This year in history we have come to the dreaded “Age of Discovery,” which is a misnomer, because all these European explorers really “discovered” nothing at all. These places were already inhabited and well-established, sometimes with populations even greater than any in Europe at the time. A better name for this time period might be…
Category: late elementary
Homeschool Rhythms and Rituals
It’s afternoon. We’ve just finished lunch and are clearing the table. My daughter goes to get a piece of chocolate, her daily treat after she finishes her lunch. I reach over and give her a hug and look into her eyes. “Are you ready for school?” “Sure.” “Want some tea today?” “Yes, please. Can I…
Games – Late Elementary
THIS IS A 4-PART BLOG SERIES ON GAMES. IT INCLUDES GAMES FOR PRESCHOOLERS, EARLY ELEMENTARY, LATER ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL. THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND THE GAME EASILY. These are my favorite games suitable for late elementary. I really like to have games that cover a range of…
Golden Age of Islam (Middle Ages) Resources and Activities
Ramadan Mubarak! Though we are not Muslim, we have several friends and followers that are. I am saddened that they have to celebrate their holy month in the middle of the Corona pandemic. In honor of the month of Ramadan I’ve compiled our resources and activities for the Golden Age of Islam Unit that we…
5 Ways to Liven up your Homeschool Journey
Homeschool feeling bogged down. Here are 5 ideas to help. These techniques will help to solidify the information your children are learning.
A Little Geography with your Valentine Exchange?
For the last few years we’ve participated, and this year hosting, a valentine exchange through social media. You can find exchange groups on Facebook. We’ve used this as a fun geography lesson. We take the valentine stamps and sometimes stickers, cut them out and tape them on our map. We color in the states that…
Patterns in the Multiplication Chart
*A note about the numbers. In this piece to try to keep things clear, when I speak of the multiples or a particular number, I am writing the numeric symbol for the number i.e. “9.” If I am not talking about the number but describing an amount, I am spelling it out i.e. “three…
Native American Inspired Beading Tutorial
I had some requests on instructions for the beadwork that my children did for our Native American studies. This activity can lend itself to a variety of ages. Some things to consider when choosing what materials might be appropriate for your child: The size of the loom. The size of the string and…
Using nesting shapes when playing with math
Nesting shapes are a fun, visual way to explore shapes and math. In addition they lend themselves to flexibility of ages and a variety of mathematical concepts. I’ve written a short tutorial in making them. First take a piece of cardstock 8 ½ by 11 and mark 1 inch strips lengthwise. Cut out those…
Sumi-e for Japan
This year we have been doing a “travel buddies” geography for my youngest who is doing kindergarten, mostly because she doesn’t want to be left out of “school” and needed something like her brother. It has been so much fun. We were approaching Japan, when I had a spark of inspiration. Scrolling through my instagram…
Turtle Tessellation Tiles and Pentagon Spirals
We are finished with our homeschooling year. Well…almost. We didn’t get to math this year, and so as we shift our focus to more fun, and a less strictly academic theme to our schooling (because who are we kidding? Homeschooling is a lifestyle; there really is no “summer break,”) we will be doing our math…
Body Systems through Art
Last fall a homeschooling friend and I made a trade. I taught her children biology; she taught mine Spanish. That trade has been one of the best things I’ve done. Not only did my children benefit from her native tongue, but her children were delightful to teach. Biology became so much more fun with friends….
Using Prime Climb for Math
Using Prime Climb for Math for all ages.
