Homeschooling-ideas.com Newsletter - Fuel the Fire Issue #93 - June 2017
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Hi!
Welcome to the ninety-third issue of Fuel the Fire.
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In this Issue
Jolly JuneThe Three R's - Resources, Read-Alouds and Recommendations.
Fuel the Fire Ideas.
Jolly June
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to the June edition of Fuel the Fire. I am excited to share some wonderful ideas with you again this month.
We are still plowing through exams - I will be so glad when they are over :) I am looking forward to a relaxed summer with time to work on the website.
Don't forget - no newsletter in July. I will see you back again in August.
Resources, Read-Alouds, and Recommendations
In this section of my newsletter, I want to bring you great recommendations that I think you will enjoy in your homeschooling.Random Book Ideas :)
I am feeling a little out of the loop with our focus being on exams - so here are a few random books I thought you might love :) I will try to be a bit more with it in August!
Fuel the Fire in June
Lapbooks
My children enjoyed Lapbooks a lot when they were younger - but we needed an alternative now they are teenagers!
If you would like to know more about lapbooks and how to do them - or wondering how to modify them for your older children, check out my lapbooks page.
Wildlife Film
One of the activities we enjoy doing over the summer is making little wildlife films.
Last year we were out in the garden a lot, filming bees. There had been quite a few programs on TV about bees, and it inspired the children to make their own bee film.
Last year we used a digital camera with a film setting but this year we will probably just use phones.
We usually string together several clips with a short paragraph of writing between each clip. Although we use film, this would work just as well with photographs.
Here is the Bee film - I NOW know they are not honey bees! See how much we learned :)
You film doesn't have to be about bees. Why not choose an insect, or a flower from your garden, and make a film about it? You could even catch something like pillbugs (woodlice) and film them over several days doing different things.
It doesn't have to be anything compllicated, but I think even younger children would enjoy this.
And if you enjoy the filming, do check out my pages on making an animation.
Summer Activities
I am concious there is no newsletter next month to take you through the summer - so I have made a list of fun activities you can try!
If you are in need of summer inspiration, try here!
Coloring Book Creativity!
I loved, loved using coloring books as part of our homeschooling - and of course they have become a lot more popular lately!
Not only do they develop hand and eye coordination, but coloring activates the logic part of the brain, and generates a creative mindset. Perfect!
If you are looking to add some coloring books to supplement your learning then I have a fabulous coloring book list here!
I hope you use it as a jumping off point to find some great titles yourself.
Make a Sun Clock
As it has been so sunny here, we are going to set up our garden sun clock.
One of the most fun ways to do this is to have the children paint rocks with the numbers 1 to 12. Push a stick into the ground (or chalk a circle and get your child to stand in it), then every hour go and place a rock on the end of the shadow.
The rocks won't make a circle, but a curve, with some rocks closer to the stick than others. (The shortest shadow corresponds to true north).
It is interesting to set up this clock at the beginning of the summer and see how accurate it is (or isn't) by the autumn.
For more information and math about this see this analemmatic sundials page.
If you would like to make more of a traditional sundial, then this paper one is really lovely.
Field Trip Ideas
Now the weather is nicer, it is great to be able to get out and about.
But where to go?
Check out my ideas for free field trips.
Airfix
My son has always loved airfix kits!I few years ago he received some for his birthday, and it has was a great success. His interest in aircraft and war led us to the Imperial War Museum - and a run of TV programs about D-Day and Dunkirk expanded his knowledge greatly.
It seems there are lots of types of airfix, and you may well find something to go with your current project. Watch out for skill level though - it ranges from an easy 1 to a very difficult 4.
I have picked out some kits that you might find interesting - but there are plenty more on Amazon.
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WorkPockets
Do you want to try to shake things up a little over the summer?
Here is a fun way of scheduling that gets the children involved.
Build a Geodesic Dome from Newspaper
Geodesic domes are a wonderful feat of engineering - and something you can easily make at home with newspaper!
Fancy having a try? Check out my geodesic dome page.
Games to Play
More games for you to play.- Shapeswitcher. Nice logic game. Change color or shape to get through the doors to the exit star!
- Wake the Royalty. Fun physics type game where your contraptions wake up the sleeping king and queen.
- MadVirus - My favorite of the month. Neat little logic game. Click on a colored tile to change the color of tiles around the 'start point'. You win when all the tiles are the same color - but you only have a certain number of clicks to get there.
Thanks so much for joining me for this issue of "Fuel the Fire".
Be sure to look out for the next issue on 6th August 2017. If you can't wait, then you can find a more regular injection of ideas on:
If you have any comments or suggestions to help me improve this newsletter, I would love to hear from you!
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