plants and seeds.  Sprout some beans.  Watch them grow.  Plant them or plant other things in a garden.  

Egypt

Resources for studying ancient Egypt

Draw & Write through History, Volume 1 This book has several pictures relating to Egypt, including mummies, the Sphinx, pyramids, Moses crossing the Red Sea, and various pictures to represent the plagues on Egypt.  The mummy and Sphinx pictures relate nicely to Week 2 Fine Arts, mirror image lesson and the pyramid goes well with the Fine Arts perspective lesson.  This book is also includes cursive paragraphs that go with the lessons and they are written from a Christian perspective.

Ancient Egypt covers a thousand years.  Here are a few resources we are using:

• the biblical account in Exodus
• The Prince of Eygpt 
• a few short stories from The Story of the World
• Mummies in the Morning: a Magic Tree House book (and companion book)

Activity Ideas:

• Memorize the 10 Commandments, write them out on "stone tablets"
• Look at hieroglyphics, practice writing in pictures
• Look at maps of Egypt and the path of the Exodus
• Draw pictures of ancient Egypt using the drawing book
• Draw pictures from the biblical account, such as the plagues
• make a pyramid or mummy
• watch programs that relate to the pyramids, such as Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Relating Egypt to Cycle 1

• Geography and Map Studies
• Ten Commandments
• Timeline
• Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Thoughts on Latin

I love Latin!! In fact, I at one point wanted to be a Latin teacher.  I am excited about the opportunity to teach Latin to my children and other students at CC.

However, I know some of you are overwhelmed by Latin and don't have any background in it.  That's ok. Trust the memory work that Foundations is laying for us.  A lot of it may not make sense to our children yet, but the more they memorize, the easier it will be when they take Latin in middle school and high school.

On my very first day of Latin in high school, we learned a song for the noun declensions - which is what we are learning this year.  Knowing that song made reading Latin SOOO much easier.  So, it may seem pointless or boring or whatever to you at this point, but just learn the songs or chants (and keep it light and fun) and it will pay off dividends in the future.

For what it's worth, we learned first and second declensions to the tune of Jingle Bells.  Maybe I will post that song later this semester...

Making CC Work This Cycle

Typically, my approach to CC is:

• casually review throughout the week
• check out library books on topic
• research in more depth and give a presentation on something we learned two or three times a semester, not every week
• draw what we are learning, using our drawing books
• answer the questions the kids ask me about the vocabulary they have picked up from class

For Week 1

I probably won't make it to the library this week, but will use the BIBLE as our main source text this week. Too many things this week are easily related to the Bible:

• Ten Commandments
• Garden of Eden location - Euphrates and Tigris
• Creation
• Fall
• Flood
• Tower of Babel
• Classification of Living Things

Casually Review

We review on the go, sitting outside while snacking, or in the car or around the dinner table or sitting on the couch.  This is not book work time.  My older ones might read the flashcards, but generally its not a lot of reading or getting out books.  Sometimes we turn on the CD or youTube.  But if I know it, then we can review on the go, without using technology or even pulling out all the books.

We try to review the day after CC to get the memory work in our heads for the week.  The rest of the week, we can discuss the meaning of the facts we have memorized, through oral discussion or through library books or through learning videos, like Magic School Bus (like this week, we might find one about plants).

Go To Resources for CC This Year

Timeline Motions - printable version of the motions for Timeline song.  I will be teaching these to our community, so this has been very helpful.  I learned a lot of these last year along with my kids.  For those who are new to CC: Timeline is taught in all three cycles.

Half a Hundred Acre Wood - This website has a ton of ideas correlating to CC Cycle 1.  It has ideas by subject and by week.

Drawing Resources

Seasons & Climate

One book we read: On the Same Day in March 

Also, use a map that indicates different climates.  We used one from a book we found at the library.

See my blogpost about the moon, for ideas about teaching seasons.  It includes Scripture as well as activities.

Weather Scripture

Zechariah 10:1 "Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime, for it is the Lord who brings the thunderclouds."

1 Kings 17:1, 18:41-46  God tells Elijah it will not  rain for several years, and then God brings the rain in his timing.

Matthew 8:23-27 Jesus calms the storm.

Genesis 6-9 Noah and the flood

Psalm 19:4b-6  The sun, Psalm 104:19

Genesis 1:14-18 Sun, moon, and stars to mark seasons

Job 38:22-38  God's answer to Job, describing how God is in control of wind, snow, rain, lightening, etc.

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
    or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
    for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
    or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
    and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives,
    an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
    and make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
    Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
    Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
    when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
    Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons[c]
    or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
    Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
    and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
    Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f]
    or gives the rooster understanding?[g]
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
    Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard
    and the clods of earth stick together?

Snow

Read books

Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Cocoa Ice, by Diana Appelbaum

 

A much longer read, but a favorite of mine - The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Experiment

Make a "snowflake."  Use a pipe cleaner to make the shape of a snowflake.  Dip it into a solution of water mixed with borax.  Leave it overnight to crystalize.  For more details on this experiment, see our main text: Weather Thematic Units.

Cut out snowflake designs and discuss how they are different and similar from other students' snowflakes.

Actual observation

We live in Texas, so snow is not something we actually observe often, but for those who who live farther north, take an opportunity to make observations about snow, ice and cold.  What are different types of snow?  Can you see individual snowflakes?  Observe frost and ice on plants.

Water Cycle

• Vocabulary.  Precipitation, Evaporation, Condensation.  We stood up and had motions for these words.  Precipication - hands start high, rain down all the way to the floor.  Evaporation follows - from the floor all the way back up.  Condensation - clouds form - act like your are forming something with your hands.
• Discuss the water cycle and how clouds form.  A good resource is Magic School Bus.  I also just brought in several books from the library.  The Sonlight Series Discover & Do also has many activities to do with water.
• An experiment to make it rain.  You will need ice, boiling water, and a metal cookie sheet.  I have an electric kettle, which worked great for getting boiling water into the classroom.  We actually began the class by measuring 3 cups water into the kettle.  We turned it on at the beginning of the class to let it boil for most of the class time.  This boiling water was later used for the main experiment and then at the end of class, we measured how much water was left in the kettle to make an observation about evaporation.  The actual experiment:  Place ice on top of the cookie sheet.  Hold it over the boiling water.  Water droplets should form on the underside of the cookie sheet.  Point out that this water is not the ice leaking.  It is condensation.  When enough condensation forms, it rains back down.
• Observe the Actual Weather.  Throughout our weather study, we learned the tools of meterology.  So, for the water cycle, you can make a rain gauge, or at least discuss what one is.  You can also have the students start charting their own observations about the weather.  Our Saxon math curriculum often has them chart aspects of the weather.
• Discuss types of Precipitation.  We go into more detail in the weeks on snow and storms, but here mention rain, sleet, hail, snow, and other words for rain (like drizzle, mist, sprinkle, etc).  Finding a book with pictures of different types of precipitaion would also be helpful.

Here's a fun YouTube video about the Water Cycle:

Weather Resources

Cycle 2, second semester touches on weather.

I taught a ten week class for our co-op on Weather, for first and second graders.  Here is our basic syllabus, with activities and resources and ideas.

1. Water Cycle
2. Sun, Heat, Temperature
3. Wind, Air
4. Clouds, Atmosphere
5. Seasons, Climate
6. Cold, Snow
7. Storms, Lightening, Tornadoes
8. The Flood, and Rainbows
9. Erosion, Weathering
10. Review

My main text/resource for experiments, worksheets, and observation logs was Weather Thematic Unit (Thematic Units)

Each week, we

• learned new vocabulary
• read related Scripture
• looked at various books, or read a story
• conducted an experiment or completed an activity
• learned about instruments for measuring weather
• received an assignment and chart for observing the actual weather

Books

Videos

• Sonlight Science Discover & Do Videos - Level K has several experiments on air, Level 1 on water and Level 2 actually has a weather section. 
• Magic School Bus - the one on the water cycle and Inside a Hurricane

Skip Counting

Use of visuals

• 100 charts or other number charts so kids can see the numbers they are saying, or see the amount of numbers being skipped.  Saxon Math 3, Lesson 110 has multiple 100 charts where students are to color in multiples of 3 on one chart, mutliples of 4 on one chart, mutliples of 5 on another chart, etc and then identify patterns.
• Count actual objects.  Group them together by 6s, then count by 6.  When possible use items that naturally go in these number groups.  For example, pairs of socks, count by 2s.  Nickels to count by fives.  Use a cars for 4s and count the wheels.  Food often comes in packages of 6 or 8.  However, you might not have 12 packages of of hamburger buns on hand to practice 8s!
• Flashcards of the multiplication facts, for the third grade and up.  Remember, that to be a memory master, the older students need to know the multiplication facts, not just the skip counting.
• Worksheets.  Here are a few I found from Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood.
• Skip Counting with a NumberLine
• Circle and Count

Teaching Squares

Aside from just memorization through skip chanting and singing, it is helpful to use visual and real life application for teaching squares.  When a student can see it, it becomes obvious why we call these numbers perfect squares - they form a square when we use tiles or color in a graph.

Saxon Math 3- Lesson 67  Use a piece of graphing paper and color in 10 by 10 squares, 9 by 9 squares, 8 by 8 squares, etc.  This teaches area, arrays, squares, etc.  Apply it to real life, by measuring square feet of a room, or squares inches on a piece of material.  It is helpful to count tiles on a floor or a checkered type pattern on material, where you can actually see the number of squares adding up to the total square measurement.

Games

• "Buzz" the Number
• Pat and clap games.  Pat, pat, clap - for multiples of 3s. Count silently on the pats and out loud on the claps.
• Online games and drills.  Math-U-See, Toy Theater, 

"Buzz" the Number

My daughter and I ran across this game and it was harder than it sounds, but good practice on our multiples of 7s.

Take turns counting.  For every number that is a multiple of 7 or has the digit 7, say BUZZ instead of the number.  If you mess up, start all over.  See if you can make it to 100 (or even higher!).

For example,
1-2-3-4-5-6-buzz-8-9-10-11-12-13-buzz-15-16-buzz-18, etc...

We kept messing up, so we pulled out the hundred chart and circled all the multiples of 7s.  Then the numbers with a 7 digit.

There are endless variations of this game: different number of players, with or without the visual, different multiples, or with the squares or prime numbers.

Review Worksheets

History Cycle 3 Review Crossword Puzzle

People in History - Cycle 3

Grandparents Night

We are making a homeschool tradition of having Grandparents Night to showcase what we have learned through the year.  This has several benefits:

• Good motivation at the end of the school year to finish strong
• Great way to review and present projects
• Practice presentation skills
• Assure the Grandparents (and yourself) that you have learned something this year - that you are making good educational choices for your children

Here are some ideas from our Grandparent's Night last year:

• Recite Bible verses and poems
• Read a short story or a summary of a story
• Do a mini spelling and/or math bee
• Present a few projects: including a model of a tabernacle, an art chalk drawing
• Sing a few songs (months of the year for my preschooler and the books of the Bible by my second grader)
• Present our notebooks (which were by no means elaborate, but just a few samples of handwriting or maps or whatever).
• A song on the piano

How to Get out of the Homeschool Slump

Shoot for a Target. 

I am always more motivated when there is a goal and a deadline.  For example, we are highly motivated to complete assignments for our homeschool group or AWANAS at church.  I am a part of several homeschool groups, each with their varying opportunities.  We can sign up for a Spelling Bee for motivation to get going on our spelling practice, or sign up for a history or science fair, which provides a deadline to finish up some projects.  Form a book club with some other homeschool families for that extra nudge to read and study a book that you just don't seem to get around to.  We have participated in co-op classes and I have taught my children things we don't seem to get to at home - mad libs and word games or science experiments or sign language and music.

What if you don't have these group activities to motivate you?  Create your own event and deadline.  For example, we have a yearly Grandparents Night in either May or June.  This motivates us the last few weeks, when we are itching for summer break.  It is a nice way to wrap up the year, finishing projects and reviewing.  Or have your child explain what they are learning on video.  My younger children have recited verses on video and practiced counting money on video.  My older ones have explained posters they have made, given oral summaries of books they have read and  recited poems on video.  We also like to make up songs and skits and put those on video.  The kids enjoy watching themselves and then if we can review when we watch the videos next year.

Evaluate why you are struggling and come up with a solution.  

Here are some possible scenarios:

• Your schedule is thrown off because life happens.  Children are sick, family crisis happens, job change or moving, having a baby, too much activity outside the home.  All these things can throw off the routine and can claim emotional energy as well.  To solve this one: make your mind to move forward, without stressing about any loss time.  Set a new routine if necessary.  Don't stress about finishing every last page of your curriculum - that don't even do that in public school!  Decide to start moving forward again, even if the pace, curriculum or routine has changed.
• Consider changing curriculum or skipping something in your curriculum.  Maybe you and your child all dread reading through a particular book.  Move on to something more interesting.  Maybe a particular subject is causing tears and fights between mom and student, then maybe its time to try a new approach - a new curriculum or something that appeals better to their learning styles. Or take a break from a subject altogether and spend more time on the other subjects until everyone feels ready to try again.
• * Maybe its just general lack of motivation.  That's okay and normal.  Maybe you need to be a part of a homeschool support group.   I find the accountability of Classical Conversations and AWANAS as highly motivating.  Other co-ops may be what you need.  Also, don't be hard on yourself.  If regular, open the textbook and complete the worksheet type school is not happening now, remember that reading with your child is not nothing.  Watching educational programs and drawing and working out in the garden are valid parts of school.  You may feel like you are getting behind in school, but learning is still occurring.

Animals in the Bible

• Job 38-41 speaks of God as over creation, as the Creator.  Chapter 39 specifically discusses animals.  My favorite part is about the ostrich...  Job 40:15-24 is about the behemoth (possibly a hippo or elephant) and Job 41 is about the leviaton.
• Proverbs 30:18-19, 24-31  Observations about animals 
  
• Psalm 104 - how the Lord takes care of animals
• Leviticus 11 specifies clean and unclean animals.
• Genesis 6:18-7:4 Noah to bring 2 of every kind of animal, 7 pairs of clean animals.
• This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but provides some observations about animals.

To supplement any animal study, I recommend these drawing resources.

Why AWANAS has become a major part of our Homeschool Day

This semester AWANAS, specifically the third grade T&T book has become a major part of our school day.  We are working on the bonus sections.  It includes activities such as:

• make a solar system
• read a missionary book
• memorize John 3:16 in another language
• daily Bible readings with questions
• research projects on biblical topics
• making up a game to memorize the books of the Bible

We have been able to use AWANAS as a major source of curriculum:

• handwriting, spelling of Bible verses
• writing paragraphs on various topics 
• research skills
• how to use a concordance, dictionary, etc
• reading (missionary stories, Bible verses, research)
• science (the Solar system, specifically)
• history (Bible and how it relates to Timeline)
• art (various posters, drawings, etc)

Drawing Books, Supplement to CC

Just ordered the boxed set of Draw * Write * Now.  I have used Book 5 for many lessons and I look forward to using the other books in the future.



I also ordered a set of Draw & Write through History.  I have not used this series yet, but it looks like it will go well with CC cycle 1 in the fall.  I think the pictures in this series are a bit harder to draw than the other series.
 

I also really like "I can draw animals" and "I can draw people" by Usborne Playtime.

Where in the Bible is Classifying Animals Mentioned?

As we learn the classification of living things over the next several weeks, let's see what the Bible has to say.

In the beginning, in Genesis, God creates living things.  His last special creation is man, after all the other living things.  But God allows his man Adam to name the animals.  See Genesis 2:19-20

Wisdom of Solomon: 1 Kings 4:29-34  Solomon described plant and animal life.

Creation Made According to its Kind  This concept, course, is mentioned in the days of creation in Genesis 1, but it is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:35-41.  Each creation has its own seed and its own splendor.

More on Animals in the Bible

For more resources on Animal Studies:

Drawing Resources

                

Educational Websites

• Book Adventure
• SpellingCity.com
• Starfall.com
• ToyTheater.com

Timeline

Living Books

Reading real books makes a subject come to life in a much more powerful way than just reading a few facts in a text book or online.  These books show how God was at work in the midst of events in history.  It shows how God used missionaries to bring hope to those suffering in aftermath of war or in the slave trade.

• Boer Wars & Slave Trade  David Livingstone, Christian Heroes: Then & Now series by YWAM
• WWII  Jacob Deshazer, Christian Heroes: Then & Now series by YWAM
• Communism  Brother Andrew, Christian Heroes: Then & Now series by YWAM

We will also be using The Story of the World: Volume 1: Ancient Times this year.  Volume 1 goes along well with Cycle 1, but it also goes along with Timeline.

The Bible as a Reference

Of course some events on the timeline are obviously from the Bible (i.e. the ones that mention Israel), but I want to include how we can discuss events in history in light of Scripture.

• History of Religion
• World Empires (Alexander the Great)

Motions

Timeline Motions - Printable version of the motions for the timeline song.  I find the motions can teach a lot about the meaning in a just a few seconds.  For example, just saying "Benedict and Monasticism" doesn't have a lot of meaning, but the motion is to act like you are putting on your monastery hood.  

Geography, History and Timeline Connection

Where is Alexander the Great in the Bible?

Well, he is not mentioned by name in the Bible, but there are prophecies about him and other world leaders.  The other day, my second grader was reading a few pages in a history textbook about Alexander the Great and the end of the Persian Empire.  We then went to the Bible.

Daniel 2 is a vision of King Nebuchadnezzar about the future kingdoms of the world.  We read and talked about the statue and what it represents and how it has been fulfilled in history already.

Head of Gold - Babylon
Chest of Silver - Persia (Medo-Persian)
Bronze Thighs - Greece
Iron Feet- Rome
Clay and Iron Toes - Now, divided nations, no world power
The Rock - Jesus and establishing His Kingdom that will not be defeated

I found this article that helped me understand how other Daniel prophecies have been fulfilled.  Daniel 8 specifically mentions the kings of Media and Persia and Greece. This article explains in much better detail how Alexander the Great fits in the Bible.

I did not share all the details of the article with my daughter (I read the article after the fact).  I was familiar that Daniel prophesied about the future kingdoms, but I was fuzzy on the details. So don't feel intimidated if you don't know about these prophecies - I don't either.  But let's take the opportunity to bring in the Bible when we can and show our children that:

God has a plan for the nations and He is at work throughout history.

CC Week 18 Cycle 3

History

WWII

• Jacob Deshazer, from the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series, by YWAM  

He was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese.  He became a Christian, and then a missionary to the Japanese, because he was able to forgive them by the power of God.  We were inspired by this story and learned so much about WWII.

• Molly books from the American Girl series

These books are from a child's perspective, whose father is in the war and what life is like back in the United States during war time.  More light-hearted than the above missionary story.

CC Week 24 Cycle 3

Presidents

Songs

• "President's Rap" by Smart Songs - We have learned so much from this song!! We watched it on YouTube as well, and now my daughter looks at a $20 bill and says, "He's the one that led the common man's cause - Andrew Jackson"
• Anamaniacs - "Presidents"
• To the Tune of "Yankee Doodle"

Simply Presidential

A curriculum that teaches about each president.  We just ordered this curriculum and I enjoyed the Simply Stated curriculum that is by Kreative Simplicity.  It also comes with a coloring book of first ladies.

Childhood of Famous American series

Many great read alouds about various presidents.

Draw * Write * Now: Book 5 There is a section on how to draw George Washington, as well as a section on coins and finding presidents on money.

Documentaries

History Channel's The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents  (also on Netflix)

Read Aloud Series

YWAM's Christian Heroes: Then & Now Series 

Missionary stories, including David Livingstone, George Mueller, Jacob Deshazer and many others.

Childhood of Famous Americans

This series includes presidents, inventors, and other historic figures.  We have read Annie Oakley, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, the Wright brothers, Davy Crockett and several others.

Box Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner