Growing Independence and Being Flexible
Last week was pretty relaxed for us with homeschooling. I’m still feeling out how much structure and challenge we need in our days at the moment. I’ve come to accept that this will ALWAYS be changing because my children are always growing and changing!
Note: I’ve included affiliate links to the books and games we used. If you chose to buy them, I’d love if you can use my link. I get a tiny commission on each purchase which helps support our small home business.
Here is what we did over the week:
Reading
The Reverso Poem Books - Mirror Mirror, Follow Follow, Echo Echo
Fairy tales and mythology are retold as poems. Reading them forward and backward tells different perspectives on the same tale!
Bookwanderers by Anna James
This book really encourages appreciation of literature.
Magic Hoofbeats: Fantastic Horse Tales by Josepha Sherman
An around-the-world journey through mythology about horses. Always a good idea to pre-read mythology, a few of the stories were a bit scary, but a few we really enjoyed.
A Chicken Followed Me Home! Questions and Answers about a Familiar Fowl by Robin Page
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by, Michelle Markel
I try to bring social issues like this into our reading stack as often as I can.
The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el
This audiobook, set in the artic, had my kids giggling during a long drive.
Evening Read Aloud:
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Read to Self:
Weird but True - Ripped from the Headlines by National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids - January Edition
Old Ranger Magazines
Several books from the Notebook of Doom series
Playing
Quirkle (2 digit addition practice)
Look Both Ways: City Math (I Love Math) - All Around Town (Subtraction practice) & Three in A Row (Understanding grids)
Making
Drawing & Writing Prompt: Imagine yourself inside your favorite book & include a quote from the book
Glue, Salt, and Watercolor Process Art
Kiwi Crate - Sun and Moon Model and Lantern
Practicing (Math & Literacy)
Two-Digit Addition (Verbal practice and through games)
Number Bonds & Commutative Property of Addition (Using number erasers)
Exploring
Outer Space (Through Web Research together)
World Mythology (Through Videos we watched together on YouTube)
Magical Moments
It was amazing to see my son take so much ownership of building the sun and moon model. His sister was out of the house for a moment and I was seeing if he might be able to work independently on a project while I worked. It went well! A year or two ago he would have needed a lot of help. He’s showing a huge improvement in executive function skills.
Forest “school” (a homeschoolers meetup in the woods that we attend) continues to be an amazing time for both children to play creatively, problem-solve, and develop independence. A particular highlight last week was noticing crunchy icy mud puddles!
And that’s our weekly homeschool log!
If you love hands-on play-based learning, be sure to check out the NorthStar store. We make flexible guides to help your family bring a lot of fun into your homeschool days.
