Games for homeschool learning fun

Well, it's been a year and a half since my life changed--I was suddenly healed during a church service. SO, while I continue to homeschool, I am no longer chronically ill. I just now feel like I'm getting my life back together. I am looking at starting a new website, but thought I'd go ahead and share here: I have been researching and testing various games with learning potential and am putting together my favorites to sell. Eventually these will be reviewed, but for now let me share my favorites with a link.

And if you are still struggling through illness, I believe games can be a great way for your children to learn and still enjoy your family. If you are struggling with illness and would like prayer, please e-mail me.

More on independent work

We have modified some things. First, I made a checklist in a spreadsheet program (so it has boxes to check for every day of the week). I have a basic list and then I add the details for the week (like what passages to read in the Bible daily.) That way, my daughter did not overlook something, and too quickly say "I'm done".

Second, I had her start bringing me the list to check off (this is probably not permanent), so I could inspect her work more. She was needing help on not taking short-cuts. It also gave me a chance to ask if she put the materials up after she finished.

Last, we cut out Lyrical Life sciences. I decided to ask what she wasn't liking or would cut out if she were given the choice. It was science, copywork, and German. So, I put the Science CD in the car to listen to occasionally and decided to just do the handwriting book for now. We are going a bit faster through the German, which we are almost finished with, so we can start a different program soon (Rosetta Stone if I can afford it.) And I decided to make the enrichment drawers optional (but earn points to be used toward movies, etc.) If those simple changes mean she likes school, it's well worth it!

And I do try to suggest about once a week, that she go outside to draw, so that her art journal also functions as a nature journal. So, I add some science back in that way. Hope this helps someone. A lot of good ideas need a bit of modification to really work, so don't be afraid to change what doesn't work.

Independent Work works for us!

Well, I've shared about my daughter's list before. And of course every year I redo it slightly, so I thought I would share this year's version. I decided it was too stressful trying to get my older daughter finished with her morning list by a certain time, so I am giving her all her independent work for the day, including the free reading. Then, I schedule myself to teach the girls between 10 and noon. Independent work not finished before then, is finished during room time after lunch. Hope this helps someone. I love to schedule things, though I follow them pretty loosely. Because my daughter has been used to doing her morning work, she is able to do all of this, even though she's just starting 3rd grade. And of course, the independence is a skill itself!

Here's what she's doing this year:

* Quarter Mile Math (computer game that drills math facts)

* Practice piano (she plays her song 3 times through--not alot, but something)

* Exercises (right now this is stretches plus jumping on the mini-tramp)

* Math Workbook

* Read to sister (the science book from her Pre-K)

* Writing (Copywork or Handwriting)

* Art Journal (free drawing in a journal)

* Reader or at least 20 min. Free Reading (when ahead on scheduled readers)

* Bible Reading

* Coop HW (if any, from her elective-type coop classes)

* One Enrichment Drawer (I fill this on the weekend--that way I can get in some extras, like educational games)


CD learning:

* Lyrical Life Science

* MUS skip counting song (some weeks we won't have this)

* German (Powerglide)

* Memory Verse (part of SL curriculum)

Making Homeschool CD's--increase learning with less energy!

One trick that really helps me is my daughter's morning routine. I should add that I've been having to prompt her lately to get back in the habit of doing it promptly in the morning. But still it's a life saver.

In addition to practicals like getting dressed, her routine includes her math page (unless we are to a new lesson), hand exercises, writing in her journal (the date, and right now she is writing her phone number to help her learn it--before she was practice her name with lowercase), and her CD.

I make the CD on the computer. It includes a bible verse memory song (even though I haven't been working with her on the memory lately--at least she's hearing it and we'll work on it eventually), her German lesson(Power Glide), and a story. When she is learning math facts, those songs are included as well. Next year I will be including Audio Memories Geography Songs.


The stories come from several online sources such as:

http://www.kiddierecords.com/2006/index.htm (Thanks Cara!)--These are old records with classic stories, books, etc.

http://www.homeschoolradioshows.com/ You sign up for a weekly e-mail to get various stories--after a while you get quite a collection. These are mostly old radio programs--many are historical or based on literature.

http://www.write2teach.com/books-hr/index.php This is Aesop's Fables--14 volumes--284 stories. I would assume that's the complete collection! :)


http://storynory.com/2006/09/24/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-by-lewis-carroll/ is Alice in Wonderland.

http://lightupyourbrain.com/audio-stories-for-children.html Here's more including a couple Beatrix Potter stories.

http://www.archive.org/details/fifty_famous_stories_lc_librivox is Fifty Favorite Stories Retold by James Baldwin.

Several of these links have other stories on the same site if you want to look around.

Listening to stories is partly a fun reward for getting the other work done and she can skip it if she wants. But it also helps with auditory processing--which helps with the phonics side of reading. And I try to include stories that relate to our history when possible. But of course lots of them are just plain fun. But I love knowing that there is learning going on, even when I can't yet drag myself out of bed. (And for you healthy folks who don't relate--I'm not talking willpower--I'm talking--my body won't go!)