Some of Why I Homeschool ...

Every day in a life fills the whole life with expectation and memory. ~ C.S. Lewis

I took a piece of living clay
And gently formed it, day by day
And molded with my power and art
A young child's soft and yielding heart.

If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder ... he needs the companion of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in. ~ Rachel Carson

The imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around. ~ Thomas Merton

What I Love About Winter

Frozen lakes
Hot pancakes
Lots of snow
Hot cocoa
Skates and skis
Evergreen trees
Funny hats
Thermostats
Sunsets blaze
Holidays
Snowball fights
Fireplace nights
Chimneys steaming
Winter dreaming

~ written by Douglas Florian - Winter Eyes

Making Reading Fun

· Reading Glasses ~ Buy a pair of large or silly sunglasses from the Dollar Store and push out the lenses. Your child can wear these glasses when it’s time to read.

· Googly Eye Stick ~ Glue a pompom onto the tip of a popsicle stick or a chopstick. Then glue googly eyes onto the pompom. Have your child use this “reading buddy” to follow along under the words at reading time.

· Become a Character ~ Let your child dress up like a character in the story or have reading time with some stuffed animals that resemble the book’s characters.

· Read the Wall ~ When your child is just beginning to read, rewrite “early-to-read” books on strips of paper (one page of words per strip). Stick the strips of paper at eye level along the wall. Have your child read the wall book while using his/her reading glasses and googly eye stick.

· Reading Voices ~ Encourage your child to use different voices when reading. There’s no rule that says reading has to be done using a medium volume, monotone voice. How about reading one page with a whisper voice, the next page with a rumbling voice, and the next page with a squeaky voice?

· Find an Audience ~ Have your child practice reading a book in preparation to read over the phone to grandma as a bedtime story.

· Keep an Account ~ Have your child set a reading goal and use a sticker chart to record his/her progress. An appropriate reward can be given once the goal has been achieved.

· Tape Record a Book ~ Have your child choose a book to create an audio story. Your child will need to practice reading the book many times until he/she can read it fluently. Then have your child create sound effects for certain words in the book. Even early-to-read books can have sound effects. For example: “Run, Bill, run!” can have pitter patter hands making a “running” sound effect. Have your child practice reading the story with sound effects and then bring the tape recorder out!

· Create a Reading Spot ~ Find a space in your home that can be reserved for reading. Use blankets and pillows to make the spot comfortable. Have a basket of “able to read” books readily available. For the more adventurous, set up a blanket tent and bring out the flashlight.

From the Teacher in Me ....

Following are some ideas and website links that may prove useful in helping to increase your child’s reading fluency:

Oral Reading and Fluency:
A. Instructor models fluency.

B. Student reads same passage four times as instructor offers guidance.

C. Engage in other activities.

1. Student may read aloud along with a taped book.
2. Student and instructor may read some passages in unison.

(Taken from notes from “The Good Reader: Teaching Reading From Birth On” ~ by Jessie Wise)


Activities for repeated oral reading practice to help increase fluency:
Student-adult reading--reading one-on-one with an adult, who provides a model of fluent reading, helps with word recognition, and provides feedback.

Choral reading--reading aloud simultaneously in a group.

Tape-assisted reading--reading aloud simultaneously or as an echo with an audio-taped model.

Partner reading--reading aloud with a more fluent partner (or with a partner of equal ability) who provides a model of fluent reading, helps with word recognition, and provides feedback.

Readers' theatre--the rehearsing and performing before an audience of a dialogue-rich script derived from a book.

(Taken from “Fluency Instruction”)


Some Sight Word Website Links:
For those students who need to sound out almost every word, getting them to learn their sight words is essential. These two sites have the Dolch sight word lists available. Have your child practice reading the words on list 1 until he/she masters it, and then move on to list 2 etc. There are 11 lists in total to master!
Dolch List
Jan Brett’s Dolch List


Some Reading Fluency Website Links:
Put Reading First
Fluency Activities
Educational Links: Fluency

Calendar Time

Here's a great way to get your children learning through living. I hear that ALL calendars are on sale right now - everywhere! My kids are loving this one so far. They can design their own page and add stickers for special dates - How fun is that?!?!

We're not trying to do School at Home. We're trying to do home school. These are two entirely different propositions. We're not trying to replicate the time, style or content of the classroom. Rather we're trying to cultivate a lifestyle of learning in which learning takes place from morning until bedtime 7 days each week. The formal portion of each teaching day is just the tip of the ice burg. ~ Steve and Jane Lambert

Living to Learn or Learning to Live?

Part of my philosophy of homeschooling is to live to learn. Life is saturated with learning opportunities and if we grab hold of these opportunities our minds are broaden, our hearts are opened, and we live more abundantly. The more we experience life, the more knowledge and wisdom we acquire.

Today my children and I read a book together and they discovered what the word "basking" means. Last week we made "I am Special" books and my 2 year old (almost 3) wanted to write her name on her book. She did - for the first time! Yesterday we learned that cream of tartar is the magic ingredient to make "the best" play dough. And recently my oldest learned how to float, glide and swim during her swimming lessons. We didn't plan to learn these things, but together we are taking hold of life's opportunities and as a result, learning.

Here's that fabulous play dough recipe:

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil

Cook ingredients on medium heat until they become formed. Have fun!