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Month: March 2019

Homeschool socialization. Here’s the results from my ig stories poll so far. What do you think about the community & support system in your area? . I was pretty ticked off when I posted this poll. I had just come home from yet another scheduled meetup in which people were no shows and didn’t send a message to let me know. I get that things come up, emergencies happen, logistics don’t always work out. But seriously – three different times this week I have asked my child to stop his activity, get ready, get to a place, and then sit around waiting because no one else is there. Three different times this week with different groups. It is so disappointing to keep telling my son that we are meeting friends and then we are sitting there waiting. My son doesn’t complain – but maybe he should. . I absolutely don’t mind having alone time with my kid, so I guess that’s the bright side… but I’d like to have some reliable homeschooling socialization too…. . What works for you?

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Lisa

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New nature study books! With the start of spring, we have expanded from our study of rocks into lots of growing things. We’ll see if it settles into focus or stays general. . Books: ?Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature ?It Starts With a Seed ?Hidden World: Forest ?Finding Wild . Got a few books about bees too – will post those later! . #naturestudybooks #naturestudy #homeschoolnaturestudy #homeschoolscience #backyardnature #secularhomeschool

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Lisa

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Art & exploring deep fears and strong feelings – My son is not enamored much of painting, drawing, or clay. So, it’s through perler beads that he’s started to express himself and process things. . This piece he made has a story behind it. The darker beads are an infection in a body that is being fought off by the lighter beads, the white blood cells. The striped beads on the left are macrophages, special immune cells that consume harmful invaders. . I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my son was on antibiotics recently and has had a lot of dr visits, and he produced this. To me it seems like a healthy way to play out the idea that his body was fighting off an infection, which is definitely anxiety provoking. . I see a lot of beautiful pictures on IG of beautiful watercolors and very artfully arranged art experiences for kids. I just want to say that there’s room for kids to take things in a different direction. . Not everything our kids produce will be cute, brightly colored, or inspired by idyllic scenes. Kids get worried, angry, and sad, and Art is for that too. . When I look at this creation, I see a big patch of black in the middle that the white blood cells and macrophages haven’t reached. Maybe he’s worried the infection isn’t really gone or will come back. I can’t say I blame him. And seeing this helps me to understand how that feels, which is what art is supposed to do, right? . What’s your kid’s favorite way to express their big feelings? . #artforkids #perlerbeads #perlerbeadart #homeschoolart #abstractart #selfexpressionthroughart

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Lisa

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Week in review – I have to say I’m really enjoying our new chart categories. Previous to this, we had mostly traditional school subjects like Reading, Math, Writing, Handwriting, etc. But as we’ve become more project based, it made more sense to include the projects on the chart instead of trying to tease out which subjects were wrapped up in our projects. Also, having reading on there at all was just hilarious, as it’s so much a part of our life – it’s like checking off “Breathing air”. Very important, but silly to check. . My son contributed “Robots” to the list. I’m curious to see where that interest goes! . #homeschool #homeschoolplanning #eclectichomeschool #projectbasedlearning #projectbasedhomeschooling #secularhomeschool #secularhomeschooling

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Lisa

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Brainstorming an update to our play area. What are your kids’ favorite loose parts or tinkering materials? . #makerspace #homeschoolstem #homeschoolmakerspace #tinkeringstudio #loosepartsplay #looseparts #handsonlearning

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Lisa

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Didn’t get a clear view of the super moon tonight, but if you do, try to spot some of these features… they’re listed in order of difficulty. From “The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs” by Tristan Gooley. . #supermoon #supermoon2019

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Lisa

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Spring nature study & gardening – picked up some fun new books at our library today with more to come! . Our main gatden is going to revolve around studying pollinators – hoping to attract plenty even living in a high rise apartment with a small terrace. . Our main challenge is that our porch is shaded – so we have to choose our plants with that in mind. But we are so excited with the oncoming of spring and getting started with our garden! . What are your spring plans? . #homeschooling #secularhomeschool #happyspring #springbooks #homeschoolbooks #naturestudy #homeschoolscience

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Lisa

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Updated weekly chart – experimenting with a new format. Deliberately leaving a few spaces blank in case my kid has anything else he’d like to add. . #homeschoolplanning #eclectichomeschool #secularhomeschool #secularhomeschooling #projectbasedlearning #homeschoolunitstudy #interdisciplinarylearning

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Lisa

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Week in review – it’s time to switch things up! . We’re almost at the end of our kindergarten year – though the actual grade levels of our materials are all over the place. It just feels different now. My son feels older, both to himself and to us. And so what we are focusing on will be changing to reflect that. . My initial goal with the chart (which you can read about on the blog – link is in my bio @inquiringmindshomeschool ) was to keep track of what we were getting to each week and trying to establish a consistent routine. As you can see, some areas are a lot more consistent than others. Which is fine! But I also think we’ll have more success getting to those areas through projects, and so I’ll be adding some projects to the chart. . What I love about homeschooling is how flexible and responsive it can be. We can change with the seasons and emphasize the methods and practices that are working. So next weeks review will reflect that! . #homeschool #homeschooling #secularhomeschooling #secularhomeschool #thisishomeschool #homeschoolplanning

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Lisa

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Homeschool planning – although I bought a planner, and it’s very nice, I’m finding that bullet journaling is much better for me. . Bullet journals are flexible and customizable. I can switch things up as our homeschool shifts. . It might seem like people who bullet journal are super artistic and adorn their notebooks with fancy lettering and picture perfect layouts. Not me! Mine is very much practical. . I highly recommend the actual Bullet Journal book by Ryder Carroll. I got mine at my local library. It talks about goal setting, prioritizing what matters, overcoming obstacles, etc. If you’d like to see more check out my IG stories! . #homeschoolplanning #bulletjournal #bujo #bulletjournalbook

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Lisa

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  • Ready for camp today! @the_renaissance_child #stemlearning #stemeducation #electronicsforkids #summerstemcamp
  • Check out my new article on the @pandia_press blog (<—link in their bio) . As a science educator, I believe in giving students the most complete, accurate, up to date information that we can, in a developmentally appropriate way. Deciding not to mention topics that are “controversial” is not an educational strategy I support. . I have taught in religious environments and gotten pushback on evolution - and I’ll tell you what I told the kids: . Science is science, and religion is religion. I am not here to tell you what to believe in or argue with your pastor, rabbi, priest, imam etc. . Science is not a belief. You don’t have to believe anything in order to understand it or learn the information. There is no ultimate conclusion that science “wants” you to reach, which is why there are scientists from every religion, country, language, etc who can study and communicate about it. It’s not the purview of a specific culture, government, ethnicity or gender. It’s a method for learning about the world - above all, asking questions and trying to make sense of what can be observed directly or indirectly. . Science is not a moral code and has nothing to say about living a good life, though its outcomes (like antibiotics and higher crop yields) can benefit millions. It’s not a substitute for character development or moral instruction. Many scientists continue to believe in the religions they were born into. . Feel free to ask me anything about evolution or any other science topic - I love to research and explain, and I’m teaching an evolution course right now with the museum so I have access to great material and experts. So ask away (-: . But first go to @pandia_press profile and check out the article (-: #scienceeducation #scienceeducator #homeschoolscience #evolution #teachingevolution #whyteachevolution #homeschoolcurriculum #secularhomeschool #secularhomeschooling #secularhomeschooler
  • Book club – After many years of teaching children to read, I’m enjoying raising my own reader ???? Books we’re currently enjoying: the Frank Einstein series, James and the Giant Peach (have lost count how many times he’s read it), and the Nick and Tesla series. The book in the picture is Greetings from Somewhere which is a good beginning chapter book series or a gentle intro to studying places around the world. #raisingareader #homeschoolreading #homeschool #secularhomeschool #booksofinstagram
  • Perler bead science – plant cell . My son loves perler beads, so they’re a natural modeling tool! I made this with his help, looking at various diagrams for guidance. It’s a conceit we will revisit many times, esp once we get a good microscope! #handsonscience #secularhomeschool #homeschoolscience #perlerbeadscience #plantcellmodel
  • Follow trains are a great way to connect with other homeschool families, and this one is for the secular homeschoolers out there. ✨ It can be hard to find secular families in the homeschool world, so here’s what you do: ✨Follow @that_secular_mom ✨Ask for image and script ✨ Follow accounts using this image with the tag #secularmomfollowtrain ✨Like and comment on images. That’s it!! #secularhomeschool #secularlife #homeschooling #homeeducation #hsmom #secularmoms

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  • Ready for camp today! @the_renaissance_child #stemlearning #stemeducation #electronicsforkids #summerstemcamp
  • Check out my new article on the @pandia_press blog (<—link in their bio) . As a science educator, I believe in giving students the most complete, accurate, up to date information that we can, in a developmentally appropriate way. Deciding not to mention topics that are “controversial” is not an educational strategy I support. . I have taught in religious environments and gotten pushback on evolution - and I’ll tell you what I told the kids: . Science is science, and religion is religion. I am not here to tell you what to believe in or argue with your pastor, rabbi, priest, imam etc. . Science is not a belief. You don’t have to believe anything in order to understand it or learn the information. There is no ultimate conclusion that science “wants” you to reach, which is why there are scientists from every religion, country, language, etc who can study and communicate about it. It’s not the purview of a specific culture, government, ethnicity or gender. It’s a method for learning about the world - above all, asking questions and trying to make sense of what can be observed directly or indirectly. . Science is not a moral code and has nothing to say about living a good life, though its outcomes (like antibiotics and higher crop yields) can benefit millions. It’s not a substitute for character development or moral instruction. Many scientists continue to believe in the religions they were born into. . Feel free to ask me anything about evolution or any other science topic - I love to research and explain, and I’m teaching an evolution course right now with the museum so I have access to great material and experts. So ask away (-: . But first go to @pandia_press profile and check out the article (-: #scienceeducation #scienceeducator #homeschoolscience #evolution #teachingevolution #whyteachevolution #homeschoolcurriculum #secularhomeschool #secularhomeschooling #secularhomeschooler
  • Book club – After many years of teaching children to read, I’m enjoying raising my own reader ???? Books we’re currently enjoying: the Frank Einstein series, James and the Giant Peach (have lost count how many times he’s read it), and the Nick and Tesla series. The book in the picture is Greetings from Somewhere which is a good beginning chapter book series or a gentle intro to studying places around the world. #raisingareader #homeschoolreading #homeschool #secularhomeschool #booksofinstagram
  • Perler bead science – plant cell . My son loves perler beads, so they’re a natural modeling tool! I made this with his help, looking at various diagrams for guidance. It’s a conceit we will revisit many times, esp once we get a good microscope! #handsonscience #secularhomeschool #homeschoolscience #perlerbeadscience #plantcellmodel
  • Follow trains are a great way to connect with other homeschool families, and this one is for the secular homeschoolers out there. ✨ It can be hard to find secular families in the homeschool world, so here’s what you do: ✨Follow @that_secular_mom ✨Ask for image and script ✨ Follow accounts using this image with the tag #secularmomfollowtrain ✨Like and comment on images. That’s it!! #secularhomeschool #secularlife #homeschooling #homeeducation #hsmom #secularmoms

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