Top Five Ways to Prepare for Back to School: Homeschooling Style

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Even though we unofficially homeschool year-round, the end of the summer and the beginning of September always get our family thinking about going "Back to School." Whenever your children go back to school, there are key ways to prepare them for a new school year of learning. While these tips are geared towards homeschooling families, you may be able to modify them if your children attend public or private school.

Cleaning Out the Old 

Before the new school year starts is a fantastic time to go through materials from last year. Inventory your curriculum (both physical and digital), your writing supplies (pens, pencils, paper, etc), your science supplies for experiments, your memberships and subscriptions to online learning sites or monthly boxes, and whatever else you use for homeschooling. You may have completed this process at the end of your school year but it is always good to go through everything once again to see if you missed anything or have made any changes. Maybe you found a new language arts program and you won't need those workbooks you were saving from last year?

Have your children go through their desks or learning areas as well. Clean out backpacks, desks, bins, and other locations where your children school. Have them involved in the process so they can see the importance of organization.

Organizing Materials 

Now that you have decided what you are going to keep, spend some time organizing the materials in a way that makes them easy to find. I rely mainly upon one bookshelf in our living room to keep our binders and drawers of materials for our children. One drawer contains most of the math manipulatives we need while the others hold folders of unit studies we have completed or partially completed, flash cards or other teaching materials, and children's art work.

In the binders, I keep some of the curriculum materials our younger children are using. I also utilize two binders for storing the paper copies of of our teen's completed work. This way, he can access them if he needs to (for studying prior to a quiz or test) and I have a hard copy record for grading purposes.

For more ideas of how to organize your homeschooling materials, please check out my Top 5 Suggestions for Best Organizing Your Homeschool Materials.

Back-to-School Shopping 

Whether you homeschool or your children go to private or public school, now is the time to pick out a brand new outfit! The first day of school can be extra special with a new t-shirt or backpack. We have found that even though we homeschool having a backpack and lunch box for our kids is great for field trips and outings.

And don't forget all the sales for back-to-school items. I love walking down the aisles and seeing all the shiny new notebooks and folders with kittens and unicorns. What items belong in among your schooling supplies? I have shared Recommended School Supplies, which was a modified version of a list that I distributed to my students when I was a high school teacher. There are also a number of supplies that are essential to our homeschool such as SchoolhouseTeachers.com and this year CTCMath.com.

Settling into a Routine 

Did your children stay up late during the summer months? Maybe you did not follow your normal routine of breakfast, lunch, and dinner at regular times. I know that we usually let our teen stay up later during the summer months and it takes a bit of time for him to get used to a different schedule.

Start slowly by adjusting sleeping schedules so your children can get used to the new time requirements. Maybe advance their bedtimes at 15 to 30 minutes at a time till you get it back to your normal schooling bedtime.

One thing I have to remind myself is that (despite wanting to jump in with everything we want to do on the first day back to homeschooling) our children have had a very relaxed homeschooling summer. I need to allow us all time to get back into a more set routine.

Celebrate the New School Year 

There are so many ways you can celebrate back to school with your family. Have a countdown, throw a party, or make a special breakfast. Last year, I created a coloring sheet which also doubled as a sign for our children to hold up for their first day back to school. I look forward to updating the year and taking a new photo this year!

This year I think a great way to start the new school year will be having a board game night. We have so many to choose! From family games to games our children can play by themselves like Cat Crimes and IQ Stars, there are many options for a fun week of getting back to school.

Back to School with Timberdoodle

Timberdoodle offers so many great resources for your homeschooling needs. From full curriculum kits to individual pieces like texts and notebooking journals that we have purchased, you will be sure to find something useful for your homeschooling day.

Engaging History: Modern America

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History has always been one of my favorite subjects. During the presentation of ideas in my Engaging History series, I will provide activities, journal-writing opportunities and questions, ways to include geography, music, and literature in your lessons, and projects for your children to complete to help bring history alive. I urge parents to preview books, movies, and other resources and references prior to sharing with your children. Only you, as the parent, know what your children are ready to read or view in a movie.

Often in schools, the events past a certain point in American History are often skipped, abbreviated, or ignored – depending upon time constraints or teachers' personal preferences. When homeschooling, one can focus upon the entire history of their nation or just discuss what interests the child or children being taught. In this post, I will share several different books and ideas for teaching events and topics in post-Civil War American History (the event that usually divides US I and US II history courses in traditional school settings).

An interesting but sometimes overwhelming topic to teach is the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt following the Great Depression in America. One resource is FDR's Alphabet Soup: New Deal America, 1932-1939. While the book is not necessarily a place to start for children unfamiliar with the events and topics of the time period, it is a good resource which provides a lot of details, timelines, photographs, political cartoons, election buttons, and definitions. Tonya Bolden presents the first 100 days of FDR's presidency and more as she explains the various New Deal problems for ages 12 and up.

New Deal Activities 

• Research how Herbert Hoover received the nicknames: Great Engineer and Great Humanitarian. Write an introductory speech for him as he is being inducted into the Hall of Presidents. 
• Listen to one or more of FDR's fireside chats. Pretend you are living in the 1930s and write in a journal your thoughts and feelings about what he is discussing. Is America going to pull out of the Great Depression? 
• Frances Perkins was the first woman to hold a cabinet post. Read more about her. How did she try to help America during this time period? 
• Eleanor Roosevelt was published in the August 1933 Woman's Home Companion with an article entitled: "I Want You to Write to Me." Nearly half a million letters and telegrams were sent to the Roosevelts following the inauguration. By the end of 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt would receive over 300,000 letters. Write Mrs. Roosevelt a letter discussing how your family is coping with the Depression. What do you want her to know about her family, friends, and town? What would help your area of America during this difficult time? 
• Kings of Swing – Listen to the music of Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. How do they compare to today's musicians? 
• Read a book published during the time like Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth or watch Frank Capra's It Happened One Night. How do they reflect the time period? Or if you are interested in horror, watch Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in The Black Cat. 
• There were several individuals like Huey Long, Father Charles Coughlin, and Dr. Frances Townsend who were critics of the New Deal programs for a variety of reasons. For older teens and adults, there is the Robert Penn Warren book, All the King's Men, which is a fictionalized account of the life of Huey Long. There are also two movies based upon the book: the 1949 release starring Broderick Crawford and the 2006 release starring Sean Penn as Willie Stark. 

• There are many resources when studying history but sometimes the unconventional ones are the most fun when studying history. One of the popular methods for campaigning during the 1930s and 1940s was the use of buttons. One can very easily demonstrate who they were backing for president by wearing a small (or large) button on their lapel. Design your own campaign buttons for a past election or an upcoming one. Think about colors, the message, and an imaginary slogan you might want to include. 
• Vocabulary 
• Create a timeline of the New Deal programs. 

Presidents 

There are many different ways to study the presidents of Modern America. A simple way is to check out age-appropriate biographies from the library to read and review.

Richard Nixon 

• Read Richard Nixon (The United States President Series) by Tamara L. Britton to find out more about his early life and the events prior and during this presidency. 
• The Nixon family were Quakers. Research the Quaker religion. How might that have impacted Richard Nixon? 
• View the famous Checkers Speech. You can read it here at The History Place or at The American Presidency Project. If you do a search on YouTube, you will find several videos of the speech uploaded.  (Note: Please preview any YouTube videos prior to sharing with your children and maximize to full screen so any inappropriate comments will not be visible.) In this speech, he addresses contributions and gifts from taxpayers and discusses their dog, Checkers. 
• How did the use of television change the way in which people responded to politicians? In 1960, two presidential candidates debated on television for the first time. Richard Nixon debated John F. Kennedy and the opinions regarding who won the debate differed depending on if someone heard the debate on the radio or watched it on TV. 
• Create a timeline of the events leading to Nixon resigning from office. 

Famous Citizens 

Since teaching the history of Modern America can often seem daunting – because there is a wealth of information you might want to teach your child, taking a look at individual citizens who impacted history is a good way to teach to their specific areas of interest while providing useful background information on the time period. The great thing about teaching from this perspective is that there are so many interesting people to study! And don't just study Americans...there are so many interesting people who impacted history from around the world.

Planning on studying the 1950s with a children who loves sports?

• Interested in baseball? Read more about Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, or Richie Ashburn. 
• For fans of ice hockey be sure to read about Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, Terry Sawchuk, or Jacques Plante. 
• Is your child a fan of track and field? Why not read more about the Czechoslovakian long-distance runner Emil Zatopek or the American sprinter Bobby Joe Morrow? 

Do you have an artist or architect in the family?

• Review the work of Louis Kahn including the Salk Institute in California. 
• Or visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House. 
• Compare and contrast such painters as Mary Cassatt, Norman Rockwell, or Grant Wood. 

If you plan on studying the Civil Rights movement, be sure to read biographies about Rosa Parks,
Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, or Thurgood Marshall.

Resources and References

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum: Audio and Visual Collection
Addresses and fireside chats can be found, along with photographs and other useful information.

Frances Perkins Center
This site offers a biography, photographs, links to primary and secondary resources, and more.

Time's The Long Story Behind Presidential Campaign Buttons and Pins
Provides a brief look at the history of presidential campaign buttons through the years.

The Official Site of the Hockey Hall of Fame 

National Park Service's Civil Rights in America 

Please visit the links below to read more posts from the Homeschool Review Crew as we come together for the 5 Days of...Homeschool Blog Hop during the week of April 23, 2018. And make sure to stop back here each day this week for more great ways to bring history to life with books, movies, and more! 

Z is for Zoo (Blogging through the Alphabet)

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Among the many memorable experiences of my life, probably one that impacted me the greatest, was my time working in the education department of our local zoo. I volunteered for several years with summer camps before turning 16 and becoming a paid camp counselor. I then taught summer camp, workshops, outreach programs, in-zoo lessons, and more for over ten years.

As my mom started working at the zoo when I was young, I also had many experiences and memories from the years prior to working at the zoo myself. I had many wonderful opportunities to meet animals up-close and feed them because of many great keepers.

Another exciting memory was seeing an Asian elephant create art first hand. The keepers provide a variety of different enrichment activities for the animals from simply hiding food in the exhibits to working with different animals and 'teaching' them to paint. One of the coolest experiences was getting to see the elephants paint. I received an elephant art for one birthday. Later, when I was leaving the zoo to start my job as a high school history teacher, I was also gifted another piece of art - created by one of the snakes in the education department.

There are so many ways that one can work with animals - more than just being a veterinarian or zoo keeper. But those are great careers to start studying if a child is interested in animals. Just studying animals is an ever better place to begin because there are so many different types of animals! 

Studying Animals

There are so many ways to study the world around us but one of my favorite resources for education has become SchoolhouseTeachers.com. It offers access to over 450 self-paced, homeschooling online courses, when you become a member. There are no books to buy. All the children in your family have access to courses that might further their interest in animals and zoology with one membership. Older children – middle school age and up – can take the Animal Science Course or even learn about Marine Biology.

In the Animal Science Course, there are twenty-seven weekly lessons that include the study of animal classification, digestive systems, reproduction, human responsibility towards animals, and preventative care in domestic animals.

If your children are elementary age or younger, there are plenty of opportunities to learn about animals from SchoolhouseTeachers.com, too. Elementary aged children could take A World of Animals which teaches them how animals are classified, what they like to eat, whether animals are endangered or not, and even how to care for possible pets.  Younger children have access to a variety of books through World Book Online such as Forest Friends and a World of Birds.

If you are hunting for lessons grounded in Christian values and designed to support a self-paced education for your children, then this is the perfect time to check out SchoolhouseTeachers.com. 

I linked up with the following blog(s): 

Wordless Wednesday: Animals

While I worked at the zoo, I had the opportunity to handle different types of animals in our education classes.

Bobby the Bunny 

Senegal Parrot 

Young American Alligator 

Dumeril's Ground Boa 

Jersey Wooly Rabbit

Note: All photographs taken by me or for me with my camera as I handled an animal.

I linked up with the following blog(s):

image-in-ing

NanaHood

Ten Things You May Not Know about the Mom of 'A Mom's Quest to Teach'

Gypsy - Boer Goat

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Reptiles, Birds of Prey, and Goats, Oh, My! 

I have mentioned before that I worked at a zoo. During my tenure at the zoo, I volunteered with the Development Department, Marketing Department, and Education Department. I also was on the staff for many years as an education substitute and then full time as a classroom educator. For a few short months I had the pleasure of helping to take care of the Children Zoo's goats and sheep (and I loved every minute of it!).

Sunshine - West African Pygmy Goat

While working in the education department, I helped take care of our reptiles and amphibians. This meant everything from daily care (cleaning cages/terrariums) to feeding (which might be only bi-monthly for some of the larger reptiles). I also helped write and design lesson plans and curriculum with some of the best people.

Sunshine - Box Turtle

Roxanne - Boa Constrictor 

Go Boldly into a Galaxy Far Away...with Unicorns and Elves  

I have been a fan of the science fiction/fantasy genre of books, television, and movies for quite a long time. My love of sci-fi/fantasy might have started with my mom introducing me to Star Wars helping me be Princess Leia from The Return to the Jedi. My mom and uncle also introduced me to Star Trek and I remember seeing several of the movies with the original cast and then the Next Generation cast in the theater. I also enjoy movies like Legend, The Last Unicorn, and Labyrinth. Among the authors that I enjoy reading are: Mercedes Lackey, Orson Scott Card, and Ray Bradbury.

Update: My tastes in movies and reading has actually changed a bit since originally writing this post in January of 2018. 

I Used to Like Video Games...

Fallout 4

As you might have guessed from my Minecraft post, I enjoy video games - both playing and watching others play them. Some of my favorite games include those that I can play with my husband (and stepson now that he is older) like those in the Borderlands series.  I also enjoy the single player games like Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Oblivion, and Skyrim. I enjoy the stories that are told as much as the game play. Depending on your child, these games may not be age appropriate to share with them, so please review ratings and video game play before making an choices for your own family.

(P.S. This title is a reference to Skyrim's "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee.")

Anxiety 

One of the most difficult things to share with people is the fact that I suffer from anxiety. In today's world, it should be easy to state that fact since both anxiety and depression receive attention from the media. Yet, it has never been easy for me to share details about me that I count in my weakness column.

Most days I can function pretty normally, but there are times when my anxiety hits me hard; making it difficult to be the wife and mom I need to be for my family. Thankfully my immediate family is very understanding and forgiving. They stand with me as I work through challenges and panic attacks. They are okay with changes in plans for outings or activities if my anxiety makes it difficult for me to leave the house (let alone the bedroom). I also find that having a commitment to homeschool our younger children and having a well-polished blog helps me find purpose each day. But there are times when I wish I owned the t-shirt that states: "I am sorry I am late, I didn't want to come" because I still have days where attending family functions and other events is nearly impossible.

"One Day More"

In the past, I highly enjoyed going to the theater to see musicals with my mom. In the past 8 years or so, I have not really enjoyed that due to my anxiety and depression. Some of my favorite musicals include The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and My Fair Lady. I am fortunate enough that -- living near a metropolitan city -- I have been able to attend many touring productions of popular musicals. But I did get to see the original cast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Broadway as part of a bus trip.  It was excellent!

© Casadphoto | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Let's Go...Ice Hockey 

Ever since I was little, I have been an ice hockey fan. Again, I owe the introduction to ice hockey to my family, in particular my mom. For a number of years, my family had season tickets to our local ice hockey team and I fondly remember attending games (bundled up in my snowsuit). We would leave early but listen to the third period on the radio while my mom drove home.

My stepson has been playing ice hockey since he was seven years old. It has been a joy to watch him grow and play on numerous teams (sometimes alongside NHL players' sons). Up till this year he has only had one major injury, a broken arm in 2011, but that changed with 2017. He is old enough now that he is playing in a checking league which means intentional contact with other players. And unfortunately, he received a concussion this fall. We are very grateful that it is a very mild concussion but it is really scary as a mom to think what if it was worse.

Rolling Up a Character

Ever since my husband and I married, he has been trying to get me to play role-playing games with him, his son, and family.  I have to admit I was very hesitant because, after all, people who play D&D are geeks, right? After much soul-searching, I finally realized, "Wait, I am already a geek!" and joined him in playing a modified version of Dungeons and Dragons.

I have a host of characters that I created including an Elven Magic-User and her red-tailed hawk, a Human Fighter and her 6 month-old owlbear, an Elven Druid, a Human Cleric, and a Dwarven Thief. The characters that I have used most frequently in a 'single-player' campaign are my Magic-User, Morna, and my Fighter, Zharina.

For those wanting to learn more about role-playing games in general, I recommend taking a look at some of the (free!) rules light versions. There are even RPGs inspired by the likes of Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate SG-1, Middle-earth/The Lord of the Rings, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, James Bond and espionage stories, westerns, post-apocalyptic tropes (such as the Mad Max movies), 1930's urban America, the novel Watership Down, Marvel Comics and DC Comics superheroes, and multiples based on various eras of world history.

Making History 

I often enjoy watching television programing that is historical in nature. I enjoy histories but also really like reality-like shows that set the individuals in the time periods of the past. So whether individuals find themselves whisked from the present day to a Victorian farm or a 1900 Manor house, I like seeing the history aspect of the shows. 

"Once Upon a Midnight Dreary"

In high school, I started volunteering at the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site. I really enjoyed learning from the Park Rangers and sharing my love of Poe with visitors from around the world. I was also able to develop my own tour comparing and contrasting Vincent Price's Poe films with the actual poems and short stories.

My collection of Edgar Allan Poe related books. 

"I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire"...I just want to listen to Music 

I think I have a rather eclectic taste in music. I used to enjoy going to concerts to see some of my mom's favorite artists including Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, and Huey Lewis and the News. I also have among my music collection KISS, Kansas, The Heavy, and Billie Holiday. Thanks to the music of the Fallout series, I have found a love of many new artists including The Ink Spots, Roy Brown, Bob Crosby, and Marty Robbins.


Do you share any similar interests with me?  I would love to hear about your favorite movies, books, video games, and music. 

   

Recommended School Supplies: What do you need in your desk?

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Being prepared is one of the keys to getting a good education. Every teacher – whether your attend public or private school or you are homeschooled –  has different requirements and expectations for their students. There are some basics that you should always have during your career as a student whether you are in elementary school, high school, college, or are homeschooled.

Items for Home or your Desk

• tape dispenser
• stapler
• three hole punch
• extra 3-ring binder
• glue 
• glue sticks
• crayons, colored pencils, markers 
• scissors 
• pencil sharpener 
• index cards 

Items to Carry or Keep Close at Hand

• pencils
• erasers
• pens
• highlighters
• notebooks
• folders
• loose leaf paper 
• 3-ring binder 
• portable three hole punch 
• mini tape dispenser and stapler (if you find them necessary)
• portable pencil sharpener  
• white out 
• post-it notes 

Different Note-taking Materials 

3-Ringer Binder

These are fantastic for using with a course with multiple handouts that you need to keep organized by unit or chapter.

One Subject Notebook

This type of notebook is good for those courses where most of the work will be completed in one place.

Three or Five Subject Notebook

This type of notebook is good for those courses where you will be taking a lot of notes or need to divide up individual courses into one notebook.

Tablet or Laptop

Using an electric device is great because you can organize notes, digital handouts, websites, and other materials provided immediately.

What are your favorite school supplies? Do you find you retain information better when you use a particular note-taking method?