Category: Active Learning

Diversity in Learning…

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Freedom in learning is a good thing!

When we started homeschooling, it took me some time to accept that our learning at home would not necessarily look like the traditional classroom!  Oh yes, I tried at first… to make our learning “look & feel” like the classroom from my years teaching in the public.  I genuinely thought that was the “right way to do it”. 

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Oh how wrong I was!!  Our older daughter, Shelby, (in this fun paddle board video) perhaps taught ME the most about learning in our first years at home!  She thrived on thinking outside the box… as she illustrates here with her ingenuity using a boat dock & paddle board!!  She was my student in elementary school who would sing every answer to me and resist with everything in her to sit down while doing her schoolwork!  Thankfully, I can smile at these memories, but initially, as her teacher, I wrongly thought it was my job to conform her actions to the patterns of the “traditional classroom” believing (of course) we learn sitting down, raising hands, and reciting answers in a completely boring methodical fashion.  UGH… I now see what a snoozer that was!  

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Isn’t it crazy how the world has turned?!!  This very moment many, many kids across our country & world are on the sofa or their beds with laptops in hand completing assignments outlined by a virtual teacher and they’re still learning… AT HOME!   Haha!!  I like to say that we homeschooled WAY before it was cool, but how we accomplished it definitely morphed thoughout the years!     

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The reality is, today’s students don’t use books like we did.  They don’t sit in classrooms as much as we did.  And they carry the entire encyclopedia with them every single day calling it “Google”!   

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But here’s how I want to encourage you  —>  if given the freedom (ok, fine – or being forced by a nasty virus) kids will indeed learn wherever they are!  So, like Shelby taught me years ago, I had to allow her the freedom to learn differently!  She needed the freedom to explore life learning in untraditional ways (in other words, untraditional to me) … she needed the freedom to fulfill her curiosity with the paddle board experiment in Tennessee!  And I am so, so glad I realized this strategy early on before she lost her internal drive to learn!

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Yay!!  Let’s encourage & empower our students with a little more freedom to learn in new ways & and more freedom to be curious, exploring what excites them in life … whether it be virtually or even outside!  Either way, there’s no argument that education is changing and, in my personal opinion,  it might just be a good thing!  

🤔

Are you teaching at home?  How is it going?  

~ Domestic Chick

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13 Top Education Websites for Your Home

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Hey homeschool mamas! After intentionally seeking out the TOP ONLINE LEARNING & ONLINE K-12 EDUCATION WEBSITES to use at home, today I am sharing my findings with you!!! In this post, I will share 13 of the most AMAZING sites to consider incorporating alongside your current homeschool curriculum! You can either use these resources as a supplement to what you already do well, OR use them to alleviate a heavy schedule by assigning a subject or two online. Find what works for you! With my own educating journey, I find great value in adding supplemental ONLINE LEARNING. Maybe we all need a lighter load on Friday and adding these to the lesson plan is just what we need! So, trust me when I say, these are the TOP-OF-THE-TOP education websites for your students at home! You will love them as much as they do, I promise! They are presented here in alphabetical order… so, scroll down and see if perhaps you discover an online treasure to help you in your journey as teach your sweet students at home! Enjoy, y’all 🙂

#1 ABC Mouse – Educational Games, Books, Puzzles & Songs

  • Summary: ABCmouse helps kids learn to read through phonics, and teaches lessons in math, social studies, art, music, and much more. The Step-by-Step Learning Path presents the full ABCmouse.com curriculum in a carefully designed program of more than 850 lessons in ten levels. As your child completes each lesson, he or she is guided to the next one and is motivated to continue learning by ABCmouse.com’s Tickets and Rewards System.
  • Grades: ages 2-8
  • Membership: $59.95/year
  • What is ABC Mouse? video introduction
  • Find it in the App Store
  • Multiple Awards

Find these items on Amazon…

#2 ArtyFactory – Artist, Styles, Techniques & Ideas

  • Summary: Art Lessons, Art Appreciation, & Design Lessons
  • Grades: all ages
  • Membership: FREE
  • Great for the art teacher, art student, artists of all ages and levels.

Find these items on Amazon…

BrainPop websites are phenomenal! ~ Domestic Chick

#3 BrainPop – A Universe of Learning

  • Summary: Animated Educational Site for Kids – BrainPOP offers curriculum based animated movies, learning games,  interactive quizzes, primary source activities, and a breadth of additional resources for students in all grades. Its topics span Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Engineering & Tech, Health, and Arts & Music. BrainPOP is also home to GameUp, an educational games portal for the classroom
  • Grades: K – 12+
  • Free Content: There are many free videos available! Take a look at free videos at Brain Pop Jr. & Brain Pop.
  • Family & Homeschool Membership: $160-$240/year *
  • *Coupon Codes: these can be found here.
  • Multiple platforms: Brain Pop is a family of sites! They include –

#4 Calculation Nation – Challenge Others. Challenge Yourself.

  • Summary: The games of Calculation Nation® are organized around content from the upper elementary and middle grades math curriculum. By becoming a citizen of Calculation Nation®, your child or student will play online math strategy games that allow them to learn about fractions, factors, multiples, symmetry and more, as well as practice important skills like basic multiplication and calculating area — all while having fun.
  • Grades: upper elementary – middle grades math
  • Membership: FREE

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#5 Ed Heads – Activate Your Mind!

  • Summary: Edheads is an online educational resource that provides science and math games and activities that promote critical thinking. Choose from Simple Machines, Virtual Knee Surgery or Stem Cell Heart Repair, among others. All activities meet state and national standards. Edheads empowers students to pursue fulfilling, productive careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
  • Grades: 2-12
  • Free Games: You can still play Virtual Hip Resurfacing, Sickle Cell DNA, Trauma and other games without logging on and without a membership!
  • Family Memberships: $20 annually

Find these items on Amazon…

#6 Fun Brain – Games, Videos, and Books for Kids

  • Summary: Created for kids in grades Pre-K through 8, Funbrain has been the leader in free educational games for kids since 1997. Funbrain offers hundreds of games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in math, reading, problem-solving and literacy. FunBrain is the #1 site for online educational games for kids of all ages. (math, grammar, science, spelling, history)
  • Grades: Pre K – 8th grade
  • Membership: FREE

#7 Hippo Campus –

  • Summary: HippoCampus.org is a free, core academic web site that delivers rich multimedia content–videos, animations, and simulations–on general education subjects to middle-school and high-school teachers and college professors, and their students, free of charge. Teachers project HippoCampus content during classroom learning and assign it for computer labs and homework. Students use the site in the evenings for study and exam prep. Users do not need to register or log in to use the site.
  • Grades: middle school – college
  • Membership: FREE
  • Over 7,000 free videos in 13 subject areas

#8 IXL – Where Learning Feels Like Play

  • Summary: IXL is personalized learning. With a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, individualized guidance, and real-time analytics, IXL meets the unique needs of each learner.
  • Grades: K-12
  • Membership: $9.95 – $19.95/month
  • Multiple Awards

The top-notch education offered by Khan Academy will likely transform learning across the globe! ~Domestic Chick

#9 Khan Academy – Free World-class Education to Anyone, Anywhere.

  • Summary: Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of trusted, standards-aligned practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. Khan Academy offers personalized learning allowing students to practice at their own pace, first filling in gaps in their understanding and then accelerating their learning. Here are many of the subjects covered:
  • Grades: K-12 and beyond
  • Membership: FREE – for learners & teachers
  • BONUS: Practice is aligned with the questioning style of the College Board, the organization that creates the SAT.

#10 Math Giraffe – An Incredible Site for MATH Teachers!

  • Summary: The goal of Math Giraffe is guiding teachers to incorporate CREATIVITY into analytical, logic-oriented math classes. It offers ideas, insights, resources, and teaching materials to guide you in teaching math more creatively!
  • Grades: for middle school & high school MATH teachers
  • Membership: Simply subscribe to get free resources, updates, and ideas for teaching math.
  • Classroom Management & Ideas
  • Math Giraffe Blog
  • AMAZING pre-algebra doodle notebook newly available in 2019!

Find this item on Amazon…

⬆︎⬆︎⬆︎CLICK ON THE PHOTO ABOVE to get Math Giraffe’s NEW pre-algebra doodle notebook!

#11 Quizlet – Learning Tools & Flashcards, for Free

  • Summary: Quizlet’s mission is simple: to help students (and their teachers) practice and master whatever they are learning. Quizlet provides engaging, customizable activities with contributions from people everywhere.
  • Grades: all grades
  • Membership: FREE
  • Apple App & Google App available

Find these items on Amazon…

An incredible reading comprehension site with built in grading, immediate feedback, & progress reports easily available for the parent! ~Domestic Chick

#12 Read Theory – Reading & Writing, improved.

  • Summary: Read Theory is a powerful educational tool that offers online reading activities for all ages and ability levels. Their custom web application adapts to students’ individual ability levels and presents them with thousands of skill building exercises that suit their needs.
  • Grades: all ages & ability levels
  • Membership: FREE
  • FAQ’s
My personal favorite “littles” site where they have so much fun they ask to learn more! ~ Domestic Chick

#13 Starfall – Kids Games, Movies, & Books K-3

  • Summary: Starfall’s emphasis on phonemic awareness, systematic sequential phonics, and common sight words in conjunction with audiovisual interactivity has proven effective in teaching emergent readers. Starfall activities are research-based and align with Individual and Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics. The program emphasizes exploration, play, and positive reinforcement—encouraging children to become confident and intrinsically motivated.
  • Grades: K-3
  • Home Membership: $35/year

Find these items on Amazon…

Friends, I’d love to hear your comments here! And also, if you have other AMAZING sites to share, I’m always looking for awesome new sites to pass along to other education-minded moms! Thanks for reading, y’all 🙂

~ Domestic Chick
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Easy Learning Stations at Home

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Teaching at home is so much more than providing a stack of textbooks for our students. When the idea of a hybrid learning style was brought to me, I knew immediately that choosing to do this would not be for the reason of sheltering our kids from the “real world”. Not at all. My desire to supplement with teaching our sweet girls at home was to offer them MORE. To me, more meant a broader perspective of learning that would take place beyond the “sit in your seat and do your work” philosophy!

One of my favorite simple designs available at: Educating Everyone 4 Life on TpT website

Learning Should be Active

Perhaps I have some A.D.D. myself, but as the teacher (both in the public school & at home), I learned to evaluate my own teaching methods in terms of this:

IF I AM BORED WITH LEARNING, SO ARE THEY!

~Domestic Chick

So, with that, I began to intentionally seek out creative ways of accomplishing our school day. (If you come from a public school background, this may initially cause you some internal struggle!) 😂 Not to worry, though. Once you experience ACTIVE LEARNING in a creative non-traditional setting, those old methods of straight rows, sit in your seat, and do your work will dissolve into a distant memory of times gone by.

As the pyramid shows, kids need to move (adults do too, but that’s a topic for another post 😉); and for our kids, it shouldn’t only happen at recess! The more we can allow them to move, touch, experiment, draw, act, observe within their education experience … the deeper the learning will be. AND, studies show they will retain subjects much better as well.

The Active Learner’s Institute

Learn at Home with Stations!

To beat the boredom of monotonous days, we added stations to our school day at home. No, not every day, but as often as I can blend the curriculum with ACTIVITY, we do. I literally made station signs and place them around the house! Yes, I do. Such an EASY strategy to incorporate! They kids look forward to this, knowing today they will be up moving around and not stuck filling in meaningless blanks on a worksheet. Here’s how to get started:

  • Make or buy your signs – they can literally display whatever subject you desire them to accomplish that day.
    • Examples: art, music, cooking, math, listening, science, spelling… etc.
  • Select only a few to use in one day. Depending on the time you’d like them to spend at each one, 3-5 is likely a good number to allow for quality learning in a day.
  • Place them around your home.
    • Examples: science might be in the garage or on an outdoor patio. Math could be at the dining table. Spelling can be outside with chalk. Perhaps history will be a DVD in the family room. And literature can be on the sofa or even on their beds!
  • Gather the items they will need for station and have all supplies ready for them.
    • Examples: digital timers, color pencils, cd player, their workbooks, colored construction paper, maps, audio book, headphones…etc.

Remember, the goal is ACTIVE LEARNING, so make sure the items you select allow them to DO SOMETHING fun while they are learning!

For illustration on set-up ideas, below I have chosen some of our favorite elementary school – middle school specific items. Your choices are only limited to your imagination! Make sure to consider your students’ special skills, what they are currently learning about, and also what they are naturally interested in! Purchasing is not always necessary either! We teachers tend to have items that will work already at home! One simple station we have enjoyed includes: a black Sharpie marker, a ruler & a piece of white paper to create art inspired by Andy Warhol. 💚this activity!

Ideas for Science Station

Click on photos to see more information!

Ideas for Math Station

Click on photos to see more information!

Ideas for History/Geography Station

Click on photos to see more information!

Ideas for a Few Other Subjects

  • art station – have paintbrushes, canvas, & water cups ready
  • cooking station – set up a recipe you’d like to teach them to make
  • music station – at the piano (or another instrument) to practice their assignments
  • listening station – have an audio book, spiral for notes, headphones, & blanket

pinterest art projects board

Pinterest Active Math board

pinterest Active Language Arts Board

Pinterest Active science board

Station Procedures

Make sure to show excitement for a special day like this! If they know their behavior determines how often you allow more fun days such as this, they may be motivated to follow your expectations more closely! From my personal experience, my girls LOVED station days. And, actually, they’re pretty fun for the teacher too! 😉

  • Walk your students through each station & explain what you expect
  • Have them repeat back to you their responsibilities while at each station
  • Remind them to set a timer when they begin (optional, but helpful)
  • Emphasize to do their best work to share later
  • If siblings are together, address how they are to work together
  • Motivate them by sharing when they can expect the next “Station Day”!
  • Share how to complete proper clean-up procedures

I’d love to hear how you incorporate stations into your homeschool. We can all learn from each other. Send me a comment… 👌🏽

Thank you for reading! Please FOLLOW my blog & be watching for more EDUCATIONAL posts COMING SOON! Blessings, y’all.

~Domestic Chick

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