Carnival of Homeschooling #65
I am dedicating this carnival to Charles Darwin.
I hope everyone enjoys the Carnival of Homeschooling, thank you to all the bloggers who submitted post. All homeschoolers love FREE lesson plans so we will begin the carnival with a link to free lesson plans for the Galapagos, along with an interactive website created by the National Science Teacher's Association in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. Galapagos Geology on the Web is another great resource. I also want to recommend the book The Language of God by Francis S. Collins, where he makes his case for Theistic Evolution.
Natalie explains why an adequate public school education isn't good enough for our children and why homeschoolers don't want any part of it in her post School Pride at The Homeschool Cafe.
At Why Homeschool Janine Cate writes about the illogical reasoning of an Arizona school district in not allowing a homeschool team to participate in a chess competition in her post In the news.
Ryan Boots submitted How to Give Your Child an Expensive Private Education – For Less Than $3,000 per Year, a guest feature on Edspresso (the official blog of the Alliance for School Choice). In the post (be sure to read all three) Michael Strong explains the nuts and bolts of good homeschooling.
In 1827 Charles Darwin started theology studies at Christ's College, Cambridge. His love to collect plants, insects, and geological specimens was noted by his botany professor John Stevens Henslow. He arranged for his talented student a place on the surveying expedition of HMS Beagle to Patagonia. Despite the objections of his father, Darwin decided to leave his familiar surroundings.
For many first time homeschoolers, homeschooling is an expedition into the unknown.
Planning an expedition into the unknown can be a scary proposition. Dana's post Deciding to Homeschool ,at Home*School*Home , is about trying homeschooling for a short while to see if it works for your family before plunging in, and some resources to help you do that.
When you are charting new territory there are many dangers you need to be aware of Home Schooling Aspergers offers you the chance to win a book to teach your child protective behaviours in their post Win A Children's Book about Protective Behaviours.
The Deputy Headmistress' post The Gaps is a lighthearted post on what to do when you realize you have skipped something in your child's education. While playing stump the parents with my kids, I realized my public school education had a few gaps in it, when my youngest son asked who John Honeyman was. He scored extra points for also stumping his elder brother. You'll find other post by The Deputy Headmistress at The Common Room.
Whenever you are in uncharted territory you wonder if you have taken the right path. At No Fighting, No Biting! Kat wonders if she pushes one child too hard while letting another off too easily in her post Story of the World. At The Thinking Mother, ChristineMM, explains a typical homeschooling dynamic in her post A Typical Pattern in Our Homeschool: Older Son Resists My Guidance
At Sand, Sea & School we learn why someone would choose to venture into new territory in Heather's post What do they teach them? A terrific post from a very new homeschooler. Marjorie explains one of the reasons she homeschools at Life Without School in her post Measuring Up. At Teaching Diligently, Stacy describes some hands-on activities to aid the elementary age student in exploring the 5 senses, in her post Exploring the 5 Senses - Pre-school to 2nd grade. How important is pre-school? The Queen of Carrots at Introducing the World has an answer for you in her post Considering Preschool. Gena at Home Where They Belong ask, Just what does a pregnant mom do about homeschool if she has morning sickness and is to tired to think? Should she be worried that her children are being neglected academically? , in her post Pregnant and Homeschooling?
Of course having the right tools for your journey is very important. Patti Miller at All Info About Home Schooling has some terrific tips for finding textbooks in her post Buying and Selling Curriculum. Susan at Corn & Oil wants to let you know that Education Week is offering a trial period and she gives examples of articles you will find in the magazine in her post Education Week Trial Period.
The one thing all homeschooling parents have in common is their desire to learn along with their children.
The Educational Tour Marm's post The Baptism of Pocahontas: Capitol Offense - Get it Right! explains the importance of verifying your sources. She also ask a very important question, "But what if the official site contains incorrect information?".
Nose in a Book explains why a homeschool field trip is superior to a public school field trip comprised of a busload of middle school students, a teacher plus a few bewildered parent chaperons in the post So we drove up to the science museum yesterday afternoon...
What skills will your students need to enter the job market? Rebecca Newburn presents Information Age Education: 21st Century Skills posted at Information Age Education. The eight skills listed will also be helpful to homeschooling parents who may be re-entering the job market after successfully completing their homeschooling journey. Rebecca has some wonderful resources on her blog for teachers and students click here to check them out.
The Human Genome Project Education Resources offers lesson plans, teacher guides, student activities, and more.
image credit: U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Program
The steps of the scientific method are to:
- Ask a Question
- Do Background Research
- Construct a Hypothesis
- Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
- Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
- Communicate Your Results
Visit Science Buddies for some Science Fair Project Ideas.
Wired For Noise tells you how you can learn about science by getting dirty, in the post Science is made of mud and rocks.
Those of us further along on our homeschooling journey may question the importance of testing. Edmund Snyder ask How Important Are Tests? posted at Flada Blog. Barbara Frank in her post Blaming the Test Instead of the Course Content maintains the continued controversy over how to test children hides a larger issue: how useful is the information the children are being taught and tested on?
At Consent of the Governed we have an essay about how there really is no such thing as equivalent instruction in Judy's post The Myth of Equivalent Instruction. Dana at Principled Discovery explains the difference between educating a child and socializing a child in her post To educate, or to socialize? . Elena at My Domestic Church says, If they want me to keep homeschooling, they certainly are doing a good job! , in reference to her recent experience with a public school.
Everyone needs to be appreciated, Sprittibee in her post 2, 4, 6, 8 Who do we appreciate? reminds us that nominations for the belated 2006 Blog Awards are now underway. Do you have a crazy, weird or wacky homeschool experience to share? Summer Minor is looking for post for her Lets have a contest! at Mom Is Teaching.
At The Unlikely Homesteader listen to a great homeschool radio show and learn more about The Old Schoolhouse Magazine in the post Talking with Homeschool Radio.
If you have plans for college this helpful post How to Manage Your Time in College by Matthew Paulson, at Getting to Graduation, stresses the need for effective time management. He offers tips that everyone who finds there aren't enough hours in the day would benefit from. Susie Glennan shares her tips on how to manage time based on personalities in her post Personality Based Time Management located On The Company Porch. Ted Reimers at Campus Grotto has suggestions for classes college students should take in his post Best classes to take in College.
Photo's courtesy of Ecuador Pictures - Galapagos and the U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Program.
Correction Missy from Life Without School wanted to submit her post Shock Value. My apologies for the mix up Marjorie and Missy.
This concludes the 65th Carnival of Homeschooling. Kris' Eclectic Homeschool will be hosting the 66th Carnival of Homeschooling April 3. Click here for directions on submitting a post. All post are due Monday 6PM (PST).
Please feel free to drop by Alasandra again for a visit.
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- Here They Go Again Bashing Homeschooling
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- Newscientist Bashes Homeschoolers
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