EXTRAS

Small dry erase boards & markers

• My favorite favorites! Use black EXPO ULTRA-FINE tip dry erase markers.
• Magnet the dry erase board to the back of a metal door or fridge for storage.
• Use for spelling, for math facts, for contests between kids
• Keep one on the fridge to keep track of any “consequences” your kids earn during the day or things you need to do later so you don’t forget

Page protectors

• Enables you to reuse worksheets for multiple kids or for practice
• Put mazes and preschool workbooks in page protectors
• Keep chore lists in page protectors & post them

“Eye Lighter” or reading guides

• Love these for the struggling reader to help them keep their place.
• These are see-through to encourage them to look on to the next line for better fluency, rather than blocking that.

Reusable sticky index tabs

• Use these in big textbooks or teacher’s guides

Reinforced notebook paper in 3-ring binders

• Each child has one 3-ring binder for the year with tabs for their non-workbook paperwork, such as writing, history, science, etc.
• Put their schoolwork checklist in the cover

Label Maker

• Label the front of identical workbooks; Label drawers so kids know where to put away their stuff

 AUDIO-VISUAL

Audio Dramas & Books on CD

• Our culture has become extremely VISUAL. This is a way to train our AUDITORY skills.  An excellent way to make use of time in the car

Focus on the Family Radio Theater

• Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, Secret Garden, Les Miserables, The Hiding Place, Ben Hur and many, many more!
• Dramatic retellings – NOT unabridged readings of the books

Lamplighter Theater

• Radio Theater taken from old books. Very well done with a great message.

Jonathan Park

• Like “Adventures in Odyssey” – audio drama series with a creation focus

Brinkman Adventures

• Similar to “Jonathan Park” – but stories have a missionary focus

YouTube Videos

• Math Antics – the best videos we’ve found for teaching math concepts in a step-by-step easy-to-comprehend way
• Exercise videos – either watch “real” exercise videos or put on a worship song with a fast beat and march around the room with hand motions. Great to start the day, or break it up when there’s too much brain work.
• Science or History videos – on those days when we’re not doing a hands on science or History activity – we do a quick search for a video
• Worship song lyrics – great any time you need to refocus. You can make a “playlist” and have them playing in the background while you’re doing your chores, etc.  Low energy when you need that, or high energy when you need that.
• You can find me on YouTube as FormerAtheist58

MATH & SCIENCE

• Remember, your child’s character, is MORE important than their ability to do math. Not understanding math (or grammar or reading …) is not a character issue, complaining & being lazy & fearful is.  Encourage them with this!

Math U See

• Love Steve Demme’s teaching. We watch the video together weekly to make sure I teach correctly.
• Manipulatives are very helpful for kinesthetic (hands-on) learners
• Not a lot of drill for math facts.

Rapid Recall Math Facts

• Visual – flashcards; Auditory – listen to math facts; Kinesthetic – write down on worksheet
• GIVES them the ANSWERS which cuts down on frustration, gradually expects more of them.
• With the struggling learner, do math in short increments, modeling & giving lots of input – not expecting them to do it themselves until they get it.

Teaching Textbooks

• Easier curriculum, but still moves pretty quickly.
• Continuously review previous activities.
• Make sure they’re watching the lecture & doing their work
• Modify by using calculator if that’s needed. Set a timer if taking too long.

Apologia Science

• Love it! Intensive learning in one subject: Astronomy, Botany, Flying Creatures, Sea Creatures, Land Animals, Human Anatomy, Chemistry & Physics.  Starting in 1^st
• Fun, hands-on activities. Optional notebook to keep track of activities.

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY

Mystery of History (Volumes 1-4)

• Written in an interesting, conversational form
• Start at 2^nd Can go 2nd-5th, then repeat 6th-9th.
• Has great activities & weekly review. Has suggestions for books to read to go with the time periods.  Has mapping activities for each week.
• Get the PDF of the worksheets & print them off & make notebooks for your students in the summer so they’re ready.
• Suggestions for timeline & notecards.
• You can have a reader preread the book & do the notebooking worksheet (or folderbooks/lapbooks) available from MOH.
• Try using the “Challenge Cards”
• I read the lesson aloud while my children color pages & take notes using Myhomeschoolprintables. We have used the timeline cards from Myhomeschoolprintables to make timeline games.  You can prep these in the summer.

Notgrass History

• Includes Bible, Language Arts and History all in one.
• 5^th grade through high school
• America the Beautiful is TERRIFIC – but the reading books are more appropriate for 4-6^th For older ones, assign extra or different books.  Includes mapping activities!  (Note: I haven’t done “From Adam to Us” or “Uncle Sam”)

Geography Songs CD

Window on the World

Christian Heroes Then & Now by Janet & Geoff Benge

• Our favorite read alouds.
  

BIBLE

• Story Bibles – Egermeier Storybook Bible, Leading Little Ones to God, ESV Illustrated Family Bible
• Bible notebooks
• Scripture Typer
• Hymnals
• AWANA
• Everyone have their own Bible in the same translation

LANGUAGE ARTS

Abeka Basic Phonics flash cards

• Play games – lay them out on the floor & have them jump on them or play memory with them

Rod & Staff ABC Workbooks

• Train them to follow your directions, to do their best, to work independently. Use this to prepare them to do harder schoolwork later.

Pathway Readers

• Initially we read the stories 2-3 days in a row and break down the workbook activities 1-2 pages each day. We take turns reading a paragraph at a time.
• The workbooks are great for teaching vocabulary and phonics and other language arts skills like alphabetizing and syllables.
• For your younger ones, esp ones who struggle with their penmanship, don’t be afraid to have them dictate their answers to you. You’re working toward independence & excellence, but this can take time.  Work up to it.

Handwriting without Tears

Climbing to Good English

• Started in 3^rd I don’t want to spend a year teaching “this is a noun” when my child isn’t ready to comprehend that.  Have them memorize the definitions of nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc when they’re little, but don’t waste too much time on things they’re not mature enough to understand.
• Sometimes too much busy work, so we might do only every other problem.
• Includes poetry and writing activities!

Easy Grammar

• No writing component. You can alternate with “Climbing to Good English.”

All About Spelling

• Teacher intensive. Includes plenty of review.
• Great for students who need audio-visual-kinesthetic approach
• (For my child who learns spelling words quickly & easily, we use “Practical Spelling” which is an old school, inexpensive workbook of word lists + practice with Spelling City.com)

http://www.SpellingCity.com

• Pre-enter the word lists over the summer, then just assign them monthly
• I use a preset of 10 activities – beginning with pretests, ending with post-tests
• Keeps track of their scores
• Some activities take too long, so don’t assign those.  🙂

Journibles

• After their penmanship curriculum ends, then introduce “Journibles” for Bible “Copywork”

Victory Drill Book

• Teaches fluency in reading. Fluent readers are good readers.

SCHEDULING

Daily Order –

• The kids school work is divided into morning and afternoon, but not so much TIME dependent, as ORDER dependent
• Have daily checklist for chores & for school work

“Managers of their Home” by Terri Maxwell at http://www.Titus2.com

• This helped me to make the daily lists.
• Start with WHAT you want to accomplish in a WEEK, then find a realistic time for it. It might not be every day.  If you want time with each child each day, or each week – schedule that.  If you want time for a project you’re working on – schedule that.

Chores

• These grow with your kids. Start with what the youngest can do and work up from there.  Give each child the same # of chores, but not the same difficulty level.
• As a younger one becomes able to do it, shuffle the chores.
• Work yourself out of a job.
• Spend the summers training your kids how to do their own responsibilities.
• Give each child a “jurisdiction” they’re responsible for. Do this daily.
• When they’re little work in the same area of the house as the little ones.
• Check their work before they have free time.

Monthly Break-down or Homeschool Tracker

• Monthly breakdown = Use this for younger, parent-directed students. Plan out where you should be each month, building in some free time, giving more time off when you need it.
• HST = Use this for older, independent students. Enter everything over the summer, then assign it weekly

Plan Long-Term Goals

• If you’re not using ABEKA or another prepackaged curriculum for 12 years straight, it is very helpful to roughly plan out your years with the end in mind.

Make your own “Independent Drill book”

• This includes things they can do independently, especially for memorizing
• Terrific to free up your time to work one-on-one with a child who needs help
• Make colorful “posters” or add workbook pages they need to practice
• Math facts, Grammar, History/Science, Scripture memory, Spelling Rules
• Break it down with daily tabs (M-F)

Timers & Alarm Clocks

• Use your kitchen stove timer, or a timer on your phone – for getting kids to work LONGER/FASTER or to cut down on them being OVERWHELMED
• Use a nap button on an alarm clock or a CD to keep them productive in their rooms
• Alarm clocks to wake them in the morning & to get ready for bed at night

Google Calendar

• “To do” list, “Groceries” list
• Birthdays, schedule dates with husband & individual children
• Repeating activities
• Multiple shared calendars for husband & older children

Here is the audio from the talk titled, “These are a Few of my Favorite Things: What I Love After 15 Years Homeschooling,” that I gave at the MHEA conference in Starkville MS in May.

I’ve broken down the written notes into shorter posts that will be coming out next week.  Enjoy!

To God be the Glory,

TWIG