Homeschool-type Resources

[thalassa]

I thought I'd start a thread for homeschooling resources in general and specific lesson plans of interest. I've started the goal of a monthly post on a school-at-home lesson on my blog, and thought I'd post it to start off!

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

I don't have any home schooling resources, but, since I am an art teacher, I have a lot of lesson plans for art assignments.

If anybody i interested, feel free to contact me - I'm happy to share.

[thalassa]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

I don't have any home schooling resources, but, since I am an art teacher, I have a lot of lesson plans for art assignments.

If anybody i interested, feel free to contact me - I'm happy to share.

Absolutely!

Mine are pretty happy at that gluing macaroni and slapping paint on a page stage right now, but eventually, I'd like some ideas to actually let them acquire some skills, lol...

...or heck, I'd like to acquire some skills...

forget lesson plans for the kids, can you give me online art lessons?

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

forget lesson plans for the kids, can you give me online art lessons?

LOL - stay tuned...

[DanieMarie]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

Can it extend to college?

https://www.academicearth.org

I think some of the courses and lectures on there could apply to high school as well.

[thalassa]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

Its not free (its not expensive either), but it looks interesting, and it covers math for pre-K to 8th grade... http://www.ixl.com/

Also, Khan Academy, which *is* free! (here's Salman Khan @ the TED talking about how he got started)

http://youtu.be/gM95HHI4gLk

[thalassa]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

So...we have decided to make the commitment to homeschool for the next two years and I will be reviving this thread...

You have been warned!

By the way Corbin, I know you teach high school, but if you have any art lessons that can be made preschool level and would go well with a lesson on life cycles, I'd be ecstatic.

[habbalah]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

A lot of universities have entire courses online, as series of youtube videos. UC Berkley, Harvard, Cambridge, and Stanford are just a few.

[anunitu]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

And MIT now has free resources online,check them out sometime.

[Avior]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

I did my AS levels (I'm from the UK) at home by teaching myself. If anyone's thinking of doing that, feel free to drop me a message if you've got questions or want any help. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

So...we have decided to make the commitment to homeschool for the next two years and I will be reviving this thread...

You have been warned!

By the way Corbin, I know you teach high school, but if you have any art lessons that can be made preschool level and would go well with a lesson on life cycles, I'd be ecstatic.

http://www.fungi.com/kits/index.html

(hopefully, your kids won't look quite as scary as the one in the photo)

Oyster mushrooms are amazingly easy to grow, and have a fast life cycle. Start with one of the indoor patches, have the kids tend it & record developments (drawing and/or photos). When mushrooms develop, take a spore print, look at spores under a microscope, draw/photograph, etc.

Then, teach them a little sterile culture work. Some disposable petri plates, a bit of agar, a sterile glove box made from cardboard, a pressure cooker... My kids could inoculate a petri dish before they could butter their own toast.

And there ya go, a full fungi life cycle.

Or just get them a pair of bunnies...


*****
I think, if I were doing this, Thalassa, I would incorporate art into the lesson in two different ways - 1. art as a way of documenting a process, and 2. art as a reaction to observation, in which the natural forms are used as a springboard for an original artwork.

[Omidottir]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

I have a book on my shelf called Pagan Homeschooling by Kristin Madden. I think I bought it when I was thinking of starting a Spiral Scouts chapter. Never read it, but I thought you might find the idea interesting.

[Dez]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

Ok....I have never heard of Spiral Scouts. What is this? I'm assuming it's a pagan group similar to girl scouts?

Thal, congrats on the homeschooling! I think you'll do a great job. I would strongly suggest Saxon Math. The program is excellent.

Right now, I'm not planning on homeschooling, but I'm not assuming my kids will get much of an education, either...more like covering any potential holes in what we're doing. We'll have to see what the school is like once we have a home in CA. Something I've been working on is a book list. Will post later if/when I have time.

[Omidottir]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

Yes, Dez. It's a scouting program for boys and girls, an interfaith sort of thing. Here's a linky: http://www.spiralscouts.org/

[thalassa]

Re: Homeschool-type Resources

Pre-school fire safety@ firefighterdan.com--there are a few video animations and a ton of downloadable PDF worksheets with safety tips for parents

(message to parents)

For Earth Day...consider The Lorax (not sure if the new movie is still out, but if so, its the perfect time to compare books and movies!)

First School's The Lorax lesson plans and activities (preschool):

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/environment/drseuss-lorax.htm

http://first-school.ws/activities/colors/truffula-trees.htm

Other Lorax stuff:
seussville's Lorax page @ http://www.seussville.com/loraxproject/ (they have some activities and games and stuff)
printables (from the movie) @ http://www.hp.com/hho/hp_create/them...s_drseuss.html
the CBS special from the 70's part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5jnJ...feature=relmfu
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzYRk...feature=relmfu
book reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNnXEDUb_zw