Learning How to Lapbook
1At the 2010 Texas Home School Book Fair, I came across a vendor that sold history lapbooks. This piqued my interest and I began researching how to make my own. That led me to a few web sites that have a lot to say on the subject.
Lapbooks are creative folders/notebooks that highlight what a student learns during a unit study. Think of them as a cross between scrapbooking and journaling. Lapbooks are filled with smaller sections, or “books,” and can be personalized to reflect each student’s age, giftings and interests.
If you are looking to learn more about lapbooking (what it is and how to execute it) then you’ll appreciate the sites I found. Lapbooking can be especially effective for a creative child who appreciates adding an artistic twist to their subjects or helping you jazz up new subjects for reluctant learners. Check out these handy sites:
Lapbook Lessons: This site is dedicated to lapbooking, complete with FREE lapbooks, ideas for creating your own and a forum so you can glean and share ideas with other homeschoolers.
How to Plan a Lapbook: At the end of this page there is a list of additional lapbook sites. Together, these give a great overview of how to create your own lapbook.
Also, if you’d like a book about it, here’s a great one The Ultimate Lap Book Handbook
If you have used lapbooking in your homeschool, tell me about it. Or if you have other great lapbooking sites, please share. Happy homeschooling!
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 3 Vendors
1More than 200 vendors—curriculum suppliers, authors, booksellers, online schools and service organizations—attended this year’s conference. With all the excitement and energy in the room, it would be easy to get overwhelmed.
I was thankful that I had planned for my visit. This kept me from getting caught off guard and caught up in the frenzy of activity. This was a relief to my budget and my sanity. My husband and I moved from booth to booth, thought about our homeschool for next year and even made notes for future years. It helped having him with me because we made united decisions. He loved the Learning Language Arts through Literature
I especially loved talking to the leaders of the International ALERT Academy, a non-denominational Christian training and service organization that encourages father-son relationships. And the leaders of Champion Chess made a strong case for teaching chess, with all its logic and problem solving, to children. They even hosted a Kids’ Chess Tournament on Saturday afternoon. Several colleges and universities attended the conference, making it clear that the question of whether or not homeschool students can get into college is a silly one.
During my visit, I had the chance to sit down with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason and ask her about the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. It was a lot of fun to meet Sonya and look at several of the Simply Charlotte Mason products that I had read so much about. Take a look at our interview.
Next year’s conference is scheduled for May 6-7, 2011. I look forward to attending it again—minus my 20+ pound mascot—and seeing what new products are available. If you are able, make plans to attend next year’s conference or another conference in your area. There is nothing like coming together with homeschoolers from around your state to share ideas, trade war stories and encourage one other. And there’s also nothing quite as reassuring as examining curriculum up close to see if it’s right for your student. As great as recommendations and reviews are, no one knows your child quite like you and only you know when a curriculum will work. Happy homeschooling, everyone!
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 2 Workshops
0Conference goers had the option of attending 30 workshops. Identical workshops were held both days. The workshops consisted of general sessions by well-known speakers Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis, Tim and Lyndsay Lambert of the Texas Home School Coalition, Zan Tyler of Apologia Educational Ministries, Rosie Watson of The Center for Home Education and Todd Wilson of Familyman Ministries.
Special workshops included topics like “Which Way Do I Go? by Smoothing the Way spokesman Mary James, “Homeschooling Only One Student” by Donna Conner and “Special Needs Kids Fellowship” by Doug and Patsy Arnold. Vendor workshops were led by:
- College Prep Genius
- Excellence in Writing
- Gravitas Publicantions
- Homeschool Math
- Homeschool Travel
- Homeschool-How-To’s
- Joyful Living Distributors
- La Clase Divertida
- Latin Road/Phonics Road
- National Academy for Child Development
- Olive Tree Home School Resources
- Razzle Dazzle Learning Company
- RightStart Mathematics
- Scripture Memory Fellowship International
- Sonlight Curriculum
- Writing Strands
I visited the workshop “Give Your Children the Advantage in Science” by Patty Myers of Gravitas Publications and Real Science-4-Kids
Curriculum author Rebecca W. Keller, Ph.D.’s approach to teaching Chemistry, Biology and Physics, (Earth & Space is coming this summer) is logical and interesting. I previewed the material online before the conference and was impressed that although it broke scientific concepts down into easy-to-understand lessons, it didn’t talk down to the student, something I had found in other texts. I also liked that the experiments used everyday items.
Real Science-4-Kids begins with Pre-Level 1 for grades K-3, then continues with Level 1 for grades 4-6 and Level 2 for grades 7-9. Each level revisits the previous level’s material but in greater depth. Myers admitted that by the end of Level 2, students will have covered high school level material and could CLEP out of taking any more science courses. The levels are sold in Real Science-4-Kids Bundles
Additional online resources and support are available through the publisher’s Club Services. It includes online testing, videos of Dr. Keller teaching a class, conducting an experiment and giving talks at conferences. There are also additional experiments offered online, something that one conference attendee who had used the curriculum admitted she would use.
Another mother, who had used multiple levels and books, admitted, “I understood science, and I am not a science person.”
While I eventually decided to wait another year before introducing my child to the curriculum, I look forward to using it in my homeschool.
Next time, I’ll share about the vendors I met and share my interview with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason. So be sure to check back.
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 1
0Last week, I attended the 2010 Texas Home School Book Fair in Arlington, Texas. It was a great experience visiting the vendors, looking at products and attending workshops.
The convention was organized by Hearth and Home Ministries at the Arlington Convention Center. It grew out of one homeschooling mother’s frustration. She wanted the opportunity to shop for curriculum for her children all in one place.
“As a new home school mom, I was frustrated that I couldn’t go any place and shop for curriculum,” said Hearth and Home Ministries co-founder Beverly McCord. “Few publishers would sell directly to us because the majority of them thought we were incompetent to teach our own children.”
Much to her surprise, that first convention drew 1450 homeschooling parents. A decade later, that number grew to 6000 homeschool families. And, it continues to grow today.
A few things struck me about this convention. First was the efficiency and graciousness of the volunteers. I hadn’t pre-registered, so I had the pleasure of standing in a long line. Actually, my husband stood in line while I tended to our baby. The volunteer at the front of the line efficiently, yet kindly, moved everyone through the line.
As we entered the convention floor, volunteers greeted us with bags and smiles. Many of these volunteers were young people who took their jobs seriously and worked with a professionalism that is sometimes rare among those their age.
The hardest part of the convention for our family was that no strollers or wheeled bags were allowed. We had no choice but to carry our 20+pound baby through the convention. You can imagine that doing this for several hours can be challenging. So that was disappointing, however, the nursing mother’s room was comfortable and stocked with water, mints and two baby changing areas. And although I didn’t use it, many patrons checked their purchases in the Check Room so they wouldn’t have to schlep heavy packages around all day or make multiple trips to their cars.
It’s also important to point out that the day before the convention began was Homeschool Day at Six Flags Over Texas. The park was closed to outside visitors, so homeschool families could combine the convention with the amusement part to make a short family vacation. That alone makes the Texas Home School Book Fair a real treat.
Stay tuned. Tomorrow I’ll share what I found with the workshops.
Public School Socialization
0One of the biggest objections to homeschooling involves socialization. Bring up the topic of homeschooling in mixed company, and inevitably, someone will ask the question, “But what about friends?” or “How will kids learn to get along with others?”
Many think that by sending children to traditional schools, they’ll learn how to relate well with their peers. That’s why I found a comment in the April 25, 2010 Parade magazine interesting. In the article entitled “How Sports Can Change a Girl’s Life,” journalist Sara Paretsky profiles the nonprofit Chicago outreach Girls in the Game (GIG). Paretsky writes that one of the benefits of the extra-curricular sports program is its ability to teach participants healthy social skills.
She writes, “In many Chicago public schools, lunch breaks can last only 15 minutes, there’s no recess, and talking in the halls is prohibited. In such an environment, students may grow up with few chances to learn and practice social skills… Girls often come into GIG knowing only one, very angry, way to interact.”
This was another reminder that traditional schools may not be the best way to teach children positive socialization skills. Such skills really should start at home.
Homeschooling and Cyber Schools
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In the April 25,2010 issue of Parade magazine, there was a short article entitled “Who Should Fund Cyber Schools?” that I found interesting. According to the article, more than 175,000 students in 25 states attend public school from the comfort of their computers, and that number grows 30% each year. It estimates “that half of all high school courses will be taught on the Web in 10 years.”
The article reported that each time a student leaves a public brick-and-mortar school for a public cyber school, like K-12 Online Learning, districts are forced to send that student’s funding to the online school. John Halfhill, Superintendent of Pennsylvania’s Southmoreland school district, said, “In my district, we’re outperforming the cyber schools in almost every regard based on achievement data, yet we are funding those schools.”
This statement struck me as funny. Homeschoolers and private school patrons, in general, significantly outperform public schools, and yet we, the tax paying parents, continue to “fund” those schools with our taxes. So, Mr. Halfhill, welcome to our world.
Mr. Halfhill should also remember that school districts are not the ones “funding” the cyber schools, taxpayers are, and if students can receive a better or safer or more personalized education through public cyber schools, then why shouldn’t they? Why not give students a choice?
What do you think, homeschoolers? Let me know your thoughts.
FREE Running Plan for Teens
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Are you a homeschooler looking for a new idea for your teen’s P.E. credits? Does your budget prohibit you from signing each of your children up for team sports or private lessons, but you still want them to learn a sport? Do you find it challenging to teach sports because you, yourself, don’t enjoy them? If so, why not try running? Running is a relatively inexpensive sport that only requires a good pair of running shoes and wide open spaces.
I know from experience that running is an enticing practice. My husband began running at the end of last year. Seeing his success, I decided to take it up again. I had enjoyed it several years ago, but after struggling with reoccurring foot problems, I had given it up. Now, a few short months later, armed with some good shoes, an easy running program and a new appreciation, I am enjoying the sport. Our family even had the joy of seeing my husband run his first race. I’ll run mine in June, so stay tuned.
The program we use is a free internet download called Podrunner. It offers three workout series. The first is called First Day to 5k, a 9-week program that can be downloaded into an iPod. The workouts consist of varying instrumental (mostly) techno music beats with signals for when to walk, when to run and when to cool down. Participants should complete the corresponding workout three times before progressing, with a day of rest between each workout. Each week, Podrunner increases the workout’s duration and intensity. By the end of the nine weeks, runners are running a continuous 30 minutes, or 5k. Once your student has completed First to 5k, they can continue with Podrunner’s subsequent programs, Gateway to 8k and a Freeway to 10k.
Sounds scary, right? Well, it isn’t. Yes, it’s challenging, but that’s part of the beauty, allure and power of running. Running is 90% mental. Even when your body can physically complete the exercise, your mind must believe it. Running teaches you to push yourself to overcome doubts, negative self-talk and even the discomfort of the elements. This kind of mental discipline is a valuable part of anyone’s success—not only for running, but for life.
As a wrap up for the course, students can enjoy the thrill of signing up for a local race. You may even decide to make running a family event by training for and running a race together. Like us, it can be the start of a healthy new family hobby.
A few things to keep in mind before you start this program:
- Check with your doctor before starting a program like this, especially if your student has been inactive or is overweight.
- Invest in good running shoes. Running is a relatively inexpensive sport, but good running shoes are a must. I mentioned before that I suffered from foot problems for years. Little did I know that these problems came from ill-fitting shoes and inadequate stretching. A running store will watch your student walk/run and fit them with appropriate shoes.
- Warm up before starting and stretch after cooling down. As I found out the hard way, this goes a long way to preventing injury.
So there you have it, an inexpensive and new way to up your homeschool P.E. game. Add a science study on the science of running (i.e. human anatomy and kinesiology) and you have the making of a great unit study. You never know, you may be introducing your family to life-long habit. Happy homeschooling, everybody!
Thousands of Public School Teacher Jobs at Risk
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Between the obvious benefits of homeschooling and the tenuous atmosphere surrounding America’s public schools, I’m more convinced than ever that homeschooling will continue to grow and become a major player in our country’s educational system.
Just look at the facts. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education, homeschool students increased 29% from 1999 to 2003. The National Home Education Research Institute estimates that they continue to grow at a rate of 5-12% each year. But now with the latest news regarding the future of America’s public schools, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a surge in these numbers.
Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, has reported that as many as 300,000 teacher jobs may be cut across the nation this year. The reason? America’s weak economy has forced school districts to make due with less, thus cutting jobs and programs. And while last year’s stimulus helped save jobs last year, that money is gone.
“Not only do schools need to go on a diet, they need to adopt a whole new way of life,” said Michael J. Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit educational think tank. “This money is gone, and it’s not coming back soon.”
Ron Allen of NBC reported that New York will cut 15,000 teachers, Illinois another 17,000, and California will lose 22,000 jobs by June. The effects of this downsizing will resort in larger classrooms with some estimates as high as 40 students to one teacher. Programs for art, music and sports will also feel the ax.
While homeschooling may not be an option for all families, with America’s education system facing such a bleak future, it’s not out of the question for families who do have a choice to begin looking for alternatives. Check out the full story here.
FREE Resources for Charlotte Mason Homeschoolers
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When I first began studying homeschooling methods, I kept coming across the name Charlotte Mason. To be honest, I really didn’t get her method of homeschooling. It just didn’t click. I didn’t understand what made her style of educating different, or what was meant by using “real books.” Then I came across a site that has become one of my favorite sources on the Web for homeschooling: Simply Charlotte Mason.
Veteran homeschoolers Sonya Shafer, Karen Smith and their families have created a site dedicated to encouraging other homeschoolers in the Charlotte Mason method. Their site offers several FREE e-books that explain the method. I especially liked Sonya Shafer’s book, Education Is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life. It is a great condensed introduction to what Charlotte Mason actually wrote in her original series.
Simply Charlotte Mason offers several other FREE helps that I return to time and time again. Its free curriculum guide, complete with living book suggestions, is a wonderful resource. SCM has also added short teaching videos to its site where Sonya Shafer offers tips for things like scheduling, teaching and more.
Even today, I had questions about teaching spelling to my child. I’m not interested in buying a complex spelling curriculum with an arbitrary collection of word lists. I would prefer to have our spelling studies come out of our reading. Watching Shafer’s video, Prepared Dictation, gave me the guidance I needed.
The Simply Charlotte Mason forum is also very encouraging and active. Shafer is often available to answer questions and regularly offers feedback to visitors. I also appreciate that when I receive newsletter emails from this company they offer more than spam for their latest product, a pet peeve of mine with some other homeschooling sites. Instead, Simply Charlotte Mason includes relevant, interesting and useful information in their newsletters. Of course, not everything on the website is free, but the products that are for sale are reasonably priced.
So there it is, my glowing recommendation for Simply Charlotte Mason. I promise, I’m not getting a kick back for this. I’m just very appreciative to these two fellow homeschoolers and their families. They have helped me understand and implement the Charlotte Mason method into my home school, and I’m sure they can do the same for you.
Living Math: Bringing Math to Life
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If there is one subject that can scare students, it’s math. Opinions are plentiful among homeschoolers on the best method and curriculum to use to make math click. And while homeschoolers’ opinions, approaches and curriculums are diverse, the Progress Report 2009, conducted by Brian Ray, Ph.D., president of the non-profit National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), showed that homeschoolers are, in fact, doing a good job of teaching this sometimes difficult subject. On average, homeschooled students scored in the 84th percentile in math on standardized tests compared to their public school peers, who only scored in the 50th percentile. But even with this glowing report, homeschoolers may be searching for help. That’s why finding math resources to supplement a student’s learning is a godsend. Living Math offers just that.
While researching a new math curriculum, I came across this website. What I found was a wonderful library of creative ideas and suggestions for making math come alive. I especially love the recommended reading lists. If you follow the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, or simply like the idea of using living books to bring your child’s learning to life, then you’ll probably love this list too.
Living Math does offer some paid-for curriculum and is in the process of releasing new curriculum, but developer Julie Brennan, fellow homeschooler and CPA, offers an abundance of FREE information—articles, games, books, websites, etc.—to help you breathe life into your children’s math.
So take a look at the Living Math website and see if you are as inspired as I was. Happy homeschooling!