The Carnival of Homeschooling; How’d it get to be December?

Co-op ended, we had a great Thanksgiving, and wow, it’s December.  So I thought I’d look at our old photos of December for a memory jogger as to what came up other years, the carnival needed illustrating anyway.

Ben worked with Dan on electronic projects; including putting together my computer before this one.  Love2learn2day used an I-pod app to evaluate her kindergartener’s number sense with Subitize & Make Five with the (free!) Number Rack.  Math games really show what young students understand and what they don’t – this lively article demonstrates how.

Technology can even be fun in language study;  the most awesome spanish blog ever hosts short video Spanish lessons.  The titles are specific, for easy searching, here is one on adjective agreement.

Of course, sometimes the electronic atmosphere is the problem.  The Legacy of Home chronicles the changes in her public library in Homeschooling at the Library.

Last week Ben stayed up with Dan to keep him awake while he made my foot pedal mesh with our camera.  He’s taller than me now, much taller than when he made that computer.   Learning as We Go muses; when is a new challenge in a tween a developmental stage and when is it a character trait?   Read her manifesto – it’s that good.

Time4Learning suggests 3 types of homeschool portfolios.

Older Students eventually graduate – sometimes you look up and realize they are about to move away – sort of like when I looked up and the calender said December only more profound.   Home Spun Juggling muses More Thoughts on Letting Go.  Check out Marina’s beautiful art doll while you are at it.

Here’s a grand, slightly surprising idea: Why Homeschool asks
Do you homeschool? Did you know you are a radical?

As long as I’m mentioning the identity of a homeschooling parent, Mama Squirel of Dewey’s Treehouse just discovered that “I’m officially an Educator–I think.”  Need a smile?  Read the post.

Christmas presents were often educational, like Ben’s carnivorous plants seeds.  (Though they never did sprout.)  OurJourney Westward lists many resources for Christmas Nature Study.

7sisters Innovative Homeschool Helps list 6 ways to turn “White Christmas” into a homeschool unit study. 

We had time for field trips, the New England Aquarium is always a favorite, we get the pass from the library to keep costs down.  But we certainly don’t have to take a field trip to study nature.  Under an English Sky has some charming photos (and a craft tutorial; and a link to some darling free printibles) of their Winter Nature Table.

This was a thanksgiving photo, but it’s still good to get the leaves up before the snow flies, it’s just part of the pattern of the year in the North East.

Most of us have a flexible pattern for the day in homeschool, but when the teaching parent gets sick, it’s time for Doing Things Differently.  A Net in Time Schooling shares how she’s using a folder organizer to add structure and peace.

Health class 101: wash your hands.  Homeschooling 101: do we homeschool, school our children privately, send them to a charter school, or a public school?  That’s much fuzzier than hand washing.  featurearticlesforfree recounts a scary homeschooling decision narrative.

Home School vs. Public School offers suggestions of how to inspire your student in My child Won’t do Their lessons!

So, are homeschools and public schools antagonists?  Corn and Oil lists how schools could learn from homeschooling success.

My kids often learn from extended family on visits – often subjects I didn’t even think to tackle.  Frolicking Flamingo‘s YaYa suggested making plaster tracks of the animal tracks around their dried up pond.  While plaster of paris sounds like a brave, messy project for the day after Thanksgiving, it paid off, with great pictures!

Educational toys keep the learning going as well as well as letting me have a few quite moments to fix supper.  Of course, these toys to walk all over the house, to join the missing socks, library books and rolls of tape.  That’s what K is hoping to get for Christmas.  The Den school has many links for Christmas activities on Countdown to Christmas Days 7 and 8, apparently they need to find the tape and paper plates.

Sometimes the activity to keep the youngest quite during homeschool extends beyond kitchen table tutorials.  3 Boys and a Dog suggests Muppet printibles, Christmas Handwriting printibles, and an advent calendar.

Whiteboards; they aren’t just for phonics lessons and keeping little ones cheery.  The Fisher Academy International outlined King Lear on one.  Who knew there were so many Christmas tie ins?

Imitation is a great way to start habits and expectations.  Elena from My Domestic Church shares a method copied from her Great Aunt for The Easy way to make an Heirloom Christmas Gift – write an inscription!   Such a story from one inscribed book.

Phyllis from Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness writes about the example she sets her children in Trying to Keep My Toe Behind the Line.

Yes!  books, she likes books! Full Time Nanny.com lists 10 Ways Nannies can Foster a Love of Reading in their Charges which applies to anyone who has charge of children.

Seasonal treats that are too cute to eat will still keep kids happily occupied on dark December days.  Tales of a Pee Dee Mama gives a tutorial on m&m Christmas trees.

Apparently I cleaned out the back hall closet one year – not a bad reminder.

Thanks for reading this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling, Next week’s edition may be read at Dewey’s Tree house.