A great lesson plan is more than preparation and delivery. It needs to grab the attention of the listeners and actively engage their minds in order to be effective. Students have many distractions pulling at them all the time: technology, relationship dilemmas, hunger, tiredness, on and on and on. As teachers, we have to break through that noise and grab the attention of our listeners. One of the easiest and most effective ways to make…
Do kids need cursive? Depends on who you talk to! Many say that with the rise of technology and the need to prepare children for the digital future, cursive is becoming obsolete. This article from Memoria Press points out 10 reasons why learning cursive is beneficial. However, I am going to focus on just two of these areas that demonstrate why kids need cursive. 1. Writing in cursive builds neural pathways. 2. Writing in cursive…
Spring has sprung, and it’s time for some fresh new activities for your homeschool or classroom! A good lesson plan is made up of multiple types of instruction that involves visual, auditory and tactile activities. However, creating effective lesson plans is time consuming. That’s why I love gathering free resources that are major time savers! I’ve rounded up 10 of my favorites here. These ten free insect activities for spring will enhance your lesson plans…
Do Pets Help Kids Learn? We won’t all agree on which pet is best-dogs, cats, turtles, fish, and the list goes on. However, we can all agree that pets are beneficial for mental health and companionship. But do they specifically help kids learn? I believe the answer is ABSOLUTELY! There’s myriad information online about this, but I’m just going to share what I’ve seen from personal experience with my own family and friends. A few…
Why do people choose to homeschool, and how in the world do they make homeschooling work for their families? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? As a homeschooling mom myself I’ve had the opportunity to get to know many other homeschoolers over the years. One thing I’ve learned is that there are many different reasons why families homeschool. And just as each family is different, the way they make homeschooling work for them is…