A Fabulous New Game That Costs You Nothing

This week several bloggers from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew are sharing posts on 5 awesome subjects: Delight-Directed Teaching, Schooling In The Kitchen, Toys, Games & Puzzles, Homeshooling in a Crisis and Hands-On Projects.

Don't forget to enter the HUGE giveaway!!!

Today I am sharing information about games. We LOVE games. We have lots of fabulous board games, computer games, console games but we often make up our own as well. It is so easy to turn anything you are learning about into a game and for some reason strange reason when you do those dreaded subjects become more fun and exciting!!! I have lots of posts about games including how we played a game with our science vocabulary cards and handwriting without tears curriculum.

But today I want to share a new game we just discovered. I learned about this game on TED TV (one of our favorite Roku Channels). The video is entitled, "Reinventing the encyclopedia game" and you can watch it below. When I watched this video I instantly turned to my husband and said that is exactly how our homeschool days go. We start on a topic and most often end up discussing a related topic (part of that whole delight-directed learning). But this "encyclopedia game" goes one step further...watch it to find out what I mean.

As you can see this game is super exciting and one we will be utilizing in our homeschool. We will be playing this game a few times a week. It is a great warm up exercise for children of any age and to take it one step further children can write a journal entry about their journey and discoveries.

Why I love this game so much...
-it encourages independent learning and exploring
-it's a great brain booster
-it enhances vocabulary and reading
-it covers every subject
-it's fun
-it allows children to dig deeper into their interests

Our first journey the "Anticyclone game"...
We are currently learning about weather so that is where our game started. The first time we played the game I wanted to basically show the kids how it worked. So I choose the links to words that I had no clue of the definition or that intrigued me.
-weather
-anticyclonic
-free convection
-Coriolis forces
-Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis
-Navier
-Navier–Stokes equations

And we ended back up at weather.

The kids had lots of fun exploring each page and looking at the pictures and diagrams. So I say our first encyclopedia game was a success.

Don't you just love the internet???

Be sure to check out the other great posts from participating bloggers...




*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.\

Linking up with: Schoolhouse Review Crew

Schooling in the Kitchen - 10 Lessons That Can Be Learned In The Kitchen

This week several bloggers from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew are sharing posts on 5 awesome subjects: Delight-Directed Teaching, Schooling In The Kitchen, Toys, Games & Puzzles, Homeshooling in a Crisis and Hands-On Projects.

Don't forget to enter the HUGE giveaway!!!

Today I am sharing my thoughts on Schooling in the Kitchen. Have you ever thought of your kitchen as a homeschool classroom? Both of my kids enjoy spending time with me in the kitchen. There are so many things can be learned from the comfort of your kitchen and it's also a way to spend time together and make special memories.

Top 10 Things That Can Be Learned In The Kitchen

1) Math Skills - measuring, fractions, money, conversions and more can be taught in the kitchen.
2) Reading/Vocabulary Skills - kids can work on their reading and vocabulary skills while in the kitchen by reading recipes and ingredient labels and by learning the names and purposes of tools and ingredients.
3) Science Skills - like why does baking soda help baked good rise, why do eggs help bind, etc.
4) Arts and Crafts - have you ever tried your hand at making homemade playdough, salt dough maps, floam, goo, lipgloss, bouncy balls? There are so many fun things you can make in your kitchen, utilizing common household ingredients be sure to check out my Craft Recipe pinterest board.
5) Teamwork - working together as a team is an important skill and by spending time together as a family in the kitchen your children will be able to learn what it means to work as a team. Each person can have a job in the kitchen...even the littlest ones can help out by being a taste tester or a timer watcher. My kids generally take turns stirring, dumping ingredients, measuring, etc.
6) Life Skills - I don't know about you but I don't plan on cooking for my kids forever. Cooking is a very important life skill that all children both boys and girls need to learn. There are also other life skills like that can be learned like time-management, organization, planning, responsibility and confidence!!
7) Health Skills - while working with your kids in the kitchen you can teach them about eating healthy, making healthy choices and how food nourishes our bodies. Kids can also learn about food safety, kitchen safety and cleanliness.
8) Photography - so you know I got a new camera well my new camera actually has a food scene mode. Silly right? Well I decided to research why and apparently food photography is becoming very popular so I guess to make it a little easier for the amateurs there is now a food mode on many cameras.
9) History and Geography - over Christmas we had so much fun making Christmas dinners from around the World. Through this the children learned not only about cooking but also about geography and history. I had a great time making memories with my children as I taught them all about our German ancestry.
10) Foreign Language - can you pronounce masala dosa, poutine, ankimo, kebab? Well why not try making some dishes you cannot pronounce and learn a foreign language while your at it?

There is a great $1 express lapbook on A Journey Through Learning called Cooking Day. You can view the sample here.

Check out these great Free resources:
-The Nourishing Home has a free printable that lists age appropriate tips and ideas.
-Clemson Cooperative Extension has some great tips as well as a list of some books that encourage children to cook.
-A dear blogger friend of mine does a great link up each week called Kids in the Kitchen. She is the mom to 3 boys who love cooking.
-Be sure to check out all the great kids cooking resources on YouTube like Telmo and Tula and Weelicious.
-This homeschool website has lots of great links to kitchen math resources.
-The USDA has lots of great links to resources for nutrition, safety and more.
-Betty Crocker has lots of fun, kid friendly recipes.

Be sure to browse through all of our other Top 10 Posts!

What is something fun you have made recently with your kids in the kitchen?

Be sure to check out the other great posts from participating bloggers...




*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with: Schoolhouse Review Crew, Top Ten Tuesday

Delight-Directed Teaching

This week several bloggers from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew are sharing posts on 5 awesome subjects: Delight-Directed Teaching, Schooling In The Kitchen, Toys, Games & Puzzles, Homeshooling in a Crisis and Hands-On Projects.

Don't forget to enter the HUGE giveaway!!!

Today I am sharing my thoughts on Delight-Directed Teaching. What is delight-directed learning? Well it is a learning style in which children are in charge of their own learning. The delight-directed method allows child to use their natural curiosity to motivate them. By studying a topic of interest the child will learn all the necessary concepts of reading, reasoning, writing, researching, etc. Delight-directed may sound similar to unschooling but there are several differences the main on being that even though the delight-directed learning is child led it is still parent supervised (where as unschooling is not parent supervised).

If you are an avid follower of my blog you know that we definitely fall into the relaxed, delight-directed  method. When we first began homeschooling I tried the workbox method and attempted to cover every subject everyday...BIG FAIL. My kids began showing an interest in particular topics like snails, frogs, puppets, weather, dolphins... So we made a switch in January 2012 to delight directed learning and haven't looked back.

Here is what makes up delight-directed learning.
-it is child initiated, directed, and led.
-it is parent supervised and supported.
-it involves learning webs...you may start with a particular topic but may soon find yourself immersed in a connected topic.
-it is led by interests, spontaneous and unplanned. The strict, rigorous and planned schedule is a thing of the past.
-it encourages exploration of hobbies, personal interests and passions.
-academic subjects are integrated together rather than segmented (read below for further info on regarding our math and reading).

How to get started?
Simply ask your child "what would you be interested in learning about?" My kids normally come up with several things for one month. I make a list and then I help them find the resources they will need to learn about the topics they chose. We utilize everything and anything including books, unit studies, lapbooks, websites, videos, classes, kits, fieldtrips, volunteering, etc. For keeping track of historical events we utilize this fabulous FREE printable timeline. Since neither of my children read or write on their own fully yet we read our books together as a family and also complete unit studies/lapbooks together.

Also be sure that your home reflects a delight-directed learning environment. Make sure books, music instruments, art supplies, exploration boxes, creative toys, games, etc are readily available and within your child's reach. This will encourage exploration, creativity and independent learning.

How so I keep records of what they are learning?
This is often a question that arises when I describe our learning style especially since many states require that records be kept for homeschool children. It took me awhile, but I finally came up with a simple system that is quick and easy (perfect for busy moms). I created a very simple spreadsheet which has spaces on the left for the days of the month in which we homeschooled on. At the top I listed most of the subjects. There is a spot for xtra where I can write/type in health, various therapies, physical education, fieldtrips, etc. Each day I simply make a notation of what we did during our homeschool that day that covered that particular subject and of course I also keep or take photos of their projects, worksheets, lapbooks, unit studies etc. If this spreadsheet sounds like something you could utilize in your homeschool feel free to download a own copy.

There are two subjects that we do utilize curriculum's for and that we try to cover everyday, they are math and reading. However there are many instances where these are covered thoroughly in our unit studies/lapbooks so there are some days we may skip our formal curriculum in these areas. For math we currently utilize A+ TutorSoft and Touch Math. For reading we use several (yes several) curriculum's. The reason we use more than one reading curriculum is because I am a reviewer and we get them to review but also because I have noticed that my daughter looses interest in them if we use them for too long. So mixing it up daily or weekly has really been helping her with learning to read. She generally chooses which curriculum she wants to use for reading each day...again part of that whole delight-directed style. We currently use IEW, ABeCeDarian, Alpha-Phonics, Bob Books and other early level readers.

Our favorite unit studies and lapbooks:
-Homeschool Legacy - read our review here
-Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett - read our review here
-Homeschool Share
-A Journey Through Learning - review coming soon
-In The Hands Of A Child
-Knowledge Box
-Nature Explorers
-Be sure to check out my post on FREE lapbook and unit study resources.

I also highly recommend these two fabulous resource that will assist you greatly with creating your own unit studies and learning more about delight-directed teaching:
-The Joy of Discovery - read our review here
-Quick and EZ Unit Study Fun

So do you have any questions about delight-directed teaching?

Be sure to check out the other great posts from participating bloggers...









*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with: Schoolhouse Review Crew