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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Keyboarding {course plans}




Keyboarding 
Prerequisites: none
Grade Level: 9-11
Credit: .5

Students taking this course will learn correct keyboarding technique and will work to improve their keyboarding speed and accuracy. Formatting of basic documents will also be taught and students will be given opportunities to apply their keyboarding skills in “real life” situations. 

Curriculum List

Websites  

Additional Projects
  • Use word processing software to type and format papers for other classes.
Personal Notes: I wish we had gotten to this in earlier grades, but it is a necessary life skill. I did research course descriptions from various public high schools to make sure I could legitimately count this as a high school level class. 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Why Kids Need Chores

It saddens me to hear of young men and women who leave home without knowing the basics of how to care for themselves. Perhaps their parents thought it an act of sacrificial service to carry out the duties of home maintenance alone. Or perhaps they felt guilty requiring the child to take on any of "their" responsibilities. In some cases, they may not have even had the time (or skills) required to train their child in the duties of the home. Whatever the reason, these young people enter life seriously handicapped, simply because they never learned as children how to work.

Children need to learn how to work while they are young. They need to see a direct link between their labor and the provisions which they receive. Parents who hand everything to their children without expecting anything in return are doing their children a great disservice. They are giving them a false impression of life and setting them up for failure. These children grow up without learning the skills necessary to survive on their own. They are always expecting more, and never satisfied with what they get. Their parents, who work themselves to the bone just to provide for these ungrateful creatures, may come to resent them. But chores are more than just a way that a child can help their parents, they are vital to the child's preparation for the future.

One of the great things about having nine kids is being treated like a superhero everywhere you go. Mothers of one or two express amazement at my energy and ability to maintain my sanity. Fellow restaurant patrons stop by our table to compliment the children's good behavior, make offers to babysit, or suggest we write a book on child training. Grocery clerks ask me for nutritional advice and recipe ideas. And everyone wants to know, "How DO you do it all?"

While I'd like to maintain the "superwoman" illusion, the truth is that I don't do it all. My children contribute to the smooth operation of our household. All of them, even the littlest, have chores which they do on a daily basis. Raising nine kids is not a "one man" job. But raising one child ought not to be either. I certainly could run the household without their help, but this would not be good for me or them!


In the education of [children] today we've lost the importance of work as the most effective tutor. What is the good of knowing how to read or write if a young [person] doesn't have the heart to work, to produce, and to create? [Children] are often forced to sit for hours, year after year, in front of books. Modern child-labor laws hinder and even prevent them learning to enjoy strenuous work. Then, after twelve to sixteen years of inactivity, folks wonder why all their teenager wants to do is sit on the couch playing games."
~Bob Schultz, Created For Work

Although this book is written to young boys, I recommend it as a must read for all young folks . . . and their parents. Bob Schultz packs a lot of wisdom into every word he writes. This is solid biblical advice on how to please God in everything you do.



I sometimes get the impression that parents are waiting for their children to walk up to them and offer to help out. But in reality, kids aren't really very excited about the prospect of having to work. That's why it is important that they learn early on that doing chores is something that is expected of them, whether they like it or not.

Even a very young child can be given simple tasks to help around the house. A toddler can be shown how to throw their own diapers in the garbage or take their dirty laundry to the laundry hamper. They can help mother put the silverware in the drawer, or take the dry clothes out of the dryer. At first, this may require more work than simply doing it yourself, but by training your children to do these simple chores, and by training them to do them properly, you will save yourself much time in the end. More importantly, you will be equipping your children to live successfully in the real world.


* Above is a chore chart we have used in the past, color coded according to child. (Follow the link for a free blank printable  version of this chart.)

If you want your children to learn how to work, the best way is to show them. Working alongside your children allows you to show them how a job ought to be properly completed. It is a great opportunity for bonding and can actually be a lot of fun for everyone involved. Don't despair that you didn't start soon enough. It is never too late for a child to learn how to work.

If you want to know EXACTLY how to get your children started on doing chores, you have to read this blog series at Our Busy Homeschool. It is the best information I have ever read on the subject.



And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. ~Colossians 3:23-24



Before learning how to fold laundry (as seen above), this little girl helped load the dryer.


Examples of Chore Lists
Although chores will vary from family to family, it sometimes helps to see what others have done.

Chore charts For Large Families {free printable}
Chore List  
KidGlue
Chores For Every Age
Blissfully Domestic
Age Appropriate Chores
Chore Chart For Multiple Children
An organized classy chore chart is headed your way. Can you even imagine what this chore chart for multiple children is made out of??? Yep, 2x4's.
Toddler Chores
age-appropriate toddler chores

* This post contains affiliate links.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Ideas For Studying the Viking Explorers

A Viking is one of the Norse (Scandinavian) explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far west as Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland. This period of Viking expansion is known as the Viking Age, and forms a major part of the medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles and Europe in general. (Read the rest of this article on Wikipedia.)



Viking Bread
2 cups white bread flour
3 cups whole wheat or barley flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups warm water

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in half of the sunflower seeds. Add warm water and stir. Knead mixture into a stiff dough. Form into a flat loaf shape and place on a greased baking tray. Sprinkle the remaining seeds onto the dough and press down slightly so that they stick to dough. Place baking sheet into a cold oven. Turn oven to 375 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Serve with roasted meat.

Viking Ship

3D papercraft

The Vikings
Activities and a Viking game

Running a Household In the Viking Era
recipes and more

Meet the Vikings
crafts, combat, and more

Viking and Anglo-Saxon Foods
recipes

The Vikings
links and worksheets

The Vikings
unit

Viking Tales
free online book

Stories of the Viking
free online book

Runic Alphabets
Little is known about the origins of the Runic alphabet, which is traditionally known as futhark after the first six letters. . .

Viking Multi-book Unit
Unit and Lapbook from Homeschool Share


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sculpting With Cheesewax



Here is my son at age 13, sculpting a turkey out of cheese wax.


My second born son has an unusual hobby. It started when my mother-in-law gave us a bag of Laughing Cow miniature cheeses in August of 2009. I had just given birth to child #8 , and the kids were a bit bored. So they began using the wax off these cheeses as if it were play-dough. Son #2 was making some very impressive animals using this wax, but he regretted that he had to keep destroying his creations in order to create new ones. Before long, he was convincing his brothers and sisters to give him their share of the wax, and when that still wasn't enough, his grandma purchased more cheese to support his hobby.


I began to see how ridiculous it was to buy cheese just for the sake of the wax, especially considering how much wax he was using. So we experimented with some beeswax I had on hand. I'd heard of modeling beeswax which is used in Waldorf schools, and we had a fifty pound block of beeswax in the attic which I had never gotten around to making into candles. It seemed like the perfect solution. But it didn't work very well. Our beeswax was a little more crumbly than the cheese wax and harder to work with. 

When his birthday came around, I suggested that his relatives get him wax from a cheesemaking supply company on Ebay. He got a pound each of two different colors, and he was thrilled. And that is how my son got started with cheese wax modeling.

This turkey took months to complete. His inspiration for this model was a picture in a calendar. It took him quite a while to figure out how to make the wing feathers, and he did a lot of mixing to get the colors of wax that he needed. I was very impressed by his patience.

Making Changes
As you can see, my son added a rock to the Bighorn sculpture since I first photographed it. This is one of the neat things about working with this type of medium. It is very easy to go back later and adjust your models when new inspiration hits.






More Cheese Wax Artists

I had no idea that this was such a popular hobby. Can you believe there are actually two Facebook groups dedicated to playing with cheese wax? Here are some blog entries and websites that show cheese wax art that others have made.
None of your cheese wax.
My middle child, the Clay Prodigy, has added a new, eco-friendly twist to her artistic musings. She is into "found" materials. Like mud. Wax from our nice candles. And cheese wax. Yes, that's right. Cheese wax. . .
Allison's Realm of the Cheese Wax People
This blog is a tribute to what my friends and family describe as my trademark quirk... I make cheese wax people.
Crafty Kids & Cheese Wax
For a snack I set out a bowl of cherries and some of those little cheeses that come wrapped in red wax. About 1/2 hour later when I passed through the kitchen I was surprised to see that my daughter had made a slew of these tiny wax figures.

Young Cheese Whiz Waxes Artistic With Throw-Away Wrappers
They say it's what's on the inside that counts, but maybe not when it comes to mini-mounds of Babybel Cheese.
Wax Figurines
I started playing with the wax rind off of this little mini cheese and then decided that wax was a really fun medium to work with. About three little cheeses worth or wax later, I had created these three little critters.


Comments on Sculpting With Cheesewax
(This blog post was originally a Squidoo lens. But, due to Squidoo's change in policies, I was forced to move it here. These comments were left on the lens and I am copying them here for my son's benefit.)

  • mercilessly13 May 9, 2013 @ 7:20 pm 
    I totally make cheesewax dinosaurs. They are fun, but rudimentary compared to these wonders!
  • Jonnyboy Apr 24, 2013 @ 7:47 pm 
    Little beyond my Babybel cube pyramid to the stars
  • Sarah Jan 29, 2013 @ 3:00 pm
    Gave you a little shout out on my blog. ;) simplesaurus.blogspot.com
  • visitor Jan 18, 2013 @ 1:07 pm
    Your son is very talented and creative.
  • Jessica Dec 12, 2012 @ 3:09 pm 
    awesome! these are really cool, I've been doing some babybell sculptures as well... something to do at work :) I have my fine arts degree in sculpture and for casting we always used microcrystaline wax. You can get a pretty big block of it for not a lot of money.. it carves well and if you work it into a sheet it feels very similar to babybell wax.. I also do some sculpey sculptures that can be baked and therefore are more permanent. Keep up the good work!
  • Frankie Nov 13, 2012 @ 9:22 am
    Who knew cheese wax could make such amazing sculptures. Some of these are truly very good! I just use it as a stress reliever!
  • Michael Oct 31, 2012 @ 11:59 am
    I am a 17 yo boy, and I have to say I'm delighted that someone else shares my hobby. I've been using plasticine for years, but I had some babybell cheese wax that I'd mixed up and found to be an excellent modelling material.

    His ambition in these projects is pretty inspiring (Babybell wax is really labour intesnive preparing) - I hadn;t thought of looking at ebay, or using wire as supports.

    Might I suggest he look into using Sculpey? It's a polymer that you mold and then bake, and it can become extraordarily detailed. I'd post some of my work.... but I don't know how.
  • Carol Marmel Sep 20, 2012 @ 2:54 pm
    Beautiful! I'm going to try it.
  • Julia Burton Sep 24, 2011 @ 8:23 pm
    I am VERY impressed with your son's work! I also started with cheese wax as a child and it has that great soft flexability a sculptor loves. He is definately a sculptor. I have a clue for your bee wax. melt it slowly on low and add a little vasoline or even oil so that the wax will become more pliable like the cheese wax. I have done this and it seems to work for me. As he goes on he will most likely advance to casting bronzes from his waxes. It is called lost wax mothode. The wax is coated with a clay ceramiic batter. As the batter on the outside is heated to harden the wax pours out leaving a cavity shaped exactly like the wax piece. Then molten bronze is pour into the cavity . when it cools the battter is chipped away and yousee your wax sculpture appear in bronze. Sound like fun? Thhe wax is delicate but the bronze will last longer than anyone alive today. You still get all the fun of the wax work. I learned a new mothod for melting the bronze at home without too much expensive equipment. I went to london to learn it. You just need a weed burner , a propane tank, A ventury typr burner(like for raku) and some very thick ceramic insulation (like for furnace insulation). I am so proud of your son! If you want more detail about the bronze casting let me know and I will send you my notes. He is on his way! juliaburton@cox.net
  • artbymichelle May 31, 2011 @ 12:46 pm 
    Just wanted to let you know I have featured your lens on my Memorial Day blessing lens here: http://www.squidoo.com/cool-sculptures
  • May 4, 2011 @ 8:10 am
    What a fascinating hobby, thanks for sharing!
  • chemknitsblog Mar 25, 2011 @ 7:47 am 
    This looks like a lot of fun, and good way to recycle the wax that comes with cheese. But do these ever start to smell? *Blessed*
  • LilliputStation Mar 25, 2011 @ 8:45 am 
    No, we haven't had any that smelled. Ofcourse, most of the wax he is using now has not been used on cheese because we couldn't get enough from recycling. However, the ones that did use recycled wax don't smell any different than the ones that didn't.
  • ohcaroline Jan 26, 2011 @ 1:15 pm 
    How wonderful to have such a creative group of children. Good for you for encouraging and teaching them.
  • Pukeko Oct 20, 2010 @ 1:39 am
    Amazingly talented and creative children. Wow. I have added this lens to by kids4kids and to my angel lens (blessed by a squidoo angel)
  • Children of Eve Oct 14, 2010 @ 10:08 am
    Wow-
    These are fantastic. My daughter has been doing this too lately.
    Here are a couple of her creations at-
    http://childrenofeve.blogspot.com/2010/09/crafty-kids-cheese-wax.html
  • Rachael in NZ Oct 13, 2010 @ 12:57 am
    Your son is very clever! What wonderful models!
  • Jimmie Oct 12, 2010 @ 10:00 pm 
    This is so interesting, and seems to be an almost "accidental" hobby. :-) Thanks for sharing this with me.
  • Nicole Oct 12, 2010 @ 9:47 am
    WOW! That is sooo cool!!!! I would never have thought of using this for an artistic medium!!! Thanks for sharing!!!


Notebooking With Younger Children

Is It Possible To Use Notebooking With a Pre-Reader?

Notebooking is a great way to learn and there is no reason why it can't work just as well for younger children as it does for the older ones. There are many ways to include early learners in the notebooking experience. Here are a few tried and true methods we have used in our own homeschool, as well as some links to additional resources you may find helpful as you begin this adventure with your own little ones.

Use Visuals To Record Information


Items like maps, diagrams, and photos are important additions to any notebook, but they tend to define notebooking when dealing with the younger crowd. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to children who are just learning to control a pencil. Drawing pictures illustrating the information being studied is a fun form of narration which allows your child to review what they have learned and gives you an opportunity to see what you might need to go over again. Copying the shape of a country to create their own map helps a child to learn that country's shape and recognize it when it is seen again. In the same way, making their own version of a work of art or drawing a plant or animal being studied causes a child to take a closer look at that object. If your child has difficulty with this type of exercise or if you'd like to add some variety to their notebook, try using some pre-printed coloring pages. There are many sources online where you can print off free pictures to go along with your science, history, and geography themes. Simple outline maps and diagrams can usually be found by doing a Google search. You can  include coloring pages from a purchased coloring book. Dover has a nice selection which would work well for this purpose. You can also have your child create a collage or scrapbook page with photographs or clipart of the topic being studied.






Sources For Free Coloring Pages

Edu Pics
Educational pictures for primary schools
Pics 4 Learning
Copyright friendly images for education
Clipart ETC
Free clipart for teachers and students
Dover Sampler
Sign up for the Dover Sampler get a weekly email with links to free Dover coloring pages. These images can be added to your notebook pages.
Ivy's Coloring Page Search
Coloring book search engine. Use this to find images to add to your pages.

Give Them A Model To Work From


Copycats have gotten a lot of negative publicity, but there's no denying that we all tend to learn better by example. There's nothing wrong with letting your little ones copy from the notebook pages of their older siblings or examples you find on someone else's blog. After all, this isn't a test. If the only thing holding your child back from creating their own notebook pages is their limited ability in the areas of spelling and penmanship, try typing out what they want to say and letting them transfer it into their notebook. Copywork is a great way for a child to practice their writing skills and it is a wonderful addition to a notebook on almost any subject. An occasional worksheet or fill in the blank sheet also provides a child with the opportunity to show what they know, without becoming overwhelmed by a large amount of required writing. Adding minibooks to their notebook pages allows them to make a big statement with a few words.





Notebooking Sets For Young Learners

Famous Composer Notebooking Pages
This set of 286 notebooking pages contains 10 notebooking layouts in primary and regular-lined formats for 28 famous composers. The variety of pages for each composer allowed me to use these with both my older and younger children.
Patriotic Songs Copywork
Your children will enjoy creating a copywork notebook with the songs that make this country so special. This set would be a great compliment to any study of American History.
History Crafts for Kids
Free Notebooking Printables and Resources, many for pre-writers

Make It Interactive


Think of your child's notebook as a journal which they can use to record the adventures of their learning experiences. What types of things might an adventurer include in this type of record? A study of birds might lead to a collection of feathers. Add these to the notebook. A study of botany can involve pressing leaves and flowers to glue into a notebook. A study of the water cycle may end with an afternoon spent playing with the hose in the backyard. Take pictures and add them to the notebook. Are you studying sheep? Add a small sample of wool to a notebook page. Try making felt and add that too. Paper models also make great additions to a notebook. There are many books which include directions for studying the human body by creating paper bones, muscles, etc. If you are studying the layers of the atmosphere, you can create multi-page books showing each layer and glue these in your notebook. Paper dolls made to show clothing from around the world can be stored in a pocket in the notebook. Pop-ups showing famous buildings can be folded flat in the notebook. Cut and paste activities are also great additions to an early learner's notebook.






Free Minibooks, Pop-ups, and Printables

Homeschool Share Level 1 Lapbooks
Lapbooks for toddlers and preschoolers
Homeschool Share Level 2 Lapbooks
Lapbooks for prekindergarten and kindergarteners
Lapbook Lessons
This website is full of Free Lapbooking Resources! Great for Homechooling!
Tot-Books by Carisa
A Tot-Book is simply a small lapbook for a tot!

Carl's Corner
Lots of great free printables including some alphabet miniboks which would be great additions to a notebook.
SparkleBox
1000s of FREE teaching resources for Foundation Stage and Early Years practitioners. Add extra spark to your classroom!
Danielle's Place
While much of this site is subscription based, there is still much available for free and lots of great ideas.
RobertSabuda.com: Simple Pop-Ups You Can Make!
Instructions and templates.
Dynamic 2 Moms
lots of free minibooks








Ideas And Examples On The Web

Bookmaking With Kids: The Littlest Bookmakers
The link to this blog post was sent to me by my friend, Jimmie. It explains why and how to teach pre-reading, pre-writing kids to make books of their own. It includes some great ideas, and the blog itself is full of even more great ideas which could be incorporated into a young child's notebooks.
Notebooking Exhibit
You've heard about notebooking. You know it's a flexible tool that can be used with most any curriculum or homeschooling style. You've read a bit about it, but you're still not quite sure. What is notebooking? What does it actually look like, and how does it work? This page, put together by my previously metioned friend, Jimmie, has lots of great examples.
How Do I Start Notebooking?
This article explains noteboking in simple terms and gives some suggestions on how to start the notebooking process.
25 Creative Notebooking Ideas
In case you find yourself in a rut, here is a list of creative expression.
Shepherding the Lambs
Tips and notebooking style resources for preschoolers.
Journal Writing - for pre-writers
Writing a journal is a great pre writing activity that promotes creativity, literacy skills and self expression. Rebekah Patel shares how to do it even if your child can't write yet.
It's Never Too Early to Begin Notebooking
Homeschool Mosaics
Notebooking for 1st and 2nd
Our Busy Homeschool
Examples of Narration Letters from Nebby
Letters from Nebby: examples of notebook pages done by different ages.
Kindergarten Kindergarten: Science Notebooks
pictures and free printables for a rock unit
Our {BFIAR} Lap Journal
The lap journal is: a lapbook, a scrapbook, and a portfolio ~ a record of our learning time together.
His Grace To Me: Our Math Journal/Notebook
A homeschool mother shows how she uses math notebooking with her young son. "It's just a simple inexpensive composition book that we use to record our math experiences."
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