Over the last year and a half life has looked very different for a lot of families. Many parents who didn’t think they’d ever “homeschool” were thrust in to schooling their kids from their living room. I realize this was unchartered territory for so many parents and a really hard transition to make. If you’ve found yourself scratching your head wondering how you’ve survived or still searching for some extra resources to help your child stick around. When I started homeschooling years ago, I had no idea what I was doing but I learned quickly that outside support is available everywhere. There are so many incredible resources to help us now, and not only for homeschoolers but for those who are...
The following is sponsored post with Nacho Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. Friends! I've been highlighting Nacho Books for a few years now because they are so well done and are hugely popular among the bilingual homeschool community. New WebsiteWell, I'm excited to share that they have just launched a brand new website! It's easier than ever to find their amazing products, including new ones such as the ones below.Susaeta is a leading publisher of children's learning books throughout Latin America. In fact, I've heard from many homeschooling moms that they learned to read with Nacho books when they were kids in Venezuela, Colombia, and other Spanish-speaking countries. Their products have been really hard to find here in the United...
Vocabulary matters. Knowing what words mean is one of the keys to reading comprehension and words are also HOW we communicate. Understanding the meaning of words and actively learning new words helps students to become better communicators - in their reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Shades of MeaningUnderstanding the subtle differences and nuances in similar words is a great way to expand a student’s vocabulary by connecting words they already know to words with similar, yet slightly different meanings. Shades of Meaning How I Teach Shades of Meaning Step 1: I show students a list of words with similar meanings such as hot, blistering, sweltering, and warm. I know that they will know what hot and warm mean but they...
THE GINGERBREAD MAN ACTIVITIESKids LOVE the Gingerbread Man, and every Christmas season I pull out this fun unit to add to our literacy learning!I love using the character cards as the story is read. It's also fun to use them for sequencing the story and for having the kiddos do a story retell.It's always fun to have students create a recipe for making Gingerbread Men :)They especially love to describe how they would decorate their Gingerbread Man!Students can make a picture of the finished product. It's fun to compare and contrast ideas with other students.Of course, the Gingerbread Man was on the run from those who wanted to eat him. In this fun activity, students can give the Gingerbread Man...
Sanjay Guptas ability to demystify complicated concepts has made him a pop-culture icon. The neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondents latest book, Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age, hangs on one basic and extremely encouraging belief: Cognitive decline is not inevitable, no matter your age or access to resources. But what helps you ward off that decline may be different for someone else there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Here are five simple interventions he says can have a significant impact on cognitive function and long-term brain health for most people.(Related: Do Brain Games Actually Work?) 1. Move it. Exercise, both aerobic and nonaerobic (such as strength training), is good for the body but even better for the...
