5 Catergories of Screen Free Summer Fun

Media, ah media.  What a great babysitter it can be.  Right?  I have to admit that I do use movies to babysit my kids every now and then.  It's important to note that media is not inherently evil but amoral.  Some of my children use ipods for daily devotions.  So, it's what you make of it.  But, it is essential that we limit the time our kids sit in front of screens.  It can be a great quiet time activity, but, so can listening to an audio book while putting together a puzzle or sketching:)

As summer is upon us and we have less structure to our day, I have to be even more deliberate about limiting screen time.  Don't get me wrong.  We love movies and my boys enjoy video games but there really needs to be a healthy balance of hands-on, mind engaging, active play as well.  By "balance" I am not suggesting equal time.  Haha.

So, here are five categories of screen free summer fun.

1. Build - When kids build things, they are forming basic concepts of Physics in their minds.  They don't yet understand kinetic and potential energy, but they know their homemade tent has the "potential" to fall.  So, build with your kids.  Build with sheets, blocks, scraps of lumber, etc.  Take apart that slide and playhouse in the back yard and see what fantastic things they can build out of all the pieces.  They will be entertained for hours.  Admittedly, this is easier with the littles than the older kids.  But, if your budget will allow, get model cars, boats, or airplanes from a local hobby store. (I prefer to support Hobby Lobby.) There are endless things that older kids enjoy building and you can usually find a coupon if you search online.  Pick up some hammers and 2 X 4s and turn them loose building a clubhouse or tree house.

2. Disassemble - After you have built things, "un-build".  Disassemble things.  It's okay, really.  Go to your local thrift store and purchase old computers or small appliances and let them disassemble and then put them back together.  I'm not big on messes or little pieces all over the house so I have them keep things in an old box.  They love to see how things work and you may end up with a fantastic appliance repair person in your home:)



3. Bake - We love to bake in our house.  Well, maybe we just enjoy eating what we bake but either way, it's a way that we can spend time together.  So, bake things together this summer and maybe even give away part of what you bake to bless an elderly neighbor.  Baking is a great way to practice  living math as you measure things or double (or triple...haha) a recipe. 

4. Create - Unleash the artists in your home and create things with different art mediums.  For the larger families you can have the littles finger paint while the middles paint by number, and the olders copy a landscape painting. Hand out yarn and crochet hooks and see who can make the longest chain (or an blanket for an American Girl doll as would be the case in our home).  There are so many different craft kits available that I bet you can find one that each of your kids will enjoy.

 
5. Exercise - Summer is a great time to keep kids exercising (now that PE is over).  There are a plethora of ways to keep them exercising without them even knowing that they are doing so.  My favorite is the pool.  Ah, those lazy summer days by the pool, right?  Well, not quite with seven kids.  We play "motorboat, motorboat" and marco-polo.  We have races.  My boys are ever amazed that their mom can still win in a race across the pool., although not for long:)  Good thing it's only one lap!  Haha.  Another great idea is a slip-n-slide for the backyard, a sprinkler under the trampoline, a family relay race, or a morning nature walk.  Whatever the case, be deliberate about keeping those kids exercising this summer.

5. Play & Imagine - Play is one of those things that does not come naturally to me.  I have to be oh so deliberate about setting aside time to play:)  So, this summer we will be busting out the board games and taking time to just play and enjoy one another.  Other great ideas for play are puppet shows, family talent shows/plays/concerts, or dress up.  Now, I know those of you with kids beyond about 8 years old are thinking that there is no way your kids will dress up.  But, sometimes it's all in how you present it.  I admit that if I handed my 11 year old a Buzz Lightyear costume, he would not, could not:)  But, if I hand him a video camera to make his film he would and could.  They all get excited about making a homemade film (maybe from this year's literature *wink*) and jump right in with the planning.  So, in a sense, they are still playing dress-up:)  We are currently in the process of making our own version of "Pilgrim's Progress" and we all have a role.  Now, I know this last suggestion is borderline for a "Screen free" post but it is definitely more along the lines of hands-on, mind engaging, active play.

So, as you plan out your summer fun, remember to include plenty of media free or screen free activities that engage the brain and foster creativity.  You won't regret it or the memories you make in the process.

Homemade Puppet Show

Sometimes in the heat of the summer, we all need some fun and entertainment.  My kids love putting on puppet shows and today we made one by hanging pool towels over the baby gate at the bottom of our stairs and using stuffed animals for puppets.  Hours of fun for kids!

Family Olympics

This past week we completed our theme unit study that the kids and I work through as a family.  So, on Friday, we had a celebration to mark the end of this school year.  

(We will continue with morning Math and Language lessons through most of the summer as a year round schedule just seems to fit our lifestyle.)  

Because we had been studying early Greek life, we decided to have our very own family Olympics.  Each family member planned their own competition or race and we spent the morning at the neighborhood park.  Here are a few pictures from our day.

The little boys played in the sand for much of the morning.

 

Ransom decided to join the fun by snatching our cones at every opportunity.

  
Each team had a plastic spoon for a baton.

 

I love this one of Wesley.  He was trying so hard to keep up with the "big kids".  And, he did really well!

Toddler race...haha.

After our games were done, we picked up some Greek food and took it to a local splash pad to cool off.  Because, after all, how can we learn about Athens and Sparta without a little Greek food...haha.

Sethy's little hand.  I love the details that photography allows me to capture.

 This will be one "last day of school" that the kids will not soon forget...and neither will Peter and I.

The advantage of hands-on learning

As an education student (many years ago...haha) I was introduced to "hands-on" learning or learning through experience. As I searched for my first teaching job, a few years later, I looked for a school where I could teach, at least in part, by experience.  So, the Language textbook, for example, was only my guide to what we should be studying.  I created games and experiences to foster learning in a way that would engage several senses and learning styles. 


In January, I taught in our local homeschool PE co-op.  We were learning t-ball.  So, for the first two weeks we worked on drills and explained the game...BUT...it was getting out into the field and playing the game that brought about a deeper understanding.  It is the same with education.  We definitely need the instruction but it isn't until we experience things that we truly understand them.


I recently increased the amount of experiential learning that we are doing here in our home.  Here are two methods I use for learning basic language concepts that are easy and reusable...very important to me.  (I have used these same games for math concepts and science classification too.) 

1. Board or wall work.  Choose a theme...(ducks and ponds, frogs and lily-pads, bones and dog bowls, flower petals and stems, etc)...be creative and choose something that peeks your children's interest. Make large ponds and many small ducks (or whatever theme you are using) out of construction paper (die cuts or clip art printed from the computer work well).  Label each pond with categories like nouns, verbs, etc. and then each duck with a word.

Here is a picture of my "word ducks".

Place the ponds on a chalkboard, bulletin board, or poster board on the wall.  The kids look at their duck, get up and walk to the board or wall, tape their ducks to the correct pond, and explain why the duck went in that pond.  This can be used for SO many different language concepts...and other subjects too.  I did a version of this for learning equivalent fractions and one for science classification.  It engages the senses of seeing, feeling, and hearing and benefits the visual, verbal, physical, logical, and social learners.  If you are unfamiliar with different learning styles here is a great link.

2.  File Folder work.  Use the same idea as above but on a smaller scale.  Paste the ponds into a brightly colored file folder, label, laminate, and use for independent learning/reinforcing games.  You will need to place the answers on the back of the file folder before laminating if you want it to be truly independent.  This is great for quiet time, travel in the car, or waiting at a doctor's office.  

I find it quite amusing that the education that was meant to prepare me for classroom teaching only reinforced my desire...and determination to teach my kids from home where they could learn through life experience.

Now that I am homeschooling three kids with three preschoolers in tow, it is truly difficult to do the hands-on learning...and yet it is SO very important to their understanding, long term retention, and love of learning.

In the busyness of homeschool life with six children, I realized that I was leaving behind the some of the heart and soul of my homeschooling passion...experiential learning...and just playing together.  However, with babies needing regular naps and routines, we cannot be out every day.

So, on "Fantastic Fridays" we do projects, experiments, field trips, Literature club, park days, science journaling, nature walks, etc.  Often times there are projects during the week also but I have my sights set on Fridays.  Click to see some of the things that we have done on "Fantastic Friday".

In a large homeschooling family things really do happen in stages and seasons...only time will tell how long I will keep this particular method up but the kids are really learning and loving it.

So, if you feel overwhelmed by the idea of doing many things "hands on", just try doing one thing every week.  Who knows, you may find that it isn't as scary as you thought.


What things do you use to help your kids experience learning?

Homeschooling...You've come a loooong way baby 3. Co-op

I just found this post that I wrote back in November and thought I had published but hadn't.  Guess that's what happens when you are homeschooling with six little ones...haha.

When I was a child and homeschooling, there were not many options for local support groups.  My family was in a homeschool 4H group and the parents really stepped up to form an active co-op.  I remember taking tons of classes taught by parents who were willing to share their talents and knowledge with the group.  There were classes from calligraphy, woodworking, quilting, canning and preserving, to more academic classes like higher level math.  My friends from those years hold a special place in my heart.  There was and still is a special bond from the comradery.

Now, twenty five years later, I am homeschooling my own kids and found a really great and active homeschool co-op to join.  Our local homeschool support group has several family events throughout the year and we all really enjoy the chance for fellowship and group learning.  Some of our favorite events are the Ol' Fashioned Fall Festival, Backyard Ballistics, and Ice Cream Social.

In October, we went to the Ol Fashioned Fall Festival.  This is one of the events that my kids love the most and look forward to all year long.  It is truly an Ol' Fashioned Fall Festival with pony rides, face painting, petting zoo area, games, chili cook off, hayride, etc.  Here are a few pictures of my kids at EVCHE's Fall Festival this past fall.

I actually didn't manage to get any shots of the older kids as things were really busy and I was working pretty hard just keeping track of everyone:)

If you are a homeschooling family in the east valley of Phoenix, check out our homeschool support group evche.org.

If you are homeschooling somewhere else, I would strongly urge you to find a local support group and form relationships with those walking on the path beside you.

Scavenger Hunt...at the Zoo

The number of learning opportunities at the zoo are endless!  We went today for our Fantastic Friday and it was a very different experience.

A few weeks ago, my kids were invited to a birthday party at the zoo.  They had such a great time and came home singing the praises of a zoo scavenger hunt.
So, once again, I stole this idea and made it work for our family. 

In order to minimize competition between siblings and cultivate unity, we used one list and the kids worked together to find everything on the list.  Here is a picture of our list before the hunt.

At first, it was a real struggle for the kids to work together...especially since all the kids got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.  I think I will turn their beds around tonight!  Or, maybe it was me who got up on the wrong side of the bed.  Haha.  Anyway, initially there was a struggle between who would control the list and pencil.  The grumpiness escalated but I was determined to help them work through it.  I felt that a break through was just around the corner.  I was wrong.  But, we still made the most of the day:)  Next time, I think I will really print a list for each child and let them choose their own animals. 

But, today we had to work through and share.  Here are a few pictures of the kids working together...mostly anyway:)

We took a break from the scavenger hunt for Nathan to show the littles how he could make a catapult out of this branch and send little objects flying across the zoo.  A physics lesson in action!

Somehow my kids always find it fun to look through this "telescope" that only works if you put quarters in...we never do...but they always look anyway:)

 The littles who spent most of the day in the stroller, but still had smiles on their sweet little faces:)  Love these little guys!

Here is the list at the end of the day.

So, next time we will find another educational and entertaining way to enjoy the zoo.  But this scavenger hunt really made the kids pay attention to the details of the animals...and by the end of the trip the kids were sharing and had worked through the grumpiness (or just began to practice self-control).

A Walk Through Space

Last week we took a walk through space to get an idea of the distance between our planets.  Although I would love to take credit for it, this was a project suggested by our curriculum...not of my own making.  The kids loved it...and the chance to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air and Arizona sunshine.

First, we put the name of each planet and the Sun onto note cards.

Then, we went out in front of our house and everyone chose several cards to place.

Well...all I can say is that he isn't officially a school kid yet...haha!

Next we walked out spaces between each planet starting at the Sun.  Each large step that we took was the equivalent of 5 billion of those steps in space.  We first tried this in our neighborhood but soon found that our street wouldn't be long enough.  

So, we took the cards and our Science book (Genesis for Kids) over to a nature preserve next to our library.  We walked through our galaxy...one planet at a time.  We laid each card down about where that planet would go and then stepped our way to the next planet.  We went a full circle around the lake!  So, we got a little exercise too...especially me as I didn't bring a stroller, backpack, Moby or anything that would help with the baby. 

When we got back to the beginning, we were preparing to circle back around to pick up the cards, when we saw a grandmother with her young granddaughter.  They had been following us...just sure that we were accidentally dropping our planet cards.  She had picked them all up for us...haha.  It would be SO amazing to be accidentally dropping planet cards in order...but there are some science theories out there that might be able to explain just such a thing;)

Last night, as I was bathing the little boys, Wesley said "How about we play a game.  Seth's head is the Earth.  Mine can be Pluto and this yellow scrunchie can be the Sun." Hmmm...maybe we will study relative size next...haha!  But, I love it when the kids remember what we study and try to repeat it or act it out on their own.  Proof that they are learning:) 

Diffusing the frustration with Sp-e-ll-ing

Spelling...ah...spelling.  My least favorite subject.
Whenever I spell a word out loud I think of that scene from Anne of Green Gables where Anne is the only one in the class who can spell C-H-R-Y-S-A-N-T-H-E-M-U-M.  Even in the movie, it seems so dry and boring.  And yet, we all need to know how to spell.

I searched hard and long for a spelling curriculum that I could love.  After using several different ones, I still have not found one that I love.  But, I have settled for one that I like:)  It is logical, quick, to the point, has the most success for my kids, and is without "busy work"...so NOT a fan of busy work!  We have enough to do to keep us busy around here:)

However, even with this curriculum, I am met with frustration and even sometimes tears from kids when going through a lesson.  Today, as I was calling out spelling words, I was met with resistance.  It wasn't blatant but I could feel it.  I could tell that things would spiral in a direction that I didn't want to go, so in addition to the new word, I drew a small smiley face on the corner of my marker board.  As I showed my word and we spelled together out loud correcting his word as needed, I saw that the smiley face was noticed and my son returned the favor by drawing a smiley face on his board after he wrote his next word.  So, with the next word, I drew a different smiley face, then another, and another.  Pretty soon, I had a little boy in stitches who couldn't wait to check his word against mine so that he could see the next funny face that I would draw.  Each time he would copy my silly face onto his marker board as he corrected any Spelling errors.

I marveled at just how easy it had been to change the atmosphere around the required spelling assignment.  I didn't have to draw a line in the sand and have a stand off...just a smiley face:)  As I thought about it I remembered several other things that I have done in the past to help make Spelling fun and "hands on".  So here are a few of the things that we have done over the years to diffuse the frustration with Spelling and make it more fun.  Maybe your kids love spelling and beg you to quiz them over their words, but if they are like mine and despise it, here are some things that might give a breath of fresh air to your spelling work...whether you homeschool or not...I'm confident that you do school at home:)

*Before we start spelling each day, I try to keep it in perspective.  Gaining and keeping the hearts of my children and nurturing that relationship is far more important than them being perfect spellers.  So, I try to respond to their stress in a stress-free way:)



Things that we do regularly:

1. I do not give "tests".  Don't panic...my kids are still learning to spell and the environment is much more stress free:)

2. I use a curriculum that is quick, to the point, sequential, and can be done in 10 minutes each day...no busy work!

3. I use a marker board to write the words and allow the kids to have their own marker board and marker to write their words.  Amazing how a different writing utensil can make all the difference for those tactile learners.  Spelling is now fun...well at least to some degree:)

In this picture, a dry-erase crayon is being used. 

4. I allow the kids to sit, stand, lie on the floor, etc. and get comfortable.




Things that I do occasionally:

1. Shaving Cream Spelling.  I will squirt a small amount of shaving cream on the table and let them write their words into the shaving cream instead of on a marker board.  After each word, they erase by smearing the shaving cream with their hands.  This is especially great for those "tactile" learners who need to do so much more that hold a pencil.  Just having something cool and squishy in their hands engages their minds in a whole new way.  Clean up is also easy.  Just a quick wash of the hands and a wipe of the table and it is cleaned up.  And, the kids smell great!

 You should see the smiles that accompany spelling on these days:)

2. Ziploc Spelling.  This is similar to the shaving cream but is a small amount of colored hair gel sealed inside of a gallon ziploc bag.  They can write their words in the gel with a finger.  With this there is no mess but the same tactile advantages as the shaving creme method.  The down side is that only shorter words will fit...unless you get a larger plastic bag:)

3. Tile Spelling.  This can be done several different ways.  One is to purchase small one inch tiles and then write letters on them.  Or, we just use the tiles from our Scrabble game.  This lets them "build" the word by placing the tiles in a row.  This will take longer than writing but is so much more engaging:)  The down side to the Scrabble tiles is that they are all capitals and there are no punctuation marks.

4. Color Spelling.  Here they can do each spelling word a different color.  I stick to one color for each word to stay within a reasonable time frame.  Amazing how this little change sparks something within their creative side and connecting the creative with spelling makes them remember it.

5. Ladder Spelling.  Here you have them turn a regular piece of notebook paper sideways and write each word vertically in a column.  This one is harder for the visual learner but works great for other learner types.

6. Picture Spelling.  With this, I have them write the word and then draw a picture of the word next to it.  It's fun to see how creative they are.  This is great for any artists in your family...I have several:)


I want to again say that most of these are things that we do occasionally and not every day.  They take a little more time and sometimes require special guidelines, etc..

So, I hope that some of these ideas will breathe new life into your spelling lessons and help to diffuse the frustration that often comes with spelling.