Today is Music appreciation day... for us. We listen to a lot of music, sing a lot of songs, and make up our own songs all the time. But today is different. Today we are listening to a different style of music, moving to it, and using instruments to add to it.
We are currently using a DVD we were given called "Animusic a computer animation video album". Its is a collection of digital music put together with animation of instruments. In other words, the instruments are designed to play themselves or to allow nature to play them, all done in computer animation.
This is a differnt style of music than is normal for my children, and it also has great range of movement rhythms. They are dancing around, bouncing around, swaying, bending, jumping, reaching, and mimicking the instruments.
It's a fun way to explore a little music and their bodies, but it's also a great way to get them to move inside when the weather isn't the best, or they're a little on the sick side (Gabi started the day sick today and ended up home from school, but is feeling quite a bit better now).
This could also be done with any other music. Even creating a mixer of various speeds and styles of music for them to listen and move to would accomplish the same thing.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Adventure of Reading
We have a reading time every day. Some days it's only me reading to the kids. When we do that, we're working on comprehension because I'll ask them questions like "how do you think (fill in the blank) feels?" or "where did (fill in the blank) go?" Other times each child gets a chance to read to me.
Gabi reads her chapter books, a chapter at a time. Sometimes she reads them on her own for silent reading and then tells me everything she can about the chapter. (I've read the book ahead of time so I can direct her with questions that make her stop and think). Other times, she reads the chapter aloud to me or her Dad. This allows us to make sure she's pronouncing her words correctily when she reads and gives us an opportunity to correct them and explain certain "exceptions to the rules" of which there are a lot.
Beth typically reads the easy readers, any level up through 4, by herself and to her brothers. When she reads with me (which is at least three times a week), she reads one page and I read another. She is also reading chapter books this way. We talk about what is happening as we go along. This has helped her to not get frustrated and to comprehend what she's reading.
Jeremy is in the "memorize" stage. This is a good stage, as it helps with visual recognition. Usually I read him a short book several times. I point to the words along the way. Then he usually takes the book from me and points to the words and says the "memorized" story back to me. Again, we talk about what is happening, how people feel, etc to help him learn to find these things as he reads.
Peter, well, we just read whatever he wants us too right now. He's not quite one, so the exposure is the most important part.
A couple of problems that we've found, which are normal, for early readers. The first is that they read far beyond their ability to comprehend. Thus all the work on comprehension. Second, finding books at their level but also appropriate for their age and interests is very difficult. We've been wandering around this for over a year now, but we've found with a parent reading side by side, that we can guide them through understanding concepts that are a little out of their familiar zone. Be careful, though, because if it's too far away from what they can imagine, then they won't get it. This happened with Gabi and the "Boxcar Children" series. When it happened, we gave it up and moved on to something else.
If your child is just starting to put letters together or learning the letter sounds, both Starfall and PBS (SuperWhy and Between the Lions) are good for interactive help on this.
Good Luck
Gabi reads her chapter books, a chapter at a time. Sometimes she reads them on her own for silent reading and then tells me everything she can about the chapter. (I've read the book ahead of time so I can direct her with questions that make her stop and think). Other times, she reads the chapter aloud to me or her Dad. This allows us to make sure she's pronouncing her words correctily when she reads and gives us an opportunity to correct them and explain certain "exceptions to the rules" of which there are a lot.
Beth typically reads the easy readers, any level up through 4, by herself and to her brothers. When she reads with me (which is at least three times a week), she reads one page and I read another. She is also reading chapter books this way. We talk about what is happening as we go along. This has helped her to not get frustrated and to comprehend what she's reading.
Jeremy is in the "memorize" stage. This is a good stage, as it helps with visual recognition. Usually I read him a short book several times. I point to the words along the way. Then he usually takes the book from me and points to the words and says the "memorized" story back to me. Again, we talk about what is happening, how people feel, etc to help him learn to find these things as he reads.
Peter, well, we just read whatever he wants us too right now. He's not quite one, so the exposure is the most important part.
A couple of problems that we've found, which are normal, for early readers. The first is that they read far beyond their ability to comprehend. Thus all the work on comprehension. Second, finding books at their level but also appropriate for their age and interests is very difficult. We've been wandering around this for over a year now, but we've found with a parent reading side by side, that we can guide them through understanding concepts that are a little out of their familiar zone. Be careful, though, because if it's too far away from what they can imagine, then they won't get it. This happened with Gabi and the "Boxcar Children" series. When it happened, we gave it up and moved on to something else.
If your child is just starting to put letters together or learning the letter sounds, both Starfall and PBS (SuperWhy and Between the Lions) are good for interactive help on this.
Good Luck
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Sites to Try Out
Thought you might be interested in this site I came across. I was looking for science projects and activities to do with toddlers and found this site which seems to have some of that and more. Let me know what you think. I'll be checking it out further over the next couple of weeks.
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/
Also, some other sites I've found along the way I think might be worth checking out.
http://members.tripod.com/~Patricia_F/mathscience.html
http://www.kidport.com/
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Lesson_Plans/
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/
http://www.teach-nology.com/
http://www.ngdir.ir/SiteLinks/Kids/html/g0001.htm
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/
Also, some other sites I've found along the way I think might be worth checking out.
http://members.tripod.com/~Patricia_F/mathscience.html
http://www.kidport.com/
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Lesson_Plans/
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/
http://www.teach-nology.com/
http://www.ngdir.ir/SiteLinks/Kids/html/g0001.htm
Monday, January 14, 2008
Some Things We Did With What We Had
There are lots of things we've done over the years, but I won't mention them all. Many may come up on their own simply because we've still got children from baby up. But, I did want to share what did today.
I recently discovered that Jeremy, although knowing his alphabet and what most of the letter sounds are, does not recognize his letters out of sequence. So, we have several toys around our house with the alphabet. With one, it's magnets, I picked a random one and asked him what it was. If he got it right, he got to use that magnet. If it was wrong, it went back in the bucket. In either case, we said the correct letter, the sound and something that began with that letter. The other thing we did was to use letter blocks. I'd take one out at random and tell him the letter, the sounds and the two pictures that went with it. He repeated each and then was given the block to add to a tower.
During this time, Beth had a bunch of letters that stick together (a game from The Learning Center). She used that to practice spelling her words.
Next we got out some little rocks (the kinds you can buy in the craft section of the store for vases or such). We have three colors. First we sorted (a group things since this skills is already known for each). Then I put out a simple pattern for Jeremy and a complex pattern for Beth. They completed their patterns.
Beth also worked on math doing simple addition. Using the rocks again, she grouped out each number given, then combined them to see how many they made.
In each case, we worked only until they were tired of that particular activity.
Just before dinner, we looked up the nutritional value of the food items we had used in making dinner. This not only helped them to see which things their bodies need, but it got them excited and willing to eat some of the foods they normally complain about.
Some sites we like (though not used today) are: starfall.com, littlefingers.com, pbs.org (especially Arthur for the nutrition stuff and for SuperWhy for reading comprehension).
I recently discovered that Jeremy, although knowing his alphabet and what most of the letter sounds are, does not recognize his letters out of sequence. So, we have several toys around our house with the alphabet. With one, it's magnets, I picked a random one and asked him what it was. If he got it right, he got to use that magnet. If it was wrong, it went back in the bucket. In either case, we said the correct letter, the sound and something that began with that letter. The other thing we did was to use letter blocks. I'd take one out at random and tell him the letter, the sounds and the two pictures that went with it. He repeated each and then was given the block to add to a tower.
During this time, Beth had a bunch of letters that stick together (a game from The Learning Center). She used that to practice spelling her words.
Next we got out some little rocks (the kinds you can buy in the craft section of the store for vases or such). We have three colors. First we sorted (a group things since this skills is already known for each). Then I put out a simple pattern for Jeremy and a complex pattern for Beth. They completed their patterns.
Beth also worked on math doing simple addition. Using the rocks again, she grouped out each number given, then combined them to see how many they made.
In each case, we worked only until they were tired of that particular activity.
Just before dinner, we looked up the nutritional value of the food items we had used in making dinner. This not only helped them to see which things their bodies need, but it got them excited and willing to eat some of the foods they normally complain about.
Some sites we like (though not used today) are: starfall.com, littlefingers.com, pbs.org (especially Arthur for the nutrition stuff and for SuperWhy for reading comprehension).
Why This Blog? - Educating The Whole Child
First I think it's important to note that education takes many forms. Education is a whole person, all life experience. That being said, it is also important to note that no matter how you formally educate your children, the primary responsibility still belongs to the parents. So, although this blog may seem geared entirely to homeschooling, the reality is that any of these things can be done as a supplement to any other form of education, even the traditional public schooling.
From the time our children are born, we are teaching them skills and knowledge which will enable them to be better people and able to function within the world. I often think back to a remark one mother said to me which was "You're a homeschooler. Whether or not you do it officially, you are already a homeschooler." She went on to say that taking the time to work with my children shows in what they have been able to learn for real life as well as brains. I want to add that all homes, all locations, all vacations, etc are homeschool environments in this particular view of homeschooling. It is not that they are traditional homeschools by societies standards, but rather that they are places which foster learning and growth.
It's also important to recognize that we ought to wisely use the resources available to us, no matter which type of education we decide is right for our children. This includes mentors, teachers, schools, clubs, sports, reliable and wholesome internet sources, libraries, churches, etc. Though we should not over schedule or over burden our children and our families, these resources are available and can assistant and help with the learning process and should not be overlooked.
With this in mind, we've created this blog as a place to share ideas about educating the whole child. We welcome your input and your experiences in regards to education. We hope that all may benefit from the educational link we're starting.
From the time our children are born, we are teaching them skills and knowledge which will enable them to be better people and able to function within the world. I often think back to a remark one mother said to me which was "You're a homeschooler. Whether or not you do it officially, you are already a homeschooler." She went on to say that taking the time to work with my children shows in what they have been able to learn for real life as well as brains. I want to add that all homes, all locations, all vacations, etc are homeschool environments in this particular view of homeschooling. It is not that they are traditional homeschools by societies standards, but rather that they are places which foster learning and growth.
It's also important to recognize that we ought to wisely use the resources available to us, no matter which type of education we decide is right for our children. This includes mentors, teachers, schools, clubs, sports, reliable and wholesome internet sources, libraries, churches, etc. Though we should not over schedule or over burden our children and our families, these resources are available and can assistant and help with the learning process and should not be overlooked.
With this in mind, we've created this blog as a place to share ideas about educating the whole child. We welcome your input and your experiences in regards to education. We hope that all may benefit from the educational link we're starting.
So far with liliana...
Well. There are many things about home schooling that I am looking forward to.
Right now with liliana this is what we do. She will be 3 in a month. She earns computer time everyday (the most she spends on the computer is 1hr, it is more like 30 mins.) and we have 5 sites (so far) that we like and she can use. So she has her own desktop on the computer so that while on it she cannot destroy any programs or hard drive stuff, she can only access these 5 programs (all internet based). She uses starfall (which she enjoys but is getting bored with), PBS kids (she 'plays' the curious george games having to do with memorizing, addition, and recognition skills), Discover kids (she plays matching games, and watches Bindi the Jungle girl go out with dolphins, crocs, etc...), I also use the Time for Kids site (I print off worksheets geared toward her level (they have k-8) and lesson plans for various subjects that give me facts to share with her, actvities to reinforce the facts and projects to do, etc...) She participates in a playgoup once a week for a few hrs. where each mom takes a turn teaching a mini-lesson and facilitating the kids (3 yr olds) through a craft (sometimes fun, sometimes edible). There are some things she used to do before I got pregnant and lost more brain cells. She remembers doing 'cards' with me and still ask if we can do them, even though it has been a year since her last time. I make her reading cards where the letters are big enough to where she can read them (the print in books is just to small for little kids' vision level) and we have math cards (where she learns how to recognize quantity, instead of having to count one at a time). Both of these skills are important to me and I want to get her math/reading cards started up again.It just takes more of my time to get them ready for the week (it only take 15mins/day to go through them with her). So that is where we are. Well we are also still teaching her more signs, which she would learn more of if we showed her more. She was given a signing movie for christmas from her grandparents and already has that memorized from watching it 3 times. Sometimes we check out signing books from the library that she goes through with jacob (as it is, jacob cannot put her in her bed at night and shut the door without standing in the doorway and systmatically going through a series of 5 signs that are her favorite (hippo,airplane,ilove you, kangaroo, and something else, I cant remember) but she will just fall apart if he tries to shut her door without doing her signs.
Our education goals for liliana for this year include learning how to read (on her own), math skills (addition,subtration,greater than,lesser than), learning how to put a sentence together with just signs, and learning whatever facts she finds interesting (all of the 'why' questions that have already started) (like why did heavenly father put the moon in the sky?)
I would appreciate any help with all of this. It really does take several people to educate a child.
As for Mattie, by the end of the year we would like her to have learned several communication signs, and social skills) I cant believe I will have a one year old by the end of the year...
so that is where we are.
Right now with liliana this is what we do. She will be 3 in a month. She earns computer time everyday (the most she spends on the computer is 1hr, it is more like 30 mins.) and we have 5 sites (so far) that we like and she can use. So she has her own desktop on the computer so that while on it she cannot destroy any programs or hard drive stuff, she can only access these 5 programs (all internet based). She uses starfall (which she enjoys but is getting bored with), PBS kids (she 'plays' the curious george games having to do with memorizing, addition, and recognition skills), Discover kids (she plays matching games, and watches Bindi the Jungle girl go out with dolphins, crocs, etc...), I also use the Time for Kids site (I print off worksheets geared toward her level (they have k-8) and lesson plans for various subjects that give me facts to share with her, actvities to reinforce the facts and projects to do, etc...) She participates in a playgoup once a week for a few hrs. where each mom takes a turn teaching a mini-lesson and facilitating the kids (3 yr olds) through a craft (sometimes fun, sometimes edible). There are some things she used to do before I got pregnant and lost more brain cells. She remembers doing 'cards' with me and still ask if we can do them, even though it has been a year since her last time. I make her reading cards where the letters are big enough to where she can read them (the print in books is just to small for little kids' vision level) and we have math cards (where she learns how to recognize quantity, instead of having to count one at a time). Both of these skills are important to me and I want to get her math/reading cards started up again.It just takes more of my time to get them ready for the week (it only take 15mins/day to go through them with her). So that is where we are. Well we are also still teaching her more signs, which she would learn more of if we showed her more. She was given a signing movie for christmas from her grandparents and already has that memorized from watching it 3 times. Sometimes we check out signing books from the library that she goes through with jacob (as it is, jacob cannot put her in her bed at night and shut the door without standing in the doorway and systmatically going through a series of 5 signs that are her favorite (hippo,airplane,ilove you, kangaroo, and something else, I cant remember) but she will just fall apart if he tries to shut her door without doing her signs.
Our education goals for liliana for this year include learning how to read (on her own), math skills (addition,subtration,greater than,lesser than), learning how to put a sentence together with just signs, and learning whatever facts she finds interesting (all of the 'why' questions that have already started) (like why did heavenly father put the moon in the sky?)
I would appreciate any help with all of this. It really does take several people to educate a child.
As for Mattie, by the end of the year we would like her to have learned several communication signs, and social skills) I cant believe I will have a one year old by the end of the year...
so that is where we are.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)