Giveaway Closed Congratulations to April L. and Abby S. Winners will be contacted via email.
How is it possible that it is already the last week of February? It’s time for my annual Homeschool Assessment Giveaway. I will be giving away two assessments this year to two different entrants. If you’d like to have a chance to win one of them, please email me at schoolmarmohio@me.com and write Giveaway in the subject line. For an extra entry, refer a friend and have them tell me of your referral. Each referral is an extra entry for you.
The Giveaway begins today and will end on Sunday, March 3 at midnight. I will announce the winner here as well as notify you by email if you win. Those who won last year will not be eligible to participate this year.
Today is the beginning of spring and it is my favorite time of the year. Trees are blooming, birds are singing, and school is wrapping up. I hope you and your child(ren) get a great number of opportunities to be outdoors experiencing the wonder of all that is taking place. Here are some ideas for teaching:
Go on a nature walk. Look for signs of spring; sketch plants; identify wildflowers, birds.
Go to the zoo or a farm. Going to where there are animals, and especially where your child can see baby animals. It is a great hands-on biology experience for everyone. What better way to discuss the life cycle than seeing it in person?
Enjoy the rain. The expression, “April showers bring May flowers” is especially true here in Ohio. So, if it is just a shower, with no lightning, why not let your child don on a raincoat, boots, and an umbrella? They can enjoy hearing the sounds of the water hitting the umbrella, can jump in water puddles, make mud pies, add food coloring to water puddles, blow bubbles on the sidewalk, grass, car, etc.
Plant a garden. It’s so rewarding to watch the seeds sprout and plants begin to grow. Your student can draw pictures of the various stages of plant development as well as take on some responsibility. They can water and weed the garden, and help with harvesting throughout the growing season.
Hang in there! You are so close to finishing the school year. This last couple of weeks can be some of the toughest as you near the end of school. The finish line is in sight, just keep going!
You may be seeing that you have more textbook to finish than school days. Don’t panic. Here is something to consider: Will some of these topics be covered again next year? They most likely are since the first couple of lessons typically review previous concepts. If not, then concentrate on teaching this. You can also start your school year with things you didn’t finish this year if they are foundational. Many times you will see that the lessons towards the end of the year are review of what has been learned.
Switch up your schedule. Routine can get b-o-r-i-n-g. What about instead of doing math first you start with a read aloud or a baking lesson? I like the baking lesson because you can be learning about measurement, some chemistry, and fixing breakfast. 🙂
Reflect with your son/daughter what they have accomplished this year. Did they learn to read? Was division hard for them and now it is easier?
Countdown! Make a tear away calendar so that you and your child can count down the number of days you have left. It’s motivating to see there are fewer days and a break is in sight.
Celebrate with your child! Once you finish have one big We Did It day. Pack a picnic lunch, go to the park, and finish it off with a favorite dessert. Or, do whatever is fun for your family.
I am celebrating with you! Congratulations as you complete this school year. While assessments have been waived this year, I am still meeting virtually with families. If you are interested you can sign up by going to www.calendly.com/schoolmarmohio
The end of the traditional school year is quickly approaching and you may be wondering what to do to finish the school year. Here are some things I liked to do when there were about six weeks left.
Check to see if all areas of study have been covered. If your child is still struggling with multiplication, then review over the summer with fun ways to continue to keep those facts fresh. (Concentration, matching product to problem, playing the card game War, race mom to see who can skip count fastest)
If there are still new concepts to be covered, then be sure to teach these before the end of the year.
Although assessments have been waived again this year, perhaps doing a standardized test such as the California Achievement Test or having a teacher assessment will give you guidance for next year and help you with decision making for next year.
End your year with a celebration! Your child(ren)has worked hard and so have you! The party can be planned by your daughter/son. it can be a simple dinner of pizza and a favorite dessert followed by a family movie or an activity. You can reflect on the year with accomplishments and areas that you saw progress. Everyone wants to feel that they are successful.
Consider assigning schoolwork over the summer. My sons would have to read and do some math several days a week. They could read books that interested them, sometimes it was comic books (Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts), joke books, a book about an animal, etc. I allowed them to pick out what they wanted to read and no book reports were assigned. 🙂
Having things to do for your children after they complete school can be a challenge. Creating a Busy Jar can help. Write activities on pieces of paper and place all of them in a Busy Jar. Your child(ren) can pull out one from the jar to do. Here are some activities for your jar. another benefit to this is that it can be considered school. (art, science, language arts)
Build a fort.
Paint a self portrait.
Write a play and act it out.
Make cards for: nursing homes; veterans; family; friends; neighbors
Using a roll of paper, create a comic strip or storyline. One person writes, the next person draws/ writes a line, the the next person does the same.
Draw a design on a piece of paper and then hand it to the next person. They add to the design. Continue around to the rest of the group until it returns to its creator. You get some fun and crazy things!
Dominoes
Make a maze or marble tower out of a cardboard box and paper towel rolls.
Air dry clay- create a sculpture and paint a few days later.
Make goop.
Make slime.
Blow bubbles and see if you can pop all of them before they land.
Google Lego 30 Day Challenge and choose your favorite prompts.
Choose a theme and make a photo collage with words/ pictures. (ex; pictures that have red in them; all pictures begin with a certain letter, etc.)
Learn to say your name and a few phrases in sign language.
Hide an object and draw a pirate map to its location.
Create a stuffed animal zoo.
Play flashlight Hide and Seek.
Create window art.
Using a map, close your eyes and point to a place. Now, figure out the roads you will use to get there. What places would you like to visit along the way?
Write a song or create a cheer about a topic without using the word.
Dance for three songs in a row.
Create a new board game (This can stretch out over weeks if you like. They have to write the rules/ directions, draw and color the board, play the game.)
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